Leaf Magick

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Monica Crosson, author of the new Magickal Family.

As Autumn’s fire sets the surrounding valley ablaze and the air becomes singed with the scent of wood smoke and ripened fruit, something stirs inside of me leading me to the hearth fire to partake in quieter pursuits. I find time for baking, reading, spinning wool, and finishing other crafts that were left behind during the busier spring and summer months. When my children were small, they too settled in and instead of running wildly about, brandishing foam swords, they would quietly sit beside me and ask, “Is there something I can make?”

Something we always enjoyed making were Witches‘ Ladders that we created with found leaves and braided cord. We would hang them on doors or over our beds for protection. By collecting freshly fallen colored leaves we could incorporate both color and/or tree magick.

To make your own leafy Witches Ladder:

Braid together 1 yard each of white/red/black cording (representing the Maiden, Mother, and Crone)

Find nine colorful leaves. Pick leaves for their color and/or tree associations. Color associations include: red for strength and protection; orange for courage and vitality; yellow for wisdom and harmony; gold hues for safety, strength, and happiness; green for luck and peace; and brown for fruitfulness and strength.

Tree associations include: oak for protection; hawthorn for purity, protection, and faerie magick; ash for health, peace, and protection; maple for prosperity and sweetness; apple for healing, love, and prosperity; birch for new beginnings, blessings, and health; walnut for healing and protection,

Use a water-based sealer and brush on one side of the leaves; let dry for an hour and then repeat the process on the other side. Once dry, use a hole punch and punch a hole through each leaf. Now you can tie the leaves into the cord. As you do this, repeat:

For an added bit of enchantment, draw protective sigils and symbols on each leaf.

Our thanks to Monica for her guest post! For more from Monica Crosson, read her article, “The Twilight Garden.”