New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
| On this day in 1845, Edgar Allen Poe's timeless poem, "The Raven" was first published. As a bird totem a raven suggests second sight, mystery, forgotten knowledge, and, in some cases, ill omen. In this haunting Plutonian poem of death and beauty, our narrator pores over old books of "forgotten lore" pondering the loss of his lover Lenore in hopes of divining some mysterious elixir or soothing balm to mend his broken heart and uplift his shattered soul. The raven suddenly appears, casting his dark shadow as he perches atop the bust of Pallas as if to prophesy the wisdom of the goddess, revealing the magic to mend and heal. "Nevermore!" he cries. Be free of memories that bind you to the past. Take the beak from out your heart and find respite with this Nevermore Nepenthe, a potion to forget one's sorrows.
Ingredients 1 dram of spring water 1 T. of vodka 1 chip of lapis lazuli (to charge the elixir) 6 drops of basil for melancholia 6 drops of marjoram for happiness 6 drops of passionflower for peace Burn pine incense to heal bereavement or wear nightshade tucked into a medicine bag to dispel the memory of a lost love. |
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