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When talking about cinnamon, there are two distinct types, both of which are encompassed within this article, as their magickal properties are similar. There is Ceylon Cinnamon, often called true cinnamon, which originated from India and Sri Lanka, then there is a group of several other variants (c. burmanni, c. cassia, c. loureiroi, and c. ciradorum) where are collectively referred to as “cassia”. With a name derived from the Hebrew word for stripping off bark, it is often difficult to distinguish in historic records exactly what type was used in different regions.
While it may make a culinary difference, for the purposes of magick, it does not matter what type of cinnamon you’re using.
BOTANICAL BREAKDOWN
BOTANICAL NAME - Ceylon Cinnamon - Cinnamomum verum
Cassia - Cinnamomum burmanni, cinnamomum cassia, cinnamomum loureiroi,cinnamonmum ciradorum
AKA - Ceylon Cinnamon - "True" Cinnamon
Cassia - Malabar cinnamon, Saigon cinnamon, Chinese cinnamon
PARTS USED - Dried bark of tender shoots
BOTANICAL PROPERTIES OF CINNAMON
The cinnamon plant is a small evergreen in the laurel family that grows in tropical forests, in moist environments. The young shoots are harvested and stripped of their bark, which is then dried and sold as cinnamon sticks or powder. Cinnamon sticks maintain their potency longer, the powdered form of any herb is generally faster to decay.
The flavor pallet of cinnamon is warm yet sweet, as opposed to spicy. The temperature receptors on our tongue react, creating that warming sensation.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF CINNAMON
| This article is not medical advice, it is just a description of how this herb has been used and is for informational purposes only. Many herbs may have adverse or even dangerous effects when misused. |
Cinnamon is known as a natural antiseptic, however it is also an irritant when inappropriately applied topically. It has a history of being used as a digestive aid in traditional medicine. It also naturally contains coumarin, which can cause liver and kidney damage in high concentrations, prompting the European Food Safety Authority to recommend a tolerable daily intake of 0.1mg per kg of body weight, while the USDA recommends no more than half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day.
MAGICK & MYTHOS
ELEMENT - Fire
PLANET - Mars, Uranus
MOON PHASE - Full
TAROT - The Lovers
CHAKRA - Sacral
DEITIES & ENTITIES - Aphrodite, Asmodeus, Freyja, Inanna, Incubus, Jiutian Xuannu, Peitho, Priapus, Rati, Succubus, Venus
A GIFT FIT FOR GODS
The various types of cinnamon come from across much of Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The herb could cost a mighty fortune, promoting lucrative trade with Europe for centuries. Merchants invented wild stories about its origin, from the nests of giant cinnamon birds to being fished from the Nile, only adding to its mystique for inhabitants of the western hemisphere.
In ancient Egypt it was used as an incense and an embalming spice, while in ancient Greece it was recorded in a temple as a gift to Apollo. Even today, it continues to be used commonly as more than just a culinary herb, with a strong foothold in incense and perfumes. It is also considered a natural antiseptic.
MAGICKAL USES OF CINNAMON
Cinnamon is notable as a spiritual and mental stimulant, and can be utilized internally or externally in magickal workings by burning it as incense, taking it as tea or in food, or by applying diluted cinnamon oil to a person or object. Cinnamon, though an antiseptic, is also an irritant. As such, the oil should never be used directly on the skin without understanding how to properly dilute it, as it may cause burning or irritation.
Cinnamon is also excellent to enhance prophetic or scrying powers, use in purification of ritual spaces, and incorporation in love and magick spells.
A few ways to use cinnamon in spellwork:
- Enhance psychic focus by drinking cinnamon tea before a ritual, or infuse the cinnamon into a ritual bath, soak, or steam and using it to cleanse.
- Use as an offering for deities that are aligned by placing cinnamon tea, a stick of cinnamon, or baked goods with cinnamon in them on your altar.
- Promote lucid dreaming by placing a stick of cinnamon under your pillow. Try writing the intention of your desired dream on the cinnamon stick and mediating on it before you fall asleep.
- Use as an incense by burning a stick of cinnamon to prepare a room for spellwork, ritual, or ceremony.
- Enhance your scrying by placing a drop of cinnamon oil on your scrying tool - whether it's a bowl of water, a crystal ball, or a mirror.
- Strengthen a fortune sachet by incorporating cinnamon chips