When I was growing up, we lived in a city with very less greenery around but my papa had immense love for gardening and we had our own little garden with some herbs like basil, curly leaves, peppermint, cathedral bells, aloe Vera etc etc. We used these herbs daily from our garden for cooking or to help with healing of certain wounds or seasonal sickness. Also our everyday meal consists of spices like turmeric, pepper, chilli powder, coriander etc. While growing up we always used chickpea flour, turmeric, neem powder, sandalwood powder for our face packs. I was always kind of a girl who searched for home remedies for ailments and never wanted to fill my body with pills untill very necessary.
Also we are hindus so just like Greeks we have our own gods and goddesses and our belief system is very strong. We use spells in our everyday life for removing evil eye , to remove negativity etc.
A very common spell is of removing evil eye for which we use dried red chillies, mustard seeds, salt. Our mothers do it or anyone elder for the spell. They keep it in a fist, revolve around the affected person anti cloak wise seven times reciting Hanuman (Indian god of protection and devotion) Mantra, burn it on stove and then use that smoke to clear the evil around the affected person. We say if the chilli’s burn without smell then evil eye was strong.
Just wanted to share a bit about my culture and how our cultures are so alike yet different. I am here to learn more and give as much as I can. Thank you witches and goddesses.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I find it fascinating learning about cultures from around the world, both past and present.
I live in Scotland where is cold most of the time so the herbs I grow are all in a little greenhouse to keep them warm and encourage their growth. I have basil, coriander, rosemary, thyme, mint and oregano. I tend to use them more for cooking than in spells but will sometimes pick them for different purposes e.g. teas or rituals.
I tend to agree with looking for natural rememdies before pills. Again, being from Scotland, i often catch colds and will use ginger and honey as well as eucalyptus oils to help rather than cold medicine.
Thank you again for sharing your experiences. It is always interesting to find out about different practices from around the world.
thanks for sharing it with us!
it is great to share the cultures of different places even in Magia
Magic is an ancient art that was from all over the world
that’s why it’s so rich!
You paint a beautiful and magickal picture with your words, and India has always held such an enchantment for me. I live in Finland and connect with a lot of things here, nice and warm sauna and lovely cold winter snow… I’m a lover of sensation, a fire and water witch And for that I worship Devi in her many forms and practice a form of tantric witchcraft
Speaking of herbal mixtures… I woke up this morning with a sore throat and thought it might be the beginning of something… mixed up my favorite blend of green tea, lemon, ginger, turmeric, thyme, black pepper and honey… sore throat gone
Thank you so much for sharing! I always appreciate learning more about cultures around the world and the different spiritual practices they have. I’ve always enjoyed Indian cuisine - the spices, herbs, and smells that come from an Indian kitchen are just perfect!
I’ve never heard of this method for removing the evil eye - it’s so interesting! I love that there’s also the added bonus of burning the chilis and seeds to see how strong the evil eye was!
I come from a stereotypical “white” family where the only “spices” used when I was a kid were salt, pepper, and garlic powder so learning to cook with spices as an adult has been an adventure in itself!
If either of you are ever in this neck of the woods, I’ll cook some Chinese and Macedonian things for us all. The classic Lao Gan Ma mix, Sichuan peppercorns with their tingly sensation, and Ajvar (eye-var) are favourites in this house – even the cats love them, but they’re not allowed to eat them, so they get very mad.
One of these days I hope to be able to travel the world - I feel very sheltered as an American not being able to travel out of my own country I’ll get there - and then yes, you can cook for me! lol
But the fructose in the honey can be a bit aggravating with my partner’s IBS – it always has to be in moderation.
I live in Finland and connect with a lot of things here, nice and warm sauna and lovely cold winter snow… I’m a lover of sensation, a fire and water witch 
And for that I worship Devi in her many forms and practice a form of tantric witchcraft 
I always appreciate learning more about cultures around the world and the different spiritual practices they have. I’ve always enjoyed Indian cuisine - the spices, herbs, and smells that come from an Indian kitchen are just 
perfect!
I’ll get there - and then yes, you can cook for me! lol