TITLE: Flower Magic of the Druids
AUTHOR: Jon G. Hughes
PUBLISHER: Inner Traditions
ISBN: 978-1644116395
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Tracey Norman
Author Jon G Hughes is a 5th generation Druid who grew up following the path in Wales. He currently lives in Ireland, and lectures worldwide.
We are surrounded by flowers. In our gardens, in parks, in civic displays, in the woods, in fields, and even in the cracks in pavements. But how well do we know our flowers and what they can do for us? Are they simply pretty adornments to be admired for a moment and then forgotten?
If you’ve picked up Flower Magic of the Druids, I suspect you will either already know the benefits that flowers can provide, or you want to learn more.
I approached this book as a layperson; I do not follow the Druidic path, nor am I a practitioner of flower magic.
The book is divided into three parts. The first provides an overview of flower magic, including its origins, and discusses other floral traditions, such as Victorian flower language and how it corresponds to the attributes of flowers in the Druidic tradition. It also considers homeopathy, mentioning Hahnemann and Bach and some of the techniques each employed in their quest for new methods of treatment. This is followed by an overview of Druidic flower magic, which leads into the second part – the workbook.
The author focuses on love and sex magic, well-being, good fortune and protection. Detailed instructions are given on every stage of the spell crafting process, from identification of the flowers required for one’s specific purpose, the time, day, season, weather and location of harvesting, to the actual process of preparing the chosen flower for use.
The fact that this is a workbook means that it can be dipped into as and when required, and this is evident when you read it cover to cover, as I did. Key information is repeated several times throughout the book, making it easy for the practitioner to undertake their working without having to flip through the pages. The author includes recipes for several potions towards the end of this part of the book, and while the repetitions can jar a little when you’re reading straight through, it does underscore the importance of those pieces of information in the overall process.
At the end of the workbook section, the author discusses various items which a practitioner might choose to keep in what he describes as a ’cupboard of potions’, even though, as he goes on to note, it is the components which are being stored here, such as carriers and flower pouches, and not the actual potions themselves.
The final section of the book is a practical and useful guide to the planning and planting of a flower garden, with lists of flowering plants arranged by the month in which they flower. There is also an exploration of humans’ relationship with the bee and the bee’s relationship with the flowers on which humans depend. This is followed by a directory of 149 flowering plants, giving their common, Latin, Irish and Welsh names, the month in which they flower, and their attributes.
The level of detail in the descriptions of each part of the spell-crafting process was such that it will appeal to both newcomers to the practice, as an informative how-to which also explains Why, and to the more experienced practitioner. It is a fascinating and insightful exploration, which will make any reader pause to consider the wider world around us, and the manner of our interactions with it.
AUTHOR: Jon G. Hughes
PUBLISHER: Inner Traditions
ISBN: 978-1644116395
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Tracey Norman
Author Jon G Hughes is a 5th generation Druid who grew up following the path in Wales. He currently lives in Ireland, and lectures worldwide.
We are surrounded by flowers. In our gardens, in parks, in civic displays, in the woods, in fields, and even in the cracks in pavements. But how well do we know our flowers and what they can do for us? Are they simply pretty adornments to be admired for a moment and then forgotten?
If you’ve picked up Flower Magic of the Druids, I suspect you will either already know the benefits that flowers can provide, or you want to learn more.
I approached this book as a layperson; I do not follow the Druidic path, nor am I a practitioner of flower magic.
The book is divided into three parts. The first provides an overview of flower magic, including its origins, and discusses other floral traditions, such as Victorian flower language and how it corresponds to the attributes of flowers in the Druidic tradition. It also considers homeopathy, mentioning Hahnemann and Bach and some of the techniques each employed in their quest for new methods of treatment. This is followed by an overview of Druidic flower magic, which leads into the second part – the workbook.
The author focuses on love and sex magic, well-being, good fortune and protection. Detailed instructions are given on every stage of the spell crafting process, from identification of the flowers required for one’s specific purpose, the time, day, season, weather and location of harvesting, to the actual process of preparing the chosen flower for use.
The fact that this is a workbook means that it can be dipped into as and when required, and this is evident when you read it cover to cover, as I did. Key information is repeated several times throughout the book, making it easy for the practitioner to undertake their working without having to flip through the pages. The author includes recipes for several potions towards the end of this part of the book, and while the repetitions can jar a little when you’re reading straight through, it does underscore the importance of those pieces of information in the overall process.
At the end of the workbook section, the author discusses various items which a practitioner might choose to keep in what he describes as a ’cupboard of potions’, even though, as he goes on to note, it is the components which are being stored here, such as carriers and flower pouches, and not the actual potions themselves.
The final section of the book is a practical and useful guide to the planning and planting of a flower garden, with lists of flowering plants arranged by the month in which they flower. There is also an exploration of humans’ relationship with the bee and the bee’s relationship with the flowers on which humans depend. This is followed by a directory of 149 flowering plants, giving their common, Latin, Irish and Welsh names, the month in which they flower, and their attributes.
The level of detail in the descriptions of each part of the spell-crafting process was such that it will appeal to both newcomers to the practice, as an informative how-to which also explains Why, and to the more experienced practitioner. It is a fascinating and insightful exploration, which will make any reader pause to consider the wider world around us, and the manner of our interactions with it.