Bay Leaf

Bay Leaf. If you have made your way to me, you are likely needing something brought into being. A wish you have spoken into the air a hundred times. A door you have been knocking on. A victory that should have been yours already. I am the leaf that carries petitions. I am the leaf the old ones write their wishes on and send up in smoke.

I am a leaf from a slow-growing tree, dark and fragrant, with a scent that wakes the senses up. The granny women and our folks have been writing on me, burning me, carrying me, and tucking me under pillows for generations. I am known in the work as the leaf of manifestation, the leaf of victory, the leaf the dreaming mind reads when you cannot read it yourself.

I am worked with by writing your petition, your prayer, or the name of what you are calling in directly on my surface and burning me down to ash. I am carried in mojo bags and sachets for protection and the holding of intentions. I am placed under the pillow for prophetic dreams and dream clarity. I am sprinkled in the corners of a room for psychic protection. I am added to floor washes when a working calls for the bringing in of success, recognition, or new doors. Pray over me as you write on me. Speak the petition out loud and then send it up. The work moves with the prayer.

I am not a substitute for medical or psychological care. Do not swallow me whole, as my leaves do not soften and can cause harm if eaten. Burn me in a fire-safe vessel, away from flammables. My essential oil can irritate skin if used undiluted.

I am ready when you are. Bring me your prayer and write your wish upon me.