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Book Review – The Healing Plants of the Celtic Druids by Angela Paine
Book ReviewThe Healing Plants of the Celtic Druidsby Angela Paine 304 Pages I have to be honest; this is one of those books that I found so enjoyable it was hard to figure out what to include in the review. The Healing Plants of the Celtic Druids is a book that I feel should be included in a witch’s collection of books. Mx. Paine explains in chapter 1, why she wrote this book. In this chapter, she also teaches a little bit about the ancient Celtic world, including mining, farming, trade, places of worship, the role of the Druids in ancient Celtic Britain, and ancient Celtic medicine. Mx. Paine…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Cow Parsley Anthriscus Sylvestris or cow parsley is a member of the Apiaceae family, just like the carrot and hemlock. It has tall, hollow stems topped with a flurry of delicate white flowers. In Europe it is a common hedgerow plant, and a familiar sight to walkers and foragers. It’s one of the first flowers to appear by the roadside in spring. With many common names including the grand “Queen Anne’s Lace” and the morbid “Mother Die”, this plant is a piece of living history and an intriguing part of the British countryside. The Kitchen Garden Encouraging cow parsley into the garden would…
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Book Review – The Seven Elemental Forces Of Huna: Practices for Tapping into the Energies of Nature from Hawaiian Tradition by Susanne Weikl
Book Review The Seven Elemental Forces Of Huna Practices for Tapping into the Energies of Nature from Hawaiian Tradition by Susanne Weikl 228 Pages When I studied Huna decades ago, I learned about the three bodies and the seven principles. In this book, Susanne Weikl presents the seven elements of nature from the ancient Hawaiian shamanic tradition. These forces are sources of power “to bring fulfillment, incentive, inspiration, growth, healing and ease into our lives.” These energies are primordial and powerful, and are at work in our DNA, she states. The book offers exercises, rituals and techniques to recognize and tap into the energies of water, fire, wind,…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: The Christmas Tree Straight away, I know many of you will be wondering why I’m bringing Christmas to the table, when most of us are looking forward to Yule or the Winter Solstice. Well, it’s because I absolutely adore the tradition of the Christmas tree. And, despite what many people think, it’s not an inherently Pagan symbol, although there are definite Pagan roots, pardon the pun. Christmas trees are so popular today that they are grown in all 50 American states, including even Hawaii, and most other places in the world. From candlelit trees in Germany in the 1800s to fiber optic light shows…
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Book Review – Magic Medicine: A Trip Through the Intoxicating History and Modern-Day Use of Psychedelic Plants and Substances by Cody Johnson
Book ReviewMagic MedicineA Trip Through the Intoxicating History and Modern-Day Use of Psychedelic Plants and Substancesby Cody Johnson323 pp Cody Johnson’s “Magic Medicine” lives up to its subtitle, “A trip through the intoxicating history and modern-day use of psychedelic plants and substances.” More politics, history, and anecdote than chemistry or medicine, this book contains twenty-three chapters which profile a diverse number of substances: the 2C-B and the 2C family, 5-MEO-DMT, Ayahuasca, DMT, DOM and the DOX family, LSD, Morning glory, Peyote, Psilocybin mushrooms, San Pedro, Yopo and Vilma beans, MDA, MDMA, DXM, Ketamine, Nitrous Oxide, Salvia, Amanita Muscaria, Cannabis, Dipt, fish and sea sponges, Iboga, and Mad Honey. Over…