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Herbal Magick - Small Farm, Permaculture, and Sustainable Living

Herbal Magick - Small Farm, Permaculture, and Sustainable Living

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Peas a<br />

<strong>Herbal</strong> Superstitions A to Z<br />

It is a good luck sign to find a peapod containing nine<br />

peas, <strong>and</strong> an even luckier one to come across one containing a<br />

single pea. If you make a wish while throwing a pod of nine<br />

peas over your right shoulder, the chances are<br />

good that your wish will come true (but only if<br />

you do not repeat it to anyone). It was once<br />

believed that a wart could be cured by rubbing<br />

it with a pod of nine peas while reciting a<br />

special incantation.<br />

Seeds e s<br />

It was once believed that to accidentally leave any earth<br />

unsown in a field brought upon a death in the family before<br />

the end of the year, or, depending on the local legend, before<br />

the crop is reaped. An old Scottish farming superstition holds<br />

that if the weather prevents the sowing of seed after a farmer<br />

has taken it out to the field, this is a grim omen.<br />

Shrew-Ash h s<br />

Centuries ago, it was common in rural Engl<strong>and</strong> for a live<br />

shrew-mouse to be imprisoned within the split trunk of an<br />

ash tree <strong>and</strong> left there to suffocate or starve to death, thus<br />

giving the tree incredible magickal powers. Such a tree was<br />

known as a “shrew-ash” <strong>and</strong> its branches <strong>and</strong> leaves were believed<br />

to possess the miraculous powers to heal both man <strong>and</strong><br />

beast of a wide variety of ailments, including shrew bites.<br />

Willow i l<br />

In some parts of Engl<strong>and</strong> it is still believed that willow<br />

wood should never be burned on Bonfire Night. To do so invites<br />

47

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