![]() Overgrowing anything in its way, the deadly nightshade knows it will always be the Devil’s favorite plant. So long as the bag remained over the object, the ill-doer could do them no harm. When a visitor would come begging for something to stop another from harming her/him, the Old Woman would often take the seeds, wrap them in brown cloth and tell the visitor to gather something belonging to the alleged ill-doer and place the bag of seeds on top of the item and hide it well. What self-respecting witch would be without moonflower (datura) with white flowers that bloom in the night and give off an intoxicating fragrance? Used as a hallucinogen, and to increase physic vision and communicate with friendly spirits, the plant is poison to even handle. I imagine if we looked in the cottage, we’d see black stone floors – dyed with the leaves of the foxglove- to keep negativity out. They seem to be growing in each corner of the stone fence. ![]() In the back is a lush bunch of witch’s bells (foxglove). Thought to be a cure for insanity, it would also help one become invisible. In the garden the winter rose (black hellebore) sits in the corner in bloom. It was reputed to protect one from vampires and werewolves. Witches believed it could make them invisible if they tied the seeds to them wrapped in lizard’s skin. You’ll find monkshood (aconite) so lethal that it was used to poison arrows and, in World War II, the Nazi’s put it on their bullets. It’s autumn and the days are shorter and the air is brisk. Her home is rundown, the plants and trees are overgrown, the path is covered in leaves and rusty gate squeaks as we push it open. Let’s look back to the Wise Old Woman who lived on the far edges of the village, alone, with her cats. The journey of the “witch” (or wise woman) continues, though still under a cloud of suspicion. ![]() It raises a question: If these women were as powerful and wicked as charged, how could the prosecutors survive? Weren’t they afraid that a nose twitch could web their fingers, curse their family….or far, far worse?īut these powerful women persisted, from the burning times until now. I’ve always wondered about the bravery - or maybe the stupidity - of these foolish men. Then, they became the healers. Power hungry and corrupt leaders always need a scapegoat to blame for the troubles in their worlds, and what better place to look than older defenseless women who owned valuable property just waiting to be confiscated? When Rome fell, monks gathered the healing herbs brought across Europe by the Romans. And that happened because the church and state wanted the power and money associated with healing arts. ![]() After al, women practiced the healing arts throughout Europe, mostly as midwives, until the church and state targeted them. Perhaps it was something else, something politically motivated. We wonder, did the wise women (or witch) use odd names for effect, for safety, or something else? Shakespeare gave us the most recognizable and infamous of all incantations with the three Scottish witches in Macbeth:Īlthough there are variations on the plants symbolized in the chant, following are some of the more accepted versions: In the spirit of Halloween, it seems appropriate to explore these. Rowling, we seem to have an undying curiosity of what plants witches used….and for what. By Jackie Johnson ND, Planhigion Herbal Learning Centerįrom Shakespeare to J.K. ![]()
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