Knowing Beauty: Tarot and Tea for Libra Season

Welcome to Libra Season and my latest post on tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (you can learn more here).

The beginning of Libra season marks the Equinox (Autumn Equinox in the northern hemisphere and the Spring Equinox in the southern). The winds have changed and the air sign of Libra finds us at a point of balance between seasons. Balance is a central theme of Libra season and with the scales as its symbol, Libra helps us to assess (in a gentle, earnest, beauty-seeking way) what needs more balancing in our life. What was prepared and worked for in Virgo season can be better appreciated during the season of the scales. While Virgo's energy can be spread wide, looking at the big picture of all that needs to get done, Libra's energy is more loose, more dispersed, more adept at wandering and wondering. 

Libra is a cardinal air sign which means that it carries the energy of impetus, new beginnings, a bit of bravery, and a lot of hope (Aries, Cancer, and Capricorn are also cardinal signs but in other elements). The sign carries the skill of seeking out and in the case of Libra, it is often seeking out beauty. While Virgo may have focused on the practicalities of filling a pantry so that a community feast can be laid out, it is Libra that finds the beauty of a pantry well stocked, adding fairy lights to the space, and maybe making hand drawn labels for the jars. In considering Libra I think of the song Bread and Roses - if Virgo is the bread, then Libra is the Roses. Libra teaches us that beauty and the knowing of beauty in one's world is as essential as any other nutrient. And to be clear, I'm not talking about a beauty that is only skin-deep and narrowly defined by an overculture that fears untethered beauty. The grand magick of Libra is the way in which learning of the expansive nature of beauty creates a culture of radical inclusivity and kindness. 

We learn with Libra how to seek out beauty in our worlds, both inner and outer, and to face the fears and insecurities that may arise from such an endeavor with the airy breeziness that Libra embodies. That fear of yours is paper thin, darling, Libra tells us, you can look right through it to the beauty and power just beyond. Libra energy can sometimes be dismissed as inconsequential and frivolous - but that's only when we seek out beauty that is as thin as our fear. To be beautiful and know one's beauty and the beauty of one's community under an overculture which denies so much beauty in this world is an act of courage. Sometimes Libran energy, in its balance seeking, can avoid or overcompensate for conflict, creating patterns of worry instead of wonder. But, if we find a bit of bravery and beauty, Libra season helps us to explore how courageous we are in our lives and in our love.

Knowing Beauty
Libra Season Tarot Spread

Seeking out beauty in the world, especially in the places and spaces where we least expect to find it, is exhilarating and exhausting and wondrous. Libra brings the breath of hope and a commitment to reconciliation. Sometimes the energy of Libra season shows us what needs balancing in our life by pointing out where there is the most conflict and unrest because Libran energy automatically seeks to soothe and repair.

Libra asks us, "How well do you know beauty in your life?"

Understanding what we find and know as beautiful in our lives is one of tools of repair that Libra uses most often. Conflict can reveal hard truths, but extended and unnecessary conflict can weaken our ability to know our beauty and the beauty all around us. Seeking out beauty is to seek to expand the narrative of what is possible in our life and the following tarot spread helps us to find beauty and the paths of expansiveness we might journey along.

Card 1. That Which Is Beautiful About Me

A joyous card or an uncomfortable card or a bit of both depending on your level of knowing about your own beauty. You might choose to work with the symbolism of this card, creating altars and/or affirmations, throughout the season of Libra as a spell of awakening beauty in your life.

Card 2. That Which is Beautiful About My World

This card helps us to see the beauty that exists in our world. It is another card that may initially cause us to retract as it holds up a mirror of what expansive beauty lives around us that we might not have been able to see or acknowledge just yet.

Card 3. That Which Hides Beauty in My Life

A card that reveals to us the obstacles (including people), habits, and/or beliefs we carry that hinder our ability to know beauty. This card speaks to our fears and the ways that they have dulled our courage.

Card 4. That Which Expands Beauty in My Life

A card of hope which helps us understand the habits, beliefs, people, and more that support our growing bravery in knowing the beauty of the world and seeing ourselves within it.

Card 5. A Message for Libra Season

A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Libra season. This card can highlight energy which you might bring more into your life during Libra season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Kidneys and Your Hormones

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your kidneys and bodies filtration systems and more broadly your hormonal system, including physical experiences and energetic ones, what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning. 

image via @tspoonphoto

A Tea for Libra Season

How do we nourish the energy of Libra? Traditionally, Libra is the sign which guards the filtration function (i.e. the kidneys and urinary tract) as well as the hormonal balance of the body (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Libra). Libra seeks out balance and so being mindful of hormonal balance, as well as experiences of extremes (i.e. making sure to stay hydrated during a heatwave), and the sacredness of boundary setting to support a healthy nervous system are all Libran concerns. I love using Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) as the base for many of my Libra-inspired blends as the gentle herb is balancing, antioxidant rich, and creates a beautiful hue of pinkish red when brewed. Nettles (Urtica dioica) support the body's filtration functions while also bringing in much needed nutrients to help us feel steady and balanced while Damiana (Turnera diffusa) helps to open the heart by reducing stress.

• 4 parts Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) 

• 1 part Nettles (Urtica dioica)

• ½ part Damiana (Turnera diffusa)

These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Libra). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image via @anniespratt

Seasonal Reflections

What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?

What is coming to the surface from within me?

What is receding within me?

What am I feeling grateful for?

What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?

What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?

What am I calling to me?

What am I called to give?

♎️

Want to learn more about the magick and astroherbalism of Libra? I’ve written a full profile on the sign for you to enjoy. You can also check out the rest of my seasons of astrology series.

Another Libra plant that I didn't feature in my tea but is a wonderful ally to the energies of the season is Angelica (Angelica archangelica) and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is another wonderful Venusian ally. If you need help relaxing into the energy of Libra season and tend to tension and worry, Vervain (Verbena officinalis) might be a good ally for you to connect with.

May Libra season be a time of beauty for you, of loving your aesthetic, and of learning about new ways of finding loveliness in the world.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

Defining Ourselves: Tarot and Tea for Cancer Season

Welcome to Cancer Season and my latest post on tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (you can learn more about the series here).

The season of Cancer begins at Solstice - the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere. There is an intensity to the energy of Cancer that isn't always as apparent at first glance, but there is a lot going on beneath the surface. If Gemini season has a tendency to stir things up, it's in Cancer season that we mull it all over. And then we might mull it over again. And then take a nap. And then remember that one time that was similar to the thing we're currently mulling over…

We've met the first three of the four sacred elements through the signs of Aries, Taurus, and Gemini, and now we meet our first water sign, Cancer. Cancer, like Aries, is a cardinal sign which lets us know that it marks the start of a new season and it is a sign that is actively engaged with the energy it embodies. For Cancer, that is engaging with our feelings and the depths of our emotional experience. Another way to understand Cancer energy is to think about being at the shoreline, looking out into the vastness of the ocean, ready to jump in.

One of the really magickal qualities of Cancer is its ability to straddle the worlds between. It is fitting then that the symbol of Cancer is the crab, a creature that can live both in water and on land, representing our ability to move between different states of consciousness, different points along our timeline (i.e. exploring our memories), and to move back and forth skills and wisdom gained in both our inner and outer worlds. With Cancer we have an opportunity to really feel out what it is we have perceived ourselves and our world to be, to honor the depths of our feelings, and to learn how to always find our way back to the comfort of the shoreline or the adventure of open waters.

Defining Ourselves
Cancer Season Tarot Spread

The guardian planet of Cancer is the Moon, which is a planet that helps us to understand and explore our experience of our consciousness, subconsciousness, and unconsciousness. While astrology has been Sun focused for many generations, it was actually the Moon which was the focal point of our most ancient forms of astrology because it is through the Moon that we understand ourselves. The Moon guards our most tender and honest truths and it is through the sign of Cancer that we can begin to understand where we might have hidden away and protected those stories of ours, as well as the places in our life where we might feel most guarded. For it is our feelings, our inner Moon, that defines how we experience the world.

Cancer asks us, "What do you feel defines you?"

The question of Cancer is not "what defines you" which can include all sorts of elements out of your control from class and ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, family and social cultures, and more, but what you feel defines you. The question is asked from a self-defining and felt perspective. The following spread helps you to walk between your inner and outer worlds, discovering what is known and unknown in order to help you better understand yourself. 

Card 1 . That Which Is Known

This card highlights something which you feel defines you and which you know defines you. The card acts like a mirror and an affirmation of something about yourself which you know to be true, even if you might struggle to acknowledge it or not give this part of your story much credit.

Card 2. That Which is Unknown

This card is like looking at the back of the mirror - it's something about ourselves that we don't quite understand just yet. It might feel connected to a certain memory or experience, but it doesn't have to be. Pay attention to the sensations, the feelings, that arise when reading this card.

Card 3. That Which Unsettles Us

This card acts similarly to an obstacle or challenge card in another spread - it is something that trips us up on our journey of self-knowing.

Card 4. That Which Shelters Us

One of the sweetest energies of Cancer is its ability to teach us about the things which feel comforting and sheltering. This card helps you to discern the places, practices, and/or people that help you feel secure and sheltered in the world, which is part of what defines you.

Card 5. A Message for Cancer Season

A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Cancer season.

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Cancer

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your stomach, chest, uterus and ovaries (if you have them), including physical experiences and energetic ones, what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning. 

image via @yoyoqua

A Tea for Cancer Season

How do we nourish the energies of Cancer? As a sign that has us deep in our feelings, it's important to support our body's ability to process what it is feeling. One of the parts of the body that Cancer traditionally guards is the stomach (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Cancer) so I've created a digestion tea to help support healthy digestion on both a physical and energetic level. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is a classic herb of digestion but also one which supports emotional wellbeing, helping us to process that which we're feeling. Robust Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) helps to bring us courage and the power of will as we journey through the season of Cancer and our own inner season of deep feeling whenever that may arise. I think that it's important to have a sweet remedy with us as an ally whenever we plumb the emotional depths which is why I've included Fenugreek (Feoniculum vulgare), another Cancer herb, in the blend.

• 3 parts Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

• 1 part Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• 1/4 part Fenugreek (Feoniculum vulgare)

These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Cancer). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image via @hystad

Seasonal Reflections

What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?

What is coming to the surface from within me?

What is receding within me?

What am I feeling grateful for?

What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?

What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?

What am I calling to me?

What am I called to give?

♋︎

I’ve been writing about the intersections between plants, stars, and planets for years, so if you’re feeling inspired to keep reading about all things astroherbalism, check out the Cancer Astroherbology Profile as a great next step.

The energy of Cancer can be a very lunar one so if you’ve resonated with what you’ve read in this post or just want to learn more about ways that the Moon can help us understand ourselves, how about learning to make some lunar baths? Or if you’re ready to dive deep, check out The Lunar Apothecary.

May Cancer season provide you with illumination and inspiration, helping you walk steadily between and within all the worlds that are calling to you.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤ Thanks, friends. ❤

Radical Harmony : The New Moon in Libra

Take a sledgehammer
to the statue
they have erected of you
fashioned by their own fancies
of how you should look,
who you should be.
Do not
ask for permission.

Smash it
into a thousand shoulds
you sweep into the dustpan.
Then stand naked
in front of your own mirror
and dress
in your softest words
of wisdom
whispering
from within.

- Kaveria Patel -

The New Moon in Libra takes to the night sky like a scythe. It is the season of Samhain (and by some calculations, Lunar Samhain) and Libra’s guardian planet of Venus arises in their form as Crone. We need the slow rumination and depth work of the Crone now more than ever in our time of quick clicks, soundbites, and the constant fear that you might not be keeping up, doing enough, being aware enough.

Libra is a sign of harmony and it’s symbol the scales of justice. The voice of Libra this season moves away from the common Libran question of “Is it fair?” to a Libra which shouts, “No justice! No peace!” For justice should be a tool of harmony and from the harmonization of conflict we hopefully arrive at the Libran vision of peace. This is the Crone’s path of unbridled, shape-shifting, core-changing harmony. As it is the season of Samhain, we must remember that it is a traditional time of reconciliation at the Witch’s New Year approaches. And what is harmony but a radical reconciliation of all our parts into an whole?

Image by Ryan Holloway

At the New Moon in Libra we have an opportunity to change that which needs changing in order to align our inner values with our outer actions. Libra is an cardinal air sign which means that it brings an energy of new starts and momentum to our lives. In pursuit of a life that feels just, that works for peace, and that feels like there is harmony between all parts of who you are,  you are being asked to not depend on what others say or think you should be doing but to instead listen deeply and unflinchingly within for that which you know needs changing. Because the Crone doesn’t do what she does because she’s worried about getting dragged on twitter. The Crone builds mountains and tears down walls because they are connected to the certainty of who they are and their purpose. Are you?

Elder (Sambucus nigra)
The New Moon in Libra Plant Ally

I’ve written about Elder many a time on this blog and it’s one of the herbs I recommend working with during for Samhain. And I just used it in my most recent tea recipe. So, I’m going to depart from the norm in this part of the New Moon Healer’s Project and focus solely on the magickal and spiritual gifts of Elder. 

Elder is traditionally classified as an herb of Venus. I see it specifically as an herb of Venus in Crone form. If you have worked with Elder, you’ve most likely met the fierce guardian spirit of the plant. As humxns we have been cultivating and using Elder since the stone age. She has raised us, kept us well, set boundaries to help keep us safe. The Elder has a decidedly take-no-fools attitude combined with a generosity of healing that is immeasurable. To sit with Elder is to say, “Ok, I don’t just want to get rid of this head cold - I want to learn about the coldness that haunts me in my heart.” And off you’ll go between the worlds (for Elder is a guardian of the gates between the worlds) and between your words and between the places you thought forgotten. 

If you’re ready to take up the scythe of the Crone in your life and cut away that which no longer serves you, add a jar of Elder berries to your altar. Sit with the Elder tree if you have one growing near you. Know that the Elder one will protect you on your journeying, but once you start down the path you must see it through to the end. For that is the promise of the Elder Mother - they’ll never abandon you, but they also won’t allow you to abandon yourself. 

Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon of Libra : Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Rabbit Orchid (Thelymitra antennifera), Vervain (Verbena officinalis), Yarrow (Alchillea millefolium), Agate, Peridot, Smokey Quartz, Rose Quartz.

Essential Oils of Libra : Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum),Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii).

Photo by Oscar Keys

Cutting Cords Ritual

Whether on the New Moon or at Samhain, perform this ritual to cut away that which no longer serves you. Be the Crone in your own life and stand on the foundation of who you want to be, not who you’re expected to be.

If you have a sacred blade, scissors (silver is best) or athame, you may use those in this ritual, but they are not necessary. Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). Once grounded and centered within yourself, start to whisper:

Crone, Wise Elder,
Reveal to me
Those things which I carry
unnecessarily.

Continuing to whisper the chant, hold your hands a few inches above your body, start to move them in slow sweeping motions over all of your parts. You are feeling for the knots of energy that you carry which mark a burden that you carry that you can now release. When you find one of these knots of energy, pause from saying the chant and if you have it, take up your athame, scissors or blade. Or extend your pointer and middle finger out from your hand like a blade. Imagine slicing through the knot while saying:

I cut away that
which is no longer needed
Your presence in my life
has been completed

Repeat this charm two more times and end with a “So Mote It Be.” You can continue to say the first chant and scan your body for more knots, cutting cords as many times as is necessary. Once the rite is done, thank the Crone in your way and be sure to spend time doing gentle self-care or going to bed for the night. 

The World Spirit Tarot

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

How do I give my self-worth away?

Additional queries to consider:

• Where in my life to I bow to public pressure?
• What do I need to give up in order to be more me?

Tarot Cards of Libra

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Libra magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Libra).

• The Sign of Libra: Justice
• Moon in Libra: Two of Swords
• Saturn in Libra: Three of Swords
• Jupiter in Libra: Four of Swords
• The Air Signs of Gemini, Libra, + Aquarius: Ace of Swords

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Libra by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!

Powerfully Vulnerable : The New Moon in Cancer

Faith is small movement
slow but steady and sure,
holding all experience
in a clear circle
of compassionate light.
- Kaveri Patel -

The New Moon in Cancer asks one thing of us - to access our power through vulnerability. I know, not everyone’s most favorite way to be powerful in the world. While vulnerability is often associated with weakness and victimhood, when we choose to be vulnerable as an act of trust and magick it's a truly powerful thing. When I think about accessing power through vulnerability I am drawn to those moments of being held by someone I love (whether a parent, lover, friend or even the branches of my favorite childhood tree), I think about how safe and expansive I have felt. It’s like being in a cocoon of protection where inside I’m able to be soft and free. That is a powerfully Cancerian way of being - a hard outer shell which protects the softness within. The work of Cancer is to not get too stuck in either way of being where one ends up too hardened or too lost within. 

image via toa heftiba

While we might have been telling stories under a New Moon in Gemini, we are re-living and reminiscing them under a New Moon in Cancer. It’s a good time to feel the feels while traveling the edges between what was and what is. Spend time reflecting on your path and how far you’ve come. It’s less about your eye on the horizon and more about your eye on your own inner world. And that’s vulnerable work, too, in our culture of continuous growth and movement. Choose to not fill every moment of every day with measurable "purpose" but instead to allow times to just play or sit or stare out the window at the rain. To recognize that our being here and breathing is an achievement and to take pleasure in that.

With the New Moon in Cancer we have an opportunity to take it slow. Take a long bath or a luxurious walk through summer fields. Smell those flowers instead of trying to identify them, name them, study them, tincture them, sell them… Find a safe space to get soft in, whether that’s making a pillow fort in front of your altar or spending time snoring next to your dog. Remember, the guardian planet of Cancer is the Moon so whenever the Moon is in the sign of the Crab things feel extra lunar. Thoughts and feelings will bubble to the surface, drawn upwards by the watery New Moon as you are drawn inwards by the same force.

image source

Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
New Moon in Cancer Plant Ally

Passionflower is a plant with many Moon-like qualities. Cooling and sedating, Passionflower is an excellent remedy for overworked nervous systems needing genuine rest. If you tend towards spasmodic conditions from muscle twitches to restlessness to hiccoughs, Passionflower’s anti-spasmodic effects might be the friend you need. It’s a great herb for tension headaches or headaches due to nervous exhaustion. As a plant of Cancer, Passionflower helps us to step out of a feeling of being caught up in our head when it comes to reliving memories again and again. It's also good for a busy mind in general. For those with a natal Moon in Cancer, the herb helps to invoke the inner peace and quiet needed for wellbeing while at the same time gently encouraging the ability to accept change as it arises (something many Cancer Moonfolk struggle with). 

Magickally, Passionflower helps us to remember what we love most. Dress your altar with a Passionflower vine to invite peace and harmony into your home. Passionflower is useful during times of examining trauma or experiencing a healing crisis, acting as an initiatory herb that assists us in reconnecting to our spiritual purpose. 

Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon in Cancer: Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), Sturt Desert Pea (Swainsona formosa), Centaury (Centaurium umbellatum), Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium), Pink Yarrow (Alchillea millefolium), Moonstone, Amethyst, Chalcedony.

Essential Oils of Cancer: Blue Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Bergamot (Citrus bergamia), Orange (Citrus sinensis).

image via michael hirsch

Stones Throw Ritual

As healers we ask our clients to get vulnerable with us whether they are sharing their health story with us or letting us feel their wrists for pulses or even ask them the simple but revealing questions such as “When did the pain start for you?” I believe that our ability to hold space for the vulnerability of another is only as sturdy as our ability to be vulnerable with ourselves. Vulnerability is powerful because it helps us to realize our limitations (i.e. recognizing when the needs of your clients is beyond the scope of your care), our boundaries of protection, and the experiences which have powerfully shaped us - no matter how imperfect or difficult they may have been.

Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). This ritual is best performed at a liminal place such as the shoreline or at the crossroads. Gather a small handful of stones - garden stone or gemstone, it doesn't matter which. Holding them in your hands think of times when you have felt most vulnerable in your life. Begin to jumble the stones together so that they make some noise. Consider how your points of vulnerability have shaped who you are today. How has your vulnerability revealed your strength? Feel the sturdiness of the stones in your hands as well as their smallness.

Begin to walk and toss the stones behind one-by-one as you say: 

Stones of Shell
Stones of Bone
Memory is the shaper
The present is my home

When all of the stones but one have all been tossed, begin speaking power to your vulnerability. For example say:

I walk away from my fear of making mistakes.
I walk towards towards the success that taking risks brings.

Keep the one stone with you as a reminder that you carry the power of vulnerability with you always.

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

What in my past draws me away from my future?

Additional queries to consider:

• When I think of my identity as a healer, what memories arise?
• How do I want to be remembered?

Tarot Cards of Cancer

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Cancer magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Cancer).

• The Sign of Cancer: The Chariot
• Venus in Cancer: 2 of Cups
• Mercury in Cancer: 3 of Cups
• The Moon in Cancer: 4 of Cups
• The Water Signs of Cancer, Scorpio, + Pisces: Ace of Cups

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Cancer by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!

The Longest Day : Herbs of Midsummer

The day grows long and when the Sun enters the sign of Cancer the Crab, the festival of Midsummer or the Summer Solstice has arrived. The Summer Solstice is a dance of fire and water where we bathe in dew for beauty and burn bonfires for protection. The following herbs are some of my Midsummer favorites for both their magickal and medicinal qualities. 

Hypericum perforatum flowers via wikipedia

St. Joan's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) ☉

An herb of the Sun, St. Joan's Wort is a wonderful herb to incorporate into your Midsummer festivities. Traditionally, the flowers of St. Joan's Wort (also known as St. John's Wort) are collected on Midsummer day to be made into remedies. It is said to be best to harvest the flowers while naked. The Summer Solstice is a prime day for love magick and charms including the use of St. Joan's Wort in charms and spells. Since the herb is very protective, use it in charms to protect against heartbreak and to develop a courageous heart.

A brave nerve restorative, St. Joan’s Wort steadies the spirit and calms a nerve-wracked system, making it very useful for conditions such as neuralgia, anxiety, and tension. St. Joan's Wort combines well with other nervines such as Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) for nerve pain and relief of tension. 

Lavandula officinalis by author

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) ☿

The cooling blue flowers of Lavender are a welcome relief to the Summer Solstice's heat. The flowers are a traditional Midsummer strewing herb, bringing peace and serenity to the home when cast into the bonfire. An herb of Mercury, Lavender brings peace and compassion, calming without creating drowsiness but instead cultivating focus. A prime cooling remedy, Lavender works well to soothe the nervous system when experiencing agitation, nervousness, and insomnia and especially when overheated conditions such as anger and irritability are present. Lavender is a great herb for colic-y and cranky kids (and adults, too!). Add some tea to their bath water or better yet, give them Lavender hydrosol sprays to play with during their evening bath (I’ve done this combined with flower essences to excellent sleepy-time results).

Artemisia douglasiana aka Dream Plant by author

Mugwort (Artemisia spp.) ☾

While Midsummer is certainly a celebration of the brightest day of the year and the warmth it brings, it has a lunar leaning, too. The holy day is marked by the Sun entering the sign of Cancer whose Guardian Planet is the Moon. So it is that Mugwort, known as the oldest of herbs in indigenous Northern European traditions and a Moon herb, finds its way into the Midsummer magick. The Summer Solstice is a time of divination and Mugwort opens the psychic pathways. Drink a brew of your local Mugwort tea to awaken your vision. When night is shortest and hours usually hidden are revealed to us, Mugwort's magick works in revealing veiled mysteries. Cast Mugwort into Midsummer fires for energetic cleansing and healing. Mugwort has an affinity to womyn beyond the confines of gender. Mugwort is womyn as culture and has a special affinity for queer women and gender rebels of all sorts.

The herb has long been used as moxabustion in which the dried leaf is burned either close by or directly on acupuncture points to move energy and relieve pain. Place a few leaves beneath your pillow for prophetic dreams and burn in your bedroom to transform it into a dream incubation space. 

My friendly, neighbohood Verbascum thapsus by author

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) ♄

The mighty Mullein is also known as Hag's Tapers as the thick stalks were dipped in fat or wax and burned as a primitive candle for late night witcheries. The bright yellow flowers glow with the power of the sun and the soft leaves are an excellent remedy for many a skin and musculoskeletal complaint (hence its Saturnian guardianship). Burn Mullein in your Midsummer bonfire for protection and gather the ashes to use in protection and healing charms throughout the year. 

Like many other Midsummer herbs, Mullein has a relationship to Midwinter as a primary remedy for clearing phlegm from the system. As a remedy, Mullein opens and clears the lungs. It combines well with Elder (Sambucus nigra) and Peppermint (Mentha piperita) for a lung-opening, immunomodulating blend. Topically, the mucilaginous Mullein is excellent for dry skin conditions but also as a healing compress or salve for boils, bruises, inflammation, hemorrhoids, eczema, sciatica, and joint pain. Mullein and garlic ear oil is a trusted remedy for ear infections helping to relieve pain and infection.

Sambucus nigra by author

Elder (Sambucus nigra) ♀♇

If you are brave (or foolish) enough to sit under an Elder Tree on an important night of the year (namely, Midsummer and Samhain), you just might see the Good Folk march by in all of their finery. The spirit of the Elder is a gatekeeper between the realms of life and death - she is fiercely protective and very no-nonsense. Astrologically, Elder is a plant of Venus and Pluto for its beautifying and harmonizing qualities, its sweet scent and taste, and it dark underworld berries.  Midsummer is a time of celebrating not only spiritual but physical beauty. Find an flowering Elder tree on Midsummer morning and wash your face with the dew on the flowers to beautify your features within and without.

While the Flower is associated most with Midsummer - it's heady scent saturating the air is a sign that summer has arrived - the Berries are a Midwinter medicine. Read about Elder's medicinal qualities in my Tree of Medicine post. 

Wherever your Midsummer festivities finds you, I wish you an abundance of magick and wonder that our longest day can so often bring. 

Be sure to research about your local Midsummer blooms and learn about other traditional herbs of the Summer Solstice including Vervain (Verbena officinalis), Calendula (Calendula officinalis), Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). From an astroherbology perspective, Sun herbs are particularly potent at this time of year.

If you're looking for some divinatory inspiration, check out my Bonfire Offerings : Summer Solstice Tarot Spread. For my southern hemisphere darlings, check out my post on Winter Solstice Herbs. Enjoy!