Mandrake is possibly the most magical plant in history. People who are not familiar with plant magick or witchcraft have heard of Mandrake. Throughout history people have sought its power, and wherever there is a demand there is someone there waiting to take advantage of that. Read more
Beltane, Walpurgisnacht, Hexennacht is one of my favorite sabbaths. It combines my love of nature, plants and flowers with magick, witchcraft and spirits. Think of Beltane like Samhain only in the Spring, when spirits roam free, the green realm reawakens, and celebration takes place. Read more
The Poison Path can be a misleading term for the practice of working with baneful herbs, ritual entheogens and a variety of other plants known for their magical and spiritual properties. Perhaps it is time that we think of a new term that better identifies this diverse practice. Read more
Some plants heal, some are great for cooking and others are especially useful for the magical practitioner. These plants are as mysterious as they are beautiful, and sometimes just as deadly. The Poison Path, is a branch of occult herbalism and traditional witchcraft. Read more
To the witch and herbalist, plants are many things. It is important we do not reduce them to nothing more than ingredients. When working with plants in a spiritual context it is important that we do not lose sight of the fact that we are working with spiritual entities, who like us happen to have a physical body. Read more
Baneful herbs, are a colloquialism for the multi-faceted plants that comprise the witch's pharmacopoeia. They are medicines, spiritual allies, and powerful ritual entheogens. Their use throughout human history attests to their many benefits and pitfalls when used inappropriately. Read more
The Spring Equinox is important to the plant magician or green witch for a number of reasons. First and foremost it is the beginning of the growing season, time to start seeds, prepare soil and plan out our gardens. All of these practices can be ritualized, and by utilizing specific plants for their sanctifying properties we are able to provide fertile ground both physically and magically for optimum yields. Read more
In this article, I conduct an interview with Ian Vertel, a poisoner, apothecary and herb crafter from the American Southwest. The term poisoner is used to describe a person that works with plants normally considered toxic for their medicinal, spiritual and magical effects. Read more
The Poisoner, like the herbalist and the wortcunner, whose blood runs green, has an uncanny connection to the wild growing things that populate the forest and the wayside. We are travelers, hoarders and sometimes madmen seeking the knowledge buried in the Earth. Read more
Magickal roots, plants tended by the devil, herbs that make you see the dead are all tools of the Poison Path. A magical practice rooted in folk herbalism and witchcraft, these mysterious plants all have a story to tell. Read more
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