Why Swamp Tea is the Best Tea for the Summer

Ok, I know, you're asking me what the heck swamp tea is and why you should be excited about it this summer...

First, we have to travel back to Portland, Maine. I lived there with my love a few years back and fell deeply in love with that little city by the sea. In fact, it's where I started my business and began selling my tea and herbal powders at the sweet farmer's markets abundant with the local goods of the surrounding farmlands. 

(And less that sounds too romantic, mind you, I started selling my wares in November. In Maine. Without a winter coat. I can't explain that last bit except to say that I thought my pleather jacket was cooler than my need to be warm. I've since gotten over this and have learned the art of warm jackets and layering.)

But back to swamp tea!

Summers in Maine are so dang beautiful.

There was this local cafe down the street from my apartment which was run by and full of lesbians, dykes, queers, transfolks and their families (it closed it's doors when we were still living there, unfortunately, and was replaced with a run-of-the-mill pizza place - boo). They served something called swamp tea and it was delicious! My love and I barely had any extra money at that point, but getting a swamp tea was a special reward. When they closed I started to make my own in an attempt to comfort my heart over yet another queer dyke space closing it's doors (seriously, folks, we need more than bars - and even those are far and few between - and increasingly corporatized pride festivals for a healthy community).  

What follows is my swamp tea recipe that I include in my book for magickal mornings. But I've also given you the basic ratios to make your own swamp tea with whatever tea, spices, sweetener, and milk of choice.

Renegade Iced Tea
(aka my version of swamp tea)
 

Why Renegade Tea? Because this tea just might inspire you to be the superfolk you were always meant to be!

Tea can do that. :)

For every 8 oz of water you will need:

• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis)
• 1/2 to 1 inch of fresh Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
• 1 teaspoon of Cardamom Pods
• 1/4 cup milk of choice (I like almond milk with Yerba Mate!)
• Sweetener of choice

You'll begin by making an extra-strong brew of tea because it'll be watered down by the ice you add to it. For every cup of water you will need at least 2 teaspoons of tea but if you like your tea strong you can use 1 tablespoon.

Brew your Yerba Mate for 3 - 4 minutes (or follow the recommendations for whatever tea you're using). While your tea is brewing, prepare your tea's spicy renegade companion.

Blend together the Ginger and Cardamom with your milk of choice. Whizz up the blend to a frothy consistency and then strain out the Ginger and Cardamom. 

Mix together the spicy milk with the Yerba Mate tea. If you want extra sweetener, you can add it here. Pour over ice and shake it up! Your swamp tea is ready to enjoy!

Bonus! Add in whole blueberries for a boba tea effect - yum!

Go forth and make some swamp tea!

What are your favorite summer teas? Let me know in the comments!

My Favorite Tea for Easy Evenings + Self-Care

January was rough.

It’s been a time of tense muscles, street noise, and fight-back racket against the inhumane and unjust demagogues who’ve taken over the White House. I’ve been finding myself run ragged not just from work but from the constant little siren that’s been going off in my head saying “This is not normal. This is not ok. You and your loved ones are in danger.” I know that a lot of folks in my community are feeling the same and, of course, those feelings are valid. But as my wise friend Maria says, “The world is on fire but you still need to eat lunch.” 

(Do yourself a favor and click on that link for a “go the f*ck to sleep” style poem on why you need to eat lunch even when things are rough. I’ll wait, don’t worry.)

Last week, I wrote about the necessity of self-care not just as an invitation to all of you to love on yourself, but a reminder to myself. Since then, I’ve been taking better stock of what it is I need to be doing to take care of myself so that I might continue to fight the good fight and care for my community for the long haul (because, praise Goddess, Witches will always outlive their oppressors if we protect our magick).

When I'm feeling out of sorts, my self-care reassessment includes the following:

Acknowledge you're probably running on some false narratives.

Case in point - if I take 30 minutes to stretch and meditate I will let down the entire radical movement attempting to overthrow the patriarchy. Guess what? That’s just not true.

image via vee o

Ask yourself if there is another option.

We need to release those false narratives but then we need to fill that space with a new story. If I take 30 minutes to stretch and meditate I will be revitalized and better able to do the work that I want to do (which in the long run means the patriarchy is still coming down).

Slow down.

General life advice, right? It is not just about slowing down physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. An example of switching over to slow would be moving from scrolling through your social media feed nonstop to sitting down and reading a book. Or instead of searching for the "right" crystal that'll make your fear go away, simply sitting and connecting with the crystal core of heart of the earth.

Drink water and eat good food.

Let’s continue to fight to protect our sacred water and keep hydrated. Let’s continue to fight to protect our right to healthy food by eating food which makes us feel good. Rather than a “don’t eat that” restriction, imagine how much clearer your investment in protecting water and food would feel like if you had a better relationship with both in your daily life.

Self-care and healing and attention
to the body and the spiritual dimension
- all of this is now a part of
radical social justice struggles.
- Angela Davis -

My rejection of false narratives, reaffirmation of more kind ones, slowing down, and commitment to drink water and eat good food all led me to thinking, “Wait, why haven’t I been drinking that tea I love so much?”

That tea which I love so much is Bliss Blend. While I’ll drink it day or night, it is one of my favorite teas for bringing in a feeling of ease in the evenings. Bliss Blend was one of the very first teas I sold in my shop (and by shop I mean on the cold autumn streets of Portland, ME during the last of the farmer’s market season as well as online) and I’ve been using it in my personal and professional practice ever since. Since I often work in the evenings, I like a tea that is relaxing but won’t make me overly drowsy. While Bliss Blend is useful as a pre-bedtime tea, it’s not meant to be a super-sleepy sort of brew. I originally created it on the fly when a friend came over and started to have an anxiety attack, so if your stress manifests as anxiety, Bliss Blend might be a great brew for you.

Bliss Blend features three herbs (two of which are on my indispensable herbs list) and a mellow flavor. We'll take a quick look at each herb individually and then I’ll share with you my Bliss Blend recipe. I've also made suggestions for how to replace an herb with another if you don't have the following three on hand.

image via natalie collins

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) is a fantastic nervine. Actually, all three herbs in my Bliss Blend are nervines of different varieties. Lavender has a lovely softening energy (it might be a good herbal mascot for the radical softness movement actually) and acts like a gentle massage to the nervous system. It’s really useful for headaches brought on by nervous tension and has the added bonus of protecting the body from infection (which we’re more prone to be impacted by if we’re stressed out). If you’re looking for a Lavender alternative I would recommend a cooling nervine.

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is another nervine but of the definitively relaxing variety (one of its common names is Blisswort so you know it’s good stuff!). Skullcap helps relieve feelings of being overwhelmed and quiet the nonstop anxious chatter that can go on in our heads. The herb actually produces more endorphins in the body because its a rich source of scutellarin. Skullcap is one of my favorite herbs to help relieve muscular tension (hello, tight shoulders!) and, as the name, implies, helps with those tension headaches. If you’re looking for a Skullcap alternative I would recommend a relaxing nervine.

My final herb is Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum or tenuiflorum) and its another nervine, but of a more warming and stimulating variety. I run cold, so when I have two cooling herbs like Lavender and Skullcap in a blend, I like to warm it up a bit with a herb like Sacred Basil so that I do not overly cool my system. Now, don’t get concerned seeing that I have an herb labeled as stimulating as part of my brew. First of all, Sacred Basil is mildly stimulating, and second, it’s an adaptogenic herb which has the amazing ability to energize or relax body systems as needed. If you’re looking for a Sacred Basil replacement seek a warming and gently stimulating nervine.

image via john-mark kuznietsov

Bliss Blend

• 2 parts Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
• 2 parts Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum or tenuiflorum)
• 1 part Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

Brew 1 teaspoon of herb per 8 ounces of water and steep for 5 - 15 minutes. For a medicinal strength brew, use 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water and steep for 30 minutes to overnight. I like adding in just a touch of honey, but it is equally delicious without any sweetness added. Now, if drinking herbs are not your cup of tea (ha! funny!) you can always make Bliss Blend into a healing foot bath.

So now you know what I’m drinking tonight. If you haven’t already, check out my post on why self-care is a necessary and revolutionary act. Then unplug, make yourself some tea, untangle some tension, and practice softness and ease.

Self-care is a Necessary + Revolutionary Act

 

darling,
you are much to whole
to be loved in halves
- pavana -
 

I'm invested in a lot of things, dear readers, including good tea, the downfall of the patriarchy and the rising up of a more kind and just world, lurcher pups having enough couch space to sleep on, chai that inspires politically dissident discussions, and unicorns. One of the biggest most important things that I am invested in is making sure that you (yes, you) don't burn out in a crunchy ball of flame or drown in your sorrows or lose all sense of groundedness in order to (circle one or all) make change, live your dream, raise your family, be a "good" person.

What we need right now is longevity and communities who have created sustainable and long-term ways of thriving. We need to understand that self-care is a revolutionary act (of course it is because it is associated with softness and womyn and the anti-puritanical which are all dangerous to the powers-that-be). It is especially revolutionary to those who have been denied the space to do so - poor folks, folks of color, disabled folks, queer folks, immigrants, survivors (and current experiencers) of abuse, and more. Because to perform an act of self-care is to say that you are worth being cared for.

Self-care is an act of love. It is choosing to love yourself and renew that love of yourself. Self-care can be done in many ways and there is no right way. Your self-care will be different from my self-care. And, self-care isn't meant to enforce the hyper-individualism that some cultures promote (ahem, USA) because self-care doesn't happen in a bubble (unless it's in a bubble bath, but the point remains) and, in fact, is all the more powerful and easy when your need self-care is honored by others (and for us to do the same in turn).

California Mugwort (Artemisia californica)

So then, if I go on and on about self-care, I must have a pretty amazing and consistent self-care practice. Ugh, if only. I do practice self-care far more regularly than I used to, but damn if I struggle to allow myself to take a day off of work a week (please, please do not aspire to this, my entrepreneurial readers). And yet. I do meditate each morning and practice my devotional arts. I drink water. I allow myself to laugh freely (sadly, this was not always a given in my life). I am getting better at letting myself cry freely. I take really amazing herbal baths. And while self-care wasn't even on my radar a decade ago, it is something that I now consider to be essential to my wellbeing and ability to create change in the world.

Look, if self-care feels like an altogether too touchy-feely endeavor (but, I don't want to cry freely), than let me be real pragmatic about it. Without self-care folks burnout, drop out, and are unable to pursue that which they most desire. We're not going to change the world in a year or two - we need folks who are able to be around for the long haul. And to do that we need to practice and uphold self-care as a sacred right, not a privilege. 

Where are you when it comes to self-care?

A devotee? A skeptic? A newbie or seeker? Take a moment to answer the following questions:

• How do I practice self-care daily?
• How do I practice self-care weekly?
• How do I practice self-care monthly?
• How do I practice self-care annually?

It's useful to approach self-care on a spectrum as opposed to having to do it all at once (which can be burdensome and discouraging). A daily self-care practice might be giving yourself a short foot massage as you roll out of bed. A weekly self-care practice could consist of a coffee date with your favorite book. Monthly self-care practices might be a massage, visit to your local Goddess temple or sacred site, or a completely tech-free weekend. Annual self-care practices might consist of a solo retreat, a vacation or staycation,  or taking a class or course that is purely for pleasure not business. If you don't have answers for any of these questions - Congrats! - you get to create some. I hope you do, too, because paying attention to the way we care for ourselves is one of the ways we learn how to care for others. And if you're unable to choose to do self-care for you right now, do self-care for yourself on behalf of your ancestors who deserve healing kindness (because, remember, healing isn't linear). Then, when you're ready, do self-care for you and you only. You'll quickly realize what a dissident and radical and profoundly healing act of magick self-care is.

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Friends! I'll be teaching a quick class on tarot + self-care magick at Love Yo' Self! The event is being hosted by the very magickal botanical bruja known as Lola Venado of Branch + Bone. She's invited a number of amazing folks to offer their insight on magick and medicine for self-care during these tumultuous times. Space is limited - so get your tickets today! and the event is being held in my shared office space. And it's across the street from an ice cream place (with vegan options!), so overall we're looking at a pretty sweet evening. Heck yeah!

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You are worth all of your healing - so make time for it.

Like the self-care as revolution message? Click here to download a free wallpaper for your computer and to remind yourself of the power of self-care.

You know what else you're worth? The collapse of the overculture. Just sayin'. And if you're a sigil magick sort of healer, I recently posted a sigil of mine to help conjure the collapse of the overculture and bring about a more just and kind world. I also wrote about my 2017 motto: Witch Up! Hex Back!

The post was so popular that I'll be sharing more on creating your own sigils on the blog very soon. In the meantime, take care of yourself and let us together continue to take care of the most vulnerable in our communities.

Snowfall : A Simple Yule Tea

If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw my post on #ASimpleYule.

It's all about celebrating the season of Yule without losing sight of the sacredness of simplicity. With the chaos that 2016 has been simplicity can become a powerful tool of change.

The season of Yule is the land beyond the gate of Samhain.

Where Samhain is the darkening, Yule is the darkness. Blessed be the welcome retreat into the dark. Yet, this year has been heartbreaking and sometimes journeying into the dark feels unwanted. We are living in stressful times and 2017 lies uncertain before us. Organizers, activists, healers, water protectors, and more are attempting to explain the complex and intricate web of identity, oppression, privilege, and the inheritance of trauma. Complexity is needed when we live in a time of post-truth bullies smashing generations of hateful rhetoric into populist soundbites. We need complexity *and* we need simplicity. We need simple truths to remind us to look behind the smoke-and-mirrors of divisiveness. We are all one people (one cranky and compassionate and amazing and heartbreaking and diverse and incredible people). We all live on the same ocean plant. Love is still more powerful, more transformative, more radical than hate. We don't always have to be fighting the fight. Sometimes we need to be dancing the dance and loving our loves. It is alright to have fun. That is doing the work, too. 💕

So join me in finding the simple moments of pleasure needed to sustain us during these challenging times.

Use the tag #ASimpleYule to share your festive photos, the ways you maintain your centeredness during the darkening year, and your favorite charms, recipes, and decorations and more. I can't wait to see what you share!

Snowfall Tea

The following tea uses only three ingredients, but is full of flavor. It also incorporates the sacred colors of the season: red, white, and green! The Goji Berries (Lycium barbarum) add natural sweetness, the Peppermint (Mentha piperita) enlivens without over-stimulating (as well as assists with digestion after a rich winter meal!), and the Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum sp.) is the "snowfall" that the tea is named for.

Blend together the following dried herbs:

• 4 parts Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
• 4 parts Goji Berries (Lycium barbarum)
• 1/4 part Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum sp.) petals - not the whole flower which can be quite bitter

Brew 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces of water for 10 - 15 minutes. The longer it brews the sweeter it becomes as the Goji Berries infuse further into the water. Enjoy!

Celebrate #ASimpleYule with more seasonal activities! Read about some of my favorite herbs of winter, create your own winter wellness apothecary or other simple herbal gifts. And you can enjoy more of my favorite recipes with my Winter Apothecary ebook.

The Magick of Thorns

I’ve been talking a lot about thorn magick this summer within the Lunar Apothecary, in my readings, and within community conversations. The summer of 2016 has been rough. In the United States we are wrestling with ourselves, searching for our center, and coming undone. The work of repairing the world is hard stuff and it takes more than a little bit of vulnerability and grit. There are those who are learning about privilege for the first time and grappling with that heavy knowledge. There are folks who are realizing that they have too long normalized or denied or hidden the pain of the violence they face on the daily. There is a lot of opening up and difficult realizations occurring and there are a million hearts breaking in the process.

To do this work of unraveling, we need to be able to feel vulnerable in ways that allow us to still feel supported. 

Thorn magick can play a powerful role during times like these when we are opening up, whether for the first time or all over again for the hundredth. So, what is thorn magick? It is herbal remedies that open us up while establishing a steady and protective boundary so that we can do the work that needs doing. Thorn magick allows for vulnerability and support to exist simultaneously instead of feeling vulnerable and too far exposed. I recommend thorn magick to those who are doing the hard work of creating change in their communities and in their lives; who are recovering from a difficult breakup and looking to be vulnerable in love again; to those who are experiencing difficult emotions that they have long denied but are now finally coming to the surface.

Working with herbs that possess strong thorn energy, such as Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Rose (Rosa spp.), can be as easy as preparing and ingesting a tea or tincture or the plant. Especially if that tea or tincture is made, in part, from the thorns of the plant. Adding a single thorn to your Rose tincture can powerfully shift the brew to being not only a heart-opener but a heart-protector. Sitting and communing with living thorny plants can be another way of working with thorn magick. If neither or those two options are available, even meditating on an image of a thorny plant (such as placing a picture of a sacred Hawthorn tree on your altar) can do a lot of good.

image by Oliver Pacas

However, you work with the plant, I encourage you to visualize two things occurring at once. First, see a beautiful and protective shield of thorns encompassing your whole body. The thorns are turned outward from you allowing only that which of benefit to you to get to you. Second, within this protective space, visualize your heart blossoming open like a flower, knowing that it is supported and guarded within the sanctity of your thorn space. I encourage you to move slow with the second part of the meditation - don’t force movement, but allow the unfolding of your heart to occur at an easy and kind pace. It can take time for our hearts to feel safe enough to open up again. That’s ok. Give yourself time. The plants are patient and wise and will stick with you. 

While there are many thorny plants in the world, I have profiled Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Rose (Rosa spp.) below which are two common and well-loved plants within Traditional Western Herbalism. I’ve listed some of the more prominent medicinal uses of each plant, but have primarily focused on their emotional and magickal gifts. Other thorny plants you might consider working with include Agave (Agave americana), Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), Raspberry (Rubus idaeus), Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp.), a great variety of cacti, and many other plants.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Hawthorn is one of the first herbs many Traditional Western Herbalists turn to for supporting cardiovascular health. The herb nourishes and feeds the heart working best as a long-term tonic (i.e. multiple months of use if not longer). In other words, Hawthorn is a cardiac tophorestorative which is a restorative tonic for the heart, bringing the hard working muscle back into balance whether from an illness, stress, or the affects of aging. Hawthorn is a powerful but gentle herb meaning that children, seniors, and all between can benefit from its use. Part of Hawthorn’s heart healing gifts is its possession of antioxidants which prevent and reverse damage caused by free radicals as well as reducing oxidative stress on the capillary walls and improving circulatory tone (whether by relaxing or strengthening). The herb should be considered when there is a case of congestive heart failure, angina, irregular heartbeat, hardening of the arteries, enlargement of the heart from excessive exercise or overwork, hypertension, both low and high blood pressure, and too much cholesterol.

Hawthorn shares a common characteristic found in many TWH heart herbs - it possesses beautiful flowers and protective thorns. Hawthorn helps the heart to open to new possibilities, especially after a period of heartbreak and distress such as after the loss of a loved one whether through death or a break-up. The herb protects our emotional vulnerability with its thorns. In fact, we are able to feel more vulnerable in a way that is healing and restorative when we feel protected by plant allies such as Hawthorn. Add a thorn from the plant to your tincture or glycerite preparations for extra protective energies. I have used Hawthorn many times in my practice for those recovering from heartbreak and have seen beautiful transformations occur with this plant’s amazing healing gifts. I love the language used by Judith Berger to describe Hawthorn: “As guardian of the hinge, hawthorn wisely discerns the right timing for the wounded heart to open” (Herbal Rituals, 134). Combine with Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) to help the Wounded Warrior, Wounded Healer type recover after a long period of giving and overwork where they has exhausted their mental, physical, and emotional resources. Hawthorn is also a good herb for those who feel wild and overstimulated in their grief and heartbreak. It calms, it soothes, and it protects, which is what we need more than ever when we feel raw. My favorite way to use Hawthorn as a daily tonic is as a glycerite that combines the leaf, flower, and berry.

Within an astroherbology context, Hawthorn is most often connected with the planet Mars due to its thorns. Other planetary correspondences include the Sun, because of Hawthorn's affect on the heart and overall vitality of the body, and Saturn since Hawthorn is hedgeherb and boundary-marker with strong connections to the otherworld.

image by Jana Illnerová

The brokenhearted and grieving have a special place in the Hawthorn circle, for Hawthorn opens the heart after a period of despair. It is an ally for those who feel the grief of the world most readily, even if a personal tragedy is not currently present in their life. They recognize the tragedy of living on a planet that we pollute without regard to our shared sacredness and amongst endless wars and conflicts. Feeling wild in grief is a sign that Hawthorn may be needed and for some their journey with Hawthorn will be significant but relatively brief as they are able to move on with their lives with a newly opened heart. Those who need Hawthorn in the long-run tend towardsrestlessness and irritability, they are easily overstimulated and can sometimes lean (or fully reside) in the domain of the Type A personality. Often they are categorized as having attention disorders as children, whether or not this is warranted. They are children who appear to be more like changelings than a fully humyn child. Sometimes they are punished for the everyday acts of being an energetic child and disdained for their enthusiasm - they close up their heart to protect it from the hostility of a world that would prefer they sit quietly at a desk for hours following directions. Hawthorn re-opens the heart and helps folks connect with their resiliency, their capacity to forgive those who have harmed them, and to remain protected as they begin to express themselves and all their energy with pride and focus. The herb will bring calm to what has felt like a tumultuous existence, helping folks to find the tools they need to express themselves honestly and beautifully. 

Rose (Rosa spp.)

Rose is an ancient plant with fossils have been found across Europe, North America, and Asia dating back from as early as the Miocene period (7 - 26 million years ago). The flower has been used medicinally for thousand of years, with Dioscorides recording Rose as a cooling and contracting medicine. The three varieties of Rose most often used for medicine-making is Rosa gallica (also known as as Provins or Apothecaries rose), Rosa damascena (or Rosa x damascena to denote its hybridity, also known as damask rose), and Rosa centifolia (also known as Provence Rose). More modern uses within TWH includes Rosa canina and Rosa rugosa.

Roses strengthen the heart. 18th century herbalist J. Quincy wrote that Rose “raises the spirits and gives sudden strength and cheerfulness” and categorized Rose as primarily a cardiac and cephalic (relating to the head). The herb assists with memory and promotes clarity of mind, heart, and spirit by connecting all three. Rose nourishes the body and is sweet medicine which calms the nervous system. Within Ayurveda, Rose is considered a rasayana (rejuvenative tonic) and medhya (brain tonic and nervine) for all of the doshas or body types. 

image by Jeffrey Wegrzyn

As a plant of Venus, Rose is a classic aphrodisiac. Rose is an opener - it opens the heart and body to sensual experience. Like many aphrodisiacs, Rose has nervine and nourishing qualities which help to relax and soothe the body so that it may become ready and desirous of intimacy. Venusian magick, though, reveals desire on more than the physical level. It reveals the desire to engage mystery where there has only been the acknowledgement of the mundane.

Rose is especially useful for those who have lost their spark of desire. They might have trouble sleeping, restless and exhausted, but not enough energy to go out into the world. The desire to create and experience is low along with their vitality. What they think they should be doing dominates their thoughts more than what they want to be doing. Sometimes they are not even sure they know what they want to be doing. There can be a disconnect in relationships and not necessarily a feeling of isolation, but of distance. Rose folks often experience sudden overwhelming feelings of despair and being lost without a light in the murk. Sometimes, unresolved anger simmers deep below the surface - Rose teaches us how to use both our thorns and petals to set up boundaries and supportive spaces to express how we really feel. Rose reconnects to wildness, fierceness, and determined desire. To dream and want and feel and growl and move and connect with each other. One thing that I have seen again and again that is particularly powerful about Rose, is its ability connects us back to the secret excitement of mystery. So much of our unresolved and stagnant pain arises from a false notion that we know it all or at least know that our pain is permanent, what caused it is unchanging, and that this is all that will ever be. Rose reminds us that we, in fact, know very little, acceptance of which opens the path of possibility faster than a heart that has forgotten the importance of mystery will ever achieve.

Whether or not you use thorn magick and medicine in your practice, I hope that you have a space that you feel protected and held so that you are able to be vulnerable, soft, and open to the wisdom of your heart.

Do you use thorn magick in your practice? What is your favorite thorny plant to work with? Share your stories in the comments below!