This is a word that has almost been lost in common language. It used to mean a cabinet of drawers to store medicines. But before that it meant one’s kitchen. This speaks volumes to the fact that many remedies can be found at your fingertips in your own kitchen. Many foods, herbs, spices and so on are medicinal, if one knows how to use them and how to extract the medicine from them.
The interesting thing is that many of these items have also been utilized in magical practices for centuries. I took the time in my early life to learn about how things are used magically and, with the help of my grandmother, who was an herbalist, learned how to communicate with plants, animals, crystals and stones and so on in order to discover the medicines that they carry. By the time I was in my mid thirties to early forties I had my own apothecary set up in my work space for my healing practice. It has never been used to heal physical ailments. That is something that could get one charged with practicing medicine without a license these days. But when it comes to magical purposes, it got a LOT of use!
Then life changes happened and a marriage was ending and a move to a different workspace that did not have to space needed for the apothecary happened as well. I packed up the apothecary and waited until I owned my own place once again. At that point it was set up in a two-car heated garage where I would perform ceremonies and rituals. And then my wife at that time died. This meant another change for me. A while later I was with my current partner and we decided to buy a home and move in together. It took 10 years after the move for me to finally even want to have the apothecary set up. In the meantime it was packed up in storage. Once I opened it up I had decisions to make regarding what survived the storage, what was still viable for magical purposes and what needed to be replaced.
I am happy to say that now I have it set up once again in my current work space. For awhile it was scattered around, but now is in a more concentrated area. I did reduce it to only the bare essentials, nothing exotic and nothing that I might use only once every year or two. Now it is what I would use on a daily basis when needed. And I love it.
If you would like to explore the magical uses of plants, herbs and spices, there are a number of reference books that you can find on my website www.deerhornshamanic.com. Click on From the Shaman’s Shelf and have a browse through the varied literature that I recommend.