a spell to call a lost weed/plant

last year, having already encountered many of my familiar friends, including red clover, plantain, and of course, dandelion, i found myself lamenting to a good friend about my unsuccessful attempts to locate stinging nettle in the wilds of my hometown woods. her seemingly simple suggestion to 'call her' made me smile. soon after, i took her advice, and along with another friend, called her. we used her common and botanical names, (urtica dioica) not being sure which she prefers....towards the end of last summer, i noticed a few odd sprouts in a container of soil. they looked familiar....they WERE familiar.....nettle!

and now, after an especially wintery winter (for those of us living below the mason-dixon line anyway) ...look who's back in abundant glory!



#1 in our SPELL A DAY series
(more on our inspiration for this project in another post! in the meantime, see noah scalin's skull-a-day blog)

to call a lost weed/plant:

supplies:
your voice
common & botanical names of the weed/plant
paper (optional)
a writing instrument(optional)
a green candle, white is also fine (optional)
something sharp and pointy (a straightened paperclip?)(optional)

steps 1-3 & 6 are optional:
1. inscribe the names of the weed/plant into the candle
2. light the candle and set in a safe place
3. write down the names of the weed/plant
4. be sure to see the plant as clearly as you can in your mind's eye
5. call the names of the weed/plant out loud. yes, for real. make up a song!
6. bury the name paper in soil (your yard or a park)
7. give thanks!