Witchy Wednesday - Bayberry
Witchy Wednesday - Bayberry Bayberry is the name given to a small shrub of the family Myricaceae, natives of everywhere except Australia. It grows around 8 feet in height, and has longish shiny lance shaped leaves, giving off a fragrance when rubbed gently and the flowers are either white or green in colour. The fruit which grows are hard and covered in a dark green casing of a wax like substance. The wax coating on the fruit of several species, known as bayberry wax, has been used traditionally to make candles. The fruit is used to spice beer and snaps in Denmark. The water in which the berries have been boiled to remove the wax can be used to treat dysentery. The fragrant leaf can be used similarly to bay leaf. Soap from myrtle wax was considered to be much gentler than common lye soap. In addition to washing, it was used for shaving and soap plasters. Magickally Bayberry candles are burned to bring luck and prosperity to the household. Likewise, bayberries and bayberry leaves can be useful in money drawing spells. Try adding bayberries to a luck or fortune sachet or mojo bag. Sprinkle Bayberry root around a burning candle to enhance money-drawing magick. Carry a piece of the root in your wallet next to your cash to ensure that your money will return to you. When moving into a new home, dress a white candle with Bayberry oil and burn it on your hearth. The ritual is said to keep evil away and invite good fortune. A New England tradition involves burning a Bayberry candle on dark winter nights to bring prosperity at New Year’s. The old saying goes, “A bayberry candle burned to the socket brings joy to the heart and gold to the pocket.” Give Bayberry candles as Yule gifts to pass the blessings on to friends.
