Craft of the Wise

Discover the history, folklore, and uses of star anise. Star Anise at a Glance Common Name : Star anise Botanical Name : Illicium verum is the Latin name for star anise Plant Family : Schisandaceae Alternative Folk Names : Chinese star anise Chinese anise Ba jiao hui Badian Eight horns Eight-horned anise Aniseed stars Star Anise Facts and Information The Latin name for the star anise plant is Illicium verum. Star anise, which is sometimes called Chinese anise, is a member of the magnolia family. Physical Description : Star anise is a medium-sized evergreen tree with lance-shaped leaves and olive green fruits that turn a rusty brown color as they dry in the sun. The fruit of the Chinese anise plant looks like a six to eight-pronged pointed star, hence the name star anise. The prongs are usually split open and contain a single seed. The dried seed pod and seeds are aromatic and have a pungent, strong, yet mildly sweet taste. Habitation and Cultivation : Mature star anise trees can grow ...

Choose your spirit animal to help you tap into the power of nature. Image by  Okan Caliskan  from  Pixabay     “To merge with the animal nature through imitation is to invoke the primal force of the god or goddess reflected within.”  -Raven Grimassi, Hereditary Witchcraft  Choosing Your Spirit Animal  Shamans often channel nature by tapping into a specific animal. The animal spirit acts as a sort of guardian to the shaman while they partake of their journey to the spirit world. Animal spirits are used in the practice of shamanism to bring more power to one’s magic and acts as a form of sympathetic magic.  The witch or shaman through their actions or the way they dressed took on certain desired characteristics of their animal spirit. These characteristics made the magic that was practiced more powerful and meaningful. Native Americans, witches, and other shamans often use a variety of animal spirits in their magical practice. Working With Ani...

The green witch incorporates nature into their natural magic practice. Image by  Peter H  from  Pixabay     “At this day it is indifferent to say in the English tongue ‘she is a witch’ or ‘she is a wise woman.”  - Reginald Scot, Discoverie of Witchcraft, 1584 The Hedge Witch’s Dictionary  This article includes definitions of some herbal, magical, and occult terms that hedgewitches, natural witches, and green witches may encounter during their studies.  Alchemy - a medieval chemical philosophy primarily concerned with the transmutation of base metals into gold. Alchemy included elements of philosophy, religious mysticism, mythology, astrology, botany, zoology, mineralogy, and primitive chemistry. Herbal alchemy was used for healing purposes. The herbal alchemist mixed a variety of herb-based tinctures, salves, and ointments in their pursuit of creating the elixir of immortality which was also known as the philosopher's stone.  Altar - a sp...