sun herbs – Teufelskunst

Art is uncompromising and life is full of compromises.

I am starting this post with a quote by German writer and artist Günter Grass (16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015)

There have not been any updates to this blog but this ought to change.

My work with Teufelskunst continues – I have been working on commissions, preparing new items as well as updating the site and re-arranging the list of plant profiles, to which have now been added thumbnails as well as short descriptions. This should make navigation easier and also more attractive. Besides this have been added lots of new articles and the list of herbs discussed in detail is growing. Opening the round for this year are four solar herbs, namely:

Angelica – The aromatic sun and fire herb has a long tradition of usage as a medicinal “all-heal”. Originally called Kvann, it was well-known in Northern Europe, e.g. the Sami people and Vikings used it as a food source and for flavouring. Hence it is also known as “Norwegian Angelica”. After the introduction of christianity and the spreading of the black death…

Lesser Celandine – The herb’s Celtic name “Grian” means “sun”. It has also been referred to as “spring messenger”. The flowers of Lesser Celandine signal the arrival of spring and days getting longer. In German it is called “Scharbockskraut” or “Skorbutkraut” = Scurvyherb. The early leaves are rich in Vitamin C and have been taken on board by sailors…

Primrose – In Norse mythology Cowslip was sacred to the goddess Freya, the “lady”, and was also referred to as “Freya’s Key”. Within christianity the flower became dedicated to St. Peter and the Virgin Mary and was referred to as “Our Lady’s Keys” and “Keys of Heaven” or simply “Keyflower”, which all relate to the bright yellow pendant flowers…

Rue – In magic and folklore rue is believed to break hexes and protect. E.g it was part of the infamous Four Thieves Vinegar, which protected four thieves from the Black Death. It is also known as Herb-of-Grace. Ritual sowing methods demand the pronouncing of curses whilst scattering the seeds respective a young plant ought to be stolen in order to be potent in magic. In Milton’s Paradise Lost…

Rue is often used in tinctures, incense and herbal blends for cleansing. Lesser Celandine and Primrose grow in abundance in our yard. And Angelica I have lately been using in different incense blends. I finished the article about this herb late at night and the aromatic scent of Wild Angelica seeds are the last thing I remember, before sinking into a comatose sleep, which granted me a surreal dream with the Dead and the Poisoner. The dream was so strong and intense that I’m guided to use both, the root of Angelica archangelica as well as the aromatic seeds of Angelica sylvestris in dream and divinatory incense blends.

What is planned for the coming months? I have continued work on new wooden seed boxes. I have also worked on new plant sigils, which are to be revealed later this year. I have further been absorbed into researching the conceptual backgrounds and ingredients for new incense blends, which resulted in three new formulae for the Queen of the Night to be presented soon, as well as one incense blend for the Mother of Man-Dragons.

Besides these I have been commissioned for a solar/fiery incense inspired by Norse mythology. I composed two blends, focusing on fire and sun symbolism, and taking into account runic attributions for the herbal ingredients. They are called “Múspell” and “Sowilo” incense respectively. The incense blends are currently not for sale, but I can do more of them by request. The same commission also lead me to working again with the mighty yew tree, more about which I may share later.

I have also been asked about the third series of my magistelli poppets as well as the next row of sigil cards. All I can say is at this point, please be patient! Pertaining to art, the next will be a small print run of the Regina Amandrakina idol, which was published in the latest and now sold out Pillars journal. And speaking of it, Anathema publishing offered me to sell two remaining copies of the journal through my site. So I’m thinking about arranging a special offer. Again more about this later.

For now I just wish you all a blessed Beltane/Walpurgis night!

April 30, 2015

Posted In: Herbs & Seeds, News & Site Updates, Incense

Tags: günter grass, lesser celandine, muspell, commissions, primrose, incense, rue, runes, sowilo, yew, updates, sun herbs, angelica, incense blends, fire aspects

During the dark and cold season the body and mind may require additional stimuli that bring positivity and warmth into the home and life. Especially for lofty Gemini creatures such as myself, this can be essential. Mental strength, vigilance, coping with ego matters, removing bad vibes, recreation and vitality are some keywords coming to mind in this context. And to stay with the example, Gemini tend to have a need for being the center of attention, which can easily become a nuisance. Whereas the opposite would be a lack of self-confidence and a deficit in joy of living. Neither is desirable and dealing with such ego problems is part of the spiritual work associated with the ‘sun’. Besides, looking at typical sun herbs, you will find many of them are indeed fragrant and aromatic – so perfect for use in incense and aroma therapy. Now there are plenty of herbs that fall into this category and some of them have in fact several planetary attributions. The past weeks I’ve been researching this topic again, took notes, combined and re-combined ingredients. Throughout this I literally followed my nose (but also my eyes) and the result are three incense formulae that each put emphasis on a different solar aspect, scent and color:

Blend I is the first I created and comes as an ‘all purpose’ incense, containing epitomes of solar herbs. Now the old formula has been modified, adding optionally either Amber or Labdanum to the composition, which further contains Bay leaf, sweet Blood Orange peel, aromatic Calamus root, spicy Cassia bark, Clove, fragrant Cedar wood, Frankincense Aden as well as Safflower and Sunflower petals. This is a warm and glorious blend, unfolding a smooth, balmy, spicy-sweet aroma when burnt. Embodying zest for life, this incense awakens the vital spirits. Burn for positivity, power, strength, lust for life, vitality, wealth and overall wellbeing.

Blend II is aerial, refreshing and somewhat tarter. It contains the precious Gum Mastic resin, which is combined with high quality Frankincense, Elemi and green Lime peel as well as Hops, Rue and Walnut leaf – giving this blend an overall lemony fresh and pleasantly bitter-sweet aroma. Cinnamon adds sweet warmth. Spicy Angelica banishes negativity and sickness. Female & male Mistletoe from various trees are there for luck and invincibility. Use this blend for cleansing and removing bad vibes, for balancing and calming down, healing, protection, rejuvenation and revitalisation, for mental strength, vigilance and sharpening the senses, also for receiving and formulating visions.

Blend III is a special offer, containing a unique type of heterogeneous black copal, which is varying in color from black to blood-red to golden-yellow and unfolds a mind-blowing, pine-like scent that is beyond comparison. Spicy-tangy, wintry fresh and uplifting, yet also warming, combining dark and light aspects. This blend embodies the signs of life shining through a blanket of snow covering the earth, its scent being rather heavenly. Further ingredients are White Copal, Yauhtli, Rosemary, Marigold, Juniper, Clove, Cinnamon, Carnation, Chamomile and Bay leaf. Elevating and unifying dark & light aspects, use this blend for purification, as a ceremonial incense, for meditation and spiritual work dealing with ego matters, transformation, heightened state of consciousness, and also for love, prosperity and protection.

As part of a special offer these incense blends are available in 50 ml Miron violet glass jars with black screw caps (offer good as long as supplies last). Besides this blend I + II are also available in standard 50 ml glass bottles with cork stoppers. If you’d rather like small samples you can also get a 14 ml test bottle of each. View below the details for pricing & packaging. For ordering please write e-mail to info@teufelskunst.com or, if you prefer, visit the Teufelskunst online shops at Storenvy and Etsy (yes, I’m back there!).