Witchcraft Medicine : Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants

by M?ller-ebeling, Claudia; R?tsch, Christian; Storl, Wolf-Dieter

• ISBN13: 9781594776618
• ISBN10: 159477661X
• Copyright: 2011-10-14
• Publisher: Inner Traditions

Summary

WITCHCRAFT / SHAMANISM "_Witchcraft Medicine_ is a work of brilliant and passionate scholarship, fabulously illustrated, that recovers the lost knowledge of the European shamanic tradition. It is both a guide and an enthusiastic ode to the visionary edge of the botanical realm."--(Daniel Pinchbeck, author of _Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism_) "This is a fascinating work of great importance that is incredibly well researched and documented. And brave. From the first impassioned paragraph to the last words, I was spellbound. Anyone interested in medicine, herbalism, the healing arts, and spiritual phenomena will find this book thought provoking and empowering."--(Rosemary Gladstar, president of United Plant Savers and author of _Herbal Healing for Women_) Witch medicine is wild medicine. It does more than make one healthy; it encourages knowledge and engenders ecstasy and mythological insight. In _Witchcraft Medicine_ the authors take the reader on a journey that examines the women from centuries past who mixed the potions and became the healers. As humans left the "thorny brush" and settled into agrarian societies, elements of nature (including human nature) became identified as wild and destructive, and the culture of the witch was born. Through study of ancient and medieval texts and the artwork of the early Renaissance, the authors explore the demonization of nature's healing powers and sensuousness, the legacy of Hecate, the sorceress as shaman, and the plants associated with witches. They describe important seasonal festivals and the plants used in these celebrations and rituals. They also look at the history of forbidden medicine from the Inquisition to current drug laws, with an eye toward how sacred plants of witchcraft can be used once again. CLAUDIA MÜLLER-EBELING, PH.D., art historian and anthropologist, is the coauthor of _Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas_ and was editor in chief of _Dao_, a magazine about the health and longevity practices of the Far East. She lives in Hamburg, Germany. CHRISTIAN RÄTSCH, PH.D., is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specializes in the shamanic uses of plants. The author of _Marijuana Medicine_ and coauthor of _Plants of the Gods_, he lives in Hamburg, Germany. WOLF-DIETER STORL, PH.D., is a cultural anthropologist and ethnobotanist who has taught at Kent State University, as well as in Vienna, Berne, and Benares. He lives in Allgäu, Germany, and is the author of _Culture and Horticulture: A Philosophy of Gardening_.