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Standing up…with Herbal Call-to-Action

Like Alexis at Wort + Cunning, I am compelled to share resources about supporting Standing Rock, now even more than ever before. The latest news from Standing Rock is (as of November 14, 2016):

CANNON BALL, N.D. – The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers today announced they are delaying an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline project until it conducts further environmental review with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The Corp noted that “construction on or under Corps land bordering Lake Oahe cannot occur because the Army has not made a final decision on whether to grant an easement.

Seemingly, this seems positive, although if we relied completely on the efforts of bureaucracy, this would get us no where, idle and lost. I see much ‘outrage’ right now, as you should, you should see outrage always, then do something about it. It would be great to be passive and “see how this all works out,” however the reality is, that would be great if you find yourself in a position where your home isn’t being threatened, your source of drinking water, your way of being and your beliefs. This is what is happening at Standing Rock today and days before this.

Sharing resources is important, but fulfilling needs and outcomes with actual and tangible efforts is critical now. Many herbalists including the Free Fire Cider team are sending supplies and formulas to the front lines. Other items are in demand, as is monetary donations for the camp, as they are bracing for winter. As I speak, I think a snow storm is expected over the Plains. Please refer to the list of donations before sending herbal items to see what is actually needed: Monetary Donations, Medical, and Herbal Needs.

There is also an NO DAPL fact zine available here in case you are wondering what this is all about.  Solidarity is great, symbolism of solidarity is great, but I think it boils down to actual evidence of participation and allegiance, how do you align yourself through your actions?

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A Brief History of Witch Bottles

prachett_witchThe “witch bottle*” is a counter-magical device dating to the 17th century. (We have an early description of a witch bottle from Suffolk, England, 1681.) Jane Sibley, Ph.D., (specialist in Norse folklore and runes and traditional Norse practitioner) has described these historical artifacts as similar to a reactive or protective amulet.

*It is known that research is slanted toward white, colonialist and Western evidence of witch bottles. In Afro-Caribbean, Afrocentric, and indigenous American cultures, curse bottles and other uses of apotropaic amulets were already established in spiritual and religious ceremony.

[As one example see: A Sorcerer’s Bottle: The Visual Art of Magic in Haiti]

Witch bottles were sealed with a good watertight lid and contained a number of curious items, including sharp objects such as pins, bent nails, broken mirror shards, plus any of the following: knotted threads (often red), ashes, salt, hair, vinegar, botanicals, dirt, sundry other items, and human urine. The sharp objects in the bottle are intended to shred the malicious intent. The vinegar and ashes are supposed to disempower the ill will. Vinegar is a solvent. Knotted threads bind it up. Sounds grounds it, neutralizing the negativity. The botanicals could be any sort of magical herbs or plants, opposing a broad range of ill. If the hair is human, it probably seems the same purpose as the urine.

This bottle was intended to protect a person from malicifica (malicious or ill-intentioned magic) directed at him/her. The containers were often made of glass or pottery. (Bellarmine jugs were popular in England, although made previously before in Germany.)

This magical practice crossed the Atlantic to colonial America. Evidence for the practice was found in excavations at Governor Printz State Park in Essington, Pennsylvania. This American example probably dates to the 18th century–the bottle was manufactured around 1740 and may have been buried about 1748. A description of the “Essington witch bottle” is below:

This squat piece of glasswork with a bright gold patina over its dark olive color had been buried upside down in a small hole. Two objects were deposited under the shoulder of the bottle: a piece of a long thin bone from some medium-sized bird, possibly a partridge, and a redware rim sherd from a small black-glazed bowl. The bottle contained six round-headed pins and had been stoppered tightly with a whittled wooden plug.
—Marshall J. Becker, An American Witch Bottle, “Uncanny Archaeology,” Archaeology Magazine Archive, 2009.

Here is a description from 19th century PA Dutch healing magic:

Another Remedy to be applied when anyone is sick, which has effected many a cure where doctors could not help. –Let the sick person, without having conversed with anyone, put water in a bottle before sunrise, close it up tight, and put it immediately in some box or chest. lock it and stop up the keyhole; the key must be carried one of the pockets for three days, as nobody dare have it except the person who puts the bottle with water in the chest or box.
–John George Hoffman, Pow-Wows or Long Lost Friend, 1820, pp. 10-11

[http://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/halloween/witch_bottle.html]

[another paraphrased “Witch Bottle” website]

addition: really, really wonderful examination of Witch Bottles at Pilgrim’s Way: https://pilgrimswaywitchcraft.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/the-witch-bottle/

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Of Oak and Ash “Witch Bottles” in the 21st century

Elemental Witch bottles: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Ether
Elemental Witch bottles: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Ether