Human connection is crucial to developing a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, all things artistic and/or spiritual. This post was conceptualized and written by a human.
This article is specifically about sage. If you are looking for white sage, click here.
BOTANICAL BREAKDOWN
BOTANICAL NAME - Salvia officinalis & other variants
AKA - Common sage, garden sage, sawge
PARTS USED - Leaves, stems
BOTANICAL PROPERTIES OF SAGE
Sage is a woody, evergreen shrub with leaves that can vary in color based on cultivar, ranging from green to purple to white to multicolored. Because there are so many variations, the size, shape, and other specifics have a wide range. There are culinary and ornamental variants, though the ornamental ones are usually more generally referred to as salvia, rather than the common name of sage.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF SAGE
| 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. |
From hair care to snake bites to a diuretic, sage has been hailed as a cure for just about any illness at some point in time. Its prominence in medical care goes back thousands of years, being used by Indigenous and ancient civilizations in food and medicine.
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas used white sage in phytotherapy - a practice that involves using herbs for spiritual healing, intended to be used alongside physical methods. In ancient Rome it has a record of being used as a hemostatic agent and local anesthetic. In Europe it was used as a diuretic, to stimulate menstrual flow, for tooth care, and so much more.
More modern research shows that the plant contains thujone, a neurotoxin most famously found in wormwood that gives authentic absinthe its unique cognitive impairment qualities. Some countries strictly control the amount of thujone in absinthe available for sale, to the point where much of what is sold is no longer comparable to the authentic thing.
MAGICK & MYTHOS
ELEMENT - Air
PLANET - Jupiter
MOON PHASE - New
TAROT - N/A
CHAKRA - Crown
DEITIES & ENTITIES - Apollo, Asclepius, Astraea, Artemis, Brigid, Diana, Eir, Februus, Ganga, Heka, Hekate, Kebechet, Kusu, Lakshmi, Raphael, Shiva, Tara, Tutelary deities
THE HERB OF IMMORTALITY
Various types of sage grow in many parts of the world, the adaptable herb finding home across countries and continents. Wherever it goes, it seems to get a reputation as an herb of great power, folklore and spiritual practices often uplifting it as an herb that promotes health, longevity, and in some cases, even immortality.
In Ancient Rome, it was referred to as the “Holy Herb”, and in the Middle Ages was considered a savior plant, capable of healing many ailments. During the Bubonic Plague, it was used in a concoction called Thieves Vinegar, which was thought to keep the disease at bay.
SMUDGING: THE TRUTH:
Smudging is an often misused term in neopagan, new age, and occult circles. The term refers to a specific Indigenous ceremony that involves burning sage, rather than the act of purifying. To read more about this nuance and how to avoid appropriating Indigenous language, I recommend reading my article on white sage.MAGICKAL USES OF SAGE
Sage is very versatile in its use, and is widely believed to be particularly powerful as a protective agent. This makes it excellent for any apotropaic magick (protection, warding, cleansing, etc). It is also a fantastic amplifier for most types of magick, enhancing the power of the spell and ingredients being used.
A few ways to use Sage in spellwork:
- Carry sage in a sachet to promote wisdom, manifest fortune, and for protection, and keep it on one’s person to guard against the evil eye.
- Burn sage to drive away negative intention, energies, and impurities from a place, person, or object.
- Add sage to a spell as an amplifier for the other herbs and items being used.
- Write a wish on a leaf of sage to manifest it. In Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, Scott Cunningham suggests hiding it beneath your pillow for three nights to make your wish come true. He advises that if you dream of what you desire, your wish will manifest, and if you do not dream of it, you must bury the sage in the ground so that you do not come to harm.
There is also a superstition that one should not plant sage in one’s own garden, and that someone else (a stranger, some say), should plant it for you.
Organic, sustainably grown white sage is available in our store right here. It is farmed, not foraged, to protect wild white sage used by Indigenous communities. Pre-mixed spell ingredients that include NAME are available in our store:
CLEANSE - to purify negative energies from yourself or your target
DREAM - to overcome obstacles and achieve goals
OVERCOME - to empower dream magicks, divination, and lucid dreaming