Friday, August 1, 2008

Wiccan Cold Remedy

Many of the more unorthodox religions have no objection to people who attempt to perform spells and rituals which might be labeled as witchcraft. The fear of the witch in Europe and the American Colonies was great; surely the Salem Witch trials are a fine example of that. Often people who were accused of witchcraft were no more than healers, using herbal remedies, bits of half-remembered ritual, and whatever spells they could work to try to help people. Whether or not these spells actually worked is heatedly debated and has been for the last few centuries.
For the sake of argument let us say that magic is real. Many of these healing charms were collected when the Wiccan religion was developed in 1953. Wicca, though still considered magic and witchcraft in the western world, is a very moral religion. They state that the nature of the universe is one of reciprocity. For that reason it is paramount that one should never use magic to do harm as it will return to the spell caster multiplied. It also means that good works are well rewarded.

One such mutually beneficial spell is the Medicamentum Horrescere Dirimo. It's translated literally as the potion to stop shivers and is a very potent and safe cold remedy.
For this undertaking you will need liquorice root, cinnamon sticks, salt, water, soft brown sugar, a pan, measuring cups, a bottle with a cork, a spoon, a strainer, a stove, and a clock.
Begin by measuring out 3/4 cup of water into a pan and bringing it to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and put in a cinnamon stick, three tablespoons of sugar, and a teaspoon of table salt. Cook the mixture for ten minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the liquorice root to the pan to cook and stir the mixture counterclockwise for ten full minutes. While stirring, repeat the phrase: "Horrescere dirimo et cessare hodie" until the ten minutes are up. Phonetically it's pronounced: "Hor-ech-air-ay dur-ee-moe et says-are-ay hoe-dee-ay". The translation is: "Shivers stop and leave right now". If the remedy is for yourself then make sure to breath deeply from the steam that will rise from the pan. The smell is absolutely heavenly and does wonders to clear the throat and sinuses.

Add another three tablespoons of brown sugar to the pan. The liquorice root has powerful healing properties but can be acidic and therefore bitter. A positive mindset can be important when fighting an illness, so it's best not to disturb that with unpleasant sensations such as bad taste.

Strain the mixture out and pour it into a bottle, but let it cool to room temperature before corking it. As you strain out and pour the mixture, try to keep the person for whom the potion is meant at the forefront of your mind. Imagine a nexus of healing energy around the bottle, giving it a comforting glow.

Repeat the phrase: "Horrescere dirimo et cessare hodie" once before corking the bottle and once before taking each dose. take one teaspoonful in the morning and another before bed, repeating the phrase before putting the spoon in your mouth each time. The cold will disappear within three days.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If you were telling me about this face-to-face, I'd immediately ask, "So what's special about the Latin? Why wouldn't the English translation do just as well?"

So what is special about the Latin as part of the spell?

Regardless of your answer, it's obviously a good infection fighting and gunk-clearing mixture, on its own merit, and deserves to be remembered.