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The Great Guardian
Juniper is most well known for being the key ingredient in the gin, the berries giving the spirit its distinctive flavor, but in spellcraft it is most commonly known as one of the best protection herbs one can use. In ancient Mesopotamia, juniper oil was used to ward off the evil eye while in some Gaelic and Scottish pagan traditions, juniper may be burned for new year saining ceremonies to protect and purify.
In one biblical legend, Jesus is hidden in a juniper hedge to hide him from the soldiers of Kin Herod, and during the Black Plague, juniper was burned to purify the hair and keep the disease at bay. Even the wood, durable, rot resistant, and flexible, had made it a choice wood for everything from bows and staves to fence posts and structures over millennia.
BOTANICAL BREAKDOWN
BOTANICAL NAME - Juniperus communis
AKA - Gin berry, enebro, gin plan
PARTS USED - Berries, branches
BOTANICAL PROPERTIES OF JUNIPER
Juniper prefers temperate climates and chalky soils, native to parts of Asia, Europe, North America. Berries grow from female seed cones, which may take years to ripen, and in fact, juniper berries are technically not berries at all, but the fleshy scales of the cone, each containing six seeds as well as sacs of oils with pinene, limonene, geraniol, and terpineol.
The berries are often sold semi-dried and should be stored in a sealed container because the oils begin to evaporate. The juniper family includes around 50 types of evergreen coniferous trees and shrubs with needle-like leaves
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF JUNIPER
| 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. |
Traditional folk medicine uses for Juniper include use as a diuretic, anti-arthritic, and antiseptic, as well as for diabetes management, pain management, autoimmune disorders, and gastrointestinal issues. Experimental research shows the potential functions of juniper oil to have antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antioxidant properties, and for the berries to have anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and hypoglycemic effects.
Juniper pollen, when airborne and inhaled or in contact with skin, can cause contact dermatitis or allergy responses.
MAGICK & MYTHOS
ELEMENT - Fire
PLANET - Saturn
MOON PHASE - Waning
TAROT - Kings (any suit)
CHAKRA - Solar plexus
DEITIES & ENTITIES - Aizen Myō-ō, Amoja, Archangel Michael, Belenus, Bastet, Bes, Dimstipatis, Enji, Frigg, Gabija, Hephaestus, Hestia, House Spirits, Ishum, Jowangsin, Kali, Lord Hanuman, Nusku, Ông Táo, Saint Benedict, Sanamahi, Sekhmet, Vishnu, Vulcan, Zao Jun
MAGICKAL USES OF JUNIPER
Juniper is one of the most powerful protection herbs, being used to protect hearth and home, break curses and hexes, and and keep dangers at bay.
A few ways to use juniper in spellwork:
- Burn a juniper sprig to break a hex and drive dangers away
- Crush juniper berries and smear the oils around the outside of the house, particularly
- Provide the berries, whole or freshly crushed, as an offering to a deity
- Crush juniper berries for protection and hex breaking spellwork
- Carry juniper berries in a sachet to protect against wild animals, ghosts, and magickal malady
Organic, sustainably harvested juniper is available in our store right here. Pre-mixed spell ingredients that include juniper are available in our store:
PROTECT - to protect against negative energies and influences