I’ve ranted more times than I can count about the problems with associations in the Pagan and witchcraft community. From the moment I stepped foot in the community I was expected to follow a “set” list of associations and to not deviate from it. If I deviated from it the spells I posted were seen as less important by other witches. I also had a problem using the spells others made because I often didn’t agree with the associations that used. I finally got frustrated with the lack of personalization in the spells I wanted to use and decided to start making my own.
Best. Decision. EVER.
I love writing spells, though I’ll admit it takes a lot of energy out of me as both a witch and a writer. I love sharing my spells with others. More than that, I love knowing that my spells are useful to others because they are more customizable and reach a wider audience. But I’m not going to get into spell crafting just yet – there’s a day for that!
Most of the herbs I use are ones I can find in my house. I don’t like to go out of my way for something I’m not used to using, often because it has no association for me until I encounter it. Here are just a few of my herbal/scent associations based on what’s lying around in my kitchen:
Sandalwood – cleansing, fortune
Lilac – happiness, new beginnings, family/relationships
Rose – relaxation, sleep, meditation
Parsley – Healing, mild protection
Thyme – money, creativity
Nutmeg – protection, intelligence
Cloves – prosperity, fortune, love, protection, psychic ability
Basil – healing, sleep, dreams, home
Dill Weed – money, security
Celery Seed – psychic ability, meditation, astral projection
Fennel – cleansing, new beginnings, weather
Oregano – protection, healing, comfort, fortune, happiness
Methi (Fenu Greek) – energy, love, connection, empathy
Black Pepper – banishing, warding, cleansing, change
Cinnamon – cleansing, protection, healing, prosperity
Sea Salt – purification, healing, warding
Anise – warding, healing, love, money, empathy
Red Pepper – chaos
Paprika – psychic ability, healing, self-improvement
Bay Leaves – aspirations, change, protection, dreams, imagination
Rosemary – comfort, healing, sleep, friendship, longing
Cardamom – warding, protection, healing, fortune, spiritual connection, psychic ability, relationships.
Liquorice – death, suffering
There are tons of repeats in this list for good reason: these are mostly herbs and scents I love, usually ones that make me feel safe and comfortable, so a lot of them you’ll notice have protection and healing as a personal association. With few exceptions, this is a list of scents and herbs that was a big part of my meals growing up.
We won’t talk about liquorice.
So how do I decide personal associations? One day I took a bunch of my mom’s herbs, a few bottles of warming oil, a pen and a journal, and started experimenting with what everything made me thing of. I smelled everything, touched most everything, and wrote down whatever came to mind. Some things hit me with so many sensations at once (like cardamom). Other things fell flat. While red pepper may be my favorite to use in spells and curses now, it was a bitch to figure out how it made me feel.
While typing up this list I changed a few things around after realizing that some of my associations had changed. That’s pretty normal, since we’re constantly changing. I took a few off, added a few, and completely removed sage from the list (the new age and pagan communities have forever ruined whatever association I may have held for that herb).
I go through this same process with stones and crystals, incense, and anything else I plan on using in magic. My personal opinion is that I don’t want to use something in a spell if I don’t feel like it will aid me. Some of these charts online are wonderful, but they don’t fit my personal associations. I rely heavily on emotional attachment in my spells, so if I can’t feel the energy I don’t want it anywhere near my spellwork.
And this concludes my first (late) post for the Pagan Blog Project. Most of these posts will be related in some way to Pop Culture Paganism, with the odd few about general witchcraft.
Dyslexic Witch said:
That’s what it’s all about: being resourceful. Doing things your way.