A Druid's Handbook to the Spiritual Power of Plants: Spagyrics in Magical and Sexual Rituals - Jon G. Hughes 2014

The Workshop Ledger
The Refinement Process: The Complex of the Flower
The Druidic Workshop

You already know there are two specific types of refinement process, that of the complex of the flower, with its two cardinals, and that of the complex of the tree, which has three cardinals. Let us begin with the complex of the flower. The flower I have chosen for this example is the bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus).

The bird’s-foot trefoil is abundant throughout Wales, Scotland, Ireland, England, and the United States and may generally be found in damp, grassy places and along the edges of pathways. A common plant, it has attracted a large variety of folk names, more than seventy, in fact, and most of these relate to its resemblance to so many everyday things: “God Almighty’s thumb and finger,” for example, “crows-toes,” and “lady’s shoes and stockings,” and when the red flushes appear on the bright yellow flowers it may also be known as “bacon and eggs.” In Wales the bird’s-foot is commonly called traed yr oen, or “lamb’s foot”; in Ireland it is known by the name cr˙ibin éan, or “bird’s claw.”

In the Welsh Druidic tradition the bird’s-foot trefoil is cala Duw, or “God’s penis.” This is taken from the appearance of the flower’s jointed petals and explains why it is used extensively in Celtic sex magic rituals. It is a flower often overlooked by other traditions, mainly because its active ingredients are not remarkable on their own. This is a typical example of how the Druidic tradition, by retaining its spiritual and magical elements, is able to empower the simpler gifts of nature to beneficial effect.

We have seen previously how these flowers are harvested and brought to the workshop, so our work here begins with the first stage of refinement, the separation of the cardinals of the flower. But first a brief word on the workshop ledger.

The Workshop Ledger

As with every other type of workshop procedure, it is imperative that you maintain a detailed and accurate record of your processes, methods, dates and times, observations, and results in a daily ledger. You will find this invaluable both as a means of ensuring the successful repetition of your accomplishments and as a way of identifying the sources of your failures.

Every Druidic practitioner will be constantly maintaining his or her book of spells and incantations, the workshop ledger (recording workings and ritual workings), and a diary of the general activities in which he or she becomes involved. Together, these three books become part of the Druid’s cache and a very useful source of reference.

Until recently, the recording of this information has been forbidden by Druidic tradition, but like many others, I feel it is now time to set the tradition to paper. So record your activities and use them daily, but always remember the value of the precious information your ledgers contain.