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49-413: In the symbolic version the high priestess plunges the athame , or ritual knife that represents the masculine, into a cup or chalice which represents the feminine. The chalice is filled with wine and is held by the high priest. The great rite symbolizes creation in the union of the maiden goddess with the lover god , and thus is also known as a fertility rite . A variety of ritual occasions call for

98-420: A holy plant. Siberian shamans also used herbs for spiritual purposes. Plants may be used to induce spiritual experiences for rites of passage, such as vision quests in some Native American cultures. The Cherokee use both white sage and cedar for spiritual cleansing and smudging . Originally there was always doubt in ancient societies, especially in the sceptical medium of western traditions, as to

147-450: A newly acquired athame, be it new from its maker, or acquired after ritually used by some other person. The term athame derives, via a series of corruptions, from the late Latin artavus ("quill knife"), which is well attested in the oldest manuscripts of the Key of Solomon . It means "a small knife used for sharpening the pens of scribes" ( "Cultellus acuendis calamis scriptorii" ). Artavus

196-575: A reputation as a therapeutic food by the 14th century. One of the most common sauces of the age, green sauce , was made with parsley and often sage as well. In a 14th-century recipe recorded in Latin "for lords, for settling their temperament and whetting their appetite" green sauce is served with a dish of cheese and whole egg yolks boiled in watered down wine with herbs and spices. Perennial herbs are usually reproduced by stem cuttings, either softwood cuttings of immature growth, or hardwood cuttings where

245-516: A serious nature, and should be used with caution. Complications can also arise when being taken with some prescription medicines. Herbs have long been used as the basis of traditional Chinese herbal medicine , with usage dating as far back as the first century CE and far before. In India, the Ayurveda medicinal system is based on herbs. Medicinal use of herbs in Western cultures has its roots in

294-518: A single edge athame and use the straight edge to ring the bell for rituals. The handle of the athame is usually black, and is required in most covens which practice some variant of British tradition Wicca, including Gardnerian and Alexandrian . The handle may be inscribed with particular symbols dictated by the tradition. Janet and Stewart Farrar in A Witches' Bible suggest that the point of an athame be dulled so as to prevent un-intended physical harm during ritual use. In eclectic forms of Witchcraft

343-444: A source of relaxation or can be associated with rituals. Herbs were used in prehistoric medicine . As far back as 5000 BCE, evidence that Sumerians used herbs in medicine was inscribed on cuneiform. In 162 CE, the physician Galen was known for concocting complicated herbal remedies that contained up to 100 ingredients. Some plants contain phytochemicals that have effects on the body. There may be some effects when consumed in

392-545: A woody stem in which all aerial parts (i.e. above ground) die back to the ground at the end of each growing season . Usually the term refers to perennials , although herbaceous plants can also be annuals (plants that die at the end of the growing season and grow back from seed next year), or biennials . This term is in contrast to shrubs and trees which possess a woody stem. Shrubs and trees are also defined in terms of size, where shrubs are less than ten meters tall, and trees may grow over ten meters. The word herbaceous

441-635: Is a ceremonial blade, generally with a black handle. It is the main ritual implement or magical tool among several used in ceremonial magic traditions, and by other neopagans , witchcraft , as well as satanic traditions. A black-handled knife called an arthame appears in certain versions of the Key of Solomon , a grimoire dating to the Renaissance . The athame stands as one of the four elemental tools in modern occultism, traditionally standing for fire, for witches, and air, for ceremonial magicians . It

490-470: Is a record dated 1226 for '12d for Roses for Baron's Chamber and in 1516 for flowers and rushes for chambers for henry the 9th Certain herbs contain psychoactive properties that have been used for both religious and recreational purposes by humans since the early Holocene era, notably the leaves and extracts of the cannabis and coca plants. The leaves of the coca plant have been chewed by people in northern Peruvian societies for over 8,000 years, while

539-489: Is controversial, however: It appears in his book The Sufis as a quotation from A History of Secret Societies by Daraul – a probable pseudonym of Shah. Graves (an acquaintance of Shah) suggests an Arabic derivation from al thame (or adh-dhame ), which he translates as "the arrow". A Latin manuscript version of the Key of Solomon has a drawing that looks like a sickle , labeled artavo . Gerald Gardner's use of 'athame' probably came from modern French versions of

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588-426: Is derived from Latin herbāceus meaning "grassy", from herba "grass, herb". Another sense of the term herb can refer to a much larger range of plants, with culinary, therapeutic or other uses. For example, some of the most commonly described herbs such as sage , rosemary and lavender would be excluded from the botanical definition of an herb as they do not die down each year, and they possess woody stems. In

637-465: Is generally purified and consecrated to the gods before being used for ritual and magical purposes. There are various ways of accomplishing ritual purification and consecration, depending on the specific tradition of Wicca being followed, and also whether the individual Wiccan is practicing with a coven or as a solitary witch. One common way to do this is by using the four magical elements of fire (candle), air (incense), water, and salt; and perhaps anointing

686-435: Is given by de Garlande, ( c.  1225 ): (As distinguished either from a weapon, or from a table knife cultellos ad mensam , mensaculos .) Idries Shah , who was personal secretary and close friend of Gerald Gardner , provides yet another etymology from an alleged Arabic al-dhammé ("blood-letter"), which was supposed to be the ritual knife of a medieval magical cult of Morocco and Andalusia . This etymology

735-638: Is mentioned in the writings of Gerald Gardner in the 1950s, who claimed to have been initiated into a surviving tradition of Witchcraft , the New Forest Coven . The athame was their most important ritual tool, with many uses, but was not to be used for actual physical cutting. The other three elemental tools are the wand, the pentacle (the element of earth), and the cup or chalice (the element of water). These four magical tools correspond to four significant "weapons" or talismans in Celtic myth: The sword,

784-451: Is most common amongst traditions that have a particular fondness of the Sidhe , to whom iron is supposedly baneful. Some Wiccan traditions associate the black-handled athame with the masculine principle and with the element of fire , as did Gardner ; while the wand is associated with air . Other traditions may reverse these elemental associations, and use the athame to represent air and

833-434: Is often a tool representing power, used to keep spirits in check during goetic evocation. Wiccans sometimes use the sword as a substitute for the athame. An athame can take many forms. Contrary to popular belief, athames are not required to have double-edged blades or specially-coloured handles. Contemporary magical practitioners often choose a double-edged blade since this carries symbolic meaning. Some witches will choose

882-441: Is often confused or mislabeled the "white-handled knife", a completely different magical blade. In fact, a boline was more similar to a sickle than a knife and thus would have made chopping herbs very difficult (the boline was, however, handy for harvesting herbs). In the "kitchen witchcraft" tradition, witches are encouraged to use magical tools for mundane purposes to increase the witch's familiarity with them. The ritual drawing of

931-408: Is to invoke the powers it corresponds to, and make a proper impression upon the subconscious. The athame's primary use is to channel and direct psychic energy, generally conceived as etheric fire. They are usually not supposed to harm or draw blood. Some modern day magical practitioners believe that if things such as herbs or cords need to be cut, another knife called a " boline " is used. The boline

980-458: Is well-attested in medieval Latin, although it is not a common word. This explains why it was left untranslated in some French and Italian manuscripts, and ultimately became garbled in various manuscripts as artavo , artavus , arthana , artanus , arthany , or arthame . Latham described the etymology of artavus as being dubious, but Johannes Balbus de Janua derives it from arto , artas , etc. ("to narrow"). An alternate etymology

1029-683: The Hippocratic (Greek) elemental healing system, based on a quaternary elemental healing metaphor. Famous herbalist of the Western tradition include Avicenna (Persian), Galen (Roman), Paracelsus (German Swiss), Culpepper (English) and the botanically inclined Eclectic physicians of 19th century/early 20th century America ( John Milton Scudder , Harvey Wickes Felter , John Uri Lloyd ). Modern pharmaceuticals had their origins in crude herbal medicines, and to this day, some drugs are still extracted as fractionate/isolate compounds from raw herbs and then purified to meet pharmaceutical standards. There

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1078-562: The Key of Solomon , probably via de Givry (1931), who misinterpreted the term as applying to the main ritual knife, as shown by his index entries arthane , arthame , and athane . Herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients , with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs from spices . Herbs generally refers to

1127-648: The chalice , as feminine principle, evoking the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity. The athame represents the magical element of fire, associated with the Sun and the Horned God ; while the chalice represents the magical element of water, associated with the Moon and the Goddess . The union of the two then represents the union of God and Goddess, male and female, sun and moon, fire and water. The marriage of

1176-432: The leafy green or flowering parts of a plant (either fresh or dried), while spices are usually dried and produced from other parts of the plant, including seeds , bark , roots and fruits . Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, aromatic and in some cases, spiritual. General usage of the term "herb" differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs ; in medicinal or spiritual use, any parts of

1225-517: The mint family , that are used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Emperor Charlemagne (742–814) compiled a list of 74 different herbs that were to be planted in his gardens. The connection between herbs and health is important already in the European Middle Ages-- The Forme of Cury (that is, "cookery") promotes extensive use of herbs, including in salads, and claims in its preface "the assent and advisement of

1274-667: The Sun and Moon—the union of opposites—is an ancient idea in alchemy; and the hieros gamos or sacred marriage of god and goddess is an even more ancient idea in pagan religions. (For example, in ancient Greece—from whence the term "hieros gamos" comes.) This rite is done by dipping the athame into the chalice to bless the wine. This is a symbol of the Great Rite in Wiccan rituals. Some modern witchcraft traditions may prefer not to use iron blades, instead preferring alternatives such as copper , bronze , or stone such as obsidian. This

1323-417: The athame is associated with the magical element of fire, so the circle is considered to be cast in etheric fire. This fire is traditionally envisioned as blue, indigo or violet; although it may equally well be envisioned as other colors. When the circle is ritually purified after being cast, that is traditionally done with the remaining three elements—air (incense), water (salt-water), and earth (salt) – because

1372-1046: The bark has been scraped to expose the cambium layer. A cutting will usually be approximately 3 to 4 inches in length. Plant roots can grow from the stems. Leaves are stripped from the lower portion up to one half before the cutting is placed in growth medium or rooted in a glass of water. This process requires high humidity in the environment, sufficient light, and root zone heat. Culinary herbs are distinguished from vegetables in that, like spices, they are used in small amounts and provide flavor rather than substance to food . Herbs can be perennials such as thyme , oregano , sage or lavender , biennials such as parsley , or annuals like basil . Perennial herbs can be shrubs such as rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis ), or trees such as bay laurel ( Laurus nobilis ) – this contrasts with botanical herbs , which by definition cannot be woody plants. Some plants are used as both herbs and spices, such as dill weed and dill seed or coriander leaves and seeds. There are also some herbs, such as those in

1421-504: The blade with an oil infused with magical herbs. Touching another person's athame without permission is considered a ritual faux pas in almost all traditions of Wicca: It is an intrusion of the owner's personal space; and more importantly, it is an act that violates the magical bond between the athame and its owner. Some witches will go to great lengths to ritually purify, reconsecrate, and rededicate an athame after it has been touched by another person. There are rituals of consecration for

1470-412: The boundary of the magic circle – also known as "casting the circle" – is usually done with either a ritual sword or an athame, in traditional coven practice. For open rituals in public places, this is sometimes done with a ritual wand or staff instead, since there may be legal complications involved with swords and daggers in public places, even when the edges have been dulled. In most traditional covens,

1519-460: The circle casting as cutting a line in the air with the tool of air, then they may choose to purify the circle with the remaining three elements of fire, water, and earth; this would involve using a candle to purify the circle, and omitting the incense, since the circle has already been imbued with the element of air. The athame is the most important ritual tool in Wicca, and like other ritual tools it

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1568-554: The efficacity of herbal medicines. The use of herbal cosmetics dates back to around six centuries ago in the European and Western countries. Mixtures and pastes were often concocted to whiten the face. During the 1940s, herbal cosmetics took a turn with the emerging red lipstick color, with every year gaining a more intense red. Herbal cosmetics come in many forms, such as face creams, scrubs, lipstick, natural fragrances, powders, body oils, deodorants and sunscreens. They activate through

1617-413: The element of fire has already been imbued into the circle during the casting, by the use of the athame. After the casting, the athame is the tool traditionally used to invoke the elemental guardians of the four directions (also termed "calling the quarters"), typically by drawing invoking pentagrams at each quarter. As a masculine principle, the black-handled athame is often used in combination with

1666-478: The epithelium of sebaceous glands to make the skin more supple. Ayurvedic oils are widely used in India, prized for their natural health-giving properties. One method and perhaps the best, used to extract natural oils from herbs to make lipstick is partition chromatography . The process involves separation in watery solution, and then the injection of colour under pressure. Strewing herbs are scattered (strewn) over

1715-501: The great rite to be performed, such as during the festival of Beltane on or about May 1 in the northern hemisphere and November 1 in the southern hemisphere. This paganism-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This sexuality -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Athame An athame or athamé ( / ə ˈ θ ɒ m / , / ə ˈ θ ɒ m ə / , / ˈ æ θ əm eɪ / , or / ˈ æ θ ɪ m ɪ / )

1764-399: The handle decorations range from astrological glyphs to runes , the symbols being chosen by the owner. Many fantasy-themed athames are also available from medieval and neopagan supply shops. Ceremonial witches, on the other hand, use the symbolic colours purple and yellow, representing the alchemical element of air, to colour the athame, and it is then inscribed with specific sigils. This

1813-503: The masters of physic and philosophy in the King's Court". Some herbs can be infused in boiling water to make herbal teas (also termed tisanes). Typically the dried leaves, flowers or seeds are used, or fresh herbs are used. Herbal teas tend to be made from aromatic herbs, may not contain tannins or caffeine , and are not typically mixed with milk. Common examples include chamomile tea , or mint tea . Herbal teas are often used as

1862-789: The monastic era, monks would cultivate herbs alongside vegetables, while others would be set aside in a physic garden for specific purposes. For example, myrrh ( Commiphora myrrha ) and frankincense ( Boswellia species) in Hellenistic religion , the nine herbs charm in Anglo-Saxon paganism , neem ( Azadirachta indica ) leaves, bael ( Aegele marmelos ) leaves, holy basil or tulsi ( Ocimum tenuiflorum ), turmeric or "haldi" ( Curcuma longa ), cannabis in Hinduism , and white sage in Wicca . Rastafari also consider cannabis to be

1911-423: The noun "herb" refers to a "plant that does not produce a woody stem", and the adjective "herbaceous" means "herb-like", referring to parts of the plant that are green and soft in texture". "What is a herb?" "The friend of physicians and the praise of cooks." -- Alcuin and his student Charlemagne In botany , the term herb refers to a herbaceous plant , defined as a small, seed-bearing plant without

1960-484: The plant might be considered "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark (and cambium ), resin and pericarp . The word "herb" is pronounced / h ɜːr b / in Commonwealth English , but / ɜːr b / is standard among American English speakers as well as those from regions where h-dropping occurs. In Canadian English , both pronunciations are common. In botany,

2009-407: The plant world into trees, shrubs, and herbs. Herbs came to be considered in three groups, namely pot herbs (e.g. onions), sweet herbs (e.g. thyme), and salad herbs (e.g. wild celery). During the seventeenth century as selective breeding changed the plants size and flavor away from the wild plant, pot herbs began to be referred to as vegetables as they were no longer considered only suitable for

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2058-477: The pot. Botany and the study of herbs was, in its infancy, primarily a study of the pharmacological uses of plants. During the Middle Ages, when humoral theory guided medicine, it was posited that foodstuffs, possessing their own humoral qualities, could alter the humoral temperaments of people. Parsley and sage were often used together in medieval cookery, for example in chicken broth , which had developed

2107-423: The same symbolic significance of the conjunctio oppositorum (union of opposites) that the union of fire and water does. Also, covens that regard the athame as air and the wand as fire, may choose to cast the ritual circle with the wand or staff, instead of the sword or athame – if they conceive of this casting in the traditional way, as a casting of etheric fire via a projection of psychic energy. If they conceive of

2156-413: The small levels that typify culinary "spicing", and some herbs are toxic in larger quantities. For instance, some types of herbal extract, such as the extract of St. John's-wort ( Hypericum perforatum ) or of kava ( Piper methysticum ) can be used for medical purposes to relieve depression and stress. However, large amounts of these herbs may lead to toxic overload that may involve complications, some of

2205-404: The spear, the shield, and the cauldron (and / or ' grail '). These same four ritual tools also appear in the magical practices of the western hermetic tradition, derived from The Golden Dawn, who pioneered the modern occult tradition and new age spirituality; and they appear in tarot decks as the four card suits: swords, cups, wands, and pentacles. The athame is an elemental tool, while the sword

2254-444: The two primordial elements, the combination of which gave rise to the other two elements of earth and air. Fire and water are also the elements most associated with Sun and Moon, and thus the Horned God and the Goddess within Wicca. For this reason, covens that associate the athame with air (and the wand with fire) may decide to use the wand to bless the wine chalice, instead of using the athame. A union of air and water does not carry

2303-594: The use of cannabis as a psychoactive substance dates back to the first century CE in China and northern Africa . Indigenous Australian peoples developed " bush medicine " based on plants that were readily available to them. The isolation of these groups meant the remedies developed were for far less serious diseases than the western illnesses they contracted during colonisation. Herbs such as river mint , wattle and eucalyptus were used for coughs, diarrhea, fever and headaches. Herbs are used in many religions . During

2352-538: The wand to represent fire. Farrar & Farrar (1984, 1996) suggested this difference is due to the Golden Dawn releasing false information in the hopes of preventing its rituals being used in the correct way. They add that a witch should always choose the association which seems the most correct to them. Fire and water are considered to be polar opposite elements, classically and in alchemy and traditional magical practice. They are sometimes considered to be

2401-508: The wider sense, herbs may be herbaceous perennials but also trees, subshrubs, shrubs, annuals, lianas , ferns , mosses , algae , lichens , and fungi . Herbalism can utilize not just stems and leaves but also fruit, roots, bark and gums. Therefore, one suggested definition of an herb is a plant which is of use to humans, although this definition is problematic since it could cover a great many plants that are not commonly described as herbs. Ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus divided

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