CINNAMON

GENERAL INFORMATION
There are many things cinnamon is used for, such as food, drinks, protection, energy, relationships, money, abundance. The best thing is it is in season year-round,

NAMES
Cinnamon means sweet root, and Cinnamon Verum is Latin for cinnamon. The most common cinnamon tree is the Genus Cinnamomum. It is called “True Cinnamon.” Another kind of cinnamon is called cassia. It is sold more often than the Cinnamomum. The cinnamon belongs to the Genus Cinnamomum.

ORIGINS/HISTORY
The first cinnamon was from Asia. Several species of trees are used to get cinnamon. The cinnamon from long ago came from the zeylanicum tree. Most of today’s cinnamon comes from the cassia tree. Cinnamon has been used since antiquity. It was widely used in Egypt, Rome, and China. It was worth a lot of money back in those days. Today, you can find it almost everywhere that sells spices and herbs, and it is not that expensive.
It has been found in many ancient textbooks. It turns up in text in Ancient Egyptian as early as 2000 BC. They used cinnamon in rituals with several other herbs that are known to be exotic, for instance, marjoram, and cassia, and many others, as well as being used in the mummification process with the tallow wrap. The Egyptians have an enormous amount of respect for cinnamon since it is used with dehydrated flowers off the cinnamon tree with myrrh and holly oil to anoint the candles. It first showed up in Chinese books around 2800 BC. Many Greek and Roman writers used cinnamon in their workings. Cinnamon was popular during this time because of its smell. It was used in incense. Though, they did use it in their food also. In Western Europe, wealthy people were the ones who could afford cinnamon. They used it in meals and for medicinal purposes.

HORTICULTURE
It is an Asian evergreen and listed in the Laural family. The bark on the cinnamon tree is cinnamon in its raw form. Most cinnamon trees are found on the private property of homeowners. Once the cinnamon has ripened, the property owners go and break off one branch at a time and soak them in water for hours, sometimes days at a time to soften the branch and the bark. Then they use an elongated, curved cycle blade to shave off the cinnamon bark from the branch into two-inch long strips. The strips are laid out in the sun for days at a time to dry out and harden; Once the strips are dried and processed, the cinnamon bark has curved in edges. The leaves have a leathery texture to them. The tree has yellow flowers that grow on it. Immediately following the flowers are purple berries. The cinnamon has a pleasant earthy smell to it. The cassia is darker and thicker than the Cinnamomum. Cassia has a stronger cinnamon flavor than Cinnamomum.

CULINARY
Cinnamon is used in all kinds of foods and drinks. There are lots of dishes that a chef will use cinnamon on meats. It will be added during the sauteing, steaming, and baking point. Cinnamon is added to some hot teas, hot chocolate, and coffee. Add a few more marshmallows, and your good to go. Another idea is to put a pot of water on the stove to simmer, drop in some orange slices, pumpkin spice, peppermint tea, and a cinnamon stick. Let it go all day for a nice warm, welcoming smell to the air that will fill every room. You could also dip in a ladle and pour a nice hot cup of tea, add some honey and lemon with it to warm you on a cold winter day sitting in front of a beautiful glowing fireplace. The cinnamon is found in practically every spice rack in every home. Cinnamon has a long and intriguing history.

MEDICINAL
Cinnamon holds a lot of “Anti” properties. People use it to help mouth sores heal. Swish it around in your mouth with hot water, and it kills any bacteria that stops the sore from clearing up. Cinnamon is used for helping toothaches and is also used as an anti-inflammatory. Once the inflammation starts going down, so does the bacteria. Cinnamon and ginseng mixed in with milk help an upset stomach to ease up. Asians will sprinkle it on sushi for a more youthful skin appearance. I met a very beautiful Asian lady nineteen years ago. I found out she was in her sixties. She did look as if to be in her mid-thirties. She has been eating sushi and other foods that were infused with ginger and cinnamon. I was floored. Over thousands of years in the healing books of China, cinnamon is discussed as what’s called a “Yang herb” associated with the flower QI. Cinnamon is used in traditional Chinese medicine for increasing the blood flow of being stagnant.

MAGICKAL
Use the essential oil made from cinnamon oil as anointing oil. Use it on candles for clarity and spiritual awakening for the third eye. Rub cinnamon on your hands or on the bottoms of your feet to achieve victory for a problem you have been trying to resolve on or sprinkle a bit inside your shoes. It is also used this way to bring forth abundance and prosperity. Cinnamon, similar to sage, it is also a protection. With that being said, a few simplistic options you have to use for incense. You can burn it on a charcoal disc. You can light a cinnamon stick and use a feather to waft the cinnamon smoke around the house like you would smudging or sagging your home to remove any evil or negativity that has just been lingering around.

You can boil it with cloves and white sage. Once it is boiled down a bit, run it through a strainer and fill a water bottle and spray the house with the protection spray if you can not burn it. As your doing this, you can hum or sing a nice cleansing or protection spell and dance around honoring the gods. Another idea for this spray, pour it into your floor wash and dance and sing your spells with the mop. Why not and have a little fun with it. In a spell, cinnamon is good for love and lust. You can use it for added energy to your spell rites. Use it to add some spice to the bedroom life with your spouse.

Another great idea for Yule is to string nine cinnamon sticks and hang them over the thresh hold of your front and bedroom doorways/windows. In between, each cinnamon stick, tie a piece of holly on the line. Or you can pop some popcorn and spray a fine mist of the protection spray on the popcorn, put it all in a grocery bag and put some powdered cinnamon in the bag and shake the popcorn around in it and string it for decoration to put on your tree.

Cinnamon is used for a multitude of things and holds a lot of useful properties. Spiritual awareness, luck, psychic powers, abundance, healing, and any spell rites to add strength and power. Cinnamon, like ginger, adds a shot of warmth to your life. Eat a little to add warmth to your spell rites. After all, why not? It will benefit you and your family in the long run and keep you safe and happy throughout the year. As you have read, there are several things you can use cinnamon for in your daily life.

ITEMS NEEDED FOR SPELL
A spoon-regular kitchen spoon is fine if you dont have an altar spoon, The spell, yourself, and the desert your making with the cinnamon as you mix the desert, getting it ready for baking, stir in a clockwise direction to bring forth the added energy.

ABUNDANCE/PROTECTION SPELL
I call upon Aphrodite to bless this wonderful Yule desert for my family, myself, and friends. I request your aid and assistance in bringing forth great blessings of protection for us all as we eat this wonderful dessert. For each bit we infuse into our being, I ask for another year-long protection for us all and to bring forth prosperity and abundance; as I send this spell out to the universe, I share these requests with you Aphrodiety and share a slice with you as you are always with us throughout this next year. This is my will. So mote it be.

ELEMENTS
Masculine by nature, Sun and Mars are ruling planets; the sign is Aries, the deity is Aphrodite and Dionysus, Root and Sacral chakra. Fire element.