Spanish Moss

There's an old, old legend, that's whispered by Southern folks,
About the lacy Spanish moss that garlands the great oaks--
A lovely princess and her love, upon their wedding day,
Were struck down by a savage foe amidst a bitter fray;
United in death they were buried, so the legends go--
'Neath an oak's strong, friendly arms, protected from their foe;
There, as was the custom, they cut the bride's long hair with love,
And hung its shining blackness on the spreading oak above;
Untouched, undisturbed, it hung there, for all the world to see
And with the years the locks turned grey, and spread from tree to tree

Ah, Spanish Moss. This eerily beautiful hanging fixture of southern culture is full of mystery and a deeply imbedded part of the south’s rich history and an important part of any southern witch’s arsenal.

Down here in Savannah you can’t go anywhere without seeing majestic oaks or towering cypresses  laden with what appears to be  gray frosting.  Called by many names such as, Old Man’s Beard, Devil’s Beard, Old Man Moss, White Beard and Spanish Beard; Or every once in a while Florida Crape or Wool Crape. Tillandsia usneoides is not actually a moss! Niether is this “moss” a parasite. It is instead an epiphyte which absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. While it rarely kills the trees, it lowers their growth rate by reducing the amount of light to a tree's own leaves. Still it’s pretty …and… useful, so we will forgive it that sometimes death to the host tree thing. This time………Anyways. Spanish Moss can be found not only gracing southern trees.  This stringy gray plant can be found anywhere it’s warm. From the Caribbean to the Hawaii islands, to all the way to the land down under Australia! Spanish moss seems to get  around!

Spanish Moss and Magick!

How to use this versatile plant in magickal workings.

Or

Or what in the name of the Lord and Lady do I do with this stuff?

Before you can start working with Spanish moss you have to actually get your hands on some. Which in some cases will be easier said than done.  

What?

 Do you think You can just go outside and you’ll find some just lying on the ground?

Or growing on a nearby tree? Just waiting for you to come take some?

(Umm Excuse me, Ms. Tk?)

Me- (What?)

(Spanish Moss does in fact grow on trees. And you can find in laying on the ground)

Me- (What? I mean of course it grows on trees. I was just testing you. * Grumble grumble*)

 You can find Spanish Moss in a number of places, Such as outside on a tree, at your local craft store, or through the power of the internet. Where you can find it for sale from as little as $1.00 to around $40.00 or so.

((A word of caution . If you live somewhere where you can just walk outside and grab up a handful you need to be careful of the deadly red bugs (Also called chiggers)! Well ….they’re really not deadly, but they will make you itch your brains out.  If you chose to go the foraging route, have no fear! Just wear some gloves and bake your moss on a pan in the oven at 250 for two hours or more. And this will be sure to banish any moss dwelling critters. ))

Now that you have your moss, you may be asking what kind of witchey goodness can you come up for it. In Hoodoo and the like practices, Spanish moss is used to fill poppet dolls, used in gris gris bags, and all kinds of not nice charms.  However, I’m a huge fan of sympathy magick.  Here are a few ways I personally use the wonderful plant.  

One way I use Spanish moss is to use it absorb things.  Spanish Moss can absorb water up to ten times its dry weight! Keeping that in mind, I use Spanish moss in my witch bottles, and in any binding spells that I do.  I’ve also used it in some crochet spell work that I’ve done.  My grandmother used to sew a bit of moss into my school backpacks as a child, for protection and “to soak up any mean things anyone had to say or bad thought that they’d cared to have” .  Got to love old southern women adages.  

Here is a simple little spell to help negate negative influences.

You’ll need the following:

A small bit of Spanish moss (baked in the oven at 250 for 2 hours if found outside)

Small container with a lid. (the little glass bottles or wooden boxes at Michael’s or hobby lobby work great!)

Dried or fresh rosemary or sage (or any other purifying herb you have on hand)

Paper

Something to write with

Scissors

Directions:

Take your paper and write either the feeling  or situation your having trouble overcoming or getting away from. This could be the name of the person you’re getting negativity from or a word that you’ve chosen that represents the situation.

Next take some of your chosen herb and place some in your container.

Next Take the scissors and cut as much of the blank paper away as you can.

Roll or fold your remaining paper with your word written on it small enough to fit in your container.

Then take your folded/rolled paper and rap it with the moss. Imagine as you do so that the moss is sucking up all the negative energy that comes from what the word represents.

Next place your bundle of moss and paper inside of your container.

Sprinkle some more herb on top of the bundle and close the lid.

You can either place the closed container somewhere on a shelf and leave it there or bury it somewhere on your property. Either way your situation will now get better as the moss absorbs all the nastiness.

Legends about Spanish Moss

A freind of mine over at http://thenewpagancouple.wordpress.com/ had this share about Spanish Moss, 

There is an old tale that we used to tell back home. Long ago, when the Spanish first came to the Americas, one of the conquistadors became infatuated with a young Native girl. At first he would just admire her from afar or maybe try to teach her some Spanish but soon he wanted more. Now the girl found the conquistador repulsive because he was large, light skinned and had this great long grey beard. One day the man came to the girl and tried to take her by force, so she ran and the man followed suite. The girl ran and ran until at last she came to a huge oak tree that she had climbed often and she took refuge in it branches. The man tried to follow her up the tree but the tree had other plans. Soon the branches were slapping him in the face, breaking under his weight and grabbing at his beard. The man gave up and went to jump from down from the tree and as he did his beard caught on a branch, tore off and was left hanging there.
To this day his beard grows in the trees to show how the trees help those in need.

Here is another great local legend about Spanish Moss!

Over in Savannah, Georgia, there lived a Wicked Man. Everybody feared him – he’d get neighbors fighting against one another (oh, he loved that!), he’d tie tin cans to the tails of cats, put poisonous things in children’s food. He even beat his wife and dog.

Nobody liked him – except the Devil, of course. ‘Cause you know how the Devil likes evil people. So that Wicked Man was right surprised when he was walking down the street one day, and he felt a presence behind him. He turned and looked, and there he saw the long arm of the Devil himself reaching out for him. The Wicked Man said, “Whoa! Mister Devil, you’re not comin’ for me, are ya’?”

The Devil said, “Well, I reckon I am! You’ve been here a long time!”

The Wicked Man said, “Oh, Mister Devil, I got so much meanness left in me. Could you let me stay here just a little bit longer? C’mon, please?”

Well, the Devil was a little bit reluctant to take him back down anyway. So he said, “Alright, I’ll let you stay here a little bit longer.”

Then the Wicked Man said, “Oh, Mister Devil – just one more thing. I know it’s askin’ a lot of ya’, but next time, could you not sneak up on me like that? Could you give me a sign first? Something I could see? Something I could hear?”

The Devil said, “Alright, no problem – it’s a deal.” And he went back down.

Then that Wicked Man got a big ol’ grin on his face. You see, he wasn’t only just as mean as the Devil – he was as smart as the Devil, too. He knew he was getting older, and was going both blind and deaf! So anything that the Devil sent for him to see or hear – why, that Wicked Man wasn’t going to be able to do it!

And that’s just what happened. Time passed, and the fella just kept doin’ his evil ways. The Devil came back up for him many times – flashin’ his name out in lightning, thundering it out in the clouds. But that Wicked Man couldn’t see it or hear it – so he couldn’t die!

Finally, the Devil just gave up, since there was nothing he could do. After all, a deal’s a deal. So the Wicked Man just kept on wandering around spreading his nasty ways. He headed up north up to Charleston, South Carolina, then up through Wilmington, North Carolina, and as far north as Virginia Beach, Virginia. Then he went on back down to New Orleans, Louisiana, and over to Jacksonville, Florida, and then back over to Savannah. He couldn’t eat anything – berries would shrivel up when he walked by, animals would run away, and the water would turn black before he could drink it. Nobody would talk to him – he was all by himself.

And he kept getting skinnier and skinner – in fact, the only thing that grew on him was his hair. It got long and gray and wiry, and would catch on every tree and bush that he passed, and the wind would blow it around.

One day, he just disappeared, and the only thing left behind was his hair. It just kept growing everywhere he’d been. Southerners call it “Spanish moss,” but that ain’t what it really is. It’s the hair of the meanest man who ever lived. Y’all come down and try to pick some of it. He’s left a nice surprise for you – a chigger or two just itchin’ to get under your skin. To let you know where that mean ol’ man has been!

So there you have Spanish Moss. I’d write a lot more about the awesome uses this plant has but I’m pretty sure your tired of reading at this point.