the silver branch and the otherworld: forest magic and plant allies

Find healing and connection by engaging with wild plants

- Shares insights from herbalism, ecology, neurobiology, psychology, Irish history, and magical tradition to show how to tap into the flow of communication from the wild world

- Explores the seven principles of animist herbalism and the ancient Irish understanding of the ＂three cauldrons＂ of the body, showing how they can be applied to the practice of modern herbalism

- Introduces thirteen important plant and fungi allies and provides simple practices for deepening your connections with wild plants and your ancestors

To our ancestors, the wild world around them was filled with meaning, guidance, and insight. They recognized the symbols hidden in Nature that represent invitations to connect with our wild kin, such as the Silver Branch of Irish legend. They understood that plants and fungi are living teachers who can become our allies in healing and magic. They knew that there is deep healing available when one lives in direct connection with the living world.

Braiding together insights from herbalism, ecology, neurobiology, psychology, Irish history, and magical tradition, Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue shows how we, too, can tap into the flow of communication from the wild world and our ancestral traditions to transform our lives, culture, and worlds. Introducing the seven principles of animist herbalism, he revitalizes the ancient Irish understanding of the ＂three cauldrons＂ of the body and shows how this framework can be applied to the practice of modern herbalism. He examines the importance of physical and spiritual nourishment, including the role of seasonal ritual in setting the rhythms of our lives. He shares ancient Irish stories, with precautions and protocols regarding the ethics of engaging the Otherworld and working with plant medicines, especially psychedelics.

O’Donoghue introduces 26 of his closest plant and fungi allies, discussing what it means to develop a relationship with a plant and how to work with their medicines for healing and magic. He also provides simple practices for rooting in nature, navigating the wheel of the year, and deepening your connection with wild plants as well as the sun, water, and the ancestors.

Revealing the depths of healing and magic available through wild plants, O’Donoghue helps us to reconnect body and spirit with the living world around us.

Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue is a clinical herbalist, writer, and teacher who weaves together the insights of traditional Western herbalism and contemporary science. A columnist for Plant Healer Magazine and founder of the Otherworld Well Hedge School, he lives in western Maine.