Re: VMs: Re: Culpeper on Henbane

[Pamela Richards <spirlhelix@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello, Dana

It is an honor to have a response from someone who has
contributed as much to understanding the VMS as you
have.  I do hope I have not given the impression that
I have a great store of knowledge of botany, which I
understand is an area you are very well-versed in; my
own knowledge, such as it is, is primarily in
astrology.

My guess is the import of the secrecy of the VMs
material in general, and the botanical segment in
particular, is that its buyer bought knowledge that
was not accessible to even the most well-read scholars
of the day.  If any literate person at all could have
the knowledge by simply reading the Ms word for word,
its value would not be the same.  I don't know that it
was a poison that he was hiding; on the contrary, with
all those nubile nymphs, I feel he might have been in
the market for something a bit more upbeat, don't you?
 Elixir of life, perhaps.  I have the feeling the
author(s) of the document thought they had something
quite special to offer.

If there is astrological material embedded in the
botanical sections of the document, the purpose is
most likely to offer instruction on the intended use
of the herbs and the time the experiment or ritual or
treatment the Ms describes is to take place.  As you
may be aware, timing the event by the positions of the
stars in the heavens is the basis of VMs-contemporary
natural magic, medical treatment, and alchemical
efforts.

If you look over the material posted from Saunders,
you will see that he is advising physicians on which
times to treat their patients.  This is a very common
use of astrology during the time of the VMs.  In fact,
the document might be considered by an astrologer,
alchemist or magician to be quite incomplete without
such instructions.

Yes, I agree that Culpeper postdates the VMs supposed
time frames.  We could use alternate sources of
botanical information more contemporary to the assumed
date of the VMs, although it might be necessary to
translate them from the Latin, unless everyone on the
list is comfortable with reading botanical material in
Latin.    

Thank you for your kind attention!

Warmly,

Pam  



--- DANA SCOTT <dscott520@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hello Pamela and Welcome,
> 
> Thank you very much for your observations relating
> Astrology to the Herbs in 
> the VMS. I is good to have specialists in this area
> join the VMS discussion 
> group. The first question I might ask is why would
> this be important to the 
> author of the VMS to the extent that it would
> require being veiled in 
> secrecy? What poison does s/he hide? Secondly, it
> might be said that "timing 
> is everything". Since Culpeper postdates the VMS, it
> would be necessary to 
> weed out what came after the VMS versus what was
> introduced before and 
> during its 'enscryption'. It would not surprise me
> if the Astrological / 
> Herbal connection proves true in the VMS, but I
> wonder for what reason that 
> might be?
> 
> Regards,
> Dana Scott
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Pamela Richards" <spirlhelix@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 6:25 PM
> Subject: VMs: Culpeper on Henbane
> 
> 
> > Greetings
> >
> > Here is an entry from Culpeper on Henbane, one of
> the
> > plants that I have read has been identified as a
> VMs
> > herb.  Culpeper gives its rulership to Saturn and
> > scoffs at a knowledgeable source which attributes
> > rulership to Jupiter.  It is possible to use the
> same
> > herb with a different intention, which would help
> to
> > explain why the rulership of a plant can be
> attributed
> > to more than one planet.
> >
> > Please note the use of astrological terms in the
> text,
> > which may have been expressed with glyphs in a
> similar
> > text such as the VMs.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "HENBANE.
> > Description.
> >
> > Our common Henbane hath very large, thick, soft,
> wooly
> > Leavs lying upon the ground, much cut in or torn
> on
> > the edges of a dark ill grayish green colour,
> among
> > which rise up divers thick & short Stalks two or
> three
> > foot high, spread into divers smaller Branches
> with
> > lesser Leavs on them, and many hollow Flowers
> scarce
> > appearing above the Husks, and usually torn on the
> one
> > side, ending in five round points growing one
> above
> > another, of a deadish yellow colour, somwhat paler
> > toward the edges, with many purplish Veins
> therein,
> > and of a dark yellowish purple in the bottom of
> the
> > Flower, with a smal pointel of the same colour in
> the
> > middle, each of them standing in hard close Husk,
> > which after the Flower is past, groweth very like
> the
> > Husk of Asarabacca, and somwhat sharp at the top
> > Points, wherein is contained much smal Seed very
> like
> > Poppy Seed, but of a dusky grayish colour. The
> Root is
> > great, white and thick, branching forth divers
> waies
> > under ground, so like a Parsnip Root (but that it
> is
> > not so white) that it hath deceived divers. The
> whol
> > Plant more than the Root hath a heavy ill
> soporiferous
> > smell somwhat offensive.
> >
> >
> > Place.
> > It commonly groweth by the way sides, and under
> Hedg
> > sides and Wals.
> >
> >
> > Time.
> > It Flowreth in July, and springeth again yeerly of
> its
> > own Seed.
> >
> > I doubt my Author mistook July for June, if not
> for
> > May.
> >
> >
> > Vertues and Use.
> > The Leavs of Henbane do cool all hot Inflamations
> in
> > the Eyes or any other part of the Body; and are
> good
> > to asswage all manner of Swellings of the Cods or
> > Womens Breasts, or els where, if they be boyled in
> > Wine, and either applied themselves or the
> Fomentation
> > warm; it also asswageth the pain of the Gout, the
> > Sciatica and all other pains in the Joynts which
> arise
> > from an hot caus. And applied with Vinegar to the
> > Forehead and Temples, helpeth the Headach and want
> of
> > sleep in hot Feavers. The Juyce of the Herb or
> Seed,
> > or the Oyl drawn from the Seed doth the like. The
> Oyl
> > of the Seed is helpful for the Deafness, Nois, and
> > Worms in the Ears, being dropped therein; the
> Juyce of
> > the Herb, or Root doth also the same. The
> Decoction of
> > the Herb, or Seed, or both, killeth Lice in Man
> and
> > Beast. The fume of the dried Herb Stalks and Seed
> > burned, quickly healeth Swellings, Chilblains, or
> > Kibes in the Hands or Feet, by holding them in the
> > fume thereof. The Remedy to help those that have
> taken
> > Henbane is to drink Goats Milk, Honyed Water or
> Pine
> > Kernels, with Sweet Wine: or in the absence of
> these,
> > Fennel Seed, Nettle Seed, the Seed of Cresses,
> > Mustard, or Radish, as also Onions, or Garlick
> taken
> > in Wine, do all help to free them from danger, and
> > restore them to their due temper again.
> >
> > [EDGENOTE:] Inflamation, Cods, Womens Breasts,
> Gout,
> > Sciatica, Joynts, Watching, Deafness, Noise in the
> > Ears, Chilblains, Kibes, French Pox.
> >
> > Take notice that this Herb must never be taken
> > inwardly, outwardly, an Oyl, Oyntment, or Plaister
> of
> > it, is most admirable for the Gout, to cool the
> > Venerial heat of the Reins in the French Pox, to
> stop
> > the Toothach being applied to the aching side, to
> > allay all Inflamations, and to help the Diseases
> > before premised.
> >
> > I wonder in my Heart how Astrologers could take on
> > them to make this an Herb of Jupiter, and yet
> > Mizaldus, a man of a penetrating Brain, was also
> of
> > this Opinion as wel as the rest, the Herb is
> indeed
> > under the Dominion of Saturn, and I prove it by
> this
> > Argument.
> >
> > All the Herbs which delight most to grow in
> Saturnine
> > places, are Saturnine Herbs.
> >
> > But Henbane delights most to grow in Saturnine
> places,
> > and whol Cart loads of it may be found neer the
> places
> > where they empty the common Jakes, and scarce a
> > stinking Ditch to be found without, it growing by
> it.
> >
> > Ergo 'tis an Herb of Saturn.
> >
> > [p. 65]"
> >
> 
=== message truncated ===


=====
"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing, than to teach ten thousand stars how not to dance."

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