Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Starry Eyed Witch: Intuitive Herbalism – Seeking the Spirits

Starry Eyed Witch: Intuitive Herbalism – Seeking the Spirits

Last updated on: August 27, 2020 at 4:12 pm by Joey Morris

Starry Eyed Witch: Intuitive Herbalism – Seeking the Spirits 2020-08-27T16:12:04+00:00 Joey Morris

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Intuitive Herbalism

When it comes to herbalism, Intuitive Herbalism is a part of an overall spiritual practice.

It should be noted that when you are learning herbalism for the medical properties, or for what to ingest, sticking to the traditional wisdom is vital – we do not want people eating poisonous plants or endangering their health!!!

Intuitive Herbalism comes to the fore with the Spiritual practice, when one is learning to contact the Plant Deva, or Plant Spirit.

Photo by vagengeym_Elena via Canva. Purchased for use by author.

The Webster dictionary definition of Intuition is as follows:

1a: the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference

b: immediate apprehension or cognition

c: knowledge or conviction gained by intuition

2: quick and ready insight

To intuit is a practice which is difficult to explain, but widely understood. Similar to when someone asks how you know you are in love – you simply know.

When it comes to Spirit communication, intuition plays a major role, because the communication usually occurs outside of regular channels, which can lead many to doubt their experience.

Without the physical vibration to reassure us, many of us wonder whether or not an experience is “real.”
I personally feel that applying the first six Hermetic Principles of the Universe can be helpful here, to deepen our personal understanding of what Intuitive Herbalism is and how it can affect our magical practice.

The Principle of Mentalism

“The all is mind; the universe is mental.”

“In a certain sense, the Universe is itself a living mind; one that is connected to all other minds. As such, every action you take and every thought you take is an interaction between different aspects of the mental.” – Source

This first Principle highlights the importance and power of our mind, something which is the foundation of much of our spell casting within Witchcraft. It is also relevant to my personal understanding of the Universe as a “Spiritual Ecosystem,” which I have, at many points, compared to the neural network of the human mind.

The human mind is defined as the activity of the physical brain, neurons firing within it creating reactions that we perceive and are very real to us but completely (at least currently) singular in the experience.

We cannot show someone else our memory as we experience it. We can relate it to them, create something physical or vibrational to pass along a message of it, but that is the limit of how we can express it.

Intuition then, is a gut feeling actually located within the conscious mind. The Brain-Gut if you will, and can be tapped into by the consciousness of other spirits, other minds, within the Spiritual Ecosystem – and thinking plants can’t have as high a level of consciousness in the Ether as humans – is simply human hubris.

The Principle of Correspondence

“As above, so below, as below, so above. As within, so without, as without, so within.”

At the heart of the Principle of Correspondence is the idea that there are constant links between the mental, physical and spiritual planes. Consequently, if we want to understand the patterns we see in our lives then we must look at all of these aspects.

Implicit in this Principle is the acceptance that we cannot access all planes of existence. However, Hermetic practitioners tend to believe that a keenly honed sense of intuition can help us tap into aspects of the higher and lower planes. – Source

Intuition is implicit within the Principle of Correspondence, it is the vehicle through which we travel to other planes of existence.

It also can be helpful in intuitive Herbalism when we consider correspondences of energetic vibration of plants that has been learnt over time by human beings, that a well-known aspect of a plant within Herbalism may actually be telling of a plants’ spirit nature.

I have come to understand that Plants and Trees (as well as all other forms of life) tend to have both singular energies and personalities, and are connected to the “All” form of their type.

So, for example, there is an “All” consciousness of Dandelions that one can tap into that connects all Dandelions which links their commonalities; this is where I believe the common threads or correspondences come from as learnt by Witches over the centuries, which is also connected to the sharing of this knowledge by humans.

This forms a web of information shared by Plant Spirit and Human Spirit alike through many different mediums; Spiritual contact, constant use over time, reaffirming of these ideas by spiritual practice, the passing of information through books etc.

The idea of blowing on a Dandelion to grant a wish is so entrenched in Folklore that it bypasses one heritage and is an incredibly common experience connected to childhood worldwide (at least, to all climates in which Dandelion grows).

This is incredibly useful to the Spirit of the Dandelion, ensuring the continuation of its heritage, and is deeply rooted in the human experience of childlike wonder that it connects us back to a state of believing which is crucial for magical practice.

Photo by Getty via Canva. Purchased for use by author.

The Principle of Vibration

“Nothing rests; Everything moves; Everything vibrates.”

Those who are experienced in working with the Law of Attraction will likely already be very familiar with something like the Principle of Vibration. To put it simply, all things carry their own unique energy, on all planes of existence. In fact, even the smallest particle in the universe has a vibrational frequency that impacts on things around it. Crucially, this Principle tells us that high energy things are magnetically drawn towards one another, and are attuned to them on a basic level. – Source

Vibration is the key to attuning to and feeling the energy of different spirits within the Spiritual Ecosystem.

To continue with the Dandelion analogy, a singular Dandelion will have its own personality and vibration but will also vibrate with the energy of the ‘All,’ of Dandelions.

I find that as humans, we might intuitively ascribe feelings, colours, ideas and emotions to each particular energy and then seek to explain these to others, which is why, for example, we attribute its energies to Jupiter and the element of Air.

One magical property of Dandelion is given as Divination, especially Spiritual messages – likely at least one thread of this knowledge being tied up in the idea of blowing on a Dandelion to make a wish to influence the future.

Thus we come to understand something about the energetic vibration of Dandelion as it has impacted on us as a species.

The Principle of Polarity

“Everything is dual, everything has poles and everything has its pair of opposites; Like and unlike are the same; Opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; Extremes meet; All truths, are but half-truths; All paradoxes may be reconciled.”

The Hermetic Principle of Polarity tells us that all things in our lives have an opposite and that the resulting contrast is part of what gives our narratives meaning. For example, without knowing what lack feels like, it is difficult to focus on and appreciate abundance; the polarity of life’s experiences helps us to avoid taking things for granted.

This Principle is also often taken to mean that everything has a dual nature. – Source

I feel that the Principle of Polarity best explains why we struggle against the idea of Intuitive Spirituality, and for our purposes, Intuitive Herbalism.

The human need to put things into categories and understand the world through duality is rampant, with people keen to ignore the idea of all truth being half truth. If we understand ourselves and the world around us by contrast, then we can easily fall into the trap of deciding what is “real or not,” based on limiting conditions.

If we reject our intuition, as the world often teaches us to do, because we have decided it is not real, then we can reject the spirits of the non-human beings.

We see them simply as food, pests, fuel or resources, and this can truly lead to travesty.

Think again of the noble Dandelion, with its incredible plethora of physical, medicinal, herbal and magical properties… reduced to the symbol of a garden weed that is a “blemish” on the human construct of a perfect lawn – a lawn which serves little to no value to the ecosystem as a whole.

Photo by VeraPetruk via Canva. Purchased for use by author.

The Principle of Rhythm

“Everything flows, out and in; Everything has its tides; All things rise and fall.”

One of the major things we can learn from the Principle of Rhythm is that everything is in constant motion. There is a pattern to the changes we experience. Everything goes through cycles that move from birth to death and then rebirth.

This Principle applies just as much to the Earth’s seasons as it does to our bodies. – Source

I am sure that anyone familiar with my work is overly familiar with how I feel about Death cycles within life at this point.

For Intuitive Herbalism the idea of our experiences changing and shifting in rhythm with the Earth is helpful to connecting to the messages of Plants who are governed by these cycles.

That is to say their messages, their medicine, and their magick can change depending on what the season is, where in their life cycle they are, their current biological mission – whether to grow, to spread seeds, or to die off and decompose.

This changes depending on the type of plant or tree we are learning about, and is often overlooked in favour of the ‘all’ correspondences that I mentioned earlier.

The Principle of Cause and Effect

“Every cause has its effect; Every effect has its cause.”

Sometimes just called the Principle of Causality, the Principle of Cause and Effect describes the way in which all of our actions and experiences relate to other events. In other words, every action instigates a reaction, and nothing should be viewed in isolation. In addition, there is no such thing as pure luck or chance; there is a reason for everything that happens to you. Hermeticism often encourages people to become more active agents in their life. Essentially, you become the “cause” more often than the “effect”. Decide what you want to do and be. The, plan out the precise steps you need to take to attain those goals. – Source

There are two primary ways that Causality can effect on Intuitive Herbalism immediately – the effect that Human action – as a collective – has on the understanding and energy of plant spirits, and the changes to the understanding of a particular plant based on our own personal actions and interpretations.

Human collective behaviour can often be negative, and have a major impact on the spirits of the ecosystem.

Would Dandelion always have been as rebellious an energy as it is without human beings designating it a pest and trying to eradicate it? I suspect that the history of the Spirit of Dandelion has been shaped by the essence of resistance.

Dandelion will happily work with Witches and those who recognise its brilliance and worth, and pay it the proper respect, which is not always the case with other spirits.

I have encountered Tree Spirits which are enraged, and disrespected land spirits can cause human beings all sorts of problems. This is a direct consequence of ignoring the spirits of other creatures because they do not behave the same way as humans in their sentience.

Assuming that we on a personal level seek to be understanding and respectful of plant spirits, our understanding of their energy is still impacted by our personal choices and actions.

We may feel drawn to a particular plant and cultivate a spiritual relationship with that energy on purpose. We have chosen to exalt that particular energy and seek it out, for reasons of our own – preferences, relevant memories, personal agendas or necessities… and that impacts on our interpretation of the energy we intuit.

All of these elements must be remembered when we connect with and seek to understand a spirit that is other to us – they are not us, and yet we interpret them through our particular lens.

This is not a universal spiritual truth – it is our truth, a half truth.

(I will not be including the Principle of Gender for plant spirits because I feel it is important to move outside of this when engaging with plants.)

Hopefully through the laws of Hermeticism we can begin to understand our intuition and its role in connecting with the Spiritual energies of plants – a relationship with whom helps our magic, our understanding of the world, and as such, with ourselves.

Many blessings, Starlet

Joey

The Starry Eyed Witch

About Joey Morris

Joey Morris is a Celtic Creatrix and UK-based daughter of The Morrigan, working very closely with tree magick and spending much of her time communing and foraging within the spiritual ecosystem. This connection allows her to practice voice witchery and conduit for the Otherworld. “Wild. Ancient. Carefree. Who were we as witches before we learnt what the world told us to be?" To become a tempered blade of The Morrigan, one must be baptized in blood and fire. These struggles within my lifetime have led me to become a voice for the voiceless, to reach out to the broken, and to poke the shadows in others so that they might begin to heal. “Such a path is dangerous. But so are we. This is the birth of a wild witch who sees with their ‘Other eyes’ and treads the path of edges, sharp and unusual, but filled with adventure, magick of the liminal and the in-between spaces.” – Joey Morris Within the spiritual landscape Joey Morris states her soul mission is to deepen the understanding of our interconnectedness by both honouring the sacred and exploring the masks of the self through channeling relationships to the Divine through written work, poetry, videos, products and services. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

August 26, 2020

Druid in the City: Looking at Books with New Eyes

Next Post

August 27, 2020 Simple Witchery: Book of Shadows and Witch’s Journal

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian group is known for not celebrating holidays or birthdays?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Episcopalians Orthodox Methodists Jehovah's Witnesses