Sage - September 30, 2014

This is the prompt for September 29 at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai ... so I can't say it will be the last September haiku using Jane Reichhold's great kigo.  The word for the day is sage.

 

Being bi-lingual, and thinking more often in Italian rather than English, when I saw the word sage, I thought of wisdom because I was thinking then in English and the plant was far from my mind.  Sage (the plant) in fact in Italian is salvia. But here, let me quote what Chèvrefeuille wrote for this promp about sage:

There are several different meanings according to sage, but sage in this episode is about that gorgeous little plant. Sage is considered a nearly universal magical cure-all, able to dispel curses and bestow wisdom, clarity, health, and prosperity. A sage leaf kept with a Tarot deck will preserve it uncontaminated by negative, distracting forces. One way to break a curse with sage is to light a leaf (or handful of leaves) and then blow out the flame, allowing the embers to continue smoking. Then use the smoldering sage to draw large, counter-clockwise circles in the air. The smoke will banish the curse and bring a blessing in its stead.

Personally, I use it in cooking (especially chicken), and rarely to banish curses ... though a few years ago I passed through a Wikka stage in my life and did burn sage leaves to bless my house ;-)

  

sweet embers of sage
bless this house with joy
- ancient wisdom

walking in the woods
sage - flushing purple flowers
he picked a stem

bent with age
the sage contemplates life
- smiling at dawn

 ©  G.s.k. '14