Rose (Rosa spp.): Venus, Water. Carry roses to attract true love. Drink a tea of rose petals for divinatory dreams. Add to charms and incenses for sleep, love and healing. To dream of roses is fortunate, foretelling success in love, unless the roses are white. Drink the tea to promote beauty without and within, and mix the petals with regular tea to attract love. It was once customary to hang a rose over a table to indicate that what was said there was kept confidential.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Sun, Fire. Use in protection charms, incenses and baths; used to be thought of as preventative against the plague. Wear to aid memory and learning. Is used in sea rituals and sea magick. Wash hands with rosemary infusion before performing magick, as a substitute for a ritual bath. Drink the tea before exams or interviews to make the mind alert. Can be made into a protection wreath; was used as one of the greens to decorate the house at Yule. In mediaeval times was worn at weddings, as it was linked with fidelity, love and happy memories; even today, rosemary is still worn at funeral rites and memorial services as a symbol of remembrance. In Britain, brides often wore a chaplet of rosemary, sometimes gilded, and wedding guests would carry small bunches of rosemary tied with coloured ribbons. Placed under the pillow, was supposed to ward off bad dreams. Smelling rosemary is supposed to keep a person merry, young and in good spirits; it is also symbolic of friendship. It is said that rosemary will only flourish in a home where the woman of the house is dominant; in fact, men were occasionally suspected of injuring healthy rosemary bushes so that they wouldn't be suspected of being hen-pecked!

Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia): Sun, Fire. Tie two twigs together with red thread as a general protection and luck charm. Use as a divining stick. The berries are used as a good luck amulet. A necklace of the berries can be used as a healing charm.

Rue (Ruta graveolens): Sun, Fire. Was once worn to guard against plague. Added to charms designed to keep illness away. The smell of the fresh herb clears the mind of emotional clutter. In mediaeval times rue was considered an antidote against all kinds of poisons; judges carried it as a precaution against jail fever. A sprig of rue can be dipped into water and used to sprinkle an area for magickal purification, and in mediaeval times holy water was sprinkled with rue sprigs in Christian churches before High Mass, leading to rue's nickname 'Herb of Grace'.

Saffron (Crocus sativus): Sun, Fire. Used in prosperity and healing rituals, charms and incenses.

Sage (Salvia officinalis): Jupiter, Earth. Used in healing and prosperity charms. Regarded as a great safeguard of health, and has a reputation for promoting longevity. Is supposed to grow best in the gardens of the wise, and was once thought to flourish or sicken as its grower's fortunes did likewise.

St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum): Sun, Fire. Used in protective charms of all kinds; it was supposed to be so protective that its mere presence would cause evil spirits to fly away. Wear to ward off fever and illness. Burn as a banishing or exorcism incense. Gather on Midsummer's Eve, pass through the smoke of bonfires to purify, and hang in the house as protection. Wear to instill courage and strengthen the will, and drink a tea of the herb to cure melancholy. Hang bunches of the herb over the bed or by the bedroom door to drive away nightmares.

Sandalwood (Santalum album): Moon, Air. Used in purifying, protective and healing incenses.

Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum): Also known as 'Lad's Love', as a small sprig was traditionally included in bouquets presented by young men to their sweethearts. Like Rue, southernwood was also employed as a charm against sickness.

Sunflower (Helianthus annus): Sun, Fire. Brings the blessings of the Sun into any garden in which it is grown. The seeds can be eaten by women who wish to conceive.

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare): The ancient Greeks thought that tansy would preserve dead bodies. Has also been used in love charms. Tansy cakes or Tansies, made from young tansy leaves and eggs, were once eaten at Easter in remembrance of the bitter herbs eaten by the Jews at Passover. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris): Venus, Air Burn as a purifying incense. Use in magickal cleansing baths. Inhale the scent for refreshment and renewed energy. Wear to protect oneself from negativity and grief at funerals. Is thought to inspire courage when worn, and ladies in mediaeval times would embroider a bee hovering over a sprig of thyme on the favours which they presented to their knights.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis): Mercury, Water. Use the herb in love charms and spells, and in purification baths. In mediaeval times valerian was supposed to calm people of angry disposition. Vanilla (Vanilla aromatica or Vanilla planifolia): Jupiter, Fire. The bean can be carried in a love charm, and the oil worn as an aphrodisiac.

Vervain (Verbena officinalis): Venus, Water A herb sacred to the Druids and used by the Romans as a ritual cleansing plant. Used in magical cleansing baths, purification incenses, safety amulets. Hang above the bed to keep away nightmares. Used in love and protection charms. Burn for a good purification incense. Use in prosperity charms. In incenses it brings good luck and inspiration. Vervain was once worn as a protective charm against headaches and snakebite, as well as for general good luck.

Violet (Viola tricolour): Venus, Water. Violets 'Mix with lavender for a powerful love charm. A violet compress can aid headaches. Carry the flowers as a good-luck charm. To dream of violets foretells a change for the better in the dreamer's circumstances. Violets are supposed to absorb ill-will and evil spells. The scent is said to soothe and clear the mind.

Walnut (Juglans regia): Sun, Fire. Carry the nut as a charm to promote fertility and strengthen the heart.

Willow (Salis alba): Moon, Water. Willow wands can be used for healing. The Willow will bring the blessings of the Moon upon those who plant it or have it on their property. Willows can be used to bind together witch's brooms.

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthum): Mars, Air. Was once burned to raise spirits. Used in divinatory and clairvoyance incenses. Burn on fires at Samhain to gain protection from roaiming spirits. Used in initiation rites and for tests of courage and endurance. Should not be used by those suffering from grief or shock, as it has affinity with the world of the dead; give to the dying to enable them to let go and find peace.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Venus, Water.. Used in love and marriage charms, and reputed to keep a couple together for seven years. Was once given to newlyweds as a charm. Wards off negativity when worn, although at one time it was considered one of the herbs dedicated to the devil (hence nicknames such as Devil's Nettle). Drink yarrow tea prior to divination to enhance the powers of perception. In ancient China yarrow had a reputation as a very spiritual plant, hence its use in casting the I Ching. Yarrow under the pillow of a single person was reputed to bring about a dream of the future spouse. One divination used by young women was to tickle the inside of the nose with a yarrow leaf while chanting: 'Yarroway, yarroway, bear a white blow / If my love love me, my nose will bleed now'. If the leaf brought on a nosebleed, it was taken as a sign that the lover was faithful.