Beware the Red Pest! And all the best, too

May 1, 2012 at 18:11 (Basics, Herbalism)
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Hello, my dearest readers! As You can see, I’ve not abandoned the blog, but, to quote the poet,  I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. It being a way to add the damn pictures to the posts. I just can’t afford to buy a camera, and my cell phone does not have the function.

So, until I discover some way to make photos, I’m afraid updates will be rather rare, as I can’t imagine a wall of text would be a pleasant way to spend Your precious minutes on. However, I still feel obliged to give you the customary Beltaine blessings, and hope You’ve had a glorious celebration. Mine was… well, there wasn’t any this year, but that’s not important right now. Neither is the strange thing I’ve come to think of as a “relationsheepish anti-agreement”, so I’m not going to mention it. See? No mention at all.

Anyway, (who said that?) there’s this little pest I want to write You about, and I don’t mean the guy. I mean the Red Spider Mite. It’s a very common pest that can be very dangerous to Your plants, as a friend of mine has recently discovered. Following my advice, he bought a small mint plant in a grocery store and potted it for kitchen use. The plant did not do well, the leaves yellowed and changes in watering regimen did not help. Of course, it was infected with the red spider mites.
Now I’m not generally in favour of interfering with the natural order of these things, but keeping plants in pots at home is already quite far away from what’s natural, and actually it is for this reason that the red spider mite is much more dangerous for Your indoor, potted plants than for those that grow outdoors. Besides, there’s not much point in letting Your herbs die, and that’s exactly what will happen if You don’t take action against the damn things. I’ve lost a lovely lavender bush to them once, and it was a gift from my mother, too…

The worst thing is that these insects (or, more specifically, arachnida) are unnoticeable at first glance, and chances are You’ll only start to suspect something once Your plants are very far gone. The mites are tiny, barely visible red specs and keep to the underside of the leaves, constantly draining the sap. If You’re not specifically looking for them, You’ll probably only notice the thin web they weave under the leaves or close to the stem, and by then it’s usually too late. They also migrate from one plant to others nearby, so they can really be a pest. What’s more, practically all fresh herbs I’ve bought in a grocery store had at least a few of them, probably because the manufacturers’ sell them shortly after growth and don’t care if they die after You’ve bought them (or actually hope for just that).
Ironically, once You  know they’ve affected Your plant, the red spider mites are fought by the simple means of clean water. That’s right, no need for chemical stuff or complicated nettle and garlic macerates : just rinse the plant thoroughly under a cold shower (in extreme cases, You can use a sponge to wash it using water and soap, I’m not kidding), and then, spray the whole plant with clean water at least once a day. Just make sure You’ve not stopped too soon or the mites’ll breed back.

I’m writing all this now because I bought a second basil plant recently, after a prolonged inspection in the shop, since every plant was infected – finally I had to choose the one that had the least of them and fight the damn things at home. The salesman was very upset by this, probably on general principles since I wasn’t picking leaves or messing up the plants in any other way. When he finally cracked and asked me whether I “hoped to find a husband in there” (strange, I know) I said, “I don’t need a husband. And I don’t need tetranychus urticae, either.” Neither do Your home plants, so check up on them periodically, and blessed be.

Oh, and here’s the customary celebration music.

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Friday the thirteenth – good luck spells all around!

May 13, 2011 at 12:57 (Basics, Herbalism)
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I knew a man who would not conduct business on unlucky days… And so,
his business was never done.
- allegedly, XVIIIth century book on superstition

Jinxies!

Yes, I actually do own a black cat statuette. Don't ask.

It’s Friday the thirteenth and a black cat crossed my path as I was going shopping. Although I’m not really all that concerned about this, because a) I’ve never had any trouble either on Friday the thirteenth or as a result of Cat Crossing*,  and b) the cat had white paws so I’m not sure whether it counts.

Anyway, the weather was so wonderful for the last few days that it’ll take much more than just some jinxing to worsen my mood.  I’m not even angry at my unfaithful muse any more.  Besides, I’ve been talking with a good friend of mine recently and, as she pointed out, muses are an Ancient Greek idea, so naturally they will not be good at helping women, coming from a rather… macho oriented culture. They did a good job inspiring men and Sappho, so there you are. Case in point.
I’m seriously thinking of launching a “Male Muse Project”, to establish an alternative for all of us who prefer besandalled, sheet-clad young men. We could choose the domains they’re supposed to inspire creativity in (I mean, seriously, a muse of astronomy? Doesn’t it suggest they made it all up?), some well-fitting and very symbolic attributes, and some suitably looking guys. If other people invent new gods, why not new muses? Let me know what You think.

Back on our supposedly-unlucky topic, I really do not think there is anything to worry about. A quick search on the web will show You that people aren’t really sure even why is this supposed to be an unlucky day. But if You’re feeling a bit… unsure about things, and think You could use something to tip the odds (or just Your mood) in Your favour, there are, as usual, Herbs That Can Help.

Magic for luck

For luck and prosperity of any kind, spices that carry a connotation of wealth are often used. However, this varies – as it always does – according Your personal experience. If any of those have some negative significance for You (a bad memory associated with the smell, for example), don’t use it. Accordingly, if any other ingredient not typically seen as appropriate does seem that way to you, for whatever reason, use it instead.

Ingredients
Herbs commonly used for luck spells include:

Other ingredients You might find useful:

  • Chocolate
  • Honey
  • Oil (all kinds, the more expensive the better)
  • Silver (silver chain for a talisman, for example)

Preparation

There are a few different ways You can go about using them if You need an extra bit of luck. The easiest an most common method is to make a witch bag, a small pouch filled with chosen herbs that is carried in Your private possessions as a talisman. A more complicated, but more satisfactory way is to make an oil infusion, with the oil carried in a small vial or flask, similarly to the pouch (I’ll write more on these talismans in the near future. Sorry for going backwards about this).

However, my favourite good luck spell is the simplest and most pleasurable one : spiced cocoa. Why limit ourselves to some symbolic actions when we can palpably do something good for ourselves? This is a very simple recipe, and can be done both hot and cold.

Just take some cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg (a good proportion is 3:1:1) and grind them all together in a mortar. Remember, this is a meditative, ritual activity. Think about what You are doing and why, not about what the boss said yesterday. Mix the resulting powder with cocoa and some honey (or sugar, or just cocoa if You’re using a ready-made drink, but I advise against that) and prepare the drink as usual. You can add some whipped cream to make it even better and to symbolise wealth and prosperity. Then drink it.

Seeing as cocoa  has been medically proven to have anti-depressant properties, is an ingredient for luck, and is delicious, this will help You on so many levels. And it’s not even all that hard on the figure!

ΦΦΦ

* That is to say, as a result of a cat crossing my path. I did have some problems once when I crossed my aunt’s rather touchy cat, meaning that I made her angry. The cat, not the aunt.

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Tetterwort (chelidonium majus)

April 27, 2011 at 12:57 (Ingredients)
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Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.
- Winnie The Pooh

It’s an interesting fact that some of the most valuable herbs are those considered “undesirable” ; that is to say, weeds. Indeed, the strange human obsession to control Nature and the unshakeable conviction that everything lies on the human shoulders fascinates me. For example, the whole idea of “maintenance”, while certainly useful if You’re trying to get Your orchard to produce as much fruit as possible, is really strange when applied to forests. And yet there is this constant pressure, shared by the majority of human race it seems, to interfere, to cut and fell and uproot and generally throw our weight about. Exactly how much good this does could be debatable, but only if You’re in an indulgent mood.

Plants such as stinging nettle, chase-devil or ribwort are commonly regarded as a nuisance, mostly because they are common and grow pretty much everywhere. Of course, if humans in general were taught more about their uses, they might see things differently. Sadly though, we are constantly taught about the value of gold and never about the value of tetterwort.

This common and unassuming plant, going by the Latin name of chelidonium majus (I’m told the name means some other plant in America) is a living, flowering proof of our strange, selective sense of worth. It needs no maintenance, no care, no human supervision. It grows wherever it can, and flourishes in most unexpected places. The leaves are a jolly, bright, somewhat yellowish-green and it sprouts small, brightly yellow flowers You might want to be looking out for. Because, despite being as unimpressive as a plant can get, it is definitely worth Your attention.
The whole plant contains a thick, yellow juice that oozes from the stems and dries very quickly when exposed to the open air. This juice is Your very good friend if You have any sort of skin problems : boils, warts, good old acne, everything that makes Your skin look abnormal can be cured by direct application of tetterwort juice. I have known many a despairing teenager who found a pimple on their great day – the school dance, the long awaited date – and could have used this amiable weed to end their suffering. There are some cases where tetterwort juice won’t help, such as scars or skin changes brought about by other illnesses,  but it’s still worth a try.

Of course, like any other herb, chelidonium has a limited lifespan. It can start as early as February and thrive well into autumn, thus giving us a nice supply of ever-fresh juice, but once it bears fruit the medicinal properties diminish greatly.  The juice itself cannot be stored separately, but the harvested herb can be dried for future use, and alcoholic tinctures made from both fresh and dried plants can still be very useful. For best results, a flowering plant should be harvested.

Internally, tetterwort can be used to help with liver diseases, but wrong dosages often result in digestive system irritation and even internal haemorrhage. I strongly advise against internal self-medication with this particular herb.

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Tricky Pixie

April 2, 2011 at 17:21 (Uncategorized)
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You know that feeling when You have to do something and You just can’t? Walking around with this obligation hanging over Your head like a damn sword of Damocles, only not as cool and mythic? That’s how I feel all the time. I have no idea why I thought I could write something worthwhile and more than a page long.

Anyway, everybody knows music is good for stress. Or for relieving said stress, it depends on what music You choose. I chose this some time ago and I just can’t stop listening to it.

Odd, that. It just sticks to the mind and never lets go.  Even worse when I try to sing it, as You can probably imagine, but I really envy You guys from across the ocean who can see them in person.

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Spring! And writer’s block!

March 29, 2011 at 19:06 (Uncategorized)
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Well, it seems that neglecting the blog did not help me to focus on other tasks. Go figure.
I’m getting really good at finding distractions, so might as well get distracted by something constructive. Of course, we can debate whether culinary or spiritual exhibitionism is a constructive thing, but at least I’m exercising my photography skills. Or actually developing them, maybe.

I’ve been having trouble with writing anything at all lately and it’s really getting on my nerves. I guess that, as a heterosexual female of no fame at all, I’m last on the Muses’ list. Damn you,  selfish ancient greek buggers! I understand that romantic young poets are more interesting, but can’t you drop in on your way back? I usually have some tea brewed.
But no luck: not a sheet-wrapped, besandalled  woman in sight. So I decided to take my camera on a stroll to the woods and see what we can find, since Spring has had some time to settle in.

Still water means mud, but it also means life. Often within the mud.

My first stop was a small swamp-like bunch of puddles. They look desolate and untidy, but that’s where the Spring really comes from. She’s not flying through the air on a stork, she crawls up from the wet Earth. Which is a little creepy, but still miraculous.

Fitting in is so boring.

Puddles are not the only option, however. These little fellows were just pushing along on their own, in the middle of a heap of dry, dead leaves. Talk about determination.

Don't you just feel like that in the sun?

Some trees were ahead of the game and already sporting lovely fresh leaves. It’s amazing that all this hides inside a thin, grey stick, needing only water and sun to come out.

I speak a couple of languages, but duck isn't among them.

I have also attracted the attention of a male duck. Very attractive male, as duck standards go, big one with shiny, multi -coloured plummage. I suppose I should be flattered*.

I’ve heard of many magical practices that are supposed to increase creativity, but never actually got around to using them. Besides, in my case practices to diminish laziness would probably be more required. I have everything thought out and planned, but can’t actually do it. Whatever this implies about me can’t be good.

ΦΦΦ

*However, considering my luck with men, it was probably a jerk.

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