Last fall I wandered into a used book store and found this book, which I had never seen before that magical moment (you know when you see a book for the first time and know you'll treasure it forev?)~
The book is organized according to the months of the year, starting in November. Why? Because in the Celtic pagan tradition (which just means people who lived on- and off- the earth at about the same latitude we in North America are living, so the seasons were similar) it was believed that the new year started on November 1st (which they called Samhain and which has now become Halloween). From November 1st to May 1st (which they called Beltane and we now celebrate as May Day) was thought of as the dark half of the year, and May to November was the light half. The dark gave birth to the light. In the same vein, night was believed to be the start of day, so October 31st, at sunset, was the beginning of the Samhain celebration.
Anyway. So each month she writes (BEAUTIFULLY, I might add) about the season and what's going on in the natural world and how humans throughout time and space have responded to and celebrated what was happening on the earth then. Then she focuses on one or two specific herbs that are either in season then or are relevant to health issues common at that time of year. And she goes very in depth, mentioning almost every known use, from physical to spiritual to mental to emotional, including many of her personal insights (a good reminder that an herb often has things to reveal to us that aren't found in any book!).
And she also gives recipes, things to do with the herb/s. Oils, honeys, tinctures, vinegars, food, on and on. The directions are very thorough. Oh and all of the herbs she writes about grow just about everywhere.
Plus the cover is so beautiful and the texture is divine. Oh how I love this book. Like my favorite food book, which goes through the thirteen moons of the lunar year according to traditional peoples' names and concepts for them (February is Hunger Moon, April is Egg Moon, August is Moon When the Salmon Return to Earth, etc.) reading this book once a month helps to keep me in rhythm with my surroundings. I'm the type who needs intellectual information first, and then I can turn that into experience.
I know that I will read this book continuously for many many years. I get excited on the first of each month (or the 30th) because it's time to read another chapter! Reading so many herb blogs lately I have noticed that it seems to be the Wise Woman Herbalist's favorite book, which is neat because it's pretty underground. In fact, it's not even in print anymore (gotta find it used, I've seen it on Amazon). One woman even wrote that she sleeps with it on her nightstand in hopes that its wisdom with seep into her brain through osmosis.
Having said that, I really think that if you have kids the first book you should buy is Aviva Jill Romm's information-filled Naturally Healthy Babies and Children. It covers many many more herbs and health condition than Herbal Rituals, and is useful for all members of the family. She's a midwife, mother of four, author of many herb and health books, and director of the American Herbalist's Guild. She's amazing. Like Judith Berger.
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