cunningcelt:potionslab:Creative Potion-MakingA few weeks ago, I shareda post by @cunningcelt regardi
cunningcelt:potionslab:Creative Potion-MakingA few weeks ago, I shareda post by @cunningcelt regarding the style of potion-making presented in The Dresden Files. (The link to hisoriginal post can be found in my WorksCited section below.) Although the series itself is classified as fiction,I am confident in saying that there are some sprinklings of truth scatteredabout. The post encouraged magical practitioners to step outside their comfortzones and use ingredients that one would not normally consider in typical potion-making.I made a mental note to explore this concept more in my own personal craft, andas I plunged the depth of my resources today, I stumbled across a potion in theBook of Magical Words thatexemplified this concept perfectly:To Bring RainSet upon rock, an iron pot, kindle beneath it a fire hot.Fill it half with water new, then add these to build the brew:An unbound rope, a bar of soap,A drop of oil, a pinch of soil, A buckthorn sprig, a maple twig,A broken bag, a tattered rag,A spoonful of salt, a rustedbolt.When these break to a boiling froth, brandish a hammer over the broth,Strike it thrice on the vessel’s side, calling these words to the weatherswide:Hither, cloud, and lose theyflood;Wither, drought, let rain comeout. Sprinkle the potion over the grass – that what you ask shall come topass.I thought this brew was simple,elegant, and devilishly enchanting, but I wanted to dissect the potion’sconstitution to see if I could extract the correspondences contained therein.My thoughts for each are noted below, but I’m always interested in learning howothers develop their own correspondences! Let me know if you’d interpretanything differently. Overall, the brew is sound and the correspondences makesense!Unbound Rope: If I remember my Greek mythology correctly, theybelieved that winds could be controlled by the tying or untying of knots. Therefore,the symbolism behind the unbound rope could be associated with the conjuring ofthe winds – definitely important in storm raising.A bar of soap: This one was a bit more challenging to interpret. Isuppose soap is cleaning, literally, and rain could “wash away” the negative,or perhaps the symbolism lies in the bubbles that arise – do they representclouds?A drop of oil, a pinch of soil: I can understand the soil – adding soilto water to create mud, which is result of a rainstorm. I am stumped on the oil– anyone have any thoughts??A broken bag: This symbolizes the breaking of a cloud – letting therain spill out.A tattered rag: This rhyme comes to mind: I knock this rag upon the stone to raise the winds in the Devil’s name….Another ingredient to raise winds.Buckthorn and Maple: Although these two are not typicallyassociated with rain or storm raising, Cunningham’sEncyclopedia of Magical Herbs states that Buckthorn is ruled by water andMaple is ruled by air. Both necessary for an effective storm. Salt: Purification, cleansing – another symbol similar to the soap.A rusted bolt: the reddish-brown coating occurs when iron or steelcomes into contact with oxygen and moisture – who hasn’t shouted a few cursewords over letting something accidentally rust in the rain!?The Hammer: Beating the hammer against the vessel, to me,symbolizes thunder!Works Cited:CunningCelt.(2016, May 07). Potions, by Harry Dresden. Retrieved June 20, 2016, from http://cunningcelt.tumblr.com/post/143987701145/potions-by-harry-dresdenCunningham,S. (1985). Cunningham’s encyclopedia of magical herbs. St. Paul, MN:Llewellyn Publications.Worth,V., & Worth, V. (1999). Crone’s book of magical words. St. Paul, MN:Llewellyn Publications. First of all, I am quite thrilled to be cited by you! I’m a big fan of your blog.Secondly, this is really beautifully thought out, and I agree with your reasoning. Perhaps the “drop of oil” is utilising the practical application of oil and water separating. If you mix oil and water in the same glass the water will sink to the bottom; the symbolism for this spell would then be the oil separating the water from air, pushing it down to the earth? -- source link
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