Beth Trissel's Blog, page 45

New Historical Romance and The Lost Colony

I’m pleased to have Author Jo Grafford with me to share her news. When she mentioned her new release had a focus on the Lost Colony, I was on board. I’ve always been fascinated with those vanished people and learned one of the names on the original roster was a Churchman, my maiden name. My English ancestor who came over in the 1600′s was a Churchman.

Back to Jo–her biggest focus, apart from the release of her début novel, Breaking Ties, is donating 50% of the November proceeds to help fund an archaeological dig of what is hoped to be the Lost Colony fort site at Scotch Hall Preserve in Windsor, NC. She’s calling this fundraiser  ‘A Thanksgiving Wish.’ Jo is also hosting a Rafflecopter contest and will reward her guests and readers with the opportunity to win $50, $25, and $15 gift cards from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.  All winners will be announced Thanksgiving Day at www.JoGrafford.com. You may re-visit her website any and all days between November 1-27 for more chances to win by answering daily Lost Colony trivia questions and more.

The Rafflecopter giveaway link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a94fd40/

Blurb for Breaking Ties:

A cursed island, a chilling conspiracy, and an unforgettable love story. The 115 colonists on Roanoke Island couldn’t GPS, skype or twitter their ultimate destination back to their families and friends in 16th Century England. But modern laser technology has finally uncovered a clue – hidden beneath a patch on an ancient map at the British museum – that leads us to their whereabouts. Considered “lost” for centuries, these brave pioneers finally reveal the rest of their story in Book One of the Lost Colony Series.

Rose Payne’s world is left in tatters after a disastrous betrothal, making her an easy target for recruiters to the Colonies. Using every cent she has, Rose sails for the New World and a fresh start, vowing to never again fall for a wealthy man. Returning from a diplomatic tour in London, Chief Manteo is bewitched by the fiery-haired ship’s clerk and determined to overcome her distrust. He contrives a daring plan to win her heart – one that forces her, honor bound, to serve as a slave to his tribe – a plan he prays will protect her from a chilling conspiracy involving murder, blood money, and a betrayal of their fledgling colony so terrifying it can only be revealed in Breaking Ties. 

About the author: Jo Grafford is from St. Louis, Missouri. An award-winning author at Astraea Press, Jo writes historical fiction to spotlight unsung heroes and unsolved mysteries. She published her first poem in junior high, edited her high school newspaper while typesetting for a local news journal, and has been writing ever since. She holds an M.B.A. and has served as a banker, a junior college finance instructor, and a high school business teacher. She is a PRO member of Romance Writers of America and From the Heart Romance Writers RWA Chapter. The mother of three children and the wife of a soldier, she serves as a literacy volunteer for elementary school students.

Contact Info & Links:

www.JoGrafford.com

Email: Jo@JoGrafford.com

Twitter: @jografford

FaceBook:

Buy links:

Amazon: Barnes & Noble

Astraea Press:

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Arts, British museum, Historical Romance, Lost Colony, New World, North Carolina, Roanoke Island, St. Louis

The Curative Powers of Blackberry Cordial

I love raspberries and blackberries, and grow red raspberries in the garden among my bounding mint patch. The berries only recently succumbed to hard frost, but were producing right up until it hit. My dear grandmother grew red raspberries and this variety is much like hers. I did a little digging and discovered more about the bramble family. Raspberries and blackberries are native to North America. Some kinds are thorny, others thornless, and there’s a wide variation in taste and color. They thrive in all 50 states and Canada.

From Field Guide to Wild Plants by Bradford Angier, a wonderfully informative book given to me by my grandmother years ago. Mr. Angier has also written many other volumes. (This Amazon link takes you to the second edition of his book, I have the first).

“Juice and wine made from the berries is still used in Appalachia to combat diarrhea. The berries and their juice were long used by many Indian tribes to rid their members of chronic stomach trouble and to allay vomiting. It was considered effective in preventing miscarriage. It is astringent and believed generally beneficial to digestion, being thought mild enough to control diarrhea and dysentery even among infants and children. Early Americans sometimes combined it with honey and alum to tighten loose teeth. The settlers also came to use the juice to dissolve tartar on the teeth. It was turned to by numerous tribes to cure cankers of the mouth and gums.

The juice was also turned to by many Indians and pioneers to lessen menstrual flow without suddenly ending it entirely. When the bowels were loose it was drunk instead of tea or coffee. It was thought to ease nausea, be an antacid, and act as a parturient (aids in birth). Many a colonial deemed his medicine chest incomplete if it did not contain blackberry brandy or cordial.”

This is how strongly they believed in its curative and stomach soothing properties, which I can also vouch for. Blackberry leaves were gathered after the dew was off them, dried at room temperature, not in the sun, and stored in tightly capped jars in dark cupboards. A level teaspoon of the dried leaves were steeped in a boiling cup of water, then drunk cold, 2 cups a day, as a tonic or blood purifier. It was thought helpful to give to mothers in childbirth and during delivery. A potent tea was applied to sores and used as a gargle and mouthwash. Strong healing teas were also made from the blackberry roots and bark (steeped fresh, or from the dried bark/roots) as a tonic, for treating diarrhea, upset stomachs, whooping cough, labor pains…

An old standby from the McNess Company is great for soothing troubled digestion. McNess salesmen used to go door to door, and we had a kind elderly gentleman, but they no longer do. It’s called Aromatic Compound and is a liquid medicinal blend made from extracts of blackberry, rhubarb, and ginger with anise and clove oil. If you’re interested in getting a bottle, visit the link to their site.

Anne of Green Gables fans will remember the scene (I watched the series) where Anne is delighted to host a tea party for her friend Diana. She’s particularly proud to serve a special bottle of Marilla’s raspberry cordial, but mistakenly offers Diana currant wine, not meant to be imbibed by the tumbler full (3 of them) as it’s alcoholic. The inevitable happens and causes much distress, which is eventually overcome. Those of you interested in making raspberry cordial, and/or catching up on Anne of Green Gables, will enjoy visiting this blog post: http://thehistorykitchen.com/2012/07/20/anne-of-green-gables-raspberry-cordial/

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Anne, Appalachia, blackberry tea, Bradford Angier, Green Gables, Green Gables Anne, herbal medicine, medicinal tea, raspberry cordial

Old-Time Cures and the ‘Granny Women’

 (Old home in the Blue Ridge Mountains—image by my husband, Dennis)

About the Granny Women: Historically, they were elderly women from ‘back in the holler’ reputed for their healing and midwifery abilities. The term is often associated with ‘Appalachia.’  However, I don’t know anyone who actually lives in Appalachia. We refer to the specific mountain ranges, the Alleghenies, the Blue Ridge, or the Smokies…but I digress. In a time and place when doctors were few or nonexistent and no one had the money to pay them anyway,  the Granny Women were relied on for the wisdom and practices passed down to them by the hardy females who’d gone before them. Sure, a generous dollop of superstition and white magic was mixed in with their practical herbal remedies, but they did a lot of good. In the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding mountains, these women were invaluable. Some of my friends with deep ties in the holler (or gap) remember their family calling in the Granny Woman when they didn’t know what to do for an ailment or injury. One of them had a grandmother who was the Granny woman. Officially, these women are no longer with us. Unofficially, they are.

I recently learned more about the Granny Women after reading The Red Flannel Rag, by Peggy Ann Shifflett, a fascinating book about life in the Alleghenies. Hopkins Gap, where Ms. Shifflett grew up, is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our farm in the Shenandoah Valley, and yet, how different is the world she brings to life. Some of these customs and practices were known in the valley–still are with the real country folk–but many are unique to this more isolated mountain community. The little elementary school Ms. Shifflett describes being bussed to from Hopkins Gap is the same school my children attended, and their father before them, now replaced by a far larger modern structure. Much is gained, and lost, in our modern era. The author also happens to be the aunt of my friend, Sandy, who grew up with many of the old ways. Sandy’s widowed grandmother made moonshine to keep the family afloat, but that’s another story.

(Mountain cabin, royalty free image)

Before taking a closer look at the Granny Women, I’d assumed they mostly used herbs and other old-time remedies to cure, but they were also very into white magic. In a section of The Red Flannel Rag entitled Witches and Granny Women, Ms. Shifflett explains the widespread belief in and dread of witches among the mountain people (parts of the valley too, I add). The bad witches, she says, were just called witches and the good witches were referred to as Granny Women or Healers. These women used their powers not only to cure illness but to remove an evil spell cast by a witch. The lengths Granny women, and other fearful souls, went to in order to avoid being cursed or rid oneself of an evil spell boggles the mind. For example, when brushing your hair, or trimming a baby’s fingernails, care must be taken to collect and burn every remnant or a witch might come into your home and take these personal leavings to cast a spell on you or your infant. And if a bird were to snatch your hair and use it to build a nest, you will have a headache until you find and destroy that nest. It’s a whole other mindset.

Ms. Shifflett describes incantations and instructions given for everything from ridding oneself of freckles on May Day to detecting and thwarting a witch. Here’s one: Make a three-pronged pitchfork red-hot and poke it through the bottom of a chair then pull it out.  If at any time in the future a suspected witch sits on that chair and can’t get up, then he or she is definitely a witch. Another ploy is to lay a broom across the doorway, as though its fallen. A witch will not step across a broom to enter a house. However, it was believed they could change themselves into a snake and sliver in through the keyhole, or transform into a cat and enter through the rafters, so then you have another problem. The lore, beliefs, and superstitions among mountain people is a class in itself. Some of the treatments have practical herbal applications, but much falls into the realm of magic or faith healing. If you believed the ritual employed by a Granny woman would cure your ills or break an evil curse, then maybe it could, that whole mind/body connection thing.

(Image of cabin in the Smokies)

For a more in-depth exploration of the subject, read the book. I also recommend late Shenandoah Valley author and historian John Heatwole’s wonderful collection of Folklore, Tradition and Legends of the Valley entitled Shenandoah Voices. Mr. Heatwole interviewed older mountain and valley people to record this valuable resource before his death. I often refer to his collection both for the herbal lore and superstitions. Again, some are quite useful practices, others fall into the realm of fancy, unless you believe a witch can change herself into an egg and float across the stream and this worries you. Then I refer you to the time-honored ways and herbs for protection against spells. Which brings me to our next topic:

Acifidity bags: Small cloth bags worn on a string around the neck containing a mixture of chopped roots and/or spices having a strong disagreeable odor. The purpose of these bags is to ward off illness or evil. I asked my friend (mentioned above) what she remembered about acifidity bags. Sandy said her grandma (the moonshiner) made up these bags when she worried a witch had put a curse on the farm and hung them around the kids necks and put them in the hog pen to protect the pigs. Her grandma was dirt poor (likely used feed sacks to make the bags as they came in printed cotton cloth) and Sandy didn’t think she bought anything special to go in them, that she’d have filled the bags with whatever herbs she could gather, and they stunk like rotted wild onions or garlic. Children, and even pigs, wore these bags around their necks to protect them.

(Image of the Alleghenies  by my husband)

Another friend, Jana, whose husband, Jerry, grew up back in Nelson County, Virginia, an extremely isolated region where they experienced a terrible flood in 1968, also had to wear these bags around his neck. Neither Jana nor Jerry remember what went into the bags, only that they stunk to high heaven to ward off anything and anyone who might cause harm to the children. There’s a pungent spice called Asafoetida, but it’s not native to the United States and has to be imported. If mountain or country women had access to a drugstore and could get asafetida, then likely that’s what they used in these bags, if not, they improvised. But I suspect the term acifidity is a corruption of asafetida, and before its introduction into America, these bags would have been called something else. Maybe just medicine or charm bags. Putting herbs, spices, or amulets into bags worn around the neck is an ancient practice.

From an article entitled: What’s in your Acifidity Bag by Bev Walker

“According to the book “Healing Spices,” asafoetida was endorsed by the US Pharmacopedia as a remedy for the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that killed almost 100,000,000 people globally and claimed tens of thousands of American lives per week for two years. The putrid smelling spice was stocked by pharmacies to be draped around the neck inside acifidity bags in an attempt to deflect the deadly strain of influenza. Naturally, the word “flu” struck terror in the minds of generations to follow, and the smelly cure-all medicine bags appear repeatedly throughout history whenever an outbreak of potential epidemic illness or disease occurs. Babies and school-aged children were forced to wear acifidity bags during outbreaks of polio, measles, and during the winter to stave off influenza.”

***An interesting article on Appalachian Healing Traditions

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Allegheny Mountains, Appalachia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Granny, Granny Woman, herbal lore, Magic, Shenandoah Valley, Witchcraft

About Samhain or ‘All Hallows’

Samhain (pronounced sow-en or sam-hayne) is from the Celtic ‘Samhuinn’ which means summer’s end. For Wiccans and Pagans, it’s a Sabbat to honor their ancestors. Samhain is believed to be the time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest, and séances often held. 

Since approximately the 8th century, the Catholic Church declared November 1st as All Saints Day which became the festival to honor any saint who didn’t already have their own day. The mass conducted on All Saints’ was called Allhallowmas – the mass of all those who are hallowed. The night before became known as All Hallows Eve, and eventually evolved into Halloween.

Some of the herbs associated with Samhain from Morbid Outlook (Ask Witch Hazel): “Calendula (comfort, health, psychic dreams and protection), mandrake (money, love, sexual potency and fertility, protection and exorcism), mugwort (healing, protection, psychic powers, and strength), oak leaves (prosperity, protection, health and fertility), rue (health and comfort), sage (aiding memory, wisdom, protection and purification), and wormwood (divination, love and protection).” (sage and larkspur in our garden)

From The Scot’s Herbal by Tess Darwin: “All Hallows (traditionally the first day of the Celtic year) was a curious mixture of Pagan and Christian belief. In a fertility ritual enacted at Aberdeenshire until the last century (19th) farmers gathered the year’s first seaweed crop on New Year’s morning and placed a small heap at the door of each farm building, then shared the rest between the fields.”

She goes on to say, “Hazelnuts were used in divination rites on Samhain (Hallowe’en). The  feelings of one’s sweetheart could be ascertained by asking questions of the nut, then throwing it into the flames and watching the way it burned or jumped to reveal the answer.”  

(Grove of hazelnuts)

“Hazel was also sacred to witches, who sometimes used it for broom sticks, because it symbolized female wisdom. On the other hand, finding two nuts naturally joined together, called St. John’s nut, was a good omen and it could be thrown at witches, presumably to protect oneself against the evil eye.”

“Elder, often known as boun-tree in Scotland, and second only to rowan for protection against witchcraft and evil spells, was often planted at the back of a house and rowan at the front. A cross made of elder was hung on stables and byres to protect the animals within.” (Elderberries)

Extra safety precautions were taken during Samhain because of the thinning veil between the natural and supernatural worlds and fear of evil powers or enchantments slipping through. Prudent persons used every sacred tree and herb available for protection.

Also interesting from The Scot’s Herbal: “Hallowe’en rituals such as apple-dooking and throwing apple peel, removed in one long strip, over a girl’s shoulder to reveal the initial of her future husband, are the survival of Celtic Samhain rites of divination and prophecy.”

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: All Saints Day, Calendula, Catholic Church, Christianity, Halloween, Pagan, Samhain, Wicca

“Rowan trees and red thread put witches to their speed.”

The Rowan Tree has a wealth of ancient lore and many associations with magic and witches. The tree is thought to lend protection against evil and bad spells. It’s old Celtic name, ‘fid na ndruad,’ means wizard tree. But it has many names. Ask an old Celt which they favor.

Rowan, known as the Mountain Ash in America, and Dogberry Tree in parts of Canada, is a familiar sight in the mountains surrounding the Shenandoah Valley. My mom planted one in her yard, just up the road from us, and it’s doing well (last time I checked). My dear grandmother who lived to be 99 and a half, and really knew her trees and wildflowers, was very fond of the beautiful mountain ash. Grandma would point it out to me in the Alleghenies when she lived in Blue Field, West VA. It’s gorgeous in autumn when covered with bright red berries, and particularly attractive to birds.

(Rowan Tree at Black Mount in the Scottish Highlands)

Red, the color of the berries, was thought to be the strongest color in battling the dark forces. In Ireland, rowan trees were planted near houses to protect them from the spirits of the dead; in Wales they favored graveyards for their tree plantings. In Scotland, the Rowan Tree is among the most sacred and cutting one down, or using any portion of the tree for any purpose other than spiritually approved rituals was taboo. The wood was seen as the most protective part and fashioned into sticks to stir milk to keep it from curdling, pocket charms (or amulets) to ward off rheumatism and bad mojo, and made into divining rods (for finding precious metals). Because the tree is associated with Saint Bridhig, the Celtic patroness of the arts, healing, smithing, spinning and weaving, spindles and spinning wheels were made of rowan in Scotland and Ireland.

Walking sticks made of rowan were thought to lend protection to the traveler on their journey, and from evil spirits. Rowan trees planted near stone circles in Scotland were thought to be favored by fairies who held their celebrations within the protective tree enclosed circle. Fairies are extremely cautious. But the fae can also get up to mischief, so the rowan would protect you from that as well. One of those multi-use herbs/trees. (Image of old Scottish forest)

Rowan twigs were placed above doorways and barns to protect the inhabitants from evil and misfortune. These twigs might be formed into a cross and tied with a red thread while chanting, “Rowan trees and red thread put witches to their speed.”

To the 17th Century Scots, however, practicing folk medicine was associated with witchcraft, which could include carrying a Rowan charm, a twig tied with a red thread for protection. I don’t know if this (or some equally petty reason) is why my Scot’s ancestor, John Mack’s, parents were executed for witchcraft, but he left Inverness and settled in New England. There, he married Sarah Bagley, whose brother, Orlando Bagley, arrested his neighbor Susannah Martin for being a witch. Poor Susannah was later hung during the infamous Salem witch trials. So there was no getting away from the witch frenzy for John Mack. For more on my family’s involvement in the witch trials check out my post at: http://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/2012/05/03/my-ancestor-orlando-bagley-and-the-salem-witch-trials/

In the witches’ favor, it’s interesting to note that the rowan is also called the witch tree because they used it to increase their powers and spells and for fashioning magic wands, so there appears to be some disagreement here. Did it speed witches on their way, or empower them? *These conflicting beliefs are often the way in herbal lore.

The tree was also sacred to the Druids (of course) who believed in its protective powers and burnt it on funeral pyres, also in rites of divination and purification. The tree was associated with both death and rebirth. Because Rowan was thought to bring the gift of inspiration, ancient Bards called it the ‘tree of bards.’ I suppose all writers should have rowan. I used Rowan (among other herbs) in NA/Scot’s historical romance novel, The Bearwalker’s Daughter. The elderly Scot’s-Irish woman, Neeley, uses it to protect the home.

Rowan is one of the nine sacred woods burnt in the Druids’ Beltaine fire. And, the tree is associated with dragons who apparently once guarded sacred rowan. Not sure if dragons are still on the job, or have slacked off. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen any dragons in ages. let me know if you have.

I should add that where it wasn’t deemed wrong to use the timber, the strong wood has also traditionally been used for the handles of tools, cart wheels, and planks or beams.

“Rowan tree, red thread, hold the witches all in dread.” ~another old herbal saying

Wood from the ash tree, in the form of ash outlining a building or circle, is showing up in a lot of paranormal TV shows with American settings, like Teen Wolf, and The Secret Circle, used to ward off evil, so even if some of these characters are the nicest werewolves or witches you could ever want to meet, they cannot cross a barrier of ash.

For more on Rowan Lore, this is an interesting site: http://www.druidry.org/library/trees/tree-lore-rowan

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Celtic, Historical romance novel, New England, Rowan, Sarah Bagley, Scotland, Secret Circle, Shenandoah Valley, Susannah Martin, Teen Wolf

A Fragrant Connection to the Past and Upcoming Herbal Lore Workshop

Being passionate about the past, I relish a connection to those who’ve gone before us. I’m fascinated with history and love old homes, historic sites, all that ties us to the richness of bygone ages. Intrigued with herbal lore, I often use it in my writing. Herbs impacted every facet of life before modern times, (I can’t emphasize that enough) and the plants have changed little over the centuries. When I hold an aromatic sprig of rosemary in my hand, I’m touching the same herb beloved by the ancients. Some heirloom roses hail from the glory days of Rome. 

(Image of medieval monastic ruins and herb garden)

To further that sense of oneness, and for their many uses, I grow a variety of herbs. I suppose they’re most well known for their flavorful addition to many foods and herbal teas…Parsley, basil, sage, chives, sweet marjoram, oregano, thyme, and dill are several in my kitchen garden. Lavender and scented geraniums, to name a few, are wonderful for their scent alone.

Ladies once wafted the delicate perfume of toilet water. Porcelain bowls filled with colorful potpourri scented musty parlors. Medicinal herbs comprised the bulk of ones health needs, and still do for some individuals. I take olive leaf and Oregamax extract in capsule form and drink freshly brewed green tea (two quarts a day) to build my immunity, and have had amazing success with these allies in battling chronic leukemia.

(Image by daughter Elise of lavender, dill, and cosmos in our garden)

Then there’s the mostly forgotten language of flowers. Herbs were tucked into nosegays not only for their beauty and fragrance but their significance…such as rosemary, the herb of remembrance. A sprig of thyme symbolized courage. Violas, also called ‘heartsease,’ were used in love potions. And so on.

Before plunging into novel writing, I had a cottage industry styled herb business. I also gave talks on herbal lore to local groups, much as Julia Maury does in my ghostly. murder mystery romance novel Somewhere My Love. Herbs play a big role in that story in other ways, too. Plus, I was active in the local garden club, but found it too much on top of all my writing groups. And I was one of the only members in that club who actually did her own landscaping, such as it is, and got down and dirty. Still do. Others hired landscape designers. Daughter is Elise is a huge help to me now and has been by my side in the garden since infancy. The grandbabies are coming along to ‘help.’

(Image of violas in our garden)

Speaking of family support, with the assistance of my long-suffering mother, I used to grow herbs and flowers for making dried wreaths and potpourri to be sold in the fall. Herbal and heirloom flower seedlings were raised in the small greenhouse my hubby built me and sold in the spring. However, any profits were swiftly overrun by subsequent visits to the allergist whom I’ve seen regularly for years now and still get four shots at a crack. Seems I developed every allergy latent within me by exposure to all these pollens. (Herbal wreath very like the ones we made)

Note, If you’re allergic to ragweed, avoid an herb called Sweet Annie and the Artemisia family. But I’m considered in the top ten percent of allergy sufferers in the nation. What are the odds? After being run indoors and my gardening severely curtailed, I took up writing and have used my love of plants in my novels. I’m still an avid gardener, though with shots, meds, and limits.

I’ve also fallen into giving herbal lore workshops after an author discovered all the posts on my blog and invited me to conduct my first class for her online group. If you’re interested in learning more about herbs, their lore and historic medicinal uses, I’m giving a November workshop for From the Heart Romance Writers. Registration runs through Oct. 28th, unless they make exceptions for latecomers, and is open to the public. For info  visit: http://fthrw.com/online-workshops

(Image of me in one of my many gardens with two furry assistants, Lance and Luca. The herbs in the foreground are rosemary and thyme. Behind them are heirloom zinnias. And yes, I live on a farm.)

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Beth Trissel, herb garden, herbal lore, herbal workshop, historic herbs, medicinal herbs, medieval garden

What to do when you’re Elf-shot–Herbal Lore

Agrimony:  Used from ancient times to treat many ailments and injuries, it’s also reputed to have magical properties.

From The Scots Herbal by Tess Darwin:

“Agrimony is found in dry grassy places in most areas except the northwest of Scotland. The Gaelic name of this plant, mur-druidhean, may derive from the use of agrimony by healers to treat spiritual troubles. Ferquhar Ferguson, tried for witchcraft on Arran in 1716, admitted using agrimony to cure elf-shotten people.” (Apparently a common affliction). “Ferguson was guided in his treatment by a voice heard while sleeping, which instructed him to pull the plant in the name of the Holy Trinity.”

***Elf-shot are those persons or animals who have fallen ill after being shot by the arrows of malevolent elves. Don’t you hate it when that happens?

Another powerful herb for protection is Lady’s Mantle, found in meadows throughout Scotland (and my garden when it’s happy).

From The Scots Herbal by Tess Darwin

“The large leaves collect drops of morning dew and it was a widespread tradition to use this pure water for a refreshing face wash.

It was a powerful remedy for domestic animals that had fallen ill after being shot by malevolent elves. Water containing juice from the plant was both sprinkled on the sick beast and given it to drink.”

More on Agrimony From A Modern Herbal:

“The plant is found abundantly throughout England,. In Scotland it is more local and does not penetrate very far northward. (It also grows in America)

Agrimony has an old reputation as a popular, domestic medicinal herb, being a simple well-known to all country-folk. It belongs to the Rose order of plants, and its slender spikes of yellow flowers, which are in bloom from June to early September, and the singularly beautiful form of its much-cut-into leaves, make it one of the most graceful of our smaller herbs.

The whole plant is deep green and covered with soft hairs, and has a slightly aromatic scent; even the small root is sweet-scented, especially in spring. The spikes of flowers emit a most refreshing and spicy odour like that of apricots. The leaves when dry retain most of their fragrant odour, as well as the flowers, and Agrimony was once much sought after as a substitute or addition to tea, adding a peculiar delicacy and aroma to its flavour. Agrimony is one of the plants from the dried leaves of which in some country districts is brewed what is called ‘a spring drink,’ or ‘diet drink,’ a compound made by the infusion of several herbs and drunk in spring time as a purifier of the blood.

The long flower-spikes of Agrimony have caused the name of ‘Church Steeples’ to be given the plant in some parts of the country. It also bears the title of ‘Cockeburr,’ ‘Sticklewort’ or ‘Stickwort,’ because its seed-vessels cling by the hooked ends of their stiff hairs to any person or animal coming into contact with the plant.”

The whole plant yields a yellow dye: when gathered in September, the colour given is pale, much like that called nankeen; later in the year the dye is of a darker hue and will dye wool of a deep yellow. As it gives a good dye at all times and is a common plant, easily cultivated, it seems to deserve the notice of dyers.

History: The name Agrimony is from Argemone, a word given by the Greeks to plants which were healing to the eyes, the name Eupatoria refers to Mithridates Eupator, a king who was a renowned concoctor of herbal remedies. The magic power of Agrimony is mentioned in an old English medical manuscript:

‘If it be leyd under mann’s heed, He shal sleepyn as he were deed; He shal never drede ne wakyn,Till fro under his heed it be takyn.’ (That’s darn useful to know.)

Agrimony was one of the most famous vulnerary herbs. (Vulnerary *is a plant used in the treatment of wounds). The Anglo-Saxons, who called it Garclive, taught that it would heal wounds, snake bites, warts, etc. In the time of Chaucer, when we find its name appearing in the form of Egrimoyne, it was used with Mugwort and vinegar for ‘a bad back’ and ‘alle woundes’: and one of these old writers recommends it to be taken with a mixture of pounded frogs and human blood, as a remedy for all internal hemorrhages.”

*I have to stop right here and comment. Pounded frogs and human blood mixed with Agrimony for all internal hemorrhages. Hmmm…it wonders me, as the Pennsylvania Dutch say, whose blood we’re to mix in. Probably someone else’s. And what would the proportions of pounded frog be to the herb and blood?  No exact proportions given. Just a spoonful of this and a cup of that. I suspect it would take more than a spoonful of sugar to help that medicine go down.

I also like where the author goes on to say that Agrimony “has had a great reputation for curing jaundice and other liver complaints. Gerard believed in its efficacy. He says: ‘A decoction of the leaves is good for them that have naughty livers.’” Got that?  It treats naughty livers.

Constituents: Agrimony contains a particular volatile oil, which may be obtained from the plant by distillation and also a bitter principle. It yields in addition 5 per cent of tannin, so that its use in cottage medicine for gargles and as an astringent applicant to indolent ulcers and wounds is well justified. Owing to this presence of tannin, its use has been recommended in dressing leather.

Agrimony is also considered a very useful agent in skin eruptions and diseases of the blood, pimples, blotches, etc. A strong decoction of the root and leaves, sweetened with honey or sugar, has been taken successfully to cure scrofulous sores, being administered two or three times a day, in doses of a wineglassful, persistently for several months. The same decoction is also often employed in rural districts as an application to ulcers.

Preparation: In North America, it is said to be used in fevers with great success, by the Indians and Canadians. In former days, it was sometimes given as a vermifuge, (*serving to expel worms and other parasites from the intestinal tract) though that use is obsolete. In the Middle Ages, it was said to have magic powers, if laid under a man’s head inducing heavy sleep till removed, but no narcotic properties are ascribed to it.

From Herb Magic.com: “AGRIMONY is an herb that is said to turn back jinxes that have already been made, roots that have already been laid, and curses that have already been cast. Combined with Slippery Elm Bark, it is said to break spells involving Slander and Lies…combined with Rue, it is said to send back the Evil Eye (Mal Occhio) even after the Eye has already taken effect. Combined with Salt, it is said to un-make Hexes and Witchcraft.”  They add, “We make no claims for AGRIMONY, and sell it as a Curio only.”

*I make no claims either and am only quoting from and commenting on what I’ve researched.

This is a terrific site: The Medieval Gardener:

Regarding Agrimony it says: “This perennial with its tall yellow spires (to 24 inches) is a native European plant often found growing wild in the Middle Ages. Recorded in the inventories of Charlemagne’s gardens (but not in the Capitulare de Villis ) and the Anglo Saxon dictionary source of Aelfric, it was highly regarded for its general healing and magical powers and was believed by the Anglo Saxons to heal wounds, warts and snake bites. If laid under a pillow, they further believed it had magical powers to induce a deep sleep until removal. Another 14th century reference claims it for the treatment of back problems along with mugwort and vinegar. Agrimony was also used as a strewing herb and, bundled with rue, broom, maidenhair and ground ivy, was used to identify witches. Today we are aware of the tannin content of agrimony and use its lovely apricot scented dried flowers and leaves to make herbal teas as well as astringent infusions, and to attract bees in the garden.” ~ Contributed by B. F. Wedlake

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Agrimonia, Alchemilla, England, Greek, Herb, Herbalism, malevolent elves, protection, Scotland, Scottish herbs

Interview with the Fascinating Morgan D’Arcy–Beth Trissel

Welcome Morgan. For those who may not know, will you please tell us a bit about yourself?

My full name is Morgan Gabriel D’Arcy. I’m a concert pianist, the Earl of St. Averil, and I’m in love. That last fact aside, I suppose I should describe myself. I’m 6’2” with long blond hair and blue eyes. My ancestral estate Royal Oak is Devon, England.  I renamed the castle after the night I spent with Charles II hiding in an oak at Boscobel while Roundheads scoured the countryside in search of the King. I am and was a Cavalier, a King’s man, a singular breed. Incidentally, I’m a vampire. (Awesome bio. I sided with the Royalists too, btw.,)

What are three quirky facts about you that no one would know or assume otherwise?

Most people have no idea that I’m a vampire. I glamour my appearance so that no one is aware of the fangs or the cat-eye pupils.

That I have insecurities. No one thinks a world-renowned pianist and English lord should have skeletons in his emotional closet. I won’t share, but one of these insecurities is the reason I became a vampire. I didn’t want to grow old and ugly.

I love ice cream but can’t eat it, of course. (Tough break about the ice cream,, but the glamour thing is totally cool.)

I must ask, who are you in love with?

Her name is Isabeau Gervase. She is a brilliant and talented geneticist, as I’d planned. She will need all her talent and brilliance to solve the riddle and the problem that I will present her. Her impetus: To save our unborn child. (I love her name. And yours…)

What is it like to die?

I never actually died in the literal sense of the word.  Vampires are viral mutations not corpses. A fragile blood-borne pathogen mutates human DNA. The Vampire Effect transforms mortals into immortals. My mutated DNA is the source of our forbidden child’s problem. (How utterly intriguing)

When not playing the piano, what do you like to do?

Drive my Aston Martin Vanquish S as fast as it will go. I love sports cars and have a stable of them at Royal Oak, including an Austen Healey 3000. I also love horses and own several. My favorite breeds are the Andalusian and the Lusitano. (How kewl is that!)

I enjoy theater as well, reading and watching over Isabeau. I have watched over her since she was a child when I appeared to her as an angel.

Any questions you’d like to ask my handsome guest?

Morgan stars in Linda Nightingale’s paranormal romance, Sinners’ Opera.

In Morgan’s own words: For almost four hundred years, I’ve witnessed miracles of technology and the political wars that reshaped the world’s destiny. I’ve seen much to hate and a great deal worthy of forgiveness. I was born May 29, 1632, the only son of the Earl of St. Averil and his Lady Ilsabeth de Gueraint D’Arcy. He died at the Battle of Naseby fighting with Charles I. My mother died alone in 1685. By that time, an unnaturally long youth had forced me to fake my own death for the first time.  I watched from afar, unable to attend her funeral.

Yesterday, I was a celebrated pianist. I learned my art on the harpsichord from an Austrian genius named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Later, I studied with Liszt, Ravel and Debussy. From the Duke of Newcastle then the Frenchman de la Gueriniere, I learned classical horsemanship.

Tonight, I am a wanted man. Mortal justice would hang me for a crime I did not commit. My brethren wish to destroy me for a crime I committed with willful intent.

It all began in December, a brief six months ago. Actually, my saga began in 1659 before the restoration of Charles II, but that’s another story…

This is our story—Isabeau’s and mine—our Folie à deux.

Sinners’ Opera is available in print and kindle on Amazon:

And at the publisher’s website, Double Dragon Publishing:  http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-77115-112-9

Visit Linda’s website, http://www.lindanightingale.com for a free Morgan story!

Also, available this month from Double Dragon Publishing, Cardinal Desires, a paranormal romance, about a forensic psychiatrist, a serial killer and a high-profile media reporter who only does night broadcasts.~

***If you like beautifully written, absorbing dark paranormal romance, Sinner’s Opera and Cardinal Desires are an enticing read.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Aston Martin Vanquish, Battle of Naseby, Devon, DNA, Double Dragon Publishing, New release, paranormal romance novel, Restoration, Royal Oak, Vampire romance novel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Reality of ESP by Russell Targ

I’ve always been intrigued by ESP, or ‘the sight’ as Shawnee warrior, Wicomechee, refers to it in Red Bird’s Song. Some people are amazingly gifted, while others have a smidgen (me). In this glimpse into The Reality of ESP, Author Russell Targ highlights details about the Psychic Police Officer, Pat Price. These are just a few tidbits. There are many more examples and experiences in the book.

~*~

From Russell Targ: My psychic career involved two further outstanding  events: First, my little post-SRI research group, Delphi Associates, made $120,000 by psychically forecasting for nine weeks in a row the direction and amount of changes in the silver commodity futures market—without error. This successful forecasting of “December Silver” made the front page of the Wall Street Journal and led to a NOVA film in 1983. The other notable success was that our SRI lab was the first to identify and name the kidnapper of San Francisco heiress Patricia Hearst, who had been abducted from her home in Berkeley. Our great friend and psychic policeman Pat Price went with us to the Berkeley police station, where I stood with him at a big wooden table as he put his finger on the face of a man his ESP chose as Hearst’s kidnapper. He did this from a police loose-leaf mug-book of hundreds of photos (four to a page). He then went on to tell the police where to go to find the kidnap car. When the kidnapper and the car were confirmed the following day, I knew I had just seen a “miracle.”

~*~

With the CIA’s funding, we had a chance to start our ESP research in earnest. To meet John McMahon’s requirements described in the last chapter, Hal Puthoff and I began the applied SCANATE Program (scanning with geographical coordinates)  at  SRI with painter Ingo Swann and police commissioner Pat Price. These were what the CIA called “demonstration of ability” trials. Using coordinates provided to us, our two psychics were able to look into and describe correctly a NSA secret cryptographic site in Virginia. This was a free test for the CIA to determine whether they would have any further conversations with us about anything. Ingo Swann made a detailed drawing of the distant site, as we described earlier, and Pat was able to name correctly the site and read code words from the National Security files, as confirmed by both NSA and the CIA. Reading anything is an exceptional feat in our remote-viewing experiments. In my experience, Price’s ability remains unprecedented.

As Price began his narrative that day, he said he was psychically “flying into the site at 1500 feet” and described many elements similar to those of Ingo. But Price went on to say that “it looks like an old missile site—big, roll-up steel doors cut into the hillside, well-concealed with large, 100-foot rooms underground  . . . some kind of command center.” He even correctly read off several “code-word” classified la- bels on a folder on a desk and a filing cabinet—“CUEBALL, 8-BALL, RACKUP,” etc.— including the NSA name of the facility, which was “HAYFORK or HAYSTACK.” We, of course, had no idea if any of this was correct. But it was all confirmed when we had a visit from officers from both the CIA and NSA.

~*~

Psychic Description of Soviet Weapons Factory

In July, 1974, Price described and drew to scale a Soviet Siberian weapons factory at Semipalitinsk with remarkable detail; it included an enormous, eight-wheeled gantry crane and a concealed sixty-foot steel sphere then under construction. What he drew was all confirmed by satellite photography—the crane at once and the steel sphere, three years later.

My witnessing of this miraculous work of Pat’s is one of the reasons I believe in ESP. To elaborate from data recorded in my lab notebook: On that July day in 1974 I sat with Pat in our little, copper-screened, electrically shielded room and gave him the slip of paper with the geographical coordinates that I had received from the CIA agent, Ken Kress—who was waiting for us in the vault in the basement of our building. Needless to say, neither Pat nor I had any idea what the test target was. Not even the CIA knew what was going on there at that time.

Pat leaned back in his old oak desk chair, polished his gold rimmed glasses, and closed his eyes. After a few moments he began to de- scribe his mental images. He said, “I am in the sunshine lying on top of a three-story building in some kind of R&D [research and development] complex. The sun feels good.” As he was psychically lying there, he said, “Some kind of giant gantry crane just rolled over my body. It’s going back and forth. . . . This is the biggest damn crane I’ve ever seen. . . It runs on a track, and it has wheels on both sides of the building. It has four wheels on each side of the building. I have to draw this.”

With that, Pat asked for a ruler to make the drawing of the whole facility, with gas cylinders, buildings, rails, and pipes. He then made a detailed drawing of the gantry crane, shown on in figure 3.1 below. A tracing of the actual crane from a photograph of the whole site taken in May, 1974 is shown in figure 3.2 below. In comparison, while some parts of Pat’s overall sketch were correct, others appeared not to be. Pat disagreed. He felt he had it right. As it turned out, some things he drew in July of 1974 that weren’t in the satellite photograph had indeed been changed in the two months since the May photo had been taken. The accuracy of Price’s drawing is the sort of thing that I, as a physicist, would never have believed had I not seen him draw it myself.

~*~

To learn more about Russell Targ’s work as the co-founder of a 20 year $25 million research program investigating psychic abilities for the CIA, Army Intelligence and many other agencies at Stanford Research Institute (SRI).

Get your copy at Amazon.

More information from the virtual book tour for The Reality of ESP at http://bookpromotionservices.com/2013/09/03/reality-esp-tour/

Author and book info:

What people are saying about The Reality of ESP by Russell Targ http://bookpromotionservices.com/2013/09/03/reviews-reality-esp/

Videos: An Open Mind – https://vimeo.com/56568624

Remote Viewing Interview with Paula Gloria – http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=STO_NXk7IOw

Russell Targ & Hella Hammid Remote Viewing Live, 1983 – http://youtu.be/HloGG3CWJ-w

The Reality of ESP – full version – Russell Targ on his recent book – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeUA9Ryp2r0

Russell Targ (remote viewing) on The Hundredth Monkey Radio May 12 2013 Hour One – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xtd6OGVGRg

“Psychic Ability, Remote Viewing and A Course in Miracles” with Russell Targ, Physicist – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80ZyjKBYbhg

The Reality of ESP – Russell Targ on Physics and ESP from his recent book – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhRubnF4dN8

About The Reality of ESP: A Physicist’s Proof of Psychic Abilities

Nobel laureate physicist Brian Josephson says, “This book should make those who deny the existence of [psychic] phenomena think again.” In The Reality of ESP, Targ presents evidence from the $20 million research program he co-founded at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in the 1970s. The amazing feats of psychic ability he details include: While remote viewing for the CIA, SRI psychics found a downed Russian bomber in Africa, reported on the health of American hostages in Iran, and described Soviet weapons factories in Siberia. When San Francisco heiress Patricia Hearst was abducted from her home in Berkeley, a psychic with the SRI team identified the kidnapper and then accurately described and located the kidnap car. After leaving SRI, Targ’s group made $120,000 by psychically forecasting for nine weeks in a row the direction and amount of changes in the silver commodity futures market – without error! Targ also describes a plan for developing your own psychic abilities.

About Russell Targ

Physicist Russell Targ was the co-founder of a 20 year $25 million research program investigating psychic abilities for the CIA, Army Intelligence and many other agencies at Stanford Research Institute (SRI). This previously SECRET research and applications program is now declassified. Targ has written a comprehensive book describing the remarkable accomplishments of this program.

For More Information About Russell Targ and The Reality of ESP – http://bookpromotionservices.com/2013/09/03/add-info-reality-esp-russell-targ/

Russell Targ’s Website – http://www.espresearch.com/

***Amazon Links for The Reality of ESP in Print -in Kindle

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, ESP, Ingo Swann, National Security Agency, NSA, Remote viewing, Russell Targ, SRI International, Stargate Project

Award-winning Historical Romance Novel Red Bird’s Song on .99 Sale

This sale is for the novel in kindle and nookbook, and runs through Nov 1st, so get yours now.

Red Bird’s Song is a 2012 EPIC eBook Finalist. The setting for this story is the same as the other novels in my Native American Warrior Series, Through the Fire, Kira, Daughter of the Moon, and The Bearwalker’s Daughter, the spectacular Allegheny Mountains, On a clear day, the ridges of the Alleghenies are visible from our farm in the Shenandoah Valley. Much of the history depicted in Red Bird’s Song was inspired by accounts I came across while researching my early American English/Scots-Irish roots (among the first settlers in the valley) and the Border Wars. The French and Indian War is the most well-known, but there were others. Pontiac’s War followed on its heels, and is the war taking place in Red Bird’s Song. Dunmore’s War came after that one and so on it goes. Life in the frontier was unsettled even after The American Revolution had ended and warfare a reality. The boundaries of the frontier just keep shifting farther west.

(*Images of the Alleghenies by my mother, Pat Churchman)

In the early to mid 18th century, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and surrounding mountains were the colonial frontier. Only hardy souls dared to settle here. The bulk of these were the tough Scots-Irish. If the Indians had only had to fight regular British troops, they might ultimately have won because they scared the crap out of men trained for conventional warfare, but the long knives weren’t easily intimidated and soon learned from their cunning enemy. The famous rebel yell came from the Cherokee.

Although Hawk Eye in The Last of the Mohicans is an adopted Mohican, his lifestyle is that of a colonial frontiersman. The more rugged of these men dressed as he did, much in the Indian way. They hunted and fought with muskets, tomahawks, and their famous knives. Skilled marksmen had long rifles. Indians soon acquired these weapons and blended traditional ways of living with the new-found tools and warfare of Western man. A highly adaptable people.

The attack at the opening of Red Bird’s Song is based on one that occurred to my ancestors in the Shenandoah Valley and is recorded by Historian Joseph A. Waddell in The Annals of Augusta County. A renegade Englishman by the last name of Dickson led the war party that attacked them.  Initially I’d intended to make the Colin Dickson in Red Bird’s Song a villain but as soon as he galloped onto the scene I knew differently.

Wicomechee, the hero in Red Bird’s Song, is based on the Shawnee warrior by that name who lived early in the nineteenth century and to whom I have ties. The Moffett’s, an early Valley family I’m related to, include a reference to him in their genealogy. Wicomechee’s father, John Moffett, was captured in Kentucky by the Shawnee at the age of eight and adopted into the tribe. It’s said he was a boyhood companion to the great war Chief Tecumseh, a chief for whom I have enormous admiration. The accounts of John Moffett and Wicomechee are recorded by Waddell. It’s also noted that during the Black Hawk Wars Wicomechee recovered the captive daughters of a Dr. Hull and brought them safely into camp, which reminds me of Hawkeye in The Last of the Mohicans. I’ve included more on this amazing warrior at the end of the novel as a bonus for those who read it.

“With “Red Bird’s Song”, Beth Trissel has painted an unforgettable portrait of a daring and defiant love brought to life in the wild and vivid era of Colonial America. Highly recommended for lovers of American history and romance lovers alike!” Amazon Reviewer Virginia Campbell

Blurb:  Can a Scots-Irish woman terrified of warriors fall in love with her Shawnee captor?

Taken captive by a Shawnee war party wasn’t how Charity Edmondson hoped to escape an unwanted marriage. Nor did Shawnee warrior Wicomechee expect to find the treasure promised by his grandfather’s vision in the unpredictable red-headed girl.

George III’s English Red-Coats, unprincipled colonial militia, prejudice and jealousy are not the only enemies Charity and Wicomechee will face before they can hope for a peaceful life. The greatest obstacle to happiness is in their own hearts.

As they struggle through bleak mountains and cold weather, facing wild nature and wilder men, Wicomechee and Charity must learn to trust each other.~

“A beautifully written story filled with adventure and suspense…This book touched my soul even as it provided a thrilling fictional escape into a period of history I have always found fascinating.” –Night Owl Book Review by Laurie-J

“I loved the descriptions…I felt I was there…Many mystical episodes are intermingled with the events…The ending is a real surprise, but I will let you have the pleasure of reading it for yourself.”  –Seriously Reviewed

Also Available on sale from The Wild Rose Press and other online stores.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Alleghenies, Allegheny Mountains, French and Indian War, Historical Romance, Kindle sale, Native American, Pontiac's War, Scots-Irish, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia