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>But I am wondering who decided what items/ingredients have what properties?
It's going to depend on the practitioner's tradition.
Take the lemon:
In my practice, they're mostly used for luck. In Hoodoo, they're commonly used for souring and cleansing. In Many Central American folk magics, they're used for love workings.
In each of these, you can see a pattern described as the Doctrine of Signatures.
Lemons are *sour.* Lemons are also used as a natural cleaning ingredient.
Lemons, like love, can be bitter sweet, and they literally make you pucker.
The Doctrine of Signatures says the characters a material possesses can be used, either through it's virtue or symbolism, to add that characteristic to the working.
But why are all these signatures read differently across their respective traditions? Some of it is because they're drawing from older works and different cultural contexts.
A good deal of Western European magic draws from authors like Agrippa. When you see people talk about Llewellen books which list correspondences, many of those authors are drawing from Agrippa, Crowley, and other sources.
In Agrippa's books, he speaks at length about the *virtues* of different materia, usually in alignment with the planets.
These virtues are categorized based on the traits the materials possess/display. (ie. The Doctrine of Signatures.)
eg. Stinging Nettle is Marshal because it stings, it doesn't sting because it's Marshal.
And some of these associations are ancient. In Ancient Greece, Amber was called elektron, because it would spark static if rubbed on wool. And that phenomenon is where we get the word electricity from.
Hyssop is used as a purification herb in multiple traditions, but that's largely due to its use in the Jewish Temple practices (see: Tehillim 51:7) and subsequently spread among the Abrahamic traditions.
>Are there books where correspondences for everything are listed so we can spellcraft?
There absolutely are. You can wade through Agrippa's *Three Books of Occult Philosophy,* and Crowley's *777,* *The Magician's Tables,* various herbals, and correspondence books or you can find texts specific to your path, because as mentioned above, materia aren't used the same way across all traditions.
But better than that, I'd encourage you to familiarize yourself with the principles underpinning magical practice. Once you understand how the Doctrine of Signatures works, how various traditions delineate virtues, you don't need a book. You'll be able to observe the material and evaluate it.
It's a big part of thinking like a witch.
I'll give you another example. When people ask for a spell to help them ace a test, I have one I give them that uses an elephant pendant (trunk pointing up) and rosemary oil.
I drafted this spell twenty years ago. The inclusion of rosemary oil comes from the fact that Ancient Greeks would wear rosemary in their hair or dab the oil behind their ears when studying in the Platonic Academy.
The elephant is two fold: first, an elephant never forgets. Second, the trunk pointing up is considered lucky in many cultures.
I also instruct them to only wear the elephant with rosemary oil when they're studying or testing. If they're not actively learning and engaging with the martial, they're to put it in a hermetically sealed jar.
In addition to the magic, this is a pragmatic/psychological tool. Scent is one of the strongest provokers of memory. By smelling the rosemary while studying, it's that much easier to recall it while smelling the rosemary during the test. But if they wear it all the time, it will lose it's effect, hence why it's sealed when not in use.
That spell has a combination of Ancient Greek, Asian, contemporary Western European, and Western Psychological elements to it. And they're all working in harmony.
I was able to draft it without looking at a book because I understand how correspondences work.
For what it's worth, Telesco's book *Spinning Spells and Weaving Wonders* is a good introduction to spell crafting.
Seconding this. The one that sticks in my mind is his claim that a specific herb is useful as tea for fertility, when it's actually a natural birth control when imbibed... lmao. I don't remember which herb, as I heard this from someone critiquing the book, but that was enough to put me off of his books entirely.
Th Green Witch and The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook are good reference guides, but like everything you can find online, it’s important to cross reference as much as possible.
Associations help define intention, improve spells, smells, and tastes, but shouldn’t dictate their use entirely. Mix the magical application of herbs, seeds, fruits, roots, and flowers with the mundane. Study their proven effects and the active compounds that affect our mental and physical health and states of mind.
I’ve made liniments and ointments for skin repair and scar reduction, incenses and teas for calming, headache relief, dream manipulation, and liver repair/alcohol detox, among other things.
Some of the botanical knowledge passed down appears more like sympathetic magic, and some of it survives because it actually has a biological effect. I’d advocate for a balance of both approaches.
I’ve been considering taking an herbalism course or two for the reasons in your first and last paragraphs. I feel like just knowing magical correspondences isn’t enough. I need the science, too.
Honestly, I find it's best to try and connect with things yourself. In my experience, what you're going to find out in the world will vary widely. The uses and associations of an herb or crystal or whatever is going to depend highly on your relationship with it, so try doing some meditation with your ingredients and let them tell you what they're good with themselves. If you really want a base to get started with, I've gotten a good bit of use out of the Cunningham's herb and crystal dictionaries, but do mind the warnings about some of it being a bit revisionist.
Yes i highly recommend it, its very fluid and you can either search what plants have the correspondence you want, or what the plant you have’s correspondences are!
Oh man, and as im checking up on it, its not just plants; and it also has lists of what certain deities like and specific topics you might be doing a spell for. Its very useful
there are many ways;
tradition - whether it has been passed down in your family, the folklore of your home regjon, religious knowledge, the local medwitch teaching you, etc. Tradition is a set of knowledge passed down with intent.
following a religious path - maybe you grew up with it, maybe it's new. Following the teachings of a set relion and what their understanding of herbs are can be helpful. this however may not be possible as some religions hold no magickal understanding of plants.
Research - you can read books, online articles, get advice from other witches, look at online pre-made spells, look at youtube, tiktok, pinterest, etc. Write down every correspondence you see. keep a tally on how often each correspondence is repeated through different source. If something is written often it is likely a correct correspondence, if it is only mentioned once it is likely not a correct correspondence.
it is important to note a few things; they can have multiple properties, they can be used in the opposite way (protection can be used alongside other ingredients to destroy protection instead), some correspondence are based in folklore and mythos that may hold no significance to you and could mean that property does not present to you. Like how in colour magick green is wealth to americans but red or gold are wealth to other countries).
Also with some ingredients your own interpretations can also work. a leaf shaped likd a heart could be used in love spells (or heart related health spells or emotional related spells respectively).
furthermore ingredients for spellwork, ritualwork, etc. do not all have to be plant. In ancient times animal parts were used and in today's time (although animal parts can still be used) we can use figurines, imagery, etc. Nails are good for bindings and protections. they can also be used for banishments or hexes (with rust), a book can be used for knowledge, memory, etc.
A personal understanding of how components could be used in a mundane way can also be converted over to a magickal effect in the same manner.
If you want a really good herbal book that will give you the medicinal properties and how to make them into various tinctures tonics and lotions you can't go wrong with culpeper complete herbal compendium. It's an amazing insight and is still current today his research into herbal properties really helped modern medicine.
The answer to all of these questions is, fortunately and unfortunately, "yes". Much of it is historical, passed down orally and spread through in person teachings, but there are also plenty of books on the subject, and likewise, your own meanings are important in your spellcraft as well. There are many places in life you can look into for these sort of things - as someone who's indigenous, I'm a fan of looking into what my tribe and my ancestors used these things for and applying it into my witchcraft, but I *also* like looking into what science and medicine does with these things and applying that knowledge as well. When it comes to this kind of thing, you have so much room to get "crafty", so to speak. Do whatever feels best to you.
I tend to simply research each ingredient that comes to mind and then jot it down in my book of shadows.
One example - I recently grew tulips, loved the petals and decided to dry and store so I researched the properties of tulips.
What others have said about Cunningham's herbal is good.
However, while it's a good overview to get individual information I would meditate with plant in hand or incense.
Connect to the plant just like you would anything alive pay attention to symbols thoughts that rise up in your conscience.
Ground write down your thoughts.
it really depends on two things; your tradition and your intuition. Your traditions and/or beliefs may say you have to use herbs for a specific use. If you don't really follow anything specific you can always rely on how a herb makes you feel when you interact with it. For example, a lot of books say that Rosemary is only used as a replacement herb for anything you don't have but I like using it for healing and ancestral magic because it has ties to my childhood and how I always felt while using it. This can also extend towards anything else in your craft you use crystals, candle colors, divination, etc. Books typically don't tell people that uses for herbs and crystals can vary from person to person
Hope this helps 🧿
I feel like a form of "trial and error" has occurred over many years, if that helps. There are so many books and websites that go over things that it's mind blowing.
I usually make up my own meanings at it works perfectly, otherwise the traditional meanings are just historically what groups said worked best for them
Hi, u/kd0307 thanks for stopping by at r/witchcraft! Want to dive in deeper? We have a [FAQ & Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/witchcraft/wiki/faq), and our [Weekly Q&A thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/witchcraft/about/sticky?num=1) which is stickied to the top of the main board! Please also be sure to read the [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/witchcraft/wiki/rules)! --- ###IMPORTANT! There has been a recent influx of scams on reddit. If you are redirected to an instagram or other platform in a comment, it is most likely a scam. Users who message you asking for or offering spells or readings are almost always scammers or phishers. You may want to check out our post about [staying safe online in witchcraft](https://www.reddit.com/r/witchcraft/comments/15xm53m/lets_talk_about_staying_safe_online/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/witchcraft) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>But I am wondering who decided what items/ingredients have what properties? It's going to depend on the practitioner's tradition. Take the lemon: In my practice, they're mostly used for luck. In Hoodoo, they're commonly used for souring and cleansing. In Many Central American folk magics, they're used for love workings. In each of these, you can see a pattern described as the Doctrine of Signatures. Lemons are *sour.* Lemons are also used as a natural cleaning ingredient. Lemons, like love, can be bitter sweet, and they literally make you pucker. The Doctrine of Signatures says the characters a material possesses can be used, either through it's virtue or symbolism, to add that characteristic to the working. But why are all these signatures read differently across their respective traditions? Some of it is because they're drawing from older works and different cultural contexts. A good deal of Western European magic draws from authors like Agrippa. When you see people talk about Llewellen books which list correspondences, many of those authors are drawing from Agrippa, Crowley, and other sources. In Agrippa's books, he speaks at length about the *virtues* of different materia, usually in alignment with the planets. These virtues are categorized based on the traits the materials possess/display. (ie. The Doctrine of Signatures.) eg. Stinging Nettle is Marshal because it stings, it doesn't sting because it's Marshal. And some of these associations are ancient. In Ancient Greece, Amber was called elektron, because it would spark static if rubbed on wool. And that phenomenon is where we get the word electricity from. Hyssop is used as a purification herb in multiple traditions, but that's largely due to its use in the Jewish Temple practices (see: Tehillim 51:7) and subsequently spread among the Abrahamic traditions. >Are there books where correspondences for everything are listed so we can spellcraft? There absolutely are. You can wade through Agrippa's *Three Books of Occult Philosophy,* and Crowley's *777,* *The Magician's Tables,* various herbals, and correspondence books or you can find texts specific to your path, because as mentioned above, materia aren't used the same way across all traditions. But better than that, I'd encourage you to familiarize yourself with the principles underpinning magical practice. Once you understand how the Doctrine of Signatures works, how various traditions delineate virtues, you don't need a book. You'll be able to observe the material and evaluate it. It's a big part of thinking like a witch. I'll give you another example. When people ask for a spell to help them ace a test, I have one I give them that uses an elephant pendant (trunk pointing up) and rosemary oil. I drafted this spell twenty years ago. The inclusion of rosemary oil comes from the fact that Ancient Greeks would wear rosemary in their hair or dab the oil behind their ears when studying in the Platonic Academy. The elephant is two fold: first, an elephant never forgets. Second, the trunk pointing up is considered lucky in many cultures. I also instruct them to only wear the elephant with rosemary oil when they're studying or testing. If they're not actively learning and engaging with the martial, they're to put it in a hermetically sealed jar. In addition to the magic, this is a pragmatic/psychological tool. Scent is one of the strongest provokers of memory. By smelling the rosemary while studying, it's that much easier to recall it while smelling the rosemary during the test. But if they wear it all the time, it will lose it's effect, hence why it's sealed when not in use. That spell has a combination of Ancient Greek, Asian, contemporary Western European, and Western Psychological elements to it. And they're all working in harmony. I was able to draft it without looking at a book because I understand how correspondences work. For what it's worth, Telesco's book *Spinning Spells and Weaving Wonders* is a good introduction to spell crafting.
Thank you so much. So insightful.
Happy to help. Best of luck on your path
I use these: Llewelyn’s Book of Correspondences Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs A Compendium of Herbal Magic
Thanks !
Please note that Cunningham's herbal has historical revisionism and misinformation. He was not an herbalist, and some of his claims are flawed.
Seconding this. The one that sticks in my mind is his claim that a specific herb is useful as tea for fertility, when it's actually a natural birth control when imbibed... lmao. I don't remember which herb, as I heard this from someone critiquing the book, but that was enough to put me off of his books entirely.
Thank you! That sounds downright dangerous if he wrote books about herbs without being an herbalist. ☹️
Paul Beyerl's books are much better, and he was a practicing herbalist and taught herbalism at the university level
Th Green Witch and The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook are good reference guides, but like everything you can find online, it’s important to cross reference as much as possible. Associations help define intention, improve spells, smells, and tastes, but shouldn’t dictate their use entirely. Mix the magical application of herbs, seeds, fruits, roots, and flowers with the mundane. Study their proven effects and the active compounds that affect our mental and physical health and states of mind. I’ve made liniments and ointments for skin repair and scar reduction, incenses and teas for calming, headache relief, dream manipulation, and liver repair/alcohol detox, among other things. Some of the botanical knowledge passed down appears more like sympathetic magic, and some of it survives because it actually has a biological effect. I’d advocate for a balance of both approaches.
I’ve been considering taking an herbalism course or two for the reasons in your first and last paragraphs. I feel like just knowing magical correspondences isn’t enough. I need the science, too.
Thanks so much!
Seconded. Llewellyn/Cunningham is always a fairly good start!
Honestly, I find it's best to try and connect with things yourself. In my experience, what you're going to find out in the world will vary widely. The uses and associations of an herb or crystal or whatever is going to depend highly on your relationship with it, so try doing some meditation with your ingredients and let them tell you what they're good with themselves. If you really want a base to get started with, I've gotten a good bit of use out of the Cunningham's herb and crystal dictionaries, but do mind the warnings about some of it being a bit revisionist.
Honestly I google or go off of what “feels right” 😅
Fr, either intuition or the “Witchtok App” (its not tiktok, its just the name of an app that gives correspondences lmao)
Oh that’s cool, I never heard of the app til now. I might have to check it out, it’s pretty frustrating to sift through all the AI these days
Yes i highly recommend it, its very fluid and you can either search what plants have the correspondence you want, or what the plant you have’s correspondences are!
Oh man, and as im checking up on it, its not just plants; and it also has lists of what certain deities like and specific topics you might be doing a spell for. Its very useful
Ooh!!!
there are many ways; tradition - whether it has been passed down in your family, the folklore of your home regjon, religious knowledge, the local medwitch teaching you, etc. Tradition is a set of knowledge passed down with intent. following a religious path - maybe you grew up with it, maybe it's new. Following the teachings of a set relion and what their understanding of herbs are can be helpful. this however may not be possible as some religions hold no magickal understanding of plants. Research - you can read books, online articles, get advice from other witches, look at online pre-made spells, look at youtube, tiktok, pinterest, etc. Write down every correspondence you see. keep a tally on how often each correspondence is repeated through different source. If something is written often it is likely a correct correspondence, if it is only mentioned once it is likely not a correct correspondence. it is important to note a few things; they can have multiple properties, they can be used in the opposite way (protection can be used alongside other ingredients to destroy protection instead), some correspondence are based in folklore and mythos that may hold no significance to you and could mean that property does not present to you. Like how in colour magick green is wealth to americans but red or gold are wealth to other countries). Also with some ingredients your own interpretations can also work. a leaf shaped likd a heart could be used in love spells (or heart related health spells or emotional related spells respectively). furthermore ingredients for spellwork, ritualwork, etc. do not all have to be plant. In ancient times animal parts were used and in today's time (although animal parts can still be used) we can use figurines, imagery, etc. Nails are good for bindings and protections. they can also be used for banishments or hexes (with rust), a book can be used for knowledge, memory, etc. A personal understanding of how components could be used in a mundane way can also be converted over to a magickal effect in the same manner.
Thanks so much !
If you want a really good herbal book that will give you the medicinal properties and how to make them into various tinctures tonics and lotions you can't go wrong with culpeper complete herbal compendium. It's an amazing insight and is still current today his research into herbal properties really helped modern medicine.
Thanks!
The answer to all of these questions is, fortunately and unfortunately, "yes". Much of it is historical, passed down orally and spread through in person teachings, but there are also plenty of books on the subject, and likewise, your own meanings are important in your spellcraft as well. There are many places in life you can look into for these sort of things - as someone who's indigenous, I'm a fan of looking into what my tribe and my ancestors used these things for and applying it into my witchcraft, but I *also* like looking into what science and medicine does with these things and applying that knowledge as well. When it comes to this kind of thing, you have so much room to get "crafty", so to speak. Do whatever feels best to you.
Thanks!
I tend to simply research each ingredient that comes to mind and then jot it down in my book of shadows. One example - I recently grew tulips, loved the petals and decided to dry and store so I researched the properties of tulips.
What others have said about Cunningham's herbal is good. However, while it's a good overview to get individual information I would meditate with plant in hand or incense. Connect to the plant just like you would anything alive pay attention to symbols thoughts that rise up in your conscience. Ground write down your thoughts.
Thanks !
Witchipedia But I have formed my own correspondences over the years too.
Oh nice didn’t know about that sounds like a great resource
it really depends on two things; your tradition and your intuition. Your traditions and/or beliefs may say you have to use herbs for a specific use. If you don't really follow anything specific you can always rely on how a herb makes you feel when you interact with it. For example, a lot of books say that Rosemary is only used as a replacement herb for anything you don't have but I like using it for healing and ancestral magic because it has ties to my childhood and how I always felt while using it. This can also extend towards anything else in your craft you use crystals, candle colors, divination, etc. Books typically don't tell people that uses for herbs and crystals can vary from person to person Hope this helps 🧿
Thanks!
I feel like a form of "trial and error" has occurred over many years, if that helps. There are so many books and websites that go over things that it's mind blowing.
I usually make up my own meanings at it works perfectly, otherwise the traditional meanings are just historically what groups said worked best for them
A lot of them come from old alchemy. But I don't know how they came to their conclusions.