Karen Harrison - Herbal Alchemists Handbook, The: A Grimoire of Philtres. Elixirs, Oils, Incense, and Formulas for Ritual Use

Praise for The Herbal Alchemist's Handbook

I am delighted that Karen has finally distilled her years of herbal practice, Qabalistic study, astrological knowledge and magical expertise into a book that will benefit any student of the occult arts, from novice to adept.

Judith Hawkins-Tillirson, author of The Weiser Concise Guide to Herbal Magick

Make space in your herbal library! Those of us who work with astrological correspondences and those who enjoy the spiritual/ritual work with herbs will find Karen Harrison's book a wonderful component for our reference libraries.

It's a must-have book.

Rev. Paul V. Beryl, author of The Master Book of Herbalism

Karen Harrison's book is a boon to herbalists, alchemists, witches and magicians alike. This is an eminently practical book. It is fully annotated and offers recipes for the blending of incenses, for ceremonial oils, philtres and more... This book will have a permanent place in my collection. It is a joy to read; a wealth of knowledge.

Raymond Buckland, author of Buckland's Book of Gypsy Magic

Powerful, practical and deliciously magickal! I love The Herbal Alchemists Handbook!

Christopher Penczak, author of The Temple of Witchcraft series and The Plant Spirit Familiar

Karen Harrison's The Herbal Alchemist Handbook is a treasure-house of recipes, lore, techniques and wise counsel.

Orion Foxwood, author of The Tree of Enchantment

Karen Harrison has crafted a lovely introduction to the Alchemist's Process. Filled with valuable and timely information, it gracefully leads the reader from step to step. This beautifully presented volume has everything the reader/practitioner needs to choose and blend formulas for every use and occasion. Truly a valuable guide for the herbal Magickal process.

Maya Heath, author of Magical Oils by Moonlight and Ceridwen's Handbook of Incense Oils and Candles

The Herbal Alchemist's Handbook demonstrates author Karen Harrison's great love for magick and botanicals as well as her years of expertise. The basic blending process is explored, as are more complex esoteric topics intrinsic to magick and ritual, such as planetary hours, numerology, and the basic tenets of astrology. Recommended!

Judika Illes, author of Pure Magic, The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells, The Weiser Field Guide to Witches

Karen Harrison has attempted the seemingly impossible and succeeded and the proof is the book in your hands. The Herbal Alchemist's Handbook covers an enormous amount of territory and does so with a grace and fluency that allows the reader to integrate the many systems of knowledge that are required to use herbs in magickal work. There are many books that offer partial entry to this field but this one manages to summarize the essentials of the practical and the esoteric so well that even if you had no other book on the topic, you'd still have enough to accomplish your goals.

Ivo Dominguez, Jr. author of Spirit Speak, Beneath the Skins, and Castings: The Creation of Sacred Space

What a celebration of plant and planet, of Earth and Sky, this book is! The Herbal Alchemist's Handbook has the range of how-to detail I hunger for: amulets, bath salts, incenses, potpourri, oils, philtres, elixirs and more, all attuned to the plants' planetary energies. Best of all, this factual matter is accompanied by exquisite rituals, works of crystal-clear intention and potent beauty. This is the heart-soul connection that fuels the best magical work, and truly sets these forces in motion.

Renna Shesso, author of Math for Mystics

Herbalism has never been my magical forte and I consider myself to have a bit of a black thumb when it comes to plants, but this book comes as a surprising treat. While many books on herbal magic seem like simply endless encyclopedias of A to Z, Karen Harrison's book comes alive as a true guide that helps the reader to discover the strong planetary and elemental energies that make herbs so powerful.

Christian Day, Salem Warlock, proprietor of Hex, and co-founder of The Festival of the Dead

A thorough and remarkably usable handbook.

Lon Milo DuQuette, author of Enochian Vision Magick

Being a well-trained and experienced herbologist, Karen Harrison has created a modern-day herbal grimoire by presenting valuable material in an easy-to-follow format. She gathers ancient wisdom and illustrates its use in a intelligible style convenient for the modern practitioner. Delightful reading for the herbalist, witch and astrologer alike.

Andrew Theitic, editor/publisher of The Witches' Almanac

First published in 2011 by

Red Wheel/Weiser, llc

With offices at:

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2011 by Karen Harrison

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, llc. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN: 978-1-57863-491-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available on request

Cover Design: Jim Warner

Text Design: Deborah Dutton

Typeset in Brioso Pro.

Printed in Canada

TCP

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).

PART 1
The Herbs and Their Planetary Signatures

PART 2
Practicum: The Creation, Composition, and Blending of alchemical Herbal Formulas

PART 3
Combining the Planetary and Elemental Influences

The use of herbs for Magick and medicine has fascinated people for millenniaand for good reason. Herbs have been used effectively in Magick and religious ceremony for tens of thousands of years. The Healing Arts and the Magickal Arts developed together as our ancestors sought ways to control and sustain their survival in the days well before a pharmacy was located on every corner. Indeed, what our forebears discovered and experimented with was the fact that a pharmacopeia existed in every meadow, forest, and river bendif you knew what to look for and what to do with the herbs once you found them.

As the compiled knowledge of our ancestors evolved, they developed complex, integrated systems of information in order to understand and affect the world around them. Based on their keen observations of the natural world's flows of energy, the movement of the stars and Planets, the cycles of the Earth's seasons, and the Waxing and Waning Phases of the Moon, the ancients could begin to predict the course of the weather and what its effects would be on their lives, as well as the paths that the herds would follow and therefore when to go on the hunt. They could foretell where the herbs that healed would grow and when they would be ready to harvest.

The components of herbs (roots, leaves, flowers, resins, and essential oils) were certainly used for their physical healing properties in the creation of salves, poultices, tinctures, fomentations, and much more, but they were also extensively used Magickally in conjunction with their medicinal properties. Our ancestors knew that the value of the herb was not just in the physical ailments it could alleviate or heal, but also in the energy, the