Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism. Daniel A Schulke

      

      Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

      Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

       and Other Homilies on Botanical Magic

      Daniel A. Schulke

       Illustrations by Benjamin A. Vierling

      THREE HANDS PRESS

      2017

      First edition published by Three Hands Press, May 2017.

      Text and images © copyright 2017 by Daniel A. Schulke. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, graphical, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright holder.

      ‘Occult Herbalism: Ethos, Praxis, and Spirit-Congress’ was originally published in The Cauldron volume 127, February 2008. The version in the present book has been revised and expanded. ‘The Green Intercessor’ was originally published in Abraxas volume 1, 2009.

      Jacket cover image Witch’s Garden and rear cover images by Benjamin A. Vierling. Jacket design by Bob Eames. Interior book layout by Clint Marsh.

      Printed in Canada

      ISBN 978-1945147-32-6 (e-book)

       threehandspress.com

      Contents

       Preface

       Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

       Transmission of Esoteric Occult Knowledge in the Twenty-First Century

       Occult Herbalism: Ethos, Praxis, and Spirit-Congress

       The Green Intercessor: Tutelary Spirits and the Transmission of Plant-Magic

       Bibliography

       Index

      Preface

      THE REPOSITORY of human-plant knowledge is prehistoric, and embraces arenas of understanding routinely rejected by science: the magical, mystical, spiritual, and mythical. These categories of knowledge are bodies of instruction and mystery that were hard won, over millennia, by technicians of magic: shamans, sorcerers, healers, and a thousand other specialists apprenticed to plants. Occult Herbalism, as it is presently used in this book, encompasses as a broad concept these zones of ritual botanical power.

      Early in my youth, driven both by curiosity and by experiences inexplicable to science, philosophy, or religion, I began a personal investigation into this virid expanse of botanical power, a journey wending from wilderness to farm, from chapel to tumulus, from clinic to alchemical laboratory, even unto the veils of ecstatic trance and oneiric revelation. The fruits of this peregrination, in part, are contained within my book Arcana Viridia: The Green Mysteries, which began in the late 1980s as nothing more than a record of personal observations to better my own understanding.

      Over the years, in my varied contacts with those interested in this subject, I was frequently asked ‘how’ one comes to such knowledge. Among contemporary students of esotericism there is considerable interest in how to approach plant powers from a respectful position, yet one that also allows the full possibilities of awakening to their mysteries. To these people I am thankful, for the dialogues thus incepted catalyzed the process leading to this book.

      The purpose of Thirteen Pathways is therefore to examine routes by which we can learn of the occult nature of plants, and in doing so, incorporate their powers in our own mystical pursuits, and beyond. More than mere approaches, these pathways, when embodied, cohere a magical stance, a viewpoint which may readily be applied to any form of magic or spiritual approach, but also in everyday life.

      In learning, acquisition of the simple facts of knowledge is simply not enough: our study must be immediated by personal insight, sharpened upon the grindstone of continual practice, fortified by willingness to be challenged and even proven wrong, but most importantly, the ability to strengthen one’s personal path, and actuate knowledge by deed. In cases where the practitioner serves the community, such as offering a needed skill like midwifery or medicine, this actuation is something that cannot be faked.

      The common English idiom of possessing a ‘green thumb’ or being ‘green-fingered,’ echoing old appellations of faerie, implies a secret bond of personal power with plants, particularly in horticulture. It also suggests that some people do not possess it, and are therefore excluded from plant power: the lack of this miraculous green digit is often given as reason for a strained or nonexistent connection with plants. This enduring perception of a relationship to plants as being a knack, a rare gift, or as the practice of an elite, resonates strongly with the concept of occultism and magic, for these are extraordinary concepts, trafficking in rarity, concealment, and alienation. This book does not seek to render final judgment on this matter, but it is a useful point of beginning, in consideration of the rare and personal nature of occult herbalism.

      In common with The Green Mysteries, these writings find their origin in learning, practice, and collaboration with others, but also in time spent alone in the wilderness: places of isolation and starkly alienating beauty, where for many years I have deliberately sought solitude as an ‘empty vessel.’ Emergent from a temporal trajectory passing through many circles and fields, the present work, like that of the magical practitioner, reminds us that knowledge is a process, a pilgrimage, that does not cease once a thing is learned, but rather continues to evolve and re-order the individual. The greater the degree of practice and immersion in these matters, the more immediate and profound our results will be. We seek, in short, the Stone of the Alchemists: there is a tradition, some say heretical, that its color is Green. The True Labor is neither easy, nor tolerant of fools: Nature is a harsh mistress, and as the alchemists well knew, one must be willing to pass through her disorienting array of processes if one would glimpse beneath her veils.

      Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism

      MAGICAL OPERATIONS make their appearance in the earliest of human writing, and some of the most ancient inscriptions of mankind are formulae extolling the virtues of certain plants. A certain leaf is prescribed for the binding of a demon, or a specific root for making an animated statue; this knowledge is presented as authoritative and therefore worthy of preservation. We also accept that the use of plants in magical practices pre-dated writing systems, for this is increasing supported by archaeological evidence. What is more difficult to ascertain is the knowledge base that led to this ancient sorcery, the understanding of what gave plants their magical power, what spirits they embodied, what was required to work with them, and the correct manner to make use of their properties. This body of knowledge, which we might call a magical philosophy of trees and herbs, I refer to as Occult Herbalism. Though much of this elder knowledge is lost, most of these powerful plants are still with us, and despite the wreckage of civilizations, some of their traditions have been passed down through millennia, sometimes in the form of writing, and sometimes hand to hand, from master to apprentice.

      It is tempting to conceive of Occult Herbalism based purely upon the more lurid and profane depictions of the occult