Someone emailed and asked an interesting question about Shamanism and Hedge Witchery and I thought the answe might best be also out here.
Interesting question and it depends on what your calling Shamanism and Hedge Riding / Hedge Witchery.
Technically the word Shamanism originally only referred to the very specific practices of a certain Tribe and wasn’t a general term.
The New Age adopted the word and to most people now, it just means taking all sorts of psychedelic substances to force yourself into an altered state of consciousness in order to do things like Astral Project.
Hedge riding and the practices of the Hedge Witch these days seem to mean some Wiccan who really likes gardening, however the term really used to mean the practice of using herbs, mushrooms and other things in order to help get yourself into an altered state of consciousness.
Most magical traditions throughout the world have used some form of psychedelics and various different techniques (such as mediation) have been created by traditions and people. How ever you would need to look at the individual culture form specific info.
Britain specifically has always been very Tribal and Nomadic that is until the Romans started to invade, although they never really managed to get to Scotland or Ireland (and the Welsh have always been somewhat Welsh) so there is no real passing on if specific magical rituals and traditions like you have with Native Americans and such.
The Cunning Folk and other forms of what would probably be called ‘Traditional Witchcraft’ are far from being lineages traditions in the modern sense.
They are usually people who have a natural affinity for magic who can never escape having a magical life. Most never had an interest in teaching nor were they interested in giving their secrets away (just like the modern ones) and so the only things that are usual known about them are when Academics research the subject through family heirlooms (journals) and court documents.
Much of what is know about specific Cunning Folk comes from things said about them by their clients or the authorities when some of them got taken to court.
The use of magical plants to aid a magical practitioner has been used for a very very very long time in Europe and the UK and most of the plants used for ‘Traditional Witches’ ‘Flying Ointments’ come from the Nigh-shade family such as Henbane, Attila Belladonna, Mandrake.
The use of these plants is a very very secretive practice still in the UK unlike as compared to what you tend to see in the Eastern World or when Gap year students go of to try Ayahuasca, possibly because of the limited amount of people with the knowledge but probably mainly because most of the plants and Mushrooms used in such potions are extremely poisonous ☠️
Anyone who is any good in the modern Cunning Folk / Trad Witch community tend to hate the magical community so rarely attend Moots and such and have no interest in teaching or passing things on outside their own Families.
Most of them often don’t end up having kids who have a great interest in magic either although there are a few exceptions so much like back in the day, today the good stuff tends to die with the practitioner and not survive past a generation or two.
Any specific questions as I’ve just word vomited 🤮? I might add this to one of the groups as I’m sure others might have something to say about it too.
Liam
I'm unfamiliar with Siberian and Slavic shamanism, so my only point of reference are "medicine" practices among indigenous Americans. It's tempting to insert modern hedge riding under medicine, but I'm not sure it belongs there. To me a classical shaman/medicine man/root worker/cunning man/wise woman is someone that acts as a guide between this world and another. They are a walker between worlds tasked with treating unseen dis-ease (literally, diss ease). Modern mundanes might seek out a therapist or a psychiatrist to deal with such problems today.
These people can guide you to the door, lead you through it, lay the trail, negotiate with the spirits, and watch your body until you get back. I've rarely seen modern self-proclaimed "hedge witches" speak to a practice with this level of service or community involvement.
As for the substances themselves, in my experience they are a great gift to the stable and the worst punishment to the unstable. An experienced guide is highly recommended, whether they identify as a shaman, hedge witch, or helper. For the naturally psychic, these substances can blow open your senses. For witches, they can help push through an energetic plateau. Recent research suggests even mundanes may benefit from a type of mental "reboot" effect these substances impart.