Then, give offerings. It was either my mother or grandmother who taught me to feed trees a mixture of water and sugar, and to sing and talk to it, believing that sugar makes the fruits sweeter while song and conversation helps the tree grow. After learning some science behind plants and trees, I don’t often water trees with sugar nowadays. Still, that does not negate how the trees and the land they sit on appreciate offerings in the forms of voice and water. Give constant offerings. In my opinion, it is better to be constant in your gifts and shows of gratitude than to do a big ritual once in a blue moon. My routine is as simple as giving libations of water to the big trees in my garden once a week, and also a general libation dedicated to the land and all who dwell there. Eventually, you’ll sense what the land and the plants prefer. Warm water or ice cold? Tap or something else? Perhaps a dash of honey? Ask, and they will let you know. 3.Get to know them Ever fallen asleep on the grass before? Or under a tree, with your head resting on top of its gigantic roots like a hard pillow? Some trees like the blackboard tree - nicknamed the Devil’s tree in certain countries - are said to be unlucky and that if you fall asleep beneath them, you may be visited by the spirit of the tree. Spirits of the land and the fauna can talk to you through feelings, through flashes of intuition, or in dreams. There are some trees in Thailand where people would give offerings to and in turn, the spirit of the tree will visit them in dreams and give them prophecies that will bring them prosperity, such as information about where to find treasure or what lottery number to purchase. Dream incubation can be also used to communicate with nature spirits. Sometimes, the best way to find out the magical uses of certain plants or herbs is to ask them. Herbs or parts of plants may be ritually consumed or burnt. Take care to research plants which may be toxic or poisonous. Even an innocuous-looking houseplant such as the desert rose can be harmful if their sap is treated in a certain way. Within reason, you may experiment with burning flowers, leaves, barks, or roots. Smoke them, or throw them upon burning coals and breathe in their fumes. Before you do so, you may try to become ritually ‘clean’ by avoiding eating meat or abstaining from having sexual relations, or fasting for a certain amount of time. 4. Consult books Not all books will contain information that is applicable to you. Still, try looking up the name of the fauna in the local tongue or finding out local knowledge about it. For example, I found out that the very paper flower that we burn in funerary rites are made from sandalwood pulp, which links to sandalwood’s ability to guide the dead to where they are meant to go. Likewise, the famous “witches’ poison plants” sounded very exotic to me, until I realized daturas are grown here too and are very common and their seeds used as recreational drugs. Trying to identify the uses of plants by their planetary correspondences can also be helpful. For example, plants that reach for the sun have solar qualities while plants which have large roots are saturnine. More information can be found in Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy and a quick summary is present in Roger Horne’s Folk Witchcraft. ***** The land is vital to my craft, and I believe that it is a massive boon to be in the good graces of the land you live on. Tend to the land and the land takes care of you.
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