Flower + Gem Essences for the Journey: The Second Trimester

Over the next few weeks we’ll be exploring Flower + Gem Essences that are particularly useful during pregnancy, labor and postpartum (to learn more about what Flower + Gem Essences are visit our previous blog post).  The great thing about Flower + Gem Essences is that they are good remedies that, by their very nature, can do no harm which makes them wonderfully safe to take during pregnancy.

Now let's look at the Second Trimester:

Woah, I am really, really pregnant.

You've made it through the First Trimester and you may just beginning to feel that you're getting a hang of this whole pregnancy thing.  Energy is up, a desire for intimacy may be returning, issues around body and size might be emerging, and nesting may have begun in earnest.  The following essences lend support in balancing the busy-ness of being pregnant and preparing with the need for rest and stillness, all while helping to strengthen your sense of agency throughout your pregnancy.

LAVENDER “I am peaceful”

The Second Trimester can be a period of renewed energy after the First Trimester and suddenly the thought of preparing for baby feels less daunting.  Take advantage of your heightened energy, but allow time for stillness, rest, and seek activities that help develop a sense of peace.  Lavender is a wonderful essence for promoting a peaceful state of being.  Lavender also helps to protect the spirit from unwanted psychic burdens of friends, family, and strangers noticing you’re pregnant and not always making the most sensitive of comments.  If you suffer from stress-induced headaches or tend to be wound-up throughout the day, Lavender might be a good remedy for you.  One of the other wonderful qualities of Lavender is its abilities to help us mellow enough so that we are able to dream better and envision the future with more clarity.

SCLERANTHUS “I choose confidently”

Scleranthus is a wonderful herb for transitory periods where you are between two points – the Second Trimester is in the middle of your pregnancy, no longer in the early stages of pregnancy, but not to the point of preparing for labor.  Here is an essence that can help clarify the path ahead and the choices you are making which are defining your upcoming labor, the birth of your child, and the change in your life and family.  Scleranthus strengthens your inner compass, which helps with becoming more decisive, but on a deeper level encourages fuller and more active participation in your unfolding life.

CITRINE “I am energized”

The bright yellow-gold stone of Citrine is your own source of all-natural celestial rocket-fuel!  A radiant burst of energy, Citrine helps to infuse us with optimism not only because we feel energized but because are brightness is being recognized – we feel better understood.  Citrine also helps us to store needed energy and maintain it throughout the day, in part because it encourages laughter which is one of the best ways to recharge tired minds, bodies, and spirits.  Citrine helps you feel the pregnancy glow and polishes off lethargy with flourish!

We carry Lavender and Citrine in our Etsy Shop.  Essences such as Scleranthus can be found from a variety of resources such as the Flower Essence Society and Bach Flower as well as local health food and natural healing stores.

Explore our full series of Flower + Gem Essences for the Pregnancy Journey:

• The First Trimester
• The Second Trimester
• The Third Trimester
• Labor + Birth
• Postpartum - coming soon!

Flower + Gem Essences for the Journey : The First Trimester

Over the next few weeks we’ll be exploring Flower + Gem Essences that are particularly useful during pregnancy, labor and postpartum (to learn more about what Flower + Gem Essences are visit our previous blog post).  The wonderful thing about Flower + Gem Essences is that they are good remedies that, by their very nature, can do no harm which makes them wonderfully safe to take during pregnancy.

Let’s begin by looking at the First Trimester.

Wow, I’m pregnant (!) (?) (.) (!?)

While every pregnancy is different (we’re all unique, folks, it’s true), often during the First Trimester there can be increased emotional and physical sensitivity, sometimes morning sickness, irritability and a vast array of emotions about being pregnant.  The following Essences may be helpful in bringing balance to these various emotional states, ultimately giving space to be able to process what we are feeling and who we are becoming.

MILKWEED       I am nourished

Milkweed is an incredibly nourishing essence, one that feeds the roots of our soul.  For Milkweed, nourishment is getting exactly what we need by being exactly who we are - which is a wonderful lesson in living in maintaining the “I” in the myriad of roles we live as someone’s lover, friend, child, partner and community member.  The first trimester can bring morning sickness, irritability, apprehension, joy, excitement and extra sensitivity – Milkweed is an ally during these early days, helping us to maintain a balance that feeds our spirit in the unique way it needs to be cared for.

CALIFORNIA WILD ROSE       I love expansively

A wonderful heart opener, California Wild Rose helps us to fall in love with the art of everyday living.  The essence of California Wild Rose infuses the spirit with enthusiasm, highlighting the ways that simple tasks such as eating well, resting deep, and laughing often are powerful services towards ourselves, the world and our relationships.  I recommend heart-opening essences and herbs like California Wild Rose during transition phases in our lives because an open heart leads to greater compassion for yourself, your responsibilities and the ones you love during times of change.  California Wild Rose is also wonderful for dealing with fatigue and it helps prepare the body for the journey ahead.

CHAMOMILE       I am bright

Chamomile is a brightening essence, good for morning sickness, and is an excellent remedy for tension.  Soothing and harmonizing, Chamomile helps bring perspective to the day-to-day, helping everyday nuisances slide off your shoulders.  Chamomile is an excellent essence to take throughout your pregnancy and labor.

CERATO       I trust myself

I am including Cerato in our collection of First Trimester essences for those folks who have a lot of self-doubt of their inner knowing and their ability to make good decisions for themselves leading them to over-depend on the advice and recommendations of others.  A great essence for those who often say “I just don’t know” and worry that any decision they do make will ultimately be the “wrong” choice.  Cerato helps grow an inner confidence and shifts the process of decision-making into one full of obstacles to one full of amazing, affirming choices.

We carry Milkweed and Chamomile in our S H O P and essences such as California Wild Rose and Cerato can be found from a variety of resources such as the Flower Essence Society and Bach Flower as well as local health food and natural healing stores.

Explore our full series of Flower + Gem Essences for the Pregnancy Journey:

• The First Trimester
• The Second Trimester
• The Third Trimester
• Labor + Birth
• Postpartum - coming soon!

The Witches Yuletide Ball

In an effort to write more about the things we love (namely herbs, teas and enchantment) and meet other inspired folks out on the webbed-net, we are taking part in The Witches Yuletide Ball hosted by the bloggers over at On the Broomstick and The Witch of Howling Creek.  Our post will be featured at On the Broomstick on December 10th and we'll be sharing what we love about Yule as well as tea and its charm.

What are some of your favorite activities, teas or memories during the winter season?

One of the favorite activities in the Apothecary around Yule is an abundant amount of thrifted, bizarre and glittering Yuletide decorations.  One of our favorite ornaments is a picture painted on a bit of slate of a rather startled-looking snowman dressed up as a moose.  Ah, the memories...  We miss you, Maine!

EDIT: Read the Blog and enter a chance to win our Star of Yule Tea Blend here!

How To Make Tea (and other almost news)

Enjoy the easy reference for making a cuppa loose leaf tea.  Share it with friends if you like, but mostly make sure you enjoy lots of tea and good company.  We're hoping to expand our own tea time company at our new home in Mesa, Arizona.  And the Apothecary may be opening its doors in a more off-line sorta setting.

Good gracious, our tea time possibilities are ever expanding!

We'll let you know more about our adventures in the coming days, but in the meantime Happy Halloween, Blessed Samhain and may you find solace in the darkening season.

Autumnal Equinox: Herbs for Balance

The Autumnal Equinox is a mark of the end of summer and the return of the dark of the year.  From the equal balance of night and day, we now journey towards longer nights until the longest night of all on the Winter Solstice.  The Equinoxes are a time for us to nurture our ability to balance the complexity that makes us who we are - and that is a lot of work!  The Autumnal Equinox is an opportunity to slow down, take a deep breath, honor the work of the year so far and carry summer heat through to winter fires.  We have a few herbs in the Apothecary that we consider great friends during this season as they are particularly inclined to help us find balance during the early days of Autumn.

P.S. Check out our post on recipes for the Autumnal Equinox!

Hawthorn from wikipedia.org

HAWTHORN Crataegus monogyna: We've written about Hawthorn before and using it as part of our Autumn cold and 'flu preventative routine, but we wanted to highlight what makes Hawthorn, especially its berries, such a particularly powerful herbal ally for the Autumnal Equinox.  Hawthorn is an herb of boundaries and perforation, excelling in circulating the energy of the body through all its parts.  As we balance between night, day and the turning of summer to fall, Hawthorn helps us to adapt to change, by addressing and preventing stagnation.

Skullcap from wikipedia.org

SKULLCAP Scutellaria lateriflora: Skullcap and the next herb on our list, Horsetail, are both herbs of Saturn, the planet that works its force most strongly during the Autumnal Equinox.  It is an herb of rest and a nervine that addresses issues such as nervous headaches, anxiety, insomnia and muscle twitches.  Skullcap helps us welcome in the darkening of the year, soothing stress and the tense muscles that sometimes develop when folks pummle through their days and sleep little at night.

Horsetail from wikipedia.org

HORSETAIL Equisetum arvense: A potent source of silica, Horsetail is an ancient plant that helps the body to expel toxins and is a tonic for the kidneys.  While Horsetail is a plant best wildcrafted in the spring, it can be dried or tinctured and used later in the year and is especially strengthening as the seasons turn from the dry of summer to the damp of fall.  It has survived since the time of dinosaurs and can certainly help us move through the turning of the light of  the year to the dark.

Try using these plant allies as teas, tinctures, essences, in baths, hang them about your home and carry them with you to imbue your senses with balance, your spirit with the grace of changing.

P.S. Check out our post on recipes for the Autumnal Equinox!