Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies

by Rebecca Beyer

Overview

Learn how to cultivate your own magical garden, begin your journey with folk herbalism, and awaken to your place in nature through practical skills from an experienced Appalachian forager and witch.

Witchcraft is wild at heart, calling us into a relationship with the untamed world around us. Through the power of developing a relationship with plants, a witch—beginner or experienced—can practice their art more deeply and authentically by interacting with the beings that grow around us all. Bridging the gap between armchair witchcraft and the hedge witches of old, Wild Witchcraft empowers you to work directly with a wide variety of plants and trees safely and sustainably.

With Wild Witchcraft, Rebecca Beyer draws from her years of experience as an Appalachian witch and forager to give you a practical guide to herbalism and natural magic that will share:
-The history of witchcraft and Western herbalism
-How to create and maintain your own herbal garden
-Recipes for tinctures, teas, salves, and other potions to use in rites and rituals
-Spells, remedies, and rituals created with the wild green world around you, covering a range of topics, from self-healing to love to celebrating the turning of the seasons
-And much more!

Wild Witchcraft welcomes us home to the natural world we all dwell in by exploring practical folk herbal and magical rites grounded in historical practices and a sustainable, green ethic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982185626
Publisher:	S&S/Simon Element
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	15,401
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Rebecca Beyer is the woman behind the Blood and Spicebush School of Old Craft. She lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she manages a homestead and teaches traditional witchcraft, foraging, and Appalachian folk medicine. She has a BS in Plant and Soil science from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Appalachian Studies and Sustainability, concentrating in Appalachian Ethnobotany at Appalachian State University. She is also a member of the Association of Foragers. She spends her days trying to learn what her ancestors did and finding ways to share traditional skills while tackling cultural appropriation and the complexities of living in the modern world.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Part 1 The Legacy: A History of Witchcraft 1

Ancient Medicine: A Brief History of Western Herbalism 2

The Birth of the "Witch" 4

Time Line of the History of Witchcraft 6

A Short History of Folk Healers in America 9

Herbalism Today: Why Form Relationships with Herbs? 12

Part 2 The Relationship Gardening' Your Own Magical and Healing' Herbs 21

Maintaining a Magical Garden: Organic Growing 101 22

Easy Medicinal and Magical Herbs to Grow 37

The Poison Garden 60

Your Harvest: Basic Processing and Storage 74

Part 3 Foraging Your Own Magical and Healing Herbs Foraging Basics for the Wild Witch 77

Wild Tending: Stewarding Wild Populations of Plants 85

Common Forageable Herbs 88

Part 4 Remedies, Spells, Rituals, and the Wheel of the Year 121

Basic Folk Medicine Making 122

The Wheel of the Year: A Witch's Journey through the Seasons 127

Winter Solstice (Yule) 127

Imbolc (Candlemas), February 1-2 134

Spring Equinox (Ostara) 141

Beltane, May 1 152

Summer Solstice (Midsummer) 157

Lammas/Lughnasadh/Michaelmas, August 1 162

Autumn Equinox (Mabon) 169

Samhain 175

Conclusion 183

Acknowledgments 185

Notes 187

Index 201

Image Credits 226

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/07/2022

Folk herbalist Beyer offers a Wiccan approach to helping readers “feel at home in nature once more” in her spellbinding debut. With an emphasis on “intimacy, deep knowledge, and sustainability,” the author suggests that witchcraft can foster connection with one’s environment, and to that end she outlines how to grow regionally appropriate plants for rituals and home remedies. Beyer covers how to set up a home garden and highlights some easy-to-grow magical herbs—fennel, for example, helps with digestion and has been used in Italian folklore to ward off evil spirits. For those who would rather forage, the author recommends common herbs and details their folk medicinal and magical applications, such as goldenrod, which some Native American traditions used to treat for bladder issues. Beyer also gives instructions for dozens of magical activities, including charms for love and protection, remedies to ease soreness and treat UTI infections, and spells to boost fertility and spiritually cleanse one’s home. Deep background on herbal uses throughout history and across Appalachian, Native American, Anglo-Saxon, and West African folk medicine traditions sets this volume apart, particularly the illuminating opening section on the history of witchcraft and folk healing. Beyer’s accessible guide bewitches and enlightens. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Deep background on herbal uses throughout history and across Appalachian, Native American, Anglo-Saxon, and West African folk medicine traditions sets this volume apart, particularly the illuminating opening section on the history of witchcraft and folk healing. Beyer’s accessible guide bewitches and enlightens." —Publisher's Weekly starred review

"Rebecca Beyer provides a well-researched history of European witchcraft and American folk healing practices, followed by a solid introduction to growing and foraging healing herbs... Beyer covers much ground efficiently and makes a strong case for why these practices are especially necessary now." —Bookpage starred review

From the Publisher