#herbgathering

Juniper is an herb that was widely used in many cultures including Native American, Scottish and the Norse (Danes) among others. This post will be about how you can gather and work with Juniper needles and berries within your practice. First we will start with the fact that while yes juniper is used to make Gin and the berries are used in cooking there are some species of Juniper that are toxic. Only a small number of Juniper species are poisonous and the ones i could find are Juniperus Sabina, Juniperus oxycedrus, these types of Juniper again are toxic to humans so please be careful when you are picking your berries. 

I have collected Juniperus Horizontalis also known as Creeping Juniper from my front yard, please check with your local area if you are going to be harvesting from the wild as some Juniper may be protected. Since this was from my own yard, i know it is safe, I can tell it is Juniper from the awl shaped needles that almost have a chainmail like pattern, and the blue grey berries, another sign was the fact that the needles had partly turned purple because of the winter, for Creeping Juniper this is a common sign. As far as my research has told me Creeping Juniper is safe to eat, but today we will be focusing on the magical aspect of Juniper. 

Using a basket I went outside to gather what I could from my front yard, we just had some snow so most of the Juniper was covered, but i was able to get a few branches with some berries. Before harvesting please make sure to thank the plant you are gathering from, as stated in the other post you can use your own salvia, this is our essence and is a form of water, but if you feel uncomfortable with that some water from a bottle or your home will also work great. I gathered four small branches and brought them into the house carefully. If it snowed like it did here let them sit for a moment and warm up so if there is any ice it can melt away instead of making a mess all over your table. Once you are ready start taking off the berries and putting them aside, but don't stop there! The needles can also be used so make sure you pluck all the green awl needles and put them aside. Now that all the needles are plucked and the berries are free, take your needles and put them in a jar, I personally don’t dry mine in an oven, I let my needles be natural and personal feel it's better when using for burning or in rituals when fresh or dried naturally. 

As for your berries you can also do this one of two ways, you can let them dry naturally by leaving them out for about 3 weeks, or you can put them in your oven at 250 degrees and watch them as they dry, they should turn a brown to dark brown and as they cool become darker. I look to work with drying more naturally, but if you need them right away this is a possible way to go about it. You can also use a dehydrator, but i don’t have one so i can't give much of an answer on how that works.  

Once your needles and berries are done you can use them in many different situations, you can use the needles in a bundle for a smoke cleansing, you can burn them as an offering, I know my deity and his family love Juniper. You can use the berries with the needles in incense, or even use the berries in ritual jars and spells. Juniper is a very versatile plant that can be used in many different situations, since White Sage and Palo Santo are endangered plants Juniper is a great plant to use in place of these two in order to help the population come back. 

Magical Properties: