St John's Eve Herbs - part 4 : Procedures 2.
Once harvested, the plants are generally arranged in bouquets, often composed of several species.
They are sometimes sprinkled with holy water.
Depending on the location and the desired effect, they are hung from the ceiling, windows, doors, placed on the roofs of houses, stables, on haystacks, or even on manure.
Other forms have a more symbolic character that reinforces their power, such as the cross-weaving, as well as the crown, a universal magical symbol.
Hung on the doors of houses and outbuildings, the cross represents its protection through the radiance of its branches, while the crown represents a protective encirclement.
[Excerpts arranged by me from M.C. Delmas's Dictionnaire de la France Mystérieuse. Pic @lemonde-des-plantes.com]
