Plant Magic for the Beginner Witch: An Herbalist’s Guide to Heal, Protect and Manifest

By Ally Sands

Manifest your most positive intentions of love, healing, protection and abundance with the magic of herbs and plants

You don’t need expensive tools or hours of study to live a more magical life. Ally Sands, master herbalist, green witch and founder of Aquarian Soul, teaches you how to use everyday herbs to cast easy but effective spells. Divided into chapters on protection, love, abundance, healing and personal power, this is the perfect guide for new witches or those looking to learn more about plant magic.

Learn how to cleanse and heal your body with a lemon balm bath, ward your home with a wreath of bay laurel, open your heart with an herbal rose tea or foster abundance with a homemade amulet. With 70 spells and information on which herbs and plants are most effective, you can easily incorporate magic into your everyday, manifest good energy and harness your personal power.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Mar 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645670049

Ally Sands

Ally Sands has been a practicing witch for over two decades and is the author of Plant Magic for the Beginner Witch and Herbs & Crystals DIY. She is the owner of the original crystal-infused apothecary, Aquarian Soul. She is best known for her work blending crystal magic and plant wisdom. She lives in San Diego, California.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

I am a witch, and I am an herbalist. These two often go hand in hand, and many might argue that they are very much the same thing. I come from a long line of plant healers, including my second great-grandfather who was a well-known and respected curandero (healer) in my mom’s hometown. He had an entire handwritten book full of his recipes, which unfortunately was given away. Most of my maternal side of the family sees and hears spirits and has a strong belief in brujería (witchcraft) and yerberos (herbalists). I have always felt this innate pull to work with plants and work with the elements to create my own reality—and apparently, it’s in my blood.

We all have different opinions and experiences in life that lead us down the path that we’re currently on. All the spells and opinions in this book are my own interpretations. I might not hold the same ideas a lot of other witches do—and maybe you don’t either. Maybe you don’t really fit into one box and you want to carve your own path, and that’s totally okay!

A lot of people like strict directions and guidance, but the best guide is yourself. I can’t tell you that my spells will or won’t work for you. It’s what you believe, and it’s the energy and effort that you put into it. If buying expensive ingredients and making your own tools by hand makes you feel happy and brings you a sense of power, then go for it. If all you have access to are candles from the dollar store and a bottle of dried basil from your parent’s spice rack, that doesn’t make the magic any less potent or any less real for you.

All the magic you have is within you. You don’t need to read any books or do any deep diving in the occult and ceremonial magic. You don’t have to go to some secret, members-only occultist shop with dusty shelves and bottles of potions and dried herbs to get obscure books and ingredients. All you really need is your own self-determination and some ingredients you could probably find at your grocery store.

Don’t let me tell you who you need to be and don’t let anyone else tell you who you need to be. Part of the magical allure of being a witch is that you create your own craft. You are guided by your own inner compass. If I could tell you one thing it would be to throw away all your spell books because you don’t really need them. But then again, would I be writing this book if that were the truth? Of course you need some guidelines to get started, but YOU are the key ingredient to your magic workings.

Life itself is magic. You work with the moon cycles, with the changing seasons, with flowers and herbs—with nature itself. Every single moment is an opportunity to celebrate the magic around us. Making tea becomes a ceremony. Taking a bath becomes a ritual. You appreciate the small things around you so that you can be one with the divine.

The concept of magic is not as esoteric as one might think. Every day we create the day ahead in our minds before it happens. Every thought we have can affect our outer world. Witchcraft simply adds tools and words of power to bring these inner thoughts into our outer reality. This is what magic is. You add ingredients or say certain chants or do specific gestures because you feel it will work. It is all within you to create change in your life. Trust in your intuition and trust in your own power.

This book introduces basic guidelines for the beginner witch. I use traditional herbs, magical herbs and a couple of more common plants that you can probably find on your morning walk or a trip to your local nursery. I attempted to use a lot of herbs that overlap within the different chapters of this book so that you can try a lot of the spells without having to buy a million ingredients.

It is my hope that you are able to use the rituals presented in this book to help you explore your own inner power. You have the capability to bring love, abundance and good health into your life. Throughout this book you will learn how to harness this energy and create the life you desire, using simple herbs and spices you can find almost anywhere. So if you want to learn about earth magic, green witchcraft and how to incorporate herbs into your practice from an unconventional Aquarius witch, read on.

what is a spell?

A spell is a form of ritual to enact positive change in your life. You use tools and your intentions on the physical realm to manifest change in other realms. We are all energy: you, me, crystals, herbs, everything around us. As the laws of physics state, you can neither create nor destroy energy. You are merely using your thoughts and intent to redistribute energy. Transform it to create the reality you want for yourself. Much like prayer, or sending good vibes to someone, you are in essence using your own inner power and intent to change things in your favor. You are transforming your world to how you would like to see it. We all do this unconsciously every day.

Doing spells does not mean that you won’t have to put in work. Raising energy, focusing your mind and carrying the spell through involves effort and energy. You are the catalyst for directing the energies. You, in essence, are the main ingredient in a spell. Once the spell is cast, you still need to keep focused, stay positive and work toward your intention. You can’t cast a spell for finding a job or bringing in more money, then sit on the couch all day. You must do your part.

Results don’t happen overnight. They can, but most likely it will take some time. Time on this physical plane is linear, but with magic we understand time as existing all at once. We work with the past, the present and the future. What you want to happen is already happening on a different dimension or on a different wavelength. But since we are working with the energies present here on this dimension, things work more slowly than our minds are capable of creating. This is a dense, slow-moving energy on this planet.

Having a spell work quickly also involves a lot of belief. Trusting that things will work out the way you want them is key. Once you do the spell, forget about it. You have given your intentions to the universe, and what you desire is on its way to you. If you keep obsessing or thinking about it, you are slowing it down. Trust in yourself, in your power. Believe that what you want will come in perfect timing.

working with the elements

Some of you might already be familiar with the pentagram. It represents the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. But what do the elements mean in the context of witchcraft? We use them all in spells, as representations on the altar, when casting a circle and even as foods we eat.

Water and earth are receptive elements. Water can be represented by any liquid. When you drink wine or tea, make a potion, collect rainwater—all of these are represented by the element of water. Any solid object such as a candle, a metal tray, a bowl of salt or crystals, these are all representations of earth. They are receptive and capable of absorbing energy. They are used to take on the properties and intentions you give them. This is why we program crystals to work for us. This is why we can make potions for love or success. The liquids and solids take on the energy that we use to do our spells.

Air and fire release energy. Air can be represented by incense, sage wands, bells and any kind of smoke. When we burn herbs, resins or incense, we are in essence releasing the energy out into the universe. Fires can be made in your cauldron and whatever they touch will be released from you.

This is why magic is so potent. The elements around us help us manifest our desires through absorbing and releasing energy. The very forms that make up life itself. We are inextricably linked to the elements around us. Our own bodies are composed of water and a variety of elements. So whatever change we make with the use of elements has an effect on our physical reality. We create our own reality, with the help of the elements.

harnessing your energy

But how do you harness this energy? What if you have doubts about the situation, will it still work? There are three important factors when doing magic: having the right intention, being able to focus and putting your energy into a spell.

Decide on your intention. Do you want to bring in a constant flow of money from your business? Or do you simply need a specific amount of money to pay off a bill? You don’t want to do a spell without a clear and concise intention. Do you want to find a penny on the ground tomorrow? My guess is no, and you need to clearly state that. Think it. Speak it aloud. Write it on a piece of paper. Carve it into a candle, or scream it into the universe. However you need to get it across, make sure you have an intention in mind before starting.

Focus your energy. Worries, doubts and insecurities can make it hard to focus all our positive energy into our goal. You need to know that whatever you desire is possible; you just need to believe in it. Meditation can be a helpful tool when working on your focus. To perform magic, you need to clear out all the chatter in your mind. Never go into a spell if you are feeling doubtful, sad or confused. You need to know that your will and your strength can bring your manifestations to fruition.

Spend ten minutes every day practicing meditation. You can even do it right before you do a spell. Let go of old ideas and patterns of how the world works or how a person is just that way or how your fate is somehow sealed. We are all capable of change, growth and evolution. Clear your mind and know exactly what you want. That is all you need. Don’t worry about how it will come to you, just trust that it’s on its way.

Direct your energy. You might be asking how exactly do I put energy into something? What does it mean to raise energy and put it into your rituals? Well, have you ever listened to a song and felt emotion build up inside of you? Have you ever been in a crowd of people at a concert or a gathering with strong positive, happy energy and your body felt electric? There is energy within you that you can use in order to propel a spell forward.

For example, if your intention is to be married, think of the person that you want to be with. How does it make you feel? Happy? Overjoyed? When you are doing a spell, focus on those positive feelings you will have when you are together in a happy relationship with that person. Let the emotion overtake you and build inside of you. Imagine that energy building to a high point, then direct it through visualization, moving your body or dancing. Push the energy into the spell, then release it and it will return to you in the form of your manifestation.

Do this with any form of magic. If you want protection, imagine yourself relaxed, calm and surrounded by a bright white light. If you want to do a spell for personal power, then dance, sing or chant. Let the energy rise inside of you so that you can feel strong and energetic. Do whatever makes that energy really vibrate within you.

a word on wildcrafting

Many herbalists have learned that wildcrafting or foraging for herbs is a time-honored tradition and one of the best ways to learn about herbs. As we grow, we adapt to new ways of thinking. There are many plants, such as white sage, that are at risk of being endangered because of humans. We overharvest plants and even harvest during the wrong time of