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Whole + Healing Sensuality : Full Moon in Taurus

The following is the most recent excerpt from my bi-monthly astroherbology newsletter to Lunar Apothecary members. Want to learn more about medicinal and magickal herbology? Join our year-long herbal adventure!

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Congrats! You made it through the wild star weather we've been having lately! Your prize is a big and sturdy, gorgeous and bold, Taurus Full Moon! You know what Taurus teaches us, divine friends? Taurus teaches us a whole heck of a lot just like all of the signs, but with a big Taurus Full Moon hanging like a ripe promise on the horizon, she is especially teaching us about sensuality. Our earthy Taurus calls us back to the sacred temple of our bodies because our physical natures are special. Taurus calls us to sensuality on a rooted, grounded, physical level.

As plantfolks and herbologists, we facilitate relationships between plant, humyn, and creature. Ask yourself, where does the sensuality lie in your process of remedy-making, herb-recommending, and tea-drinking? It is easy to fall into the trap of mechanical thinking: our body is a machine that often gets broken and we need to take this pill (whether herbal or pharmaceutical) to make it better. To get in touch with the grounded nature of Taurean sensuality, I would encourage a practice of magickal thinking. Of your cup of tea not just being "what I should take when I'm sick" but a curved horn boat that allows you to ride through the watery currents of your body. Taurus encourages us to get tucked into ourselves. Get cozy in our bodies. Snuggle our bones.

I see a lot of folks running from body sensuality - I've done it, too. It is hard to reside in a physical form that we don't always feel at home in whether or not because we judge it to not be good enough or it doesn't match up with who we know ourselves to be. Taurus, being of earth and sturdiness, asks us to put aside what we think about our body and to feel our body instead. Do the things that feel good and pleasurable. Hot baths or long stretching. Gentle strokes and firm massage. A home-cooked meal and warm blankets. Bare earth beneath your feet and spices crushed between fingers.
 

How do you practice sensuality, sweet friend?

Rooty tonics are great Taurus remedies. Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinalis), Burdock (Arctium lappa), Angelica (Angelica archangelica), Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) as well as herbs like Rose (Rosa spp.), Sage (Salvia officinalis), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Think about nutrient rich herbs in blends meant to tonify and strengthen the whole body. Taurus Moons can bring up a lot work around our ancestral heritage that we experience in our bodies, so think about working with flower essences like Rose, Lotus, and Black Cohosh that can help us navigate some of the emotional baggage we carry as well as embrace the strength we've inherited. Sit in the Fourth Moon Mansion (we cover all of the Mansions in new ways in the Lunar Apothecary!) and learn - it is an exceptional place to unpack and settle into our truth.

Looking for a nourishing Taurus inspired recipe? Check out our Beautiful Sustenance Chaga Chai!

Roar! Full Moon in Leo

Leo Moon Full Herbs On Friday, February 14 we'll find the Full Moon in Leo glowing in our skies. Full Moons in Leo are like the best kind of parties, parades, and concerts mixed into one. Imagine your favorite exertion of joyful energy - whether riding the energy of a crowd or dancing by yourself in a room lit by candlelight and glitter - and you can begin to grasp what an intention-centered Leo Full Moon can be like. Practice exuberant generosity to yourself and others. Energy is high and their is room for sacred drama and ritual. If you sense conflict, choose the path of honest expression of your full creativity - hiding or suppressing your individuality under the light of Leo can bring heartache and distortion.

Leo guards the heart and spine as well as the distribution of vital energy and nutrients through the blood. When Leo energies are out of balance there is overstimulation, overexertion, and overheating (the "over" part of Leo can also work in your favor when you finally "get over" what it is in your life that no longer serves you). Aggressive fevers and poor circulation can appear, along with heart conditions and high blood pressure. Many heart tonic herbs fall under the guardianship of Leo including Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Rose (Rosa spp.). For Full Moons in Leo, I love to pull out Angelica (Angelica archangelica). Angelica is a heart tonic (in cases of heart problems in relation to complications of angina, the herb has components that act like calcium channel blockers) and a blood purifier along with a large collection of other uses. What I love about Angelica is that it is a dream herb - it not only helps us to dream with clarity, but to dream with boldness and greater imagination. Just a few drops of the herbal extract or flower essence connects our heart to our dreams.

Open your heart, stand tall, and let your passion flow.

The Moon will also be in the 12th Mansion, known as Al-Sarfah or the Changer, fully falling into the realm of Leonine honesty. Think about a dishonesty detox in your life. How are you dishonest to yourself and others? What relationships are not honest in your life? Are you truly living your life in the way you want to be? Are you really expressing your honest self to those you are in relationship with? Join us in learning more about the Mansions of the Moon.

Learn more about why the Moon Matters in Herbology! Struggling to connect with the heart-opening energy of the Leo Full Moon? Check out our Blah-Buster Brew!

Blessed Full Moon, clever friends!

Looking for some music to start your Full Moon festivities? Check out our Full Moon in Leo mix below!

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