Everyday Herbs in Spiritual Life: A Guide to Many Practices
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About this ebook
Enhance and enrich your spiritual journey with the power of herbs.
Herbs have been essential to spiritual beliefs and practices throughout time and history. From Christian Scripture to Hindu observances, Jewish ritual to early Islamic literature, Native American traditions to Buddhist symbolism, plants are seen as a blessing from God and a way to remain in harmony with Spirit.
In this fun, informative and engaging guide, you will be delighted by the history of the religious and spiritual use of herbs in many faith traditions and inspired by creative ideas on how to use herbs for spiritual growth. Unique and soul-strengthening activities can teach you how to:
- Create herbal art inspired by your faith
- Craft herbal wreaths, pillows and soaps from herbs selected for their spiritual qualities
- Prepare herbal teas, infused oils, meals and condiments with herbs chosen for their ability to nurture, strengthen and heal
- Make candles infused with herbs that promote balance and centering
- Nourish the soul with herbal sachets and potpourri
- Use incense and smudge sticks to imbue clarity and purity
- Design a simple herb garden of plants chosen from among different spiritual traditions
- Construct spaces in which to use herbs for reflection and meditation
Micheal J. Caduto
Michael J. Caduto is a renowned author, ecologist, educator and storyteller who has written and coauthored sixteen books, including Native American Gardening, the Keepers of the Earth series, In the Beginning: The Story of Genesis and Earth Activities for Children, and Abraham's Bind & Other Bible Tales of Trickery, Folly, Mercy and Love (SkyLight Paths). His articles have appeared in many magazines, including Organic Gardening, Sanctuary, Nature Study and Instructor. In 1984 he founded a service called P.E.A.C.E.—Programs for Environmental Awareness and Cultural Exchange—which promotes understanding, awareness, appreciation and stewardship as the foundation for building a harmonious, sustainable relationship between people and Earth, and among the cultures of the world. His website is www.p-e-a-c-e.net. Michael J. Caduto is available to speak on the following topics: Nurturing Herbs for Body, Mind and Spirit Fiddleheads, Lamb's Quarters, Nettles and Nuts: Wild Edible, Medicinal and Poisonous Plants Native American Gardening: Planting Seeds of the Future Earth Gardens and the Seasons of Life A Harvest of Tales: Native Stories, Song, Dance and Food Click here to contact the author.
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Book preview
Everyday Herbs in Spiritual Life - Micheal J. Caduto
OTHER BOOKS AVAILABLE IN THE ART OF SPIRITUAL LIVING SERIES
Giving—The Sacred Art:
Creating a Lifestyle of Generosity
By Lauren Tyler Wright
Hospitality—The Sacred Art:
Discovering the Hidden Spiritual Power of Invitation and Welcome
By Rev. Nanette Sawyer
Running—The Sacred Art:
Preparing to Practice
By Warren A. Kay
The Sacred Art of Bowing:
Preparing to Practice
By Andi Young
The Sacred Art of Chant:
Preparing to Practice
By Ana Hernández
The Sacred Art of Fasting:
Preparing to Practice
By Thomas Ryan, CSP
The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness:
Preparing to Practice
By Rabbi Rami Shapiro
Thanking and Blessing—The Sacred Art:
Spiritual Vitality through Gratefulness
By Jay Marshall, PhD
For the
Green Hearts
and Healers
who nourish us all.
CONTENTS
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. HEALING HERBALS
A Touch of Scent
Growing an Herbal Heart
Purification and Protection: Smudging
Purification and Protection: Scents of Protection
Purification and Protection: Garlic Wreath
Cards for Celebration
Cards for Solace
Treatments from Trees
Pillow of Peace and Protection
2. OF AESTHETICS, SPIRIT, AND VIRTUE
A Wreath of Pure Beauty
Sachets of Courage
Bathing Balm
Soap for the Spirit
A Light of Life
3. FEEDING THE SPIRIT, GIVING THANKS
Easter Carnival (Rustic) Pie and Pepper Biscuits
Herbal Easter Eggs
Herbal Easter Basket
Herbal Christmas Decorations
Herbal Christmas Tree Centerpiece
Herbs on a Cone
Hanukkah Candles
Valentine’s Day Heart for the Heart
Valentine’s Day Card
Ramadan Beverage
Pots of Herbs
Interfaith Manna from Heaven
Ritual Cleansing for Meals
Daily Havdalah Spice Box
Egyptian-Style Thanksgiving Garland
Pots of Potpourri
4. CIRCLE OF LIFE
Herbal Memorial: Lustral Water
Herbal Memorial: Egyptian Floral Bouquet
Bereavement Bouquet
Egyptian Herbal Oil
Marriage Blessing: Marjoram Marriage Garlands
Marriage Blessing: Flower Blessing Rings
Egyptian Wedding Bouquet
Tea for Two
Promise of Pomanders
Herbal Newlywed Blessings
Baby Blessings and Milk Biscuits
5. COSMIC HERBALS
A Cosmic Herbal Garden
Protective Herbs for the Cosmic Garden
Heaven and Earth
Cosmic Labyrinth
Cosmic Community Centerpieces
Lavender Birds of Peace
6. REFLECTION AND MEDITATION
Retreat, Respite, Rose
Herbs of Meditation
Totality Tea
Art of Herbal Reflection: Driftwood Herbals
Art of Herbal Reflection: Herbal Ball
Art of Herbal Reflection: The Art of Knowing
Seeds of Success
Mesopotamian Meditation Incense
7. THE PRACTICAL REALM
Planning and Designing an Herb Garden
Choosing and Obtaining Herbs for Your Garden
Preparing the Soil
Caring for Plants
Harvesting and Preserving Herbs
Appendix: Sources for Herbs, Seeds, and Herbal Supplies
Glossary and Index of Herbs and Flowers
Index of Activities
Credits
LISTS OF HERBS
Herbs for Healing
Herbs for Aesthetics, Spirit, and Virtue
Herbs for Feeding the Spirit and Giving Thanks
Herbs and Flowers for Circle of Life
Cosmic Herbs, Flowers, and Fruits
Herbs and Flowers for Reflection and Meditation
About the Author
Copyright
Also Available
About SkyLight Paths
FOREWORD
I have been a long-time admirer of Michael Caduto’s writings. He is a fellow Vermonter, a superb storyteller, and he writes of things dear to my heart. In Everyday Herbs in Spiritual Life, Michael offers a special gift to all of us who love plants and yearn for a deeper connection with the world around us. It is both a practical and spiritual guide to the use of herbs and how they can influence and affect our lives in the most positive ways.
There are endless books about herbs these days. The subject has become quite popular. There are books on herb gardening, herbal healing, on the culinary wonders of herbs, on traditional uses and folklore, and on clinical and scientific research. The mind and senses can wander almost endlessly through this wonderful maze of written information about these humble but very powerful plants. But there are few books that explore our deeper spiritual relationship to plants and fewer books that do so in such a practical and easily accessible manner.
That is what makes this book stand out among the plethora of herb books on my shelf and why I appreciate the author and his writings so much. This is a book that enters into the spiritual nature of our life on earth and how we as a species have developed in relationship to plants. Caduto has perfected the skill of weaving wisdom through the medium of stories. He takes us on a journey around the globe, collecting tales and traditions of herbal practices that people have used to help connect them to Spirit, or God in all of God’s many radiant forms, and to the earth as well. We visit the spiritual traditions and herbal practices of Islam and Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, Christianity and indigenous First Nations people, among others. We learn how these cultures used plants in their everyday practices to enhance or deepen their connection to the spirit worlds or the world of spirit/God/Goddess. The stories, poems, and remembrances included herein are woven together into a beautiful tapestry of green wisdom that throughout history has anchored humankind to the earth and lifted us to the heavens.
Even more than just a book of history and folklore, Caduto instructs us with gentle guidance and simple steps on how to reclaim these traditions in our own lives. Throughout the book are many activities and projects that involve us with the green world and that are designed to bring more value into our lives. These activities are not only meaningful, but delightfully fun as well. They can be done with children, with elders, with neighbors and the neighborhood to bring deeper meaning and awareness to family events and celebrations. There are herbal activities to enhance meals, holidays, weddings, and births, and for grief and renewal—simple ceremonies that bring more life and significance to these events.
There is an ancient power and beauty embedded in plants and our relationship to them that serves to connect us both to our roots (our physical body) and to our spirit (our soul or spiritual self). Perhaps it is because plants themselves are so deeply rooted in the earth and reach upward to the heavens. Perhaps it is because they are so ancient, arriving on this earth long before we arrived as a species. Our life has evolved in relationship to our botanical friends. We depend on them for our very breath (they create and breathe out the oxygen we need to survive), our food, our medicine, and, yes, even for their spiritual guidance.
The teachings here in this wonderful book are designed to enter your heart and enrich your life. They are simple but profound; easy and accessible, rooted in history, passed down through the ages, designed to become part of your traditions, celebrations, and ceremonies. Plants sing to us in our gardens, reach out to us in the woodlands. They become part of us as food, spices, tea—and fill our lives with beauty. What would a world without plants be? They serve as medicine and manna not only for the body but spirit as well. Everyday Herbs in Spiritual Life is a feast for the spirit and will serve in the most beautiful way to bring herbs back into the sacred practice of everyday living.
Rosemary Gladstar, cofounder,
Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center
and Botanical Sanctuary
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Everyday Herbs in Spiritual Life was a joy to write. Ever since I worked on a small farm as a teenager, and later took my first undergraduate courses in agriculture and field botany, I have been passionate about plants. I love nothing more than to lead a group through an herb garden, or along a trail through the woodlands and meadows to interpret the facts, folklore, and fascinating lives of herbs all around us.
Within the pages of this book, I tried to convey the sense of a field experience. Fortunately, the writing took place while the snow blew past my window and plants slumbered, or I would never have been able to pull my wife, Marie Levesque Caduto, out of our garden long enough for her to sit down and read the manuscript. Marie offered many comments and suggestions and helped make certain that the activities work the way they should.
Holistic and eclectic, this book required expert readers from diverse backgrounds and interests. John Forti, Curator of Historic Landscapes at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, gave generously of his time in the midst of a hectic schedule, reviewing the manuscript for accuracy and clarity. Many scholars offered their expertise about information concerning the various spiritual traditions, including Rabbi Mike Comins, Sanjeev Joshi, Girish Shirhatti, Mu Soeng, Sohaib N. Sultan, and Mark Ogilbee.
Maura D. Shaw, Ana Hernández, and Susan F. Jones all helped to shape the original concept of Everyday Herbs. In addition, Maura generously offered suggestions for activities, including one of my favorites, Herbal Newlywed Blessings.
Rosemary Gladstar—author, renowned herbalist, and founder of the Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center—kindly agreed to write the thoughtful foreword.
The neat, attractive volume you now hold was crafted by the wonderfully talented and patient staff of SkyLight Paths Publishing, who carry forth the good work of publisher Stuart M. Matlins. Every writer’s spurts of creative growth need to be pruned, and both the editorial and design teams of SkyLight Paths are among the best gardeners of books. Project editors Mark Ogilbee; Lauren Seidman; and Sarah McBride; as well as Emily Wichland, vice president of editorial and production; gently weeded and shaped the manuscript into a book. Jenny Buono, Tim Holtz, and Kristi Menter, book and cover designers, crafted an elegant and accessible layout that artfully weaves together the many elements herein.
My deepest gratitude to the many friends and colleagues who have shared indigenous plant wisdom with me through the years. I hope this book honors the old ways, speaks well to others, and helps to keep the herbal traditions alive and growing.
INTRODUCTION
There is no creation
that does not have a radiance,
be it greenness or seed,
blossom or beauty.
It could not be creation
without it.
—Hildegard of Bingen, twelfth century
The history of humankind is recorded in flowers and leaves—in roots, seeds, and shoots. With tools of wood and ropes of bark, we harvested and crafted our way through the ages, relying on the bounty of our green providers for survival, health, and spiritual enrichment. Over time, we formed intimate bonds with certain plants that are no less connected or profound than our relationships with the world of flesh and bone. We draw our very breath from plants and glean from them the essence of life. Healing balms and savory spices strengthen our bodies and feed our souls.
Early Christian mystics, such as Hildegard of Bingen and Meister Eckhart, illuminate our common bond with nature. Hildegard (1098–1179) was an author, artist, composer, and founder of a Benedictine convent in the German Rhineland that had strong Celtic roots. Both she and Meister Eckhart (1260–1328), who was born in the village of Erfurt in Thuringia (in modern-day Germany), were renowned mystics during a period of significant spiritual awakening within the Christian Church.
Consider the divine spirit in the human soul.
This spirit is not easily satisfied.
It storms the firmament and scales the heavens
trying to reach the spirit that drives the heavens.
Because of this energy,
everything in the world grows green,
flourishes,
and bursts into leaf.
—Meister Eckhart, thirteenth century
Indigenous creation stories often tell of how people are made from plants. In the creation story of the Lacondon Maya from southern Mexico and northern Guatemala, the Creator and the Maker fashion the first people from cornmeal. Abenaki tradition in northeastern North America holds that the first people were made from stone, but they had cold, uncaring hearts. When these beings began to destroy Earth, the Creator took back the breath of life and turned them into mountains. Then a new people were carved from an ash tree; they stepped alive from its wood with hearts growing and green. To this day, special plants are used by the Abenaki to connect with the Creator. Those first people remembered always to give thanks for the gifts of creation, using tobacco—a powerful herb—as an incense offering. Sage, the herb of wisdom and virtue, is burned and used to cleanse a place, to purify an individual, or to bless a gathering of people.
Herbs are surrounded by mystery, and they possess the power to heal both body and spirit. The roots of the word herb, however, are mundane, coming from the Middle English herbe and the Latin herba, meaning vegetation.
But there is nothing commonplace about the role herbs play in spiritual ceremonies and celebrations in many faiths. A bitter herb called maror is eaten during the Jewish Seder meal that is shared on the eve of Passover. Its bitter taste, which evokes the hardships endured during the Israelites’ time of slavery in Egypt, also elicits compassion among those who witness the pain of others. As with all dualities, the experience of suffering and mercy forms a circle.
In the Judaic tradition, Proverbs (15:17) tells of how caring and compassion trump wealth when the latter is accompanied by ill will:
Better a dish of herbs
when love is there,
than a fattened ox
and hatred to go with it.
In one moving passage from the Song of Songs (4:12–14), Israel is symbolized by a woman and a garden, whose virtues are extolled in the power of herbs:
She is a garden enclosed,
my sister, my promised bride;
a garden enclosed,
a sealed fountain.
Your shoots form an orchard
of pomegranate trees,
the rarest of essences are yours:
spikenard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with all incense-bearing trees;
myrrh and aloes,
with the subtlest odors.