Stacey Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 'Earth, divine Goddess, Mother Nature who generates all things and brings forth anew the sun which you have given to the nations; Guardian of sky and sea and of all gods and powers....through your power all nature falls silent and then sinks in sleep. And again you bring back the light and chase away night and yet again you cover us most securely with your shades. You do contain chaos infinite, yea and winds and showers and storms; you send them out when you will and cause the seas to roar; you chase away the sun and rouse the storm. Again when you will you send forth the joyous day and give the nourishment of life with your eternal surety; and when the soul departs to you we return. You are indeed duly called Great Mother of the Gods; you conquer by your divine name. You are the source of strength of nations and of gods, without you nothing can be brought to perfection or be born; you are Great Queen of the Gods. Goddess! I adore thee as divine; I call upon your name; be pleased the grant that which I ask of you, so shall I give thanks to thee, Goddess, with due faith. Hear, I beseech you, and be favorable to my prayer. Whatsoever herb your power does produce, give, I pray, with goodwill to all nations to save them and grant me this my medicine. Come to me with your powers, and howsoever I may use them, may they have good success to whosoever I may give them. Whatever you grant, may it prosper. To you all things return. Those who rightly receive these herbs from me, please make them whole. Goddess, I beseech you, I pray as a suppliant that by your majesty you grant this to me. Now I make intercession to you all your powers and herbs and to your majesty, you whom Earth parent of all has produced and given as a medicine of health to all nations and has put majesty upon you, I pray you, the greatest help to the human race. This I pray and beseech from you, be present here with your virtues, for She who created you has Herself promised that I may gather you into the goodwill of him on whom the art of medicine was bestowed, and grant for health's sake good medicine by grace of your powers. I pray grant me through your virtues that whatsoever is wrought by me through you may in all it's powers have good and speedy effect and good success and that I may always be permitted with the favor of your majesty to gather you into my hands and to glean your fruits. So shall I give thanks to you in the name of the majesty which ordained your birth.' (Modernized version of a 12th century herbalist spell. Original translation from 'Early English Magic and Medicine', by Dr. Charles Singer.Proceedings of the British Academy, Vol. IV ) I also come across an ebook called Old English Herbals, it looked interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain Witch Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I also come across an ebook called Old English Herbals, it looked interesting. Have the bound copy. It is interesting but if I recall correctly, only discusses medicinal applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Hey - I think that many may not be comfortable with the above as some of it seems to have been xtianized, and also has some neo-pagan overtones, but I do find certain parts of it very interesting. Pre-science and the current era, our ancestors did not know what stars were (balls of gas) or why a big fire burned in the sky (the sun) or why it was replaced by the moon each night, or why the freezing and deadly winters came, but they did realize that the energy of the land always woke up again as spring, and they did realize that the sun rose again each morning. These things were of such magnitude to their daily survival that the process filled them with awe. They felt the very slight shift as the energy within the land started to stir after the winter solstice, and they saw it's confermation around candlemass when new shoots started to come up through the snow. We understand these things today, they did not. As such, in many ways they went beyond what modern man has lost in his "knowledge" - they connected to the energy that drives these continual repeatitions of life and death within and on and around the earth itself. So to them the energy was personified as the earth, and the serpent energy within it. This they gave names to. What I see with modern man is that in understanding why something happens, and how it happens, and in taking some control over the happening (houses, grocery stores, heaters) he feels it negates the force that drives the happening, and to me it does not negate it. Man finds that out when the huricane hits, or the tsunami, and the power outages and food shortages and chaos that flows in the wake. I was sitting outside the other night and watching the stars and thinking on the "new" gods of knowledge who have been placed up in the stars and I asked my ancestors if their belief wasn't about knowledge and understanding and figuring out who and what divinity was, then what was it about? And they answered "survival." And I don't think survival is any less important today, I just think man feels like he has it conquered. But then I do happen to work with divinities, lol, and I understand that not all do and that not all are comfortable with that thought process. I read the bit you typed more as one invoking a blessing upon the herbs than as an invoking of the herbs themselves. It addresses a divinity but does not address the spirit of the wort. When I workk with an herb or plant or tree, I try to pull it's spirit into me, to feel what it feels and understand it's understanding and nature - to actually "in"voke it. Then I direct that from me into what charm I am working with. I find this is the same for anything I am working with, whether it be rock, river, rune, sea, wort, tree, spirit, mineral, wind, or divinity, etc. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jevne Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Hey - I think that many may not be comfortable with the above as some of it seems to have been xtianized, and also has some neo-pagan overtones, . . . M You would be absolutely right about that. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thevioletsunflower Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I was sitting outside the other night and watching the stars and thinking on the "new" gods of knowledge who have been placed up in the stars and I asked my ancestors if their belief wasn't about knowledge and understanding and figuring out who and what divinity was, then what was it about? And they answered "survival." And I don't think survival is any less important today, I just think man feels like he has it conquered. But then I do happen to work with divinities, lol, and I understand that not all do and that not all are comfortable with that thought process. I love this, Michele. Especially the but I emphasized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panis_Ramey Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 (edited) Even worse, man thinks he has conquered survival through electronic technology. Edited February 8, 2012 by Panis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panis_Ramey Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 .............. (Modernized version of a 12th century herbalist spell. Original translation from 'Early English Magic and Medicine', by Dr. Charles Singer.Proceedings of the British Academy, Vol. IV ) I also come across an ebook called Old English Herbals, it looked interesting. Its a little preachy but very beautiful It lends nice imagery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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