Folk Magic With Holiday Season Herbs & Spices
Did you know that every time you drink a pumpkin spice latte you could be infusing it with magical power?
That you could turn a piece of pumpkin pie into serious love magic? Or bring happiness and fulfillment into your life by eating it with magical intention?
What about popular herbs of the holiday season like parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves?
They’re powerful herbs of success and victory that go back to Roman times.
Keep reading to learn the basics about what these herbs and spices can do for you, and some ways to use them — during the festive season . . . or any season.
Pumpkin Spice Magic
Let’s start with pumpkin spice, historically known to 1950s housewives as pumpkin pie spice blend — but they probably weren’t aware of its magical origins.
It’s a easy-to-use combination of the spices used in baking pumpkin pies and other holiday-season luxuries that typically weren’t seen during other times of year. The spices are: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove and allspice.
There is no pumpkin flavor in pumpkin pie spice (it’s meant to give flavor to the blandness of pumpkin), and almost everyone loves the addictive combination of these five holiday spices. Use them in glogg (hot spiced red wine), eggnog, coffee, cupcakes, muffins, bread, or in almost any holiday cookie recipe.
Because all of these spices were once incredibly expensive imports that were only available to the wealthy, they still carry with them the aura of wealth, success, and endless possibilities.
Here’s a little bit about my own favorite uses for the five spices:
Cinnamon: Turns up the heat on any spell or intention, in a happy, energizing way. Makes things easier. Makes your day go easier. Gives procrastinators a little nudge. Brings luck and unexpected good things into your life. Hurries up that check you’ve been waiting for. Gets that guy in your life to quit dragging his feet.
Ginger: A little bit like cinnamon, but gives more of a kick-in-the-butt quality to your magic. It has that little bit of “wake up and smell the coffee — what are you waiting for” kind of energy. Gives you confidence and gets you off the couch.
Nutmeg: A little less “spicy” and more grounding — like a loving and comforting hug. It balances the cinnamon and ginger so you (or your magical target) doesn’t get too squirrel-y.
Clove: If you’ve ever seen whole clove buds, you know that they look like little black nails, ready to hang that picture on the wall, join a couple of pieces of wood together, or build some shelves in your kitchen. Magically, they can help join two people together, bring your family together in harmony, or keep that job when your company is downsizing. Also good for protection. Sprinkle some powdered clove on your doorstep to keep unwanted guests away.
Allspice: This spice is the only one of the five that grows in the New World. It’s native to Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies. It got its name because its flavor was said to be similar to the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Think of it is a spice that enhances and ramps up the power of whatever outcome you’re trying to create.
When you combine all of the magical attributes of the five ingredients, you have something really special that can be the only magical item you need, whether you want to attract love, make yourself more magnetic, or get your family to behave during the holidays.
And pumpkin pie spice is available at your local grocery right now!
It’s worth noting that these spices are generally used for spells that bring good things into your life (not vengeful or baneful spellwork).
Pumpkin Spice Latte Spell
As you wait for your barrista to deliver your PSL (or are on the way to pick it up), visualize the magical effect you want this powerful potion to give you.
Just a few examples:
It can bestow glamour, making you more attractive to everyone you meet (or just one special person).
It can give you exactly the right solution you need to solve a pressing problem.
It can point you in the right direction to find the perfect job, or unexpected windfall.
It can help you to say the right thing, at the right time, to get someone to do what you want them to do.
Once you have your drink in your hands, quietly speak into the latte what you would like it to do for you. Ask if it is willing to help you. But, as long as you’re asking for something positive and not trying to take away anyone’s free will, the pumpkin spice blend is always happy to help.
Watch for results. Remember these spices are fast!
Pumpkin Pie Spice House Magic
If you’re on Tiktok, you might be familiar with the recent trend of blowing cinnamon into the front door of your home on the first day of each month. Who knows which influencer came up with this idea, but it would be even more effective using pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon alone.
Remember that intention is everything, so as you pour a tiny bit of the spice blend into your right hand, ask it to help you with whatever results you’re looking for.
For example, if you’re a mom whose family usually does nothing to help you prepare for the holidays (or never do their share, no matter what time of year), you can visualize and intend that anything you ask of them they will gladly do.
Blow the spice blend where your intended targets (the people you want to influence) spend most of their time (living room couch, computer desk) or sprinkle a little of the blend into the shoes they wear every day. Or, mix a tiny pinch of pumpkin pie spice into the wash water in your washing machine, if you wash clothes for these people. If they wash their own clothes, just mix a little pumpkin pie spice into your container of laundry detergent.
(Witchy tip: Don’t forget you can enchant your own clothes, too, as you wash them. Along with the pinch of spices, speak your intention about attraction power, receiving windfalls of cash, acing that job interview . . . or anything that involves happiness, success, and prosperity.)
You can also empower the spice blend with your intention and sprinkle a little into your cooking. (The spices are not sweet, so you can sprinkle it into soups, chili, chicken, or any dish and feed it to your targets. Or enchant yourself with your own personal intention. That’s food magic, and it’s a whole category on its own.
And, don’t forget that you can enchant holiday cookies and desserts — yes, even pumpkin pie itself!
Make a batch of cookies to “sweeten up” those difficult people in your life. As always, as you’re adding pumpkin spice into your recipe, visualize the person and what you want them to do, or how you want them to treat you.
Put some pumpkin pie spice into your gingerbread-people recipe, and decorate a cookie to represent each person you want to influence. Speak to the cookie as if it were that person and instruct it on how you want them to treat you and what you want the person to do. Use commands, such as, “You will . . .” or “You will not . . .”.
Magic With Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme . . . and Bay Leaf
Did you know that the combination of “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme” comes from a medieval folk ballad about lost love?
And, that the inclusion of magical herbs in English folk ballads and even Shakespeare’s plays shows us that folk magic was very much alive in medieval times — centuries after English territorial kings had been converted to Christianity in the 7th century.
Here are some ancient magical uses for these herbs that are often used when preparing holiday dinners (or anytime):
Parsley: Parsley is still eaten to help digestion (it’s not just a green garnish on your dinner plate at a restaurant). It was also eaten as a breath freshener.
Magical Uses: Eat a little bit of parsley to calm your own angry or bitter feelings.
You can also use the fresh or dried herb to protect yourself or your home. It is said to dispel negative spirits and energies. You can grab a fresh bunch of parsley, dip it in filtered water and use the parsley as a wand to sprinkle the “holy water” throughout your home, your front door, or any objects you want to bless.
If you want to instantly refresh your own aura, sprinkle some dried (or fresh) parsley into your bath water. When you’re soaking, speak to the parsley and tell her what you want her to cleanse or what magical powers you want her to give you.
Sage: Its Latin name, salvia, comes from the word “salvere,” meaning “to be saved,” or “to heal, preserve, or redeem.” So, it’s a pretty powerful plant ally!
Magical Uses: Sage is used in spells for wisdom, protection, and good luck. It helps you to be strong and have the energy to be steadfast in reaching your goal.
The most popular magical use for sage is to make a dried bundle of it to “sage” your home to protect it from unwanted energies. Just light your bundle with a match or lighter, blow out the flame, and carry the smoke into various areas of your space.
You can also “sage” yourself in order to calm anxiety and help to recover from stressful experiences.
Rosemary: Associated with love and fidelity, in medieval times, rosemary was often used in wedding bouquets or as an herbal carpet on which the wedding party walked during the procession to the altar.
Stories exist about students in ancient Greece hanging rosemary around their necks to improve their memory and achievement.
The strong, memorable scent of rosemary can definitely bring back thoughts of experiences that you have had while in the presence of rosemary plants.
Magical Uses: As with the other herbs on this list, dried rosemary can be burned to purify or energetically cleanse a room or ritual space.
In hoodoo, a woman who wants to have control over her home (and mate) often grows rosemary plants either outside or inside her home. The dried herb can also be worn on her body, carried with her in a magical sachet, or placed under her bed (to keep her man from straying).
Rosemary plants at the entrance or inside the entrance to your home are said to repel unwelcome visitors, thieves, or negative entities.
Thyme: It’s said that thyme leaves were a popular motif that a lady would embroider on her favorite knight’s clothing to bring him courage.
Ancient Greeks are said to have believed that thyme helped to relieve sadness and inertia — and to boost confidence.
It’s a ground-cover herb that has a pungent, grassy, invigorating scent, and is said to attract fairies (known as the fey).
Magical Uses: The scent of thyme brings clarity and direction. It can be a great antidote to feelings of discouragement or easy distractibility. If you live in a temperate zone, once you learn to recognize it, you’ll find it everywhere.
Pick a spring of it and carry it with you to give you courage and help you complete a long and difficult task. Or, harvest and dry it to use in baths, oils, or tinctures so you can rely on its magic throughout the year.
Have nightmares or restless sleep? Put a few sprigs of thyme under your pillow, and see what happens.
Bay Leaf: Also known as bay laurel, bay leaves were the herb used in laurel wreaths or crowns that were presented to heroes after a victory or significant achievement.
That’s why bay leaves are associated with having the energy and stamina to keep working toward a goal, as well as ensuring that you’ll succeed in whatever you do.
Magical Uses: Because of its history, bay leaf has a reputation for attracting abundance, wealth, and prosperity. It's also known as a ward to protect you from an enemy or negative energies.
Social media influencers have come up with the modern wish-fulfilling spell of writing your intention or desire on a bay leaf and burning it to be granted your wish.
Some people also write a wish on a bay leaf and sleep with the leaf under their pillow, with the resolve to dream of how their wish will come true. Your dreams may also guide you to important steps to take.
Another popular use that people swear by: Put a bay leaf in your wallet to attract money.
And, I just couldn’t resist adding my favorite: bay rum cologne. Sprinkle it on your work tools or desk, rub it on your hands before you go on sales calls or an important meeting, sprinkle a little bit on the money in your wallet (or credit cards) to multiply your wealth . . . so many uses.
