Working within a healing tradition passed down for centuries through her maternal ancestors, author Claire Nahmad recreates a time when herbal healers practiced their craft in consort with the stars and planets and all the animate and inanimate things of the Earth. Sharing her rich heritage and drawing on a wealth of ancient wisdom, she reveals the mysteries hidden in the folk names of flowers, in the strange and compelling myths about trees, in the fabulous tales of totem beasts and magical Girds, and in the spirit powers of running water, fairy hills, and wells. Earth Magic is a treasury of pagan beliefs and herbal lore, providing detailed information on how to cultivate, gather, and store herbs; prepare remedies and charms; and interpret weather signs. If you are planning specific activities and events -- from planting a garden to consecrating a place of meditation -- this book will tell you which times are the most auspicious, assigning to each season its appropriate qualities, colors, metals, stones, animals, and plants. Through the wisewoman`s mystical vision, we discover the magic of the Earth and learn to receive -- and to return in some measure -- the blessing and healing that she offers.