ROSEMARY

GENERAL INFO
Rosemary has a lot of different uses. The smell is relaxing, and the aroma, when added to food, gives a pleasing, calming effect as you enjoy your evening meal. There are several magickal approaches of use for the rosemary and rosemary from the mint family Lamiaceae. Oregano, thyme, basil, and lavender are also a part of the mint family, to name a few others. Rosemary is a perennial plant and lives more than two years.

NAMES/MEANINGS
The Greek meaning for rosemary is ‘Ros’ ‘Marinus. The genus Rosmarinus comes from Ros and Marinus’s Latin words, which means “dew of the sea.” The Greeks and Romans have used rosemary since their ancient ancestors.

ORIGINS
Rosemary is found in and around the dry, rocky areas of the Mediterranean, predominantly along the coastline.

HISTORY
Many women will twine rosemary stems to make a wreath to be worn on their wedding day and pass out rosemary stems to the guests at the wedding. In Wales, the family would bring rosemary stems to the funerals and drop them onto the coffin as it was placed into the ground. The Christians say that the rosemary plant will live for thirty-three years or gets as tall as Christ was when he died. Then it will stop growing. It is sacred to the Virgin Mary, Hebe, and Aphrodite. The story behind the flowers and scent of the rosemary is that the virgin Mary threw her cloak over a rosemary bush to let it dry when she was fleeing to Egypt. It is rumored that the rosemary acquired its lovely piney scent and beautiful blue flowers from her cloak being placed upon it to dry. The rosemary is associated with Aphrodite and is shown in many historical ancient pictures and paintings of Aphrodite.

HORTICULTURE
Rosemary is an evergreen shrub. It has leaves similar to a spruce green on top and whitish colors beneath. In spring and summer, the rosemary puts out flower blossoms as long as the weather is humid enough and the flower is labiate. Rosemary can reach five feet in height. It is a member of the mint, lavender, sage, basil, and oregano family. Rosemary can be pruned in early summer from a branch without flowers on it. The best area to plant is continual sunlight and moist and well-drained soil so as not to drown the rosemary. Rosemary is good for clippings and likes being trimmed and shaped as well. Rosemary does enjoy being trimmed regularly. If there is a freeze, rosemary needs to be brought inside and put in front of a window facing the east to receive ample sunlight. Once there is no longer a freeze threat, the plant is safe to be taken back outside.
It is safe to plant cabbage, beans, carrots, and sage near the rosemary plant. The plant will keep away moths, bean beetles, and carrot flies.
Rosemary does make excellent oils and vinegar. When drying this herb, it should be hung upside down to dry for a few weeks. Rosemary oils have natural chemicals such as hepatoprotective, antifungal, insecticide, antioxidant, and antibacterials. The properties in rosemary are mainly due to phenolic compounds. The oil can be harmful if ingested by people or animals, but the herb itself is safe. The herb can be used to kill pests if need be.

CULINARY
Add to the food early on in the cooking phase. Fresh rosemary tastes great in culinary dishes. One of the dishes is a rosemary chicken and braised lamb meat. It is usually used whole and dried and powdered, while teas and liquid extracts are made from fresh or dried leaves.

MEDICINAL
Rosemary has been used practically since the beginning of ancient times for many medical purposes. Rosemary was initially used to help reduce and sometimes remove muscle pain, improve memory loss, boost the immune system, improve the circulatory system, and promote hair growth. The rosemary is high in iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6. Rosemary is used for improved concentration, digestion, and brain aging.
If the rosemary is used in enormous amounts, it can cause vomiting, coma, and pulmonary edema. But it is safe to eat in cooked foods. If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, ulcers, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis, you should not eat rosemary. Unless rosemary oil was purchased as cooking oil, it can be toxic if ingested and should never be taken orally.

MAGICKAL
Rosemary has a history of warding off evil and ill will from others. It is also known to prevent nightmares. Some witches would use rosemary wood to make musical instruments. On Yule, it is given as a gift with an orange stuck with cloves. Rosemary is combined with mistletoe and holly for decorations.
There is an old saying, “Where rosemary flourishes, the woman rules.” It is also said that rosemary can not be in the garden of a home unless the woman is the master of the home. Rosemary is also burnt with juniper berries in the house and hospitals of a sick room to cleans the air. It is believed that the reason a maiden, mother, and a crone hung fresh rosemary over a baby’s crib or bassinet was to prevent the Fae from stealing the witch’s babies.
Rosemary is used in infidelity, remembrance, and dispel jealousy spells. It is used to make sacred herbal waters for ritual cleansings, purification, and blessings. Rosemary makes a person very rememberable by dabbing a little rosemary oil behind each ear. It also enhances memory used for success in school. Also, to retain your youth. Burn it during meditation or when doing some dream workings to remember past lives. Rosemary under the pillow helps a person remember their dreams, end nightmares, and remember psychic sights during the night.
It helps to prevent nightmares, improve memory, stop infidelity, purifying, blessings, and protections. I sometimes will powder the dried rosemary in a mortar and add it to rubbed or ground sage and cinnamon powder. Place it in a dish and heat a charcoal disc. Once it becomes red and glowing cinder-like, I will place it on the charcoal disc and use it as incense.

NEEDED ITEMS
Depending on how many doors you have leading outside will determine how many bowls you will need. There is a bowl for the front door, one for the back door, an individual bowl made to sprinkle along with the window sills, six garlic cloves, three for each bowl, sea salt, or any other alternative salt, fresh rosemary, or rosemary essential oil. Put a small handful of salt in each bowl. Place the rosemary and garlic cloves on the top of the salt and oil or rosemary leaves.

SPELLS
I call upon our dearest Mother Hekate for protection of my home; I place these bowls by my entry and exit of the house, I also sprinkle it along the window sills of every window, I place this protective barrier to rid this home of any negative entities and an ill will. With this protection, anyone who attempts to enter this home to cause harm in any way shall forever have a harmful action take place any time they try to do ill will or cause damage on or to others always; I call this into action and shall not be removed by anyone other than me, If another attempt to rid the spell from the person causing harm, they to shall acquire the same consequences as the first. This home shall always remain safe and protected. I will this into existence as of now. I thank ye, My mother Hekate, for joining me for this protection and offer you a bowl of rosemary and garlic cloves for you as well. This is my will. So mote it be.

ELEMENTS
Virgin Mary, Hebe, and Aphrodite, male by nature, ran by Leo, and the element is fire.