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Oak and ash and thorn, from the folk song, can be interpreted in many ways. Giving it a heathen interpretation, Oak is Odin's or Thor's, representing the higher worlds. Ash is Askr's. Askr was the first man, according to heathen mythology, along with the first woman Embla. Ash represents midgard, the human world, or could represent the world-tree which connects the worlds to each other. Thorn is one of the names of rune known in the Elder Futhark as Thurisaz. It can represent either the thurses, that is the giants, or Thor, but here it represents the thurses, the lower worlds or lower dimensions.

This is gnosis. Here on Gnosis Diary I post a lot of gnosis, but also stories that happened in my life, and general Asatru info, so to be clear: the following is my personal gnosis about correspondences and with different aspects of working with herbs and runes. This information may be at odds with other peoples' gnosis. When it comes to gnosis, let intuition be your guide. Some things will just feel like they flow easily, or are just right, and other things will feel unapproachable, or warm or cold. If you feel like a different thing will work better for you, or your working group or guides or gods have given you something different, then go with what works for you. When you receive gnosis of your own, you can practice discernment, ask if others have the same gnosis, check with your usual powers which help you, look for omens, etc. None of this is set in stone.

Mention asafetida among a group of pagans, and someone—probably the newbie who's still trying to establish credibility—will be sure to wrinkle up her nose and say: “Ooo, that really stinks!”

She's referencing, of course, asafetida's long-standing reputation as a demonofuge. If you want to get rid of that pesky demon that you've (for whatever reason) conjured up, toss some asafetida on the coals in the censer, and just watch it dematerialize. Or whatever it is that they do.

(Now, to me, this seems counter-intuitive. One would think that demons, of all critters, would like stinky. Just goes to show how much I know about Ceremonial Magic. Or demons, for that matter.)

Even the name is stinky: Latin asa, 'gum,' + fetida, 'smelly' (cp. fetid).

In fact, asafetida is no stinkier than onions or garlic. I know because I eat it all the time.

Like most witches, I have a strong affinity for Indian food. (This makes a roundabout kind of sense; after all, what's the national food of Britain? Curry, of course.) Once used in medieval medicine, asafetida is now primarily a seasoning used in South Asian cooking.

In India, really pure vegetarians avoid—for Ayurvedic reasons—onions and garlic in their cooking, but some preparations really do require that certain foetor: hence asafetida, or hing as it's known in Hindi.

More than 20 years ago, a coven-sib gave me a pound-weight bag of asafetida that he'd bought and realized he had no use for. (Just why he bought it in the first place, I've never thought to ask.) Anyway, these decades later, I'm finally coming to the end of it. Thanks, Robin, why-ever you bought it, for the gift that has kept on giving.

I'm not sure how many grams a year that comes out to, but I suppose this fact goes some way to explaining why I smell the way I do. And—presumably—why I've had so few problems with demons down the years.

The Israelite King Solomon was said to have great wisdom, and to possess a special signet or seal ring that aided him in his magic work. By medieval times, he was regarded as a great wizard. According to herbal lore, he was said to have placed his seal upon this plant when he realized its value. It is still used in herbal medicine for a range of treatments and regarded as a powerhouse. The circular scars on the rootstock, which are said to be the mark of Solomon’s seal, are actually left by the stems that die back after the growing season. During the Middle Ages, the design of the seal ring was regarded as a powerful amulet.

As the days grow longer, a mild breath of air brings the promise of spring. In some areas receding snow reveals a soft haze of greening grass, while in other places droplets of ice shimmer light fairy lights on tree branches. Seeds that have been resting in the womb of Mother Earth will slowly make their way to the surface and unfurl into the sunlight. But not yet, they must be softly roused.

From the garden snacks

Even if you don’t go in for the fruit and veg plot in your garden you can still grow a few herbs or even eat some of the edible flowers and add them to recipes.

Herbs can be Used for More than Cooking