Thirteen Pathways of Occult Herbalism. Daniel A Schulke

an affinity writ large, such as the ability to have difficult plants flourish under one’s care, or it may be a kinship with a certain plant. Other affinities may lie in the sensorial realm, such as an exceedingly sensitive palate for tasting, or it may arise from the knack of being able to understand and reify metaphysical botanical arcana into physical form. An affinity may arise from strong preference—say, for a grape varietal in one’s wine—that ultimately leads to refinement in understanding, and perhaps a real contribution that will progress the art form. Other affinities lie in adeptness with systems of classification, or in the art of synthesizing new combinations of individual plants. For those occult practitioners who possess Affinity with plants, it is essential to not only know specifically what they are, but also understand the nature of the linking aetheric strands, the better to pluck them, like the strings of a finely tuned instrument.

      Importantly, if one has no natural affinities with plants, the sustained practice of occult herbalism—or any other discipline engaging plants—will be exceedingly difficult. This is not to say that affinity cannot be developed with dedication, or come about as the result of initiative or sudden change.

      A useful practice for the exploration of these bonds begins by creating a basic map of a single known Affinity. For example, the connections present between the practitioner and the Rose, a plant perceived as common but in fact poorly understood. In the practice, one first takes stock of the sensual linkages in perception to the flower: the olfactory route, the effects on the skin, and its precise appearance in nostalgia, through personal memory. Further categories of linkage are added: links to personal history, routes of textual association, fields of unconscious association, links to dreaming, and so on. As important as any of these criteria is the field of actuation, signifying the intersection of the plant with events in one’s life, especially those out of the ordinary, marking out ciphers of relation. If, after undertaking this practice, there is significant linkage or Affinity, a pattern quickly emerges, and its individual points of connection often combine to reveal a whole greater than that the sum of its parts.

      Given that so many of these fields of power are personal or subjective, one may wonder what value (other than personal) such exercises hold. To that question I pose the following in reply: whose magical path do you serve? In other words, ‘universal’ knowledge so called is of limited value if it negates personal power: one’s own personal points of engagement with plant powers are central to occult herbalism.

      Another way in which to view the Pathway of Affinity is to acknowledge one’s attractions, and seek them out. If, for example, one is drawn to learning about Hellebore, this should be acknowledged and acted upon, despite the plant’s toxic nature. After all, the impulse toward enlightenment is unceasing, a fact too brutally illustrated in Edenic narratives. However, rather than forbidding such potent fruits, or ushering the moth toward self-immolation, we advocate the third way: the respectful approach of power. In this dynamic, understanding what lies behind the attraction is as important as the Object of Desire itself, and often serves as a counterweight to unconscious pursuit.

      Περιπέτεια • Peripeteia

      THE PATHWAY OF AVERSION

      Everyone has things to which they are attracted; likewise there are those things which repel us. These are the things we find personally objectionable, and like those things which attract, they also contain a key to our power; their conscious route of approach is the Pathway of Aversion. For this route of occult herbalism, I have chosen the mnemonic of the Greek concept peripeteia or ‘reversal of fortune.’ This inherently presupposes the Pathway as continually active, and one which is turned into power, rather than simply opposes.

      In defining that which we are averse to, we must enter the sanctum of personal abomination, a place few wish to tread, for it is easier not to acknowledge it. Yet in ignoring it, we estrange ourselves from a sanctuary of power which would otherwise control us. Aversion is one of the most difficult of pathways, in part because it involves unflinching honesty and courage. Here, it is important to remember that true personal aversion entails the things one does not like or wish to do, rather than the cultural norms one wishes to ‘rebel’ against.

      In occult herbalism, the Pathway of Aversion often begins with the physical, and the most easily understood example is the exposure to plants causing injury or harassment. Thorns, foul stench, nauseating poison, and dermatitis are among such factors. On the Pathway of Aversion, these plants are encountered to physical detriment, and the route of recovery is sufficient to energize and catalyze new modes of magical understanding. The metaphysical aspects of the path are, of course, identifying one’s demons and weaknesses and addressing them, through transforming their active qualities or extracting power from their viscera via magical operations.

       Plants of the Pathway of Aversion

      Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)

      Boxwood (Buxus spp.)

      Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)

      Holly (Ilex spp.)

      Locust (Robinia spp.)

      Nettle (Urtica spp.)

      Rose (Rosa spp.)

       Ziziphus spina-christi

      In the landscape, the Pathway of Aversion is aligned symbolically with the hedge, the division between fields, a structure of ancient origins and strong magical power. Often comprised of thorny trees and plants, such as Holly, Blackthorn, Nettle, and Crucifixion Thorn, the hedge arises as a living figuration of agricultural architecture, not merely marking a boundary, but often making it impassable, or presenting difficulty in doing so. As the terminus dividing one state from another, its power arises not only from physical division, but from the defensive power of its thorns and densely-thicketed branches. Within is divided from Without, and Here partitioned from Beyond, by way of travail and ordeal. Similar barriers exist throughout Nature, such as the airless and killing space that separates planet from planet. The Hedge thus embodies an extremity, a state of harshness opposed that which lies in its proximity.

      Among some persons we observe a kind of hedge mentality, a state of mind which mirrors in in some ways the physicality of the actual hedge in the landscape. This mindset, often unconscious, is characterized by the imposition of barriers and perimeters at individual extremities, and the kinesthetic relationship of the Self as it moves throughout the hedge-enclosed labyrinth. Although not strictly imagined as a dense green embankment, the limits of personal comfort are strictly defined, so that there can be no personal disruption. A hedge mentality may arise from a number of legitimate personal concerns: privacy, solitude, demarcation of personal space, or the individual need for a psycho-spatial framework. It may also arise, and be sustained by paranoid states or simple denial. The Pathway of Aversion, by its nature, disrupts the ordering of hedge-mentality, and allows passage between previously partitioned fields.

      Aversion may not be consciously understood, but intellectual comprehension is not necessary for the power of opposition to function on a spiritual level. So long as comprehension dwells within the body at the most basic somatic level—cells reacting to poison, and catecholamines reacting to fear—the power will enjoy a means of translation.

      Aφανισμός • Aphanismos

      THE PATHWAY OF DISAPPEARANCE

      The Pathway of Disappearance or ‘Vanishing’ (aphanismos) may also be called the Way of the Hermit, based as it is on isolation and inhibition. That which is inhibited is human company and the comfort of the familiar world, met with a corresponding immersion into the wild. It relates to the Pathway of Peregrination, yet bases itself on removal not only from the world of humankind but also the comforts of travel. In the immersion in the wilderness, the spirit separated from the distractions and burdens of civilization, certain seekers may attain clarity of sight and occult understanding. The visionary potency of this magical process is noted by British occultist and seer Aleister Crowley in his essential work Magic and Theory and Practice.

      There are some who argue