Join IAAM and Debbie Stapleton for a conversation about astrological magic, folk herbalism, navigating planetary correspondence in the plant kingdom, and developing a plant-based astrological magic practice that is anchored in your local space and the land that surrounds you.
There is a major hurdle when we first approach the intersection between astrological magic and botany. Key treatises by Agrippa, Ficinio, Ibn-Ezra and Culpepper among others do not assign the same plants to the luminaries and 5 visible planets. This can be perplexing. How can I be sure I am picking the right plant?
Due to the laconic nature of surviving treatises, the first principles that motivated each astrological magician to assign plants to specific plants is not mentioned. Given the oral tradition of astrological magic, these first principles were once considered obvious. These lists were meant to be a reminder to an initiated practitioner. Debbie will introduce us to these first principles, which are clearly evident to individuals with a deep knowledge of plant/planet correspondences, but can be obscure to those of us who might not yet be intimately familiar.
Instead of getting trapped in the cage of a universally applicable plant cannon, it is crucial to situate each surviving treatise within its specific climate and historical moment. For example, whereas Agrippa traveled widely throughout Europe, his list indicates plants more readily available in Germany, whereas Ibn-Ezra lists plants that a practitioner could procure in the drier climate of Spain, and Ficino suggests plants common in Tuscany. This opens an invitation to us - what are the plants in our immediate environment that resonate with the first principles of plant/planet correspondences?
Living on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in Canada, on unceded Coast Salish land, in T’Sou-ke Nation, Debbie Stapleton has sought out the plants that resonate with each planet in the temperate coastal ecosystem she now calls home. During this talk, Debbie will introduce the underlying first principles for the plant correspondences of the luminaries and 5 planets, and then will share personal stories about how she found the planetary plants close to home, cultivated a relationship with them, and then brought them into her folk herbalist astrological magic workings. Each of us is invited into a similar practice.
Webpage: starfruitastrology.com IG: @starfruit_astrology
Debra Stapleton is a Canadian artist, singer, herbalist, and astrologer. She offers holistic astrology readings & courses for those seeking a soulful life through a deeper connection to the cosmos. Her approach synthesizes classical, medical, magical, and archetypal astrology, reading birth charts as an interwoven map of mind, body, and soul. Debra’s paintings explore an imaginal, meditative dialogue with the cosmic spheres using color and texture to illustrate planetary energies. She creates melodic tonal soundscapes with lyrics that evoke dream imagery and cosmic themes.