More Mewsing on Foraging
New day, new hike! This time I went on a trail along the coast, a place that is always windy no matter the weather. As summer progress, I can forage yarrow, tormentil, silverweed and kelp, but mostly I go there because the place has the best rose quartz.
Quartz is really easy to find, but the one from this path is special. There is an outcrop of rocks that gets into the ocean, with a tiny lighthouse at the tip. The rocks are constantly exposed to wind and saltspray, and during high tide are almost submerged by the crashing waves. Standing on those rocks, one can experience first-hand the full violence of the ocean, and smell its power.
All this is relevant to my quartz gathering because it ties to what I was trying to say in my previous pawst. Rose quartz symbolizes love (including self love!) and friendship and is used in meowgic accordingly. Therefore, imagine the power of a quartz crystal that has withstood the stormy sea for millennia! Don't you want your love to be that strong too?
That's what I was trying to get at. Of course, store-bought materials are fine, if that's your only option! The last thing I want is to be snobby and state that you can't be a witch if you don't collect your own ingredients from scenic places! Also, you know how cats feel about the word "can't"... Part of my argument was about being creative and resourceful and using what you have at paw, and if that's the spice aisle of the grocery store, so be it! The other part, however, was about making your own correspondences and forging a relationship with the land you live on, and I thought my quartz story fit the example perfectly.
When you scout your area for ingredients, take a look also at the conditions in which they grow. The normal conditions will tell you the base "personality" of the plant: is it hardy, shade-loving, or picky? How does this translate into meowgical properties? On the other paw, an ingredient found under unusual circumstances will have additional properties that distinguish it from the rest of its kind, like the displaced Sitka spruces I described in the other pawst. Finding an ingredient in a place where you don't expect it can sometimes feel like the Earth telling you: "Here, you'll need this!" and be the inspiration for some new spells.
It goes without saying, leave protected plants alone and don't collect anything at all if you are in a national park or historical site! Knowing the land around you means knowing what you can and can't forage, when you can do so, and how to do it without causing harm to the plant you are harvesting. Yes, it means a little bit of learning and discovery are required, but aren't those the joy of life?
