Gathering Together: Tarot and Tea for Pisces Season

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

The season of Aquarius with its intense idiosyncratic energy and emphasis on intellect and innovation has moved on like a sudden storm leading us to Pisces season. Within the dreamy waters of Pisces season we take a break from the (over)emphasized energy of the individual and back into the flow of the collective. "What an interesting idea!" Pisces says to Aquarius. "But how do you feel about it?" Arriving at Pisces season is a culmination of our journey through all eleven previous signs of the zodiac, symbolizing lifetimes of wisdom gained through experience. Here at the end of the zodiac, where we are furthest from earth and closest to the stars, where the emphasis is not on the intellect or physical form, but on the feeling body and consciousness itself. And yet, Pisces is also the beginning of the zodiac, representing the ocean depths, and acting as the energy which resides deepest within earth. Pisces reminds us that we can't think our way through the mystery, it's gotta be felt.

Pisces is a mutable water sign meaning that it embodies the energy of connecting, dissolving boundaries, and deep empathy (Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius are also mutable signs). Mutable signs arrive at the end of a terrestrial season helping us to prepare for the changes of the next season. Pisces helps to draw the energy of Aquarius season down from the head and its focus on the next best thing, back into the heart and the beauty of the now. For in the world of Pisces, the now is infinite, boundaries are meant to be dissolved, and all can find connection to all. In many ways, Pisces season brings us the most radical and most comfortable energy - radical in that the deeply empathic fish has never met a boundary that couldn't be moved and comfortable because the whole point of moving it is for us to find our ways back home to where we feel most held and whole. 

Pisces season helps us to find our sense of connection with the world, often through the tool of empathy, but it comes in all sorts of unexpected and magickal ways. The energy of Pisces helps us to expand even as we're gathering ourselves back together. What we learn through the energy of Pisces is that connection is important and there are plenty of boundaries that need dissolving, but healthy boundaries which protect and strengthen our empathy are needed. Too much Pisces energy can lead to such a strong belief of the self as other that gullibility leads us into dangerous situations or we struggle to hold on to our individuality amid the sea of collective consciousness. With good boundaries and plenty of time to rest, Pisces helps us connect with our intuitive wisdom, our capacity to transcend limitations, and our ability to love deeply.

Gathering Together
Pisces Season Tarot Spread

So much of the energy of Pisces season is about understanding, cultivating, and protecting our empathic selves. We are deeply empathic species often living within cultures (whether broad overcultures or individual family cultures) that reject empathy as weakness. One of the adaptations to surviving in empathy-denying cultures and relationships is to hide away the most precious parts of ourselves. Sometimes those parts of ourselves get lost.

Pisces asks us, "What are you calling back home to yourself?"

As the most effective dissolver of boundaries, Pisces energy can move through all things and spaces, helping us to locate what it is we're searching for. The following spread helps us to name what was lost and guides us to find it again so that we may feel more whole and holy within ourselves and in our relationships.

Card 1. That Which Was Lost

This card helps us understand the part of us that was lost along the way of growing up and growing into ourselves.

Card 2. That Which We Were Hiding From

Sometimes it's helpful to name and know that which we were hiding ourselves away from, to lessen its ability to make us hide further. 

Card 3 & 4. That Which Calls Us Home

These cards help us to reclaim our lost selves through simple practices, shifts in perspectives, affirmations of or own intuition about the matter, or whatever else you need to hear to help you call yourself home.

Card 5. A Message for Pisces Season

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

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Feet

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your feet, 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 @majavujic87

A Tea for Pisces Season

How do we nourish the energy of Pisces? Traditionally, Pisces guards the feet, all bodily fluids, and the endocrine system (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Pisces). The sweet boost of empathy that Pisces season can bring can result in a lot of healing and a lot of feelings, so it's important to work with plant allies that support the emotional body. Milky Oat (Avena sativa) is one of my favorite herbs for empaths because it does such a wonderful job nourishing the nervous system and helping us feel our feels without getting (too) overwhelmed. Sage (Salvia officinalis) has an affinity for the fluids of the body, helping to regulate ebb and flow, and guiding our Pisces energy towards the cultivation of wisdom instead of dazed distraction. Finally, Rose (Rosa spp.) honors the complexity of consciousness that Pisces energy has us swimming through, reminding us that life is layered, including the mysterious bits.

• 4 parts Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• 1 part Sage (Salvia officinalis)

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

image via @guillepozzi

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 Pisces? 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. If you want to dive deeper into the world of tarot, plant allies, and astrology, come this way.

One of my favorite Pisces herbs is Angelica (Angelica archangelica) because not only does it empower Pisces' inherent psychic gifts, but it helps folks who struggle to connect with their intuition to open up a pathway to do so.

May your Pisces season be dreamy and sweet, calling in visions of peace and the path towards collective liberation.

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

Embodying Presence: Tarot and Tea for Taurus Season

Welcome to Taurus Season!

Join me as I explore tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (you can learn more about the series over here). In this post we’re meeting with the Bull and learning about tarot for Taurus season and Taurus herbs to help us connect with the energy of the season (i.e. the middle of Spring in the northern hemisphere or the middle of Autumn in the southern hemisphere).

We've moved through the intensity of Aries Season, which can sometimes feel like everything needs to be done right now, into the slower pace of Taurus the Bull. In astrology, Taurus is referred to as a "fixed" sign which means that it's really good at creating roots and grounding energy. If the signs were writing books about the seasons they inhabit, Aries would give you a few quick bullet points on a post-it note (that may or may not have a corner torn off) while Taurus would present you a whole book on the subject (and the book may or may not be handmade).

With Taurus there is no big rush to get somewhere as the energy of the Bull helps us to feel what it is to arrive and be present to a place and space (including our internal environment as well as our external one) for a greater length of time than we might be used to. Taurus season can be a helpful time to explore concepts of embodiment, to seek out experience first instead of jumping into analysis mode, and to imagine ourselves as moving gardens. 

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Taurus is a sign of slowness and embodiment, of being of the Land. As an earth sign, Taurus helps us to connect with seasonal changes as a source of wisdom, including the seasonal and tidal changes of our bodies. Taurus season encourages honesty born of observation (i.e. knowing what sort of conditions are needed to grow a particular plant and not pretending or teaching otherwise).

Taurus asks us, "How would you grow if you didn't feel rushed?"

An important aspect of Taurus season (and where Taurus lives in your birth chart) is recognizing that everything takes time and nothing is grown in a vacuum. In other words, we can make choices of how we embody time (whether or not we're experiencing it at any given moment as too fast or too slow) but it takes a lot of soil and bugs and sun and water and hope to grow a thing, much of which we have no control over. The following Taurus Season tarot spread encourages us to pause and observe so that we can tap into the wisdom of what we need, the resources we have, and how we can better support our slowness.

Embodying Presence
Taurus Season Tarot Spread

Card 1 & 2. That Which Centers & Nourishes You

These cards help you connect to the steadiness that Taurus Season can bring, highlighting the practices, people, places, and experiences which center and nourish you. These are things which you might seek to bring more into your life during Taurus season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.

Card 3. That Which Needs Slowing Down

The gift of Taurus is learning how to slow down and take account. This card highlights what area of your life would benefit best from taking a moment to pause, rest, and consider what it is you really need. It's an invitation to switch from autopilot mode to intentional presence.

Card 4. That Which Helps You Grow

This card helps you to connect with the question posed earlier - "How would you grow if you didn't feel rushed?" In other words, this card helps to highlight allies in helping you grow in ways that support your becoming, that help you flourish in the garden of our interconnectedness.

Card 5. A Message for Taurus Season

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

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Neck

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your neck, throat, and voice, including physical experiences and energetic ones, and what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull the card, first observe before rushing to analysis, following the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning. 

Salvia mellifera - photo by author

A Tea for Taurus Season

How do we nourish the sign of Taurus? As one of the slowest-moving signs of the zodiac, Taurus asks us to slow down and take account of what we need. Taurus also traditionally guards the neck, throat, and vocal cords (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Taurus), so our tea blend combines herbs that help us feel grounded, expressive, and deeply nourished. Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a classic Taurus herb - earthy and associated with longevity, Sage helps to support throat health, enhance cognition, and connect with the wisdom of the world around and within us. Rose (Rosa spp.) is an herb of Venus, Taurus' guardian planet, and an important plant ally for finding wisdom distilled through experience. Finally, Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) adds just enough warmth and energy to help us still feel momentum to show up in our life in the ways that we are called to.

Sidenote: You'll find that there is overlap between the herbs used for the Taurus Tea and the herbs used for the Aries Tea. This is for a few reasons, first of which is that Aries and Taurus (and Gemini) all share the same season so it makes sense that there would be similar herbs associated with each sign. Second, I'm trying to keep the variety of herbs I recommend throughout this series to a minimum so folks don't feel overwhelmed with the need to go out and get fifty different herbs. I hope it brings a feeling of calm to your practices and encourages a depth of relationship with our plant allies.

To make your tea, combine the following herbs:

• 4 parts Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• 1 part Sage (Salvia officinalis)

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

image via @danielabeleva

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?

᠅

May Taurus season be steady and full of blessings for you and your community. If you’re looking for more spring inspired healing ways and magickal practices, come this way.

Beltane is part of the season of Taurus and here is where you can find an in-depth tarot spread for the sabbat (for my southern hemisphere friends, you can find a tarot spread for Samhain over here). Enjoy!

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

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Notes

*Sometimes I think that Taurus is in fact a very fast moving sign but appears slow to us in the same way that light traveling from a dying star may appear to be relatively static to us but is, in fact, traveling at nearly the speed of light.

Crone of Wisdom: Sage Plant Profile

a radical sabbatical post

The Ancient Greeks, one of the many ancestral lines of traditional western herbalism, called the Goddess of universal remedy, Panacea. She is one of the Holy Ones invoked in the Hippocratic Oath and for herbalists like myself She has lended her name to describing those special herbs - called panaceas - which offer a broad spectrum of healing gifts. Sage (Salvia officinalis), the herb teacher we’ll be meeting today, has long been revered as a panacea not only because of the ways that it supports inherent vitality and longevity, but because it helps us to process knowledge into wisdom.

So let’s meet, Sage!

image source

Sage
Salvia officinalis

Folk Names : Sawge, common sage, garden sage
Element : Earth, Fire, Air
Moon Phase : New Moon
Zodiac Signs : Gemini, Sagittarius
Planets : Jupiter, Moon, Mercury
Parts used : Aerial parts
Habitat : Native to southeastern Europe, but naturalized widely.
Growing conditions : Full sun and well-drained soil with moderate watering.
Collection : Spring before plant flowers.
Flavor : Pungent, bitter
Temperature : Warm
Moisture : Sometimes dry + sometimes oily
Tissue States : Damp/Relaxation, Dry/Atrophy, Cold/Depression, Tension
Constituents : Beta-carotene, B vitamins, niacin, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, volatile oils, flavonoids, tannin, phenolic acids, phytoestrogens, resin.

Actions : Anaphrodisiac, antifungal, antigalactogogue, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antisudoforic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, choleretic, emmenagogue, estrogenic, expectorant, diaphoretic, digestive, hypotensive, hypoglycemic, nervine, phytoestrogenic, vermifuge.

Main uses : Sage is an impressive panacea of a plant. It’s an herb of longevity, promoting long life and protecting brain function as we age. The herb is warming and strengthening to the body and helps to clear out respiratory congestion. In other words, Sage helps us to breath deeply. Sage has an amphoteric relationship to the fluids of the body which is why it is categorized as both oily and drying in nature. If there is excess fluid, mucus, and catarrh, Sage’s astringent qualities dry out and expels it. The herbs astringency, for example, can be used for excess sweating and heavy periods. If there is lack of moisture, Sage’s oily qualities come into play, lubricating dry and atrophied passageways and organs of the body. The herb is used as part of weaning as it dries up breastmilk.

Sage is well-known as a circulatory tonic, but I would further classify it as a “processing” tonic in that it not only helps to move blood, heat, and information throughout the body, but it helps us to process these parts of ourselves as well. The herb moves energy downward from the crown of the head through the feet which is one of the reasons that Sage helps to calm us down, get restful sleep, and help with digestion.

image source

As a digestive tonic, Sage assists us with processing and digesting fats as well as nutrients from our foods. Look for signs of flatulence and cold digestion. The herb can be used for both chronic and acute infections, especially when fatigue is present. It’s a powerful herb that can be used for everything from the common cold to Staph aureus infections. As a neuroprotective brain tonic, Sage assists with the processing of information and memory, by protecting and improving cognitive function. Additionally, Sage helps to relieve the Tension Tissue State, helping someone shift from being reactive to receptive. 

Topically, Sage is a great addition to hair rinses, helping to prevent hair loss, reduce dandruff, and even return or improve the color of the hair. It is also an excellent herb for burning and all varieties - not just the over-harvested and dangerously endangered White Sage (Salvia apiana) variety - are wonderful for cleansing the energy of body and place. One of my favorite ways to use Sage is as a gargle for sore throats and canker sores in the mouth. It can also be used topically for cuts, burns, bruises, bites and stings. It makes a very effective pain and inflammation-relieving compress for swollen and sprained joints.

Magickal uses : Sage is probably best known magically as “smudge” and it works powerfully to cleanse a space. But please do not purchase White Sage (Salvia apiana) but grow your own and protect the few remaining plants in the wild. The plant has been dangerously overharvested in the name of spiritual practice which is a fundamentally un-spiritual act. The great news is that other Sages can be used in place of White Sage including Black Sage (Salvia apiana) and Garden Sage, both of which can be harvested sustainably. Use in spells of longevity and immortality. A great herb not only for physical health but for spiritual health. Use in rites of grieving. An herb of the Crone, work with Sage to connect with the Old One. 

The Sage Personality : Every one of us is growing and maturing. Some of the time we feel able to learn from our growth, develop as people, and feel a little bit wiser at the end of the day. Other times aging and growing feels ungraceful, traumatic, and miserable. Sage is particularly useful for folks for whom the latter is true, especially if their stall in maturation is a chronic one. The Sage personality isn’t a classic victim or martyr type but is more often fixated on being ill-fated. They might be able to learn from their previous life experiences in a logical manner, but the wisdom has a difficult time permeating into their body. Sage folks often struggle with their body, bodily changes, and signs of aging. If they are so dissatisfied with their physical form why would they want to inhabit it deeper? Fortunately, Sage isn’t here to force us to be embedded in a body we struggle with but to learn how to descend into the wisdom that resides in our physical form without getting hung up on it. In a state of balance, Sage folk are the wisdom keepers and elders (regardless of age) that we are always in need of.

image source

Contraindications : Avoid large doses during pregnancy. Avoid while nursing (it dries up the milk). In very large doses, its thujone content may adversely affect those with epilepsy, high blood pressure or kidney disease.

Dosage : Standard dosage. Hot tea to induce sweating, cold tea to stop sweating and discharge. 1 tsp per 8 oz water; Adults 30 - 60 drops tincture or 1 - 10 drops for drop dosage.

White Sage Smudging Alternatives

Since White Sage (Salvia apiana) is endangered, unless you are growing it on your own (which you should to help our beloved survive), I strongly encourage you to use a different herb for the purposes of smudging. Here is a short list of herbs that offer a wonderful alternative to White Sage as a smudge: 

• Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis)

• Juniper (Juniperus officinalis)

• Cedar (Cedrus spp.)

• Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)

• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

• Mugwort (Artemisia spp.)

• Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)

• Frankincense (Boswellia spp.)

• Copal (Protium copal)

• Pine (Pinus sylvestri)

Smoke-Free Smudging Alternatives

Smoky smudge may be popular but it’s not always feasible (enclosed spaces, housing restrictions, allergies, etc) and there are plenty of smoke-free ways to cleanse a space.

• Room Spray with salt and/or essential oils and/or flower essences

• Crystals placed in a room or waved through the aura

• Sound including your voice, bells, chimes, singing bowls and other instruments

• Candles made of high-quality wax

• Sunlight and fresh air

Croaking Toad Cough + Sore Throat Oxymel

An oxymel is a form of herbal syrup combining honey (or other liquid sweetener like agave or coconut syrup) with raw apple cider vinegar. Croaking Toad is a great remedy to have during cold and ‘flu season as it contains a combination of soothing expectorants and vitality supporting herbs to help us find our way back to feeling well.

Begin by combining the following dried herbs:

• 1 part Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

• 1 part Marshmallow Root (Althea officinalis)

• 1 part Elecampane Root (Inula helenium)

• 1/2 part Sage Leaf (Salvia officinalis)

• 1/4 part Chlorella Powder (Chlorella vulgaris)

Place all herbs in a glass jar with a tight sealing lid. Since we are using raw apple cider vinegar as our menstruum, you might choose to use a plastic lid or place wax paper between the metal lid and the blend to prevent corrosion. Cover your herbs with (preferably local) raw apple cider vinegar so that there is roughly 3/4 inch of the vinegar floating above or below the herbs. Let your blend brew for a few weeks - I typically brew all of my extracts for one cycle of the Moon.

Once ready, strain the herbs from the vinegar. Then, mix local raw honey with your herbal vinegar. My weight ratio for the vinegar to honey is 1 part vinegar to 6 parts honey. Basically, add honey to taste. If you want a sweeter elixir or oxymel, that is less herbally potent, add more honey. For a more herbally potent oxymel, add less honey. Stir together the honey and vinegar until they dissolve into one another in a loving embrace of healing wellness. Bottle and store in a cool dark place. I store mine in the refrigerator.

A dose of 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon is recommended up to 3 times daily during times of cough and sore throat.  You'll want to refrigerate your Croaking Toad Oxymel use within 6 - 12 months.

As I am currently off on sabbatical for three cycles of the Moon, this post was autoscheduled (you can find out more here). May these words have arrived with the magick of not quite knowing where it’ll land, but choosing to chance it anyways. Want to know when I get back? Sign-up for Magick Mail below.

I look forward to connecting with you all again upon my return.

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

Crone Wisdom : The Full Moon in Sagittarius

The following is an extract from my bi-monthly newsletter, The Moonlight, that all of my Lunar Apothecary students receive. Each month we explore a Moon sign and phase, as well as associated herbs, and different aspects of herbal medicine, magick, and practice in addition to the material of the yearlong ecourse. If you're thinking "heck yeah, I want more of that!" you're invited to join the Lunar Apothecary.

The first of TWO Full Moons in Sagittarius happen at the end of the week. The next Full Moon in Sagittarius is in June so we have a lot of fiery lunar energy happening over the next two cycles. When the Moon enters into the sign of Sagittarius adventures are on the horizon and with two Sagittarius Full Moons back-to-back energies are getting stirred up and wanderlust, whether of the physical, emotional or spiritual variety, comes into bloom.

While it is traditional to associate the elder energies of the Crone or Old Wise One with the Dark of the Moon, the Full Moon in Sagittarius has a Sage quality to it - both when speaking of age and of the herb (Salvia spp.). Sagittarius is associated with the Ninth House of the birth chart which is the House of adventures and travel, but also of philosophy and the perspective gained from a life that is lived. In other words, the Ninth House does a lot to shape who we will become in our elder years. Since the Full Moon is a time of maturation and Sagittarius the sign of wisdom gained from experience and age, I always feel a distinctly Crone energy during this time. Sometimes the Crone is a gentle grandmother welcoming us in for a warm hug and other times the Crone is a fearsome visage of all that unsettles us. And hey, if we pay attention to our fairy tales, sometimes the kind grandmother and the fearsome one are the same.
 

Black Sage (Salvia mellifera) by author

Sagittarius is also a mutable fire sign which means it embodies a fire that is flexible, adaptable, and changing. So while Leo is a intense fixed fire sign of solar heat and Aries is the sudden cardinal fire of a lightening bolt, the fire of Sagittarius is the heat of our blood running through our veins and the moving flame of a poi spinner's light. Mutable signs teach us adaptability and as a mutable sign Sagittarius teaches us that wisdom does not come from sitting in one place and following the rules - wisdom is gained by being uncomfortable, in charge, following the wind, coming undone, and any other myriad ways we experience life. In short, it is the wisdom gained by growing up. 

image by gabriel santiago

What wisdom have you gained through age, clever one?

Sage (Salvia spp.) is in many ways a mutable herb with a strong fiery element. As a sun-loving plant often found in dry and desert settings, Sage shows its ability to adapt to harsher environments than many of its herbal companions. Indications for the herb include similar signs to the environment that the plant enjoys growing in - look for dryness and heat with signs of sometimes accompanied by signs of mental burnout. Sage is quite resinous which is one of the reason that it is so excellent as an expectorant in cases of chest and head colds where there is excess mucus. Overall, Sage helps to regulate the fluids of the body, especially in cases of stagnant conditions (such as poor circulation) or excess secretions (such as too much sweat from hot flashes or wanting to dry up breast milk for weaning), but because the herb has mutable qualities it can help where there is lack of fluids and secretion as we'll see in a moment. The herb also helps with the oils of the body, improving the digestion of oils and fats (in part, because of its bitter taste which stimulates digestion and the production of bile). As a restorative for the mind, Sage helps to clear out mental fog by improving circulation to the brain and oiling the tracks of memory. It is an herb of Jupiter and it seems in its Crone wisdom to temper the excesses of Jupiter in order to let the benefits of Jupiterian energies shine through (i.e. longevity and the wisdom that comes with age). 

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A Note on Sage + Smudging

In North America, White Sage (Salvia apiana) has become an increasingly popular herb to use for smudging or cleansing by smoke. The herb has historical and modern-day use amongst American Indian groups primarily located along the southern Pacific Coast, but since becoming popular in New Age and Pagan communities, White Sage has been overharvested to the point of endangerment and, clever ones, there is nothing sacred about wiping a plant out so that it can sit about collecting dust on the shelves of shops. 

So what to do? First, if you're able, grow your own White Sage as it can help in small ways to turn the tide of its endangerment. Second, you only need one leaf at a time to effectively engage White Sage's clearing properties - no more mega bundles! Third, but maybe most importantly, find other plants to smudge with. There are plenty including Juniper (Juniperus spp.), Mugwort (Artemisia spp.), and Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) to just name a few. Have fun getting to know your local and ancestral smudging plants and give White Sage the space and support it needs to regenerate in the wild. 

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White Sage (Salvia apiana) by author

When using Sage in your practice, know that the herb has different qualities when prepared either hot or cold as a tea. The cold tea restricts while the hot tea stimulates. In other words, the cold tea is good to curb excess sweating (such as menopausal night sweats) whereas the hot tea brings out the aromatic qualities of Sage and stimulates secretions. One of my favorite ways to prepare Sage as medicine for cold and 'flu season is to make a simple Sage honey by infusing the leaves in local, raw honey for a cycle of the Moon. You can strain the leaves out, but I typically leave them in, eating them as I go along. Add a teaspoon to water for an instant cup of cold care and sore throat soothing tea with antimicrobial qualities. 

The flower essence of Sage is sweet and simple: it helps us to connect with our wisdom. Through working with Sage we gain perspective which is a crucial component for growing our wisdom. Use the essence during times of transition (such as a school graduation) to help integrate all that has been learned for the path ahead. I also enjoy using the essence when someone feels clouded or confused about their self-worth - Sage helps us to connect with our own unique wisdom even if we didn't know it was there in the first place.

Ready to practice herbal medicine and magick? Be sure to sign-up for my free and fully enchanted Magick Mail to gain access to exclusive content including my Sage Wisdom Tea and Crone's Blessing ritual!

If you enjoyed that little preview from the Lunar Apothecary I know you'll love the rest of the course.

My students get even more astroherbology-inspired content including profiles on Guardian and Remedy herbs for the sign of Sagittarius, rituals and recipes for all Moon phases in the sign of the Archer, and a full astroherbology profile on Sagittarius' Guardian Planet of Jupiter. Sign up today!

Happy Full Moon Magicking, clever ones!