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A practical guide to the creation of natural wands for magical
work. From Moses to Merlin to the power of the royal scepter, the
wand has been a key magical device found in nearly every
civilization and esoteric tradition throughout history. The
fundamental purpose of a wand is to act as a spiritual conduit,
harnessing the power of the adept’s intention and channeling it
into manifestation. Exploring the history, lore, and creation of
living wands—those crafted from local natural
materials—fifth-generation Druid Jon G. Hughes presents a
practical guide to the harvesting, crafting, and potentializing of
living wands, as well as rods and staffs. He offers detailed
harvesting advice, explaining the magical actions and meditations
specific to each tree that should accompany crafting work as well
as important influences such as the phases of the moon and the
seasons. He looks in depth at woodlore, explaining the variety of
woods and other botanicals that may be used to craft wands, their
magical and hermetic attributes and virtues, and how these
influence the adept’s intention and magical workings. Trees and
botanicals examined include oak, hawthorn, hazel, birch, apple,
ash, mistletoe, holly, and ivy. The author explores various types
of wands, such as rood, entwined, thorn, and compound, detailing
how each differs in its use and intended outcome. He offers
step-by-step instructions on how to use wands for magical workings
and explains other aspects of wand practice, including cleansing,
intention, potentializing, and how to properly return a wand to
nature after its purpose has been fulfilled. Presenting a complete
guide to crafting and using living wands as well as the history and
lore behind this traditional form of Druidic natural magic, this
book allows you to harness the magical essence of the living
natural resources that surround you, helping you elevate your
manifestations from the mundane to the higher spiritual planes.
Flowers are found in magic traditions around the world, from
ancient Egypt, China, and India to the Norse and Native Americans.
Yet many of today’s well-established flower traditions--like
bridal bouquets--originated in the Druidic magical lore of Wales,
Ireland, and Scotland. As fifth-generation Druid Jon G. Hughes
explains, flowers hold a preeminent position in Druidic folk magic
with their own special branch of magical workings. In this
practical guide, Hughes details how to use flowers in magical
practice, focusing on flowering plants with a long history of
magical use going back to Druidic times yet many of which are
commonly found throughout the world such as buttercup, blackberry,
and dog rose. He discusses what type of flower and form of flower
magic is best for specific enchantments and rituals in the areas of
love and sex magic, healing and focusing, and protection. He looks
at the magical use of fresh flowers and provides detailed
instruction on every stage of the harvesting, crafting, and
practical use of flower magic potions, including a comprehensive
herbarium of all the flowers that may be used. Examining the
complex relationship between flowers and bees, the author looks at
the physical and spiritual gifts of bees, such as honey, propolis,
and bee’s wax, and the importance of bee culture in Druidic
flower magic, including the tradition of the honeymoon, the
significance of the hexagram, and medieval beekeeper lore. Inviting
you into the gentle yet powerful realm of Druidic flower magic, the
author also details how to plan, plant, and take care of your own
magical flower garden with all the botanicals you will need to
pursue the path of flower magic.
A detailed exploration of the remedies and methods used by the
healers who journeyed along with the Crusading knights * Presents a
traditional "cure-all" or leechbook of the ailments the Crusaders
would have encountered and the remedies their mediciners would have
employed, including recipes for many cures and instructions *
Includes a comprehensive herbal, listing all the medicinal plants
and materials needed to make the remedies, potions, elixirs, and
unctions of the cure-all * Details the author's travels in the
steps of the Crusader physicians where he met with healers still
employing the mediciners' practices During the Crusades, chivalric
knightly orders, such as the Knights Templar and the Knights
Hospitaller, brought along monastic mediciners to treat the sick
and wounded. These mediciners not only employed the leading cures
of medieval Europe but also learned new methods from the local
folk-healers and Arabic healing traditions they encountered on
their journeys. Presenting a traditional "cure-all" or leechbook of
the Crusader physicians, Jon Hughes shares a comprehensive
encyclopedia of the ailments the Crusaders would have encountered
and the remedies their mediciners would have employed. He details
recipes for many cures and a range of magico-medical applications
such as charms, spells, enchantments, and amulets used to address
the new illnesses of strange and foreign lands. He includes a
detailed and comprehensive herbal, listing all the plants and
materials needed to make and administer the remedies of the
cure-all. He also details his travels in the steps of the Crusader
physicians throughout Poland, the Czech Republic, Malta, Morocco,
and the island of Rhodes where he met with healers still following
this healing path who shared their practices with him. Revealing
how the healers of the Crusades helped elevate Western medical
knowledge through the integration of wisdom from their Middle
Eastern counterparts, Hughes shows how their legacy continues
through the many effective remedies and healing modalities still in
use today.
• Describes the arcane rituals, ancient beliefs, and secret rites
of the Welsh Marches, including those of the Sin Eaters, Eye
Biters, and Spirit Hunters • Includes a Grimoire of the Welsh
Marches, a wide collection of spells and magical workings along
with practical instruction on crafting and casting In this
collaboration between a Druid and a Witchcraft researcher, Jon G.
Hughes and Sophie Gallagher describe in intricate detail the arcane
rituals, ancient beliefs, and secret rites of the Welsh Marches,
the borderlands between Celtic Wales and Anglo-Saxon England--one
of the oldest and most significant locations for early Witchcraft
and a lasting repository for ancient Druidic lore. Drawing on their
personal access to the archives of the National Museum of Wales, as
well as the local museums found within the Welsh Marches, the
authors share extracts from ancient texts, along with original
photographs of related artifacts. In the second half of the book,
the authors present a Grimoire of the Welsh Marches, a wide
collection of spells and magical workings along with practical
instruction on crafting and casting. Offering a comprehensive look
at the earth-based beliefs and practices of primal Witchcraft and
Druidic lore, the authors show not only how the traditions of the
Welsh Marches had a profound influence on the cultural and
spiritual history of the British Isles, but how their influence was
exported to all corners of the world.
A complete guide to the techniques of the pre-Celtic Druids for
understanding the past, present, and future In this practical
guide, Jon G. Hughes shares ancient secret Druidic techniques of
divination passed down to him across five generations in an
unbroken lineage of influential Welsh Druids. Hughes explains the
three forms of divination used by his tradition: interpretive
divination, used by readers of the Sevens (small staves with
engraved sigils); inductive divination, which includes instructions
for reading the wind, reading smoke, and divination using water;
and intuitive divination, whose tools includes cup-stones and slate
mirrors for scrying. Providing step-by-step instructions for
practices in each of the three forms, he offers a wealth of
divinatory techniques and explains how to access the altered states
of consciousness necessary to read time backward and forward. He
also explores the crafting and use of all tools and mixtures the
reader will need to perform each type of divination, including
botanical compounds, scrying wands, and a slate speculum vitae, the
"mirror of life." He reveals how the prime function of divination
in this school of Druidic lore is to gain insight into past,
present, and future events through a process of internalizing them,
akin to empathy, and then interpreting them. By providing an
understanding of pre-Celtic beliefs and clear instructions for
Druidic practices, Hughes offers each of us the opportunity to
begin our own practical experimentation and journey of discovery
into the ancient art of Druidic divination.
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