Sage

What this is

Sage (Salvia officinalis). The wise one's herb, named from the Latin for health and sharing a root with the word for the wise. The old saying asked why a man should die who has sage in his garden. Eaten for long life, burned to cleanse, written on so a wish might be given weight.

What it governs

Sage answers to Jupiter and the element of Fire, with a second hand from Sun. Its seat in the zodiac is Sagittarius and Leo, and its day is Thursday, when its virtue runs fullest. It strengthens with the waxing moon. In the old practice its office is plain: Burned as a smudge for long-life wisdom and the cleansing of heavy rooms.

Its properties

In the Galenic reckoning sage is hot and dry, and that temperament is the whole key to its work. The part you take is the leaf. Its working colour follows Jupiter, royal blue and purple; its metal is tin, its stones are amber, sapphire, its number 4, and on the Tree of Life it threads up to Chesed. It is a herb of scent, working through the nose as much as the hand and it is gentle, safe to use as the practice describes.

Where else it appears

One clearing wisdom in many hands: the Romans gathered sage with proverb and ceremony as the plant that staved off death; the European cunning-folk and the indigenous peoples of the Americas burned their own sages to clear bad air and bad spirit; salvia and sapiens grow from one root. Wisdom and wholesomeness were never two things.

Where you meet it on the Oracle

In the Green Kingdom you meet Sage on Today's Herb, Scent of the Hour, Angelic Herb, Today's Gathering, and Herb of the Hour. When it surfaces it counsels you toward its office: Burned as a smudge for long-life wisdom and the cleansing of heavy rooms. As the Scent of the Hour its message arrives through the nose, so let its smoke or its smell set the temper of the hour. As the Angelic Herb it stands under Sachiel; read its rising as that intelligence laying a hand on your day, with Jupiter's expansion and good fortune. As Today's Gathering it marks a plant to take up now, while waxing moon and the day are with it.

Why it matters

Sage clears the stale and keeps the wise long. It teaches that wisdom and wellbeing are the same long cultivation, and that the wise are those who keep weighing rather than those who have stopped. It asks you to take the long view and never quite finish learning.

Correspondences

planet

Jupiter

element

Fire

zodiac

Sagittarius, Leo

number

4

sephirah

Chesed

day

Thursday

colour

royal blue, purple

metal

tin

stone

amber, sapphire

tarot

The Hermit