Long before there were books on herbalism, there were stories and myths.
The oldest wisdom of plants was shared in songs, rituals, and recipes passed between generations. Certain magical plants have been used for thousands of years because they occupy a mystical territory between the visible world and the unseen one.
In ancient days, the mystics used methods designed to sharpen perception beyond the ordinary.
Plants played a big role in this work because they helped establish the conditions in which hidden knowledge might reveal itself.
Three plants that appear repeatedly in folklore, ritual traditions, and esoteric herbalism are: Blue Lotus, Ginkgo, and Mugwort. I have worked with all three and each possesses its own particular relationship to the pineal gland.
Blue Lotus
The Temple Guardian
Blue lotus is one of the most mysterious plants of the ancient world and my personal favorite for journeying.
It appears throughout the temples and art of ancient Egypt. Gods are depicted holding it and priestesses carry it in ceremony. Blue lotus appears wherever themes of rebirth, illumination, and passage between worlds are present.
To the Egyptians, blue lotus was a cosmological symbol. According to Egyptian creation myths, the first lotus rose from the dark waters of Nun before opening to reveal the newborn sun. Therefore it became associated with emergence from darkness into awareness.
For later esoteric traditions, blue lotus came to represent the opening of subtle perception and awakening inner sight.
The blue lotus flower was often associated with dream incubation, astral travel, and the liminal threshold between sleeping and waking in which messages from spirit arrived.
It was once believed that dreams were territories that could be entered, navigated, and even altered. Blue Lotus became one of several sacred plants connected with this ancient wisdom tradition.
Ginkgo
The Keeper of Forgotten Things
For centuries throughout East Asia, Ginkgo trees were planted beside temples, shrines, and sacred sites. Some grew so old that legends accumulated around them. They became landmarks of memory. Its fan-shaped leaves are interpreted as symbols of unity emerging from duality. Two lobes, one leaf.
Ginkgo trees can live thousands of years. They are the record keepers of earth memories and history. It is often called a “living fossil” because it has existed largely unchanged for over 200 million years. Some ginkgo trees near the epicenter of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima survived and continue to grow today.
Ginkgo brings clarity, longevity, and remembrance. Certain esoteric schools viewed it as a symbol of preserved wisdom, the knowledge that survives the collapse of empires. It sharpens subtle perception, and therefore can bring vivid recall and enhanced visionary power.
Ginkgo stands as the plant of recognition and the keeper of forgotten things, and will probably outlive humanity.
Mugwort
The Herb of Second Sight
Mugwort has long been regarded as one of the great visionary herbs of the European esoteric tradition. It is the herb of dreams, omens, and the art of seeing beyond appearances.
Mugwort is also burned for protection and purification in some traditions. In European folklore, placing mugwort in your shoe before traveling ensured you were safe from harm.
Associated with seers and dreamers, it was carried during ritual journeys, burned before divination, and placed beneath pillows to encourage vivid dreams. Mugwort heightens awareness within the dream world, so guidance can arrive through symbols and visions.
In China, mugwort has played a role for centuries through the ancient practice of moxibustion, where the herb is burned to stimulate the flow of qi. This is a practice used by acupuncturists still today.
For centuries, mugwort has been used to thin the boundary between waking consciousness and the imaginal realm. It is an ally of dream incubation, intuition, and the cultivation of second sight.
The Art of Remembering Well
The old esoteric traditions rarely spoke of awakening intuition as an act of acquisition. It was not about gaining something but remembering, and re-awakening gifts that were dormant. The task was to sharpen the senses with plant allies, so the body could remember what it already knows.
Blue Lotus was associated with the threshold between worlds, where dreams, symbols, and messages from the unseen could emerge.
Ginkgo was a symbol of memory, recognition, long life, and wisdom preserved across centuries.
Mugwort belonged to the dreamers, guiding the seer into the imaginal realm of vision.
Together, these three magical plants represent crossing the threshold, remembering what has been forgotten, and learning to navigate the landscape of dreamtime.
