Plant Magic by Jessica Hundley via The Library of Esoterica from Taschen
Book 14 of #31BooksforHalloween!
Plant Magic by Jessica Hundley via The Library of Esoterica from Taschen
Plant Magic is the fourth volume in The Library of Esoterica series. In museum quality binding, this book is both a wonderful magical resource and a literary collectible.
Content includes an exploration the historic roots of plants in myth and magical practices and extensive coverage that will create a greater understanding of plants and the specific magic that they bring into our plane for us to incorporate into our lives and workings. Full of essays, interviews, and over 400 images (including some from ancient Egyptian stonework, Victorian botanical art, as well as some more contemporary art) that celebrate plant life and its power of plants throughout history
From the publisher:
“Celebrating the magick of the natural realm, Volume IV of The Library of Esoterica, delves into the symbolism, ceremony, and our ritual relationships with the botanical world. A visual journey through our interdependent evolution with nature, Plant Magick celebrates botanicals as creative muse – from ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings to visionary art inspired by psychoactive plants, cacti, and mushrooms.
Our myths, beliefs, and shared stories are continually reflected in nature; purity represented by the white lily or spiritual awakening by the bloom of the lotus. Our joys and laments are mirrored in the cycle of the seasons, in the seed birthing sprout, or in the dead leaf falling softly from winter branches. Plants, trees, and flowers as signifiers of transition are also deeply embedded within rites of passage rituals across global cultures. Rose petals strewn along the wedding aisle mark the evolution into womanhood and marriage. A wreath of lilies stands sentinel over an open grave. A lover’s bouquet awaits on the doorstep. The wooden May Day pole is circled by girls wearing crowns of woven daisies, celebrating the coming of spring. Birth, unions, and burials – cycles of joyful celebration and deep grieving, all are marked symbolically with herbs, flowers or branches of a tree – the integration of nature into ceremony our method of signifying catharsis.
Since time immemorial, plants have also served as potent symbols within the religions of the world; Buddha attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, Eve plucking the Apple of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. From root to vibrant blossom, Plant Magick explores the fertile, interconnected history between plants and people, the multitude of ways in which we embrace plants in spiritual ceremony, as healing medicine, as creative muse and as gateways into deeper explorations of consciousness.”
Available at on the Taschen website and at many major book retailers. Be sure to request any books you are seeking at your local magical shop or indie bookstore or library.