Herbalist Lecture Series: “Magical Plants of the Time of Souls”

Throughout the ages, plants and magic have been closely intertwined. Plants have been used to foretell the future and attract both love and prosperity. They have helped change people’s minds and the weather. Certain plants have been used to communicate with departed ancestors and to undertake astral journeys that expand consciousness. There is also a strong belief in the protective and healing powers of plants. In ancient times, people’s understanding often followed mystical paths, and so they repeatedly turned to plants, supernatural forces and magical creatures. During the mysterious and meaningful Time of Souls, we pay tribute to the most powerful forces of the world and explore which plants were used to ward off evil spirits and invite good fortune into the home. We will also look into the storehouse of our ancestors’ knowledge and learn why it is not good to lean against a hawthorn trunk or fall asleep under an elder tree on Midsummer’s Night, along with much more useful and fascinating information. The rowan is also believed to have protective powers, a belief that persists today. If, however, you hang a small bundle of yarrow above your front door on Midsummer’s Day, everyone living in that house will be protected from illness. Magic has fascinated people throughout the ages—and so have plants, which are believed to possess magical powers. In the workshop, each participant will make a scented sachet with magical and protective powers to help keep illness and bad luck away. During the workshop, you will also learn, among other things, who the cinnamon birds were and about the mythical creature known as the basilisk, after which the powerful plant basil was named. Lecturer Krista Kaur (methodologist, Botanical Garden).