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Parsley is more than a dinner plate decoration that has a long history of magic and symbolism. The Greeks used parsley medicinally and sometimes wore crowns of it at banquets and festivals. However, it was not used as a culinary herb because it was regarded as sacred to the dead. Associated with Persephone and the underworld, the leafy stalks were used to adorn graves. The Romans had a different take on it. According to legend, Hercules adorned himself with the plant, making it a symbol of strength and vigor.

During the summer solstice in parts of Eastern Europe, parsley was given to cows to prevent witches from casting spells on them, which would effect milk production. In the Pyrenees of France and Spain, parsley boiled in water was given to a person who may have been bewitched.

Thistles have prickly stems, leaves with spines, and pointed bracts (modified leaves) around the flowers, which turn into tufts of white hair known as thistledown. During medieval times, blessed thistle was believed to counteract poisons, heal bites from mad dogs, and even ward off the plague. Often used as animal fodder, young stems and leaves (shorn of their spines) have eaten by people and not just in times of famine. Thistledown was used to stuff pillows and mattresses.
     Thistles were scattered in grain fields to drive away demons and the seeds were burned to cure illness caused by evil spirits. In addition to warding off evil, a thistle flower carried in the pocket was said to avert melancholy. Thistles were planted in gardens to prevent thieves from entering a house.
     A potion of made with thistle seed and St. John’s wort was given to women on trial for witchcraft to make them tell the truth. It was also believed that witches used thistle with the spit of toads to become invisible. In Essex, England, warlocks reputedly used the tall stems as walking sticks. Elsewhere, wizards were said to use them as wands.
     In Ireland, thistles were regarded as faery plants. After casting a travel spell, they were said to ride home to faeryland on thistledown. Pixies reputedly use thistle spines of spear thistle as swords.
     The Scottish thistle (Onopordum acanthium) grows about five feet tall and has flat, spiny wings along the stems, silvery-green leaves, and dark pink to violet flowers. Reaching up to six feet tall, the spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare) has purplish-pink to purple flowers and lance-shaped leaves that that narrow to long, sharp spines. Growing about two feet tall, the blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus) has red stems and reddish bracts surround the yellow flowers.
     Magically, if you find a thistle flower that is going to seed, hold some of the thistledown in your hand, make a wish, and then blow it to the wind. Use the spines in protection spells or to break a hex. Thistles also aid in working with spirit guides, dealing with challenges, and releasing anything unwanted from your life.

No matter the time of year, the scent of pine is evocative of winter holidays and stirs up fond memories. Unfortunately, stress is often a part of the season; however, the revitalizing scent of pine aids in dealing with nervous tension and exhaustion. Diffuse a little pine essential oil to perk up from mental fatigue or when you need mental clarity. Fostering a sense of peace and well being, it helps balance emotional ups and downs. To help relax, diffuse two parts lavender with one part pine.

The pine tree was venerated since the time of the Assyrians and Egyptians. The Greeks associated it with Pan and other woodland gods and because it was extensively used for shipbuilding, it was also dedicated to Poseidon. To the Romans the tree represented the power of male virility and the pine cone was a symbol of fertility.

Throughout Europe and the British Isles, elves, faeries, and pixies were said to live in or gather around pine trees. Germanic peoples revered the tree and believed that it was home to spirits. Pine was commonly used as a Yule log and branches were hung in homes to celebrate the winter solstice and to keep evil spirits at bay.

While there is often confusion about the difference between pine and fir trees, there are two simple ways to distinguish them. Pine needles grow in clusters of two or more; fir needles are attached to branches individually. Pine cones hang from the branches and point downward; fir cones sit upright on the branches.

Magically, pine is well known for purification, which works for releasing negative energy and is especially effective in public spaces. This same quality makes it an ally in defensive magic. Use pine for blessings and to attract abundance. The scent helps to steady and focus the mind for psychic work as well as communication with spirits.

The species name of feverfew, parthenium, is sometimes attributed to a legend that this herb was used to treat a worker who fell from the Parthenon in Athens during construction. However, the complete botanical name translates as immortal virgin (Latin tanacetum, “immortal” and Greek parthenium “virgin”) and links feverfew to the goddess Athena in her epithet Athena Parthenos.

Feverfew is an erect, branching plant with daisy-like flowers that grow in flat clusters at the top of the plant. The flowers have large yellow centers and short white petals. The yellow-green leaves are lobed with rounded segments; the lower leaves more deeply divided. The plant is strongly aromatic. Some of its folk names are bachelor’s buttons, fetherfoil, featherfew, midsummer daisy, and wild chamomile.

The Anglo-Saxons used it in a charm against attack from a spear-wielding she-elf. Worn as an amulet against the plague in medieval times, the odor was believed to also ward off evil spirits. As its common name suggests, it was used to treat fever and just placing it on a sickbed was regarded as a cure. Gypsies were said to have used it in place of chamomile. To calm an unruly horse, it was gently rubbed on its nose.

Regarded as a powerful healer for thousands of years, feverfew aids in sending healing energy to someone in need. Also helpful in recovering from heartbreak, place a few dried flowers in a small pouch to use as an amulet for your emotions. Include it in protection spells and in defense against jinxes. Of course, feverfew is the perfect herb to use to honor Athena.

If you have old-fashioned roses such as the dog rose or sweetbriar, you may encounter something curious that looks like a colorful koosh ball attached to a stem.

That fuzzy ball is called a rose gall and it starts in the spring when a little gall wasp (Diplolepis rosae) lays eggs on a leaf bud. The rose bush reacts by producing a gall, an abnormal growth to protect itself, which ultimately becomes an incubator for a new generation of wasps that will emerge the following spring. The wasp’s clever way of using the rose doesn’t harm the overall health of the plant, but the general advice is to remove galls in the autumn.

Of course, people have noticed rose galls for centuries. An old name for them, bedeguar, comes from French, which was derived from the Persian bādāwar meaning “wind brought.” The sudden appearance of these fluffy balls may have made them seem like they were blown in on the breeze.

They were also called briar balls, Robin redbreast’s cushions, and Robin’s pillows. While the first name with Robin refers to the bird, the second makes reference to the British woodland spirit known as Robin Goodfellow. Another name for the briar ball is fairy pincushions.

During the Middle Ages, apothecary shops sold dried rose galls in powdered form for use as an herbal remedy that covered a range of ailments. For magical healing they were worn around the neck as amulets, carried in the pocket, hung in the home, or placed under the bed pillows. In Yorkshire England, schoolboys used them as charms to ward off getting caned by their teachers.

For your own magical use of a briar ball, place it on an outdoor altar or a special place in your garden to aid in connecting with the faery realm. Use a dried, crumbled gall to enhance wind magic or toss it to the wind to help release something you no longer need in your life. Like the rose itself, the briar ball is associated with secrets. Hold one as you think of a confidence you may be keeping, and then bury it in the ground.

Reaching fifteen to twenty-five feet tall, the common peach tree (Prunus persica) has drooping, lance-shaped leaves and pink, five-petaled flowers. The green fruit ripens to reddish orange and has fuzzy skin. The hard seed is known as a pit or stone. Native to China, cultivation of the peach tree began around 2000 BCE.

According to Chinese legend, peaches grew in the garden of Hsi Wang Mu, the Mother of the West, who lived with her faery legions in the sacred Kunlun Mountains. The Chinese name for the peach is tao. In Taoism the peach was regarded as sacred and a symbol of feminine sexuality. As a symbol of renewal and fertility, the peach blossom was associated with marriage. Also associated with protection, branches were believed to have the power to exorcise evil. Peach stone pendants were placed on children to protect them from demons.

The ancient Greeks and Romans referred to peaches as apples and along with the orange, it vied for the mythological fruit referred to as Hera’s golden apples. The tree was associated with Aphrodite and Venus. Because of its suggestive cleft, the peach was a symbol of female genitals during the Middle Ages and an ingredient in love potions. Regarded as a tree of prophecy in England, branches were used as divining rods.

For love spells, prepare a candle with peach kernel oil. To boost fidelity, sensually eat a peach with your lover. For a fertility charm, place dried peach petals in an organza bag to hang in your bedroom. To remove any type of negativity or to symbolically banish something you no longer want in your life, burn a couple of dried leaves. Use a polished peach stone as a protective amulet.

The star-shaped wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa) flower is white with a ring of yellow at the center. The petals have a delicate vein pattern that looks like they were sketched on with a pencil. The flower closes its petals and droops on cloudy days, at night, and before it rains.

Commonly called windflower, the anemone was said to only open with the help of the wind. The Greeks had two legends about the flower. One is that the nymph Anemone fell in love with Zephyrus, god of the West Wind, but his jealous wife turned her into a wood anemone. The other is that the anemone grew from the tears of Aphrodite and the blood of Adonis when a wild bore killed him.

Although the Romans regarded the anemone as a lucky flower and wove it into chaplets, in later centuries it was sometimes associated with bad luck and called devil’s bite, possibly because of the irritant it contains. In spite of the name and skin irritation it may cause, the anemone was worn as an amulet for protection against sorcery.Believed to ward off witches, anemones were hung over doorways. Also believed to be used by them, in Germany anemone was called hexenblumen, “witches’ flower.” In England, picking the flowers was said to bring on thunderstorms and taking them into the house would attract lightning. That earned it the folk name thunderbolt.

Wood anemones were reputedly a favorite of the faeries, who were said to paint streaks on the petals in the moonlight. Faeries were also said to close the flowers when it rained and to use them as tents at night.

The energy of wood anemone supports courage and creativity, the emotions and relationships. For luck, blow on the first anemone you see and make a wish. To bolster determination, carry an anemone bulb in your purse or pocket. Plant anemones in your garden to bring harmony. When you see the flower close at dusk, say goodnight to the faery that may be inside.