bay laurel, but really: how to research the herbs you're using in your spiritual practice

The soundtrack for this post is "Black Lung" by The Dead South

The next time you look up the magical properties of any herb or stone, all the prettiest websites will tell you this is The Best Herb/Stone for protection, abundance, and, probably, love. 

Try it. I'll wait. 

Why is this true? Are these articles just clickbait? Copywriters, pushing out the numbers without being afforded the time for (or choosing to forgo) actual research and comprehension? 

Take the bay leaf, for example. It gets the standard treatment, plus one thing it's actually connected to: victory.

'Victory' is so vague though. 

This morning I got up, took a shower, and got dressed. Considering my work-from-home status, the getting dressed part was completely unnecessary, and I normally don't do that until after work (if I do it at all). But it was a small victory over the depression that tells me this was all completely unnecessary, and I feel better for it. Is that the type of victory bay leaf relates to?

Don't get sidetracked by me calling it a 'small' victory. I'm calling it that because in the grand scheme of things, it was easier for me to achieve that than it has been to reach a 'victory' almost any other time I've needed one. And I'm still depressed, but now I'm depressed and dressed. The first person who counters "oh that's a big deal! don't sell yourself short!" or some other such drivel, will get firmly ignored. This is small because I have already done bigger things in my life and I will not diminish those - or allow you to diminish those - by equating them with getting dressed.

In the western world at least, we're pretty familiar with the bay laurel's association with the Olympics, and most of us are at least vaguely aware of its association with victory in war. As you read that, there's a good chance an almost-remembered piece of very old art with a victorious general adorned in laurels vied for attention in your mind's eye. (It probably didn't win though.) This all points toward a specific type of victory: a competitive and probably very serious victory. A big one, with a capital V. 

So how do we use this information? The only reasonable way to use it, is as a starting point. Or rather, a point to note and set aside while we research the actual plant. We have questions that need to be answered. 

1. Why is bay associated with victory in the first place? This will help us narrow down the actual association. 

2. Why might it be considered protective? We're still narrowing down things here. 

3. What is its relationship with love? Abundance? Is it a form of love we want? Will it bring an abundance of things we want, or things we don't want? ...these are the questions we should always ask when such broad claims as 'protection' etc, are made. 

The first step to answering this is not to go google other people's opinions and experiences with the magical workings of the plant. You certainly can, but you'll get much farther by researching the plant itself. 

What climate does it grow in? What circumstances? Does it mature quickly? What parts of it are harvested and how do those parts interact with its ecosystem? Is it toxic? How is it used in mundane practices? (What mundane properties does it have that we, as a species, already take advantage of?) How do the locals view it in the places it is native to? How does it behave in those places? How does it behave in places where it is not native? 

These are the questions and answers that will give you an insight into the type of energy that plant carries. (And, side note, you can use this approach to form your questions for stones and animals you might call on in your practice.)

Here are my initial notes on Bay Laurel. There are many points here that will need further research, but I've highlighted the ones that I think will prove relevant to figuring out what sort of energy - and what sort of victory - bay leaves carry with them. That is, it's an evergreen and it grows in challenging places, like canyons and mountainsides. 

You can take it from here. I believe in you.