In her new book, “Sacred Herbs of Spring,” Ellen Evert Hopman has gathered a far-ranging collection of herbal lore associated with a variety of pan-European folk traditions (old and new) to inform and inspire modern earth religion practices associated with May Day.
Folk beliefs and modern ritual imagery are supplemented by a wide variety of seasonal recipes and concoctions, from Dandelion Mead and Rowan Berry Liquor, to Lilac Scones and Marigold and Lemon Balm Cheesecake.
There will undoubtedly be plenty of materials in this book to intrigue and delight many of those who celebrate the Earth – as well as all of her plant spirit medicines.
– Sharon P. MacLeod
Here is an excerpt to get you hooked! It even includes a recipe and you will find many more in the book.
Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Chickweed likes to grow in companionable clumps. Chickweed’s special magic is the strengthening of relationships and of love. Wear it in an amulet or on your person to attract a lover’s attention or to ensure fidelity in your partner.
Pick Chickweed with the dew still on it, and eat it to increase your beauty.
With its tiny flowers that look like little stars, Chickweed is an herb of the Moon. Use it when doing a magical working under the Moon, especially a working that involves birds or animals.
Kitchen Witches can use the magic of Chickweed in dishes to inspire and strengthen love.
Chickweed Vinegar for Salads
Place Chickweed in a large glass jar and pack loosely.
Cover the plant matter with organic Apple Cider vinegar, leaving an inch or two of air space at the top. Stir to remove any air bubbles.
Cover the opening to the jar with plastic wrap and then cap (vinegar corrodes metal).
Steep for 4-6 weeks, shaking the jar periodically.
Strain and reserve for use in salads or any dish requiring vinegar.
~
Spring Greens Crustless Quiche
In spring the chickens begin laying again and Eggs are abundant. Chickweed, young Nettles and young Spinach greens can be used alone or in combination in this dish. Try adding the chopped fresh leaves of wild Ramps (Wild Onion) (Allium tricoccum) if you are lucky enough to find them!
Ingredients:
3 cups of spring greens with the stems removed
1 cup sliced organic Mushrooms
3 organic Garlic cloves, minced
1 organic Green Onion (or a couple Chives), chopped
1/2 cup crumbled organic Feta cheese
1/2 cup shredded organic Mozzarella cheese
4 large or 5 small organic, free-range eggs
1 cup organic milk
Organic, cold-pressed virgin Olive oil
Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Method
Grease a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan
Rinse the Nettles to remove the sting (wear rubber gloves and hold the Nettles under cold running tap water for a minute)
Soak the greens in cold water with a few tsp. Sea Salt or organic Vinegar added, for 20 minutes, to remove any parasites.
Rinse the greens then chop them coarsely.
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Sauté the Mushrooms, Garlic, and greens with Olive oil and a pinch of Sea Salt.
Drain the liquid out and set aside.
Whisk together the Eggs, Milk, and a little Sea Salt and Pepper.
Arrange the sautéed greens in the bottom of the pie plate, distributing evenly.
Crumble in the Feta and half of the Mozzarella.
Pour the beaten Eggs over the greens and cheese, and top with the remaining Mozzarella.
Place in the preheated oven and cook 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Herbal Uses
Taken internally, Chickweed tea helps rheumatic stiffness and joint pain. Chickweed is cooling and expectorant for fevers, lung conditions and allergies.
The tea can be put into the eyes for pink eye and sore eyes (always filter herbal teas through an organic coffee filter before you drop anything into your eyes).
Mash the fresh plant with your mortar and pestle to make a poultice for sore breasts.
Add Chickweed to healing salves for itching, cuts, wounds, eczema and psoriasis.
Add the tea to your bath water or wash with it, then apply a warm fomentation of the herb to your neck and shoulders, to calm anxiety and nervous complaints, and for insomnia.
Cautions: Chickweed is safe to eat and use as medicine but pregnant women and nursing mothers should avoid it as not enough is known about its potential side effects.
Method of Preparation
Steep 1 tbsp. fresh or dry herb per ½ cup water. Take ¼ cup, 4 times a day, not with meals.
For constipation take 1 tbsp. fresh juice in water, 3 times a day, not with meals.
Chickweed Magick (Stellaria media)
Chickweed is a Feminine herb of the Moon. She will help you to attract a new love and keep your existing romance both happy and faithful. Add her tiny, star-like flowers to a salad or use them as a garnish. Scatter the blossoms in the house and in the bath to attract a sincere and true love. Float the flowers in the chalice cup and sprinkle them on cakes and wine.
Roll a “true love” or “soul mate” candle in Chickweed. Dry Chickweed and burn it with Benzoin, Sandalwood, Rose and Patchouli as a love incense. Combine Chickweed, a Cowrie Shell, Hawthorn Berries and Angelica Root in a red flannel bag to create a fertility charm.
Make a Spirit Bag for Love
Ingredients
Red cloth (ideally something red worn by your partner if you already have one and are seeking to keep them near)
Cinnamon
Pink Quartz
Rosemary
Chickweed
Method
Sew a small drawstring bag using the red cloth
Add the ingredients plus something personal that links to your intended, i.e. their picture, their signature on a slip of paper, etc.
Carry the bag with you until your intended connects to you.
Once the relationship is secure, bury the bag in the Earth or burn it in a cleansing fire.
(Or keep it for as long as you want the relationship to go on)
Caution: the purpose of a love spell is not to bind a person to you against their will! It should have two aims; first, getting the person to notice you and once they’ve noticed you, find out all the things about you that they like. Then they get to decide if they want to go further. Please remember that they have free will and it is not up to you to try to control anyone! Besides, it’s really bad karma to do that.
Want to know a little more about the book, here is a review from “Witches and Pagans” by Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D., Author and Pagan community leader.
Hopman first introduces us to the origins of Beltaine, or May Day, which has hardly ever been celebrated here in the U.S., first, because the Puritans disapproved of any pagan rite or festival and, second, because the Russians held an annual military parade upon which the McCarthy era looked with grave disapproval. In the mid-20th century, children were still taught to make May baskets to fill with flowers and hang on neighbors’ doors, but this sweet custom has long since disappeared, and though we Pagans still celebrate May as the opening of the light half of the year, we’re pretty much alone.
Following the Introduction, Part One, “Useful Primers for This Book,” introduces readers to Celtic cosmology, Fairies and Helpful Spirits, and Herbal Preparation. If you don’t already know about the two seasons, the three worlds, and four treasures, and the five directions, it’s a fascinating read. Regarding herbal preparation, Hopman tells us how to make tea, a salve, a poultice, a fomentation, and a tincture. She suggests dosages and cautions, and writes (in boldface), “Above all, if I say something is poisonous, I mean it” (p. 27).
Part Two is about 200 pages listing and describing sacred woods for the Beltaine fires; herbs of Fairies, Elves, and Spirits; herbs of magic and mysteries; herbs of protection, purification, courage, clarity, love, fertility, abundance, and “herbs for connecting to other realms, higher beings, and visions,” and finally edible herbs and flowers for magic and ritual: “By Beltaine, many vegetables, herbs, and flowers are ready to be eaten and Kitchen Witches can use their magical properties in cooking to strengthen blessings and incantations” (p. 226).
Part Three gives us traditions, rites, and foods for the Beltaine feast. The book concludes with endnotes, a list of Hopman’s other books, indexes of plants by their common names and scientific names, and the general index.