Herbal Profile - BASIL

 Hello dear friends and welcome back to my blog.

This week we are looking at the wonderful herb ~ BASIL ~ a herb that has been a mainstay herb in everyone's pantry since the dawn of using herbs (you thought I was going to say time then didn't you hahaha).

I remember long ago having it in the herb & spice rack in the pantry, using it for Italian dishes that my family loves, never really knowing all the benefits it has - and boy, has it got heaps of benefits.

So grab a cup of tea, coffee or whatever your poison is - and join me for another mini-deep-dive into the lusciously smelling B A S I L.

Basil from my garden Summer 2025

BOTANIC NAME ~ Ocimum basilicum

AKA ~ American dittany, Alabahaca, St Joseph's Wort, sweet Basil, Witches' herb, our herb.

GENDER ~ Male (Hot)

ELEMENT ~ Air & Fire

DEITY ~ Krishna, Vishnu, Erzulie

PLANET ~ Mars

CRYSTAL ~ Green Jade

NOTED ~ Basil's fresh scent stirs fidelity in love and opens the heart to forgiveness.  Basil is revered for it's Divine essence.

FOLKLORE ~ Used as a funeral herb in ancient Egypt. 
It was hung for protection from bad luck in the middle ages. 
It was used as an aphrodisiac in Italy. 
Referred to as the "witches' Herb" it was once used to detect witches (now all of us use it 😳 hahaha).. It was said that the ancient Greeks would burn the herb whilst speaking the name of a suspected witch out loud - if the Basil crackled in the flames, the person mentioned was confirmed to be a witch!!

USES ~ It is very beneficial for your health in that it improves digestion, has a calming affect and strengthens the immune system.  It has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial aspects.  It also helps balance blood sugar, good for mental clarity and wonderful for health heart.
Can be used in many culinary dishes, and also can be made into a tea.
You can also use it as pest control in your garden.

ALLERGIES ~ Whilst uncommon for there to be an issue with Basil, it has been rarely known to cause mild to severe reactions in those who are allergic to the mint family of plants.  Oral itching/swelling, digestive issues and sometimes even anaphylaxis - so if you are one of those unfortunate people - I would keep away from ingesting this herb, or even putting it on your skin.

IN THE GARDEN ~ Basil prefers well drained soil which is rich in organic matter and likes to grow in full sun, however it can tolerate part shade as well.  It prefers to grow in moist soil, but not waterlogged.
It grows best in warm conditions (ie, summer) and is very sensitive to the cold.
It can be grown from seed, seedling from the nursery, or even cuttings.
To encourage the growth of your plant (to make it bushier) snip off or pinch off the leaves regularly.
Use a liquid fertiliser like Seasol (which is a seaweed fertiliser sold here in Australia) every 2 - 3 weeks in the early growing period.

WITCHCRAFT USES ~ Used in spells, sachets, spell jars, incense mixes, bath mixes to do with Love, abundance, Luck and success, purification, protection and exorcism.  Dry the leaves and powder them to use with the essential oil in anointing working candles.

A card from the Green Witches Deck of 
Magical Herbalism

Used in floor washes to add purification and protection when you wash your floor.                                                                               

Use Basil in a money bowl to attract wealth.

It is said that witches drank 1/2 a cup of Basil Juice before flying off into the air!!!

My entry into my little book

Do you use Basil?  If so, how do you use it and do you find it beneficial?

Let me know in the comments below....

Thank you for being with me today and looking at this fabulous herb.

Until next time, take care ☺️

Blessings to you all,

Annette )O( xxx

Herbal Profile ~ Flower Power ~ ROSE

 Hello to all seekers of plant knowledge,

I hope you are all keeping well ~ it's summer here in Australia, and I must admit that I do not do well in the heat.  So instead of being outside in the garden, I am under a fan in my office doing this blog instead.

Today I bring to you a mini-deep-dive into the most beautifully romantic flower in all of history - the ROSE.  I know that some people absolutely love roses - whether they be in their garden, or gifted 30 long stemmed red roses from a loved one - and some people hate them completely.

I have 6 rose bushes growing in my garden, ranging from light pink, dark pink, red & white, lilac and orange.

                                    ROSE

BOTANIC NAME ~ Rosa spp / Rosa Rugosa

AKA ~ Dog rose, Rosie, Rosetta

GENDER ~ Female (Cold)

DEITY ~ Venus, Isis, Eros, Cupid, Adonis, Aphrodite, Demeter

PLANET ~ Venus

CRYSTAL ~ Amazonite

NOTED ~ Roses are noted for use in enticing a lover.  It's intoxicating scent is good for enhancing the mood and is used in stress relief.

FOLKLORE ~ Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, was seen as the creator of the rose.  Adonis her lover was mortally wounded by a boar while hunting.  She hastened to his side, and from the mixture of his blood and her tears grew the most fragrant red rose.

USES ~ Roses have a calming affect, they are anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic and antispasmodic.  Rose tea can be a good digestive aid and immune support.

Rose water can be used in sweets and deserts (as can the petals themselves).  The rosehips are high in Vitamin C and can be made into a syrup to keep your immune system functioning. Used in weddings to line the path of the bride's walk to the altar.

ALLERGIES ~ Roses are pretty much allergy free, some people can get hey fever from the pollen, and some people can get contact dermatitis when handling the plant.

WITCHCRAFT USES ~ Rose is used in spells and sachets to do with love, healing, conciliation restoration and self-love.
Petals can be used in attraction spells.
The thorns can be used in banishing spells, as they are potent guardians against negativity.

The oil can be used in salves/balms and has a nurturing aspect for the skin.
The dried petals can be used in herbal incense mixes, and used to clear negativity away before ritual.

My little book of herbal info

With a little flip up bit :)

DECODING A ROSES COLOUR ~

  BLUE: desire, mystery

  GREEN: abundance, peace

  IVORY: charm, elegance, thoughtfulness

  ORANGE: desire, enthusiasm.  

   PEACH: gratitude.              

  PINK:  admiration, gratitude, thanks

  PURPLE-DEEP : celebration, splendour

  PURPLE-LILAC: enchantment, love at first sight

  RED: love and passion

  WHITE: purity, remembrance, youth

  WHITE & RED: union

  YELLOW: friendship, joy

I must admit that I love roses, they were my Father's favourite flower.  He used to grow them in every garden that we had - either in England, or here in Australia.

I remember him taking pride in his rose bushes, attending to their every need, pruning them, sorting out issues like black spot (though in those days he used chemical sprays, which I try not to use today).  He would research as much as he could (didn't have internet in those days), and he would make notes in a diary of what he did and how it turned out.  I would love to have those diaries now - I don't know what ever happened to them, which is a shame.

So there you have it - a compact version of the Rose.  I hope it encourages you to delve a little deeper into this luxurious, wonderfully scented plant.

Do you have roses growing in your garden?

What do you like about them? (or dislike about them).

Let me know in the comments below.

Thank you for reading this far - have a lovely week ahead and I am sending you many blessings my friend.

Until next time,
Annette )O( xxx

Herbal Profile ~ Flower Power ~ Calendula

 Hello my plant loving and mighty magical buddies,

I thought I would start the HERBAL new year off with a flower this time, even though us herbalists use it as a very revered herb.

I have grown these in my garden for years and use the flowers quite regularly in oils, balms and mixed into herbal teas and incenses - they are superb little flowers for skin irritations (hence I use them in salves and balms) plus the bees just love them.  They always remind me of summer with their bright colours.  So let's do a mini-deep-dive into the majestic

            CALENDULA                       

Orange Calendula from my garden 2025

 

BOTANIC NAME ~ Calendula Officinalis.
AKA ~ Common Marigold, Pot Marigold, Gold bloom, Holligold, Mary bud, Marygold, summer's bride, spousa solis, bride of the sun.

GENDER ~ Male (Hot)

ELEMENT ~ Fire
DEITY ~ Apollo, Brigid, Freya, Ra, Virgin Mary.

PLANET ~ Sun

CRYSTAL ~ Citrine.

FOLKLORE ~ Ancient Egyptians used Calendula to rejuvenate their skin from the harsh Egyptian sun.  In India, garlands have Calendula mixed in them for weddings and religious rituals and ceremonies.

NOTED ~ Calendula is noted for it's soothing properties, especially if used in salves or balms.  Bathing in a Calendula infusion is thought to give one a healthy, sunny glow that would draw attention and respect from one's community.

USES ~ Add fresh flowers to salad greens to promote good health and strengthen the immune system.  Calendula is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and is good for pain relief... BUT BE WARNED... over consumption will cause issues with your tummy...
Can be used in herbal tea blends.

ALLERGIES ~ If you are allergic to ragweed, daisies, chrysanthemums, marigolds or any plants related to the Asteraceae or Compositae species ~ best avoid this one as well....

Another from my garden..

  IN THE GARDEN ~ Plant Calendula or Marigold (which has the same properties) in between your vegetables to protect them from unwanted pests.  They are a beautiful start to any summer garden as they are as bright as the sun and come in many different shades of orange, yellow, apricot and cream - some even have pink tinges... However, they do self seed prolifically so it is best to trim the flower heads once they are spent - this promotes more flowers and stops the seeds from going everywhere (unless that is what you want).

 

My little book of Herbal Notes....

WITCHCRAFT USES ~

Place a flower beneath your head at night (maybe in the pillowcase) to induce prophetic / clairvoyant dreams.

Can be added to love sachets.

Place a pot of Calendula outside your front door to repel enemies from entering your home

Used to influence legal matters - brighten your lapel with one to attract good outcomes.

Can be used (dried) in incense blends for protection from evil.

HARVESTING ~ Calendula or Marigold should be harvested at noon when the sun is high in the sky and the morning dew has had time to evaporate.

I like to dry mine naturally over a few weeks to make sure there is no moisture left - then I store them in a glass jar until I get to use them.                       

SO there you have it, my mini-deep-dive into the beautifully sunny Calendula.

Do you like this flower?

Do you use it, or just have the flowers placed in a vase within your home to bring the sunshine in?

Let me know in the comments....

Until next time, have a lovely week ahead.  Catch you with another mini-deep-dive next week...I'm thinking ROSES....🌹

Blessing to you all,
Annette )O( xxx

Hello and Happy New Year 2026

Hello my lovely Green Guru's, Magical Folk and Mystical Creatures,

I hope you had a wonderful end to the 2025 year, and that your start of 2026 has been so far - Bloody FABULOUS.

It's been a hot minute since I put finger to keyboard and had a catch up chat (in writing) with you all so I thought it was about time I did, especially seeing this is my first post of 2026.

Not to be a total downer - but...... (WARNING: My miseries are following)

Our end of 2025 was a bit of a fizzle as none of us were feeling well or in the mood for Christmas/New Year celebrations - even my Litha celebrations were rather lame - I did manage to make a twisted loaf in celebration, which we all enjoyed - but that was about it....

I even missed the Full Moon on 3rd January - so nothing was done for that either...

I have not been well at all, always sad and exhausted (go to bed tired, not having a good night's sleep, waking up more exhausted than you went to bed).

My stomach has felt very bloated and inflamed and my IBS has flared up which makes you feel like your body is toxic.  You just hurt all the time.

I must admit I have eaten WAY TOO MUCH chocolate (Maybe I should join Chocoholics Anonymous.......    Hello - My name is Annette and I am a Chocoholic...   it's been 4 hours since my last chocolate...   hahaha), which no doubt has caused most of my stomach issues. So hence my weight has gone up to a whopping 73.2 kilos.... which for my height, is bad for my back.... and my self image is at an all time low as nothing looks good on me and everything feels wrong.

I had a week off work for my birthday and all I did was rest - and I still felt exhausted when I went back to work.  I wondered if this is what 65 years old looks like - a permanently exhausted pigeon.

2025 was a bit of a hard year for me - physically, emotionally, spiritually, work wise and health wise as well.  It was kind of a bad year for all the family really ~ Paul got very sick in August with his Heart, and he has taken precedence over everything else, as he is the most important person in my life and I don't want to lose him.  Caetlyn who had laser eye surgery a few years ago is getting cataracts in both eyes again and will need surgery to remove them, she also suffered with sinus issues for the last 6 months and finally went to the doctor to get something for it.  Poor Mavis hasn't been for an actual walk since we all got unwell, she is very difficult to walk at the best of times as she wants to attack everything and is like a bull at a gate, pulling on the lead - we haven't been able to break her of those habits yet.  We try to play with her to keep her happy.

My garden is a mess.  All the things I tried to grow have either been eaten by birds or rats, or have died in the heat because I have not had the energy to do anything about it.  My work life is very stressful as we negotiate systems that do not work well together with the demands of the people both in and outside of the organisation.  I have not had any time (or energy) to do any witchcraft or work on my spiritual side either, and I have not had the time (or inclination)  to exercise. And whilst my house doesn't smell, housework has taken a backseat - everywhere could use a good dust, but that will come in time...

The summer heat is making me miserable too as it is too hot for me to go outside and garden, I can do it for around 10 minutes and then I start to feel nauseous and giddy.... I can't wait for Autumn.

I feel like a hollowed out husk, out of energy, out of the will to do anything about it, ready to be blown away by the next windy day.

SO after all that whinging I hear you say "Well, what are you going to do about it?"..

I dunno - maybe moan, whinge and complain more??? (LOL).

For the last month I have been off of all my socials as well - no Blogspot, no Instagram and no YouTube, and I must say - I have thoroughly enjoyed it... I am thinking of getting rid of Instagram as I went on there yesterday to see if I had missed anything and found myself feeling very depressed after 15 minutes....

I have tried to put together a video for my YouTube channel - but I can't seem to get enthused about it - I know there is another channel on there that wants to collaborate with me this year, but I don't know if I have the "right stuff" to see that through.  My channel hasn't got many followers - after 2 years I only have 74 followers, hardly any views on my videos and I don't get very many comments at all - I have to wonder if all that hard work is really worth it, do I really have anything worth saying - or more importantly, are people even interested in what I have to say - do I need to come up with a new angle? 

I don't know - I guess I am questioning everything at the moment...

I do know one thing that is going to make me immensely happy this year - RETIREMENT...

YES - I will be retiring from work on 30th June 2026... I have worked since 1976, and I think 50 years is long enough to dedicate to working and paying taxes in this life, I want to see if I can enjoy the time I have left on this beautiful earth before it's my time to pop off...

I am SO looking forward to that I can tell you (retiring - not popping off).

Hmmm well - Looking back on this travesty of a blog I must try to do something to get myself in a better place - any suggestions?

I don't know if any of you lovely readers have been in this situation before - or are going through the same or a similar thing right now... let me know in the comments below.

I know I DO want to feel better, I know I HAVE to sort out my priorities especially for where my health is concerned - it's just a daunting task when you are too tired to get enthused! Anxiety hits a new high when you feel overburdened and overwhelmed with the things life throws at you.

Sorry about all this - I basically had to get this off my chest so I can start to heal, I think acknowledging your faults and/or issues is the first step to going in a positive direction - then the only way is UP.

Anyhoo - thank you for sticking with me and listening to me whinge... I promise this will be the last time for a long while and normal blogging will return next week with herbal and flower profiles (which I have been working on).

I DO hope you are all doing well, that you are happy, healthy and kicking life in the balls.

Until next time,

Many blessings to you all....

Annette )O( xxx