====== Onion ======
---- dataentry herbs---- latin_names: Allium cepa folk_names: Oingnum, Onyoun, Unyoun, Yn-leac gender_tags: Masculine planet_tags: Mars element_tags: Fire deity_tags: effect_tags: Protection, Exorcism, Healing, Money, Prophetic Dreams, Lust, Courage part_tags: fresh bulb ----
===== Ritual Uses ===== According to some ancient authorities, the onion was worshipped in some cities in ancient Egypt, and was sometimes invoked while taking oaths. ===== Magical Uses ===== Take a small white onion, stick it full of black-headed pins, and place in a window. This will guard against the intrusion of evil into the home. The flowers are decorative and protective, and can be dried and placed in the home for an unusual and attractive protective amulet. Carried, the onion gives protection against venomous beasts. Grown in pots or in the garden they also shield against evil. Halved or quartered onions, placed in the house, will absorb negativity and evil, as well as disease. For healing, rub the cut edge of an onion against the afflicted part of the body, visualizing the disease going into the onion. Then destroy the onion (burn or smash to pieces and bury). Settlers in New England hung strings of onions over doorways to guard against infections, and a cut onion placed beneath the kitchen sink has long been used for the same purpose. To cure warts, rub them with a piece of onion and throw over your right shoulder. Walk away without looking back. A large red onion tied to the bedpost protects its occupants against sickness, and aids in recuperation. Never throw onion skins and peelings onto the ground; if you do, you throw away your prosperity. Instead, burn them in the fireplace or cookstove to attract riches. An onion placed beneath the pillow can produce prophetic dreams. If you are faced with making a decision, scratch your options on onions, one to each onion. Place them in the dark. The first one that sprouts answers you. Some ancient authorities state that when eaten, the onion "provokes to venery," i.e., produces lust. Magical knives and swords are purified by rubbing their blades with cut fresh onions, and if you throw an onion after a bride you'll throw away her tears. ===== Aromatherapy ===== Some may find it strange to see this vegetable listed here, but its scent is so sharp that it must be included. To bolster your courage, slice off the end of a fresh onion. Smell its stinging, powerful fragrance. Breathe it in (and wipe your eyes, if necessary), feeling it dissolving doubts about your abilities, firming up your resolution and giving you the courage to do what you must do. The fragrance can also be used to protect your home. With a sharp knife, quarter fresh onions until you have one piece for every room of your home. Place one quarter in each room on a paper plate, visualizing the overpowering odor setting up a strong barrier against negativity. Open the windows and doors (if the weather allows) and maintain your visualization for at least a few minutes. Gather the onions and place them outside. The scent may lead your neighbors to think you’re cooking up a storm. In a sense you are, by calling upon the forceful, projective energies of onions to safeguard your home. Some consider the scent of fresh onion to be an aphrodisiac. This is an acquired, ah, taste.