The Astroherbalism Apothecary: Crafting Herbal Charms for Your Sun Sign

I've written about the gifts of our Sun sign and how we can connect with that energy of our birth chart through a simple tarot practice - and now it's time to explore working with our Sun sign plant allies in magickal practice.

Building upon the energy of exploring our birth chart, I wanted to explore some astroherbalism techniques to help you craft elixirs and potions that support the energy of your Sun sign. As the Sun sign is a common starting point for many folks to western astrology, I'd thought it would be a good place to start, but I'll be continuing this series exploring the Moon sign and Ascendant, too.

While you'll find a few recipes in this post, what I really want to share with you is the framework of how we would approach creating your own unique potions, elixirs or herbal charms for your Sun so that you feel inspired to use what is readily available to you. We'll start by naming the ways our Sun sign affects our energy and then look at the common ways that Sun energy might need support in our life because its been blocked or undernourished. I'll provide you with some suggestsions to help you craft your own charms, and then leave you with a Sun sign ritual to support your magickal workings.

Let's get crafting in the astroherbalism apothecary!

As an herbalist, I work with astrology as a story-telling-listening tool and a way to help folks get to know and name the healing needs of their body (and by "body" I mean physical form, emotional and mental experience, the psychic body, and so on). Within traditional western herbalism, the Sun represents our inherent energy. There is no "good" or "bad" inherent energy, just the baseline energy that we're born with and our Sun sign helps us understand the ways that our energy flows throughout our life. Some of us, for example, have energy that is quick to show up and quick to disappear, while others have energy that is slow to arrive and meandering when it does get here. We bring this inherent energetic signature with us into all of our life experiences, including our experiences of wellness, discomfort, illness, and healing. 

Throughout our life we learn how to tend to the needs of our energy and develop skills to interact with the world that not only feels good to us (if at times challenging, but in a way that is helping us to stretch and grow more into who we are) but is sustainable. 

When it comes to supporting our Sun sign there are three primary paths that I work with: recipes that energize, recipes that soothe, and recipes that nourish. Below you'll find a brief description of each path of support as well as key phrases that help you identify your Sun sign energy needs. I encourage you to read these phrases aloud and if something resonates, to consider pursuing that path of magickal healing. Once you've identified what type of path will be most useful for you at this time, you can choose a few suggested herbs and then follow the guide below to creating your custom Sun sign charm with.

image via @mickeydziwulski

Energize Your Solar Energy

Herbs and essences that help to awaken, enliven, and generally stimulate Sun sign energy that may be sluggish, recovering from stress and/or illness, and in general need of waking up. Key phrases that indicate you might be in need of an energizing charm include:

• I feel like I can't get going. 

• I feel stuck in one place. 

• What's the point?

• I don't feel inspired or creative.

• I just feel "blah" all the time.

Herbs for an Energizing Charm

For a charm that is helping to energize and wake up our Sun current, we want to work plant allies that are stimulating, inspiration-inducing, and energetically bright. From a magickal perspective, seeds and fruits are especially energizing, which is why I love incorporating plants into my Sun charms that are brightly colored and grow prolifically like Calendula (Calendula officinalis) not only in flower form, but in seed form as well. While you should check out the "Remedy Herbs" section of your astroherbology profile for your Sun sign, in general, brightly colored, especially in warm and sunny tones, plants that grow easily in a variety of conditions, as well as spicy or strong tasting plants, are great options. Here are a few energizing Sun plant allies to consider connecting with:

• Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

• Ginger (Zingiber officinalis)

• Cayenne (Capsicum annuum)

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

• St. Joan’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

• Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.)

• Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum)

• Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

If they are already in your collection, you might consider adding any of the following stone allies to your energizing Sun charm including Citrine, Clear Quartz, Carnelian, Red Jasper, and Tiger's Eye. You can also consider choosing bright and warm color tones for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @rayhennessy

Soothe Your Solar Energy

Herbs and essences that help to soften, relax, and create a sense of calm for Sun energy that is in excess leading to feelings of agitation, anxiousness, and general overwhelm. Key phrases that indicate you might be in need of a soothing charm include:

• I'm so anxious!

• I don't fit in anywhere.

• I need a hug (or other comforting experience).

• I just feel on edge all the time.

• No one gets me.

Herbs for a Soothing Charm

Focus on herbs that help to diffuse excess Sun energy, helping to ground and center us. From a magickal perspective, roots and barks of plants (always sustainably harvested), have an inherently grounding energy which is why I love solar plants like Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale) for soothing solar charms. While you should check out the "Remedy Herbs" section of your astroherbology profile for your Sun sign, in general herbs that are cooling, including cooling colors such as blue or purple flowers, grounding, and relaxing are excellent options. Here are a few Sun energy soothing plant allies to consider connecting with:

• Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale)

• Lavender (Lavandula spp.)

• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• Burdock (Arctium lappa)

• Borage (Borago officinalis)

• California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

• Rose (Rosa spp.)

• Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)

There are also a variety of stone allies you might consider working with to help soothe your Sun energy if you already have them available including Smoky Quartz, Black Tourmaline, Bloodstone, Obsidian, Amethyst, Citrine, and Flourite. You might also consider choosing cool color tones for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @kiendo

Nourish Your Solar Energy

Herbs and essences that tend to the fundamental needs of our Sun energy, helping us feel energetically fed and supported in our energetic needs - a Sun sign tonic. Key phrases that indicate you might be in need of a nourishing charm include:

• I feel burnt out.

• Everything feels like too much.

• I'm exhausted.

• Who's going to take care of me?

• I could really use a break right now.

Herbs for a Nourishing Charm

Focus on herbs that feel comforting and inviting, helping us to come home to our solar self. From a magickal perspective, flowers and leaves carry nourishing energy and I'm particularly fond of plant allies like Rose (Rosa spp.) to help nourish solar energy.  While you should check out the "Guardian Herbs" section of your astroherbology profile for your Sun sign to help you explore nourishing herbs for your particular Sun energy, in general focusing on vitamin and mineral rich plants, herbs full of gentle but warm color, and herbs that you enjoy the scent, taste, and/or feel of can be good options. Here are a few Sun energy nourishing plant allies to consider connecting with:

• Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• Angelica (Angelica archangelica)

• Linden (Tilia europea)

• Sage (Salvia officinalis)

• Nettles (Urtica dioica)

• Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

• Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus monogyna)

Stone allies that you might consider working with to help nourish your Sun energy, if you already have them in your collection, include Citrine, Rose Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Pink Tourmaline, and Magano Calcite. You might also consider choosing gentle and warm colors - such as rosy pinks, soft oranges, warm yellows - for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @daiga_ellaby

Creating Your Sun Sign Charm

Decide the form that your Sun charm will take (i.e. a spell bottle, a charm bag, a solar altar, or something else entirely) and gather all of your ingredients and items needed as well as a candle and candle holder. If you are able to perform this charm on a sunny day, even better, but it's not necessary for success as often we need to recharge our solar energy because sunny days have been far and few between. Ground and center (perhaps with a tree of life meditation) and settle into sacred space through your preferred method. Lay the items for your charm out before you, along with your candle. Light the candle by saying:

By the light of the Sun
By the light of the fire
By the light of my heart's
honest desire
I work my magick
I cast my spell
To {charge, soothe, nourish} my energy
That all may be well.

Visualize the light of the candle (and the Sun if you are outside) growing and expanding, meeting with your own solar energy. Let the light fill up the places of your solar aura that need healing, helping to fortify your Sun energy. When ready, begin to craft your charm, naming aloud the purpose of each item that you are adding to it such as:

Calendula for energy and strength
St. Joan's Wort for hope and joy
Lemon Balm for clarity and community

Once the charm has been made, pass the charm through the flame six times, visualizing the light of the flame and the sun being gathered up into the charm. Then pass the charm between you and the the candle flame, reciting at least six times (or until the energy needed is raised) in a rhythmic fashion:

By light, I am {energized, soothed, nourished}
My Sun renewed
Round and about
Through and through

When you feel the energy has been raised, press the charm to your heart and exclaim: 

So mote it be!

You can now use your charm as you please, carrying it with you or setting placing it in an auspicious place in your home. The charm can be re-charged by putting it under sunlight and/or repeating the sun charm ritual as needed.

✨

While I love connecting folks with healing modalities, plant allies, and magickal practices, I've come to realize that a lot of my work is learning how to be an effective resource library and to help folks connect with their healing community. I find that astrological language can be an excellent tool for that, especially for marginalized folks who've been injured within medical systems - physically, emotionally, spiritually - feel hesitant to access the care they need. 

It was my own magickal practice that led me to re-membering, after being raised under the deep shadow of capitalism that tries to sell us the lie of the isolated individual solely responsible for earning their "wellness," that healing is a community act, that we all deserve healing resources (including accessing the work of mental health professionals) by simply existing. If you have read through this post and feel some resonance with a statement that you weren't expecting or feelings that feel hard to sit with, I invite you to seek out some of the incredible community-centered healing resources available to you (you can find a short list at the end of this post to help get you started). Part of working with paths like modern astrology is recognizing where the story of our birth chart is pointing us towards - including the types of collaborative healing spaces and skills that would benefit us the most during any and every stage of life.

That's magick, friends, clarifying our intention, naming it, asking for what we desire, and letting love open the path back home to ourselves and our community.

If you are looking to learn more about your Sun sign come this way and you can check out my astroherbology archive for an abundance of resources for your studies and practice. 

May your inner Sun shine brightly!

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

Slow Winter, Soft Spring: Herbal Remedies for the Quiet Season

I enjoy the feeling of expectation, that glimmering glow of waiting for something. Whether it is knowing that the jars full of herbs from the garden will soon be strained and decanted into precious, healing tinctures or decorating the house with candles and flowering bulbs in anticipation of Imbolc, I've always enjoyed the spaces between big happenings and festive gatherings. These in-between times, where one season is slowly ending and another slowly beginning speak to the magick of possibility and hope.

Intertwined with this comfort of waiting are feelings of wanting to be prepared. Often this is for practical reasons - cleaning the windows as spring starts knowing that this will help welcome in light to our homes after a long, dark winter. Yet, there is a more complicated feeling of preparedness that is deep and ancestral, handed down through generations of people who had a long practice of having one eye on the horizon and bags packed. Many of us, whether or not we come from families where the preparedness instinct is both a useful and challenging inheritance, are experiencing some form of tension fed by the feeling of global dread as we grapple with the uncertainty of our futures.

It can be a lot for these little bodies of ours to handle.

So how do I avoid the pitfalls of fear and balance out the pleasure of the in-between, with the practicalities of being prepared, while keeping centered and hopeful? To be honest, I don't always manage. Sometimes I have to breathe through the fear as much as any other person, lay down on the earth, and let panic flow out from my nervous system into the ground. But I do find that hope becomes more powerful than fear, that I am able to welcome up green and grounded energy when laying on the earth, when I make and tend an altar for hope in my life. 

image via @geri_art

As an herbalist and Pagan, my altar of hope is formed by the seasons, a very human-scale rhythm of time that our species and our non-human relations thrive in. A cycle of seasons syncopated by lunar rhythms helps to break the spell of artificial capitalist systems that are inherently exploitative of time and resources and which require us to be fearful in order to be maintained. Returning to the slowness of winter and the softness of spring, two dangerously disruptive ideas of wellbeing in an overculture hyperfocused on productivity, is a powerful form of restful and radical healing magick.

With this radical, restful, hopeful magick in mind, this new series will focus on herbal recipes for the seasons-between-seasons that help us meet whatever is to come in our lives and communities with steadiness. What I hope to inspire for you is a sense of place in whatever season of life you're in, where you feel like you have plant allies to work during these times of transition, and that you can begin to build or refresh a seasonal practice that feels sustainable. 

Winter to Spring Remedies

The following recipes are formulated as teas but can easily be made into herbal extracts, baths, or other forms of herbal remedies. I’ve crafted them with the transition from Pisces to Aries season in the northern hemisphere and from Virgo to Libra season in the southern hemisphere in mind, but they can easily be adapted or used for throughout the year.

image via @mind_n_soul_journey

For When You Need to Breathe Deep

The dry coldness of late winter gives and the damp coldness of early spring combined with a lot of time spent indoors can create an environment for respiratory illnesses and allergies to flourish. Herbs like Peppermint (Mentha piperita) help to open the airways while Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) brings warmth and energy. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) is one of my favorite herbs for clearing out bronchial and lymph congestion, but helping us find a rhythm and flow in our current cycle of life. This blend of herbs is great not only for helping to clear out lingering respiratory illnesses, as well as protect against future ones, and repair the respiratory system, but is also just a lovely blend to use when life is getting ahead of you and you want to pause, take a deep breath, and re-center.

Blend together the following herbs:

• 2 parts Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

• 1 part Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• ½ part Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

image via @ed_leszczynskl

For When You Need to Think Clearly

Winter is a time of rest and recuperation where many of us slow down physically and mentally, settling into a mellow coziness if our life circumstances allow. As spring begins to wander over, at a pace that oscillates between meandering and very sudden, we can feel a bit brain foggy and sluggish when we'd rather be feeling focused and energized. One of the reasons we can experience brain fog, especially as winter turns to spring, is that our nervous system needs some extra support. Milky Oat (Avena sativa) is my favorite nourishing nervine (i.e. nervous system tonic) and it helps to restore the nervous system to a state of balance. Combined with nootropics (i.e. brain tonics) like Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum, tenuiflorum) and Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) this blend helps all parts of the thinking body from the nervous system to the heart to the brain feel supported and in resonance with one another.

Blend together the following herbs:

• 2 parts Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• 2 parts Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum, tenuiflorum)

• 1 part Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

image via @yer_a_wizard

For When You're Feeling Stuck

Sometimes the slow months of winter can dredge up a lot of feelings about what it is we inherited from our families of origin, the people who raised us, and the cultures we grew up in. The long dark and stark weather of winter can show us just how interdependent we are with one another, the patterns that we weave into each other's lives and how we carry this inheritance around in our bodies. With spring slowly creeping in, we can feel rushed and unready, insecure and saddened by the approach of a new season when we feel so held down by generations of seasons. As we linger between winter and spring and explore these stories, hopefully while being supported by sweet friends, chosen families, beloved elders, and mental health professionals, there are many plant allies that can help us through. 

Plant allies like Rose (Rosa spp.), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), and Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) help to move stagnant energy, keep our hearts steady, and assist us in clarifying what it is we are thinking and feeling about our experience of what we've inherited or whatever it is that is making us feel stuck between seasons of life. 

Rose (Rosa spp.) connects us back to the needs of our heart, Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) helps us to hear our intuitive knowing above the noise of the crowd (family crowds, culture crowds, social media crowds, etc), while Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) helps to alleviate the tension that can keep us feeling stuck and mulling over the same situations and experiences again and again. When combined, these herbs help to open the heart to possibility, focus on the patterns in our life that we find most useful, and more readily recognize the joy of our lives.

Blend together the following:

• 4 parts Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• 1 part Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

• ¼ part Rose (Rosa spp.)

☕️

Three simple recipes that help us to move from winter into spring with a feeling of levity and hope. If you're looking for more seasonal inspiration you can check out my winter wellness apothecary and spring wellness apothecary posts which guide you through stocking your home apothecary with remedies to support you and your community throughout the year. I also have a recipe to support the dreaming magick of spring as well as plenty of recommended plant allies for winter. You can also explore my series on herbal and magickal suggestions for every season.

May your in-between times be places of sweet softness as you learn who you are as a person in transition, always whole and always changing.

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

Daring Bravely: Tarot and Tea for Leo Season

Welcome to Leo Season!

This is my latest post on tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac and you can learn more about the whole series here.

The season of the Lion begins as summer slowly softens into the start of harvest season, where autumn still feels a long way off but we also know that summer's show is soon to end. In the southern hemisphere, the season of Leo is about the warming of the year as winter recedes and the promise of spring begins to come onto the stage. If Cancer is a season of (re)collecting and memory (whether under the bright exposure of a summer sun or within the long shadows of a winter night), the season of Leo is about learning how to fully express what has been found and has been defined as important, sacred, and necessary in our lives.

Leo is a fixed Fire sign which means that it intensely embodies the energy of a season. In other words, Leo helps us realize that we're here so how are we going to show up? Leo is one of those signs that often gets a less than flattering reputation but since all of us have all of the signs in our charts, I hope that we can expand the narrative of the Lion beyond dismissing its energy as needlessly dramatic. (1) Whether we're in the depths of summer in the northern hemisphere or winter in the southern hemisphere, Leo Season is a time to explore what has been dismissed (by ourselves and/or others) in our lives, what we've hidden away because we're afraid of shining too brightly, and what it's time to reveal.

Leo can ask us to do some brave (and scary) things like stand up for what we believe in, disrupt dangerous and harmful narratives, rewrite stories that no longer serve us, and help to create a stage in which more stories can be told. Leo energy helps us to recognize that everyone is putting on a performance of some sort and we're all in the process of performing from a place of greater authenticity and desire - so it's time to face what we're afraid of being seen as and have others see in us. When we learn how to work with Leo energy we learn how to thrive in our self-expression, help create and hold space for others to thrive as well, and learn how to perform from places of authenticity.

Daring Bravely
Leo Season Tarot Spread

The guardian planet Leo is the Sun which defines how much energy we're comfortable holding and expressing. In other words, through the Sun we understand our capacity for doing and being in the world, what our limitations are, and where our energetic sweet spot lies. For Leo, the world's a stage, and understanding our Sun is to know where we are inherently most comfortable on that stage: Are we in the center performing a monologue? Behind the scenes styling props? Working with the audience or performers themselves? Writing the script? Doing building maintenance? Even though we have a solar sweet spot, throughout life we're not always where we want to be and it takes communication, honesty, and bravery to move about the stage to where we feel most at home. Leo energy helps us to define what it is we want to be guided by (i.e. writing a script that works for us, decorating our stage with props that support us, finding castmates we love and who love us) and grow our the expansive power of our hearts with that knowledge. But all that growing and heart-opening stuff can be scary.

Leo asks us "What are you afraid to express?"

Since there can be so much smoke and mirrors within a performance, it's important to know what is real and truthful, including what is you and what is someone's else's expectation of you. Leo is a skilled sorter of shadows and helps us to understand what truth we need to express about ourselves and when it's time to remove our masks. The following spread helps us to seek out our bravery through understanding our fear while at the same time reaching out to find our strengths.

Card 1. That Which Set the Stage

This card is an overview of the part of how supportive your life feels for being able to perform your story (i.e. show up in your life in the ways you are called to move through the world). Refer back to the Gemini Season spread if you need more insight on telling your story. You can choose to read this card as a general overview of your life's landscape or focusing on one particular area of your life (i.e. work life, a specific relationship, and so on). 

Card 2. That Which Is Feared

This card highlights the fear that is showing up in your life right now and appears to be an obstacle in your path. It is meant to help you name your fear out loud and see it for what it is instead of avoiding acknowledging it or growing it beyond proportion to reality. Sometimes this card can describe the mask you created for yourself in order to protect yourself from your fear coming to be.

Card 3. That Which Is Brave

This card helps you to recognize the strengths you carry and how acknowledging these strengths is a practice in cultivating bravery. 

Card 4. That Which Opens the Heart

This card suggests a path into heart-opening work, where you can begin to show up as the story you want to tell in the world, living beyond your fear and into your bravery.

Card 5. A Message for Leo Season

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

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Heart

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your heart, 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 @corinarainer

A Tea for Leo Season

How do we nourish the energy of Leo? We make beautiful teas with bold colors full of heart-opening herbs. Traditionally, Leo is a sign of the heart, the chest, and the movement of energy throughout the body (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Leo). I've chosen Rose (Rosa spp.) to bring a heart-opening energy into our tea and paired it with Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus monogyna) which acts both as a physical and energetic tonic to the heart body. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) brings warmth and opens the chest, expanding energy from the heart outward. Rosemary is also helps to cultivate strength of will and courage in the body. Blended together, these plant allies create a sweet and bold brew ready to support all of your courageous endeavors.

• 4 parts Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• 2 parts Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus monogyna)

• ½ part Rose (Rosa spp.)

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 Leo). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image via @kent_pilcher

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 Leo? 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.

Though I didn’t include them in this particular Leo tea recipe, Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) is one of my favorite Leo plant allies and heart tonics - I’ve written a full plant profile on them for you to explore. Want to learn more about beloved Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)? I’ve written an exclusive plant profile for my patrons.

And since Leo tends to bring the energy of gatherings and bringing folks together, here are some of my favorite plant allies to support social connections without burnout.

May your Leo season be bright and sweet, full of heart light and brave connectivity.

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

---

Footnotes

(1) I feel like Leo, along with Scorpio, gets a lot of hassle as a sign as folks try to frame the Lion as a drama queen and Scorpio as wildly promiscuous. In the overculture, modern astrology is seen as the domain of women and those deemed too effeminate, so these little misogynistic narratives seep in to keep Leo's confidence in check and shame the sexuality of Scorpio (because confident, unashamed womxn and femmes are a threat to the powers that be).

The truth is that all the signs are prone to drama, just in different areas of life, but Leo Sun signs can tend to be more honest and unabashed about their needs and desires in public - which is a big no for womxn and femmes in our culture. Sexuality is a universal experience, too. Scorpio Sun signs are not more or less sexual than any other sign of the zodiac - they just happen to be intense creatures in relationships of all kinds, sexual or not, because they’re more often interested in the diving into the depths than surface matters.

Fortunately, astrology stories are being rewritten and expanded upon in beautiful ways these days, so these misogynistic binds will continue to be undone as kinder cultures emerge. But let's continue to disrupt these stories (and give our Leo and Scorpio stars some breathing room to grow into who they want to be) to strengthen our communities as we dream a new world into being.

3 Herbal Recipes to Support Your Lunar Return

Every month the Moon returns to place in the sign that you were born in - known as a Lunar Return - and it can be an auspicious time to nourish your inner worlds. The Lunar Return is, in fact, just the Moon version of your Solar Return (also known as your birthday) or a Saturn Return, though the energy and meaning of a Lunar Return is different than either of those. I write a lot about the Moon because in astrology and western esoteric practice, it is through working with our inner Moon that we understand our consciousness and cultivate the insights needed to work as healers and bring healing into our relationships (I even created a whole course about it). Lunar-centered herbalism plays a special role in my practice as an herbalist whether it is observing the healing rituals of the different phases of the Moon, creating Moon-inspired baths, learning more about the magick of Moon signs in my herbal preparations or making teas for my Lunar Return.

With all the ways one can practice medicine and magick by the Moon, I find the energy of the Lunar Return to be something special, moving and changing each month, calling us to step into a more spiral understanding of time and our experience of it. Your Lunar Return can be many things, including a time of reflection, of rebalancing or of reconnecting with some part of yourself, and I wanted to share with you three simple herbal remedies that I use for my own Lunar Return practice that'll hopefully support your own.

About the Recipes

I try to write about herbs that are easily accessible within the traditional western herbalism repertoire, but I've also included the herbal action of each herb that I'm focusing on to help you choose alternative herbs based on your needs. You are strongly encouraged to adapt each recipe to make it your own. The recipe portions listed are estimations and can be easily adjusted to your own taste needs and you can add any variety of preferred flavorful herbs to your own mix. While the recipes below are written with tea in mind you can use them as herbal baths, tinctures, flower essence blends, topical herbal oils, and more. 

Deck shown is The Gentle Tarot by Mari in the Sky

Reflection Moon Tea

Sometimes our Lunar Return is calling us home again through gentle reflection and dreamwork. I love working with my dreams with greater intention around my Lunar Return and the Reflection Moon tea blend helps to do just that. The blend helps to quiet the mind so that we can explore what's going on beneath the surface for us while also stimulating the dreaming part of our psyche. Reflection Moon tea is also helpful when it comes to awakening our inherent psychic gifs.

Medicinally, Reflection Moon can be a useful blend during and in the time around your Lunar Return if you're menstruating (Mugwort is a uterine tonic and all herbs have pain relieving qualities), looking to alleviating general tension especially when accompanied by headaches, and to help with slow and sluggish digestion.

• 2 parts Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): Nervine, sedative, and relaxant

• 1 part Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris): Relaxant and dream tonic

• 1 part part Rose (Rosa spp.): Heart tonic

Deck shown is The Illuminated Earth Oracle by Claire Mack

Rebalancing Moon Tea

Your Lunar Return can be a beautiful time to slow down and reassess what needs balancing in your life. Whether you're feeling run down and sluggish, want to support the start of a new cycle or firm up some energetic boundaries, the Rebalancing Moon blend is nutritive rich and restorative. If I'm experiencing decision and/or compassion fatigue it this blend or some variation of this blend that I typically reach for.

In addition to being a nutritive rich blend, Rebalancing Moon helps with digestion, helps with issues of circulation, strengthens the blood (i.e. can help to alleviate anemia), protects against seasonal allergies, and is an excellent blend for taking after recovering from a period of illness or stress.

• 2 parts Milky Oat (Avena sativa): Nervine and neurotonic

• 1 part Nettles (Urtica dioica): Nutritive, digestive, and whole body trophorestorative

• 1 part Spearmint (Mentha spicata): Digestive (carminative) and clears brain fog

Deck shown is the Heavenly Bodies Astrology Deck by Lily Ashwell

Reconnecting Moon Tea

Sometimes it can feel like we're searching for something lost or not quite remembered about ourselves. Or we've set aside practices we'd want to be doing, things we want to be learning, and people we want to connect with because of the busyness and stress of our life. Reconnecting Moon can help to calm our nervous system and nudge us back into communion with our desires. It's the blend I reach for if I'm feeling out of sorts with my practice and like I'm doing less and less of what I want to be doing in my life for whatever reasons. 

Medicinally, Reconnecting Moon is a lovely tonic for the brain and nervous system, helping to support the lines of communication between what we're feeling-thinking. It's a good tea to share with others to help support clear lines of communication and to soothe frazzled energy.

• 4 parts Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis): Nootropic and nervine

• 1 part Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus): Nootropic and gentle nervous system stimulant

• ½ part Lavender (Lavandula officinalis):  Nervine and circulatory stimulant

🌙

I hope that these recipes serve as a source of inspiration for your own practice. If you haven’t already, be sure to read my full post on what a Lunar Return is and why you might start observing it. For those of you who read tarot or oracle cards, I’ve written a tarot spread to support your lunar observations.

May you find what you’re looking for as you gaze into the mirror of the ever-changing Moon.

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. ❤