I had no idea about wormwood until reading Rusalky tales. With my head in the clouds on some subjects, psychoactive herbs, one might think, my ears will have been pricked years ago. Here is what is out there for information on this shrub, golden flowered, green as grass lore. I was told it grows like a weed and while strange looking, resilient!
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is used for protection, love, psychic abilities and summoning spirits. Burn wormwood in an incense blend to heighten psychic power, burn in incense with sandalwood to summon spirits. Place magical sachets of wormwood underneath the bed to attract a lover. The Egyptians used the plant as an antiseptic, a stimulant and tonic, and as a remedy for fevers and menstrual pains.
Its aromatic leaves and flowers are naturally rich in the terpene thujone, an aromatic, bitter substance believed to induce an inexplicable clarity of thought, increased sense of perception, enhanced creativity, inspiration and the ability to see beyond. The wormwoods are members of the great family of compositae and belong to the genius Artemisia, a group consiting of 180 species. It is closely allied to mugwort. The whole family is remarkable for the extreme bitterness of all parts of the plant.
With the exception of rue, wormwood is the bitterest herb known. According to the ancients, wormwood counteracted the effects of poisoning, by hemlock, toadstools and the bite of a sea dragon. The plant is of some importance to the peoples of Mexico whom celebrate their Great Goddess of Salt by a ceremonial dance of women who wore on their heads, garlands of wormwood.
folk names
Absinthe
Old woman
Corwn for a King
Madderwork
Wormot
gender: masculine
planet: Mars
element: fire
powers:
psychic powers, protection, love, calling spirits.
carried at the
waist, wormwood is protective, hung in a bag
on the rearview mirror of a
car, it prevents accidents.
burn it on charcoal to call up helpful
spirits.
Samhain incense contains wormwood and mugwort.
(use with plenty of ventilation)
according to old
grimoires, if it is burned in a graveyard
the spirits of the dead will
rise and speak.
-many of the metaphysical attributes were cited with
