Herbe of Protection...Herbe of Purification...Magickal Herbe...Religious Herbe <o:p></o:p>

Invocatory: Hades, Mintha <o:p></o:p>

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LORE: <o:p></o:p>

Mints play an important role in our lives. Although we may prefer spearmint, peppermint or others of the mint family, we can find lore which applies to mints in general due to the very nature of mint. If you leave the different varieties alone in your garden, they will crossbreed until you have a generic garden mint. <o:p></o:p>

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Described as one of the herbes used by Solomon when aspurging his temple, mints are believed sacred to the goddess Mintha. How did she become a goddess? <o:p></o:p>

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Hades was the god of the Underworld. Not the most popular place of deities to visit, Hades was feeling lonely and, most likely, sexually unsatisfied. Anxious to help his brother, Zeus offered Persephone as a bride. Persephone was the daughter of Zeus had fathered with Demeter. Incidentally, Demeter was also Zeus' sister which means......Anyway, Hades and Persephone did not quite live happily ever after. Hades was not the most faithful husband and the lovely Mintha caught his eye. To protect her marriage against Hades' rampant hormones, Persephone turned the beautiful nymph Mintha into the mint plant. <o:p></o:p>

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USAGE: <o:p></o:p>

Generally, the scent of a mint brings a sense of pleasure, denoting success and bringing an aura of protection. Perhaps, without realizing it, this may be the reason mint seems to be the most common herbal flavoring found in toothpaste, medicines, candies, and numerous other commercial concotions. Mint was woven into the laurels that the ancient Romans used to crown themselves and give their heroes at great feasts and celebrations. Mint may be given not only to celebrate success but also to invoke success. <o:p></o:p>

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Mints are excellent herbes, for blessing one's home. It can be bundled with other herbs, dipped into blessed water, and used to aspurge away all previous energy and bring purification. <o:p></o:p>

There are three chief species of mint in cultivation and general use: Spearmint (Mentha viridis), Peppermint (M. piperita), and Pennyroyal (M. pulegium), the first being the one ordinarily used for cooking. <o:p></o:p>

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The various species of mint have much in common and have all been held in high medical repute. Dr. Westmacott, the author of a work on plants published in 1694, mentioning the different kinds of mint, states that they are well known to: <o:p></o:p>

'the young Botanists and Herb Women belonging to Apothecarys' shops.... <o:p></o:p>

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In the shops are <o:p></o:p>

1.     The dry Herbs. <o:p></o:p>

2.     Mint Water. <o:p></o:p>

3.     Spirit of Mints. <o:p></o:p>

4.     Syrup of Mints. <o:p></o:p>

5.     The Conserve of the Leaves.<o:p></o:p>

6.     The Simple Oyl. <o:p></o:p>

7.     The Chemical Oyl.' <o:p></o:p>

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He says 'the Mints have a biting, aromatick bitterish Sapor with a strong fragrant Smell abounding with a pungent Volatile Salt and a Subtil Sulphur which destroyeth Acids, and herein doth lodge the Causation of such medicinal Virtues in this Herb and others of the like Nature.' <o:p></o:p>

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All the Mints yield fragrant oils by distillation. <o:p></o:p>

Spearmint <o:p></o:p>

Peppermint <o:p></o:p>

Mint, Wild <o:p></o:p>

Mint, Corn <o:p></o:p>

Mint, Wild Water <o:p></o:p>

Mint, Curled <o:p></o:p>

Mint, Bergamot <o:p></o:p>

Mint, Round-Leaved <o:p></o:p>

Horsemint<o:p></o:p>

Horsemint, American <o:p></o:p>

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From "A Modern Herbal" and Full Moon Paradise<o:p></o:p>

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What is Mint? <o:p></o:p>

Scientific and medicinal info<o:p></o:p>

There are a number of mint varieties, such as: peppermint, spearmint, lemon mint, apple mint and even chocolate mint. Each one is named for its distinctive smell. Mints like moist, rich soils and are cultivated indoors and out all over the world. The plants are perennial, and have pink cone-shaped flowers. The active component in all mints is menthol, which is often used in aromatherapy to combat headaches and fatigue. Spearmint is a little milder than peppermint when used this way. As an herbal tea, mint is well known to ease an upset or nauseous stomach.<o:p></o:p>

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Also Known As .... <o:p></o:p>

Other names<o:p></o:p>

Spearmint: Mentha spicata
Peppermint: Mentha piperita<o:p></o:p>

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Magickal Properties <o:p></o:p>

Using mint in rituals<o:p></o:p>

As mentioned above, there are many different varieties of mint, and they also have unique magickal properties. I think the two most common ones are spearmint and peppermint. Because they are so similar, much of the information available is mixed between the two and can be difficult to get a solid idea of which correspondences go with which variety. <o:p></o:p>

Magickally, mint is used for healing and protection. Travel spells often include mint as well. Its association with Venus makes mint a traditional aphrodesiac, and I have always had success using mint in prosperity magick. <o:p></o:p>

The name Mentha comes from the Greek nymph of the same name. Mentha was pursued by the God of the Underworld, Pluto. But his wife, Persephone was jealous of her. She turned Mentha into a plant so that she could stomp on her. Pluto could not undo the magick, but instead gave Mentha a lovely scent.<o:p></o:p>

More Correspondences <o:p></o:p>

Other properties<o:p></o:p>

Planet: Venus
Element: Water (spearmint) and Air (peppermint)
Deities: Hecate<o:p></o:p>

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Related Information <o:p></o:p>

Further reading<o:p></o:p>

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�?More Herbal Corresonpondences
�?More on Herbs in Magick
�?Kitchen Witches
�?Recipes and Cooking<o:p></o:p>

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Disclaimer:<o:p></o:p>

No information within this newsletter should be considered medical advice. Please do further research or check with a physician before using any of these herbs in a medical fashion.<o:p></o:p>