Herbal Rituals: Recipes for Everyday Living [Paperback]

Judith Berger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 10, 1999

Herbal Rituals is about connecting with Nature and the plant world in order to keep us near to the ground of our own souls. The book records, month by month, a yearlong journey in to the earth's natural cycle. Each monthly section describes a facet of the earth's temperament, offering us an opportunity to immerse ourselves in Nature's unique expression of birth, growth, fruition, decay, death and regeneration, the primary cycle that weaves a thread of continuance through our lives. Even in an urban environment, the constant presence of the elemental natural world and the use of herbs can be a touchstone to bring both body and soul back to a natural cadence. Each monthly chapter discusses one herb in detail - what it's like, how it grows, what it does - as well as presenting recipes for teas, lotions and foods, along with rituals appropriate to the season that can bring your life into harmony with the moods of nature.

For thousands of years, humans have used herbs and trees for just this kind of medicine, in addition to calling on the plants as a source of nutrition, remedy, heating, shelter and magic. These are the old ways.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"In this wonderful book Judith Berger imparts to us her deep knowledge of the use of plants and the importance of ritual, inherited from the wise traditions of our forbears. But even more significant, she inspires us with her conviction that, despite the reigning materialism of our age, we still have the potential to achieve well-being through a profound reconsideration of our inner selves and a reconnection to the Earth, which is in itself the first act of healing." --Laura Esquivel, author of Like Water for Chocolate and The Law of Love

"Herbal Rituals is a book you can live by. I particularly appreciate the way Judith Berger blends dreams, recipes, traditions and nature, restoring soul to the world in which we live. There can be no ecology of depth until this magic returns, and this precious, earthy and wise book of herbal magic has just the right tone, just the right ingredients to guide us all toward a more natural and more grounded life." --Thomas Moore, author Care of the Soul and The Soul of Sex

"Grab this sensual, magical, practical, magnificent book right now and go to bed with it, take it on a walk, eat dinner together, bathe with it, craft with it, learn from it. You won't want to let it go!" --Susun Weed, author of Menopausal Years and The Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

"Herbal Rituals poetically describes the delight of using herbs through the seasons of the year. It mixes eloquent musings about each month with ways to use herbs for healing, pleasure, and comfort. The author weaves together a variety of spiritual traditions and embellishes the tapestry with herbs that give a sense of grounding and inspiration." --The Herb Companion, February 1999

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (September 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312243014
• ISBN-13: 978-0312243012
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and soulful, this book is much more than an herbal, September 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Herbal Rituals (Hardcover)

In beautiful, haunting prose, Judith Berger invites her readers to discover how the cycles of nature relate to so many aspects of our own bodies and souls. She does this in a way all her own. This is a gutsy, mystical book that has the power to make even the most out-of-touch urban misfit (myself included) see nature-and herbs-but also a lot filled with weeds, a faded chiffon scarf, or a crow's screech at dawn--in a new light.

The book is divided into chapters on each month, beginning marvelously, with November. Berger weaves together elements from disparate myths, religious rituals, Native American traditions, as well as memories from her own childhood, to create a living, breathing tapestry for each month, situating the reader in a vivid moment of nature's cycle. She offers recipes for meals, honey, brandies, lotions, medicinal infusions, soothing baths, and rituals in the spirit of each season.

This book would be useful to anyone who wishes to know more about the power of herbs; to anyone who feels cut off from nature, or from their own creative wellsprings; or simply to anyone who delights in magical, inspired prose. That must be why even my friend Mike, an urban, chain-smoking carnivore, to my surprise. fell under its spell, exclaiming, "This book is a gem!"

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gentle and Stunning!, November 26, 1999

By 

Shannon Hopps "winter27" (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Herbal Rituals (Hardcover)

This book is perfectly charming in it's simplicity. Ms. Berger has prepared a guide for herb lovers to enrich the deep respect herbalists already feel for these magical little plants. Along with her personal stories of her past, she ends each chapter with a beautiful step by step ritual that pays homage to the month, the herb, the folklore surrounding both and the wonder of just breathing. I read this book in a day, fell behind on duties, lost track of time, and was completly happy. Of all my herbal guide books, HERBAL RITUALS is my favorite because of it's mysticism, it's kind direction and it's power in restoring the magical wonder we had as children. When I grow up, I hope to BE as full of wonder as Ms. Berger is now...and I'm 32! Bravo!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection on paper, September 7, 2004

By 

Spiral - See all my reviews

This review is from: Herbal Rituals: Recipes for Everyday Living (Paperback)

This book will become your best friend. You are invited to experience a journey filled with herbal allies just waiting to make your aquaintence. I first encountered this book at a wonderful little shop in AnnArbor Michigan and was unable to put it down even though I really wasn't able to afford it at the time. I went ahead and spent what little money I had left and have never been dissapointed.