Bane & Beauty

Review: Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

Being written by one of my favorite authors, Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism has a good bit of expectation to live up to. It is, however, somewhat different than some of Schulke’s other books I have read. This book is more of a foundation for those looking to get into the occult side of herbalism,…

Review: Under the Bramble Arch

Under the Bramble Arch by Corinne Boyer is the second book in a trilogy, after Under the Witching Tree. Being more partial to weeds and plants of the hedge than I am trees, I started with this book rather than beginning with the first in the series. Because of the nature of the book, which…

Wormwood

Wormwood, or Artemisia absinthium, is a member of the Asteraceae family that is perhaps most recognized as the most important ingredient in the liquor known as Absinthe. As the name suggests, the extremely bitter plant has been used for removing parasites and worms. Due to the plant’s extreme bitterness, it has also been used to…

I am an Appalachian Witch

I am an Appalachian Witch. It is said the people who once lived here came from an island on the back of a giant turtle. That their shamans and sorcery were believed to be the most powerful around. That the nature spirits, or Little People, live within rocks and trees, waiting to play their mischievious pranks. Like Laurel tying the fishermen’s…

Saying Farewell & Ancestor Veneration

Preparing for death, the witch annoints himself with the deadly ointment. Though typically for flight to the Otherworld, the plants brewed in the unguent speak of aid offered today as well. Mandrake, Henbane, Belladonna, Mugwort, Dittany of Crete, Jasmine… Plants of death and spirit work. No flight will be needed today, merely a small dab…

Dittany of Crete

The rare Dittany of Crete is a relative of Oregano which grows wild only on the mountainous terrain of the the Grecian Island of Crete, where its use dates back to Ancient Minoan times. It grows some of the furriest leaves I have ever seen, which are incredibly soft and supple when young, followed by…

Veneficas Unguentum: The Witches’ Flying Ointment

The image of the witch has quite strong links to flight, the dead, herbalism and the unseen in most people’s minds. Much of where this iconic image comes from has been ignored or even passed off as vivid hallucinations and stories created from the minds and traumas involved in the interrogations, until more scholarly examinations of Traditional Witchcraft and…

Enki, Sumerian Lord of the Earth

Enki, or the “Lord of the Earth, is also known as Ea and is the Sumerian god of magic, wisdom, creation, mischief, and certain types of water. He is the perfect image of masculine virility and there is a lot of focus on metaphors regarding the creative powers of his semen as well as the…

Ereshkigal, Sumerian Queen of the Great Earth

She is the Queen of the Underworld in ancient Sumerian religion. Ereshkigal and her brother Enki were born when Anu’s (the earliest “Sky Father” god) tears met the waters of Nammu (a primeval sea goddess). Ereshkigal was kidnapped by the great dragon Kur and taken to the underworld. Her brother Enki attempted to rescue her,…

Emerald City, aka The Crystal Warehouse

So I discovered this place. It’s this huge warehouse filled with aisle after aisle of boxes full of crystals, you couldn’t see half of them if you tried there are so many. From tiny to massive, from crystals and minerals to fossils and statuary and just everythinggg. You have to be buzzed in to even…

Hekate and her Plants

Hekate is the goddess of witches, mother of the witch Circe and aunt of the witch Medea (depending on sources). Many witches work with Hekate, and while I currently don’t work with her, I do find her to be an amazing source of inspiration when it comes to plants. You could say plants are a…