Ellen Evert Hopman - The Sacred Herbs of Samhain: Plants to Contact the Spirits of the Dead

THE SACRED HERBS OF SAMHAIN

The Sacred Herbs of Samhain offers even more than bringing us into the magical world of spirits and fairies! I recommend that anyone fascinated by herbs embark on a literary herbal foray with Ellen Evert Hopman. Her in-depth knowledge of herbs provides a unique reference resource for the harvesting techniques, preparation methods, dosages, cautions, and use details for both physical and spiritual healing, complete with the fragrance of informative ancestral herbal lore.

KATHY-ANN BECKER, AUTHOR OF SILENCING THE WOMEN:THE WITCH TRIALS OF MARY BLISS PARSONS

Based on her impressive knowledge of herbs and the old-time practices of wise and witchy forest wives, Hopman offers a compendium of herbal medicinals in The Sacred Herbs of Samhain. A compelling look into Celtic herbal practices connected to the autumnal time of year when days are short and the veil between life and death is thin. The contents include all the how-tos and why youd want-tos and why nots, with clear identification for practical and ritual usage provided by image and description. Beyond the practical are the entertaining, engaging tales of folk and fairy, of goddess and god, and of prophetic romance and/or death. This book is an invitation to delve into the shadows and realms of time gone by, the origins of the hallowed days of Samhain, Halloween, and other worldwide observances. A guide to keep by your side.

MARYLYN MOTHERBEAR SCOTT, POET, AUTHOR, AND FOUNDER AND HIGH PRIESTESS OF MAGICKAL CAULDRON

A delightful collection of herbal knowledge and Celtic lore for Samhain. In addition to providing a significant reference on relevant magical and medicinal uses for herbs, trees, and more, Ellen provides complete instructions for a Samhain ritual and also a traditional Dumb Supper. Her easy-to-follow recipes for soup, breads, soul cake, dumb cake, magical ink, and even dandelion wine complete this gem. Recommended.

MORVEN WESTFIELD, AUTHOR OF THE OLD POWER RETURNS

Another jewel in Ellen Evert Hopmans collection, The Herbs of Samhain sparkles from beginning to endfrom how to stay alive and dig mandrake to making elderberry sorbet and crowns of mallow leaves to how to spot where the fairies did battle the night before. I was entertained, challenged, and enthralled with each turn of the page as I partook of eclectic knowledge, Druid teachings, poetry, and recipes that have inspired me to more deeply weave herbs into my Samhain tradition. No doubt Ill be coming back to this book many, many times!

WENDY SNOW FOGG, FOUNDER AND SENIOR HERBALIST OF MISTY MEADOWS HERBAL CENTER IN LEE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Ellen Evert Hopman provides a potent reminder that its the relationship between the living and the dead that lies at the very heart of Samhain and Halloween. This crucial point is all too often overlooked amid all the commercialization and sensationalism that in recent years has come to surround this most profound of holidays. This book is a practical, comprehensive, clear, and useful guide to a wide variety of plants together with a great selection of spells, recipes, and fairy lore.

JUDIKA ILLES, AUTHOR OF ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 5000 SPELLS

Ellen Hopmans book is a treasure trove of herbal knowledge and wisdom. A great read!

RICK ALLEN, GRAMMY NOMINEE AND AUTHOR OF
F N A!: MY CRAZY LIFE IN ROCK AND BLUES

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank Kevin Sartoris of Muse Gifts & Books in Marlborough, New Hampshire, who invited me to speak at the annual Celebrate Samhain event and suggested that I talk about herbs to contact the dead. I said, Sure, and promptly put together a talk. Then Kevin asked, Why not make the talk into a book? and I said, Why not? and this volume was born. Thanks are also due to Michael J. Masley for assistance with Egyptian herb magic. Many thanks to Ari Kinehan for invaluable recipes and suggestions and to David Salisbury for further details about flying ointments. Thank you to Gwennic for approving the Mrrigan rite (he assures me that the Mrrigan approves also). Thanks to Morven Westfield for astute comments and suggestions.

Foreword

By Andrew Theitic

The spirit of Samhain casts a deep, mysterious shadow through all facets of our world. Those of a mystical nature will naturally sense the shroud between the worlds thinning as the summer days of heat and lush flora begin to subside, replaced with autumns chill breezes and flame-colored leaves. With the approach of the Hallows season, even the most mundane of our acquaintances will also begin to ramble on about strange sounds in the night, deceased relatives visiting them in dreams, shadows staring at them or acting strangely. It cannot be helped.

Its no wonder that society should feel this way. The gradual decline of the suns arc, the shortening of daylight and lengthening of the nocturnal, the first raw winds and wild storms that batter our homes and lives, and the eventual rebirth and renewal of bud have been immortalized in legends, fables, and folklore throughout the world. In our common mythology, goblins and ghosts, both literal and figurative, return each year to haunt the land. It was not merely the changing temperature or solar fluctuations that nabbed human attentions, but the seemingly sudden loss of the Earths prosperity in such a beautifully dramatic fashion.

In the Northern Hemisphereparticularly in those areas with latitudes close to the polethere are few seasonal shifts more striking than the splendidly colorful change from summers heat to winters frost, accompanied by the perceptual withering and demise of the local flora before their inevitable rebirth. It is ironically these transitional times that tend to bring us back to ourselves, connecting us to the abode between the world of matter and spirit, and invoking the inevitable spiritual regroupings that occur at these times.

In the mundane world, we begin to gather together in celebration of the harvests bounty, enjoying newly stoked fires, hot drinks, and seasonal delicacies with our family, friends, and neighbors. But those gatherings are not only mundane. Throughout the centuries, our families, clans, and villagesas well as groups of like-minded spiritual seekersalso brought to the hearths and bonfires those herbs deemed sacred to gods, magic, and the ancient mystical traditions.

Most obviously, the death of warmth and abundance points to the inevitable death of us all one day, and the massive debt each of us owes to the land, the harvest, and the lines of our ancestors stretching back to the dawn of time. Along similar lines, it is best to acknowledge that we owe our very earthly existence to the constant influence of the botanical world. From the food we eat to the air we breathe, we are forever indebted to our bountiful allies for the gift of life.

Working with plants is a most rewarding hobby, as we learn to tend and befriend these sometimes alien-seeming life-forms. Not surprisingly, those of a mystical bent in ancient times found each plant to have a particular spirit connected to it, as well as affinities with specific animals and fairies among the Greenwood.

Throughout history, many of our most ancient texts and writings have been lost, yet our link to the flora of our world has remained ever constant. At first, photosynthetic respiration may seem the most important part of our relationship with plants. Then again, handed down through generations of interaction with these beautifully complex organisms have been fables and myths, rhymes, charms, and brilliant bits of folklore woven through with the joys and sorrows of our lives, manifesting the manner in which we are bound to the land for our very survival. Only now, in our modern era of city streets and easily delivered conveniences, do we feel divorced from the Earth and the countless species of trees, plants, lichen, and fungi that surround us. However, the plants remain forever living, thriving, and awaiting our attention. They come to us as foods and flavorings, as medicine, as spiritual and magical foci, as incense for strewing and scenting the home, or as gateways toward mind-altering experiencesor all of the above.