Ancient Romans

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Astro-Housewitchery; Thyme

June 25, 2009 in Good Housewitchery by Mystic Medusa | 6 comments

arthur-rackham-titania-sleepingArthur Rackham – Titania Sleeping…

Thyme is antiseptic, antibiotic & apparently the main ingredient in Listerine. You can make your own really cool mouthwash by bunging Thyme essential oil in some water…Not too much as it is insanely strong. The Ancient Romans & Greeks said it bestowed Courage.

It’s a herb of Mercury & Venus so good for clarity in love. They say that, in dream pillows, it wards off nightmares but I have not tried that yet. Maybe as an adjunct to the mugwort?

It’s Za’atar in Arabic & i think they ground it up with nuts as sort of an aromatic between courses thingie?

It’s obviously a major culinary herb all over the place but what i really like about Thyme is that it is said to attract fairies to your garden. Titania, the Fairy Queen, sleeps on a bed of Wild Thyme. I know it is Thyme not Time but i love the concept of ‘wild time’ too. Also, if you drink Thyme tea, it apparently means you can see fairies all of a sudden. Plus, like sage, it would  help a sore throat.

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Astro-Housewitchery; Lavender

May 21, 2009 in Good Housewitchery by Mystic Medusa | 9 comments

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Lavender is so sensational & surely the ideal essential oil to have around anytime but especially to be more tranquil during a Dark Moon. Or you can tear sprigs off & put them in your pillowcase & this is the most amazing recipe for Lavender muffins.  Lavender comes from the Latin ‘lavandas’ – things to be washed, probably because Ancient Romans knew how fab & tranquility inducing it is to bung in with the laundry. It’s a.k.a Elf Leaf and Nard. As the latter, it is mentioned in the Song Of Solomon.

Lavender is a herb of of Mercury & Air. Mercury is Messenger of the Gods. It’s thus so appropriate that it is Lavender/Elf-Leaf that actually started modern aromatherapy. Rene Maurice Gattefosse was working in a perfume lab when he burned his hand and – intuitively or just in pain – plunged it into a beaker of pure lavender oil. The hand healed beautifully and voila; aromatherapy. All because of lovely lavender.

A few drops of the oil on your temples is ultra-calming & sprinkled on sheets if you’re restless at night, ditto. They say that asps – the snakes – like to sleep in lavender bushes, which makes me think of Cleopatra. Maybe the asp wasn’t in her bowl of fruit but actually in the lavender bought in for her bath? Only she would have called it Nard, of course.