Planting A Magickal Herb Garden

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I like to correspond herbs that I plant to the directions. I’ve done this with a medicine wheel layout as well as in a pentagram layout, but honestly, the medicine wheel layout is far easier to deal with, especially if the plants seed out. At that point, it’s hard to know where some of them will end up.

One advantage of the medicine wheel layout is that it gives me the option of having a circle in the center for flowers. Other layouts could involve flowers etc. that represent the Sun or Moon, a black/white flower garden, or a garden with root crops. It all depends on how you see the groupings. I’ve even mixed herbs and flowers with specific vegetables such as kale, lettuces, and chard, or berries such as strawberries. But here I’m only going to focus on herbs used in magick. 

Below are some ideas for an herb garden that can be used in magickal workings grouped by the four directions. You definitely don’t have to use every herb mentioned, but I wanted to give enough of a selection to make your garden work for you.

When working with directions, the North corresponds with the Earth element, the East with the Air element, South with the Fire element, and West with the Water element. Standing stones or some other marker can be used for each direction as well.

I’m including not only the magickal uses but in some cases, additional names they may be known by, as well as what part of the herbs to use in magick. Herbs that have a double asterisk next to them have more than one direction and can be placed on the border between shared directions. And remember that the herbs can be used fresh or dried, or in an infusion or workings involving water, for example. The directions (or quarters) also include corresponding planetary governors, elements, power, and deities.

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East: To Know, Air, Mercury, Jupiter, Hermes, Thoth, Isis, Odin, Athena, Ceridwen

• Borage: Borago officinalis; aka borago, starflower; leaves, flowers; tends to fall over and sprawls quite a bit; for magickal workings, place the blue flowers on the altar or in a mojo bag for courage and to dispel nervousness and increase inner strength, justice, understanding, prosperity, leadership, wealth
• Queen Anne’s Lace: Daucus carota; also known as wild carrot; the flower is used (fresh or dried, and look for one with the red center dot) in workings that include fertility, love spells
• Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale; yes, you should have some dandelion in your magickal garden. Flowers, leaves, and the root can be used; magical uses include workings for prosperity, leadership, wealth, justice, understanding, cleansing, purification, healing, and rebirth
• Horehound: marubium vulgare; aka houndsbene; the dried aerial parts are typically used or a fresh sprig is nice; magickal uses include workings to promote communication, creativity, and clarity
• **Hyssop: Hyssopus officinalis; the aerial parts are used (fresh sprigs as well); useful in workings for purification, cleansing (ritual tools as well both through smoke or via an herbal wash), protection, consecration, and cleansing
• Lavender: Lavendula officinale; the flowers (fresh or dried) are used often with stems attached) in workings/rituals for communication, creativity, clarity, cleansing, consecration, creativity, divination, joy, healing, love, intuition, exorcism, and rebirth. Lavender can also be burned in the cauldron on Sabbats, or used in smudges.
• Lemon Balm: Melissa officinalis; aka sweet Melissa; the aerial parts are useful in workings for improving emotional balance, communication; finances, justice, healing, and love
• Marjoram: Origanum marjorana; aka sweet marjoram; leaves and sprigs can be used in magickal workings that include communication, creativity, clarity, love, protection, and defense
• **Peppermint: Mentha piperita; the aerial parts are used to awaken perception, as well as for balance and healing
• Red Clover: Trifolium pratense; aka trefoil, purple clover; the flowers are used (remember that although this plant clumps, it can also spread in workings for consecration, divination, prosperity, leadership, wealth, justice, and achieving understanding
• Sage: Salvia Officinalis; leaves are used for smudging to cleanse an area of negativity in all forms, prosperity, leadership, wealth, justice, understanding; it can be powdered for use in Sabbat incenses, and it’s great for healing, protection, wisdom, exorcism, and transformation
• **St. John’s Wort: Hypericum peiforatum; flowers and leaves can be used in exorcism workings, dispelling negativity, increasing creativity, invoking change, healing, strength, cleansing, and transformation
• Wood Betony: Betonica officinalis; the aerial parts (especially the flower) are used in workings to let go of troubles and emotions that no longer serve the individual. Protects against witchcraft, cleansing, protection, intuitive awareness, releases negativity

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South – To Will, Fire, Mars, Lilith, Diana

• Angelica: Angelica archangelica; gets big – gather Angelica in the hour of The Sun or Jupiter (Culpeper); guards against baneful witchcraft and evil spirits. Removes hexes and curses, extends blessings, healing.
• Black Cohosh: Cimicfuga racemosa; root; rattle root, squaw root, rattle weed; gets big; place the blue flowers on the altar or in a mojo bag for courage and to dispel nervousness and increase inner strength, justice, understanding, prosperity, leadership, wealth
• Blessed Thistle – Cnicus benedictus; holy thistle; grow in pot and harvest before it seeds; cleansing, purification, clarity, healing; protection; exorcism
• Calendula: Calendula officinalis; aka pot marigold, desert marigold; used in spells for wealth, success, illumination, truth, protection, rebirth, divination, and love
• Cayenne: capsicum annuum; fruit is used to stimulate change, protection, and increases awareness
• Chamomile: Anthemis nobilis; and herb of Libra, the flowers are used to remove worries, bring calm, healing; burn as incense on Sabbats; balance, blessing, meditation, and finance-related workings
• Garlic: Allium sativum; aka poor man’s treacle; the bulb or clove favored by both Lilith and Hecate is used in workings for protection, courage, self-empowerment, passion, exorcism, and cleansing
• Hawthorn: Crataegus oxyacantha; aka quickthorn, thorn apple, haw berry (keep small as in a hedge, but as a tree it can grow extremely tall; the berries, leaves and flowers are used in workings involving courage, self-empowerment, passion, love, and healing. Use the thorns in witch bottles or mojo bags for protection and creativity. A faery and witch tree, feel blessed if you have hawthorn growing on your property. Ask permission of the faeries to gather its leaves and flowers in the Spring and its red berries in late summer or early fall.
• Hops: Humulus lupulus; the strobles (flowers) are used in workings that align and rebalance energies, in divination, and healing
• Juniper: Juniper communis; either from a shrub or tree, both leaves and berries are used, as is the resin in workings involving wealth, success, illumination, protection, and healing; burn in the cauldron for protection and exorcism
• Nettle: Urtica dioica; aka common nettle, stinging nettle; magickal uses include balance, consecration, courage, deflects hexes/curses, removes negativity, self-empowerment, passion, and exorcism
• **Pennyroyal: Pulegium vulgare; aka squaw mint, mosquito plant, stinking balm, tick weed; useful in workings to repel pests including irritating people
• Rosemary: Rosemarinus officinalis; the leaves or sprigs are used in workings involving cleansing, consecration, wealth, clarity, courage, joy, illumination, success, truth, protection, healing, smudging; Yule incense; blessing, releasing negativity, strength, exorcism, rebirth, and transition
• **St. John’s Wort: Hypericum peiforatum; flowers and leaves can be used in exorcism workings, dispelling negativity, increasing creativity, invoking change, healing, strength, cleansing, and transformation
• Tulsi: Ocimum sanctum; aka holy basil; the aerial parts are useful in workings for courage, self-empowerment, passion, balance, consecration, creativity, divination, love, finances, and renewal
• Wormwood: Artemisia absinthium; the leaves are used in workings for courage, self-empowerment, passion, psychic awareness, cleansing, divination, protection, increasing positivity, and curses
• Yarrow: Achillea millefolium; aka soldier’s wound-wort, bloodwort; useful in workings for love, harmony, romance, dreamwork, trance work, smudging, cleansing, divination, joy, peace, love, protection, releasing negativity, curses, and exorcism

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North: To Keep Silence, Earth, Saturn, Aradia, Ceres

• Arnica: Arnica montana – leopard’s bane, mountain tobacco, Mountain arnica; protection from energetic or vampiric intrusion
• Comfrey: Symphytum officinale; aka knit bone, bruisewort, ass ear; this herb of Saturn/Capricorn grows in clumps to around 2 ft high then tends to fall over and is useful in banishing, binding, influencing, protection, removing obstacles or placing them, healing, and balance workings
• Hemp/Cannabis: Cannabis sativa, indica; useful in astral travel or hedge riding, meditation, healing, or burned as incense
• Horsetail: Equisetum segetale; aka snake grass; add a small pond to this section of the garden and grow horsetail there; in magickal workings, horsetail strengthens connections with others and removes negativity
• Mullein: Verbascum album; aka witch’s taper, hag’s taper; the spikes can get quite tall; leaves, flowers, and roots are used in banishing, binding, influencing, protection, removing obstacles or placing them; Sabbat incense, balance, courage, divination, healing, diffuses negativity, exorcism, and transformation
• Oats/oatstraw: Avena sativa; the aerial parts are used in rituals or workings that bring calm, involve finances, and offer blessings
• Rue: Ruta graveolens; – the aerial parts are used (can be toxic, don’t handle if pregnant) in workings involving protection, banishing, healing, breaks curses, blessing, consecration, removing negativity, diffuses conflict, and exorcism
• Skullcap: Scutellaria lateriflora; aka skullcap, maddened, hoodwort; useful for healing, protection, stabilizing imbalance, cleansing, and transformation

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West: To Dare, Water, Venus, Freya, Frigga/Selene, Hathor, Ostara; Hagith (Olympic Spirit), Libra

• Burdock: Arctium lappa; aka personata, poppy-major, great burdock, clod-bur; the root, seeds, and burrs are used; an herb of Venus, burdock is used in workings that include protection, cleansing, healing, defense, psychic ability, and rebirth
• Catnip: Nepeta cataria; aka catmint, catswort, field mint; aerial parts are used in magickal workings to draw love to you and increase creativity
• Chickweed: stellaria media; aka winterweed, chickenwort; and herb of The Moon, when used in magick, chickweed restores balance and releases emotions
• Clary Sage: Salvia sclerea; aka clary, clear-eye; medium-sized, self-seeds; aerial parts are used; this herb of The Moon focuses one’s attention, and gives clear sight
• Cleavers: Galium aparine; aka clivers, sticky willy, goosegrass; an herb of the Moon, cleavers increase tenacity, strengthen relationships, and is useful in cleansing and purification
• **Hyssop: Hyssopus officinalis; the aerial parts are used (fresh sprigs as well); useful in workings for purification, cleansing (ritual tools as well both through smoke or via an herbal wash), protection, consecration, and cleansing
• Marshmallow: Althaea officinalis; aka common mallow; leaves and roots are used in workings involving mystery, cycles, intuition, and fertility
• Meadowsweet: Spiraea ulmaria; aka Meadsweet, Lady of the Meadow, Bridewort; puts up tall spikes with the honey-smelling flowers; a sacred Druid plant, the flowers are used in healing rituals, calming anger, and love spells
• Moonwort: Lunaria bienes; seed pods are used in dreamwork, dream pillows, love, money spells, and divination
• Motherwort: Leonurus cardiaca; aka lion’s ear, cardiaca; used in workings for calming, balancing, and removing negative energy
• Mugwort: Artemisia vulgaris; the leaves and sprigs are used in smudging, trance work, dreamwork, astral projection; in Samhain incense, consecration, divination, protection, releasing negativity, cleansing, rebirth, and transformation
• **Pennyroyal: Pulegium vulgare; aka squaw mint, mosquito plant, stinking balm, tick weed; useful in workings to repel pests including irritating people
• **Peppermint: Mentha piperita; the aerial parts are used to awaken perception, as well as for balance and healing
• Plantain: Plantago major; aka plantains, flea-wort; useful in workings that remove obstacles and negativity, and promote balance
• Rose: Rosa spp.; grows medium to tall in height; the flowers are used in workings for love, harmony, romance, dreamwork, trance work, and smudging; white roses correspond to The Moon while red roses to Jupiter; used in Sabbat incense; the thorns are useful in mojo bags, witch bottles, and to scribe sigils onto candles
• Self-heal: Prunella vulgaris; aka prunel, carpenter’s herb, hook-seal, sickle-wort; aerial parts are used in healing, removing negativity, and cleansing
• Spearmint: Mentha spicata; aka garden mint; the aerial parts are useful to invoke clarity, healing, and balance
• Thyme: Thymus vulgaris; aka wild thyme, Mother of thyme; the aerial parts can be used for purification, healing, love, cleansing, courage, divination, removing negativity, and transformation
• Valerian: Valeriana officinalis; the root and flowers are used in workings for protection, healing, balance, cleansing, transformation, and rebirth
• Vervain: Verbena officinalis; the aerial parts of this sacred plant of Druids, vervain can be used in workings for protection, removing negative energy, love, healing, balance, blessings, consecration, cleansing, creative expression, divination, finances, justice, joy, exorcism, transformation, and rebirth
• Willow: Salix alba; aka white willow; if including it in the garden keep it off by itself and keep it pruned, otherwise, harvest the inner bark from larger branches from a tree for use in healing, protection, divination, love, wisdom, diffusing negative energy, cleansing, transformation, and rebirth

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References

• Erickson, Jan. Herbal Magicka. 2021