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A friendly field guide to herb magic.
Stir up passion with violet or nab a new job with honeysuckle. From parsley to periwinkle, people enjoy herbs for their aroma, taste, and healing abilities, but few are aware of the magical secrets hidden within these marvelous multipurpose plants. Herb Magic for Beginners takes a fresh look at herbal folklore, wisdom, and spellwork.
Ellen Dugan, the popular author of Garden Witchery, describes the magical traits of flowers, roots, trees, vines, spices, and other familiar herbs. Under her guidance, you'll learn the basics of magic and spellworking so that you may explore herbal magic on your own. This introductory guide features a chapter on writing new spells that includes an herbal spell workbook. It also offers charts with magical correspondences for each day of the week--symbols, colors, planetary influences, herbs, themes, and more.
With the help of this friendly field guide, you can begin to practice herb magic for health, good luck, prosperity, romance, and protection.
Herb Magic for Beginners, is one of the newest additions to the "For Beginners" line at Llewellyn . Who better than Ellen Dugan, "The Garden Witch" to dig into this topic?
Also available in Spanish as "MAGIA con las HIERBAS" from Llewellyn worldwide.
This book will also be printed in Russian, Czech, and Lithuanian!
EDITORIAL REVIEW from "The Herb Quarterly" Magazine Fall 2006
Herb magic is as old as history. Throughout folklore runs the thread of belief that herbs, trees, and all plant life have magical characteristics that can help people in their daily lives. Even the most skeptical person has, at one time or another, pulled daisy petals off a flower and chanted, "He loves me, he loves me not," hoping it might work some sort of spell. Standing in the herb garden at twilight, it's hard to resist the notion that there's magic and mystery about, and in Herb Magic for Beginners, author Ellen Dugan brings this magic to today's herb garden
In a folksy, personal style, Dugan, a practicing Wiccan and master gardener, presents the principles of herb magic--the techniques of tapping into the life force and energy of a plant to produce charms and spells and enhance rituals.
As well as aiding in the perennial problem of finding love, the author outlines herbal charms for winning a new job, boosting health and happiness, aiding in the protection of the home, and increasing prosperity, amoung other things. You'll learn how to begin writing your own charms using intuition, creativity, and imagination. She includes a worksheet for tracking the success of your personal herb magic.
Along with magic, Dugan focuses on responsible herb use. She stresses caution with any herb that even remotely causes any sort of reaction, and emphasizes the use of positive intentions and affirmations.
Many of the traditional beliefs involving herb magic have a curious kind of synchronicity, meaning that cultures around the world have come to the same conclusions about specific plants. For instance, the columbine flower was traditionally used in Europe to attract love, and, amazingly, on the other side of the Atlantic, many Native American nations also believed the herb's flowers and seeds could attract the opposite sex.
If you want to try something new, take this delightful little book into the herb garden, tuck some sweet violet blossoms into a pink organza bag--on Friday to inspire love or Tuesday to increase passion-- do a little chant over it, and see what happens. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Reviwed by, Barbara MacPherson The Herb Quarterly Magazine Fall 2006
EDITORIAL REVIEW from WiccaNet June 2006
Dugan's gift is to show the magic that is already there in our everyday lives and to help us re-discover it. How many of you recall planting a garden with your parents or at school? That joy of planting and seeing a plant burst up out of the ground is a part of Herb magic that we have lost. The folkways of our grandparents and aunts, uncles, and other family members have been lost on our journey. These skills and spellwork are a forgotten part of our heritage. Re-claim the old knowledge. Plant a small herb garden and see how it can change your life.
You don't know how to plant a garden? Ellen Dugan's book, "Herb Magic for Beginners" will tell you everything you need to know. This book is an introduction to the study of magical herbs and their uses. Dugan writes in her usual clear manner and tells the reader just what they need to know. After you read this book you will know what time is best to pick certain herbs and why this is so. How do you grow herbs? What herbs can I grow in my garden? Where can you buy seeds or plants? Are fresh herbs better than dried herbs? All of these questions, and a host of others are answered in turn.Other features of the book make it an instant classic. The Days of the Week and Magical Herb Correspondences are easy to read and understand.
One of the best things about this book is that it approaches Herb Magic as a part of a magical life. Each herb is described in detail along with its usage. Many people try to do magic out of context and it doesn't work for them. Dugan gives helpful advice of how to use a variety of herbs to improve your life. Most of the herbs used can be found in your spice rack. One of my favorite sections dealt with writing new spells. Spells will always work better if the person casting the spell wrote the spell. Dugan's step by step instructions to writing your own spell are very helpful for beginning students.
All of the appendixes are useful. There are 8 sections on herbal correspondences and substitutions. There are lists of Practical Elemental Herbs, Practical Planetary Herbs, Herbs for Love and Happiness, Herbs for Well-being and Comfort, Herbs for Protection, Herbs for Prosperity, Emergency Herb Magic Substitutions, and a Spell Ingredient Substitution List. This will be the most used section of the book and of value to both beginners and more seasoned practitioners.
My only regret with this book was the lack of pictures and photos. The use of line drawings keep the costs down, which is important, but photographs of each herb in its natural and dried state would be helpful. I am planning on using this book as a text for a Magical Herbology 101 class. I will have the students grow their own herb garden, draw or photograph the plants and collect and dry the herbs.
Lorriedel Davis
WiccaNet Assistant Manager
WiccaNet Chatroom Manager
EDITORIAL REVIEW from inthelibraryreviews.net
In her familiar homey style, Dugan pens a tome that really is accessible for beginners. Herb Magic for Beginners opens with a brief definition of herb magic and the basic rules of all magic. Next readers move onto the timing, terms and tools of herb magic. Planetary associations, colors and the few items to keep on hand are explored as well. Then the fun begins.
Four chapters are dedicated to spells; each chapter focusing on different intentions or results: Love/Happiness, Well-Being/Comfort, Protection, and finally Prosperity. Each chapter follows a basic format - "Spells from the Spice rack" or culinary herbs, "Romantic Plants You May Not Know Are Herbs", "Herbal Trees" and "Garden Witchery". The spells are quick, simple, down-to-earth, but pack a powerful punch. Nothing is extremely detailed or complicated and the book's layout makes it very user-friendly.
Herb Magic for Beginners is the perfect introduction to the fascinating world of herb magic! As an added bonus, this book is sure to pique the reader's interest in garden witchery.
Reviwed by Safiya Tremayne
From www.inthelibraryreviews.net June 2006
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© 2005 Ellen Dugan.
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