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The Sacred Herbs of Spring
Magical, Healing, and Edible Plants to Celebrate Beltaine
Published by Destiny Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
A practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine and the sacred herbs of spring
• Explores the identification, harvest, and safe practical and ritual use of more than 90 plants and trees
• Details rituals for honoring the traditional Gods and Goddesses of spring, such as the Goddess Chloris, the Goddess Flora, and the Daghda
• Reveals which herbs to use for luck, magic, protection, purification, abundance, fertility, and love as well as the herbs of the Faeries and Elves and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and for contacting the High Gods and Goddesses
The festival of Beltaine, May Day, is a celebration of the return of spring and the promise of summer, a time for love magic and spells for increasing the fertility of the land and the plants that grow upon it. Like Samhain in autumn, Beltaine is also a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual world is at its most transparent and the ancestors and denizens of the Otherworld easily interact with the world of humans.
Presenting a practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine, Ellen Evert Hopman examines the plants, customs, foods, drinks, and rituals of May Day across many cultures. Discussing the gods and goddesses of spring, Hopman details the rituals for honoring them as well as traditional poems, prayers, incantations, folk rhymes, and sayings related to this time of year. She explores well dressing, the custom of honoring the source of sacred water by decorating a well. She also looks at Beltaine’s association with Walpurgisnacht and Hexennacht, which fall the preceding evening.
In the extensive section on the sacred plants of Beltaine, the author explores more than 90 herbs and trees, offering spells, rituals, and recipes alongside their medicinal healing uses. She reveals sacred woods suitable for the Beltaine fires and Beltaine flowers for rituals and spells. She explores herbs for luck, magic, purification, abundance, and love; herbs for protection, such as bindweed, elder, and St. John’s wort; herbs of the Faeries and Elves, such as burdock and dandelion; and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and contacting the high gods and goddesses. She also details the identification, harvest, and preparation of seasonal edible herbs, greens, mushrooms, and flowers.
Woven throughout with mystical tales of folk, Faery, and sacred herbs, this guide offers each of us practical and magical ways to connect with Nature, the plant kingdom, and the Spirits that surround us in the season of spring.
• Explores the identification, harvest, and safe practical and ritual use of more than 90 plants and trees
• Details rituals for honoring the traditional Gods and Goddesses of spring, such as the Goddess Chloris, the Goddess Flora, and the Daghda
• Reveals which herbs to use for luck, magic, protection, purification, abundance, fertility, and love as well as the herbs of the Faeries and Elves and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and for contacting the High Gods and Goddesses
The festival of Beltaine, May Day, is a celebration of the return of spring and the promise of summer, a time for love magic and spells for increasing the fertility of the land and the plants that grow upon it. Like Samhain in autumn, Beltaine is also a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual world is at its most transparent and the ancestors and denizens of the Otherworld easily interact with the world of humans.
Presenting a practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine, Ellen Evert Hopman examines the plants, customs, foods, drinks, and rituals of May Day across many cultures. Discussing the gods and goddesses of spring, Hopman details the rituals for honoring them as well as traditional poems, prayers, incantations, folk rhymes, and sayings related to this time of year. She explores well dressing, the custom of honoring the source of sacred water by decorating a well. She also looks at Beltaine’s association with Walpurgisnacht and Hexennacht, which fall the preceding evening.
In the extensive section on the sacred plants of Beltaine, the author explores more than 90 herbs and trees, offering spells, rituals, and recipes alongside their medicinal healing uses. She reveals sacred woods suitable for the Beltaine fires and Beltaine flowers for rituals and spells. She explores herbs for luck, magic, purification, abundance, and love; herbs for protection, such as bindweed, elder, and St. John’s wort; herbs of the Faeries and Elves, such as burdock and dandelion; and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and contacting the high gods and goddesses. She also details the identification, harvest, and preparation of seasonal edible herbs, greens, mushrooms, and flowers.
Woven throughout with mystical tales of folk, Faery, and sacred herbs, this guide offers each of us practical and magical ways to connect with Nature, the plant kingdom, and the Spirits that surround us in the season of spring.
Excerpt
Introduction
The month of May is a time of great spiritual power for those who are attuned to natural cycles. In the northern hemisphere the sap is rising in the trees and medicinally beneficial new leaves and flowers are reappearing.
For Druids, Witches, and other followers of the Nature Religions, May is the time to celebrate love, fertility and the new growth of summer, and most of this book is dedicated to these magical aspects of the May Day festival.
The May Pole
The May Pole is a well-known British tradition associated with May Day. The pole was covered all over with flowers and greens, then bound with ribbons from top to bottom. Hundreds of people would banquet, feast, and dance around the pole.
In Wales a living tree, often a Birch, was danced around. In Eastern Europe it was a Fir tree that marked the observance. Young men chopped one down, decorated it with ribbons and colored egg shells, and planted it outside the bedroom of their lover. In Italy, poles greased with lard were set up with prosciutto, cheeses, and even money at the top. Men would try to climb the pole to win the prizes. Lemons and ribbons were affixed to flowering branches, love songs were sung, and male and female trees were brought into the piazza to be ritually “married”.
Herbs of Protection
Elder (Sambucus spp.)
Wherever possible, every home should have an Elder tree nearby to repel sorcery, and planted near a grave it will guard the body. Elder has a female Spirit known as the Elder Mother who is very protective of children, but it is bad luck to make a cradle of Elder wood (a cradle made of Ash wood will help protect a child from being stolen by the Faeries), probably because to make the cradle you would need to chop down an Elder tree. Cutting one down or burning it can mean a death in the family! I suspect that this prohibition has to do with the fact that every part of the tree is so valuable--the flowers, berries, leaves, inner bark, and roots are all medicinal and in ancient times a house with an Elder nearby would be healthy and blessed.
An old Scottish tradition says that Elder will only grow on land where no blood has been shed.
Elder gathered on May Eve is especially powerful for snake bites, dog bites, toothaches, and depression. Whipping fruit trees with Elder branches is said to protect them against blight. This makes sense because the mature leaves of Elder are actually a natural pesticide.
The pith is easily removed with a wire, making Elder a favorite tree for crafting Pan Pipes.
Cut a piece of Elder wood and soak it in oil. When lit and floated on a bowl of water it will point to any Witch present in the room.
If you must cut an Elder for any reason, recite this traditional English verse of reconciliation with the Tree Spirit:
Owd Girl, give me thy wood,
An’ I will give thee some of mine,
When I grow into a tree.
Hang Elder boughs on the door or from gate posts, or place it along the windowsills to repel psychic attack. Meditate in an Elder grove to commune with woodland Spirits. Float Elder flowers in the ritual bath and use Elder flower water for baby blessings.
Make an equal armed, solar Elder cross with Elder twigs and red thread to protect the house and barn from chaotic wandering Spirits. Stand or sleep under a blooming Elder on May Eve to see the Faeries trooping by. Wear a sprig of Elder as protection from magical harm and keep a crooked piece of Elder wood in your pocket to ward off rheumatic pains.
Hawthorn, May Tree, Whitethorn (Crataegus spp.)
Hawthorn is the classic Beltaine tree and a plethora of lore is associated with it. Every person who seeks to live a magical life should have one of these trees in their yard as a kind of nature calendar. It isn’t truly Beltaine until the local Hawthorn blooms!
According to ancient lore, a solitary Hawthorn standing on a hill, especially if it has a water source nearby, is likely an entrance to the Land of Faery.
Sitting under a Hawthorn in the month of May could attract Faeries that will seek to control you. If sprays of Hawthorn are placed in the rafters on Palm Sunday by someone who is not a member of the family, it can protect the house from sorcery, evil spirits and storms.
Hang Hawthorn outside the byre on May Day to guard the milk from sorcery. The Green Man (also called “Jack in the Green or the “May King”) wears a Hawthorn crown in old illustrations. “Bawning (anointing) the Thorn” is an old ritual where a Hawthorn is decorated with red and white ribbons and children dance around the tree.
Marsh-Marigold, King’s Cup (Caltha palustris L.)
By tradition this plant should not be brought into the home until May 1. On that day the house is decorated with a bunch of Marsh Marigolds, hung stalk upwards. The flowers are also strewn before the door and wound into wreaths, and hung on the May Bush. Their yellow color welcomes and honors the sun.
Marsh Marigolds are said to magically protect the home from lightning strikes during the month of May.
Cautions: When Marsh Marigold comes in contact with the skin, it might cause blisters and burns. Wear gloves when picking it.
The month of May is a time of great spiritual power for those who are attuned to natural cycles. In the northern hemisphere the sap is rising in the trees and medicinally beneficial new leaves and flowers are reappearing.
For Druids, Witches, and other followers of the Nature Religions, May is the time to celebrate love, fertility and the new growth of summer, and most of this book is dedicated to these magical aspects of the May Day festival.
The May Pole
The May Pole is a well-known British tradition associated with May Day. The pole was covered all over with flowers and greens, then bound with ribbons from top to bottom. Hundreds of people would banquet, feast, and dance around the pole.
In Wales a living tree, often a Birch, was danced around. In Eastern Europe it was a Fir tree that marked the observance. Young men chopped one down, decorated it with ribbons and colored egg shells, and planted it outside the bedroom of their lover. In Italy, poles greased with lard were set up with prosciutto, cheeses, and even money at the top. Men would try to climb the pole to win the prizes. Lemons and ribbons were affixed to flowering branches, love songs were sung, and male and female trees were brought into the piazza to be ritually “married”.
Herbs of Protection
Elder (Sambucus spp.)
Wherever possible, every home should have an Elder tree nearby to repel sorcery, and planted near a grave it will guard the body. Elder has a female Spirit known as the Elder Mother who is very protective of children, but it is bad luck to make a cradle of Elder wood (a cradle made of Ash wood will help protect a child from being stolen by the Faeries), probably because to make the cradle you would need to chop down an Elder tree. Cutting one down or burning it can mean a death in the family! I suspect that this prohibition has to do with the fact that every part of the tree is so valuable--the flowers, berries, leaves, inner bark, and roots are all medicinal and in ancient times a house with an Elder nearby would be healthy and blessed.
An old Scottish tradition says that Elder will only grow on land where no blood has been shed.
Elder gathered on May Eve is especially powerful for snake bites, dog bites, toothaches, and depression. Whipping fruit trees with Elder branches is said to protect them against blight. This makes sense because the mature leaves of Elder are actually a natural pesticide.
The pith is easily removed with a wire, making Elder a favorite tree for crafting Pan Pipes.
Cut a piece of Elder wood and soak it in oil. When lit and floated on a bowl of water it will point to any Witch present in the room.
If you must cut an Elder for any reason, recite this traditional English verse of reconciliation with the Tree Spirit:
Owd Girl, give me thy wood,
An’ I will give thee some of mine,
When I grow into a tree.
Hang Elder boughs on the door or from gate posts, or place it along the windowsills to repel psychic attack. Meditate in an Elder grove to commune with woodland Spirits. Float Elder flowers in the ritual bath and use Elder flower water for baby blessings.
Make an equal armed, solar Elder cross with Elder twigs and red thread to protect the house and barn from chaotic wandering Spirits. Stand or sleep under a blooming Elder on May Eve to see the Faeries trooping by. Wear a sprig of Elder as protection from magical harm and keep a crooked piece of Elder wood in your pocket to ward off rheumatic pains.
Hawthorn, May Tree, Whitethorn (Crataegus spp.)
Hawthorn is the classic Beltaine tree and a plethora of lore is associated with it. Every person who seeks to live a magical life should have one of these trees in their yard as a kind of nature calendar. It isn’t truly Beltaine until the local Hawthorn blooms!
According to ancient lore, a solitary Hawthorn standing on a hill, especially if it has a water source nearby, is likely an entrance to the Land of Faery.
Sitting under a Hawthorn in the month of May could attract Faeries that will seek to control you. If sprays of Hawthorn are placed in the rafters on Palm Sunday by someone who is not a member of the family, it can protect the house from sorcery, evil spirits and storms.
Hang Hawthorn outside the byre on May Day to guard the milk from sorcery. The Green Man (also called “Jack in the Green or the “May King”) wears a Hawthorn crown in old illustrations. “Bawning (anointing) the Thorn” is an old ritual where a Hawthorn is decorated with red and white ribbons and children dance around the tree.
Marsh-Marigold, King’s Cup (Caltha palustris L.)
By tradition this plant should not be brought into the home until May 1. On that day the house is decorated with a bunch of Marsh Marigolds, hung stalk upwards. The flowers are also strewn before the door and wound into wreaths, and hung on the May Bush. Their yellow color welcomes and honors the sun.
Marsh Marigolds are said to magically protect the home from lightning strikes during the month of May.
Cautions: When Marsh Marigold comes in contact with the skin, it might cause blisters and burns. Wear gloves when picking it.
Product Details
- Publisher: Destiny Books (April 7, 2020)
- Length: 376 pages
- ISBN13: 9781644110669
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Raves and Reviews
“Anyone who loves green magic, green medicine, and green hearts will delight in Ellen Evert Hopman’s newest book, The Sacred Herbs of Spring. From altar to stove, from pharmacy to arcane lore, we are guided skillfully, carefully, and eruditely. Welcome fairies. Welcome spring. Welcome a wonderful new book.”
– Susun S. Weed, Wise Woman Herbal Series
“Hopman shows us how the old lore worked all around the world--and still works now. This book will bring the herbs of spring to light for each of us.”
– Elen Sentier, author of Shaman Pathways–Trees of the Goddess
“Rife with rare treasures of history, wise woman's lore, and practical magic. Her research is unparalleled and encompasses a lifetime of scholarship and devotion. This book gives great hope to the human relationship with the procession of the seasons and our Mother Earth.”
– Elyse Poppers, author of The Little Love Book
“A comprehensive view, including recipes, illustrations, lore, and caveats, of the various herbs, barks, berries, and so on for your Beltaine celebration. I really enjoyed the depth of knowledge here and heartily recommend it to those of you who follow the Druidic and Pagan paths.”
– J. T. Sibley, Ph.D., author of The Way of the Wise
“The power of The Sacred Herbs of Spring goes much beyond its medicinal preparations. Hopman takes us on an enchanted journey into the world of Fairies and Elves, spirits that lead us along an avenue into the Otherworld, the world beyond.”
– Nicholas Brink, Ph.D., author of Beowulf’s Ecstatic Trance Magic
“A book that is meant to be worn through use over the years and should be at hand each year when the green first appears on the trees.”
– Andrew Theitic, editor and publisher of The Witches’ Almanac
“Hopman provides a beautifully researched, international, cross-cultural, pan-millennial framework for understanding the ancient festival and its evolution into modern time. . . . It shines with the author’s love of the plant tribes of the earth.”
– Michael R. Gorman, Druid and author of The Celtic Philosopher’s Stone
“A must-read for anyone on the Druid path, and of great interest to anyone in herbal lore and Pagan traditions.”
– Joanna van der Hoeven, author of The Book of Hedge Druidry
“The green world through the lens of Hopman will transport you to magical realms yet unseen. This book is destined to be a classic!”
– Orion Foxwood, author of The Tree of Enchantment
“Hopman has gathered a far-ranging collection of herbal lore. . . . Folk beliefs and modern ritual imagery are supplemented by a wide variety of seasonal recipes and concoctions, from Dandelion Mead and Rowan Berry Liqueur to Lilac Scones and Marigold and Lemon Balm Cheesecake.”
– Sharon Paice MacLeod, author of Celtic Myth and Religion
“Weaves together the magic of sacred herbs with wonderful recipes. Hopman provides easy-to-follow herbal formulas and remedies that will fill the beginner as well as the advanced practitioner with the inspiration and magic of the herbal spirits.”
– Chris Allaun, author of Underworld
“This book reconfigures the information and provides us with not just a reference of herbs for this time of year but also a collection of useful information for understanding the Sabbat. . . . This excellently researched work is a must-have for any herbalist as an important resource.”
– T. Scarlet Jory, editor of WynterGreene Magazine
“Beautifully illustrated . . . a book to keep on a shelf in the heart of your home, as you’ll be reaching for it often.”
– Gary and Ruth Colcombe, hosts of Celtic Myth Podshow
“Hopman shows us how the old lore worked all around the world--and still works now. This book will bring the herbs of spring to light for each of us.”
– Elen Sentier, author of Shaman Pathways–Trees of the Goddess
“This rich compilation should be on the shelf (or e-reader) of anyone interested in herbs or Pagan practices.”
– Morven Westfield, author of The Old Power Returns
"This handbook by master herbalist and Druidic initiate Ellen Evert Hopman is a welcome companion to her Sacred Herbs of Samhain (2019). The Celtic year was (and still is) divided into the dark half and the light half, and so this pair of books gives us information to help us work through the entire year."
– Barbara Ardinger, Witches & Pagans Magazine
"Hopman's previous book, The Sacred Herbs of Samhain, keeps popping up in my Amazon suggestions and I've seen it reviewed and posted about numerous times over the past couple of months. I am certainly interested in the book and when I was given the opportunity to review her newest book, The Sacred Herbs of Spring, I jumped on the opportunity. I was not disappointed! Hopman is a Druid and master herbalist, and it shows in her writing. Each chapter is filled with herbs and plants scared to Beltane based upon what you can use them for. Much like my herbarium posts, Hopman discussed each plant's folklore and their medicinal uses. For many of the plants, she also includes delicious recipes for culinary dishes as well as herbal remedies. Each description also comes with an extensive warning, allowing the reader to make an informed choice as to which plants they may or may not want to use. Furthermore, Hopman includes extensive research and cites her sources faithfully. As a scholar, I greatly appreciated her attention to detail."
– Willow, Flying the Hedge: The Path of a Hedgewitch
"I recommend this book to anyone with a Wiccan or Pagan inclination, as well as anyone wanting to live a more natural lifestyle that includes using local natural products. The author, Ellen Evert Hopman, is the author of this volume as well as The Sacred Herbs of Samhain. If it is similar to this volume, it is well worth adding to your library."
– Lalia Wilson, Tarot Reflections
"...The author provides a wealth of information on celebrating an honoring this sabbat. The veil between the worlds is thinnest not just on Samhain but Beltaine as well. Within the pages are rituals, recipes, offerings celebrating spring. This a great comprehensive book on all things Beltaine and inspiration for how you can honor and celebrate spring and the upcoming summer."
– Amber Barnes, FacingNorth.net
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