I chose to look into Rosemary a bit.
I must confess that when I look up mystical associations for things like herbs and crystals in some sense I find more disappointments than anything. By that I simply mean that if you search enough websites you find someone associating a particular herb or crystal with just about anything. So it can sometimes seem like 'anything goes'. Which in some sense is ok, but in another sense it's almost like saying there is no real connection at all, just whatever you feel like making up.
Anyway without getting too carried away here's some information I've found about Rosemary.
Rosemary can be grown indoors during the winter months. However, the following things should be taken into consideration:
Some Varieties of Rosemary
First, chose a small compact variety. Two that I found listed specifically for indoor pots are "Blue Boy" or "Golden Rain". They both grow small and compact. The "Blue Boy" will stand up straight and sturdy (similar to the photo above). The Golden Rain, will "droop" or "weep" down over the edges of the pot. Both plants are completely edible, leaves, stems and flowers. The Blue Boy will get blue flowers, the Golden Rain produces Gold color flowers. Other verities come in pink and white flowers. Beware of the "Cooking" varieties for growing indoors. While they are great for use in cooking they are also very large plants that are better grown outdoors. Some examples of the "Cooking" varieties are 'Miss Jessup', 'Tuscan Blue' and 'Spice Island'. These are all supposed to be especially spicy and large. But not good for indoor plants.
Practical Growing Tips:
It's best to start with nursery plants, or cuttings. Rosemary supposedly does well as cuttings. Just start the cuttings in water until they start too root and then transplant into the pot. Starting with seeds is not recommended as seeds are difficult to start and often do not produce good plants.
The soil in the pot should be well drained. Rosemary likes a dry environment and prefers warm circulating air. They do well when kept near a heat source. They can take quite a bit of heat and like the dry air. If kept in a place with stagnant moist air they will be prone to mildew and spider mites.
So the keys are good drainage, air circulation, and lots of light. In winter additional indoor lighting will be required.
Magick Associations
Well, this is where it gets questionable. Glancing over a lot of websites superficially the following associations seem to be commonly referenced:
Love & Relationships - Rosemary is associated quite often with love spells, healthy relationships, loyalty, devotion, and sincerity. It's also associated with funerals, but probably for these same reasons, since a funeral is actually marking the end of one relationship (with the physical world) and the beginning of a new relationship (with the spiritual world).
Protection - Rosemary is also associated with protection. But this seems to stem from the Love aspect mentioned previously. Rosemary burned as incense will put loving vibrations in the sacred space thus simultaneously displacing and neutralizing any vibrations that are not loving. So it can be use both, as a smudging herb to ward off unloving vibrations, and as a method of filling the space with loving vibrations. Rosemary is also quite aromatic on it's own so even just setting the plant in the center of a dinner table will bring a loving aura to the table.
Psychic Powers - Many sites also recognize that Rosemary enhances brain activity, including memory functions, as well as enhancing visualization and psychic communiqué. Rosemary is used in necromancy rituals and séances to aid in communication with ancestral spirits. (probably also partly due to its strong association with relationships, loyalty, and devotion mentioned above as well). So it doubles as a psychic enhancing herb as well as being associated with "good spirits". (love and loyalty)
Chakra Associations
I kept an eye out for chakra associations since this is of specific interest for me. I found three chakra associations. In the following order (based on how many sites made a particular association).
Brow Chakra - Most of the sites I visited seem to associate Rosemary with the brow chakra most often. Probably due to the things listed under "Psychic Powers" above. Enhancement of memory, brain activity in general, and visualization powers (including more lucid dreams or shamanic journeys).
Sacral Chakra - Quite a few sites associate Rosemary with the sacral chakra, no doubt due to the herb's connection with the primal feelings of romantic love and desire for an intimate relationship.
Solar Plexus Chakra - A couple sites associated Rosemary with the Solar Plexus which is probably also due to the devotional aspects of Rosemary. Devotion, loyally, sincerity and so forth. These would all be consciousnesses associated with the Solar Plexus (Hod and Netzach)
So I think I'm going to give Rosemary a shot as my "Brow Chakra herb". At least for this winter anyway. So now owl have to find a plant or cutting somewhere of an 'indoor variety'.
