Wortcunning in the Modern World
This week I shared a class on my YouTube channel exploring the ways in which Wortcunning can look to the modern practitioner. This is such a fascinating topic because it inspires us to root our work deeply in the past and in the blessings of the herbwise ancestors while being fully present where, when, and how we are right now. There is no room in the cunning artes for reconstruction! Rather, we find inspiration and initiation in the old ways and embody them here and now. Let’s explore!
Wortcunning is an approach to working with the arcane plant spirits that is rooted in the ancient past- but it also has some really interesting sign posts leading up to the modern age. While the general techniques, methods, and effects of wortcunner practices lean toward the universal, there are certainly unique expressions that find they way into the grammars, grimoires, herbals, and folklore of what we now call the Celtic lands; especially England.
For me, the study and exploration of wortcunning is a way to connect more directly to the herbwise ancestors of my traditions and try to gather the green wisdom they left us in their early-modern writings, mostly from the 10th century onwards. Many of my students are surprised to learn just how much extant plant lore we have that is either many hundreds of years old or directly references older texts that existed at the time of their writing.
From this lore, in whatever form it may take, we can gleam a great deal about how our ancestors perceived the spirits of plants, explore dis-ease states, write herbal formulas and protocols, petitioned plants, harvested herbs, and crafted charms and rituals around working with our verdant allies. While not all of these particular expressions make total sense in the world we live now, they can absolutely inform our practice and deepen it by giving us a connection to our own herbal roots.
For those who love a bit of etymology…
The name wortcunner is comprised of two separate words which are both rooted in Proto-Indo-European mother languages but have expressions in Old German and Old English respectively.
Wort, from wyrt, means a plant, vegetable, or herb- especially one with existing medicinal virtues.
Cunning, from cunnan, means one who knows or someone who has skill and understanding- specifically around things usually hidden or mysterious; the occult.
Put them together and we get wortcunning- the practice of one who knows the hidden secrets of the plants.
The Nigon Wyrta Galdor or Nine Herbs Charm is one that holds a special place in my heart and in my practice for several reasons, three of which I’ll note here. First, the charm shows us that our herbwise ancestors approached the plants as persons- they experienced the plant spirits as fully sovereign beings with whom they sought a working relationship of respect and reciprocity. Second, the charm tells is about some of the sacred plants that made up the wortcunner’s repertoire- herbs that would grow wild and abundant around them. Finally, the charm gives us a sort of template we can use to craft charms, invocations, and evocations to the plant spirits which will have a familiar ring to them as these same patterns have been worked for ages. Let’s look at an example taking the first herbal stanza from the charm which addresses none other than Mugwort (Artemesia vulgare).
You, Mugwort, remember what you revealed,
what you readied at Regenmeld…
Una you are called, eldest of worts,
you prevail against three and against thirty-
you prevail against venom and against on-fliers,
you prevail against the loathsome one that fares across land.
How great is this charm-and this is just one small part of the larger lay. I highly suggest digging into this one as much as you are able; specifically that presented in Stephen Pollington’s book Leechcraft.
So, what we see here is a type of template where the plant spirit is directly addressed using both common (Mugwort, Mucwyrt) and sacred (Una) names; addressed as person. If not a person, how can we expect any kind of response? Then we see flattery and the extolling of specific virtues about the plan- both very important parts of all ancient petition and charm format. This also ensures we’re getting the right plant and opening our hearts to them be remembering our personal and/or collective history with them. We then wrap the charm up with a specific request made in the present-positive; the thing we’re asking the plant to help us with.
Here is a prime example of how an ancient and well-established charm can be worked in a modern context and brought into one’s personal practice in a way that honors the past while staying fiercely relevant.
I consider myself to be a wortcunner, or at least very much inspired by the herbwise ways of my collective ancestors. On the surface, my practice as a professional herbalist may look quite normal; I have a clinic and apothecary where I meet with clients, craft herbal medicines for them and with them, consult with them, and offer many kinds of classes. When we go just blow the surface, however, we find that my approach to who the plants are, what our relationship with them is and can be, and how I craft medicines has some unique characteristics. Along with tinctures and teas and compresses and oils I also offer my clients candles and sachets and pathworkings and charms. I work to connect each client not so much to the herbs that are ‘good for’ what ails them, but to the plants who are the right fit for the whole tale: who the person is as a unique individual, how they’ve become disconnected from their sacred center or nature, and what we need to do to support that reconnection.
Whenever I consult with a client, teach a class, or make medicine I am always thinking about the wortcunners, wise women, wizards, pellars, charmers, hot hands, and herbwise folk who inspire my work so much.
Here’s the free community class I mentioned above- I hope you’ll give it a watch and let me know what you think!
If you’re ready to engage more deeply with the plants, I have to invitations for you:
My Patreon group is a vibrant online community of like-spirited folks who receive many advanced classes, courses, and other offerings throughout the month. These are the folks who support my work directly and allow me to spend as much time doing this as I am able. I would love to have you along!
I am now offering The Spiritual Herbalism Program completely online; watch at your own pace, as often as you like, in your own way- over 40 hours of immersive video content that will initiate you into the wild ways of herbal medicine and magic.
