The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook:
A Grimoire of Philtres, Elixirs, Oils, Incense, and Formulas for Ritual Use, by
Karen Harrison (Weiser, 2011).
For
those that are cognizant of Karen Harrison’s standing within the Pagan
community, she is the owner of a well-known mail order Witch-shop called Isis
Books and Metaphysical Gifts[1]
located in Denver, Colorado. This
established 20-year old occult store sells the herbs and essential oils
employed by many Witches, however, Karen has spent many decades perfecting her
own formulas—various incenses and oils for almost any purpose one might
need. That being said, this text is not a standard “formulary”, such as Lady
Rhea’s rich text, The Enchanted Formulary
(Citadel Press, 2006). Indeed, what
formulas it contains are chiefly reserved for a slim 8-page appendix near the
back of the book, while a scattering of spells and other formulas are peppered
throughout the text in an effort to more fully illustrate some key planetary
concepts within the premier section.
This book is really one of the best
texts to cross my path on the subject of Herbal Magick in several years—and, it
is now one that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to my own students of The
Craft in a heartbeat! It shows the
wisdom of her years of experience, allowing the reader—whether new to the Craft
or an experienced Elder—to directly learn from her as if she were allowing one
the opportunity to privately apprentice under her guidance. A couple tips worthy of note that I saw again
and again was the common use of a small dropper bottle filled with grain
alcohol in an effort to flush out the dropper when blending numerous essential
oils (EOs) together in a formula. This,
however, may be more of a bother than it is worth, especially when considering
that most essential oils are bottled with a plastic dropper fastened to the
mouth of each bottle which portions out the EO in minute drop-sized amounts;
these can even be purchased and snapped onto any bottles of an EO or even
liquid candle dyes for ease of use in lieu of droppers should they be lacking. Another fabulous tip was to blend or brew a
herbal mixture in a glass, enamel, or ceramic vessel or saucepan because
various herbs and essential oils can react with certain metals such as copper,
aluminum and iron, etc.
The
Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook is divided into three sections; the premiere
being a discussion of the Elemental and Planetary signatures that affect each
herb. Personally, while the planetary
rulership or government of a specific plant is very important in Herbal Magick,
Karen’s application of it seemed rather somewhat vague and monotonous as if it
didn’t matter what herb one chose, so long as the herbs, and their balance,
were drawing upon the appropriate planetary signatures in a specific
formula. For example, if one were
blending a love potion that was centered upon sex instead of romance, than one
might compose a formula with several Martial ingredients with only a bare few
Venusian components. Unfortunately,
nothing was mentioned about pagan Herb Lore in the text,[2]
which is typically of more value than a given herb’s strict planetary
signature/s in my experience. She seemed
to treat this with a rather cavalier attitude.
There was also the occasional inaccuracy
throughout the text, such as referring to one’s “Ascendant” (or Rising Sign) as
a planet, when it is actually the
demarcation of a specific astrological sign that was rising at the horizon in a
given time and at a specific geographic location.[3] Another was her acknowledgement that “[t]he words
amulet and talisman have come to be used interchangeably for an object or charm
that repels negativity”. She then goes
on to say that, “I generally use the word talisman to indicate something that
symbols or words written or inscribed upon it, while I view an Amulet as an
object that is composed of natural materials” (pp. 37). While these may be her own professed
connotations, these terms mean far more than she is admitting to. According to Doreen Valiente, an Amulet and a
Talisman is not the same thing; an amulet is strictly intended to ward someone
or some thing by averting disaster, while a talisman is wrought to procure some
benefit, whether it is in luck or love, etc.[4]
It is the third portion of this
work—detailing the construction of custom formulas—that makes for the most
engrossing study by the casual reader, albeit is again a bit monotonous and
vague in its seemingly generic applications,
as I have already noted above. The
methods for engineering a custom formula outlined by the author are only a few:
employing numerology based upon their name; choosing herbs or essential oils
based chiefly upon one’s Sun Sign and the planet/s that govern it; and choosing
herbs based upon any lacking Elements within one’s Natal Chart as they are
associated within uninhabited Houses within one’s Chart. In spite of this seemingly generic structure,
however, it is still certainly a very
thought provoking exercise!
The second section of this text deals with the general construction of
incense and ritual oils, etc.; and, it is somewhat rounded out by a compendium
of herbs which take up nearly half the volume of this particular book. Why each herb is listed with the Magickal
uses that it is I cannot profess to know; each attribution is essentially a
mystery that only the author can further explain because most do not seem to be
based in standard herbal lore. Such an
explanation, however, would have made this large Appendix far more useful for
the reader, rather than putting them in the place of merely accepting the
author at her word. For example, if a
book says that a rose or vervain may be used in a love spell, it’d behoove the
author to explain why on behalf of the reader.
(Hint: both were associated with the respective cults of Aphrodite and
Venus in pagan narrative and local traditions.)
I also found it odd that an inordinate amount of time was spent in this
Appendix on herbs that are somewhat rare, as well as those herbs that most
Witches and Pagans tend not to use other than in Chinese herbal medicinal applications,
such as Ginko Biloba.
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