The Magic Garden

Sometimes you encounter things that fill your imagination. This past weekend when I was visiting the Met Cloisters in New York City, I was brought to such a moment in the gardens when I saw the plants labeled as “used in Medieval Magic and Ceremony.” I feel like that’s a lot to dangle in front of somebody with no further explanation. Especially when accompanied by an even larger “Poison Plant” sign right behind it. I mean, what kind of magic and ceremony are we talking about? Was this FATAL magic and ceremony? I looked for further information on the site and found nothing.

I’ve always enjoyed a good historical mystery and have been swept up in more books than I can count filled with dark intrigue. The term “medieval magic and ceremony” conjures up dark, damp alleys, elaborate art, detailed costumes, lots of symbolism, death around every corner, and religious reflection. So who used these plants for magic? What kind of magic? I found myself feeling like I might be dealing with some Harry Potter kind of stuff, and I loved it. Just like I get lost in a good book, I was lost in these gardens of magical, and possibly dangerous, plants. I felt like a little kid in a fairy tale. I wandered around and let my mind run wild. It’s not something I do very often as an adult. I pictured myself finding a secret passageway that nobody else at the cloisters even knew about. The other people disappeared around me and it was just me, Jason, and Rachel on a quest to solve a mystery and save a character from certain harm from a nefarious force. We might get caught up in a dangerous spell ourselves. How would we escape? It would happen just in the nick of time. Perhaps, I too, would be able to channel the power of the plants to get us out of our dilemma. I got chills.

In actuality, we chatted about each plant and tried not to bump into all the other people exploring in the same way. We sipped on water we had purchased at the souvenir shop. At one point a staff member asked us if we wanted to learn more about how the plants are used for natural dying pigment. Of course! We were brought back to reality. Later in the car, I looked up on my smart phone how these herbs were used by Healers to “drive out the demons.” The plants were tied to charms, divinations, and astrology in order to relate to, and control, the body and health. Did any of this medieval magic and ceremony work? I guess it depends on who you asked during that time. I will say the average life span was 25-35 years old.

I certainly enjoyed this day of losing myself in history and magic and mystery. I can’t wait to find another opportunity.