This article will be the first among a series in which various plants are examined, elaborating on their spiritual nature. Basil is associated with Scorpions and other poisonous deadly creatures such as the BASILisk, thought by many people to be a kind of European mythological composite, created from of tales of the Spitting Cobra, which came from travelers. It is worth mentioning that in myth, the Basilisk kills with a glance-- reflecting the connection to the evil eye. Like anything that is examined in an occult sense-- whether it is a tarot trump, a nakshatra, or zodiac sign-- it has a contradictory nature. This is important to mention simply because a spiritual examination of anything must explain the paradoxical aspect, or it is not complete. Ignorance of the paradox is the mark of the amateur or non-initiate. Everything is dual in nature. To understand basil, I believe the best approach is to grow some first and familiarize yourself with its vibration. Speak to it, asking the elemental spirit of the Basil plant, and ask it to explain itself to you. Note what impressions you receive. The following is my own exploration of this plant, which is my favorite to work with. I publish here to encourage individuals to stop simply listening to what others say about a particular plant, tarot trump, whatever and simply explore it yourself.
Basil is a plant which is one in the same with the female magical force. Understanding Basil is understanding the most important role of a woman in sexual magick. Not only this, but if we examine the lore surrounding basil, it cannot quite decide whether basil helps against or breeds poisonous creatures. We come to some interesting metaphysical conclusions regarding the nature of women, poison, and sex. What is poison? Poison is essentially an attack on the human nervous system. Essentially, when an individual is jealous or envious of us (if they possess the capacity), they bunch up the sexual force within them and inflict what is known as the "evil eye" or malochia, depending on where one comes from. A person who is conscious of their ability to do this will often pray to not inflict this evil on others. Individuals with dark, deep-set eyes are-- in my experience-- the most adept at throwing malefic glances at others. The science of poison is the same as the science of black magic. done consciously or unconsciously, and it harms the nervous system of the victims. "The Green-eyed Monster" is a powerful force and due to the nature of scarcity in the world, when individuals see a beautiful artwork, baby, or an exceptionally talented or fortunate individual of any kind, will usually offer a compliment. This is why in Eastern culture when an individual compliments an object in a person's home, it is usually given to them. They fear to incite the envy of their guests. When a woman remarks how beautiful a child is, the mother will often perform a gesture to ward off the evil eye, as it is not far behind. The evil eye chiefly causes effects related to what we think of as the 8th house of the birth chart in astrology, as well as headaches and mysterious rashes, inflammation, and even paralysis or numbness in more advanced cases.
How does this relate to Basil and women, though? Women are manifestations of Shakti and Kundalini, who is the serpent. Nothing draws glances more than a woman, and so women are often the greatest victims of the evil eye, especially beautiful ones. The beauty and nature of a woman creates the jealousy and envy in others, which in turn causes them to inflict psychic harm on her consciously or unconsciously. Here is the dual nature and paradox of Basil, as it is both the cause and the cure for this phenomenon. Incredibly beautiful women, despite what others may think, actually often have severely difficult lives, due to the extreme reactions they provoke in others. More often than not, a woman of great beauty has absolutely nobody to turn to, as many simply hate them immediately or assume that nothing could ever go wrong for them. Others wish to exploit them and satisfy their desires or refuse to interact with or help them unless their demands are met, which are often sexual in nature or that which humiliates or degrades them. Even their best friends harbor secret desires to overcome them or see them disappointed, while seemingly offering an attitude of support and comfort. There are very few sanctuaries in this world for a woman of beauty, which is why I recommend that they especially begin developing a relationship with Basil and taking the Basil bath that I have included below. Every person has the right to protect themselves spiritually and enjoy emotional comfort and stability.
The eyes are projecting and yang in nature, and this is why pitta disorders (which are a result of over accumulation of the fire element within an individual) harm the eyes of a person. Women (being Yin) draw the eyes of men to their bodies and faces. A woman embodies the severity of God, which is why saints and ascetics tell stories of spiritual attacks from seductive female spirits or women in the flesh who are testing their integrity. God in his severe aspect tests and puts us through trials, and if this were not so there would be no ability for evil to be destroyed in the world, and the demons would overcome the Gods. Women are the destroyers of evil. When Vishnu takes the form of Mohini-- tricking a demon who has obtained destructive powers through worship of Shiva-- and causes him to harm himself through the form of a woman, he is being severe in order that the Universal balance may be preserved. Women are the gateways to all that is good and are capable of destroying all of the evils within ourselves, and even outside of ourselves. They are also capable of bringing out all of the evils within ourselves and others. So, as with Basil they are the poison and the cure. When we create anti-venom we do so from the Venom of the snake. If we wish to be protected from evil or destruction, we must destroy that which is evil within ourselves, and this is done through the Grace of the Goddess Kundalini, who is woman. There is no other way. Consider this:
“Woman resembles a fruit whose aroma is first inhaled when she is taken by the hand. If, for example, the herb basil is not warmed in the hand, its scent is not apparent; amber gives off its fragrance only when warmed. This, you know. The same is true with a woman. When you want to make love, you must first warm her heart with all the preliminaries to the art of love: kisses, embraces and gentle nibbling. If this is neglected, your enjoyment will be incomplete, and all the enchantment of love will remain hidden from you.” Sheikh Nefzawi
Women are like the Basil plant: they are meant to touched, warmed, caressed, perfumed, and experienced sensorily. To neglect this allows no beneficial result to be produced, and it creates evil, both within the home and in society. However, the majority of men are essentially destroyed by women in general, as they lack the training necessary to understand and appease the Goddess who is present in all women. All women are Goddesses without any kind of training whatsoever, but a man-- if he wishes to become a God-- must train himself. Severe mental or spiritual training can actually become the biggest obstacle to a woman's spiritual success, which offends many women who simply attempt to imitate men. This is insulting, as it assumes that they do not have their own unique power and should somehow seek to become a man in order to become spiritual. The gateway for both becoming a demon in hell and a God in heaven is between a woman's legs. One becomes one or the other if one takes up the spiritual path. They are the initiators and the destroyers. This is why Magdalena, a former prostitute, bears a pot filled with ointment for anointing; she poured expensive perfume on Christ, which offended his disciples. What the disciples did not know is that she was really Shakti initiating him into the mysteries of the Goddess, which must happen to all would-be Adepts. This "sinful woman" coming in the form of a real woman also occurred to King Solomon in the form of Sheba (pictured above), and this is why he suspected she was actually Lilith. When she came to Christ weeping, wiping his feet with her hair and tears, this was Christ beginning to master his own Kundalini Shakti. Some Tantriks treat Kundalini as a prostitute due to its initial lack of discrimination and its complete identification with random sensorial experiences before it is raised. These are the seven devils cast out of her, as Christ raised her Kundalini through the seven bodily centers, 7 Chakras of the East, or 7 Churches of the West.
In India, women are regarded as the Lakshmi of the house. That is, they are seen to be a kind of talisman embodying the wealth and abundance of the home. It is beauty, wealth, and abundance which draws the envious poisons out of others who have not yet learned that instead of hating what another has, and wishing to destroy them for it, they should simply work on themselves. They must destroy all that is within them which hinders from the success which alludes them. This is why Lakshmi rides on an Owl; when great abundance or beauty is accumulated, it draws the negative and destructive emotions of others towards it, which seek to exploit, disintegrate, or steal the resources. So here we see, in pictorial form, the wisdom of the depiction of Lakshmi and Alakshami, being one and the same, and so these images express truth completely, which would not be so if there was not an owl, as the bivalent symbolism would not be present.
In India, Holy Basil or Tulsi, is considered sacred to Krishna. Krishna is a deity that represents men when they exude the magnetic, hypnotizing powers of the Kundalini energy, which is why we see him (instead of the Goddess) dancing on the serpent, instead of the Goddess dancing on the male as is shown with depictions of Shiva. He dances on and controls this serpent, as he is this force and is identical to the serpent. He is simply the positive personification of the correct attitude to be adopted towards kundalini, which allows one to control the negative aspect personified by the serpent. Basil, as it is a plant which is spiritually connected with poison, is also the best protector against it.
All individuals, but especially women, children, and men who perform spiritual consultations for others, should bathe in basil. If we coat our aura in this vibration, we cover ourselves in the poison others attempt to inflict onto us, intentionally or unintentionally, and so experience protection. As we become more successful, so too do others produce more poison, which in turn causes us to become more poisonous ourselves to defend ourselves, and insight more jealousy and discomfort in others; such is life. A beautiful metaphor for this is that the peacock is said to derive its beautiful feathers from the poison of the cobras that it eats. Peacocks are one of the most, if not the most, dazzling color visual spectacles on our planet. Kartikeya, who rides on a peacock, is often depicted standing on a cobra, as this is where he derives his power from. Beauty can only exist if it is poisonous, or else it is simply attacked and destroyed by others. Beauty provokes more and more negative reactions as it increases, which in turn acts as a wonderful fire to further refine and increase our own beauty, wealth, and resources. Ironically, our haters and detractors contribute to greater and greater successes for us.
Basil Cleaning
Take fresh basil leaves and prepare a bath for yourself every Friday morning, fully submerging yourself in it. Take Fresh basil stalk, and dip it in water, sprinkling it all over your house on a Friday. Gather the stalks up that you have cleaned with and remove them from your house. One need not believe in any Gods or philosophical or religious paradigm to perform this. Simply ask the spirit of basil to help you.