Corinne Boyer of Washington is a folk herbalist, teacher, and author of five books on traditional plant-lore & folk magic. While modern herbalism focuses on the healing & benevolent properties of plants, in this episode we explore the darker, more mysterious aspects that Corinne has found through tales of old. We begin on feeling & discerning spirits of place: in the woods, water, & rock quarries; their potentially malevolent nature; offerings to appease them; and trusting intuition & an enchanted worldview. Then we move on to spirits of the human dead: communicating with ancestors, synchronicities, and a formative childhood experience with her great-grandfather's ghost. For her first story, Corinne recounts an ill-omened lightning strike during an unprecedented storm; for her second, she tells of a sleepless night spent in a haunted Swedish inn. We conclude on oak folklore, herbs to keep ghosts at bay, and plants associated with The Devil.
Check out Under the Witching Tree & Corinne's other books.
For Corinne's website & classes, visit Maple Mist Wood
For Corinne's esoteric plant workshop at the 2023 Viridis Genii Symposium
Music provided by CHTHONIA
"Salt"
Written by CHTHONIA
Performed by CHTHONIA
"Helleborus"
Written by CHTHONIA
Performed by CHTHONIA
"Nymphaeum"
Written by CHTHONIA
Performed by CHTHONIA
"Digitalis"
Written by CHTHONIA
Performed by CHTHONIA
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Contact: herbaceoushuman@gmail.com