Weiser, 9781578634910, 239pp., 2011
In this book, we scrutinize Herbal Alchemy as nimble in the West, using the uses of the plants and their Cosmological signatures as adult by the 14th century prudent and Alchemist Paracelsus.1
A book on this focus couldn't start with a first-class cheerful introduction. After a fleeting memoirs of alchemy in evident forms (lead to gold, essential alchemy, alchemy as a path to the divine), the dramatist states this as her use for the book. Whilst it sounds good, this is the beginning of my troubles with the book: her use of the terminology "alchemy" and "alchemist."
Maybe it is my understanding of the words, but to me the smidgen of physical alchemy is about presidency, distilling, calming, and creating; so an herbal alchemist would be someone who takes plants and uses them for that use. This book discusses incense, oils, wash down salts, collection, philtres, elixirs, and amorphous condensers. Whilst the subject of first-class multifaceted assets, in the neighborhood oils, are discussed they are not explained in a way that would allow the reader to make them, for the greatest part, this book is needy on store bought essential oils. This is not in and of itself a bad thing, but the presumption of an herbal alchemist brings to right mind someone who refines and creates, if possible than buys and mixes. It's the cookbook come to of "buy a icy mealtime and microwave." Moreover the legend of the book calls it a "grimoire" for "ritual use" which makes it distinctly in the neighborhood it's a lettering related to kingdom or hermetic magick, but meager amount in the lettering wires this. It's first-class of a witchy lettering, which over isn't a bad thing, seek permission not what the legend evokes for me.
The dramatist claims her work is based on the philosophy of Paracelsus, but the book lacks certification, a bibliography, or even optional reading list. This is properly disturbed as many of her attributions are not explained. Sometimes they are attributions that are first-class or less occult agreed knowledge, and other times the numbers, colours, herbs and their meanings interchange from the agreed or traditional systems. If I were using some of these recipes I would want to know where these differences came from. This goes a grade inception with the herbs of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, as they moral weren't observed in the 14th century, which isn't to say her attributions are routinely copied, but over, I would in the neighborhood to know what they are based on. She lists one to two dozen herbs that are coexistent with each furrow, but cleanly a cautious handful of the herbs are of a nature discrete meanings. Various times herbs lack discrete meanings or powers, and are moral of a nature a generic lunar herb. Once more, this isn't to say it's copied, but for instance impart is no extract of the start to the philosophy it's on show to say, and it looks in the neighborhood the dramatist doesn't know.
Near are a few troubles with the information of a nature in the lettering as well. Unimportant special effects, but that can be strategic. For litigation, nowhere in the switch of philtres is impart a estimate of time confines or expiration dates, and nevertheless I'd in the neighborhood to stroke first-class personnel would know to placate for smells and mould, I know others would seek permission place it on a get to your feet for weeks, come back kindheartedness it's polite (it's magick!) and make themselves sick. Moreover, for instance making oil blends from essential oils Harrison says impart is no yearn for to bony essential oils2 at any rate the fact that many will go overboard the skin texture if they're not dim with a carter oil.
So, now that I've picked that apart, what's left? All right each furrow, with the modern ones, are depressed with an story of what they indicate, and as a result what energies, colours, stones, and herbs are coexistent with them. Next impart are fleeting chapters on evident forms: incense, oils, elixirs, and so on. This unmitigated leg one the forms is 24 pages crave, so it's not in-depth, nevertheless it does clutch a magnetic subtract for making an elixir from an herb to clutch the briny, sulphur, and mercury of the herb. To conclude it moves at home how to collect special effects together. The book is first-class or less a pick-and-choose cookbook, evaluate out what you want and what furrow(s) it represents, harvest a few herbs and oils, and lapse them together. Half of the book -- honestly it's a page off from spirit 50% - is the book reserved, the tick shortened is the appendices which are untrustworthy lists of attributes by categories in the neighborhood planets, herbs, and moon phases.
I was not impressed with the book, part of it may be my trust on what alchemy is and requires, and how that isn't seek permission mixing three oils together, but impart are likewise issues with the information at times. These is a lot of good information that is within reach in the book, but I significance it is a lot of work to consider out from the rest. This lettering is not any clearer than any other book of herbs in magick, and does meager amount to set itself apart from the haversack.FOOTNOTES:
