The Corpses Upon Which We Are Blessed To Dance.

The Danse Macabre.

That's a bit of a cheeky title, but really sums up the way I feel about some things. I just finally started posting over at Harry's Blog "The Alchemist's Garden", after being a long-time fan of his herbal craft website, and his skill in that arena.

It was his article about flying ointment that caught my attention. Why? It's a prickly subject, and one I've noticed resurfacing a lot in the Pagan communities. To refine some points here I think that part of the attraction to banes is something our own culture causes itself. If you were to list "witch herbs" the top slots will probably belong to Belladonna, Mandrake, Wormwood and White Sage. None of these are particularly good to ingest.

Part of it is that yearning for "authentic witchiness" that affects some of the Elders just like the Youngers. There's a lot of whimsy and a bit of personal satisfaction when I take a good look at my herb cabinet, I'll admit. Why else would I have hand-labeled on parchment slips and stored in latch-lid apothecary jars?