Here’s a listing of a few of my favourite books on magical herbalism, herb lore, and plant magick. This listing attracts from all kinds of sources, coming from the views of recent witchcraft, wortcunning and historic compilations of folklore. All of those books have been influential to me not directly, and have led me to further assets on the subject.
The Inexperienced Witchcraft Sequence
By Ann Moura
It is a sequence of three books primarily based on the practices of Ann Moura, a hereditary witch who incorporates many Wiccan ideas into her writing. Inexperienced Witchcraft I, is mainly plant magick blended right into a Wicca 101 guide. She explains a whole lot of foundational practices and pure magick. These books are a fantastic place to begin for anybody starting their research in natural-plant-based practices. Inexperienced Witchcraft II Balancing Gentle and Shadow introduces the idea of working with darker energy herbs, Otherworld journey, and balancing the powers of darkness and light-weight. This is likely one of the first books through which I got here throughout working with vegetation of a darker nature for cover, prophecy and therapeutic. Inexperienced Witchcraft III: The Handbook is a good newbie grimoire for studying to craft magical instruments, construct and altar and begin casting circles. It incorporates a whole lot of the fabric of the primary two books right into a working devotional guide primarily based that’s Wicca-centric, and primarily based on the eight sabbats. Moura has additionally written Grimoire for the Inexperienced Witch, Mansions of the Moon for the Inexperienced Witch and the Tarot of the Inexperienced Witch. Whereas I don’t abide by all the things in these books this can be a good spot to begin in case you are searching for a cohesive take a look at inexperienced witchcraft in its entirety.
Grimoire of the Thorn-blooded Witch
By Raven Grimassi
Like the entire books by the late Raven Grimassi, Grimoire of the Thorn-blooded Witch is an incredible work. It’s a nice introduction to conventional herb magick, and historic herb lore. It is a guide of Previous World Witchcraft, utilizing the imagery of the three thorns, Grimassi introduces the reader to the classes of magick labored by the inexperienced witch. He incorporates the lore present in conventional witchcraft circles and creates his personal distinctive system of working primarily based on the mastery of 5 magickal arts. The reader is launched to the idea of plant spirit powers by way of the sacred vegetation of Previous World Witchcraft. Grimassi offers these historic spirits kind and gives the reader with a method of contacting them. This guide lead me to the observe of the Poison Path, introducing me to those highly effective spirit allies. This work was really inspirational in my very own observe, and I like to recommend it to anybody keen on working with plant spirit familiars.
Witchcraft Drugs: Therapeutic Arts, Shamanic Practices and Forbidden Crops
By Claudia Müeller-Ebeling, Christian Rätsch and Wolf-Dieter Storl
This has turn into an influential guide on the magical observe of Veneficium and the Poison Path. It’s an ethnographic look of plant primarily based practices all through the traditional world, specializing in these used for medicinal, shamanic and magical functions. It explores the myths of the witches’ ointment, and the forbidden vegetation that have been purportedly used to move witches to their Sabbath. This is likely one of the first books to affiliate entheogenic practices with witchcraft. Christian Rätsch is a well known entheologist and ethnobotanist who has written influential works on the subject of psychoactive vegetation and their ritual makes use of.
The Plant Spirit Acquainted
By Christopher Penczak
Penczak, in The Plant Spirit Acquainted, has created a guide that’s unique and distinctive in its content material. He elaborates on the three classes of plant spirits, Balms, Banes and Tree academics. In every class the readers learns what every group can educate us, and what particular person vegetation may be discovered inside every group. The guide accommodates rituals and formulation for working with particular plant spirits, and constructing a magickal observe round such work. It culminates in a ritual to contact the Inexperienced Satan, the wild spirit of nature as a form of initiatory working to take the practitioner deeper into the mysteries of the inexperienced and wild. Penczak does a fantastic job explaining in depth a few of the complexities of working with plant spirit familiars in his right down to earth instructing model.
Mastering Herbalism
By Paul Huson
Mastering Herbalism is a guide on natural magick that’s geared towards conventional witchcraft, and is an influential guide to conventional practitioners. It takes a take a look at the origins of natural magick in European custom, and offers with its folklore. It accommodates various previous world recipes, and makes a fantastic companion to Huson’s guide Mastering Witchcraft. It’s primarily based on English folklore and legends surrounding magickal vegetation. I’ve written an intensive overview of Mastering Herbalism.
Grasp Guide of Herbalism
By Paul Beyerl
This is likely one of the most full guides obtainable on magical herbalism. It features a nice bulk of medicinal info as effectively, serving as a contemporary pharmacopoeia of natural medication. Beyerl attracts togethers connections in symbolism from astrology, tarot and different esoteric practices exhibiting the reader the nuanced language of magickal vegetation. This guide accommodates an nearly exhaustive listing of natural preparations that may be utilized to each medication and magick. It’s an indispensable guide for the pure witch, wortcunner, and esoteric herbalist.
Verdant Gnosis
Edited by Catamara Rosarium
Certainly one of my favourite plant primarily based anthologies, Verdant Gnosis is a sequence of books revealed by Revelore Press. It’s edited by Catamara Rosarium who rund the Viridis Genii Symposium, and annual gathering in Washington State which brings collectively practitioners of plant magick from everywhere in the world. Verdant Gnosis is a diversely curated assortment of tales and reflections from practitioners of plant primarily based practices. I wrote a overview concerning the sequence here, and it has grown to incorporate 5 volumes because the writing of this text.
Plant Lore, Legends and Lyrics
By Richard Folkard
This compendium of natural folklore offers greater than a glimpse into a few of the beliefs concerning the magical nature of vegetation previous to the trendy witchcraft motion. Written within the nineteenth century, this is likely one of the most complete assets on plant lore that I’ve discovered. Folkard discusses the planetary correspondences of vegetation, the language of flowers, and folklore from each Christian and Pagan sources. It is a nice reference guide discussing vegetation of the Satan, herbs related to witchcraft, and plant mythology.
Beneath the Witching Tree – Crops of The Satan
By Corinne Boyer
Corinne Boyer, is a author and folks herbalist whose rustic model and humble method to plant magic is probably the most real of its type. Her books Beneath the Witching Tree and Crops of the Satan are fantastically written. Her poetic model takes the reader on a journey, transporting them again in time to a spot the place vegetation the place highly effective and essential elements of a society earlier than trendy medication. Her books are effectively researched and include freshly unearthed lore concerning a few of the most well-known vegetation in trendy conventional witchcraft. These books could be of curiosity to anybody with a background in folklore, conventional herbalism or witchcraft. Go to Corinne’s web site to be taught extra about her work, at Maple Mist Wood.
The Magical and Ritual Use of Herbs
By Richard Miller
These unimposing little booklets present some nice info on the ritual entheogenic use of vegetation. The creator discusses the chemical construction of those vegetation, the consequences that they’ve, and their purposes for inducing trance, inciting ecstasy and altering consciousness. They’re very easy, and don’t include a whole lot of superfluous info or obscure lore to sift by way of. Miller will get proper to the purpose offering helpful info concerning the usage of these vegetation in magickal observe.
Hoodoo, Herb and Root Magic
By Catherine Yronwode
This is likely one of the most complete materia magica on American Natural Magick, referred to as rootwork. Her analysis attracts from the coveted books of folklorist Harry M. Hyatt. Yronwode gives the magical makes use of for a litany of herbs utilized in American Conjure practices, offering historic examples and references. This assortment of natural materials is an ethnographic look of Hoodoo practices within the south, which have been influenced by Jewish mysticism, Native American magic, and the European Grimoire custom.
Extra Info on Plant Magic from the Poisoner’s Apothecary
Principles of Correspondence in Plant Magic
The Practice of Esoteric Herbalism
Wortcunning: A Folk Medicine/Folk Magic Herbal
