Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs Author: Visit Amazon's Scott Cunningham Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0875421229 | Format: PDF
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs Description
From the Publisher
Some time ago I started to get into programming computers. There are books that teach programming languages. There are others that simply tell you what the commands are. They don't teach you how to program, but you can use the information to make your programs work. In a sense, programming books don't teach programming.
In a similar way,
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs doesn't teach you how to do spells (although it does give a brief outline so you can use this without any other book). What it does do is give you all the information you need to make your spells, talismans, amulets, and rituals work better.
This book has become a classic in its field. Every time I visit an occult shop that sells herbs, I look to see what books they use as resources. Inevitably, this book is there, usually quite beaten up from constant use. The pros use it and so do over 200,000 people like you.
The cross-referenced index of folk names could be a book by itself. Did you know that if a magical spell calls for "bats' wings" you should use holly? Or did you know that if a magical recipe called for "lapstones" you should use potato? If you had this book you would know all that and more. You'd also learn that ragweed can be used for courage; lily of the valley can enhance mental powers and happiness; and chrysanthemums can be used for protection.
This book by Scott Cunningham is truly encyclopedic. It gives information on over 400 herbs in an easy-to-use format that makes working with the book clear and simple. If you do any sort of magic with herbs, or if you are interested in folklore, this is a book you must have.
About the Author
Scott Cunningham practiced magic actively for over twenty years. He was the author of more than fifty books covering both fiction and non-fiction subject matter; sixteen of his titles are published by Llewellyn Publications. Scott's books reflect a broad range of interests within the New Age sphere, where he was very highly regarded. He passed from this life on March 28, 1993, after a long illness.
- Series: Cunningham's Encyclopedia Series (Book 1)
- Paperback: 318 pages
- Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (October 1985)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0875421229
- ISBN-13: 978-0875421223
- Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
I purchased this book years ago, probably around 1991, when I was starting off on the "pagan path." I ended up giving my copy to a friend because I didn't care for it. Recently I purchased another copy, because I thought perhaps my tastes would have changed, and I had also recently purchased Cunningham's incense book and liked it. Now I remember why I gave this one away.
I do like the fact that the book has an encyclopedic aspect with drawings of the herbs, elements, gender, planetary aspects. I like Cunningham's intro chapters to the material as well. But the main problem I have with this book is a problem I have with several of Cunningham's books of this type ("Magical Household" comes to mind) is that it's big on folklore and superstitious uses of plants and herbs. Another reviewer mentioned that noting the actual magical effectiveness of herbs would have been nice. I totally agree. At least distinguishing which is folklore/old wives tales and which are classically magical would have been nice. I read an article once which I believe was written by Cunningham's former roommate Donald Michael Kraig, who stressed how much research Cunningham did in writing this book, including brewing up herbal mixtures, testing, etc. If that were the case, I really don't see the practical result here, which is too bad. When looking through it, what I see most is folklore, which may or may not help you. To me, it seems a little lightweight and not as practical as it could be.
Also, he doesn't touch upon any sort of herbal medicine/healing information. I realize this is covered in any number of books on herbalism, but, to me, that is part of the "Magick" of herbs.
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