Notes from the Apothecary: Angelica     A tall, stately plant that I remember well from my mother’s herbaceous garden when I was tiny, Angelica is as beautiful as the name suggests. Unlike many of the herbs in my Apothecary, Angelica can withstand quite cool climates and is found as far north as Iceland and Lapland. In seeming contradiction to this, the plant’s ruling astral body is the sun, and it is mostly closely associated with fire. Despite being classed as a masculine plant, Angelica is linked to the goddess Venus; deity of love, beauty, sex, prosperity and fertility. We can follow the link from the mother of Romans to…

  Damh needs no introduction for most Pagan music fans. His albums are sold all over the world and his latest release, Sabbat, shot to number one in the folk charts within hours of its release. Damh took a break from celebrating to have a little chat with me about music, life and druidry. Mabh Savage: The new album ‘Sabbat’ enjoyed a number one spot on Amazon almost immediately upon release; tell us how that felt… Damh the Bard: Surreal and wonderful. I saw it had reached number 7 which surprised me, but when I looked back a couple of hours later it was at number one. It’s quite a…

Luke Eastwood: A Druid’s Journey   Luke is a musician, poet, painter, photographer and the author of The Journey and A Druid’s Primer, as well as numerous articles on subjects ranging from politics to horticulture. He currently writes a blog for Moon Books on Druidry and Celtic belief. I caught up with Luke to quiz him on his many projects. Mabh: What inspired your original interest in Celtic culture? Luke: It has been so much part of my life for so long that I can’t remember where it started. My father sometimes enthused about Bonnie Prince Charlie and King Arthur, which left a deep impression; my Granny bought me fairy…

Notes from the Apothecary: Mint     Some of my friends have had trouble growing mint but I can’t seem to stop the stuff! Each winter it dies down completely, only to return in late spring in about a dozen other places other than the one I originally planted it in. My favourite is a Black Peppermint, which has a lovely, dusky purple shade to the leaves and is deliciously pungent. As the plant itself is now returning, I thought it a perfect time to explore it in a bit more detail. The Kitchen Garden Mint has been used for culinary purposes throughout the history of many different cultures. It…

Hearth Moon Rising: Invoking Animal Magic   Hearth Moon is an ordained priestess of the Dianic tradition, who has taught magic for over 20 years. Her book, Invoking Animal Magic, sets about exploring the power and wisdom of our animal allies. Hearth Moon was kind enough to answer a few questions about her life and her writing. Mabh: What is the root of your (beautiful) name? How do you prefer people to refer to you? Hearth Moon: Most people call me Hearth or Hearth Moon; I answer to either. The story behind my name is really too long for an interview. MS: Invoking Animal Magic is tag-lined as ‘A guide…

Notes from the Apothecary: Aloe Vera     I’ve already written about horsetail, sometimes called ‘England’s Aloe Vera’, due to its incredible healing properties. This month I want to look at the real Aloe Vera, or similar species that many of you will have growing in pots on your window sill. Aloes are succulents. This means they have fat, fleshy leaves designed to store large amounts of fluid in arid environments. It is the large amount of water stored within the cells of the leaves that gives us the sticky gel that is used for so many healing and beauty processes. The photos in the article are of my own…

Yvonne Ryves: Weaving the Web Yvonne Ryves is a practicing shamanic healer, shamanic drum maker, holistic therapist and trainer. Living and working in West Cork, Ireland, she runs courses on energy healing and shamanic work. She has recently contributed to the Shaman Pathways series with the book Web of Life, cited as a new approach to using ancient ways in contemporary times. I caught up with Yvonne to find out a bit more about the book. Mabh: What inspired you to write Web of Life? Yvonne: For some time before I wrote Web of Life, I had been aware of how often I came across ways of working which were…

Notes from the Apothecary: Rosemary Rosemary; anthos; dew of the sea. This fragrant, woody evergreen has been cultivated by humans for millennia. Its uses range from pest control to flavouring fine foods, with a gamut of others in between. Simply brushing past Rosemary causes the most amazing smell to present itself; like a spirit arriving unseen, it makes your senses tingle. Rosemary is a powerful herb yet readily available, and can be grown in a pot on most windowsills. For those that simply have no way to grow, most supermarkets/grocery stores stock the dried product. In the Kitchen Rosemary is often paired off with lamb and not much else. That…

Fiona is the author of Pagan Portals: Pathworking Through poetry, described as ‘ exploring, knowing, understanding and dancing with the wisdom the bards hid in plain view’. I caught up with Fiona to find out a bit more about her love of poetry and how the book came about. Mabh: Tell us a bit about your book, Pathworking through Poetry. What inspired you to write it? What do you hope the book will bring to the reader? Fiona: Pagan Portals: Pathworking Through Poetry explores the concept of using poetry to explore a personal spirituality/a Pagan path, with examples drawn from poets and writers who ‘talk’ to me on a deep,…

Notes from the Apothecary: Horsetail Last month we discussed the comforting and familiar sage; soft, sweet and strong in the right hands. This month I want to look at a herb that may be less familiar to some of you, and all too familiar to others! From despised weed to treasured medicine, the horsetail (Equisetum) is never overlooked by those who know it- even if that means they are constantly dragging it out of their beloved herb gardens. This plant is fairly unusual in that it is literally a living fossil; a throwback some 100 million years to the Palaeozoic era, when species as high as 30 metres would have…