Frontispiece from a book by my grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's grandfather's dad, who is called Edmundo de Meara in Latin and Edmund O'Meara in English and Éamon Ó Meadhra in Irish. . . . At the top, there is a glow worm, scuttling along under the light of day, and a motto that says 'In the light she lacks light' and at the bottom we see the glow worm at night, surrounded by a bioluminescent aura, as a hand points a wand towards her. The bottom rocker says "In the darkness she shines" . . . . The author was part of a family who had been hereditary physician/poet/diviners to the Earls of Ormond for centuries, but had lost that place in his lifetime due to politics. He and his household were forced from their home during Cromwell's genocidal campaign in Ireland, and ended up in Bristol as displaced persons, while many of their relatives were killed. That was the darkness. . . Once there he kept practicing his unique sort of medicine, which was a combination of traditional Irish medicine passed down through the family since ancient times, and spagyric medicine (medical alchemy, sort of Hippocrates/Galen/Ibn Sina) that he had studied at Rheims. He became quite successful and sought after, and even managed to sue for the return of his home in Ireland after the restoration. That was the shining in the darkness. . . #herbalmedicine #familyhistory #famtrad #hereditary #nenagh #bristol #tipperary #spagyric