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Basil

NAME
Basil, Witches' Herb, is also called Albahaca (Spanish), American Dittany, Basilico (Italian), Basileus (Greek), Erba Reale (Italian), Garden Basil, Herb of Kings, Herbe Royale (French), Egyptian Basil, King of Herbs, Rayhan (Arabic), Spice Basil, Sweet Basil, and Vasilikos (Greek). Holy Communion Basil and St. Josephwort or St. Joseph's Wort are Christian names for it. Basil meant 'Good luck', 'Good wishes', 'Hatred', 'Poverty', and 'Love washed with tears' in the old Language of Flowers.
 In botany it is Ocimum, aromatic herbs of the mint family. There are over thirty varieties of basil. They vary in size, shape, color, and bloom with aromatic white or purple flowers. Some of the varieties have wavy, crimped, or compact leaves. Basil thrives in hot, dry climates. The varieties most often used are Ocimum basilicum, Common Basil, and Ocimum minimum, Dwarf Basil.
 Common Basil is a bushy aromatic herb with square, branching stems that grows to 2 feet. The bright, shiny, veined oval leaves may be green or purplish. It blooms from June to September with whorls of creamy-white flowers. Native to India and Iran, it is now cultivated all over the world.
 Dwarf Basil, also called Bush Basil, is an annual herb with green or purple leaves that grows to one foot. It blooms with white flowers.

MYTH and LORE
 Basil is associated with kings because its fragrance is considered royal. Pious souls in Zoroasterís heaven were perfumed with sweet basil.

HISTORY
 Basil was traditionally grown in memory of departed loved ones. It was used in funeral wreaths by the ancient Egyptians, and planted on graves in Egypt, Iran, and Malaysia. Ancient Greeks believed that basil had sinister powers. Only the king was permitted to touch it. It was associated with poverty, hatred, and misfortune by the Greeks and Romans. They  believed that it would flourish only in places where abuse existed. Cretans considered basil a bad omen, but it was used as a love token in parts of Italy. Basil was chewed by Fang tribes in Africa to prepare for ritual ceremonies. Departing guests in Tudor England were gifted with pots of basil.

CORRESPONDENCES
Jupiter/Mars/Neptune/Venus/Fire/Saturday/Male/Aries/Scorpio
 Animal: scorpion
 Goddess: Aradia, Erzulie, Mary, Pales
 God: Ares, Jupiter, Loki, Mars, Obatala, Ochosi, Ogun, Set, Vishnu
 Evocation: St. Joseph

USES
 One way to understand and appreciate an herb is to know what it can do. Basil can be used for astral projection, balance, banishing, clairvoyance, commanding, divination, uncrossing, angel magick, defensive magick, and Fire spells/magick. It can also be used for workings that relate to abuse, assertiveness, concentration, confidence, courage, decisiveness, defense, discipline, fertility, fidelity, happiness, harmony, hatred, healing, honesty, initiation (as incense), integration, integrity, love, loving, mindfulness, misfortune, money, peace, poverty, prosperity (especially with benzoin), protection, purification (in bath), regeneration, release, riches, spells, strength, success, sympathy, trust, wealth, witchcraft, yang, zeal, bad luck, best wishes, clear mind, dragon energy, emotional clarity, good luck, good wishes, happy family, healthy relationships, mental energy, mental stimulation, peaceful home, psychic development, psychic power(s), restful sleep (with thyme), sorrowful love, and warm friendship.
 Basil can also be used to cheer, aid negotiations, avert evil, banish negativity, break spells, ease grief, encourage lust, improve memory, make decisions, overcome addiction, prevent conflicts (worn), release sorrow, relieve stress, stimulate memory, clear the mind, develop psychic ability, heal a relationship, honor the dead, maintain male fidelity (especially by partner sprinkling his/her upper body with powdered basil), protect against evil, raise the spirit, remember the dead, stimulate the mind, avert evil or negativity, banish the evil eye, deal with sexual issues, overcome/release/remove hexes, protect against evil entities (as incense), break/end/overcome bad habits, find a path to money, fulfill/realize/satisfy/manifest desires, stop petty arguments in couples, attract good luck to the household, attract business, fidelity, harmony, love, money, wealth, good fortune, or good luck; and attract good luck or spiritual blessings to the home.
 As a charm to attract money, carry basil in your pocket or handbag, or sprinkle dried basil in your wallet. To strengthen intent, burn basil incense or sprinkle yourself with powdered basil when stating your magickal intention. Despite all its positive qualities, basil is considered a negative omen.
 In the body, basil can be used for workings that are related to bladder, breast-feeding, colic, constipation, cough, diarrhea, headache, nausea, stomach ache, bladder disease/infection, sense of smell, and stomach diseases/problems. Basil can also be used to improve depression, increase lactation, calm the nerves, clear the brain, protect against fever, purify the intestines, reduce/ relieve fatigue, and stimulate the circulatory system. According to Culpepper, "It ... helps the deficiency of Venus in one kind, so it spoils all her actions in another. I dare write no more of it."

OTHER USES
 Basil is a kitchen herb that can be used fresh or dried. It is important in Italian cuisine, used dried in things such as salads, sauces, and stews, and fresh in dishes such as pesto. Basil can also be preserved in oil, vinegar, or salt. Basil vinegar can be made by putting a sprig of basil in a bottle of white wine and exposing it to the sun for three weeks. It will keep for about a year, if the sprigs are regularly replaced. The flowers are also edible.
 Basil leaves yield an essential oil, but Oil of Basil should not be used during pregnancy. It is used commercially to scent perfume and flavor liqueur. It is a bee plant, but repels other insects. Dried basil can be used in dream pillows, potpourri, and sachets.

WHEEL OF THE YEAR
 Basil is appropriate for the sabbats Imbolc, Ostara, Midsummer, and Samhain. Snails with basil are a traditional dish of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

HOLY BASIL
 Holy Basil, Queen of Herbs, is also called Ajaka, Baranda, Brinda, Courtyard Plant, Elixir of Life, Incomparable One, Indian Basil, Kemangen, Kemanjen Manjari, Sacred Basil, and Sacred Purple Basil. Hindu names for it include Krishnamul, Thulasi, Thulsi, Tolu, Tulasi, Tulshi, Tulsi, Tulsi Chajadha, Tulsideva or Tulsi Deva, and Vishnu Priya. In botany it has several names: Ocimum tenuiflorum, Ocimum sanctum, and the old name Ocimum basilicum sanctum.
 Holy basil is a heavily aromatic branching annual herb whose rounded leaves are dotted with glands. It is native to Asia, blooms with small clusters of reddish-purple flowers, and produces small fruits that contain reddish-yellow seeds.
MYTH and LORE
 In Hinduism, this is the sacred plant of Vishnu. Krishna Tulsi, a dark red or purplish variety (also called Dark Tulsi, Manjari Tulsi, Red Holy Basil, and Shyama Tulsi) is sacred to his avatar Krishna. It is especially revered by Brahmins. Rama Tulsi, a light green variety (also called Light Tulsi, Green Holy Basil, and Sri Rama Tulsi) is sacred to his avatar Rama.
 Different Hindu traditions regard holy basil as a goddess or a plant deva. She has many names, such as Tulasi, Tulsi, Vrinda, Vrindadevi, Vrindavani, Tulasi Devi, Srimata Tulasi Devi, and Srimata Vrinda Devi. Some consider Vrinda an aspect of Lakshmi.
 Hindu mythology provides several origins for holy basil, often associating it with the wives, consorts, or female devotees  of Vishnu and his avatars. In one myth, Lakshmi was metamorphosed into holy basil when she was cursed by her sister. Sarasvati cursed her because Lakshmi wanted to replace her as Vishnuís wife. Vishnu altered the curse so that Lakshmi would only remain on earth in the form of holy basil until the sacred Gandaki river flowed from her body. He took the form of a stone and vowed to wait for her beside the river until that happened.
 The stone whose form he took was a shaligram sila (also spelled sheela and shila). These are smooth, spherical, usually blackish ammonite fossils that are found in the Gandaki river. Vishnavist Hindus, those devoted to Vishnu, venerate holy basil and sila stones together, as representatives of Lakshmi and Vishnu.
 In another myth it was Lakshmiís younger sister Tulsi who wanted to marry Vishnu, and Lakshmi who cursed and metamorphosed her into holy basil. Vishnu took the form of a sila stone in order to remain close to Tulsi. There is also a myth in which Tulsi was a gopi who loved Krishna, and it was his consort Radha who cursed and metamorphosed her. Srimati Tulasi Devi is said to be Krishnaís eternal servant, who took the form of holy bail to enter our material world.
 In a different myth, Tulsi was married to a demon king. She prayed to Vishnu to protect her husband, and this prevented the gods from defeating the demon. The other deities protested to Vishnu about this. He took the form of the demon king and slept with Tulsi, who thought he was her husband. When she discovered the deception after he husbandís death, Tulsi cursed Vishnu and metamorphosed him into a shaligram stone. She then collapsed and holy basil sprang from her body.
 In yet another myth, Tulsi was an impoverished mortal woman who was shunned by society because she had been accused of infidelity. She sought refuge in Vishnuís abode, Vaikuntha, because she was homeless. Lakshmi denied her entry so Tulsi settled to wait outside, in the courtyard. She waited there so long that she took root, and became a fragrant herb. Vishnu was so impressed with Tulsiís patient devotion that he commanded that she be honored ever after.
 From this myth came the custom of placing containers of holy basil in the courtyards of Hindu homes. A tulsi katte is a square structure, usually ceramic, upon which a potted holy basil can sit. Beneath that surface is a niche where an oil lamp (or candle) can burn. The tulsi katte may be decorated with images of deities on its sides. A tulsi-vrindavan (also called a tulsi-van) is a miniature garden of up to one dozen holy basil plants. They may be planted outdoors, in the earth, or grown in pots in a place such as a verandah or courtyard.
 In Christian mythology, holy basil grew in the place where Jesus was crucified. Holy basil is also said to have grown around the tomb from which he was resurrected.
 Krishna is often depicted with holy basil at his feet. It is said that holy basil will only thrive in the homes of those who are sincerely devoted to Krishna or Vishnu.
HISTORY
 Holy basil is held so sacred by Hindus that some Indians apologize to it before cutting it. It is frequently planted around Hindu homes, shrines, and temples. Many Hindus grow holy basil as a house plant. Its presence in or around the home is said to indicate how religious a Hindu family is. A Vishnavist home is considered incomplete without holy basil.
 Vishnu puja, the worship of Vishnu at home, is considered incomplete without holy basil leaves. Venerating holy basil in the morning, by watering it, and in the evening, by lighting an oil lamp before it, is an offering to Vishnu. A garland of holy basil leaves is another traditional offering to Vishnu. Krishna is said to reject any food offering that does not include holy basil leaves. Holy basil should never be offered to Lakshmi or Shiva.
CORRESPONDENCES
 Goddess: Dharani, Lakshmi, Radha, Tulsi, Vrinda
 God: Krishna, Rama, Vishnu
USES
 Holy basil is a sacred, auspicious herb. Simply circumnavigating, planting, seeing, touching, bowing to, praying to, hearing or thinking about it attracts blessings and grants eternal life in the abode of Vishnu. It can be used for workings that are related to blessings, devotion, harmony, longevity, purity, serenity, good luck, profound love, the sacred, and transition to the afterlife. It can also be used to attract blessings, consecrate holy water, and to protect against evil or misfortune.
 Watering holy basil is said to end fear of death. To ease the transition to the next life, Hindus lay branches of it on bodies, or place a leaf of it on the bodyís breast, before cremation. Holy basil, especially Rama Tulsi, is also used in Ayurvedic medicine.
 In India its woody roots and stems are used to make japa mala, prayer beads. They usually contain 108 beads and are used for chanting, and in meditation. Wearing the beads as a necklace is said to banish diseases, reduce problems, and regulate blood pressure. Two or three strands of them may be worn together as a mark of devotion to Vishnu. The prayer beads are sold at shrines, temples, and other pilgrimage sites in India.
 A holy basil leaf is a perfect offering to Vishnu. In some Hindu traditions it is best offered to him with a conch shell and a shaligram sila. Maintaining those three things in one place, such as on the home altar, endears one to Vishnu. Separating holy basil leaves from the shaligram sila, or venerating the stone without offering holy basil leaves along with it, is said to prevent you from being with your spouse when you are reincarnated. Offering holy basil without a conch shell is said to prevent your reunion for seven incarnations, and to inflict you with disease. Places that are overgrown with holy basil are ideal for contemplation and meditation. Manjaris, its flower stalks, can be used the same way as the leaves. Holy basil also averts flies and mosquitos.
 When grown at home, holy basil should be cared for with reverence. Like any plant it needs sufficient sunlight and water, but chemical sprays must not be used on it. Leaves should only be taken from it to use as offerings. Drooping leaves should be collected first, then those the plant sheds naturally. The plant should be allowed to grow large before many leaves are harvested from it. The wood should be used for carving beads. Any wood that cannot be carved into beads should be buried, or put into a river.
 Tulsi puja, the formal worship of the plant, should be performed every morning and evening. Circumnabulation, flowers, incense, water, and the lighting of an oil lamp are correct offerings to holy basil. Other offerings include moonstones or jewelry, placed on its soil. Aratrika, the ritual circular movement of a flame, can also be  performed twice before it, in the presence of a burning oil lamp.
WHEEL OF THE YEAR
 Hindus celebrate the marriage of Tulsi and Vishnu (or of Tulsi and Krishna) in October or November each year. A holy basil in the tulsi katte or tulsi vrindavan is dressed like a bride, and a structure is placed over it. It may be made of flowers, sugarcanes, mango leaves, and branches of amla and tamarind trees, or decorated with those things. Clay oil lamps are placed around it, as well as in and around the home.
 Tulsi Puja is performed after sunset, after the oil lamps are lit. The ritual marriage performed, using a small statue of the god and the holy basil that is dressed like a bride.