THE MAGICK OF THE LADY SLIPPER (Cypripedium acaule Ait.)

Whenever I would go mushroom harvesting with my grandmother, she’d point out the Lady Slippers, tell me they were magickal, and that I should NEVER pick them.  I believed the faeries lived in the beautiful pink bulbs and still do.

The root of lady’s slipper was used as a remedy for nervousness, tooth pain, and muscle spasms. In the 1800s and 1900s it was widely used as a substitute to valerian root for sedative properties. 

However, it takes many years for this magickal plant to mature and therefore it is illegal in many states to harvest wild Lady Slippers.  If you spot one in the wild, take a moment to be present with the plant, feel the energy, or take a picture, but NEVER uproot or pick the flower.

 If you must have the energetic essence of a wild Lady Slipper, with great caution and care, place the bulb in a glass of spring water just before dawn.  Allow the Lady Slipper to infuse overnight under the Moon.  Upon waking, drink the water. 

Also known as Moccasin Flower or in the language of the Ojibway, ma-ki-sin-waa-big-waan, there are many Native American legends surrounding this beautiful flower.

Lady Slippers are usually found in the eastern part of the United States near forests of pine and hemlock, near mossy slopes, and under the watchful eye of a birch tree.

I took this picture today on my first mushroom walk of the season.  It took my breath away to be given this magickal sign my grandmother was with me.

Kris @ Dark Moon Tarot