Much of our practice is about becoming in line with the cycles of the earth. As witches, it is our spiritual duty to be ethical in our spell work and our lives. As we all strive towards being sustainable in our home lives, how much though is given towards being sustainable in our spiritual lives?

Witchcraft is not about an endless pursuit of goods. It is not about the photo worthy altar. It is not a contest, and it can not be bought. It is a process through which we can attain a more harmonious level of existence, and help to heal ourselves and those around us. It’s simple to say, and simple in practice. The difficulty lies in consistency and discipline.

Practicing magick gives us the power to change our lives and the world around us. If you looked at the world as a whole, what changes would you make?

Journal about it. Go really deep.

Now make those changes in your own life.

I love to encourage people to get out in their environment and harvest their magical tools themselves. There are so many useful plants out there! What a beautiful way to learn the cycles of your locality- finding and watching your favorite plant allies grow and flourish!? This practice is free to everyone. You can find magical plants even in the biggest cities, and the most isolated towns. Go outside and see what plants you can find!

In this article I would like to discuss some of my personal ethics when it comes to harvesting magickal items. While most of us have the ability to collect plants and rocks for use in spell work, it is very important to have a set of guidelines and knowledge before going and collecting anything. As we strive to be sustainable in our purchasing habits, we must also focus our attention on being sustainable in our wild-crafting habits. Just because something exists in nature does not mean it is ours to take.

The most important ethical consideration to me is permission. You wouldn’t walk into a neighbor’s yard and rip out their plants root and all, would you? Probably not. Now why would you venture into a stranger’s land and do such a thing? Or worse, a community space.

Public spaces are meant for everyone to enjoy. If everyone wandered into these places and just took what they pleased, there would be nothing left to enjoy and the reason these spaces are so special would be gone. Always make sure you have proper permission from the land owner, or if you are in a public space be sure to investigate what permits are needed (if in doubt call your local extension- Forestry, BLM, etc.).

After you have permission, it is important to be aware of any environmental contaminates you might inadvertently expose yourself to. If you plan on making anything ingestable, be sure to look for signs of insecticide or possible heavy metal contaminates. Roadsides often are sprayed, even in the most rural areas. Be aware of run off from roads and farms. Its best to err on the side of caution with this, because you might not initially plan on ingesting your plant matter- however a few months down the line, you might decide otherwise.

This is where labeling comes in handy. Be sure you bring a small notebook with you, so you can note what plants you found where (in case you want to come back, date you entries so you can allow proper time to pass as to not over harvest). If you are venturing out for an initial research session this is very helpful. You can document your findings, and quantities.

You want to be able to positively identify any plant you plan on harvesting. I often find myself making many journeys with a local field guide to accurately identify which plants I see. I find it super helpful to make notes, and then cross reference the plants I find with a magickal correspondences book. It’s a bit cumbersome to try and identify most plants from these magickal books, as the illustrations aren’t super specific, and they almost never list the growing areas or specific details of the plant.

I love to check out a few different field guides from my local library to find out which ones are most helpful. This is just part of gaining experience and researching. You will find what works for you! I know a lot of folks really like using their phones for plant identification apps. Personally I have found them to be somewhat inaccurate, but that’s just my experience! Do what feels right and is accessible to you.

Once you have a good understanding of your environment, and have started to identify some plants, you want to study their growing habits. Are these plants perennials, annuals, biennials? Do they reproduce by seed, by rhizome, spore? Are they slow growing and hard to reproduce? Are they invasive or native?

I know that seems like A LOT at first. And it is.

However, I invite you to to question your eagerness. What is the rush? Walking the path of witchcraft is not instantaneous. It is so important to learn these things so you can minimize your impact on the area and help to become a steward of the land. Once you get a handle on this you can help become an ally.

Here are some quick tips to help in your foraging adventures! These are some of my personal check points, so feel free to amend them to make it feel more resonant with you.

*Eat the invaders- Focus your collection efforts on invasive plants to help bring your environment back into balance. Finding uses for these invasive plants is so great because it works two-fold; you can harvest AS MUCH AS YOU WANT and you are removing something potentially harmful to the local biome.

*10% of native population- If you are collecting a plant that is a native species, be sure to never harvest more than 10% of the plant in the area you are collecting. Never focus heavily in one area to ensure that the plant will continue to thrive there. Also make note of areas that have a potential for high collection traffic, like from other foragers. Don’t harvest from heavily trafficked areas.

*Bring offerings- Offering something before collection helps to keep things in energetic balance, and ensures that you leave the area better than you found it. My favorite offerings are actions- picking up trash, offering water, spreading dried seed pods from the plants to help with dispersion. You can also leave things for local spirits like crystals, food, hair, ribbons- just be mindful of what you are leaving and make sure its appropriate.

*Don’t pull up roots- This one is definitely important for native plants because many plants reproduce through their roots, and by removing the whole plant you are eradicating the possibility of it growing any further. Take only the parts that you plan on using.

*Protect yourself- Remember to wear gloves, sunscreen, long pants, proper shoes, bring a knife, etc.. Going out in nature exposes us to many potential dangers, and it’s important to be aware of your surroundings in all ways. Be safe.

*Elevate don’t exploit- Be mindful about your collection habits. When you find yourself feeling rushed, evaluate your intentions. It is easy to allow greed to take the wheel. Aim to leave your area in a better way than you found it.

*Proper storage- After you’ve collected your plant materials, be sure to allow them to fully dry before storing them or else you risk mold. You can hang upside down to dry- this preserves the oils in the extremities of the plant. You can dehydrate by leaving in your oven on its lowest setting for an hour or so. You want crunchy, but not browned. Also be sure to add a label with the plants name and date collected.

*Compost- After you have used your plant material, be sure to return whatever waste back to natural processes. You can bury it, compost it, or return it to the place you collected it. Just be sure to allow the completion of the natural decomposition cycle.

Get out there and have some fun! If you have any other tips, be sure to share them! I am always excited to learn something new!