HERBAL WINES: A TRULY MAGICAL BREW

[Guest guest]

HERBAL WINES: A TRULY MAGICAL BREW By: Kalioppe One of the memories I cherish most is that of making wine with my

Father. It was the summer that I was eight years old and our pear trees

Seemed to have outdone themselves. The fruit was everywhere - on the

Trees, on the ground - it even graced the roof of the nearby chicken

Coop! Try as she might, Mom simply couldn't bake pies or can the fruit

Quickly enough to keep it from spoiling. Spoilage constituted waste, And

Wasting food was unheard of in our household. Thinking that he had

Resolved the fruit problem, Dad announced that she could make some Wine.

After seeing the exasperated look upon Mom's pretty face, though, he

Quickly amended his statement to reflect that we'd make the wine - just

The two of us - a real father-daughter project. I remember what seemed to be bushels of sliced pears, the delicious

Smell of cloves, cinnamon and lemon, large crocks and innumerable sacks

Of sugar. I also recall the tap of my mother's foot upon the hardwood

Floor while she mumbled a lot about the waste of sugar and perfectly

Good pears. I have a vague recollection of her muttering something About

"fools," as well, but at the time I didn't connect the two. Of course,

It never occurred to me that Dad didn't know what he was doing - he was

"Dad," and to an eight-year-old girl, that word is synonymous with

"God!" As wonderful as those memories are, I really hadn't thought much about

Them until I was thumbing through my favorite herbal magazine and found

An article on wine-making. Just seeing the term brought the warmth of

That childhood experience rushing to the surface! But upon reading further, I realized that the wines of which the author

Spoke weren't just ordinary fruit beverages, but herbal ones! Although

Herbs are a mainstay in my magical efforts, I had never considered the

Possibility of brewing them into fine wines. I had made herbal Incenses,

Powders, sachets, talismans, charms, oils and dream pillows. I'd drawn

Herbal baths and simmered herbal cough syrups, soaps and cosmetics upon

My kitchen stove. Yes, I had even utilized their magical vibrations in

The preparation of the meals ingested by my family. I thought I had Used

Herbs in every effort possibly conceived by man! Using herbs in the

Brewing of wines, though, was a totally new concept for me. Though the article in question certainly did not mention enchantment in

Any form or fashion, it occurred to me that wine-making coincided

Perfectly with the realm of magical efforts. After all, the working of

Magic is a very simple premise: Whenever any condition has been changed

By use of any ritual, magic has been utilized. What could be more

Magical than the ritual process of changing charged and enchanted herbs

Into a beverage which could be ingested for protection, creativity,

Harmony, etc. - a beverage which was delightfully pleasing to the

Palate, with none of the medicinal aftertaste of the usual herbal Tonic? Armed with the magazine and a bevy of magical ideas spinning through my

Brain, I headed for the kitchen. Surprisingly enough, I found most of

The equipment necessary for magical wine-making already ensconced in my

Cabinets. With a little imagination, I was able to substitute other

Ordinary household articles for the missing items on the equipment List. TOOLS Below is a list of the "tools" which are necessary for making your own

Wines. Be absolutely certain that you clean them meticulously before

Beginning your "ritual." An extra scalding with hot water is advised. BASIC TOOL LIST: A pot large enough to boil three quarts of water Large plastic bucket Or

Crock - for the first fermentation Large plastic trashbags One nylon stocking [a leg from an old pair of pantyhose works

Beautifully!] A large glass jug [1 - 5 gallon] - for the second fermentation

A large funnel One fermentation lock or one balloon [the neck must be large enough to

Fit well around the neck of the glass jug] A siphon or a length of

Plastic tubing [an aquarium siphon works well] Bottles, corks, bottle

Brushes, measuring spoons and cups CHOOSING SUITABLE HERBS FOR MAGICAL WINES In brewing herbal wines, the amount of the herb necessary for a good

Recipe depends on whether you intend to use dry plants or fresh ones.

Though we normally think of "fresh" as being "better" in most cases,

Just the opposite is true in wine-making! It takes much less dried herb

For a good wine [making it a much thriftier process], and the rich

Flavor and body achieved from their use far exceeds that of wine made

With fresh plants. The type of herb you use in the wine must also be considered well for

the magical results you wish to achieve. A few good candidates for

magical wines are: Elder flowers: Imparts the aspects of the Lady, and is an excellent

choice for an all-purpose wine, or for use at Full Moon Circles Rose petals: For love, harmony and beauty Lavender flowers: For protection Dandelion flowers: For creativity, change and transformational growth Peppermint: For spicing up one's life and adding new excitement to those

aspects of living which have become absolute drudgery Lemon Verbena For

success in your endeavors Spearmint To cool raging tempers Of course, the herbs listed above are just suggestions. Use your

imagination and experiment. The list of herbs that are suitable for

magical wine-making is endless! Carefully charge and enchant the herbs

you decide to use in the wines, imbuing them with the magical properties

which you desire. If you are familiar with this process, charge the

herbs as is normal for you. However, Scott Cunningham listed a very

simple enchantment process in The Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, which I

have included for your convenience. ENCHANTING HERBS FOR MAGICAL USE 1. Gather together a wooden or ceramic bowl, two candleholders, the

herbs, and two candles of the proper color. 2. Place the bowl between the lit candles. Then place the herbs (still

in their containers) around the bowl. (NOTE: Be sure you will not be

disturbed - close the windows and doors, and unplug your phone if you

have to!) 3. Pour the necessary amount of dried herb into the bowl and gaze

intently into the herb. Sense it vibrations and see the power emerging

and waiting to work for you. Lean toward the bowl and touch the herb

with your dominant hand. Do not move your hand for a few seconds, and

visualize your need very strongly and clearly. 4. Run your fingers through the herb as you visualize your need. Feel

your fingers charging the herb with your need and infusing it with

power. 5. When the herb is tingling with power, the enchantment process is

finished. Remove your hand, and repeat with other herbs if necessary. That's all there is to it! One note of caution, though: Be sure to check

one of the very reliable herbal books available to make certain that an

herb you wish to use is not poisonous! No matter how inviting its

properties, your magic will fall short in the face of illness or

possible fatality!! MAKING THE WINE BASIC WINE RECIPE: 1 ounce dried herb or 2 quarts of fresh herb 1 pound chopped Raisins 3 sliced Oranges OR 4 sliced Lemons OR 4 sliced Limes [This adds the

acid necessary to preserve the wine during fermentation and balance the

flavor. Whichever of these citrus fruits is handy and in season will

work well!] 2-1/2 pounds Sugar 1 tsp. Yeast Nutrient [Readily available at wine-maker's supply stores, but sometimes may be found at a large liquor

or grocery store] 1 package all-purpose Wine Yeast Toss the charged herbs into the crock or plastic bucket and pour three

quarts of boiling water over them. Cover the crock immediately and leave

it for 24 hours. Add 1-1/4 pounds of sugar to one quart of water and

heat to a boil. Strain the herbs from the crock and add the raisins and

the sugar water. Let the mixture cool until it's just a bit warmer than

"tepid," then add the citrus fruit, yeast nutrient and wine yeast. Cover

with a trash bag, tying it loosely with string or twine around the

crock. Stir the mixture twice daily in a clockwise motion for the next

48 hours. Boil half the remaining sugar with one pint of water, then let stand

until completely cool. Toss it in with the fruit/yeast mixture and let

it sit for 48 hours, stirring it clockwise twice each day. Boil the rest

of the sugar in one pint of water, cool, and pour it into the crock, as

well. Stir the crock contents twice each day for the next three days.

The first fermentation is complete. Place the funnel into the glass jug, lining the inside with the nylon

stocking and pour the contents of the crock into the jug. Secure the

balloon well around the neck of the jug. During this process, the wine

takes on a life of its own - bubbling and fizzing and "dancing" within

the container. As the "second fermentation" takes at least six weeks, it

is an excellent time for further enchantment. I suggest picking a day of

the week which is appropriate to your magical purpose, lighting a candle

of proper color and "spelling" the wine weekly until it is ready to be

bottled. The ritual you perform doesn't have to be a lengthy one and

could be as simple as lighting a candle, some incense and saying [in the

case of dandelion wine]: Dandelions, so wild and free

Grant us creativity! Of course, visualization and intent is very important with simple ritual

and is the essence of the magic - so remember to announce these words

with fervor and feeling, and know that you are imbuing the liquid with

your intent! You will know that the wine is nearing completion when it begins to

clear. Any sediment in the bottom may be removed by siphoning the liquid

into another bottle, and you may wish to perform this process several

times. When the visual clarity of the liquid suits you, it is ready for

bottling. If the wine has not "cleared" within six weeks, though, don't

fret! Depending upon the type of wine that's being made, it could take two or

three months for the wine to be ready for use. Magical wine-making isn't a difficult process, but it is a lengthy one.

Yes, I suppose it is much quicker to run to the neighborhood grocer's

and pick up a bottle of whatever's handy for Circle. However, the

magical results you'll achieve by working up your own vintage brews are

indescribably effective; moreover, homemade wines are delightfully

pleasing to the palate! Yes, much to my mother's chagrin, our wine-making efforts produced

terrific results! And Dad? Well, he came out smelling like the proverbial rose: A scent

most befitting gods and fathers! BIBLIOGRAPHY: Cunningham, Scott: The Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul,

Minnesota: Llewellyn Publishing, 1986 Bender, Richard W.: Herb Wines from Scratch. The Herb Companion,

December/January 1993/1994. Loveland, CO: Interweave Press, 1993 .

Blessed Be!

Jodi

My groups:

EclecticStarParty

(Pagan Group)

JoJoJokes

GottaShareThis

(anything to share from stationary to poems!)

RecipesfromMagickalKitchens

Mod for: ticktockretroclock

Http://groups/.TheCacklingCauldron