Scott

There is nothing more ubiquitous as the Blackberry or Bramble. Sméar Dubh or Smearagan in Gaelic, meaning black berry. Dris, druis bramble. The bramble was much valued by the old Highlanders, and where not indigenous was cultivated. The fruit was used for food, the root for dyeing, and an infusion of the leaves was used for medical purposes. Alone, and in combination with the ivy and the rowan, the bramble was placed above the lintel of the byre door to ward away witches and evil spirits. It is spoken of as ‘an druise beannaichte‘–the blessed bramble. It is said that a branch of …

I have discussed the Frith – Gaelic divination charm practice before but omitted the augury signs which i have included below. Scottish folks had many ways of finding things outside of the second sight. One of these techniques is called the Frith. Frith translates in gaelic “to find”. Macaplpine describes it as “an incantation to find whether people at a great distance or at sea be in life.” The place the objects we see in the person casting the “vision” let us know the outcome or fate of the one we seek. The Frith is religious in character and is …

The weather has been hot. Today is no exception. Hot, wet and humid with a wind coming from the south. The breeze brings the heady scent of hawthorn bloom through my open window. The scent of these mingling with the earthy aroma of petrichor. That deep patchouli like smell of the nearby forest in the rain. A base note to it all. It’s a smell unlike any other. It’s a smell of home. The smell of the start of summer. Its time to Preserve the May and make some flower jam. It got me thinking. How I might capture this very moment? This …

This post about the fairy faith been a long time in the coming. I can only apologise for that, I have been busy researching for a new book that explores these issues in more detail. I was asked to discuss the idea of the Sidhe or Síth in Scottish culture. During research for the upcoming publication many ideas have come forward. Some of these ideas I spoke about last year at the Scottish Radical Herbal Gathering. This post develops those ideas found in the post Dead to Deity. It’s also a think piece. It presents a different narrative to what …

Sometimes it just feels right. Timings can be calendar based or not. Sometimes you just go with your gut.  So being in Scotland and the weather *almost* perking and my gut this weekend are telling me to get the seeds out and start sowing. We planted seeds of Wormwood, Mugwort and some St Johns Wort indoors on Friday (the day auspicious) with more to come in the following weeks. I started these early as they can be slow and like a bit of rough handling. I also like planting seeds in threes. Both Mugwort and St Johns wort are associated with …

Unsurprisingly i’m a huge whisky fan and there is nothing like a Scottish hot toddy! Nothing warms you up and makes you feel better about just about anything really. Reputed to cure the common cold, nerves and anxiety and even sea sickness! The origin of the drinks name might come from British colonialism where the Hindu word tārī,  a drink made from the fermented sap of the various varieties of toddy palm, was made into an alcoholic drink hence the name. Apparently the British liked it so much it made it back to our shores in the U.K. At this point …