Magic Plants

The Old Russian concept of sacred water, that is water possessing magical properties, is analysed in this chapter. The most important manifestation of the cult of sacred water in Old Russia was its ritual use in conjunction with a variety of plant substances (“potion”), whereby the water acquired some new, special properties. Magical water, according to medieval notions, condensed on leaves as morning dew. Collected from plants at a certain time, it was used to enhance one’s growth, strength, health, and beauty. A magical herb potion was also brewed using morning dew. Tumbling and rolling in the dew early in the morning before “Ivan Kupala” (St John the Baptist’s day), and some other holidays, as well as collection and subsequent use of the dew, was considered to be a universal magical method that cured almost all diseases. Tumbling in the dew had its counterpart in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. According to East Slavic sources, participants in the morning dew ceremony could reach a transpersonal state of consciousness similar to a deep mystical experience. The earliest written evidence of Old Russian ritual use of water dates from the eleventh and twelfth centuries, but refers back to even earlier, pre-Christian times (e.g. references to steam baths in the opening part of “The Tale of Bygone Years”, as well as in the chronicle entries for the years 907 and 945). In the Russian medieval tradition, the steam bath was considered a sort of domestic sanctuary. The opposition of the steam bath and the church corresponds to the opposition between the pagan and the Christian. Steam bath rites in Old Russia were opposed to their respective religious rites and sacraments, such as Baptism, Confirmation, Wedding, Priesthood, Anointing of the Sick, Funeral, and Remembrance. Duplications of Christian and pagan rituals are clearly observed in “rites of passage”. Such contradictory beliefs as Christian baptism and the magical “first bathing” of a newborn; church wedding and the washing of the bride and groom in the bathhouse together with the sorcerer; the remembrance of the dead with Synodicon and the “bath for the dead”, successfully coexisted in the minds of medieval Russian people. Various substances of vegetable origin, different potions, and special brooms with flowers and herbs were used for the ritual steam bath. In Old Russia this pagan rite was called “mov’”, and it was widespread in the Russian North. “Mov’” led to the attainment of transpersonal experiences, the ecstatic “state of the dead and spirits”. The Old Russian pagan “mov’” is a typical ceremony characterized by evaporation of water thrown onto hot stones and inhalation of steam and smoke of burning plants. This ritual is known from a variety of archaic traditions; Old Russia was no exception.
It is important to note that both the tumbling in the morning dew and the rituals in the steam bath are closely linked to the borderline of liquid and gaseous aggregate states of water, namely the non-equilibrium processes of condensation and evaporation. For participants of the ceremonies, this symbolized the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead, between real and metaphysical space.

This article relies on ethnographic and household survey data to examine the contribution of magic plants to the overall diversity of plant species managed by rural households in the municipality of Borba, Amazonas state, Brazil. The resulting analysis shows that more than 27 percent of the species managed in smallholder farming communities in Borba are believed to have symbolic powers or magical properties. Furthermore, while households that managed magic plants did not demonstrate a significantly higher average of plant species than those households that did not, households with magic plants did manage a significantly higher average of plant species in home gardens. Drawing on qualitative data, this article discusses the usage of such magic plants, exploring their symbolic powers and their relationship to gender and healing while also considering the ambiguities in their classification. To conclude, it is argued that magic plants and their meanings represent more than an anthropological novelty, but have important implications for (agro)biodiversity conservation.

This book focuses on ethnobotany and phytotherapy, or culturally different ways of relating to plants. It is divided into seven chapters, starting with the introduction and description of the methodological framework. Each chapter contains original contributions from authors who have done research in a particular region in Europe, America, Africa or Asia. The book is finished by an overview of authors’ profiles focused on future plans in research and fieldwork.

Arenas, P. 1987. Medicine and magic among the Maká Indians of the Paraguayan Chaco. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 21: 279-295.

Summary: The Maká Indians are an ethnic group of hunters and gatherers of the Paraguayan Chaco. In order to heal illnesses and counteract different kinds of evil, they practice shamanism, magic and the use of medicines of vegetal and animal origin. A general review of the history, magic and medicine in this culture is undertaken. A list of the components of their pharmacopoeia, with details of their use and particular indications is presented.

Summary: Arenas, P. & S. A. Cáceres Moral. 2013. Geographical distribution of Petalostelma robertii (Apocynaceae) in the Gran Chaco and its interest for ethnobotany. Bonplandia 22(2): 181-190.
This paper discusses the role played by Petalostelma robertii (S. Moore) Liede & Meve (Apocynaceae) in the ethnobotany of two ethnic groups from the Argentine semi-arid Chaco: the Wichí and the Toba-Pilagá peoples, who use it as a love spell. It provides data on the morphology, ecology and geographical distribution of the plant, as well as references on its significance in the social and spiritual lives of these ethnic groups. Its presence in Argentina is mentioned for the first time, and the morphological similarities and discrepancies in the collections made in different localities in the region are discussed. The provisional nature of the identity given to the plant is categorically stated. Its ethnobotanical interest and the need to assign a scientific name to the plant, at least an approximate one, are discussed. On the taxonomic and floral levels, the conclusion is that a detailed study of the exsiccata available is required in order to clarify the identity of a group of plants related to P. robertii.

Arenas, P. & J. A. Braunstein. 1981. Plantas y animales empleados en paquetes y otras formas de la magia amorosa entre los tobas takśik. Parodiana 1(1): 149-169.

Resumen: Se estudian las técnicas de magia amorosa entre los indígenas Toba-Taśik de Misión Tacaaglé (Pcia. de Formosa, Argentina) poniendo especial atención en los atados confeccionados con partes de animales y vegetales. Se mencionan las especies que componen los paquetes y se describen los procedimientos seguidos en su preparación, el tratamiento para tornarlos poderosos, las precauciones para evitar que pierdan su eficacia y otros detalles que hacen a su uso y efecto.

Summary: This paper deals with tecniques of love magic among the Toba-Takśik Indians of Misión Tacaaglé (Provincia de Formosa, Argentina) with special attention to the bundles made up with parts of animals and plants. It mentions the species included in the bundles as well as the procedures pursued in their preparation, the treatment through which they become powerful, the necessary cautions in order to prevent them from losing their efficacy and other details concerning their uses and effects.

This book focuses on ethnobotany and phytotherapy, or culturally different ways of relating to plants. It is divided into seven chapters, starting with the introduction and description of the methodological framework. Each chapter contains original contributions from authors who have done research in a particular region in Europe, America, Africa or Asia. The book is finished by an overview of authors’ profiles focused on future plans in research and fieldwork.

This article presents an overview of astrological considerations pertinent to herbal medicine and magic. The realm of astrology is first examined, and amongst the many forms of astrological practice, the scope of this paper is narrowed to the specifics of the renaissance tradition. Once the astrological foundations are laid (citing passages from Nicholas Culpeper and Joseph Blagrave), attention is paid to how to work with herbs that are said to be ruled by more than one planet. The paper argues that the potency of herbal magic can be increased through careful, and more complex astrological consideration of the timing of workings, and provides specific suggestions on how to do so.

VERDANT GNOSIS is a poetic rendering of the Latin expression, Viridis Geniii, which refers to the collective spiritual intelligence of our botanical environment. Viridis means ‘green, verdant, growing’—all that is lush and nourishing; while genii is the origin of the words ‘genius’ and ‘genie’—the spirit, daemon, or guiding intelligence of an entity. Viridis Genii—the verdant gnosis—is thus the spiritual path of working with the intelligence of living nature.

Within this second volume you will find a selection of international authorities on the Green Way, ranging from professional plant alchemists, shamanic herb-masters, to bioregional animists. Herein you will learn the ways in which you can communicate deeply with the mysterious intelligence of the plant kingdom, breaking down the barriers of anthropocentric thinking that separate humanity from nature.


VERDANT GNOSIS: Table of Contents

Introduction
—Catamara Rosarium, Marcus McCoy,
and Jenn Zahrt, PhD

Gaia Sophia and the Emerald Path
—Dan Riegler

Transmission of Esoteric Plant Knowledge in the Twenty-First Century
—Daniel A. Schulke

Funerary Trees, Folklore, and Practices in Grief and Mourning
—Corinne Boyer

Man-Dragon, Man-Root, and the Witch:
Mandragora and Ginseng as Plant Allies
—Jesse Hathaway Diaz

Devil’s Club: Sacred Cascadian Medicine
—Jon Keyes

Beyond the Mundane and Medicinal: Magic in the Woods
—Karl Feret

Baltic Amber in Myth, Medicine, and Magic
—Gail Faith Edwards

On the Importance of Keeping a Poison Garden
—Urtica Dioica

Controversy and Conversion:
Astrological Considerations for Potent Herbal Workings
—Jenn Zahrt, PhD