Minty Fresh

Happy New Moon to all you happy people. Today brings us through another opportunity to begin again. And as such, I am bringing you today a new topic. A new experience. And a new use for Mint. It is not just for toothpaste or an after dinner treat.

I love the smell of mint. When I was a teen my mom always had Pep-O-Mint Lifesavers in her purse. (Probably to cover up the smells from her dentures and smoking, but still.)

The smell of mint takes my mind to place that is clean. A place that is fresh.

Mint is super easy to grow, comes in a ton of varieties and has a million uses. A witch’s garden is not complete without some mint.

In Greek lore, Minthe was a nymph lover of Hades who was jealous when he chose Persephone for his Queen instead of her and made some trouble so that either Persephone or Demeter turned her into a plant. Alternatively, they trampled her into dust and Hades made the plant grow from the dust. Either way, mint was used in Greek funerary rites to mask the smell of the body and so was associated with the kingdom of Hades.

I use it in a variety of ways. It makes a great tea. The tea can alleviate a stomachache or heartburn. The smell of it can help with headaches. It can help pregnant women with morning sickness. Drunk as a tea, mint adds strength to our words, increasing the success of all oratory, including, prayers, spells, speeches and presentations, vows of love, legal arguments- or any arguments, political debates, business negotiations, and performances.

Mint is a powerful herb that can be used to increase personal strength and build up the fortitude needed to overcome difficulties and restrictions placed upon you whether through magical or mundane means. Thus, it is an excellent addition to uncrossing mixtures as well as working for courage and strength to prepare for upcoming challenges in the workplace and in relationships. It can be for breaking streaks of bad luck of all sorts and jinxes, whether self-inflicted or otherwise and it can be carried to protect from falling victim to streaks of bad luck or trickery from other people by keeping the mind alert to those "red flags" that tell us that a person or situation might be trouble down the road and helping to give us the strength to walk away before things get too bad.

Mint can be used as a floor wash or grown in and around the house to keep away trouble and troublesome people. After a disruption in the household, such as a family argument or break up, this floor wash can help return the home to calm and harmonious energy and encourage normal and fruitful communication.

I used it to make a massage oil. It was nice. I use it in spaghetti sauce. It is good with fruit or chocolate or in a mojito.

Carry mint in your shoe or your pocket to prevent bad luck and other obstacles from interfering with your goals and success. Keep some in your wallet to keep your money flowing smoothly.

Combine mint with High John the Conqueror Root and Calamus to increase your fortitude when you're getting ready to address whatever situation is getting in the way of your success. (Whether it be curses, crossed conditions, petty people, legal issues or red tape.)

Mint can be added to psychic-enhancing tea, incense and fragrance oils. Placing mint under your pillow is said to encourage prophetic dreams.

You can find out more here on this website.

Mint Information

Enjoy the darkness tonight. :)

A New Moon and A Constant Companion

I had to work today. Another price I pay for being a modern witch. But I am now sitting in my sanctuary, and contemplating my day. Enjoy this, the first new moon of the year.

Today I am using Rosemary and Mint oils in my aromatherapy. The smell is divine. Rosemary in magick goes back forever. Also called the Dew of the Sea it is said that it was draped around the Goddess Aphrodite when she arose from the sea. Also, it is said that the Virgin Mary spread her blue cloak over a rosemary bush, turning the flowers from white to blue. (Generally Rosemary has green leaves with flowers of white, pink, purple or blue.) You can use rosemary in love spells or at weddings. It has also been used in remembrance at funerals and memorial services.

Mint is another healing herb. Using it as I am in aromatherapy, it can help with nausea and is a smell associated with hospitality. Mint can also help with stomach aches. Spray a little mint oil around to keep away wasps, hornets, ants and roaches.

I keep a fountain near my work space. Simple rock waterfall. The sound is very soothing. Gibby, my familiar is directly under my feet. His fluff keeps my toes warm.

And that is what I would like to discuss today.

Animal familiars.

The concept of animal familiars goes back throughout the history of witchcraft. It was said that demons possessed small animals and were doing the bidding of their masters.

That is not what I mean.

Others have believed that fairies inhabit the bodies of small animals and help their human companions in life.

Perhaps.

I am talking about animals with whom you share a special connection. An animal you share an emotional and psychic bond. There are pets. And there are those special pets. You know the ones. Animals whose souls exist on your same plane of being.

Maybe they came to you unexpectedly. Maybe you went looking for them. You just know.

We have two in our house. One is mine. One is my daughters.

And just an FYI… We actually have a lot more than 2 pets. We currently have 3 dogs, two cats, 2 guinea pigs, a turtle and a fish.

But today we are only talking about familiars.

Like Gibby.

Right now he is looking at me because I put my foot on him.

There is just something about him. He is mine and I am his. No one else will do for him. I once went away for a few weeks for training and he moped around the whole time.

I swear he can understand me. I have never been able to teach a dog that many tricks. In such a short time. I have had dogs before, but Gibby is special.

My mom bought him for me on a whim. I was working at a pet store at the time. The other girls who worked there had these little stupid pocket dogs that they gushed over. Also, the owner of the store was a creepy old hag who thought teenagers were so cool. I just wanted to do my job and go home. I didn’t care about the teens. But the owner kept telling me I didn’t fit in. (Big surprise. I showed up on time and did what I was supposed to and didn’t waste time.) My mom was worried I would get fired and thought if I had a stupid little pocket dog, I might be able to have something in common with my teenaged coworkers. (FYI… didn’t work. That woman was a horrible person. Karma will get her.)

Gibs is not stupid. Nor is he worth gushing over. My grandpa named him Gibson after the baseball player Kirk Gibson. We call him Gibby. Or Gibs. He knows when he is being spoken to.

My oldest daughter has a familiar of her own, a cat named Muffins.

There is something about that cat. She is where ever my daughter is. She has the whole house to roam in and mostly is in my daughter’s bedroom. Sometimes I think that cat can read minds.

We had gone to the shelter to look for a cat. Our cat. It was missing. And Muffins picked us. I don’t even know how she did it. Carolynn told me that this cat picked us and we needed to take her home. She was serious about it. And so we got Muffins.

What are your thoughts? Do you have an animal familiar?

Is it as cute as ours?