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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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*finally* got ashkenazi herbalism back from my friends. hoping to add some entries (since i finished the intro) after the holiday

#deatra cohen and adam siegel #ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #ashkenazi herbalism #tho.. my main priority is still monster theory #gotta finish reading foucault’s abnormal and my powers of horror reread *and* the monster theory book…#sigh #gotta get off tumblr tbqh #musings

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alchemy-fic · 6 months

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My book wishlist!

Egyptian Magic by E.A. Wallis Budge (1901)

Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism by Gershon Winkler, David Carson (2003)

Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews by Deatra Cohen, Adam Siegel (2021)

Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion by Joshua Trachtenberg (1939)

Ancient Jewish Magic: A History by Gideon Bohak (2008)

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism: Second Edition by Geoffrey W. Dennis (2007)

The Green Mysteries: An Occult Herbarium by Daniel A Schulke, Benjamin A Vierling (2023)

Reading Sumerian Poetry (Athlone Publications in Egyptology & Ancient Near Eastern Studies) by Jeremy Black (2001)

The Literature of Ancient Sumer by Jeremy Black, Graham Cunningham (2006)

Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia by Stephen Bertman (2002)

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East by Amanda H. Podany

Auguste Racinet. The Costume History (Bibliotheca Universalis) by Françoise Tétart-Vittu

The Arthur of the Welsh: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Welsh Literature by Rachel Bromwich (2009)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English: Seventh Edition (Penguin Classics) by Geza Vermes

Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Aquinas, Ralph McInerny

The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion by Thorkild Jacobsen

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Graham Coleman, Thupten Jinpa

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Penguin Classics) by Wallace Budge, John Romer

History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History by Samuel Noah Kramer (1981)

The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character (Phoenix Books) by Samuel Noah Kramer

Welsh Witchcraft: A Guide to the Spirits, Lore, and Magic of Wales by Mhara Starling

An Annotated Sumerian Dictionary by Mark E. Cohen

A Sumerian Chrestomathy by Konrad Volk

Toward the Image of Tammuz and Other Essays on Mesopotamian History and Culture by Thorkild Jacobsen

Early Mesopotamia by Nicholas Postgate

Amulets and Talismans by E. A. Wallis Budge

Mundane Astrology by Michael Baigent, Campion, Nicholas, Harvey, Charles

#bookmark #my bibliography is going to be insane

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brightgnosis · 1 year

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I listened to the episode 2.5 of the Jewish Ancestral Healing podcast ('Ashkenazi Herbalism with Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel') tonight while I prepped and made Orange Chicken for the household's dinner tonight.

I really enjoyed the episode, and got a few new leads to look at regarding books; it was so enlightening and beautiful listening to Deatra speak ... But I absolutely lost it for a moment and broke down sobbing when Deatra closed out the episode with their prayer ???

"May all beings be filled with loving kindness. May beings be safe from inner and outer dangers. May all beings be well in body and mind and spirit. May all beings be at ease, and happy".

One moment I'm fine, peeling another Orange to section for the sauce ... And the next, I'm just sobbing uncontrollably -but silently- like a maniac, Orange Juice dripping down my arms, trying to resist the urge to wipe the tears off my face (because I know that'd hurt like a Demon).

Absolutely baffles me. I have no idea why I had that reaction to such a simple prayer. The Orange Chicken came out amazing though. So at least there was that, I guess?

This account is run by a Dual Faith «(Converting) Masorti Jew + Traditional NeoWiccan» & «Ancestral Folk Magic Practitioner» with 20+ years of experience as a practicing Pagan and Witch. If that bothers you, don't interact.

#Personal #2023 #Herbalism #Food Is The Ultimate Love Language #Jewish Studies #A Direct Look At My Practice #Prayer & Adoration #Religion & Magic

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midrashic · 2 years

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rollercoaster emoji that I can't find right now, 🌞💖💞👀

thanks love!! letting you perch on my head as i type this--

🎢 which of your fics would you call your wildest ride? had to go peruse my ao3 page to answer this. i think "me, myself," a supernatural episode tag, is probably still the biggest twist of any of my fics--i still get screaming comments about it--but probably other futures is my widest-ranging, hitting flashbacks from two timelines & a feverish compression of all my favorite tropes. then again, is it possible to call something that isn't the "terrible live-action reboot on the cw" au the wildest ride?

...i feel like this answer is cheating, somehow. i'm just not a very wild person. get me drunk & i'll show you a wild ride, winking emoji.

🌞do you have a preferred time of day to write? there's no relief like hitting your aspirational wordcount in the morning and then realizing you don't have to write for the rest of the day. i've only managed to do it once, but it was glorious. which is to say that, as with being a morning person, preferred is not the same as usual sdkjfdhf

💖what made you start writing? probably wanting to become a Seminal Author Of Young People? wait. wait, i think it was jealousy that flavia bujour & amelia atwater-rhodes had published novels when they were in the early teens and my talent was going totally unacknowledged outside of getting complimented for understanding meter as a fourth grader. or--actually--maybe it was that even before the rise of the video format i fucking hated the video format and wanted to be able to experience my favorite digimon episode without actually having to watch it, so i started writing a. what do you call a novelization when it's not a novel.

all of these explanations make me sound insane.

💞who's your comfort character? i don't even know how you're supposed to interact with a comfort character. i guess if you see them getting nice things you feel like you, also, are getting nice things? in which case erik may be my anti-comfort character, in that when terrible things are happening to him i feel like i am getting nice things. okay, i think it's erik, but the only nice things i want are adoring remarks from charles's inner monologue.

👀talk about an up-and-coming wip. UGH you know everything i'm writing. i DO need to re-evaluate what i want to work on for the near future and there might be a surprise for you in there, but i haven't done it yet, so i'm just going to talk about the herbology au.

for the rest of you who don't live in my wip note, my research materials included deatra cohen's ashkenazi herbalism and so very many flower language manuals. keywords: magical realism, contemporary, healing from grief, character study (lucky for me, as i was just complaining that i don't write the sort of thoughtful, introspective fics that i used to). i worry about its length but hopefully i'll get it out before the end of the year, if i can stop making mean posts about other people's bad takes on poetry.

if you're interested in more about my writing, drop me an emoji! i'm here all day (derogatory)

( fanfic writer emoji asks )

#etc: how's my driving #filed under: extradiegesis

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svaartpractice · 2 years

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AP Questionnaire: Iviva Olenick

What was the last thing you made?

An embroidery of a woman covered with wild carrot plants (the seeds are rumored to induce menstruation).

What was the last thing you read?

Currently reading Ashkenazi Herbalism by Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel.

What was the last exhibition you saw?

Collages by Anne Ryan at Moma and other works in their permanent collection, plus a two-channel video by Garrett Bradley and Arthur Jafa, also at Moma, followed by open studios @Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts.

Who do you most admire?

I am not sure - good question. I will have to let you know when I think of someone.

How has your practice changed?

My practice is changing all the time; I am constantly researching topics that interest me and feel like a natural expansion. Right now, I'm reading about herbalism and women's health inspired by my multi-year cultivation of textile plants, the many dye plants that also have medicinal practices, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and a history of women practicing herbal medicine who were labeled "witches," not unlike today's witch hunt for women in restrictive states seeking reproductive care.

What motivates your practice?

A desire to keep growing and responding to sociopolitical changes and problems.

Your favorite artwork made before your lifetime?

the Brooklyn Bridge

Your favorite artwork made during your lifetime?

This is so hard to answer. I recently saw some of the AIDS quilt panels and was moved by the personal expressions and sense of joy amidst mourning.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

"Interesting"

What is your most treasured possession?

A small stuffed, sateen, pink horse with a bell that was once my mother's as a child.

What is it that you most dislike?

Narcissistic behavior

What is your idea of happiness?

A day spent outside and a good night's sleep.

Iviva Olenick is a Brooklyn-based artist and educator, and teaches Fibers in the MFA Art Practice Department.

#apq #currentpractice #Iviva Olenick

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datecake · 3 years

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calling all ashkenazic Jewish herbalists and Jewish people who love herbs and and want to read an herbal anthology tied to our culture: RUN DONT WALK this book came out today and I’m so so excited to dive deep and learn as far as I know this is the first book of its kind !!!! It even has a materia medica :,-) okay that’s all

#Jewish #Jewish herbalism #Judaism #Ashkenazi herbalism #deatra Cohen #Jewish book #Jewish anthology

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jewishbookworld · 3 years

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Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews by Deatra Cohen, Adam Siegel

Until now, the herbal traditions of the Ashkenazi people have remained unexplored and shrouded in mystery. Ashkenazi Herbalism rediscovers the forgotten legacy of the Jewish medicinal plant healers who thrived in Eastern Europe’s Pale of Settlement, from their beginnings in the Middle Ages through the modern era. Including the first materia medica of 26 plants and herbs essential to Ashkenazi…

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#Adam Siegel #Deatra Cohen #Jewish Book Council #North Atlantic Books

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madisonsaferillustration · 2 years

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Over the course of last year, I read Ashkenazi Herbalism by Adam Siegel and Deatra Cohen, one of the first books of its kind exploring the medicinal and cultural plants of the Pale of the Settlement ( more commonly seen through examples of shtetl living). As the case with many fringe groups, plants were not just a traditional preference but of seeing and knowing their community by means of healing practices. While less of us these days are putting potatoes on our heads to absorb fevers, Judaism (both the religious and cultural elements) have a high emphasis on plants and what the symbolism can offer from a literal and spiritual perspective. A hamsa is a cross cultural symbol used by many people and practices to evoke guarding from the evil eye (five fingers being significant in Judaism being the number that represent protection as well). The symbol is commonly seen amongst Jews as being an amulet of sorts, changing meaning depending on direction. The plants inside are pomegranates, cedar, garlic, apple blossoms, and almond blossoms, all plants often an associated with Judaism and customs that bring elements of newness, hope, strength, and prosperity into their presence.

#hamsa #herbalism #jewish

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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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The Ba’alei Shem

So far we’ve only spoken about healers in general, but a variety of Jewish and non-Jewish folk medicine practitioners and healers flourished in the Pale for centuries: alchemists, pharmacists, shamans, and physicians all prescribed variations of local folk medicine. Foremost among the healers of many Eastern European Jewish communities were itinerant Kabbalists, or ba’alei shem, men who traveled widely, dispensing charms or incantations, amulets, and herbal remedies to combat the evil eye and other diseases for anyone in need of their expertise.

The ba’alei shem, “masters of the name (of God),” were a prominent feature of the Pale as both religious leaders and healers. The singular title ba’al shem signifies its bearer’s ability to manipulate holy names, including those of God and angels, along with the names of Satan and malevolent spirits, in order to conjure desired results. The ba’al shem, as a cultural universal, served largely the same role or function as the shaman or “medicine man“ in traditional societies the world over, mediating between the profane and the sacred, as an intercedar between the living and the dead. Ba’alei shem were syncretic healers: relying upon the Kabbalah (writing of the Jewish mystical traditions) for guidance, and dispensing remedies both magico-religious and herbal, including amulets, traditional plant knowledge, and pharmacopeia of the era to heal the individual and honor the Jewish mandate of tikkun olam, “repair of the world.“

Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, Ashkenazi Herbalism; Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews

#ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #deatra cohen #adam siegel #deatra cohen and adam siegel #ba’alei shem #ashkenazim #herbalism #vegetal judaism

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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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Their eclectic approach to healing made the ba’alei shem widely sought out by both poor shtetel dwellers and elites, whether gentile or Jew. These healers were extremely versatile, promising to restore vitality and fertility, cure disorders, particularly sexual disorders, and protect against sickness, misfortune, or the evil eye. Ba’alei shem were also equipped with psychic powers of prognostication, fortune-telling, dream interpretation, and exorcism.

Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, Ashkenazi Herbalism; Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews

#ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #deatra cohen #deatra cohen and adam siegel #adam siegel #ba’alei shem #ashkenazim #vegetal judaism

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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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The Ashkenazim and the Pale of Settlement

Toward the end of the first millennium, one wave of diaspora Jews whose origins lay in the Near East emerged in communities along the Rhine River in what is now Germany. Over the centuries, much of this population migrated from the Rhine basin eastward, into present-day Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. Today their descendants are known as Ashkenazi Jews, or Ashkenazim. Ashkenazi Jews have a long and complex history in Eastern Europe. Over the course of several centuries, through war, upheaval, and border changes, most of the Jews of Eastern Europe were eventually forced to live within a restricted geopolitical partition known as the Pale of Settlement (hereafter “the Pale”) within the Russian Empire.

Inside this circumscribed zone, some Jews settled in larger cities, while others, under the auspice is of wealthy non-Jewish landowners, founded small market towns, generally known as shtetls. Even though the political, legal, and geographic limitations of the Pale restricted many facets of Jewish daily life, these same constraints opened the door to intricate and intimate relationships with the non-Jewish communities alongside them. These regular connections with adjacent cultures had a significant impact on both the Ashkenazim and their neighbors. In this contested zone of ethnic, religious, and cultural confluence, Jewish, Slavic, and German traditions met, colliding or melding

Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, Ashkenazi Herbalism; Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews

#ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #deatra cohen and adam siegel #deatra cohen #adam siegel #ashkenazim #the pale of settlement #herbalism #vegetal judaism

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jewishbookworld · 3 years

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The 33 books posted on JewishBookWorld.org in September 2021

Here is the list of the 33 books that I posted on JewishBookWorld.org in September 2021. The image above contains some of the covers. The bold links take you to the book’s page on Amazon; the “on this site” links to the book’s page on this site. (more…)

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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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The titles for these women [mourners, lamenters, wailing women] can be translated as “wise women” or “skilled women,” names that can be interpreted as meaning that the art of healing through the performance of a mourning ritual was something that had to be learned:

Wailing women not only had to be able to draw on the reservoir of laments handed down through the generations, but they also had to adapt the laments to suit the particular needs of the current situation. . . . Their laments represent the community’s response in the face of extreme trauma.

War and destruction, a normalized part of life in biblical times, affected people directly. By leading their communities in profoundly moving ceremonies, wailing women could swell a community’s collective emotions in celebratory victory songs or in sorrowful laments that mourned military defeats. It was in leading public rituals that these wise women brought feelings of unity, empathy, and eventually healing.

Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, Ashkenazi Herbalism; Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews

#deatra cohen and adam siegel #ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #wailing women #mourners #lamenters #jewish death practices #ashkenazim #women’s practice

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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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Women have always been healers. They were the unlicensed doctors and anatomists of [Western] history. They were abortionists, nurses and counselors. They were pharmacists, cultivating healing herbs and exchanging the secrets of their uses. They were midwives, traveling from home to home and village to village. For centuries women were doctors without degrees, barred from books and lectures, learning from each other, and passing on experience from neighbor to neighbor and mother to daughter. They were called “wise women” by the people, witches or charlatans by the authorities” (Ehnreich and English).

Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, Ashkenazi Herbalism; Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews

#deatra cohen and adam siegel #ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #ashkenazim #women healers #folk healing #midwives #herbalism #the pale of settlement

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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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In the Pale when someone became “paralyzed” with fear, or had fear paralysis, they sought out help from those who specialized in removing such maladies. The opshprekherin [a woman who gave advice and remedies to people convinced they had been cursed by the evil eye], who frequently interacted with women healers from neighboring cultures, borrowed remedies from these women and in turn shared her recipes and charms with them.

Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, Ashkenazi Herbalism; Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews

#deatra cohen and adam siegel #ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #folk healing #slavic folk healing #ashkenazi folk healing #opshprekherin #opshprecherin #opshprekherins

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ouroboros8ontology · 2 years

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As for the Talmud as a medical resource, the majority of its healing prescriptions are based on well over a hundred plants and their derivatives, such as sage, rock soapwort (Saponaria), spinach, opium, and olive oil. Many of the Talmud’s prescriptions, sometimes adapted but often unchanged, found their way into the feldshers’ inventory as cures; baths in mineral water were advised for certain skin diseases, and purges using herbal enemas were also recommended.

Deatra Cohen and Adam Siegel, Ashkenazi Herbalism; Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews

#vegetal judaism #herbalism #deatra cohen and adam siegel #ashkenazi herbalism; rediscovering the herbal traditions of eastern european jews #ashkenazim #folk healing

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