Bay laurel, or Laurus Nobilis, is a powerful magickal plant which is ruled by fire and the sun. Its magickal properties include healing, protection, love and success. Its medicinal properties include lowering blood sugar levels, helping with muscle and joint pain and aiding digestion issues. Bay leaf is a common ingredient for cooks, often being used in pickles or for stews and stocks.
A Brief History of Bay Leaves[]
Bay leaf, also known as laurel leaf, comes from the Lauraceae family and is indigenous Asia Minor from where it spread to the Mediterranean and other regions with a similar climate. It’s a tree that has been cultivated for a very long time. The Ancient Greeks used it as a symbol of victory. The winning Olympic athletes were crowned with a bay leaf wreath as early as 776BC.
Even today the word “laurel” still implies victory and success. Think about how we call Nobel Prize winners “Nobel Laureates”. The definition of a laureate is, in fact, ”a person who is honoured with an award for outstanding creative or intellectual achievement.”.
Some countries still award a bay laurel wreath to those graduating with a masters degree and many other countries incorporate bay laurel into their ceremonies. It’s amazing how long a tradition can be carried on for, isn’t it?
Uses in Witchcraft:[]
- money
- prosperity
- strength
- divination
- psychic powers
- purification
- protection
- manifestations
Use in potions for visions, clairvoyance and wisdom. Place under your pillow to induce prophetic dreams. Carry to ward off evil, and scatter or burn for exorcism. Add to cleansing teas and baths. Scatter on the floor, and then sweep out for protection. The priestesses at Delphi are said to have chewed bay leaves to induce their visions and prophesies.