Garlic Meaning and magickal uses
Also called Stinking Rose, Poor Man's Treacle
The classic kitchen protector, for warding off harm and unwanted energy.
- Intentions
- Protection, Banishing, Healing
- Element
- Fire
- Planet
- Mars
- Zodiac
- Aries
- Day
- Tuesday
- Moon phase
- Waning Crescent
- Parts used
- Bulb (cloves)
How to use it
- Kitchen braid
Hang a braid of garlic in the kitchen as a protective charm. When you take a bulb to cook, thank it and picture your home wrapped in sturdy, warm protection.
- Cleansing sweep
Rub a peeled clove along a window sill or door frame, then wipe it clean, as a folk way to clear unwanted energy. Compost the clove afterward rather than eating it.
- Cook to protect
Add garlic to a family meal while you stir clockwise and focus on keeping everyone at the table safe, healthy and strong through the week ahead.
Works well with
Substitutes
History and folklore
Garlic may be the most famous protective herb in folklore. Ancient Egyptian workers ate it for strength, Greek travelers left it at crossroads for the goddess Hecate, and Balkan and wider European stories made it the best-known guard against vampires and the evil eye. Sailors traditionally carried it at sea for safe passage. Its sharp smell and strong taste made it easy to believe that harmful forces would stay away, and it remains a sturdy staple of kitchen witchery.
The classic kitchen protector, for warding off harm and unwanted energy.
- Intentions: Protection, Banishing, Healing
- Element: Fire
- Planet: Mars
- Zodiac: Aries
- Day: Tuesday
- Moon phase: Waning Crescent
- Parts used: Bulb (cloves)
Safety: Toxic to cats, dogs and horses (ASPCA list), even in small amounts, so never feed it to pets and keep braids out of reach. Raw garlic can burn or blister skin if left on it, so do not tape cloves to skin. Fine in normal cooking amounts for most people.
How to use it
- Kitchen braid. Hang a braid of garlic in the kitchen as a protective charm. When you take a bulb to cook, thank it and picture your home wrapped in sturdy, warm protection.
- Cleansing sweep. Rub a peeled clove along a window sill or door frame, then wipe it clean, as a folk way to clear unwanted energy. Compost the clove afterward rather than eating it.
- Cook to protect. Add garlic to a family meal while you stir clockwise and focus on keeping everyone at the table safe, healthy and strong through the week ahead.
Works well with: Red Candle, Black Tourmaline, Tuesday, Mars, Algiz
Folklore
Garlic may be the most famous protective herb in folklore. Ancient Egyptian workers ate it for strength, Greek travelers left it at crossroads for the goddess Hecate, and Balkan and wider European stories made it the best-known guard against vampires and the evil eye. Sailors traditionally carried it at sea for safe passage. Its sharp smell and strong taste made it easy to believe that harmful forces would stay away, and it remains a sturdy staple of kitchen witchery.
The Witch's Cabinet is a free reference for your practice. Correspondences are traditional associations, not medical advice. Always follow the safety notes, especially with herbs and essential oils around children, pets and during pregnancy.