Whole + Healing Sensuality : Full Moon in Taurus

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

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

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

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

How do you practice sensuality, sweet friend?

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

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

The Intoxication of Transition: Dark Moon in Sagittarius

We have been diving into the deep work of transitions in the Lunar Apothecary and with such a powerful Moon cycle ahead of us, I wanted to share with you the most recent excerpt from my bi-monthly astroherbology newsletter to members.

I am thinking of sacrifice.

Sacrifice implies something sacred - that we are acting on behalf of some calling or value that is greater than our individual-in-the-moment-needs. A sacrifice honors the big vision. I am thinking of the last bright bursts of summer giving way to autumn in the northern hemisphere while the opposite is occurring in the southern hemisphere. For bright to willingly, lovingly give way to dark.

The stars have been churning in the sky and running wild in our blood. The Dark Moon in Sagittarius is approaching, acting as a threshold guardian before the planetary cycles of somethings-got-to-change coming up in October. Sagittarius is often seen as a restless, traveling spirit. That's true, our Sagittarian folk can certainly be prone to lustful wanderings. But lots of us like to travel whether or not we have the Archer placed strongly in our birth chart. I think the big gift from Sagittarius is that of the wisdom of transition. With the Dark Moon in partnership, the energy becomes intoxicating.

Though, to become intoxicated by the transition we must surrender. Give-up. Sacrifice. When I speak of the intoxication of transition I'm not talking intoxicating substances that we put into our bodies, but the intoxication that emerges from deep within. That shakes our core and undos our auric bindings. That focuses our vision so we may only see the bright arrow of certainty leading us to where we need to go.

What must be sacrificed in order to transition, Luna?

For these times of celestial and terrestrial transition, Flower + Gem Essences are such good medicine. Cerato, Olive (an essence of the 21st Mansion that the Dark Moon is in), Sage, and Sweet Pea might all be useful allies these days. Look them up and make your own if you can!

♥ ☾ ♥

My own sacred sacrifice this year will be the end of selling remedies full time through Worts + Cunning Apothecary. For those of you who have been following the progress of our wee Apothecary since its start over four years ago, you have watched as I have slowly downsized my offerings in order to focus on other projects - such as the Lunar Apothecary! October 31 will be the last day you'll be able to order any of my physical products such as Flower + Gem Essences and my teas. It has been a necessary transition so that I can grow the Lunar Apothecary and the Califia Collective.

It has been scary at times to imagine such a big change but it's also been intoxicating. So I know I'm on the right track!

Clever friends, what sort of transitions have you been going through?

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Goatfish: Full Moon in Capricorn

The following is an excerpt from the bi-monthly Lunar Apothecary newsletter.

I've been thinking about magickal creatures lately. For a moment, think about the symbols of our solar zodiac. There are fishes, virgins (though, a donkey was apparently another option for the symbol of Virgo), water-bearers, lions, twins, and crabs; there are bulls and rams, scorpions and scales. Then we have a bow and arrow firing centaur (Sagittarius) and finally the mighty goatfish (or seagoat if you're taking an ever so slightly more serious approach).

Now a centaur (which is mighty and badass) has a point of easy relating for us humyn creatures - it is not only half horse, but half humyn. The goatfish? Well, it's like the unicorn of the zodiac - a unicorn crossed with a coyote crossed with a raven selling rainbow colored sprinkles that promise to reveal the great mysterious joke that started it all. It challenges our sense of reality and doesn't give us much ease of access when it comes to visual relating. I sense a trickster energy when I look at the mighty goatfish. When we speak of Capricorn we often emphasize the sign's sense of stability, steadfastness, and security. All of these qualities are certainly true. When we look at Capricorn from a lunar perspective, things begin to wobble, we begin to see things out of the corner of our vision, and suddenly we're riding a wild goatfish along the river of possibility.

The Full Moon in Capricorn is also swimming in the depths of the Twenty-Third Mansion. One of the energies of the Twenty-Third Mansion is that of the healing crisis - that point that we can no longer resist or ignore our need for wholeness. It is not only individuals that go through a healing crisis, but communities and cultures, too. Lunar Capricorn guards these moments of transition and fall, of steadfast determination to shakedown societal assumptions, cultural norms, and oppressive expectations. The goatfish aids us in reweaving the fabric of society into a more just one. Under the light of the Full Moon in Capricorn it is auspicious to study power dynamics, privilege, and the -isms we throw around and are thrown at us including racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and more. Full Moon in Capricorn reveals pathways of self-worth and boldly embracing your full self. Also, as the goatfish adapts to the habitats of land and water, we can learn how to adapt, too, and cleanse our self of distracting and demeaning thoughts and habits.

So, how do you embrace your weird, clever friend?

Ready to connect with the energies of the Goatfish? I've created a limited edition Full Moon in Capricorn oil that is available in the Apothecary. If you ready to connect with the wild energies of herbal medicine and magick practiced 'tween moon, earth, and star, click below.

Belly Wisdom: Waxing Quarter Moon in Cancer

The following is a preview of exclusive Lunar Apothecary content. In addition to a year's worth of ecourse material and access to our private learning community,  twice monthly I write about astroherbology and healing in the Moonlight, the newsletter of the Lunar Apothecary. Below is a preview of this month's Moonlight content.

The Moon is growing in the sign of Cancer as we enter the month of April. The Moon is the guardian planet of the sign of Cancer, so we can expect a particularly strong flow of lunar energy washing through our psyche as we approach the shore of the crab. Within the Ninth Mansion the Moon takes time to retreat and re-balance before continuing on to Her eventual fullness. We could spend a lot of time talking about the emotional nature of a Cancer Moon - it is certainly productive and useful to learn how to communicate clearly with yourself and others what you are feeling - but sometimes you just have to feel it. So I've written up a short meditation for you to do while the Moon dreams in Cancer that focuses on the belly - the body system that the star crab guards.

Take a moment to place your hands on your belly. Fill your lungs and belly with air. Drop your awareness down from your head and into your belly. Exhale, releasing tension and resistance. Your belly holds your gut instinct, your second brain, and your true emotional nature. What do you feel when you drop your awareness down into your belly? Leave one hand on your belly and bring up the to your heart. Take a deep belly-filling, lung-expanding breath. Connect the emotional wisdom of your belly to the compass of your heart. What do you feel when you connect your intuition with your heart? Exhale, releasing fear and doubt. Move the hand from your heart to your brow, placing your palm over your third eye. Take another deep breath, connecting your well of intuition to your filter of consciousness. What do you feel when you connect your well of knowing to your third eye? Exhale, releasing blessings. Bring both hands back to your belly and take three more deep breaths.

The Moon in Cancer is an auspicious time for healers and those who serve others to check in with themselves and be honest with the amount of self-care and community-care they are receiving. For everyone, whether you play the role of healer in your community or household, we can access emotions that we tend to suppress, cover up, and push aside when the Moon is in Cancer. 

What do you need to feel that you have not given yourself space to feel all the way through?

Herbs that help us release tension, especially tension within the gut, are important. Bitters can help us access what feels bitter and difficult in our life and release it or transform it into new potential. Herbs of a bitter variety also help us pull out of states of stagnation and feeling bogged down. Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is a gentle Cancerian bitter herb and an easy addition to many tea blends or herbal baths. Bring out the herbs and essences that bring you joy as well and remind you of your strength as you transition with Cancer - add them to your bathing waters and teas. Cancer is a sign that appreciates immersion so create healing spaces that are immerse-full - fill the house with Cancerian scents such as Sandalwood (Santalum album), make beverages of a healing variety available in each room, create mini retreat spaces out of pillows and blankets and get tucked in. You are worth every bit of your healing, clever one.

What are Moon Mansions? What is the interplay of earthly herbal healing with star wisdom? Learn more through our ecourse and online community, The Lunar Apothecary. The Moon is calling...

Roar! Full Moon in Leo

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

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

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

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

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

Blessed Full Moon, clever friends!

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

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