Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

The power of herbs is often overlooked by people. These tiny little plants are typically thought of as nothing more than seasoning for food, when in fact many of them have so much more to offer. Herbs can be used not only for additional flavor in food, but many have high nutritional value as well. They are used to treat illnesses in holistic medicine and help the body maintain optimal health. Some herbs are also very powerful in magick, and can be used in a variety of spells and rituals.

Yarrow is one of my favorite herbs. Yarrow is a weedy perennial herb that grows in the Northern Hemisphere, though many people are unaware that the plant even exists. It has deep green leaves that have a pungent aroma and are covered in fine white silky hairs. Yarrow plants bloom small clusters of flowers that can vary in color including white, lilac, yellow and pink. It is a beautiful addition for aesthetic purposes in the home garden, and my favorite part, can be harvested and used for magick and healing in a variety of ways.

Yarrow has been used for hundreds of years in healing and in magick. Over the years, the plant has been called a variety of names including bloodwort, devil’s nettle, arrow root, snake’s grass, field hop, gearwe, nose bleed, staunchweed and more. Many of the plants names, such as staunchweed, nose bleed, sanguinary, woundwort and others of that ilk, are indicative of the plants primary use in healing, as yarrow is used in traditional medicine to help stop bleeding. Other traditional uses of yarrow in medicine include use as a tonic to treat depression or melancholy and treatment (combined with other herbs) for the common cold.

When it comes to magick, yarrow is truly a witch’s herb. Yarrow can be used as an all-purpose addition to any spell as it helps to amplify the powers of other herbs and overall increases the power of spells. The list of magickal benefits of yarrow is definitely a long and lengthy one; it can be used for strengthening psychic abilities like clairvoyance and divination, love spells, luck spells, protection spells, defensive magick, animal magick, banishing spells, consecration and much more.

Yarrow can be used in attraction spells to attract courage and bravery, friendship and love. Yarrow grown around your home will help to attract the fairies. It can be used in a charm to help strengthen and nurture a marriage, and when combined with nettles can make a power charm to combat fear. You can wear a sprig of yarrow in an amulet to ward off negative energy and provide protection. There are so many things that yarrow can do!

An easy spell to perform using yarrow is making a dream pillow. When yarrow is added to a dream pillow, it may grant you a vision of your future spouse. Place the yarrow herbs into a small pouch, focusing on your desire. As you are placing the yarrow into the pouch, recite this spell:

This pretty herb from Venus’ tree,
Thy true name be it Yarrow;
Show my one true love to me,
Pray tell to me tomorrow.

Place the satchel under your pillow before bed. As you wait to fall asleep, focus on your heart’s desire, for the yarrow to reveal your future love to you.

In my personal opinion, yarrow is simply one of those herbs that a witch just cannot be without. It is so versatile and so powerful that it is practically an essential tool for any witch to have. And fortunately, yarrow is very easy to grow as well, making it easy to have fresh and dried yarrow on hand whenever you need it.

Brightest Blessings
Rose Ariadne Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch in Charge”