S2 #83 / Coby Michael on the Poison Path

In this episode of Spirit Box I’m joined by plant magic practitioner Coby Michael, author of The Poison Path Grimoire. We explore the strange, intoxicating world of poisonous and psychoactive plants—their history, their spirits, and their place in witchcraft and dark herbalism.

Coby shares how his work with these plants led him to classify them into Saturnian, Mercurial, and Venusian types, each carrying its own current of power: the baneful and chthonic, the entheogenic and mercurial, the seductive and Venusian. We talk about how these correspondences emerged through practice and research, and how he incorporates glyphs, runes, and ritual into his work.

Our conversation also turns to the wild, generative forces of nature—trickster currents linked to Pan and Dionysius—that challenge order and offer paths of transformation. We look at the way these energies surface in borderlands, wilderness, and even in the chaos of cities.

Coby speaks openly about his own healing journey and recovery from opioid addiction, and how plant spirits such as belladonna became unlikely allies in that process, echoing their forgotten role in medicine and ritual.

It’s a rich and far-reaching discussion—one that moves between folklore, plant spirit communication, vampiric herbs, and the strange balance between poison and healing.
Show notes:
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