Darkest Night : A Winter Solstice Tarot Spread

As we celebrate the longest night of the year we have an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our desires as they are reflected back at us by the dark mirror of night. The following spread plays with image of the mirror as well as the promise of growing light, helping us to seed our dreams and plant promises for the months ahead.

1. ASKING. What do I desire but don’t let myself have? Or I’m afraid to have? Or afraid that I’ll never have?

2. GIFTING. What would happen if I let myself receive the gift that I desire?

3. RELEASING. What needs to be released in order for you to make space in your life for your desire?

4. ACCEPTING. What lessons have you learned this past year that have strengthened your desire?

5. DISSONANCE. What is something that is dissonant in your life and is causing disharmony?

6. RESONANCE. What is something that is resonant in your life and causes harmony?

7. GUIDING STAR. A message of clarity to guide you on your path of desire.

8. SEEDING STAR. Something that should be “planted” that shall seed your desire. Your seed might be a practice, a move, a business change, or something else, that helps you grow into your desire over the coming months.

Looking for more magickally-inspired Tarot spreads? 

You're invited to peruse my tarot + divination series. Or do you want to learn about herbalism and tarot? Check out my in-depth ecourse - The Tarot Apothecary. Find all the tarot spreads in my Wheel of the Year series via the links below:

• Hallowing: Samhain Spread

• Quickening: Imbolc Spread

• Brightening: Spring Equinox Spread

• Fire + Fields: Beltane Spread

• Bonfire Offerings: Summer Solstice Spread

• First Harvest: Lammas

• Balancing: Autumn Equinox Spread

Snowfall : A Simple Yule Tea

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

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

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

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

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

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

Snowfall Tea

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

Blend together the following dried herbs:

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

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

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

Adaptogens for Radiant Health (+ A Giveaway!)

I got sent a copy of Indie Herbalist Agatha Noveille's newest book, Adaptogens: 75+ Herbal Recipes + Elixirs to Improve Your Skin, Mood, Energy, Focus, and More!, in exchange for an honest review. And, holy heck, I'm so glad I agreed because - spoiler alert! - this is one of my new favorite recipe books! Even better - I have an extra copy to giveaway to a special reader.

Do you have a book, tarot or oracle deck, herbal remedy that you're interested in having me review? Get in touch!

I became familiar with Agatha's work earlier this year and I admire her clear, no-fuss approach to herbalism. She's written a number of ebooks, but Adaptogens is her first print book. Now, before we get any further into the review, let me be real honest here. I was a bit worried that I was going to receive another recipe book that was ok but uninspired, filled with recipes that I've seen before and none venturing beyond the standard tea, tincture, and salve variety.

Thank goodness, Agatha's book is nothing of the sort. Within minutes of receiving it I had already marked it up with post-it notes on recipes I couldn't wait to try. Friends, the sheer variety of recipes within here is impressive. New herbalists will be exposed to the wonderful diversity of herbal remedy making while folks who've been in the game for a while will still find something interesting and compelling. 

But let's backtrack. What the heck are adaptogens?

From the back of Agatha's book:

Adaptogens belong to a unique class of herbs that greatly improves your body's reaction to emotional and physical stress while increasing your energy, stamina, endurance, and mental clarity.

Adaptogens have grown in popularity in the past few years within the herbal community and slowly and steadily beyond the apothecaries of practitioners. Sometimes talk about adaptogens gets in the realm of magic pills - that they'll somehow fix everything if you just take a dozen a day. Agatha's book doesn't fall into this trap, but instead introduces adaptogenic herbs as something to be incorporated thoughtfully into your daily nourishment practice. In other words, less magic pills and more nourishing companions.

Adaptogens lend themselves well to a variety of creative recipes and working with them in this way is a pleasure. Rather than another expensive vitamin pill to pop or a bitter-tasting herbal extract to pinch your nose and toss back, you can experiment with tasty teas, yummy syrups, or fun and interesting snacks to incorporate adaptogens into your life. (Adaptogens, 8)

More about adaptogens from Agatha:

By 1968, Israel I. Brekhman, PhD, and Dr. I.V. Dardymov had developed the functional definition that has evolved into the concepts about adaptogens that we know today. According to the definition used by Brekhman and Dardymov:

1. An adaptogen is nontoxic to the recipient.
2. An adaptogen produces a nonspecific response in the body - an increase in the power of resistance against multiple stressors including physical, chemical, or biological agents.
3. An adaptogen has a normalizing influence on physiology, irrespective of the direction of change from physiological norms caused by the stressor. (Adaptogens, 13)

In short, adaptogens help us to adapt to stress.

Agatha explores 24 different adaptogens in her book from classic Ayurvedic adaptogens like Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) to Traditional Chinese Medicine herbs like Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsis) and Traditional Western herbs like Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). She also covers skills, supplies, and safety measurements needed to proceed with making your own recipes.

Now for a bit of a nerdy herbal aside: there has been a new resurgence of interest amongst Traditional Western Herbalists on making extracts via percolation versus the more commonly taught maceration (in which you stick herbs and menstruum in a jar and let it, well, macerate for a few weeks). As someone who doesn't make a lot of alcohol extracts to begin with I typically use the maceration technique, but after reading Agatha's introduction to percolation, I can't wait to give the technique a try! I'll post my experiments with the method in the months to come.

Agatha has recipes for sodas, truffles, teas, herbal oils, powders, salves, puddings, and a whole lot more. 75+ recipes is no lie.

I chose one recipe to test out - the Beauty Breakfast Bowl Sprinkle. I happened to have the herbs needed in stock in my home apothecary and the recipe features three herbs I love to use regularly anyways.  Lots of folks are familiar with Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.) and Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum), but He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) is typically less recognized outside of the herbal world. Let's take a look at what Agatha has to say about the herb:

He shou wu means "black haired Mr. He." Mr. He is credited with the discovery of this herbs' properties. There is a lot of fantastic and bizarre lore around this herb if you look back in the ancient literature. (As an example, the root of a 300-year-old he shou wu plant is said to bestow immortality).

Regardless of some of the wilder claims surrounding this herb in traditional medicine, it is also used for tamer purposes such as nourishing the kidneys and liver and improving weakness and fatigue, lower back pain, dizziness, insomnia, and erectile dysfunction. It was also used in "hit medicine" formulas by martial artists that were applied topically. In traditional Japanese herbalism it is used for constipation and inflammatory conditions of the intestines.

Modern applications of the herb are similar, including dizziness, ringing in the ears, anemia, low back pain, and premature greying; it is used as a men's fertility herb, and in some cases fro women's reproductive health as well. (Adaptogens, 47)

I have found that folks who experience dizziness as a symptom of their fatigue and overwork to be a sign that He Shou Wu might be useful. The herb is wonderfully gentle and doesn't overstimulate while still improving energy levels. I am particularly fond of He Shou Wu mixed with Cacao (Theobroma cacao), so I was interested to try it with a naturally sweet but spicy blend.

Beauty Breakfast Bowl Sprinkle

The Beauty Breakfast Bowl Sprinkle is a balancing kidney tonic which helps us to cultivate vigor, clear-headedness, healthy hair, and happy bones. You can add it to breakfast porridge, oatmeal, or yogurt. I like adding some to smoothies, too!

Yields 3 Tablespoons of Spice Blend

• 1 tablespoon of goji berries
• 1 tablespoon of he shou wu
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon

How to Make

1. Combine the powdered goji berries, powdered he shou wu, and powdered cinnamon in a small glass canning jar.
2. Put the lid on the jar and gently shake the jar to combine all of the ingredients. Let the powder settle to the bottom of the jar before you open it again.
3. Put a few teaspoons of your spice into a salt or pepper shaker, or leave all of it in the jar, whichever you prefer.
4. Apply a label to the jar and store it with the other blends in your spice cabinet.

The Beauty Breakfast Bowl Sprinkle is easy to make and a lot of fun to use! It's naturally sweet, but with the spiciness of Cinnamon (which I love), and the neutral tasting He Shou Wu means that it is easy to add to most breakfast foods without becoming overbearing. Yum!

Agatha's Adaptogens: 75+ Herbal Recipes + Elixirs to Improve Your Skin, Mood, Energy, Focus, and More! is a great book that I'll happily recommend to students and peers for years to come.

My copy is already becoming well loved and worn as I continue to create Agatha's delicious recipes. The great news is that you can buy a copy for yourself and herbally curious companions! Even greater news is that you can also enter below to win a copy from me! You have to live in the USA to enter and the winner will be announced December 15.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Big Strength : The Super Moon in Taurus

The following is an excerpt from my exclusive bi-monthly newsletter for the Lunar Apothecary. Each month I explore moon signs, mansions, and phases, herbal remedies, and magickal practices. And because Worts + Cunning Apothecary is grounded in the work of social justice, we talk about healing with a wide-hearted view of healing the personal, the cultural, and our planet as a whole. Enjoy!

2016. Damn.

The world is rumbling. Unions between nations are coming undone. Hatefulness no longer attempts to hide itself behind the falseness of civility in the politics of my home country (and, let's be real, the politicians in the USA haven't even been doing that good of a job at holding on to what scrap civility was left in politics for a long while). 

And yet, are we surprised?

Let's get Taurean about this for a moment. Taurus is the sign of the long haul, not the short cut. It's guardian is Venus - a planet invested in harmonious relationships between all beings gained through fairness and justice. For Taurus Moonfolk, their energy in times of crisis can be about waiting it out, storing up for a long winter, and making sure that the greenhouse is in good shape. You see, archetypal Taurean energy has already been prepared for the possibility of an unapologetic bigot in one of the most powerful political positions in the world. Because they have watched the way that the garden has struggled to grow in the soil of poisoned policies and rhetoric. How the water is drying up as politicians and people around the world deny the urgency of climate change. How the continued disenfranchisement of the poor has led to the easy path of hatred of the "other."

Taurus embodies the phrase I've seen over and over again to describe feelings about the results of the USA election: disappointed but not surprised.

image by chelsea bock

Taurus promises strength through getting grounded and preparing for the long journey ahead. Typically, when the Moon is in Taurus it is an ideal time to practice grounding and centering magick and planting seeds into the earth. But the upcoming Full Moon in Taurus has a number of interesting aspects that change-up the grounded certainty of the Bull.

First, the Full Moon is the second-to-last Super Moon of 2016. But, what is a Super Moon? It signifies when the Moon's position is closer to the earth than is typical, which means that our beloved Luna appears bigger and brighter in the sky. The Taurus Super Moon will be the biggest and brightest since 1948 and it won't be this size again until 2034 (check out NASA for further details). So already there is an expansion of energy with this Moon. Second, the Full Moon will be in the Fifth Mansion. The Fifth Mansion straddles the last part of Taurus into the next sign, Gemini. While Taurus likes long stubborn silences, Gemini is interested in talking it out. The Fifth Mansion pulls the energy of Taurus up from the its comfortable seat of garden-groundedness into big celestial vision. 

In fact, the Fifth Mansion embodies the energy of grieve and then organize. Shed your tears and then rise up. For it is our tears water the soil of our resistance and run like blood through the heart of our fight. And that is what it looks like when Taurus and Gemini get together to make change happen. That is your invitation, Luna, for this most wondrous of Super Moons in a time of upheaval - cast the net of your vision wider than the familiar scope of your garden without forgetting your love of your feet upon the earth. This Taurus Super Moon teaches us that the bigness our strength emerges not from hunkering down and turning the curve of our back into a shield, but in throwing wide our arms and embracing our vision of ourselves as whole and seen and heard.

Ask yourself this Super Moon: 

What vision gives you strength?

image by gor davtyan

So, let's talk about remedies for folks who are feeling traumatized and re-traumatized by world events. 

Bach Rescue Remedy is amazing. I keep multiple bottles on hand to give to folks. (If you don't know already, the Rescue Remedy essence that you by in shops is a stock bottle meaning that you can use it to create dosage bottles.) Milky Oat (Avena sativa) is my go-to nervine. Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is another good one, especially when someone is running through the same thoughts over and over again. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has become my favorite adaptogenic herb. It is especially wonderful in the evenings mixed with some milk of choice and sweetened with honey (or vegan alternative). Use it to help mellow out the overactive adrenaline responses so many are having as minds and bodies go into flight-or-fight survival mode. Rose (Rosa spp.) always for times of heartbreak. The Rose is a Venusian herb and therefore, a Taurus one, too. The Full Moon in Taurus is a good time to create your emotional first-aid kit, so consider doing so under the rapture of the Moon's glow.

If you're looking for inspiration for an emotional first-aid kit why not start with the Plant Ally Project: Indispensable Herb List? You can also learn more about the astroherbology of Taurus, including the parts of the body that Taurus guards and recommended herbs. And if you're looking for a healing space to call home while learning herbal medicine and magick, you should check this out.

Wishing you big strength on this most bright of super moons.

How to Support an Herbal Call-to-Action

Edit: Since I wrote this post I’ve created an ongoing resource on herbal call-to-actions and other community organizing needs.

I've enjoy sending (and bringing) herbal remedies to protests and community apothecaries. Answering an herbal call-to-action is a simple way to support community and grow the revolution towards a more kind and more just society. Many of my herbal peers do the same, but this summer there was some of the largest outpouring of herbal support that I have seen in recent years. There were call-to-actions spurred on by the Orlando Grief Care Project in response to the Pulse massacre, multiple for local Black Lives Matter groups, and later by the needs of the ongoing Standing Rock Camp.

First, let's take a moment to appreciate the time, energy, and sheer will of organizing that the Orlando Grief Care Project continues to maintain. The original call for donations to create herbal care packages for friends, family, first responders, and other community members in the wake of the the Pulse nightclub shooting has transformed into the Herbal Action Network (you should join!). I'm really excited to see the direction that the Herbal Action Network is headed in and hopefully it means that there is an easier and more effective way to alert the vast, diverse, and awesome herbal community of call-to-action needs.

Read the Call to Action Carefully

Communities know what they need and if they have put together a specific list of requests as well as instructions for proper packaging, mailing, etc. then please make their jobs that much easier by following their guidelines. The healers and medics at Standing Rock Camp, for example, requested alcohol-free remedies to support the rules of the camp. The Orlando Grief Care Project requested Bach Rescue Remedy and Rose-based remedies. Our work as herbal support is to reduce the amount of work that the organizing team is having to do. Pay attention to the details!

Choose Accessible + Appropriate Remedies

If you have read the call-to-action, then hopefully you will know what sort of situation your donations will be headed to. Is it a mobile street medic operation? A long-standing clinic? Is the purpose to have clients come and see herbalists or for herbalists to go out and distribute remedies to the community? When I have donated to up-and-coming or already established location-based apothecaries I'll send larger 4 to 8 ounce jars of liquid extracts or bulk bags of herbs. If, in the case of the Orlando Grief Project, I know that the remedies are being put in care packages, I made sure to prepare and send easily distributed remedies in individual-use packaging.

Unless requested, I don't send herbs that require greater attention and expertise regarding dosage such as Lobelia (Lobelia inflata) or Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). I stick to herbs that are generally considered safe such as Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Elder (Sambucus nigra), Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Rose (Rosa damascena) to name just a few.

Hot Tip! Whenever making good first-aid and crisis care type remedies for yourself, your business or community, make a few extra to keep on hand to mail out quickly when a call-to-action arises.

Limit Packaging Waste + Keep It Organized

Regarding packaging waste, be mindful of where you are sending your box. If you're sending it to an encampment with limited trash management capabilities, be as streamlined and minimal in your packaging as possible. Write letters of support on the inner flaps and walls of the box, for example, so as not to include access paper waste.

If I am sending multiple packages at once I will label the outside of the boxes "Box 1 of 3" and so on, so that the organizing team has a quick visual clue that they should be expecting more than one package from me. It it also nice for when boxes are being quickly organized and stored.  

I know what it is like to receive a well-packed and organized package for an event versus a chaotic cacophony of stuff. Remember that we are wanting what we send to feel supportive, inspiring, and help the organizing team feel good as well as serve those who need help.

Label Clearly

Poorly labeled remedies are such a waste and add extra work to the organizing team. Employing clear labeling practices is an easy way to prevent a lot of confusion. Here is what a clear and useful label should contain:

• Name of remedy

• Common and latin binomial name of every herb contained

• Any additional contents such as type of alcohol, water, glycerin, etc.

• Date made and best used by date

• Brief instructions on use

  • Sometimes this does not fit on a label, so I will include a handout (or handouts if herbal care packages are being made) on recommended use.

• Your name and contact information (such as a website)

Hot Tip! Have a base label ready to go either printed out for you to fill in by hand with all of the above information or one that can easily be filled out on your computer and printed. 

Promote!

Whether or not you send remedies, promoting the call-to-action is vital in making sure that the herbal community knows that help is needed and for those who need help to know that they have resources they can access. You don't have to be an herbalist to promote and it is of immense help to those of us who have less time to do it because we are actively making remedies to send.

One great way of promoting and making remedies to send is to have a remedy-making party. Invite over friends and family, educate them about the call-to-action and then teach them how to make a simple remedy that everyone can then recreate then and there in bulk. It is a fun community-building way to educate and disseminate resources!

Have any other tips for supporting an herbal call-to-action? Leave your hot tips and insights in the comments below!