Flower and Tree Magic
By Marilyn Zink
This is my first book review for the Herbal Collective blog and I plan to do others.
This book is called Flower and Tree Magic by Richard Webster, Lewellyn Publications.
This book has something of a mystical appeal, talking about things like astrology, flowers for protection, fairies and shamanism. The contents are divided into several headings; sacred and magical trees, tree magic, the world of flowers, medicinal plants, plants and astrology, shamanism, flowers for protection, the lnaguage of flowers, flower divination, tree reading, foods for lover and flower fairies.
The book talks about the folklore and mysticism associated with trees and flowers as well as specific herbs. For eg, in the World of Flowers, it mentions the sunflower in an interesting paragraph:
“The Spanish explorers called it girasol, which means, ‘turn to the sun.’ Because the sunflower turns to face the sun, it became associated with devotion to God. The sunflower was sacred to the Incas who used it extensively in carvings and jewellery.”
In the chapter on medicinal plants, it talks about the Bach flower remedies, providing a detailed list of the plants and their uses for the remedies. The chapter also covers aromatherapy, providing a list of the plants used and their uses in aromatherapy.
Another chapter talks about how flowers are associated with astrology. And in another chapter on the language of fairies (one of my favorites), it states.
“The best time to find fairies is at dusk. According to folklore, you can create a mixture of ingredients to dab onto your eyes to help you see the fairies more closely.
Half fill a small container with rainwater. Place a rose, a marigold and your favorite flower into the water. Add three of your favorite herbs. Place the container outside where it will receive plenty of sunlight. Leave it there for three days and then dab a small amount of the liquid onto your eyelids and around your eyes just before dawn or dusk.
Walk around your garden in a casual manner, pausing ot admire anything that catches your eye. If you are very lucky, you might see some fairies…”
As I haven’t tried this method yet, I’m not sure if it works. However, whether you believe it or not, Flower and Tree Magic is a fascinating book with a lot of into that people will find intriguing and perhaps useful.
Marilyn Zink is the publisher.editor of The Herbal Collective magazine, www.herbalcollective.ca.
