TEUFELSKUNST Occult Art Blog
TEUFELSKUNST
Occult Art Blog

Wooden Seed Boxes #31-36

Wooden Seed Boxes, April 2017

In follow to the wonderful feedback and many emails received after the last boxes had been sold, I spent the past weeks crafting and researching what would become the content of the next row of wooden seed boxes, these being numbers 31-36.

This time my focus was drawn towards magical herbs, which can be found on a blooming summer meadow and are traditionally used on the summer solstice. Many of these herbs are sown in April and May, hence the timing. Some annuals, such as poppies, you may be able to harvest already this summer, if sown now.

Besides this I wanted to include some new venific herbs, to accompany the well-known nightshades and popular poison plants. In my search my attention was drawn to the spurge, more precisely the caper spurge (Euphorbia lathyris). Earlier I had been asked for spurge to use in a martial incense recipe and had trouble finding the right type. By chance I came across references pointing to the caper spurge with its poisonous milky sap, prominent size and auspicious shape. The plant seems to have been well known in Germany. It would be planted near one’s home as a protection against curses and it was used to break the spells of other witches. It was also thought to ward of moles and is hence also known as mole plant in English language.

Besides this I included the wild relative of the candle larkspur, named field or rocket larkspur (Consolida regalis), with its lovely deep blue flowers. The flowers are used in protection spells and the herb is planted to protect the home, similar to the closely related delphinium. The rocket larkspur is unfortunately in decline due to intensified agriculture. Another reason, to include it here.

A threatened herb with strong healing attributes is the lovely centaury (Centaurium erythraea). It has been attributed a plethora of benific properties and is rare to find in the wild these days. I am thus happy to have found a supplier of seeds for this rare healing herb. Another old and perhaps forgotten about healing herb of antiquity, which is now experiencing a renaissance is the wood betony (Stachys officinalis). Likewise the motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) was a popular healing herb in medieval times until interest in the plant declined. It makes for a nice background plant with other purple and pink flowering herbs and interesting addition to the ‘witch’s garden’.

In selecting the herbs I also paid attention to the 13 plants described in Harold Roth’s book “The Witching Herbs” (signed copies available here) and thus included seeds for each.

Altogether there are now seeds for over 50 different sorcerous benific and venific herbs contained in one box. The box itself is pyrographed stained and varnished by hand. The sigil on the box is the “Sigillum Major” or “Greater Sowing Seal”. It includes references to the work with plants, crossroad symbolism etc. and is also used as the official logo for Teufelskunst. The sigil inside the box is called “Sigillum Minor” or “Lesser Sowing Seal” and is an abbreviated form of the former, traceable in one stroke of a line. Each box is numbered on the bottom.

Printed sowing instructions in tabular form are included with each box. For detailed information on each herb please visit my plant blog.

Update: The boxes are sold. You can still e-mail me for the complete list of seeds contained in this series at info@teufelskunst.com. I will work on 4 more boxes this spring to round up the number before the summer solstice. Than that’s it for a while.

April 20, 2017

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Seed Boxes Follow-up

The latest seed boxes have been sold and shipped. I received much more inquiries than expected and will get back to each individually. Please bare with me if this takes a few more days. I have also started preparations for the next boxes, these being #31-36. It will take a couple of weeks to complete these. My plan is to have them ready in time for mid-spring – for sowing all those herbs that like it warm. The other seeds that come with the box can be sown in autumn or given the artificial cold treatment in the fridge.

About the boxes: they contain seeds from at least 44 different venific and benific ‘witch’ herbs. The boxes are pyrographed with the “Sigillum Major” or “Greater Sowing Seal”, which you also see as the official logo of Teufelskunst. The boxes are then stained and varnished. Following this, hundreds of little paper bags are labeled and filled with the seeds, which I partly gather by myself and partly purchase from other places. I usually spend at least 40 hours on four of these boxes. It is a tedious but also rewarding process, which gives me the chance to connect deeper with the herbs and it also empties the mind and brings new inspiration. I also learn how the seed for each herb looks and what it requires to break its dormancy. It is my hope that the content of these boxes will bring joy to others and aid them in their own studies.

Please write to me at info@teufelskunst.com if you wish to reserve one in the future!

March 17, 2017

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Wooden Seed Boxes #27-30

Seed boxes #27-30, completed

The boxes contain seeds from at least 44 different venific and benific ‘witch’ herbs. The boxes are pyrographed with the “sigilum major” or “greater sowing seal”, stained and varnished. Then hundreds of little paper bags are labeled and filled with the seeds, which I partly gather by myself and partly purchase from other places. I usually spend at least 40 hours on four of these boxes. It is a tedious but also rewarding process, which gives me the chance to connect deeper with the herbs and it also empties the mind and brings new inspiration. It is my hope that the content of these boxes will bring joy to others and aid them in their own studies.

Update: the boxes are sold. Please write to me at info@teufelskunst.com if you wish to reserve one in the future!

March 9, 2017

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Wooden Seed Boxes, Autumn Equinox 2016

The seeds have been gathered and new wooden seed boxes are nearing completion. With joy I offer again this treat for the tenders of sorcerous gardens, just in time for the autumnal equinox. Below is a preview of the boxes:

Available are boxes #23-26. They will contain again a fertile mix of seeds from various benific and venific herbs. Four boxes are available, three of which are already reserved. For those that will not receive one this time, I plan to craft a few more until Samhain. If you want to make sure to get your hands on one, then I recommend placing a reservation now.

For ordering and reservations please e-mail me at info@teufelskunst.com

September 13, 2016

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New Wooden Seed Boxes

IMG_8614 copy2

Good things come to those who wait. I have received many requests for new wooden seed boxes, but it was only during the past month that I was able to finish new boxes. So here they are: stained in the colors of fall and charged with the vibrations of the blood red moon, the boxes are filled with the year’s harvest of seeds coming from 50 different herbs.

The philosophy behind the boxes is to share the seeds, which I gather from my own witch garden, so that other practitioners may grow herbs from them as well. This means, we keep in touch, exchange experiences and compare our results with growing and sowing the herbs under different conditions. I am also giving advice here and on my garden blog, for growing and handling these herbs. Besides this the boxes also contain some seeds from new herbs, that I yet plan to sow and where I wish for others to join in.

Seed Boxes Fall 2015 copyEach box is pyrographed with the Teufelskunst Sigilum Maior/greater sowing seal on the cover and Sigilum Minor/lesser sowing seal on the inside. The boxes are stained in a warm red hue and finished with a thin layer of transparent varnish. There are THREE boxes filled with seeds (see the listing of the exact content here). The price for one box is 99 Euro + shipping.

Accepted payment methods: Paypal, SEPA bank transfer inside Euro countries

Update: the boxes are SOLD

NOTE: I have been asked whether these boxes are also available without the seed content. If you would rather have an EMPTY BOX with the same or different decor, please contact me and we work something out!

For ordering and all other inquiries write e-mail to info@teufelskunst.com

November 2, 2015

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