Sage in bloom

Everyone knows the folksong refrain, “Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.” Well, we’ve covered parsley and rosemary. Now we turn to sage!

Nearly everyone has sage in the kitchen cupboard. Sage tastes great with fatty food dishes like duck and pork. It is also great with red meats. Sage is often used in tomato sauces. Sage is a common ingredient in turkey stuffing in the United States. But the importance of sage in occult practice long predates its use in cooking.

Designated a “masculine” herb, ruled by Jupiter and associated with the element Air, sage was named by the Greeks and Romans by a derivative of the word meaning “to be saved/healed,” as salvation and health were considered two sides of the same coin. In Old English, this name became sawage which became the modern English name sage.

Ancient Greeks considered sage among the best antidotes for the ailments we now identify as ulcers, snakebites, and consumption. Arabic sorcerers – and the western alchemists influenced by Arabic magical theory – said that sage properly used could bestow immortality.

Sage is considered a nearly universal magical cure-all, able to dispel curses and bestow wisdom, clarity, health, and prosperity. A sage leaf kept with a Tarot deck will preserve it uncontaminated by negative, distracting forces. One way to break a curse with sage is to light a leaf (or handful of leaves) and then blow out the flame, allowing the embers to continue smoking. Then use the smoldering sage to draw large, counter-clockwise circles in the air. The smoke will banish the curse and bring a blessing in its stead.

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A bush of parsley.

A sprig of parsley.

Parsely is said to ward off drunkness. It might just be the best hangover medicine there is!

However it is most often simply a decorative sprig on a plate in a diner or restaurant. But it can be used in several magical ways. It is associated with the element of air and the planet Mercury. It is a “masculine” herb although a favorite of the goddess Persephone and therefore used in necromancy or rites involving the dead and death. Romans would tuck a sprig of parsley into their togas for protection or good luck. (Hence its use on the dinner plate as an act of protection against poison and contamination or accidental dangers from the food.)

Parsley also promotes lust, though not love — a crucial distinction!Parsley increases fertility, a natural consequence of lust. Make a tea of it or soak in a parsley infused bath and it will bestow well-being in a wide variety of aspects.

Rosemary is such a common but useful kitchen herb that it is easy to forget that it is also an herb frequently used in magical practice as well. (I just made a roast chicken with lotsa rosemary and it came out delicious! When I used the bones to make chicken stock, I added more handfuls of rosemary — together with carrots and potatoes — and got a wonderful pot of soup out of the deal as well.)

One grimoire (magical handbook) directs rosemary to be used with mint and marjoram, “tied with a thread spun by a virgin,” as a means to sprinkle water on newly-consecrated magical tools. This same handbook suggests washing your hands wth rosemary oil and onion juice as a protection against fire.

Rosemary has long been associated with the Sun and the element of fire; hence, its use as a protection against fire. It is also often burnt as an incense and, although I very much prefer to use frankincense, some manuals suggest using rosemary as a more affordable and easily available substitute for frankincense.

Rosemary can be used for healing and love spells or in spells of protection (ESP against robbers and nightmares). In each of these cases, the rosemary may be burnt on charcoal or placed under the pillow or bed to achieve its desired effect. Washing with rosemary-infused water can promote youthfulness… a much better way to acomplish this than the blood-bathing often recommended or practiced (as by Countess Elizabeth Bathory)!