The Silver Branch and the Otherworld

Foreword to the First Edition
The Forest Reminds Us Who We Are
By Dr. Mitchell Bebel Stargrove

Foreword to the New Edition
The Silver Branch and the Otherworld
By Cornelia Benavidez

Preface
The Life of This Book

Acknowledgments

Introduction
Beyond the Walls of Perception

1
Living Medicine, Living Magic

2
The Otherworld Well

3
The Three Cauldrons

4
Mad, Dead, or a Poet

5
The Silver Branch

6
Rooting in the Living World

7
The Wheel of the Year


Plant and Fungal Allies
Profiles of Wild Kin


Epilogue
Awakening

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue is a clinical herbalist, writer, and teacher who weaves together the insights of traditional Western herbalism and contemporary science. A columnist for Plant Healer Magazine and founder of the Otherworld Well Hedge School, he lives in western Maine.

“A deeply nourishing well of Celtic wisdom, herbal and arboreal knowledge, ritual, and respectful kinship with nature and her medicines. Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue has composed an instructive and beautiful book that will be savored and treasured.” Shonagh Home, author of Love and Spirit Medicine

“Not just an important contribution to herbal medicine, but a significant contribution to Irish literature itself.” Matthew Wood, herbalist and author of A Shamanic Herbal

“Herbalist and poet Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue weaves together the enchantment of Celtic and personal history, emotions, physiology, herbal wisdom, and therapeutic insights with profound interpretations. You’ll learn from his favorite authors as well as the herbs, trees, fungi, and friends imparted through his unique sensory experiences. Encounters with animals, the moon and stars, the glowing sun, and the elements flow through the pages of this book like a wild stream. This becomes a visceral adventure filled with original insights, meditations, and rituals designed to reconnect us to a nature-based life. The Silver Branch and the Otherworld invites readers to breathe deeply and reengage with our world.” Margi Flint, RH, HM, author of The Practicing Herbalist

“Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue lives as well as dreams this quest-full story that his books and classes tell—intensely, tragically, joyously, and epically. The Silver Branch and the Otherworld serves as a portal into the expressive magic of what is the real and true world, a path leading the reader toward self-understanding and personalized purpose as well as to the profound healings and revelations of the plants found there. It is my pleasure to encourage his continuing sharings, songs of determination, and hopes for you as you enter into the chiaroscuro light of enchanted forests and Druid’s groves.” Jesse Wolf Hardin, artist and author of Fungi Medica and The Herbalist

“When I first step into the forest, my cathedral, I am overwhelmed by the quiet and the awareness that ‘much silence has a mighty roar.’ And when I read Seán’s poetic vision, breathing life into the wisdom of our plant and fungal allies, I am reminded of a connection that vibrates so deeply, so powerfully, that I am moved to tears, joy, and wonderment all at the same time.” Robert Dale Rogers, herbalist and author of Medicinal Lichens: Indigenous Wisdom and Modern Pharmacology

“There has always been a gentleness and deep embodiment in Seán’s writing. Like a forest laughing or a stone singing, every part of this book will speak to you in a voice not just heard, but also felt—and this is how we best come to learn what is true.” Rhyd Wildermuth, Druid and author of Being Pagan: A Guide to Re-Enchant Your Life

“Seán speaks to the heart of those of us in the Irish diaspora who long to connect with ancestral wisdom even as we seek to root into the land we now call home. Weaving myth and scientific knowledge, poetry and a palpable sense of reverence, The Silver Branch and the Otherworld invites you to come home to yourself, your spiritual lineage, and your own wild kin.” Marisa Goudy, host of KnotWork Storytelling and author of The Sovereignty Knot

“This book is an antidote to the long loneliness of the human species. In a world out of balance, it serves as a balm to the agitated spirit and offers a map for navigating the territory of changes the Earth and all members of the ecological community are currently experiencing. The Silver Branch and the Otherworld is a much-needed guide and manifesto of hope for navigating these troubling times through the power of story. It reminds us of our deeply rooted connections to the Green world and the world of myth and legend, reaffirming that we are not alone.” Julie McIntyre, Earth ceremonialist, director of the Center for Earth Relations, and author of Sex and the Intelligence of the Heart

HERBALISM/WICCA

“A deeply nourishing well of Celtic wisdom, herbal and arboreal knowledge, ritual, and respectful kinship with nature and her medicines. Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue has composed an instructive and beautiful book that will be savored and treasured.”
–Shonagh Home, author of Love and Spirit Medicine

To our ancestors, the wild world around them was filled with meaning, guidance, and insight. They recognized the symbols hidden in Nature that represent invitations to connect with our wild kin, such as the Silver Branch of Irish legend. They understood that plants and fungi are living teachers who can become our allies in healing and magic. They knew that there is deep healing available when one lives in direct connection with the living world.

Braiding together insights from herbalism, ecology, neurobiology, psychology, Irish history, and magical tradition, Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue shows how we, too, can tap into the flow of communication from the wild world and our ancestral traditions to transform our lives, culture, and worlds. Introducing the seven principles of animist herbalism, he revitalizes the ancient Irish understanding of the “three cauldrons” of the body and shows how this framework can be applied to the practice of modern herbalism. He examines the importance of physical and spiritual nourishment, including the role of seasonal ritual in setting the rhythms of our lives. He shares ancient Irish stories, with precautions and protocols regarding the ethics of engaging the Otherworld and working with plant medicines, especially psychedelics.

O’Donoghue introduces 26 of his closest plant and fungi allies, discussing what it means to develop a relationship with a plant and how to work with their medicines for healing and magic. He also provides simple practices for rooting in nature, navigating the wheel of the year, and deepening your connection with wild plants as well as the sun, water, and the ancestors.

Revealing the depths of healing and magic available through wild plants, O’Donoghue helps us to reconnect body and spirit with the living world around us.

Seán Pádraig O’Donoghue is a clinical herbalist, writer, and teacher who weaves together the insights of traditional Western herbalism and contemporary science. A columnist for Plant Healer Magazine and founder of the Otherworld Well Hedge School, he lives in western Maine.