Today I'm joined by author Coby Michael to chat about poison plants and their potential use within your witchcraft practice.
Examining the art and science of working with noxious and malefic plants and fungi, Coby Michael discusses the occult properties of poison and how poison plants can be used in spell work and other magical operations. He looks at the plants of Fate and the divination practices they support, love magic with poison plants, shadow work, the devil’s garden, and the use of nightshades as power plants for medicine and magic. Presenting a detailed formulary, he shares rituals, magical correspondences, and recipes for working with specific poison plant allies and other baneful herbs of occult herbalism. Exploring the path of dark herbalism, the author explains how it encompasses not only veneficium—poisonous plants and fungi—but all plants that humanity has tried to forget, from “invasive” plants and those we can’t domesticate to those that have been regulated arbitrarily or simply feared as “toxic” or “poison.” He shows how the dark herbalist seeks out plants that are adversarial or taboo because the qualities we consider “dark” are really the plant’s spiritual medicine and can offer powerful wisdom and healing. Examining poison history, lore, and occult toxicology, he explains how the aim of using these plants is not to cause physical death, but rather death of the ego. He shows how “poison” in this sense is an alchemical force that allows the practitioner to become a vessel for the forbidden fruit of knowledge and how the transmutation of our personal poisons can lead to powerful self-transformation.
COBY MICHAEL is the author of The Poison Path Herbal & The Poison Path Grimoire, and co author of Leo Witch and is a prolific writer. He is an occult herbalist and Poison Path practitioner and founded The Poisoner’s Apothecary in 2016. Coby has studied religion, history and herbalism and is well read in a variety of occult sciences and is practitioner of “traditional” witchcraft and folk magic. He has been lecturing and facilitating workshops since 2016 and has appeared at events around the world. Coby is founder and co-host of Botanica Obscura Conference and online plant spirit practitioner gathering held annually every march.
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