Rue This Day : 9 Magickal Uses for Rue

Last updated on: August 11, 2015 at 3:49 pm By Lilith Dorsey

9 magickal uses for rue photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.

Rue is a valuable plant that every magickal person should have in their botanical arsenal. It botanical name is Ruta graveolens and it is native to Southern Europe. Traditionally it has been used for centuries for warding off danger, and also creating an atmosphere of protection. Rue is regarded as an herb of bitterness, but also said to be an herb of grace. A Modern Herbal by Mrs. Grieve tells us that Rue “ was much used by the Ancients; Hippocrates specially commended it, and it constituted a chief ingredient of the famous antidote to poison used by Mithridates. The Greeks regarded it as an antimagical herb, because it served to remedy the nervous indigestion they suffered when eating before strangers, which they attributed to witchcraft.”

In addition to counteracting poison Rue has long been thought to drive away the plague, a holdover from Elizabethan times. Mother Earth News mentions “rosemary and rue are still carried in the processions of the Lord Mayor of London as a traditional preventative against the plague.” There are many ways you can use this treasure for yourself and your home, this list is only a beginning.

Ruta graveolens photo by free photos. Licensed under CC 2.0

9 Magickal Uses For Rue

Tying stalks of Rue together along with basil can make a broom to sweep away negativity.
You can plant Rue in your garden or windowbox for protection to your property.
Make a line of dried rue on the outside of your windowsill to keep the inhabitants safe, please be cautious if you have pets or children as rue can be poisonous.
Another use for rue is to make some Four Thieves Vinegar– place a tablespoon each of black peppercorns, rue, sage, and rosemary into a bottle of vinegar. Shake well, keep in a dark place for one month, strain and use magickally as a protection formula to sprinkle about your home or business.
Tie some rue into a cotton bag and hang above your entryway to bless your home.
Make a healing poppet or doll stuffed with Rue, Sage, and other magickal herbs.
A sprig of rue in your wallet or purse is said to prevent you from wasting your money.
Rue carried in your pocket is said to ward off the evil eye.

I’ve given you uses of rue for me, rue for you, but I’d love to hear how you use rue too … please leave your glorious concoctions in the comments below.

Grains of Paradise: A Spicy Bit of Magick

Last updated on: March 29, 2015 at 2:19 pm By Lilith Dorsey

Grains of Paradise photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved 2015.

My Godkids were not that happy with me a few weeks ago. Regular readers here at Voodoo Universe know we run our own New Orleans Style Voodoo house here in Brooklyn. My initiates, or Godkids, and I come together for feasts, rituals, and other events. Two of my Godkids had been making a normal stop at the Botanica, or spiritual supply store, before we began our last ritual. They asked, as you do, if I needed anything from the store. Here in NYC the Botanica scene has changed over the years, in my neighborhood alone three-quarters of the stores have closed in the past few years. Since they were going to Spanish Harlem, I asked my Godkids to pick up what I had thought was something simple… Grains of Paradise. Well we all know what happens when you look for something simple for ritual, the search is anything but easy. They went to 3 or 4 different places, drove from the top of Manhattan to the bottom looking for the seeds before they finally found them. Thank God, Goddess and the Orisha.

Grains of Paradise photo courtesy of Shutterstock. All rights reserved.

Grains of Paradise are powerful magic. They can also be called alligator pepper, guinea pepper, and their botanical name is Aframomum melegueta. In Lucumi they are a standard ingredient for the honored ancestors or Egungun. A ritual offering is prepared using eight pieces of coconut, Red Palm oil and a single grain of each piece. Guinea pepper is also known to aid in divination magick. Hoodoo folk magick says to place the grains in a piece of red cloth and tie it up with a picture of St. Michael as a Gris-Gris or herbal spell for safety. You can put them in your mouth or your shoe for luck and success. Or you can spit them around a bank, court, or a prospective employers location to ensure your success when applying for loans and jobs.

Many magickal practitioners use them in culinary spells for lust. This can be done by simply putting them in your pocket or beneath the bed. Like all good magickal spices Grains of Paradise can also be used for blessing and removal of curses and hexes. The following formula is designed to honor your ancestors and protect you.

Hoodoo Ancestor Protection Oil

Ingredients:

Sweet Almond Oil, for base

12 grains of paradise seeds

3 drops Galangal oil

3 drops Vetiver oil

Combine all ingredients in a small glass bottle. Close the bottle and trow it gently into the air to charge it by sending it into the realm of the invisibles.

How do you use these little gems? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Video Lilith’s Garden: Dill

Last updated on: March 3, 2018 at 10:40 am By Lilith Dorsey

Herbal magick of dill. Photo by Lilith Dorsey

Here’s our next installment in the herbal magick series featuring Dill. This time we tried something different and made a video. Dill can be used magickally for communication, protection, and luck. Please watch and let us know what you think !

And if you have enjoyed what you have seen please remember to subscribe to our youtube channel !

Hoodoo How We Do: Magnolia Blooms

Last updated on: June 16, 2023 at 11:31 am By Lilith Dorsey

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Magnolia blooms photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.

Magnolia blooms are so sweet and delightful it is obvious they are associated with love. Luckily for us, almost all parts of the plant are used. In your magickal spells and formulas most often the blooms and the oil is probably the most popular part of the plant. But the seed pods, roots and leaves are also quite powerful.

Magnolia Seed Pods

Like any seed pods, the ones from a magnolia tree can be used for growth and new beginnings. Try making a gris gris bag, or herbal magickal charm, that contains lavender petals, magnolia seed, and sesame seed. Craft it on the eve of the full moon and hang this over your front door. This is designed to bring luck and success into your home.

Using Leaves and Flowers

I always appreciate when all parts of a plant can be used in my magicks. The leaves of this plant, either powdered or used whole, and places in one’s shoes is said to lead to good luck and financial success. An oil made from the leaves when worn to bed is said to attract a night of passion and love.

Growing Magnolia Trees

As trees go Magnolia is a pretty easy one to cultivate. It can grow in sun or partial shade, and moist soil. Well established plants can also tolerate some drought. With changing weather conditions, I think this makes it an ideal plant to consider adding to your garden if you can. Typically found in zones 5-9 they are adaptable to many climates. Many varieties are native to Louisiana and my hometown of New Orleans, and on warm nights their intoxicating scent can be found wafting through the breeze.

Magickal Uses For Magnolia

love and romance
luck
happiness
attraction
relationships
fidelity
wisdom
self-confidence

How do you use magnolia in your practice? I would love to hear about it in the comments section. If you would like to learn more about plants, herbs, and flowers associated with Hoodoo, please check out the other Hoodoo How We Do posts in this series. And as always please remember to like, comment, and share !

Hoodoo History Heroes: Uncle Monday

Last updated on: March 7, 2022 at 9:06 pm By Lilith Dorsey

Uncle Monday alligator image courtesy of wikipedia. Licensed under CC 0.0

Hoodoo history is a twisted winding treasure trove of characters with wild names and even wilder lives, and Uncle Monday is one of the best. His story was originally collected by author, anthropologist and Voodoo priestess Zora Neale Hurston. It was gathered in her home state of Florida in the 1930s.

Hurston describes Monday saying “There is something about him that goes past hoodoo.” She meant this both literally and figuratively. It is said that he was born in Africa, and was both an accomplished shaman and medicine man. Captured and enslaved in his homeland he was brought to the Carolinas. Monday quickly escaped and traveled south until he arrived in Seminole country in Florida where he made friends with the local indigenous people. There he helped them with herbal magick and medicines and even helped to lead a revolt.

However, the most special thing about Uncle Monday is that he was known to have the ability to turn into an alligator. The Museum of Florida History tells us of “a lesson to old lady Judy Bronson, who claimed her magic was as strong as his. Uncle Monday brought her to a swamp and set an alligator to guard her. As the darkness fell, Judy confessed that he had the greater magic. After this admission, the townspeople found her and took her home.” It seems as if he could not only transform into the great reptile but he could also command them.

A wonderful animated short about his tales was put together by the Digital Media department of the University of Central Florida. You can watch it below:

All the different Uncle Monday stories as Hurston collected and wrote them can be found in Zora Neale Hurston The Complete Stories. His power and his magic seems to have stood the test of time and he has gone on to become one of Hoodoo history’s heroes.

As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to like, comment, and share !

A Gathering of Gris-Gris Formulary

Last updated on: August 4, 2019 at 9:24 am By Lilith Dorsey

Gris-Gris photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.

For a long time I have called Gris-Gris bags a little bit of magick. Referred to as Gris-Gris, Mojo bags, or Medicine bags, they are used in Hoodoo, New Orleans Voodoo, and even sometimes in Witchcraft workings. They are small cloth bags that are filled with magickal herbs, oils, crystals, and just about anything else that fits inside. Over the years here on Voodoo Universe I have presented several formulas which I have decided to corral together for you here.

Protection Gris-Gris Bag

In my post Maman Brigitte Ancestor Bag for Protection I write that “This Gris Gris Herbal medicine bag spell will help to bring you protection and blessings from the ancestors.” Watch my video and find out how to craft this bag for yourself.

Herbal Gris-Gris for Focus, Energy, and Concentration

Focus and concentration are two of the most important elements you can add to your magick. You can make this Gris-Gris bag and carry it with you when you are crafting other spells or performing rituals.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. Lemongrass

1 tsp. Mugwort

1 tsp. Job’s Tears

6 drops Grapefruit essential oil

6 drops Allspice Berry essential oil

Glass bowl

1 small natural cloth bag

Combine all ingredients together in the glass bowl. Stir well to combine. Place the mixture in the cloth bag. Then throw it gently into the air to bless it with the energy of the invisible world. Now it is ready for use.

Gris-Gris Bag for Passion and Opportunity

Many times people come to me because they are feeling stuck in their lives and their relationships. This is the perfect thing to carry with you during those times. You can even put it under your pillow or in your bed to attract passion to that place. Watch my video to see how –

The ingredients you use in your Gris-Gris are only limited by your imagination, please check out the posts in my Herbal Magic series for some suggestions !

As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to like, comment, and share !

Review: Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing by Amber Shehan

Last updated on: July 15, 2019 at 5:41 pm By Lilith Dorsey

Reprinted with permission from Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing by Amber Shehan, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Jen CK Jacobs. All rights reserved.

This time around I review Amber Shehan’s new book Artisanal Small-Batch Brewing. It is absolutely full of amazing recipes, including one featuring Hibiscus. Hibiscus and Rose …. when choosing a recipe to focus on there was no way I ever could have picked a different one. Hibiscus and rose are two of my most favorite delights, bringing love and joy wherever they go. In my post about Herbal Magick: Hibiscus I state ” Magickally, Hibiscus is great to use in spells for love. You can use it in cooking, like the people at the doughnut shop. Alternatively, you can use it in regular spells, such as baths, candle magic, and floor washes to bring love and harmony into your life. The blooms are very short lived, so consequently the easiest way to obtain the flower is in it’s dried form. This can be used as a tea or simple infusion and then sprinkled about your home, or drank to attract love.” However, Hibiscus isn’t just an amazing ingredient in tea and lemonade, as my friend Ms. Shehan tells us it makes a delicious mead. She calls her version of this combination a faerie frolic. I could certainly use some of that right now.

It’s been a long time since I had the patience and space to brew mead, but this book has me itching to start again. When I heard Ms. Shehan was writing a book I got excited like a little kid on the last day of school. Just by reading about these recipes my imagination and taste buds have been stirred.

The following recipe is reprinted from the book.

ROSE PETAL AND HIBISCUS MEAD

Oh, so delicate, floral and sensual. This honey wine is made magical with the addition of flower petals. The reddish-pink color of this mead is a feast for the eyes and the floral flavors dance across your tongue like a faerie frolic! Enjoy the romance of this glorious beverage fit for a queen.

1 gal (3.8 L) water, divided
1/2 cup (8 g) dried rose petals
2 tbsp (5 g) dried hibiscus petals
1/8 cup (20 g) raisins, chopped
½ lemon, chopped
3 lb (1.4 kg) honey
½ packet (2.5 g) Lalvin D-47 yeast

1. Gather your ingredients and sanitize your supplies. You’ll need a small pot with a lid, a 1- or 2-gallon (3.8- or 7.5-L) stockpot, a long spoon, a funnel, a strainer, a gallon (3.8-L) carboy and a bung and airlock.

2. Boil one-quarter (1 quart [950 ml]) of the water in the small pot. Remove it from the heat, add the rose and hibiscus petals and cover the pot with a lid. Set it aside to steep, making a floral tea.

3. Heat half (1½ quarts [1.4 L]) of the remaining water, the raisins and the lemon in the stockpot. Stir the mixture and remove the pot from the heat when the water is about to boil. Stir in the honey until it is completely dissolved. Once the must is well blended, let it sit for another 10 minutes or so to cool.

4. Use the funnel and strainer to pour both the warm must and the floral tea into the gallon carboy. Top off the carboy with as much of the remaining 1½ quarts (1.4 L) water needed for the must to reach the neck of the jug. Seal it with the bung and airlock to keep everything clean.

5. When the glass is cool enough to handle, pitch the yeast. First, cover the mouth of the carboy. Shake the jug for a minute to add oxygen. Sprinkle the yeast into the jug and then recap the carboy with the bung and airlock. Label the jug with the name of the brew and the date and set it aside somewhere out of direct sunlight until it is finished fermenting. Bottle (page 24) your brew when ready.

Recipe Note: This recipe can end up a bit dry, but I find that can be pleasant with the bright hibiscus tartness and the floral rose petal notes. Even if you prefer a sweeter mead, bottle this one dry, as it ages beautifully. You can always make a simple syrup to add to glasses at serving time. Rose Petal and Hibiscus Mead is also quite nice when paired with a sparkling clear soda to make it a spritzer.

Tip: Dried flowers and herbs are often stronger than their fresh counterparts. As the moisture evaporates during the drying process, the aromatic oils within the plant consolidate.

I’m so excited to try this and the other delicious recipes in this book ! I highly recommend it ! If you try any of these please let me know in the comments below, and Happy Brewing !

As always if you enjoy what you read here lease remember to like, comment, and share !