Poisoner's Apothecary
The Seed as a Metaphor
Metaphorically seeds have been used to describe abstract ideas and influences that grow in our minds and souls. The seeds of desire are planted to inspire love and lust while seeds of doubt cause us to question our own motives and self worth. Seeds as ideas and inspiration are planted by teachers and mentors cultivating them in their students to grow into their full potential. Other individuals prefer to sow seeds of discord to create chaos in the world for their own enjoyment.
Seedlings as abstract concepts, thoughts and desires
Seeds represent ideas, inspiration and potential. They contain the complete blueprint for the specific plant that they come from. Seeds are meant to spread and proliferate the parent plant carrying on generation after generation. All it takes is one seed and over time that seed can multiply itself infinitely increasing in number every season. Some of them germinate quickly and easily of their own accord, while others lie dormant seemingly lifeless until they decide to spring forth. Others must go through a period of cold temperatures, surviving the winter without the sun. However, when spring comes and the ground thaws these resilient children of the plant world break through their shells reaching for the light of the sun. They are symbolic of individual growth thriving in the face of adversity. Against all odds these tiny capsules of life force transform into some of the most magnificent living organisms on earth. \
Seeds are the messengers of the plant world. They carry their message of botanical blue prints through many creative means. Some seeds take flight, riding on wind and storm; while others travel by attaching themselves to animals and humans taking advantage of their mobility. Birds transport seeds in their bellies and those that aren’t digested grow from the excrement left over from the alchemical processes of digestion. Squirrels are the cultivars of the woodlands. They inter their found treasures in the fertile Underworld to survive the winter, and are unknowingly responsible for planting entire forests.
Seeds in Magic and Folklore
In magic and folklore seeds have just as many applications as the plants that they come from. They encapsulate the power of the entire plant, and often have unique attributes all their own. They can be sprinkled and cast over an area to plant one’s desired influence over a place. Larger seeds can be used alone as charms or incorporated into a mixture. Their growth cycle can be utilized to literally plant and cultivate an idea or manifestation of a desired outcome. By cultivating and nurturing the symbol of one’s desire they are able to physically watch it grow and come to fruition, just as their outcome does in the world.
In folklore they have been used to cause confusion and forgetfulness in one’s enemies. They can be applied at thresholds to keep away unwanted persons, and have been used historically in similar ways against witches and vampires. There are seeds used in love magic and seeds for fertility spells. Some seeds can be given to spirits as offerings and act as food for the dead. Other seeds when used in incense formulas can release chemicals that are poisonous, sedative and/or trance inducing. The smoke of such seeds is used for divinatory purposes and communicating with the dead. Their small and discreet nature, as well as their use in many well-known innocuous recipes can be surreptitiously deployed in food and drink for purposes of commanding one’s will, inducing amorous feelings and arousing the spirits.
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