Sacred Herbs of Samhain - Ellen Evert Hopman
A practical guide to using the sacred herbs of Samhain for healing,
divination, purification, protection, magic, and as tools for contacting
the Spirits
• Explores the identification, harvest, and safe
practical and ritual use of more than 70 plants and trees sacred to the
Celtic festival of Samhain, the origin of Halloween
• Details
the most effective plants for protection from the mischief of Fairies,
herbs for releasing the Dead, and visionary plants for divination and
shamanic work
• Provides instructions and suggestions for a
traditional Dumb Supper, offerings to the Land Spirits, Samhain rites,
and recipes for the sacred foods of Samhain
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. Identifying
visionary plants used to induce ecstatic trance, Hopman explores how
herbs have been used for millennia to aid in psychic travel and shamanic
work and shows how one might safely use plants to take a voyage to the
Otherworld. Drawing on her knowledge as a master herbalist, she also
includes cautions to prevent harm and misidentification, along with
advice on basic etiquette and common sense approaches to herb magic.
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. Woven throughout with mystical tales of folk,
Fairy, and sacred herbs, this guide offers each of us practical and
magical ways to connect with Nature, the plant kingdom, the Spirits that
surround us, and the turning of the year.