Juniper: Magical Properties & Uses

Juniper is the purification herb of new beginnings: where sage clears ongoing accumulation and hyssop addresses spiritual contamination, juniper specifically breaks the connection to what has been left behind and prepares a space or a person for something entirely new. It is used at the beginning of a new year, a new home, a new significant undertaking. The berries are protective in sachets and charms; the wood burned in a new home before moving in is a tradition with documented continuity from Roman times. It is also used in workings of vision and psychic development, where its solar quality supports clear perception.

Juniper berries (Juniperus communis) are the primary flavouring in gin, which takes its name from the Dutch jenever (juniper). They are used as a culinary spice, particularly in game dishes. Medicinally juniper has been used as a urinary tract antiseptic and diuretic throughout European herbal medicine; its volatile oils are secreted via the kidneys. Culpeper recommended it for kidney and bladder complaints. It should not be used by those with kidney disease or in pregnancy, as it is a powerful kidney stimulant. Berries from ornamental juniper species (particularly J. sabina) are more toxic and should not be used.

Aphrodite, Thor

The blue-berried evergreen of ancient purification: burned in the temples of Egypt, the homes of the Romans, the high pastures of Tibet, and the sweat lodges of the Americas. No incense herb has a broader geographical distribution in sacred use. In Scotland juniper branches were burned on New Year's morning to fumigate houses and drive out disease and evil spirits; residents and livestock were passed through the smoke three times. In Alpine tradition the burning of juniper protected cattle from illness and malevolent spirits. The Egyptians used it in embalming preparations. In Norse tradition it was associated with Thor and used alongside rowan in serious protective workings.