Abstract

In medieval Britain, plant-based healing practices not only utilised the plants’ biochemical properties, but also utilised their magical and spiritual properties and correspondences. Central to this tradition was the Wortcunner (Wort = Plant and Cunner = knowledge), whose spiritual and magical work became marginalised and declined in popularity under pressure from the expanding Christian Church and a male-dominated scientific medical establishment. In recent decades, plant medicine in Britain has experienced a resurgence in popularity; however, the extent to which plants continue to be engaged with on a spiritual level remains under-explored in academic literature. The sociocultural implications of spiritual identities, such as those embodied by the Wortcunner, also remain overlooked.

In this presentation, I will discuss preliminary findings from semi-structured interviews with contemporary Wortcunners living in Britain who engage with plants and the wider ecological world in a myriad of spiritual ways. The Wortcunners shared rich and nuanced narratives that reflect embodied, eco-spiritual engagements with plants and the wider other-than-human world. However, alongside these affirmations and moments of enchantment, they also described instances of testimonial injustice where their spiritual knowledge and experiences were dismissed by perspectives held within dominant epistemological frameworks. They also exhibited traits that can be attributed to hermeneutical injustice, where they were seemingly unable or unwilling to express their feelings or articulate their spiritual identities. I argue that this research shows how the marginalised ontologies held by these Wortcunners are subtly, yet persistently devalued, not only through overt ridicule, but through silencing and misrepresentation and that these voices deserve to be respected, as part of a richer, more inclusive way of living in an ecologically spiritual and non-dualistic relationship with the world.

About the speaker 

Dr Clare Lesley Hughes is a Spiritual Ecologist, Hedgewitch and Herbalist with research and vocational interests in complementary wellbeing, traditional plant knowledge, spiritual epistemologies, and posthumanist thought. She is the founder of Herbal Hegemone, offering bespoke plant-based remedies, spiritual tools, an educational blog, and additional specialist services. Her first PhD, in Biology, was awarded by the University of York. She is currently undertaking a second PhD in Humanities, Religion, and Philosophy at York St John University, exploring Vibrant Plants and Enchanted Lands: A Posthuman and Epistemic Exploration into the Worlds of the Contemporary British Wortcunner. A dendrophile, thalassophile, and ailurophile, Clare brings a deeply rooted love of nature to all aspects of her work and life.

Website: www.herbalhegemone.co.uk

ORCID: 0009-0000-3493-1514