Three Signs You Might Be a Witch

Witches never use salt and avoid it at all costs. According to medieval records, you'd know you had sat down to dinner with a witch if one of your guests complained that her food was too salty and refused to eat it, or kept the salt cellar as far away from her as possible. Legend states that in Europe, all fairies hated salt, and as witches were known to cook offerings for the fairies, a witch, both in her daily life and her magickal one, would learn to studiously avoid salt of any kind.

In cultures where it is the custom for a woman to cover her head or tie her hair up neatly, a witch will always wear her hair loose and uncovered. Dirty, tangled and unruly hair is one of the hallmarks of a witch. It's said that even if she tries to keep her hair neat and clean, it will naturally fly out from beneath her scarf or hat, nor will it stay pinned or braided. Legend states that hair holds a great deal of magickal power for a witch (think of how many hex spells require a snippet of the victim's hair). And while her hair doesn't need to be a rat's nest to wield such power, a witch's hair is always compelling to look at or touch. In some way it must be unique: the volume of it, the beauty of it, or perhaps an unusual or radiant color (red or black, anyone?).

Witches like to linger in grocery stores or at the mall. Traditionally, it's said that they liked to linger in the marketplace long after their shopping was done as they could absorb a great deal of usable energy from all the shoppers haggling and fighting over the food and wares. If you lingered far longer than the village's powers-that-be deemed necessary for ordinary shopping, you could be branded a witch and tried accordingly.

Food for thought.

The Weiser Field Guide to Witches, Judika Illes, Red Wheel/Weiser LLC, 2010

Trees 101: Rowan

The rowan is a tree of many mundane and magickal uses most of which revolve around its berries. Songbirds are attracted to them, thus giving the rowan a distinct association with music, poetry and the goddess Brigid. The berries are also used for incenses and spellwork as well as in a medicinal capacity. Rowan berry tea is used to treat intestinal disorders and being high in vitamin C, rowan is also used to fight respiratory ailments. The berries are used in jams, jellies and even wine and in ancient times were believed to grant those who consumed them a very long life.

In 15th and 16th century England, rowan berries were avoided by midwives and herbalists because to be caught with them was certain to get you branded a witch. Ever take a good look at a rowan berry? They have what appears to be a pentagram at their base, thus the belief that anyone who had them in their possession was surely practicing the dark arts.

Wear a sprig of protective rowan and faeries won't be able to kidnap you, despite the belief that the rowan tree originated in the faery realm. Planting a rowan near your front door will protect your home from evil spirits and lightning strikes. Rowan is one of the nine sacred woods of the sabbat fire and represents life.

The versatile rowan tree is excellent for protection rituals, safe astral travel, divination spells (its sticks were traditionally used to make runes) and to enhance psychic abilities, as well as in powerful healing spells. It vibrates with a feminine energy and to the elements of both earth and fire. It's ruled by the planets Saturn and Uranus, as well as the Moon and Sun.

Hawthorn Samhain Lore

Never sleep or rest on the ground beneath the boughs of a hawthorn tree on Halloween as it's believed that evil spirits and mischievous faeries who are roaming the earth that night hide within the branches of hawthorn trees and cast unpleasant spells on those who innocently stop to rest beneath them.

"Faerie Hawthorne" photograph by the brilliant Giles C. Watson on flickr. Check out his work, I promise you won't be disappointed!