• Reviews

    Book Review – Herbana Witch: A Year in the Forest by Cecilia Lattari

    Book Review Herbana Witch: A Year in the Forest by Cecilia Lattari Publisher: Red Wheel 144 Pages Release Date: September 11, 2023       “The Herbana witch is a green witch who uses the power of nature and the wisdom of the forest and who has a deep understanding of herbs, barks, mushrooms, roots, flowers and woodland plants.” — Amazon “She is an earth witch, just as the wise women of the past were.” — C. Lattari “She keeps jars full of harvested and dried herbs in an ever-plentiful pantry, including coffee beans ready to be ground and sunflower seeds for bread dough in the spring.” — C. Lattari…

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    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Snowberry   Snowberry, or Symphoricarpos, is the name for 15 or so shrubs that boast gorgeous white berries. The plant is part of the honeysuckle family, and is also known as waxberry or the beautifully evocative name, ghostberry.     The inspiration to write about this plant came from my 13-year-old, who sent me this cute WhatsApp message on his way home (pictured). It’s lovely to be the “go-to” person for plant info, and nice to be able to give some fast advice on a potentially toxic plant! The interesting thing about snowberries is that, while they can be toxic, they’re also used medicinally in some…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn

    Book Review Icelandic Plant Magic: Folk Herbalism of the North by Albert Björn Publisher: Crossed Crow Books Pages: 306 Rerelease Date: June 27, 2023   There are, without a doubt, plenty of books out there on magical herbalism or green witchery. However, this is the first I have spotted specifically singling out the herbs of Iceland in a magical context. As the author notes, while the mysterious-seeming country of Iceland offers many folk tales and hidden beings, the plants of the island aren’t usually picked out as a point of interest. Albert Björn Shiell has neatly corrected that oversight with this animistic, practical, and beautiful book. This book is laid…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Culpeper’s Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper, Annotated by Dr. J.J. Pursell

    Book Review Culpeper’s Complete Herbal By Nicholas Culpeper Annotated by J.J. Pursell  Publisher: Andrews McMeel Pages: 384 Rerelease Date: October 2022         Nicholas Culpeper was an extraordinary figure of the 17th century. Frustrated with the lack of medicine and treatment available to those with no money, Culpeper, a fairly well-to-do gentleman, abandoned his studies at Cambridge University and went to become an apprentice at a London-based apothecary. From there, he set up his own pharmacy and went on to publish “The Complete Herbal” in 1652/53. This was despite twice being accused of witchcraft, tried, and acquitted. Culpeper went against the grain and didn’t let the authorities dissuade…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Herbal Magic: A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions by Aurora Kane

    Book Review Herbal Magic A Handbook of Natural Spells, Charms, and Potions by Aurora Kane Publisher: Quarto Publishing 208 pages Publication Date: 5/25/2021     This book has everything a witch could want to know about magical herbalism. It is “full of purposeful potential and whimsical wisdom to be used wisely,” with a catalog of 78 herbs and 40 rituals. For the herbs it gives the planetary companion, day of the week it corresponds with, elemental correspondence, zodiac sign, and gender. The author explains a plants gender as its energy because it is “relative to plant life [and] not assigned based on gender, but qualities of energy in life”. She…

  • Monthly Columns

    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Primrose     Primroses are a hardy, perennial plant which means they’re tough and come back year after year. They’re also absolutely gorgeous and often around in winter, lending some welcome colour to gardens, windowsills, or containers. Originally a woodland plant, primroses or Primula vulgaris will grow just about anywhere as long as there’s drainage so the roots don’t get waterlogged. Finding primroses in the wild can be a sign that you’re on ancient woodland. However, some “wild” blooms can be escapees from folks’ gardens! Either way, even in November and December, their blooms make a gorgeous, colourful addition to the winter landscape.   The Kitchen…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Mythic Moons of Avalon: Lunar & Herbal Wisdom from the Isle of Healing by Jhenah Telydru

    Book Review The Mythic Moons of Avalon Lunar & Herbal Wisdom from the Isle of Healing by Jhenah Telydru 408 Pages     “The Mythic Moons of Avalon” by Jhenah Telyndru is a very worthy sequel to the author’s “Avalon Within”. It’s worth noting, however, that, while you may wish to for scholastic background, you do not have to have read “Avalon Within” to full enjoy and learn from “Mythic Moons”. “Mythic Moons” is based on the Women’s Mystery Tradition that is followed within the Sisterhood of Avalon, but again, you do not have to be a member to gain full benefit from Ms. Telyndru’s wisdom and knowledge. Part One…

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    As Above So Below (How the Stars Became Our Hearts)

    Entheogen Influence Across Time and Culture When a baby draws its first breath, somehow its lungs already know how to extract oxygen from the air, and exchange it for carbon dioxide. It already knows how to transfer oxygen to the blood, where red blood cells already know how to use that oxygen. When a seed first sprouts, its roots already know how to absorb water and minerals from the soil, it already knows how to use sunlight to synthesize food for energy. The mystery of life, of consciousness. DNA encoded with information since the very first cell magickally appeared on earth. Ancient wisdom and adaptation, present at the dawn of…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Witch’s Herbal Apothecary: Rituals & Recipes for a Year of Earth Magick and Sacred Medicine Making by Marysia Miernowska

    Book Review The Witch’s Herbal Apothecary Rituals & Recipes for a Year of Earth Magick and Sacred Medicine Making by Marysia Miernowska 224 Pages     If you want to learn to love the land and feel Earth love you back, “The Witch’s Herbal Apothecary: Rituals & Recipes for a Year of Earth Magick and Sacred Medicine Making” is a must read. It doesn’t take long to realize Marysia Miernowska regards Earth as Lover and nature as the Beloved, and that everything is sacred. In a gentle, wise manner, she offers practices, rituals and recipes to ride the regenerative currents of nature following the Wheel of the Year, starting with…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Herbs of the Southern Shaman by Steve Andrews

    Book Review Herbs of the Southern Shaman by Steve Andrews 152 Pages Herbs of the Southern Shaman is Steve Andrew’s follow-up to Herbs of the Northern Shaman and makes an excellent companion to it. This is a well-researched overview guide to entheogenic plants which grow in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a small book, 152 pages, that contains a wealth of information about more than 50 “teacher” plants we commonly associate with altered consciousness, like peyote and ayahuasca, and those we are more likely to find in the kitchen, like nutmeg. There is a bit of overlap with the Herbs of the Northern Shaman that Andrews references, as plants like…