GYPSY ALMANAC MAGIC HERB

April

10th: On this day in the year 1872, residents of the
state of Nebraska planted close to one million
trees in celebration of the first Arbor Day. (In
1882, Nebraska declared Arbor Day a legal holiday
and changed its date to April 22, which was
J. Sterling Morton’s birthday.) Throughout most
of the United States, Arbor Day is currently observed
each year on the last Friday in April —a
day on which many Wiccans and Pagans plant
trees, perform special tree-honoring rituals, meditate
on Deity manifesting as trees, and give thanks
for the abundance of the earth.
12th: The first day of the annual 8-day Cerealia festival
was celebrated in ancient Rome on this day.
It paid homage to the goddess Ceres, who was
connected to the earth and its fruits, and included
sacred rites to guard the crops against
failure.
14th: The Celtic tree month of Alder (Fearn) ends.
15th: The Celtic tree month of Willow (Saille) begins.
16th: In the Middle Ages, Saint Padarn’s Day (Celtic)
was the traditional time for farmers to begin
weeding the growing crops.
22nd: Earth Day. (The first Earth Day was held in the
United States in 1970 to raise public awareness
of environmental issues and ecology. Twenty years
later in 1990, 20 million Americans observed
the second Earth Day. Since then it has been
observed every year.) On this day,
many Wiccans and Pagans
throughout the world meditate on
Deity manifesting as Mother Earth
and perform special rituals to honor
her and to heal her from the ravages of mankind.
23rd: This day starts the annual Iroquois planting ceremonies
and thanksgiving for the gift of the corn
seed.
25th: On this day the ancient Romans celebrated the
annual Robigalia festival to honor and appease
the dual-gendered deity Robigus. Sacrificial offerings
of red dogs and sheep were made to prevent
blight from the growing grain.
Saint Mark’s Day divination: Pluck nine sage
leaves as the clock strikes 12 at noon and, according
to old herbal lore, your future husband
(or a vision of him) will appear before you.
28th: The Floralia, an annual 3-day festival honoring
the flower-goddess Flora, began on this day in
ancient Rome. In ancient and medieval Europe,
various vegetation festivals were celebrated every
year on this day.
30th: Walpurgis Night. According to medieval legend,
this is a night given over to demonic forces and
evil spirits. For protection, wear or carry angelica,
garlic, mandrake root, rowan, or Saint John’s wort
as an herbal amulet. On this night, the Horned
God of the ancient Celtic and Teutonic peoples
was honored. In his Green Man aspect, he personified
the spirit of all trees and plants.

May

1st: Beltane, one of the four major sabbats celebrated
each year by Witches and other Pagans, is observed
on this day. The traditional herbs associated with
this sabbat include: almond, angelica, ash tree, bluebells,
cinquefoil, daisy, frankincense, hawthorn, ivy,
lilac, marigold, meadowsweet, primrose, roses,
satyrion root, woodruff, and yellow cowslips. The
Pueblo and Zuni Indians of the American southwest
celebrate the annual Green Corn Dances
on this day. According to legend, the Corn
Maidens return to earth at this time to bless and
make fruitful the land after the barrenness of the
winter season.
3rd: Rowan Tree Day. It is traditional for many
Witches and Pagans on this day to gather rowan
twigs and leaves for magickal spells and amulets.
Decorate your altar and home with sprigs of rowan
to court the blessings and protection of the Goddess
and Her horned consort. Fires made of rowan
wood are believed on this day to possess the power
to summon spirits.
4th: The hawthorn (a tree sacred to the “good goddess”
Bona Dea and linked to Witches and fairyfolk)
is honored on this day. An annual 4-day
Iroquois corn-planting ceremony begins on this
day and pays homage to the sky goddess Awenhai.
12th: The Celtic tree month of Willow (Saille) ends.
13th: The Celtic tree month of Hawthorn (Huath)
begins.
19th: In olden times, the Celtic goddess Brigid was
honored on this day by the festival of the Sacred
Spring. It was traditional for sacred wells and
springs to be decorated with flowers and greenery.
23rd: A sacred rose festival known as the Rosalia was
celebrated each year on this day in ancient Rome.
It honored the flower-goddess Flora.
24th: For prosperity and to ensure a good harvest, every
year on this day the ancient Celts would pay
homage to the three goddesses known as the
Mothers.
25th: On this day of the year, the Iroquois Indians give
thanks for the strawberry harvest.
29th: Oak Apple Day. In England, it is customary to
wear oak leaves for the first half of the day. In
ancient Rome, the Ambarvalia festival was held
each year on this day to honor Ceres and the
Dea Dia, as well as to receive divine blessings for
the growing crops.

June

1st: In Celtic cultures, the Festival of the Oak Nymph
was celebrated annually on this day to pay homage
to the benevolent nature spirits who dwelled
within all oak trees.
9th: The Celtic tree month of Hawthorn (Huath) ends.
10th: The Celtic tree month of Oak (Duir) begins.
15th: The ancient Romans observed the Vestalia, an
annual women’s festival celebrating the first fruits
of the early harvest season, on this day.
20th: On this day in the year 1889, the first Arbor
Day in Australia was celebrated in Adelaide.
21st: The Summer Solstice, one of the four minor (or
lesser) sabbats observed by Witches and other
Pagans, occurs approximately on this date each
year. The traditional herbs associated with this
sabbat include: chamomile, cinquefoil, elder, fennel,
hemp, larkspur, lavender, male fern,
mugwort, pine, roses, Saint John’s wort, wild
thyme, wisteria, and verbena.
23rd: Saint John’s Eve (also known as Midsummer’s
Eve in many old calendars) is the traditional time
for many Witches to gather herbs for amatory
spells and philters (love potions). This is also said
to be the prime time to harvest Saint John’s wort
for use in treating individuals suffering from depression
and madness of the mind.
24th: Saint John’s Day (also known as Midsummer’s
Day in many old calendars). This is said to be
the best day of the year on which to gather vervain
for use in love potions. In keeping with an
old Pagan tradition, use a gold coin or a stag’s
horn to dig the plant up. Legend holds that the
magickal energies of herbs are at their peak on
this day. In the Middle Ages, Saint John’s wort
is traditionally burned on this day to repel evil
spirits and sorcery.
29th: In the English region of East Anglia, those who
continue to follow the ancient ways believe that
this is the prime day of the year to harvest herbs
for healing use. In the English village of Appleton,
a centuries-old Pagan tree-worship ritual known
as “Bawming the Thorn” takes place each year
on this day. Celebrants hang flowers and garlands
from the boughs of an ancient hawthorn tree.

July

3rd: On this day the Cherokee Indians (and other
Native American tribes) begin celebrating their
annual Green Corn Dance festival to honor the
maize goddess Selu and to give thanks for the
maize harvest.
7th: Consus, the Roman god of harvests, was commemorated
on this day by an annual festival
known as the Consualia. The Celtic tree month
of Oak (Duir) ends.
8th: Juno Caprotina, the goddess of the fig tree, was
venerated on this day by the annual Caprotina
festival. Feasts beneath fig trees were held in her
honor. The Celtic tree month of Holly (Tinne)
begins.
11th: Theano, wife of Pythagoras and the “patroness
of vegetarianism,” is honored on this day.
12th: On this day the Iroquois Nations begin celebrating
their annual Green Bean festival to give
thanks for the bean harvest.
14th: On this day in the year 1988, the first appearance
of crop circles on Silbury Hill in England
was recorded.
15th: Rowana, the goddess of the rowan tree, was honored
on this day by the Norse. The magickal
powers of rowan trees are believed by some to be
the greatest on this day, which is the reason many
Witches and Pagan folk traditionally make protective
amulets from rowan wood at this time.

August

1st: Lammas (also known as Lughnasadh), one of the
four major sabbats celebrated each year by
Witches and other Pagans, is observed on this
day. The traditional herbs associated with this
sabbat include: acacia flowers, aloes, cornstalks,
cyclamen, fenugreek, frankincense, heather, hollyhock,
myrtle, oak, sunflower, and wheat. As a
thanksgiving offering to the Goddess, many
Wiccans bake a loaf of corn bread and lay it upon
their altar.
4th: The Celtic tree month of Holly (Tinne) ends.
5th: The Celtic tree month of Hazel (Coll) begins.
7th: Gaia Consciousness Day honors Mother Earth
in ceremonies of healing and renewal. On this
day many Pagans throughout the world meditate
upon the Earth as a living entity.
13th: Sleeping with 13 leaves from an ash tree beneath
your pillow this night is said to induce dreams
of a prophetic nature.
19th: The ancient Romans celebrated the Rustic Vinalia
festival each year on this day to celebrate the grape
harvest and to honor Venus in her aspect as a
goddess of the grape vine.
20th: On this day in the year 1937, the U.S. House of
Representatives approved the “Marihuana Tax
Act” after engaging in only 90 seconds of debate.
23rd: Vertumnus, the ancient Roman god responsible
for changing the seasons and transforming flowers
into fruits, was honored on this day by an
annual festival known as the Vertumnalia.
25th: Ops, the ancient Roman goddess who presided
over sowing and reaping, was honored on this
day by an annual festival known as the Opiconsivia.
27th: Legend holds that every year on this day, the
anniversary of Saint John the Baptist’s death by
beheading, red spots mysteriously appear on the
leaves of the Saint John’s wort plant to symbolize
the saint’s spilled blood.

September

1st: The Celtic tree month of Hazel (Coll) ends.
2nd: The Celtic tree month of Vine (Muin) begins.
14th: According to folklore from the Middle Ages, every
year on this day the Devil roams the forests
in search of nuts.
22nd: The Autumn Equinox, one of the four minor (or
lesser) sabbats observed by Witches and other
Pagans, occurs approximately on this date each
year. The traditional herbs associated with this
sabbat include: acorns, asters, ferns, honeysuckle,
marigold, milkweed, mums, myrrh, oak, passionflower,
pine, roses, sage, Solomon’s seal, and
thistles.
29th: The Celtic tree month of Vine (Muin) ends.
30th: The Celtic tree month of Ivy (Gort) begins.

October

1st: On this day in the year 1937, the “Marihuana
Tax Act” took effect, thus beginning the prohibition
of marijuana that remains in place today.
11th: According to a centuries-old legend, bad luck
will befall anyone who picks or eats blackberries
on this day.
12th: Ameretat (one of the seven emanations of God,
said to be the creator and guardian of plants) is
honored on this day through the 16th by those
who follow the Zoroastrian tradition.
18th: On this day in the year 1616, astrologer and
herbalist Nicholas Culpepper was born.
22nd: The annual Day of the Willows festival was celebrated
on this day in the ancient Babylonian
calendar.
27th: The annual Feast of Osiris at Abydos is observed
on this day, paying homage to the Neter of vegetation
and offering thanks to him for all fruits of the
earth. The Celtic tree month of Ivy (Gort) ends.
28th: The Celtic tree month of Reed (Ngetal) begins.
31st: Halloween/Samhain Eve. The old Halloween
custom of placing a lit candle inside a hollowedout
pumpkin was at one time believed to ward
off demons and evil spirits who walked
the earth on this night. Sleeping with
an apple beneath the pillow on Halloween
night is an old Pagan method
to induce prophetic dreams of a future
marriage mate. Other Halloween divinations
involving plants include the throwing of
nuts into a fire to determine the faithfulness of
one’s lover, the tossing of hemp seeds over one’s
left shoulder in a churchyard while reciting a
special incantation to make a vision of one’s future
spouse appear, and the uprooting of a cabbage plant
while blindfolded to discover the physical attributes,
personality, and profession of one’s husband-
to-be.

November

1st: Samhain, one of the four major sabbats celebrated
each year by Witches and other Pagans, is observed
on this day. The traditional herbs associated
with this sabbat include: acorns, apples,
broom, deadly nightshade, dittany of Crete, ferns,
flax, fumitory, heather, heliotrope, mandrake,
mint, mullein, oak, sage, and straw.
11th: In Ireland, the annual Lunantishees festival is held
on this day to honor the spirits that inhabit and
watch over blackthorn trees, a plant sacred to the
fairy-folk. Irish folklore holds that it is extremely
unlucky for millers to grind corn on this day.
12th: This day begins the annual 4-day Buffalo Dances,
during which the Pueblo Indians of the American
Southwest offer thanks for the harvest.
16th: In the ancient Egyptian calendar, this day marks
the start of the spring sowing season.
24th: The Celtic tree month of Reed (Ngetal) ends.
25th: The Celtic tree month of Elder (Ruis) begins.

December

21st: The Winter Solstice, one of the four minor (or
lesser) sabbats observed by Witches and other
Pagans, occurs approximately on this date each
year. The traditional herbs associated with this
sabbat include: bay, bayberry, blessed thistle,
cedar, chamomile, evergreen, frankincense, holly,
ivy, juniper, mistletoe, moss, pine, rosemary, and
sage. Centuries ago, the annual Festival of Evergreen
Trees (a medieval version of Arbor Day) was
celebrated in Europe by the planting of evergreen
trees and the hanging of evergreen wreaths, which
symbolized eternal life.
22nd: The Celtic tree month of Elder (Ruis) ends.
23rd: In the old Celtic tree calendar, this day is known
as “The Secret of the Unhewn Stone.” It is the
one day of the year not ruled by a tree.
24th: Yule logs are traditionally burned on Christmas
Eve to ensure good health and good fortune
throughout the coming year. In addition, they
symbolize the union of the male and female aspects
of the Divine. It is said that to avoid bad
luck, holly must be picked before Christmas Eve
but not brought into the house prior to this day.
The Celtic tree month of Birch (Beth) begins.
25th: The traditional herbs of Christmas include: bayberry,
holly, ivy, mistletoe, pine, and poinsettia.
Kissing while standing beneath a sprig of mistletoe
is traditionally done for good luck. It some
parts of England it is believed that cutting mistletoe
on any day of the year other than Christmas
brings bad luck to one’s family and home.
28th: The Runic half-month of Eoh, which is symbolized
by the yew tree, begins on this day.

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