A is for Apothecary

If you were to look in a dictionary, for the word apothecary or apothecaries you would find this as one definition a·poth·e·car·y - a person who prepared and sold medicine and drugs.

The origin of the word apothecary is old.. one of its origins is derived from the word apotheca which is a place to store herbs, spices and wines. In my research on this, I found the that during the 13th century the word became popular in Britain and it was used to describe those people who sold the spice etc from shops and stalls, basically they were grocers.  By the 1600's these grocers had become what we today would call modern day pharmacists.  These apothecaries even formed a society with a little help from King James wife Anne who swilled potions from one of the grocer types.. Scary eh :-)
King James justified his decision in the House of Commons in 1624: "I myself did devise that corporation and do allow it. The grocers, who complain of it, are but merchants; the mystery of these apothecaries were belonging to apothecaries, wherein the grocers are unskilful; and therefore I think it is fitting they should be a corporation of themselves." 
 So how does this word apothecary fit into witchery?  While I am no expert nor historian,  I know that cunning men and wise woman have been apothecaries, known by many other names long before the word apothecary was ever written on parchment, by some bald headed bloke, in a bad wig.
Before there were drugs and doctors there were herbs, cunning men, wise woman, midwives, grandmothers, witches.
History has long confirmed this, that village people knocked on the doors of these wise folk, seeking herbs and healing hands, in latter times this often leading to persecution.
Many of the herbs they used were those dispensed by apothecaries, barbers, surgeons and clergy but the practitioners of those occupations were never burned for their dispensing.
Comfrey, Feverfew, Arnica, Woodruff, Yarrow, Meadowsweet, Hyssop, Lavender, Marigold, Borage, wild Bergamot, Chamomile, Plantain and Valerian to name just a few that are part of my life.  I know, as well as my ancestors did, the powers and magickal abilities of plants. Although, I do not sell herbs as medicine per se, personally they as well as teas, tinctures, washes, sachets, oils, salves, incense and charms all have important roles in the eclectic journey I amble along.
It is not unusual to find jars of herbs infusing on my window ledges for salves, handmade soaps and magickal oils.

While, I do have a bit of a love affair with those delightfully witch-y apothecary jars, I tend to make things in portions to be used. 500ml to 1 litre bottles in fact. Some of those would be the likes of a house cleansing wash, healing salves of Comfrey, Plantain, Calendula or Arnica then there is four thieves vinegar.. my recipe is not for your salad greens. Some of the easier apothercary mixtures can make for a little daily magick on the most basic level within your home and craft..
I use on a weekly/fortnightly basis in my home,  a house protection wash for doors and door steps
So easy to make;
I prefer to use rain water or filtered water.. tap water left out over night would be fine.. I heat the water and then add a bundle wrapped in cloth of Rosemary, Hyssop, Lavender, sometimes Rue all in equal parts then I add some Van Van oil ( I make my own) I let this steep for a week or so. I then add a cup to half a bucket of water and use this to clean the external doors to my home and door steps..  if your house is feeling a little "down or negative" you can use this to wash the floors.. when I have finished with the water, I pour it down the drain out side my house on the street, quiet conveniently placed I must add.  . but any external drain will do...
A word of warning though.. please be mindful of what your doing with herbs and what your ingesting.. not all plants are of the eating/drinking variety and can make you very sick.. if not worse!

Magickal Plants - Planted

Well, I finally found my way to the plant store yesterday. I have to rely on places like Bunnings which is a home hardware warehouse, as there is not a lot of little purely plant shops about here, not that I have found, so I was unable to find some of the herbs I wanted.. However, a few Facebook friends gave me links to some heirloom seed sites online, so will buy the seeds for Feverfew, Tansy, Borage, Bergamot, German Chamomile - I did manage to find a sad looking yarrow which with some tlc should come back to life.
I was pretty lucky with my other choices.. I have a special reason for wanting to re-plant Red Snap Dragons, Blue Lobelia and White Alyssum, simple plants with huge magickal hearts - to ward my home from outside influences. It is subtle a magick and a way of doing things that is un noticed by the mundane.
Pagans and magickal users have been doing this for a coons age, and even today when out and about and I see a cluster of certain types of plants together I wonder about the person who lives inside.
I have a three plants that thrive all year round at my front door.. they are Bay -

 Yes Bay, like the leaves you put into your cooking. While they can grow to a gi-normus tree it grows happily as a shrub in a pot..It is associated with healing and prophesy, you can bring these indoors in winter, I never do. They happily shiver through the colder months here. 

The next plant that sits happily warding my home is Geraniums.

I choose Red Germanium's, I have just dead headed this to encourage flowering, but it is a very red flower, don't worry if it is not a bold red.. red is red when it comes to this. The properties of this plant is to guard the home and protection. I choose red as the color represents protection here.. It is a great hot spot plant and can go without water for a wee while..

Ivy, the witches plant.  I included this in my bouquet when I was hand fasted and married..

This is one of my favorites and even if it didn't represent friendship and have protective properties, I would still have it about.. 

Here is my pagan/witch protective garden box. Red (protection) snap dragons for warding of negative spells and hexes, blue lobelia to stop gossip and the beautifully, sweet scented alyssum breaks manipulative spells.. I usually empower the whole box with some purple petunias, they also smell gorgeous when the sun goes down, unfortunately I had to take them out of the box the other day, they got so fried in the huge heat wave we had I couldn't fix them, I have left some room to add some later. This is a seasonal box and it will change as it gets cooler.. I may add black pansy's and red begonias to the box.

As I potter in my garden and plant out, I am mindful of my thoughts and my heart attitude..This is not about hurting others, it is about creating magickal energy in my own yard - perhaps you would like to discover this for yourself.. there are many great books on the subject, the internet is loaded with wondrous learning.. not all plants will speak to you the same.. keep an open heart, and work with the ones that do...  Ellen Duggan whose books are a huge inspiration to me, wrote :

By the shadow of the moon and the light of the sun,

Happy gardening, blessed be, and it harm none