Sweet Feather's Plant Grimoire

Disclaimer: Since magic comes from your own personal power (or that of sources you have a personal relationship with), your own knowledge, feelings & associations always come before someone else's! This is more of a diary that might be helpful to someone; I am not making any absolute claims. Also, I'm feeling very Fool on my magical journey overall, so uh, maybe don't depend on my information alone.

Basil:(Ocimum) Where I live & in my experience, Basil's special power is "thrive, bitch!!!" I've watched it grow, thrive & flower where other plants struggle to keep equilibrium against the overwhelming summer sun. Where some plants might be slow to recover from being pruned, basil loves being cut back & branches out quickly! It's not even a "winning the struggle" energy, it's a "absolutely loving to be alive" energy to me. I like to use it to represent that kind of effortless vivacity. Keywords: happiness, thriving, perserverance, strength, fire, motivation, sun

Clover: (Trifolium) A well beloved wild weed, coming in many varieties of sizes and colors, often co-opted into agricultural blends to fix nitrogen back in the soil. I need not explain its association with good luck and happiness! Between common superstition and its soil-restoring properties, this little playground-field plant says to look forward to serendipity. Keywords: luck, fortune, money, gardening, harvest

Dandelion (Taraxacum) What a well known springtime blessing! Often a target for weed removal, this cheerful and plentiful sunny flower is much more than just a pest. Dandelions are edible as salads, wine, honey/syrup, jam & more; if you have a pet rabbit, they'll eat dandelions (mine loves them like they're candy haha!) Being plentiful & edible, dandelions have huge pentacles (earth) energy to me, as well as cheerful sunny fire energy just for how they look. I'd use dandelions to wish for happiness, good fortune, & prosperity. Keywords: happiness, luck, fortune, money, harvest

Deadnettle: (Lamium) Lamium is a precious early spring weed. If you're fortunate to have it near, you know that when the season's just warm enough to be safe, the deadnettle will turn whole fields purple with its delicate little flowers by sheer numbers. Its purple flower color calls to an internal spiritual & emotional plane. Moreso, though, as a plant it prefers to grow in places where the ground is disturbed or obstructed (like around tree stumps and rocks, or in a sparse dying lawn), which gives it a "hope in a rough time" vibe to me. Sometimes it also has the nickname "Archangel", which has protective implications, especially pertaining to children. The combination of these qualities makes it a favorite plant to me personally - I perceive it as being something that knows & brings hope through adversity, and works to protect my fragile & traumatized inner child. Keywords: protection, emotions, strength

Lavender:(Lavandula) A popular and ubiquitous garden herb. Its most famous & potent use is as a soothing sleep aid in the form of lavender bud sachets! Its powerful, pleasant and distinctive scent is well known and loved. I also see it cited as a plant for happiness, but I kinda see that as an extension of its peaceful & sleep-aid quality. Again, its purple color makes me feel it can have emotional properties as well as the obvious physical associations. If your brain, heart or body are going too fast or in a bad direction, use lavender to tell yourself to have quietude and peace. Keywords: sleep, peace, emotions, protection

Sage:(Salvia) It cannot go unmentioned first and foremost that burning sage as a cleansing ritual is Native American appropriation, especially white sage (S. Apiana). Palo Santo is in this category too, despite being a completely different plant it often gets mixed up in the "sage smudging" trend. As a ~ white people ~, I don't advocate Native appropriation, that shit's really icky no matter how you frame it. Getting back to the positive, though... Given its most common association (...likely derived from the commonly stolen ritual) with cleansing, I like to use sage in my spells to sanctify and bless the spell as a way to amplify the other herbs. Kinda like the clear quartz of plants! Or like, laundry detergent maybe? I'm a fan personally of Garden (officinalis) and Golden (another breed of officinalis). Keywords: purification, blessing, amplification