“Seek wisdom in books, rare manuscripts, and cryptic poems if you will, but seek it out also in simple stones, and fragile herbs, and in the cries of wild birds. Listen to the whisperings of the wind and the roar of water if you would discover magic, for it is here that the old secrets are preserved.”
—Scott Cunningham
I met Scott Cunningham, many many years ago when he was still alive and I worked at Crossing Press, the publishing company that published several of his books. When I came across this quote by him last night it brought back so many bittersweet memories. Of him—an intelligent sensitive guy, a solo-practicing witch, who looked fragile the last time we saw him, not long before he died. His books—which I at first found odd, but also quite fascinating. And of the witch shop that sent me off on this herb and flower world of healing and all that has come since.
Long before I met Scott in California, I lived on the opposite coast in Massachusetts. I remember exploring a new neighborhood, in Cambridge, while I was suffering from a chronic digestive disorder I had had in some form or another since I was 8 or 9 years old. I was in my early 20’s at that point and was really quite sick of being sick. A wonderful witchy dress similar to what Stevie Nicks would wear caught my eye in a shop window so I wandered in to check it out. The shop was filled with all sorts of interesting magical things: dresses and decorative hats and bags, shelves with incense and goddess statues, books about herbs and pagan rituals, and an entire wall of shelves filled with herbs and herb tea blends. I chatted with the shop owner who opened up a conversation about how I might be able to use herbs to heal my stomach problem. She sent me home with Slippery Elm Bark (on sale right now in my Etsy shop) and instructions on how to use it, two books by Culpeper on herbal medicine (this article about him is very interesting and funny), and a small book of pagan rituals. All of these were new to me. The Slippery Elm Bark did not cure me but it did help me feel a whole lot better. The book of pagan rituals was curious to me but mostly just sat on my shelf. But I spent hours with the Culpeper books, and they still have a place on my bookshelves 43 years later.
So that was my introduction to herbal medicine! Then, at Crossing Press, I spent my days designing—and reading—numerous books on herbalism, Reiki, feminism, and nature-based spirituality. It was a GREAT job and a wonderful opening into so many things that form the basis for everything I do today. And that includes the Scott Cunningham books! I am not Wiccan or pagan, but I certainly learned a lot from him about ancient wisdom. He called it “magick.” I call it spiritual intention in a ritualized form. And, for those who are curious enough, it’s an invitation to work with nature and spirit for all sorts of healing and wonderful purposes.