Entering Hekate's garden The magick, medicine, & mystery of plant spirit witchcraft

Energy healer Brannen (Keeping Her Keys) presents a wide-ranging botanical grimoire based on the traditions of ancient Greek goddess Hekate and her daughters, Circe and Medea. Brannen opens by reframing the mythology around the goddesses, suggesting that rather than being dark and evil sorceresses, they are empowered practitioners who use their extensive knowledge of the natural world for both "bane and blessing." Brannen's "pharmakeia" ("part art, part science, part intuition and part experience") is made up mostly of spells and rituals, and covers the basics including banishing, protection, and spell building, as well as a variety of astrological, elemental, and magical correlations. At the heart of the guide is detailed information on 39 plants (among them dandelion, fennel, frankincense, juniper, lavender, and mugwort) explaining their physical and metaphysical properties, and how they can be incorporated into spells. For instance, moss can be added for slow-acting spells, and olive oil is best for "consecrating sacred icons." Brannen mixes her recipes with poetry and explanations of Hekate's influence as "Queen of Witches." This'll be a handy resource for witchcraft practitioners. (Nov.)

Brannen (True Magic and Keeping Her Keys) makes perfectly clear from the outset that this is not your typical herbiary. Brannen elegantly weaves the fundamentals of plant-spirit witchcraft's ontology throughout a 13-chapter structure designed to amplify the message that plants and herbs are not just medicine but are also magic and mystery. She explains that pharmakeia is the art and science of using plants given to us by Hekate (Goddess/Primal Source/AnimaMundi) to regain our wholeness after the suppression of her healing wisdom for centuries. Each chapter begins with an evocative poem imbuing the divine into mundane instruction for medicinal and ritualistic preparations. Monographs of 39 different plants and herbs describe their characteristics, properties, and correspondences and supply their medicinal uses as well as artfully crafted magical spells and rituals. This book is a master lesson in the holistic merger of scientific knowledge and a deep honoring of the magical and sacred plant-spirit that is the basis for Green Witchcraft. VERDICT Readers familiar with, new to, or curious about witchcraft, herbalism, or plant medicine will find this title informative and deeply satisfying.--Janet Tapper, formerly with Univ. of Western States Lib., Portland, OR