3 Magickal Remedies for the Common Cold

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Oh, boy, I am sick.

The Flu has made its way through our house, and though it looked like I was going to be lucky enough to survive this round- it tagged me on the way out and has left me feeling less than spectacular.

I am a one-woman symphony of coughing, wheezing, sniffling, and just a tiny bit of self-pitying groaning (okay, more than a tiny bit). I feel awful, and though I know I’ll see the end of this demon cold before too long, I can’t help but want to wallow in my current misery and do nothing for the next few days.

The worst part of the cold has passed, as this weekend I’d been blessed with a pretty nasty fever, but the part that drains me the most has nestled right between my ribs and is currently tickling my throat with a fiery feather.

I’m positive that at this moment if Lethargy was a sport, I’d be winning; but since I don’t care, there wouldn’t be any prizes- just a bunch of sloths doing absolutely nothing for an extended period of time. I almost didn’t even write this post today, as my brain has left the station and taken with it all my creativity, motivation, and energy to be anything but a couch potato.

if only I looked this cute while sick…

And, I know, we should rest and let out bodies recuperate when they’re sick, but life doesn’t stop just because I have the sniffles. Though I’m taking it easy, I can’t live in bed as I’d like to.

This is where being a witch comes in handy.

I’d love to say the first thing I did this morning, after sleeping in to an embarrassingly late hour, was whip up a spell and start getting back to my normal self. However, let me just go on record here, I don’t have a normal self, and secondly, sick Nicole is a giant baby with no self control.

No, instead, the first thing I did this morning was eat three leftover cupcakes because they have this amazing power of soothing a burning throat. Not my healthiest moment, but that’s the glory of being an adult- no cupcake police to arrest me!

It was only after I’d eaten the cupcakes, drank an entire glass of milk, and proceeded to cough up my left lung, that I started getting into the witchery of destroying this malarkey.

For a sore throat, my son has me make him Magick Milk, or honey milk. It’s a concoction I threw together when he was about two years old and sick, and it’s been a staple in our house whenever someone starts getting the little fire ninjas in the backs of their throats.

MAGICK MILK

– 8oz Milk
(we use Whole, but I’ve made it with Almond Milk before. It’s a different texture and doesn’t coat the throat as well, but tastes just as delicious).
– 1 to 2TBS Honey
(local is best, as it contains local pollen and can reduce allergy symptoms)
– 1 tsp Cinnamon
– 1 tsp Nutmeg
-1 tsp Vanilla
Optional:
– 1/2 tsp Tumeric
– Dash of Black Pepper

In a Microwave, or on the stove if you’re extra fancy, heat milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla (and Tumeric/Pepper if you’re using them) to slightly above room temperature, stir in honey, and heat to desired drinking temperature. The hotter the mixture, the more soothing on the throat, but use caution- as hot stuff does burn. Drink, enjoy, feel instantly better.

Not only is Magick Milk delicious, it’s both magickally and medicinally relevant to fighting your cold.

Honey not only coats the throat (and the stomach), it’s also a wonderful healing tool in the witch’s pantry. Corresponding to the Sun, and Venus, its properties are vital energy and love. Sounds perfect when you’re healing from the flu right?

Cinnamon carries anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, while also being great for protection. In this case protection of the body and its immune system from sickness. Nutmeg is known to relieve pain in the body, while also bringing good fortune and healing to the milk. Vanilla is used to treat intestinal issues, while also being a magickal mechanism for love and abundance (great when you’re making the Milk not only for yourself, but your sweetest little boy).

The optional ingredients of Tumeric and Black Pepper are powerhouses of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories, while also being correspondent to protection magick and healing.

After I drink the Magick Milk, it’s time for Candle Work. As always, whenever a spell candle is lit in my house- Black and White candles open the circle. Yellow candles, in our household, always mean health and happiness. As a witch, when I light my giant yellow candle a few times a week, I’m not usually too worried about the common cold; I’m thinking more long-term and more protection from detrimental issues. Not to mention, getting sick is only a temporary drain on the immune system, and has long lasting positive benefits. So, when I say candle work, I’m not asking to never catch a cold again- I use my candles to promote my body’s (and my family’s bodies) ability to fight off the invaders. Being healthy, in my grand scheme of witchcraft, doesn’t mean I never catch the flu, it means my body has the resources it needs catch the flu, fight it off, and recover without a scratch.

I’m too tired and drained to do anything more than light my yellow candle, but when the rest of the family is sick (and I’m not) I do have a healing spell that I like to use

COMMON COLD CANDLE SPELL

Allspice (healing)
Cinnamon (protection)
Clove (purifying)
Eucalyptus Oil (healing)
Frankincense Oil (or Resin) (healing)
Yellow Candle

Crush the herbs, while imbuing them with the purpose. Rub the oils onto the candle, and roll it with the herbs until completely covered. Imbue all elements with the purpose of healing and ridding the family of sickness. I normally don’t chant, but at times, I will say a quick healing prayer:

Those I love are healthy- in mind, body, and spirit. These temporary trials on their immune systems are advantageous to their longevity and overall health- while the burdening symptoms are alleviated and lessening each day.

Then, it’s time for a shower. Showers are magickal creations of epic proportions that I don’t ever fully appreciate until my head is a weeping ball of pressure. Not only is the hot water soothing to the body, but it’s the perfect time to get in some medicinally and magickally potent essential oils and shower bombs.

SHOWER HEALING OILS

Eucalyptus
Peppermint
Clove
Menthol
Orange
Lemongrass
Rosemary
Fennel
Tea Tree Oil

Used in any combination, or individually, the oils above are great at clearing up stuffy symptoms, aiding in breathing, and/or reducing the nagging effects of a cold. Place a few drops into the bottom of the shower, and as the steam from the water surrounds you, so too will the healing and magickal benefits of the essential oils. Eucalyptus and Menthol are my two go-tos when my head is in misery like it is today. It opens up my breathing passages, and clears out all that thick mucus that likes to stagnate in my upper sinuses. All three of us use Essential Oils in the shower when sickness has come to visit, and all three of us swear by them.

I also have this wonderful and all encompassing Essential Oil from Switzerland called Olbas Oil, that I bought a local shop before we moved. It’s so powerful that three or four of these drops goes a long way and the tiny little bottle has lasted all this time. Granted, we don’t get sick very often, but when we do- this puppy gets its fair share of use (and still has plenty left to go around).

These oils are also great to use in humidifiers (check to make sure yours can handle EOs as some specify not to use them) if taking a shower just seems beyond you. Rosemary is great at reducing chest congestion, it’s a powerful protection herb and can keep your body in its finest fighting format. (Yes, I did just use alliteration while sick, thank you for noticing! Ha!)

And, after all is said and done, I cuddle up on the couch with my loves, and I binge watch some of my favorite shows. Right now, I’m rewatching the entire Psych series- so I have plenty of fuel for my lethargy.

Remember, that no matter how witchy and wonderful we are, there’s no substitution for actual medical advice. If you aren’t feeling well, and your body is telling you there’s something wrong- the most magickal thing you can do for yourself is listen to it and get yourself to a doctor. Witches are healers, and it’d be a crime to ignore the advances of modern medicine- just as it’s impractical of modern medicine to ignore the witchy (or metaphysical) aspects of healing.

I’m not a fan of cold medicine, because it’s gross and seems to prolong my colds, but I’m the first witch in line at the drug store getting my babies the good stuff if it helps them feel better in the moment. We don’t have to pretend that science doesn’t exist, nor does it make us any less magickal to rely on the advances of modernization. Use all the tools at your disposal, for once upon a time, even science was considered witchcraft!

Until next time, my friends…

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