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Amy Blackthorn is certainly a growing household name among green witches and pagans. She has written several amazing books on incorporating plants into your magical practice, from protection to wellness to recipes. Blackthorn's Book of Sacred Plant Magic: Spells, Rites, & Rituals for Living an Aromatic Life seems like a culmination of all of her hard work, crescendoing into a must-have guide, recipe book, and ritual journey in one.
Like many occult books nowadays, Blackthorn's Book of Scared Plant Magic is divided into two sections: Creating Relationships with Plants and Deeper Connections. The first section is a hodgepodge of information on developing relationships with plants, plant families, botanical divination, and ritual mindset. The information is excellent but incredibly disjointed. This made it difficult for me to read chapter to chapter as the information didn't flow well. If I am being completely honest, the information didn't always flow well within a chapter either. There were random asides and a bit of rambling at some points. While I love the information Blackthorn presents in all her books, I do not like her writing style. I know others adore it because it sort of feels like having a conversation. It's not for me though.
Despite my qualms with her writing style, the information is sound, in-depth, and unique from what I have found in many other occult books. I am so thankful for new information, ideas, and insights as it is exhausting reading about the same thing time and time again. The information is not Wiccan-inspired (thankfully) and rooted in sourced material and personal experience. Blackthorn is big on building your own personal practice and associations, as I am. I appreciate this approach, especially in light of the rampant cultural appropriation in our community.
Blackthorn discusses building relationships with plants in great detail in the first half of the book, from growing them yourself to cooking with them to making flower essences to traveling to the Otherworld to speak with them. She offers her approach to entering into a trance, which some of you may find useful, especially if you are struggling to reach an altered state of consciousness in the first place. She also offers detailed instructions and exercises along with tips, recipes, and spells woven in, allowing the reader to practice as they learn. I always enjoy this approach, especially for new witches or those looking to transform their practice. This is especially true for creating flower essences and using essential oil bottles like tarot or oracles cards. Yes, you read that correctly--essential oil bottles for divination. This approach is fascinating and has my mind reeling on what other objects I could potentially use to divine. I know we are all accustomed to runes, tarot, oracle, and even bones, but essential oil bottles? Or the plant itself? Fascinating!
As for flower essences, I think they are highly underutilized in the witch community. While I slightly disagree with Blackthorn on its appropriate uses, I do believe we are sleeping on some potent magic, especially if you are allergic to a plant you want to work with. There is a short discussion of homeopathy, but Blackthorn fails to definitively state that homeopathy does not work medicinally. There are no concrete studies supporting their use in medicine, with most pointing to any change in health being due to the placebo effect. Magically, however, flower essences are useful. According to animism, all living things have a spirit or energy. That energy can 'rub off' on things around it, particularly water. Even if a plant never physically touches the water, you can set a glass of water on top of the leaves, roots, or flowers or next to a living plant to allow the plant's energy to infuse into the water. Similar techniques are used to make crystal elixirs, especially for those that are toxic or break down easily in water.
My absolute favorite part of Blackthorn's Book of Scared Plant Magic, however, is the Botanical Listings A to Z. I love this sort of information! Like love, love it. Blackthorn presents correspondences, history/lore, and an abundance of spell ideas to incorporate the listed plants into your magical practice with a heavy emphasis on using their essential oil. Each listing ends with an essential oil recipe to help you get started. My only complaint is that the chapter was so short! I realize this is due to the constraints of the book, but I could always use more information on plants. Reading how others work with plants in their own practice provides valuable insights into how I can better work with them on my own. It also sparks my creativity, leading to new spells, rituals, and recipes for an abundance of needs.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and know I will make reference to it time and time again, even if I am not a super huge fan of the writing style. This is a must-purchase for any and all witches, new and old alike. Even if you are not super into working with plants, I promise there is information and insights in this book that will make you a better witch. You can order your copy of Blackthorn's Book of Sacred Plant Magic: Spells, Rites, & Rituals for Living an Aromatic Life now, wherever books are sold!
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Thanks for the super helpful review! This book has been on my wishlist for a long time.
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