Mary Gardening
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| Photo by DDP on Unsplash |
Today is the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. Mary was born to be the mother of the world, the spiritual mother of all. Today I eat blueberries and run a bath in her honour. I don’t have a Mary Garden planted but I shall take some Rosemary (aka Rose of Mary) essential oil, some Rose otto (Emblem of Mary, the Mystical Rose) in a bath with Mint (Mary’s menthe) for a candle dressing. Our Lady, hear our prayer
Hail Mary:
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.
September certainly feels like a month for a LOT of Mary devotion, for deities and for spiritual baths. There’s much high strangeness (and full blown magic) happening in the world now, forces at play.
The basic tech I use – very basic – are: Sea Salt, Rock (Pink) Salt, Epsom Salt, Soap, Baking Soda, Dettol, Apple Cider Vinegar, Florida Water, Brandy, Sugar, Base Oil (Sweet Almond, Olive, Castor, Grapeseed, Coconut) & Rose Water. Then I add in Essential oils or Dried Herbs, such as: Basil (for protection), Cinnamon (for money), Eucalyptus (for cleansing, banishing), Hyssop (for purifying, uncrossing), Lavender (for tranquillity) Lemongrass (for spiritual cleansing), Mint (for mental clarity), Nutmeg (for luck), Rue (for protection & healing), Rosemary (for peace), Rose (for love) Sage and Sandalwood (both for purification). You can also use all these in Floor washes too. So you don’t need much for a spiritual clean. A very simple protection recipe from the Hoodoo tradition just has 4 ingredients for a bath: Mix up Salt, Ammonia (you can use Dettol), Vinegar and Basil.
I also use Candle Magic at home. I use Road Opener candles (multi-coloured layers of red, green, orange and yellow), Black candles (to banish negativity), Blue (for peace, serenity, Mary), Green (for money & luck), Purple (for meditation and mastery), Orange (for opportunity), Red (for strength) and Yellow (for creativity) etc. These correspond differently for European magic (Planetary) but can equally be use for Venus, Mercury, Moon, Jupiter, Saturn etc. Sometimes green is Venus on a Friday with Myrtle or Rose oil, sometimes green is for Money, Luck, St. Martha and St. Jude. Whatever your jam.
I read Psalm 23 over basic Olive Oil to bless it too. This works well if you don’t have Holy Oil or Protection Oil (shop bought) as you can just make your own quickly and cheaply this way. If you don’t want to use a Psalm, a basic "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit" could do it, whatever inspires you – and the Hail Mary would be good today.
Following the DIY theme, you can also make your own Florida Water, here’s Catherine Yronwode’s recipe. Blend up essential oils of: Bergamot, Lemon, Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Cinnamon, Clove, and Neroli in a base of Rose Water. You can also make your own Chinese Wash-style Household Cleaner (I use it as a Yoga Mat wash in a recycled LUSH spray bottle and use it to clean my desk/workspace) . Just take a splash of the Florida Water and add to Pine oil, Hyssop, Lemon, Salt with a glug of Dettol. Perfect for sweaty smelly mats after Yoga.
This month I also still have my shop-bought stash from Original Botanica Products to apply:
Ø Protection
Oil: To fight evil people on your behalf and protect self, family, home.
Ø High John The Conqueror: For luck, money, power, mastery, success, influence
This week I’m saying The Lord's Prayer a lot, asking for intercession of Archangel Saint Michael (it’s his Feast Day on September 29th), lighting candles to St. Expedite (be sure to provide the offering you promised if Saint Expedite grants your petition. I'm getting him a nice statue on a promise), exploring many ‘faces’ of Mary (BVM, Guadalupe, Loretto, Fatima, Dolorosa, Perpetual Help, Good Remedy) and enjoying learning about many Catholic (Folk) Saints, from the Celts to Rome to the Americas.
Here’s a Psalm I use in my home practice, you can also use it as mentioned to bless Oil:
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
Prayer to St Michael
Holy Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust down to hell Satan, and all wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen
September: for St. Michael and for the Virgin Mother. It is also for Virgo (my lovely departed Nan Josie) and Venus. It is for Love. Fill it with Rose, Hibiscus, Cedar, Myrrh, Salt, Lavender, Kindness, Grace, Serenity, Chaga, Chocolate, Beauty Elixirs, Strawberry, Geranium, Rosehip, Jojoba, Carrotseed, Pomegranates, red candles, pink oils & Joy! I’ve got face creams, rubs, salves, teas and tonics galore to play with making. Time too for some dry brushing, meditation, sunshine, green juice, walks outside, watering plants, incense for votive offerings, writing writing writing and as always - reading books!
My reading vibes are currently Mary-archetype focused. There’s also a bunch of herbs and gardens. Maybe I will plant that Mary (balcony) Garden after all – to spend time with my gorgeous family in.
So, dear Our Lady and Saints of the sky, earth, air, fire and water - protect our souls, bind our words and prayers, remember us, honour our dead, heal us and keep us in peace and harmony.
“We’re all just walking each other home” – Ram Dass
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