Full Description
A practical guide to using the sacred herbs of Samhain for healing, divination, purification, protection, magic, and as tools for contacting the Spirits
The ancient Celts separated the year into two halves, the light half and the dark half, summer and winter. The festival of Samhain, from which the modern holiday of Halloween originates, marks the transition from summer to winter, the end of the Celtic year, a time when the barriers between the physical and spiritual world are at their most transparent. The herbs most characteristic of this time have specific magical and healing properties that echo the darker aspect of the year and offer potent opportunities for divination, contact with ancestors and Land Spirits, and journeys in the Otherworld.
Presenting a practical guide to the sacred herbs and trees of Samhain, Ellen Evert Hopman details the identification, harvest, and use of more than 70 plants and trees in healing, divination, purification, magic, and as tools for contacting the Spirits wandering the landscape at this liminal time of year. She explores the most effective plants for protection from the mischief of the "Good Neighbors," the Sidhe or Fairies, as well as herbs for releasing the Dead when they are trapped on this plane. Detailing the history, rites, and traditions of Samhain, Hopman explains how to make an offering to the Land Spirits and provides instructions for the traditional Samhain ritual of the Dumb Supper, complete with recipes for the sacred foods of Samhain, such as Soul Cakes, Colcannon, Boxty bread, and dandelion wine.
Contents
Foreword by Andrew Theitic
Acknowledgments
An Introduction to Samhain, the Otherworld, and the Power of Herbs
A Primer on Herbal Preparation
PART ONE
HERBS OF THE SPIRITS AND THE DEAD AND HOW TO USE THEM AT SAMHAIN
Herbs for Protection from and Communication with the Spirits and Fairies
Herbs of Purification
Visionary Herbs and Herbs of Divination
Herbs to Communicate with, Release, and Honor the Dead
PART TWO
HERBS, FOODS, AND TRADITIONS OF SAMHAIN
Ritual Foods for Samhain Offerings
The Dumb Supper: History, Modern Paganism, and Traditional Recipes
How to Conduct a Dumb Supper Ritual
A Sample Samhain Rite
The Goddess at Samhain
APPENDIX A
Offerings for the Land and Water Spirits
APPENDIX B
Offerings for the Fairies at Each Sabbat
Notes
Other Books and Resources from Ellen Hopman
Index of Plants by Common Name
Index of Plants by Scientific Name
General Index
