The Sacred Herbs of Spring: Magical, Healing, and Edible Plants to Celebrate Beltaine

by Ellen Evert Hopman

A practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine and the sacred herbs of spring

• Explores the identification, harvest, and safe practical and ritual use of more than 90 plants and trees

• Details rituals for honoring the traditional Gods and Goddesses of spring, such as the Goddess Chloris, the Goddess Flora, and the Daghda

• Reveals which herbs to use for luck, magic, protection, purification, abundance, fertility, and love as well as the herbs of the Faeries and Elves and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and for contacting the High Gods and Goddesses

The festival of Beltaine, May Day, is a celebration of the return of spring and the promise of summer, a time for love magic and spells for increasing the fertility of the land and the plants that grow upon it. Like Samhain in autumn, Beltaine is also a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual world is at its most transparent and the ancestors and denizens of the Otherworld easily interact with the world of humans.

Presenting a practical guide to the celebration of Beltaine, Ellen Evert Hopman examines the plants, customs, foods, drinks, and rituals of May Day across many cultures. Discussing the gods and goddesses of spring, Hopman details the rituals for honoring them as well as traditional poems, prayers, incantations, folk rhymes, and sayings related to this time of year. She explores well dressing, the custom of honoring the source of sacred water by decorating a well. She also looks at Beltaine’s association with Walpurgisnacht and Hexennacht, which fall the preceding evening.

In the extensive section on the sacred plants of Beltaine, the author explores more than 90 herbs and trees, offering spells, rituals, and recipes alongside their medicinal healing uses. She reveals sacred woods suitable for the Beltaine fires and Beltaine flowers for rituals and spells. She explores herbs for luck, magic, purification, abundance, and love; herbs for protection, such as bindweed, elder, and St. John’s wort; herbs of the Faeries and Elves, such as burdock and dandelion; and herbs for journeying to the Otherworld and contacting the high gods and goddesses. She also details the identification, harvest, and preparation of seasonal edible herbs, greens, mushrooms, and flowers.

Woven throughout with mystical tales of folk, Faery, and sacred herbs, this guide offers each of us practical and magical ways to connect with Nature, the plant kingdom, and the Spirits that surround us in the season of spring.

Genres: Ebooks, Plants, Spirituality

376 pages, Paperback

Published April 7, 2020

About the author

Ellen Evert Hopman is a Master Herbalist and lay Homeopath who holds an
M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling. She is a certified writing instructor
through Amherst Writers and Artists. She is Archdruid of Tribe of the Oak www.tribeoftheoak.com, a Druidic teaching Order, and was a former Co-chief
of the Whiteoak Druid Order (Ord na Darach Gile) and Vice President of
The Henge Of Keltria, an international Druid Fellowship, for nine years. She
is the founder of the Whiteoak internet mailing list, an on-line Druid ethics study
group, and a co-founder of The Order of the Whiteoak (Ord Na Darach Gile)
www.whiteoakdruids.org. She is also a co-founder of the North East Druid
Coalition

She is the author of a trilogy of Iron Age Druid novels; Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey, The Druid Isle and Priestess of the Fire Temple - a Druid's Tale.

Her books on trees include a revised and expanded new edition of Tree Medicine Tree Magic (Pendraig Publishing) and
A Druids Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine (Destiny books/Inner Traditions Bear
and Company)

Her other books include;
Secret Medicines from your Garden (Healing Arts Press), Secret Medicines of your Kitchen (mPower Publishing), The Sacred Herbs of Samhain (Destiny Books) The Sacred Herbs of Beltaine (Destiny Books), Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore (Pendraig Publishing), A Legacy of Druids (Moon Books),
A Druid's Herbal For the Sacred Earth Year ( Inner Traditions/Destiny Books ),
Being a Pagan (with Lawrence Bond)(Inner Traditions/Destiny Books), Walking
The World In Wonder - A Children's Herbal (Healing Arts Press), she is a
co-author of Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard (Newpage Books).

She has released the
video/DVDs Gifts From the Healing Earth and Pagans -the Wheel of the Year ( From
Sawmill River Productions, http://www.sawmillriver.com/ )

She has released three audio tapes The Druid Path: Herbs And Festivals,
Celtic Gods and Goddesses, and The Herbal And Magical Powers Of Trees (from
Creative Seminars, POB 203, West Hurley, New York 12491).

She has been a teacher of Herbalism since 1983 and of Druidism since 1990 . Find her books, workshops and blog at www.elleneverthopman.com

Reviews

[Latasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so full of info on herbs, plants and trees-it's absolutely crazy! The author explores so may different types of plants and the magic associated with them. From folklore to medicinal properties to spiritual uses. Almost everyone mentioned (if not all) includes recipes to make teas from the plant. She also includes lots of Beltane/ Beltaine customs and folklore and a couple of rites for the special day. This is the first book I've read by Ellen Evert Hopman and she won me over easily. I can't wait to read more of her books.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book based on the lovely cover and the description of "Explores the identification, harvest, and safe practical and ritual use of more than 90 plants and trees." As an avid forager and herbalist, I love reading books that celebrate plants. Unfortunately, this is far more a book for people who are looking for Celtic spells and rituals for plants than an ID book or helpful herbal guide.

The only illustrations in the whole book are some pages of public domain illustrations in the first 20 pages or so before the book starts. These are lovely, detailed, color drawings, but they are widely available on the internet since they are public domain images from the likes of Elizabeth Blackwell and other wonderful botanical artists of the distant past.

It is absolutely untrue that this book gives information for identification of any of these herbs. In most cases, no ID information is given at all. In some cases there is very vague stuff like "Bittercress blooms in April and May, when the cuckoo first begins her song. The flowers look like little smocks hung out to dry, giving the plant one of its nicknames." I suspect that the author included those public domain antique images before the start of the book as the ID information, but that seems like a stretch. They're not even included next to the entries of the plants, and in each case it is one small (1/4 of a page) illustration, sometimes of only a part of the plant. For instance, the elder image shows elderberries and elderflowers but not the general size and shape of an elder shrub, the characteristic corky bark, or other important identification information to tell it apart from other berries or flowers.

There is quite a lot of in-depth information about things like how to contact fairies to help you (and how they may snatch you away if you dance too wildly), various rituals to do on various holy days for Druids, Celtic magickal lore, and so on. If you are looking for this kind of book, this will be a great fit.

There are some nice recipes for foods and teas (mainly) but they are generally taken from the internet (many are from one particularly site--the nerdy housewife or something like that). Again, if you are looking for information like recipes and foraging/gardening information, there is much better information online.

The author does not tell her own background in foraging, herbalism, gardening, or even paganism (Druidism? Wicca? she never even says her own faith or who this book is geared towards that I could find -- perhaps it's common sense if you follow whatever faith this is geared towards but as an outsider to this path I have no idea). I have no way of knowing if she knows a thing about these plants or even these rituals or if it's all taken from online sources. There is a brief introduction in the beginning, but it's by another author and only gives his background. It's very hard to take someone's advice with no information at all about who they are and whether they're qualified to give it -- especially as she gives advice about using mushrooms that are hallucinogenic and mentions very poisonous mushrooms that can quickly cause death (again, remember that there is no identification information provided other than Latin names of these mushrooms or any other plant prescribed in the book -- and the mushroom ID picture shows a small variety of mushrooms with no names attached to them).

This will be a nice book for some readers. There were a few recipes I marked to try (mostly I made a note to look for that nerdy housewife's site) but for the most part this was a miss for me. The author clearly did a lot of research and I do believe it can be helpful for people looking for that particular type of information, which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a treasure trove of information! I can honestly say I learned so much from this. It took me a little longer reading it as I took so many notes, but it was all worth it. I can tell the author put so much time and research into this book and I highly recommend and appreciate it.

[Nicholas Brink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review – The Sacred Herbs of Spring: Magical, Healing and Edible Plants to Celebrate Spring by Ellen Evert Hopman, Rochester, VT: Destiny Books, 2020.
I was given the opportunity to review a prepublication manuscript of The Sacred Herbs of Spring and jumped at the opportunity with my love for her previous book The Sacred Herbs of Samhain. The time of Samhain is when the sap of trees stops flowing and the trees become dormant for the winter. Beltaine, six months later, is when the sap again flows and the trees wake up with the increase in daylight and warmth, a time when seeds germinate and plants begin to sprout. At Samhain the veil is thinned between the two worlds, the waking world of our five senses and the world of the spirits, a time to celebrate visitation from our ancestors of the underworld. Six months later the Beltaine spirits that come to us are playful, the fairies and elves of longer days and warmth, a time for celebration of love, fertility, and dancing around the maypole, a time when cows are led between two sacred fires, a ritual to protect them against disease before they are taken to their summer pasture. Trees live in three worlds, the Underworld, the Land and the Sky, especially the sacred Oak and Ash that reach toward the sky with roots deep in the underworld. Under these sacred trees people swore oaths and were married, trees that were simultaneously the church, the court house and meeting place of the elders, Druids and tribal leaders. Stones that also live in the three worlds are venerated in the Beltaine rituals. The Sky World Gods and Goddesses are honored with the sacred altar fires, fires that reach into the sky.
The four ancient, sacred treasures brought by the tribe of Danu, i.e. the Sword of Nuada, the Cauldron of the Daghda, the Spear of Lugh and the Stone of Destiny, as well as the five directions: north, the direction of battle and fire; east, the direction of abundance; south, the direction of the creative arts; west, the direction of history keeping and storytelling; and the center, the place of mastery were celebrated. The many kinds of fairies known by many different names throughout the world are central to the Beltaine rituals. To keep on their good side special food was/is left at their many recognized dwelling places, e.g. under hills, on mountain tops, within the roots of trees, in deep caves, and under lakes. Hopman’s description of these many fairies is especially enchanting, fairies as magicians and healers, fairies with which to bond, fairies that are pranksters and jesters, fairies that help with chores, protect the house and wine cellar, and fairies that help in the garden. Special charms were/are made from the sacred herbs to be worn for calling upon them or for protection from the malevolent ones.
The next nine chapters describe the herbs along with their medicinal preparations and recipes for their consumption to aid in the different Beltaine journeys: Herbs for the Beltaine fires, for calling the fairies and elves, for magic and mysteries, for protection, for purification, for connecting to other realms, for courage and clarity, and for love, fertility and abundance.
The wood from nine sacred trees is used in the sacred ritual fires: Willow, Hazel, Alder, Birch, Ash, Yew, Elm, Oak and either Apple or Pine. I have planted several of these trees in my Celtic Wheel of Light Garden and have described Hopman’s use of the sacred oak in my earlier review of the Sacred Herbs of Samhain. I have planted three Hazel sacred to the goddess because of the milk of the green hazelnut. A good year for Hazelnuts is a good year for babies and cows. A rod of Hazel prevents horses from being ridden by fairies and branched stems are used for water dowsing. Powered nuts in mead relieve coughs and sinus problems and the inner bark tea relieves boils and warts.
Of the herbs for calling upon the fairies and elves I have a special affinity for the wood sorrel. As a child when visiting my grandmother there was a patch of sorrel growing in her back yard that I enjoyed eating because of its pleasant sour taste. My cousins and I called it sour grass. The four leafed Sorrel may be the original lucky shamrock, and the three leaves represent the three Druidic worlds of Land, Sea and Sky and the triple high gods and goddesses. Large clusters of Sorrel are recognized as favorite haunts of fairies and elves, so a gift needs to be left for them. The leaves and flowers are good in salads, pestos and decorations for desserts. Its tea is used to lower temperatures, as a heart and blood tonic and used to treat diarrhea, stomach cancer, and liver and digestive issues.
The herbs for magic and mysteries include the turkey tail mushroom that I discovered growing on a dead ash tree in our yard. This mushroom is used in treating lung, gastric, colon and breast cancers. It is also antibiotic, antifungal, antioxidant and antiviral.
The herbs for protection include plantain which I have planted in my garden of the nine sacred herbs of Woden. When hung in the home or car or brewed in bath water it provides protective energy. Medicinally crushed leaves stop the bleeding of wounds and the pain of the nettle sting. Its juice can help lung, gastrointestinal, bladder stomach and eye problems. Chewed leaves and salves relieve gum infections, insect bites, and hemorrhoids, and its tea is used for bronchitis, and bladder and stomach problems.
Of the herbs for purification Burdock was the first herb I ever used. It is very effective for relieving the nettle sting when rubbed on the skin. This herb of the fairies is used as a wash to purify rooms and ritual areas. The “Burry Man” covered with Burdock burrs is a scapegoat figure who goes from door to door, and with a shout the inhabitants give him money. A poultice of leaves is used for convulsions, epilepsy, hysteria and other nervous conditions. Its root tea is used for jaundice and bladder problems, and for cleansing the body systems.
The protein and fiber of the Pinto Bean, an herb for connecting with other realms, can lower risk of heart disease in people with mild resistance to insulin. Originally from California I learned early to make tortillas and would fill them with frijoles or pinto beans. Many of the herbs that were previously discussed in the book are also used for love, fertility and abundance.
Of special interest to me are the last chapters that describe the ritual traditions of Beltaine in other countries, England with the witches, fairies and the Maypole, Ireland with the decorated Maybush and gifts left under a fairy tree, Scotland with its processions and songs, Germany and Sweden with their veneration of Saint Walpurga, and the Finish festival of Vappu. Thomas Morton was famous for resisting the early Puritan Christians by hanging onto his Pagan sensibilities. The concluding chapter provides a wealth of herbal recipes used in the feasts for Beltaine, many of which I am eager to try.
The Sacred Herbs of Spring takes us on a very enchanted journey into the world of fairies and elves, spirits that lead us along an avenue into the otherworld, the world of the spirits with the many herbs used for their protective, divining, purification and healing powers.

[Rain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am conflicted on this book. On one hand, the book does a lovely job of discussing Beltaine with its rituals/celebration. On the other hand , it does not really identify plants and trees. And while it does a good job at what it sets out to do, it is not what I thought I was getting.

[Lalia Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A review copy was provided to this reviewer by the publisher Destiny Books.
This handsome spring green book contains 340 pages with several indices (one for plants by common name, one for plants by scientific name, and a general index). For the most part, this book appeals to Pagans, Neo-pagans, Wiccans, and magic practitioners, but the information applies to many people, including Christians. (Remember that Christianity incorporated many traditions as it expanded throughout the world.)
The Sacred Herbs of Spring includes sections on Useful Primers (background information), The Magical Herbs of Beltaine, and Traditions, Rites, and Foods of Beltaine. Among the primers there are chapters on Celtic Cosmology, Fairies and Helpful Spirits, and Herbal Preparations. Among the preparations for herbs we have how to make teas, salves, poultices, fomentations, and tinctures. (With care some of these herbs can be used as essential oils which are commercially available. Consult other sources to confirm whether this is true of any particular herb.)
The Magical Herbs section has chapters on sacred woods for the Beltaine fire, herbs of the fairies, elves, and spirits, herbs of magic and the mysteries, herbs of protection, herbs of purification… and much more. Among the herbs of purification are burdock root (as a tea), cedar, juniper, pine, and rosemary. Many of these may be growing outside your door.
The section on Traditions, Rites, and Foods, contains just that, culminating with foods for a Beltaine feast. Among the delicious suggestions are Woodruff Wine, Strawberry Mai Wein, Asparagus Quiche (along with basically any egg dishes!), Nettle Soup, Fish with Lemon Balm Butter, and Linden Blossom Cake. Sign me up!
I recommend this book to anyone with a Wiccan or Pagan inclination, as well as anyone wanting to live a more natural lifestyle that includes using local natural products. The author, Ellen Evert Hopman, is the author of this volume as well as The Sacred Herbs of Samhain. If it is similar to this volume, it is well worth adding to your library.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is interesting to read about herbs, trees, and flowers in the context of a specific holiday (Beltane) and history - I enjoyed learning more about the beliefs and practices of the Celts, Greeks, Romans, and others.

If you're looking for detailed plant information though, this probably isn't the book for you: The details are scattered throughout multiple sections broken out by ritual, there aren't many images to help identify plants for foraging, and many of them seem to be poisonous(!).

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting look at herbs and plants linked to this sabbat and time of year. Topics like origins of Beltaine, the 3 worlds (Celts), some fairies, how to make some stuff and more. Nice for those who have an interest in herbs and the sabbat.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched and well written book full of informations and entertaining.
It's a good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Kaitlin Lewis]

Love this Book so interesting

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted at: https://www.flyingthehedge.com/2020/0...

Review: "Hopman's previous book, The Sacred Herbs of Samhain, keeps popping up in my Amazon suggestions and I've seen it reviewed and posted about numerous times over the past couple of months. I am certainly interested in the book and when I was given the opportunity to review her newest book, The Sacred Herbs of Spring, I jumped on the opportunity. I was not disappointed! Hopman is a Druid and master herbalist, and it shows in her writing. Each chapter is filled with herbs and plants scared to Beltane based upon what you can use them for. Much like my herbarium posts, Hopman discussed each plant's folklore and their medicinal uses. For many of the plants, she also includes delicious recipes for culinary dishes as well as herbal remedies. Each description also comes with an extensive warning, allowing the reader to make an informed choice as to which plants they may or may not want to use. Furthermore, Hopman includes extensive research and cites her sources faithfully. As a scholar, I greatly appreciated her attention to detail.

My favorite chapter was over herbs to use to contact spirits and the Otherworld, but I felt some of the entries were lacking. There was much more Hopman could have included in this chapter, but for those interested in Otherworldly travel, it's a great introduction to some of the herbs you can use. Apart from otherworldly travel, Hopman also includes extensive sections on protection, clarity, love, and to attract nature spirits. She ends the book with a discussion of Beltane traditions, folklore, and foods. Her writing style is authoritative and scholarly but not boring. She weaves a story about each herb, sucking the reader in. I gobbled this book up in three days and strongly encourage anyone interested in plant folklore or herbal uses purchase this book up!

My only complaint about the book is that it does not, in fact, include a detailed description of what the plants look like. While I know a lot about herbs, there were some that I was not sure what they looked like and found myself Googling them. The temporary ARC I read had botanical prints at the beginning of the book, but not paired with the herbs in each chapter. I strongly encourage readers, especially those with limited herbal knowledge, to pair this book with a companion field guide. Hopman includes all the scientific names, so using a field guide should be rather easy. When it doubt, avoid using an herb unless you are 100% sure you are picking the right thing. Buying online from a reputable dealer is best for those unskilled in herbal identification.

The Sacred Herbs of Spring by Ellen Evert Hopman is available for pre-order now and will be released on May 1st, 2020 so pick up your copy today!"

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sacred Herbs of Spring is way more than just a wee book about herbs.

It tells you lots of interesting information about Beltane and how to celebrate it.

Well Researched and beautifully illustrated its a great read and one that you will go back to time and again.

Thank You to Net galley and Destiny Books for the ARC. My review is my own opinion.