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Book Review – The Magic of Seeds by Clare Gogerty, Illustrated by Prudence Rogers
Book Review The Magic of Seeds: The Nature-Lover’s Guide to Growing Garden Flowers and Herbs From Seed by Clare Gogerty, Illustrated by Prudence Rogers Publisher: David & Charles 144 Pages Release Date: March 28, 2023 Regular Pagan Pages visitors will know that my love of plants is no secret. So, getting the chance to review any flora-related book is a win, in my opinion. This volume from Clare Gogerty with superb illustrations by Prudence Rogers is a gem, both a riveting read and a useful reference book. The Magic of Seeds is about growing your own plants for magical and practical purposes — after all, most magic is a pretty…
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Book Review- The HooDoo Tarot Workbook By- Tayannah Lee McQuillar
As someone who was born with a natural curiosity and drive to learn all there is to learn about everything, I absolutely love when a writer gives background and insight into the subject they are discussing; so it was only natural that I devoured every word of The HooDoo Tarot Workbook by Tayannah Lee Miller. The author does a fantastic job of not only explaining The HooDoo Tarot Deck, but also giving some insight and personal knowledge on the topics. This is a fantastic way to learn more about HooDoo even if you aren’t looking to learn a new deck. Her explanations about each person, plant, and card come from…
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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…
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Book Review & Interview – Green Witchcraft: Discover how to use Herbs, Flowers, Woods, Crystals, and Essential Oils to Naturally Heal, Increase Abundance, and Align Yourself with the Magic of Mother Earth by Madeline Silvy
Book Review Green Witchcraft: Discover How to use Herbs, Flowers, Woods, Crystals, and Essential Oils to Naturally Heal, Increase Abundance, and Align Yourself with the Magic of Mother Earth by Madeline Silvy Publisher: Self-Published 233 Pages Release Date: September 12, 2023 Some books feel like a conversation and visit from an old friend, one that you enjoy very much. Green Witchcraft by Madeline Silvy brought the comfort and companionship of sisterhood to my heart and home. Being brought up in a family of all men, it took me a while to discover the beauty and truth spoken, Women need Women. Green Witchcraft delivered the fulfillment of that…
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Notes from The Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Petunias Petunias: Both a beautiful garden flower and a star of the RNA-focused scientific community. Way back in the 1990s, scientists tried to create deep purple petunias by inserting the gene associated with this colour. Instead, the flowers just came out white! Further studies into this led to big discoveries concerning RNA interference and gene silencing, for which scientists Andrew Fire and Craig Mello received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. But it all started with the petunias. Petunia is not a single species, but a genus of flowers that contains around 35 distinct species. They’re all in the Solanaceae family, which also includes…
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Living the Oily Life
Tea Tree Oil Tea tree oil is another main stay in my oil arsenal. Tea tree or melaleuca is known for its cleansing and purifying properties. The plant tea tree oil is derived from is found in Australia. Aboriginal people would apply the leaves of the plant directly to their skin to help cool it in the scorching sun. The oil is extracted from the leaves of the plant and for purposes of collection steam and pressure distillation are used to gather the oil. This oil is used world wide in everything from cleaning, to hair and skin care. Having issues finding a toner that works well on your skin?…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Anemones Whenever you hear the word “anemone” you’ll either imagine a gorgeous yet shy sea creature or a beautiful flower found both in the wild and in gardens all over the world. Of course, here in the Apothecary, we’re excited about the flowers! There are well over a hundred species of anemone, including Anemone blanda and Anemone nemorosa, both often referred to as wood anemones or the more evocative name, windflowers. Anemones are in the same family as buttercups (Ranunculaceae) and grow from bulbs or rhizomes, usually coming back year after year. In Europe, anemones are keepers of living history, in a way, as large…
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Book Review – The Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers by Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano
Book Review The Green Witch’s Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers by Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano Publisher: Skyhorse 280 Pages Publication date: June 6, 2023 Plants are my bag, so any book aimed at “Green Witches” is going to be hitting my shelves, sooner or later. The subtitle for this one is, “26 love spells from apples to zinnias,” which startled me a little, as the main title seems to indicate it’s a general guide, rather than a book specifically on love spells. Oh well—as with all things, I approached it with an open mind! First impressions, this book is gorgeous. The artwork from the cover design…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Asparagus June is the final month for harvesting asparagus in many places, which makes it an ideal plant to look at for our Summer Solstice edition of Notes from the Apothecary. This unusual vegetable crops up in plenty of mythology and folklore throughout the ages, and is used by many modern witches and pagans for love, lust, and luck magic, among other things. Asparagus, or Asparagus officinalis, is a perennial which means it grows back year after year. It’s a flowering plant, and, if left to mature, may produce small white or yellow flowers and orange berries. It’s one of those plants that looks wildly different…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Wild Garlic Wild garlic or Allium ursinum is a fragrant perennial plant with tiny clusters of white flowers atop long, lush green leaves that don’t grow any higher than most people’s ankles. It’s also known as ramsons in Europe and ramps in the United States. Other related plants such as Allium canadense and Allium tricoccum are also called ramps or wild garlic, and just to be more confusing, you might also hear them called wild leeks or wood leeks. Whatever you call them, there’s no escaping the fact that these plants are one of the most delicious smelling harbingers of spring. In the woods…
