Mandrake
Atropa Mandragora
Mercury, Uranus, Pluto
Aphrodisiacal Herbe...Fertilitry Herbe...Herbe of Love...Herbe of Protection...Magcikal Herbe...Religious Hereb...Visionary Herbe
Invocatory: Circe, Diana, Saturn
LORE:
There are few herbes as steeped with magickal lore as is the mandragora (Be aware that some vendors will sell American Mandrake which is know as Mayapple. This plant is Podphyllum Peltatum and not related.) Grieve provides us with such extensive information that it is difficult to avoid quoting everything she has in her Herbal. References to mandrake are found in many sources; it is often associated with the most intense practices of magick. Perhaps this is why some Arabian cultures refer to this herbe as Satan's apple. Mandrake is often linked with death, witchcraft and evil. An herebehistorically considered evil is almost always an herbe with more power than the common person can comprehend. These things beyond human understanding (like storms) were usually feared. The following two quotes from Grieve's A Modern Herbal.
Among the old Anglo-Saxon herbals both Mandrake and periwonkle are endowed with mysterious powers against demoniacal possession. At the end of a description of the Mandrake in the Herbarium of Apeuleius there is this description:
For witlessness, that is devil sickness or demoniacal possession, take from the body of this said wort mandrake by the weight of three pennies, administer to drink in warm water as he may find most convenient - soon he will be healed.
Bartholomew gives the old Mandrake legend in full, though he adds: "It is so feynd of churles others of wytches." He also refers to its use as an anaesthetic. Bartholomew gives two other beliefs about the mandrake which are not found in any other English Herbal - namely, that while uprooting it the diger must beware o contrary winds, and that he must go on digging for it until sunset.
Josephus says that the mandrake - which he calls Baaras - has but one virtue, that of expelling demons from sick persons, as the demons cannot bear either its smell or its presence. He even relates that it was certain death to touch thisplant, except under certain circumstances which he details.
Bartholomew's passage may provide insight into a belief often found in modern herblore. I suspect this is onof the origins of the twentieth century superstition of standing downwind when harvesting magickal herbes. The belief that mandrakes should be gathered using ritual can be found in many sources. Emboden in Narcotic Plants quotes Theophrastus, the father of botany, with:
One must make three circles around the madragora with a sword while looking to the west. Another person must dance about the plant in circles reciting as much as he knows of love.
It is a common belief in the folklore of many areas that mandrake has strong associations with the human body. A mature root, carefully removed from the soil, can sometimes resemble a human body, although this is usually requires a highly active imagination. Witht he combination of the natural power of the herb, the seeming madness induced by excesive dosage and the growing lore, it is no wonder the mandrake figured strongly in folk and spell magcik. Mrs. Grieve provides us with the following in A Modern Herbal:
The roots of mandrake were supposed to bear a resemblence tot he human form, on account of their habit of forking into two and dhooting on each side. In the old Herbals, we find them frequently figured as male with a long beard, and a female with a very bushy head of hair. Many weird superstitions collected round the mandrake root. As an amulet, it was once placed on mantelpieces to avert misfortune and to bring prosperity and happiness to the house. Bryony roots were often cut into fancy shapes and passed off as Mandrake, being even trained to grow in moulds till they assumed the desired forms.In Henry VIII's time quaint little images made from Bryony roots, cut into the figure of a man, with grains of millet inserted into the face as eyes, fetched high prices. They were known as puppettes or mammettes, and were accredited with magical powers. Italian ladies were known to pay as much as thirty golden ducats for similar artificial Mandrakes.
Some of the most horrid of tales surround this herbe. Its associations with death and with evil led to the belief that it could grow from the blood and sperm of murderers and it was likely to be found growing beneath a gallows. Recognized as a Magickal Herbe back when the Old Testament was being recorded, the mandrake is an essential hereb for the magickal herbalist.
Mandrake had a long history of use as an anesthetic during ancient surgery. Mrs. Grieve believes that Juliet's potion which was to put her to sleep with the appearance of death would have contained mandrake. Mrs. Grieve thinks that the wine of Circe, known as Circaeon, was made of mandrake.
Usage:
How does one use an herbe so potently fabled? For those who seek to learn more of the crone, it can be used in ceremonies giving honor to those deities presiding over the realm of the dead. It may also be used in rituals giving honor to Circe, the enchantress, revered as a deity within some modern covens.
As one would expect, any herbe so linked with death is also consdiered an herbe capable of increasing one's sexual power. There are spells in which the root is used to manipulate and take control over the object of one's lust and desire. (Who would want an unwilling partner?) Perhaps the best and most useful romantic aspect of this potent herbe is the custom of using it to seaal the commitment between partners. A few grains of dried root might be added to anelixer or integrated intot eh signing of a license or contract between the partners.
In mixtures to be taken internally, never add enough to induce any physiological change, (To do so may be fatal!!) merely a token amount which is more than adequate to work the magick of the mandrake. Magick is no fun when your body is being violently purged by the herbe!
There are many ways to work with potentially dangerous herbes (when ingested) within the bounds of safety. Mandrake might be used to cense the space where the Great Rite will be celebrated or placed beneath one's bed. If one has the imagination to crave increase in sexual magick, we would hope one has the imagination to creatively use mandrake.
Sometimes used in rituals of exorcism, mandrake may be added to an amulket or herbal bag worn for magcik. Interestingly, this prctice has sometimes been done to maintain purity and chastity and is sometimes done to attract a sexual partner.
Mandrake has great power as a Visionary Herbe. It empowers one's vivions, providing the impetus to bring them into manifestation. Perhaps this is why mandrake is sometimes feared? If it is taken internally, with caution, it will make the practitioner more psychically aware and capable of clairvoyance and other psychic skills. Working with mandrake when exploring one's dreams invites the Universe to stir Her fingers, shifting the tides within the astral. An excellent time to work with this herbe is at full Moon as we learn from The Master Book Of Herbalism:
Take a piece of mandrake root andplace it in a container of water. A Chalice or special vase would be appropriate. This should be set in "moonlight" each night until the Moon is Full. In practise this means to set it oput from twilight to just before dawn, keeping it away from sunlight. This, when done, is known as Moon Water.
Linked with the World card and with the Fool card, mandrake will intensify the magcik of any situation. When used with the tarot, it shows the bond between the Fool as he steps out into the unknown, beginning his exploration of the world. That journey and its potential rewards are depicted int he symbolism of the World card. When meditating upon this intricate process which can lead one through all of the major arcana, one might work with Moon Water.
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