Thank you for being interested in finding out About the Cailleach’s Herbarium world. Before you journey the mysterious and crooked path through the landscape of Scottish folklore, herbalism and folk practices, it might be wise to ponder who the writer of these words is. You might want to drag some soap boxes to stand on with me along the way.
When someone goes public with information, discussing beliefs and experiences people assume all sorts of things about them. It is important to reveal some things. To help prevent bias and to allow some perspective to settle on the diorama being presented. You can read more about my explicit biases in the FAQ section.
My name is Scott Richardson-Read and I sling the words on these pages. I am the co-creator and researcher behind the Tales of the Taibhsear project. The Taibhsear collective brought to life Edinburgh’s ongoing folk culture, tradition and magic celebration and lecture series – Dreaming Bread and Skyrie Stanes. I am also the network coordinator for The Woven Land Network.
I am a four times graduate and the first of my family to ever go to university. I hold Masters degrees in psychology, Social work, and Research. University allowed me access to amazing archives. They were filled with information about my culture and folk traditions I could only dream of. I have dedicated my career, some would call it a vocation, to working in the margins of life. Supporting folk the mainstream would see as outsiders in their communities – marginalised by illness, disability, mental health issues, sexuality or a culture they find themselves unwelcome in.
Nothing I say is presented by me as Truth but perhaps truth. At times, my truth will be very different from yours. Some things I could write more about I have left as questions. I hope to engage you, the reader, in thinking further by leaving things unsaid. The Truths and truths are a lived experience, each of us understanding these in different ways. Through your eyes, the printed voice of these words shares my sum of experience, thoughts, research, ethics, observations and opinions. Hopefully along the way punctuated by what wisdom I have been able to collect. But everyone has a share of wisdom to pass around. If you’d like to know more about me and my approach I suggest you check out my FAQ’s section.
As your mind wanders through the landscape of ideas, research and stories presented to you, please don’t allow your mind to slip into a passive state of observing and repeating. In light of your experience, question my assumptions and laugh at my conclusions. I accept and relish the opportunity to change my mind and reach different ideas. We are all seekers. I am aware that my mind holds constructs of thinking. It has attachments to things that it has deftly disguised as a certainty. Through community, we can help each other see past these pits in the road. We can move safely onward with our journey of rediscovery together.
Recent Work
- Winter 2024 – Article for Herbal Society Magazine -To be Published
- September 2024 – Scottish Pagan Federation – Workshop on Folk Magic
- August 2024 – Scottish Pagan Community – Presentation on Animism – Canceled
- July 2024 – Turns out She’s a Witch Podcast – Conversation about all sorts of things!
- June 2024 – Creative Coven – Witches Memorial Event – Presentation on Scottish Folk Belief and Working Class Culture
- April 2024 – Food Heritage in Paisley – Short Form Presentation relating to folk tradition and food heritage
- November 2023 – Ongoing – Scottish Histories of resistance Group Meetings
- November 2023 – Bewitching the Waters Conference – Waters Role in Scottish Folk Belief
- September – 2023 – Interviews for the Whiteness Oral History Project
- August 2023 – Discussion as part of the Ancestral Healing Course focus on the North
- May 2023 – Article for the Folklore is resistance Zine – Home issue
- March 2023 – Interview with Witchcast
- February 2023 – Interview with Inner Sanctum- Paranormal Podcast