While some of the health claims sound a bit fantastical, sage, like most culinary herbs, contains aromatic oils which have been found to affect the body in healing ways. Sage seems to aid in digestion, which accounts for its being paired with heavy meats or oily fishes; the problem and the cure all in one. For years sage has been used in the preserving of foods. Now it is known that it contains powerful antioxidants which slow spoilage. Sage is also antibacterial in nature It is effective in treating sore throats and is even effective as an antiperspirant. Given all of these attributes, you can understand why herb expert Varro Taylor, Ph.D., wrote: "If one consults enough herbals...every sickness known to humanity will be listed as being cured by sage."

Sage's usefulness goes beyond the confines of the medicine cabinet and the kitchen. Because of its aromatic oils, it is frequently used in making soaps and perfumes. Native Americans utilize sage for spiritual purification ceremonies in the form of smudge sticks. These are branches of white sage (Salvia apiana) which have been cut into lengths about one foot long, bound together and dried. For the ceremony, they are lit and left to smolder, producing a rich, aromatic smoke.

Tarragon was used by the ancient Greeks as a remedy for toothache. Today we know that tarragon contains an anesthetic chemical, eugenol, which is the major constituent of anesthetic clove oil, making its use for temporary pain relief understandable. During medieval times there was a belief, called the Doctrine of Signatures, which stated that an herb's appearance revealed its medicinal value. According to this philosophy, tarragon was thought to cure snake bites, due to the serpentine shape of its roots. Even tarragon's species name, dracunculus, comes from the Latin for dragon, again referring to the shape of its root, and adding to the myth of curing bites from venomous beasts and mad dogs.

French tarragon's generic name, Artemisia, comes from the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of the moon. Many of the plants in that family, Dusty Miller and Sagebush for example, have a soft, silvery color, as if bathed in moonbeams. The common name, tarragon, is thought to be a corruption of the Arabic word "tarkhum" meaning little dragon.

Although tarragon is most closely associated with French and European cuisine, it was not cultivated in Europe until the late 1500's, when the Tudor family introduced it into the royal gardens, from its origins in Siberia. Later, when the colonists settled in America, they brought along tarragon for their kitchen gardens, along with burnett to flavor ale, horehound for cough syrup and chamomile for soothing tea and insect repellent.

Fill one jar with the following:

Cinnamon [for dream magick]
Nutmeg [for good luck]
Allspice [healing]
Ginger [lunar magick]
Basil [protection]
Fennel seeds [spiritual healing]
Garlic [spiritual purification]
Marjaram [protection]
Sage [spiritual purification]
Cloves [protection]
Mustard seed [protection]

Before you do any scrying-of any kind-inhale the scent deeply and shake the jar gently.