Pine is the term referring to group of plant species, always
trees ( sometimes shrubs ) , with evergreen , metamorphosed leaves, or "needles" ( aciculae ) . Now in essence
Pines, have four type of foliage, but
the two are impermanent , and last two are
not photosynthetic, hence, for a
magickal practitioner, herbalist, it’s more than enough to be familiar with
needles only. We say Pines are
evergreen, which would translate to – keep their foliage during the winter, and do not ever reject their foliage. While
techincaly, this is correct, Pines do reject and and renew their foliage, but they do it constantly, hence they always
have equal amount of photosynthetic foliage.
They grow fairly tall, they can grow up to 50 meters,
Siberian pine and few other species even more.
They are monoecinous ( Individual, in this case plant has both
reproductive units, male and female ) , mostly with thick, hard bark . They are
coniferous, meaning the seeds are contained in cones, couple of seeds in each
scale of the cone, scales spirally arranged around a base in cone. This, well - known cone is however female cone, one that can take 2 or 3 years to mature, whereas male cones are smaller, and less permanent. To a
laymen they may not appear as cones at all, they are most often located as single formations on
the top of the branch, and they contain
pollen. After the pollination they
fall off, and
hardly ever endure more than one year, in fact they mostly remain for few months. Female
cones are used prominently in magick, unlike the male ones, and also in cuisine,
where the seeds are used.
Pines are cosmopolites, they are spread all over the world,
although predominantly on Northern hemisphere, they are resistant, often
xeromorphic, or adapted to the cold
climate. They prefer more acidous soil, as
opposed to most of the deciduous trees. They make a significant part of desert, Mediterranean, and mountain
flora. Pines ( gen. Pinus ) are part of
subfamily Pinoideae in family Pinaceae. In New Zeland and
Australia, typical species of the Pinaceae family, do not
occur, there are several species
speculated to be native in Australia, but this is highly debatable. Most of
them are allochtonous, or simply part of decorative dendrofolora ( woody plants, trees or shrubs ), or are
industrially grown.
Where I am ( Eastern Europe, Mediterranean area ) common species include: Pingus nigra , Pinus
Mugo ( Mountain Pine ) , Pinus
silvestris ( so called Scots pine ), Pinus peuce ( with five needles in one
group ), Pinus halepensis, Pinus Pinaster ( “marine” Pine ) and few other
species. Others species that are present are not
indigenous. If You are anywhere on the
Northern hemisphere, You should have some of theose as part of Your country’s
flora, and You should have no troubles
in attaining the needles at all. Just don’t confuse them with other in the class Pinidae, which also have needles , such
as Spruce or Fir, for in magick , while
they may share few properties here and
there, they are certainly not used interchangeably. Pine needles are used in healing (
amazing for inhalation and treating all sort of respiratory diseases , mostly
used in form of essential oil ) and the
wood makes great material for making wooden structures, furniture and so on.
The hospitals that specialize in treating respiratory tract conditions are often set in Pine forest, as the pine essential oil has showed strong
antibacterial and possible antiviral
properties, and is fungicide as well. Pines also make a secondary source for camphor.
Magickal use of Pine
Pine needles, cones, bark and even sawdust are prominently
used in magick. Pine has cleansing, protective, healing , exorcism, money drawing properties, and is sometimes, due to it’s
cones and fact that is evergreen, associated with fertility and longevity.
It’s use in Hoodoo might have been imported either from the Indian
( Native American ) prominent use of pine as spiritual cleanser, or from European Herbalism.
Pine cone was the symbol originally present on top of Hermes’ caduceus , and the large Pine cone is can be seen in Vatican , in Cortille
Belvedere [1] Pine cones also symbolize fertility, abundance and protection.
According to old European lore, eating
one pine seed per day, from Pine cone collected at Midsummer would ensure immunity
to fire weapons, immortality or at least
longevity. If You wish to dispose of some old cone used in
magick, You can burn it, and plant the seeds J
Branches of pine were used to clean the house and doorsteps,
physically and spiritually the same time.
Crosses were sometimes fashioned out of these and hung around the house for protection. They were hung
above beds of s the ick, or placed bellow them, to speed up the healing process , or contain epidemics.
In Japan, branches are hung above the entrance doors “to
ensure the continual joy within” [2]
In Hoodoo, Pine is often burned to exorcise, and cleanse the dwellings, mixed with Camphor when extremely strong work is required, or in Cast off Evil formulas. A respected Hoodoo author suggests this amazing substitution for Chinese wash,
If You happen to lack it, which is made from Pine scented detergent to which
some Van Van condition oil has been added [3] I’d add some salt
too, perhaps. Pine scent is
believed to be money drawing in Hoodoo,
and baths and headwashes made with Pine leafs heal mental troubles and
affections.
Here are few ways to employ the pine needles in magick:
Incense for exorcism
of negative energy and spirits
·
Pine sawdust
or/and resin· Very small amount of Camphor
· Frankincense tears
Burn to disturbed places to exorcise them of evil.
Also here is a
wonderful “Charm for eternal
youth”[4] written by Valerie Worth, presented
here for Your convenience ,
For more of beautiful spells like this , get the her book
“Crone’s book of Charms & Spells”
Simple, but powerful
bath, that can be used as headwash as well, in order to magickaly heal mental afflictions, disorder s,
confusion and bring clarity:
·
Pine needles
·
Sage leafs· Bay Laurel leaf ( just a few shall suffice )
· Rosemary twig
· Some Lavender flowers
· Some Blessed Salt mixed with Crushed Laundry Bluing
· A spoon of Holy water or Florida water
Make infusion from the Pine needles, Sage leafs, Bay Laurel, Rosemary and Lavender , add salt with some Laundry Bluing, and Holy water, or Florida
water , and use to bathe and wash head.
________________________________________________________________
Enjoy the upcoming New Year and may it bring all the best to You , and If You wish to prepare Yourself spiritually, as well as take use of the holiday energy in the best way You may want to read my posts on "New year supertitions and belifs" and about "New year spells and rituals"
Thank You for reading G'd bless You !
a small token of gratitude for all that kind enough to read my rumblings :
To find out more about 72 names of G'd ( Shem-ha-mephorash ) and what is this particular name used for ( it has lot to do with the holiday spirit ) You can go here : http://www.thehealinggift.com/chart/
_________________________________________________________________NOTES: This article was written and composed by myself , should You desire to use any part of it elswhere online, add credits, Shadow of Shadow's magick place, Shadow-333@hotmail.com, or a direct link to the post
CREDITS AND REFRENCES:
[2] According to Cunningham, Scott, stated in “Cunningham’s encyclopedia of magickal plants” , 205th pag
[3] Yronwode, Catherine as stated in her work: “Hoodoo Herb and Root magick, a material magica of African American Conjure”
[4] Worth, Valerie, “Crone’s book of Charms & Spells”, 92nd, and 93rd page , 2008 Llewellyn publications, used for educational and illustrative purpose , without any ill will of whatsoever
IMAGE CREDITS: Images used in the "Charm for eternal youth" by Valeerie Worth are from clipart.com and Wikipedia and are edited by myself. The botanical illsutration of the Pine is from http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestand:Illustration_Pinus_sylvestris0.jpg used here for explanatory purposes without any ill will. Kabbalistic name of G'd ( 12th ) is from http://www.thehealinggift.com/chart/ used without any ill will, for blessings and benefit of all that wish to use it
2 comments:
i know this is an old post,
but i wanted to add something relevant: pine in hoodoo comes from it's use among indigenous american peoples. it was used as an aspergant (to sprinkle holy water) herb by tribes in the south east, as well as burned by tribes in the plains and far north. in cree and ojibway culture it maintains a dual use of both clearing evil spirits AND bringing abundance (thus translated as 'prosperity').
love your blog shadow, keep up the good work!
Thanks for the aditional info ( love it ) and the compliments :)
Many Blessings
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