Winter Warmer : A Gentle Adaptogenic Bitters Brew

I was trading for a tarot deck (something which I love to do) and needed to come up with an herbal remedy as part of the deal. Looking at my tincture cabinet a glowing yellow extract sang out - use me! It was my batch of fresh Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) alcohol extract and from there I created a warming winter potion that has become one of my favorite seasonal remedies.

The winter time can be full of all sorts of enchantment. There's merriment to be had, good food to eat, dark skies to cuddle under, hot drinks to be drunk. And there's also family (for better or for worse), way too much emphasis on consumerism (rather than true giving), and it can be really, really cold (which can be hard on our sweet humxn bodies). 

What I like about my Winter Warmer blend is that it brings heat to the body while also helping out our nervous system and supporting our digestive health. One remedy, many uses - just how I like them. With only a few ingredients, it's easy to make, but the key is to use fresh Ginger to get that delicious spicy bite (don't worry though - I've adjusted the recipe if you only have dried Ginger on hand).

Image by Ian Schneider

Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) is a warming stimulant most often used in traditional western herbalism to energize a sluggish circulatory system. It assists with indigestion by waking up our internal digestive fires and clearing out stagnation. I like adding Ginger into blends where I want to break up some tension (hello family during the winter holidays) and find that the herb works well with other classic nervines like Milky Oat.

Milky Oat (Avena sativa) is my most favorite nervine. I love Milky Oat. I love standing in fields of it during the spring. I love it's milky green color when prepared fresh as a tea or as a tincture. I love the way that it feels like an infusion of cozy vibes straight to the nervous system. Milky Oat is one of those food-type herbs that is best taken over an extended period of time to really gain benefits from use. And beyond just working on the physical nervous system, it works on our energetic nerves, too, helping to retrain the ways we choose to take on or let go of stress. A beautiful ally all year round! Read the full Milky Oat plant profile.

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) is an adaptogen that I reach for often because it works well for old folks, young folks, and all of us in-between. It's great for adrenal stress (especially when there are signs of disturbed sleep and brain fog) and it has the added benefit of environmental protectiveness, especially against radiation pollution. What I like about Eleuthero is that it is a gentler adaptogen - it's not too stimulating and can be used for the long-term as an everyday tonic. It's one of the herbs that teaches us a lot when it comes to understanding what being healthy and centered really feels like, helping us to shift away from the idea that adaptogens are "super herbs" (all herbs are super) that will hype us up and fix all our problems. If your life feels too fast, then you might want to try slow remedies like Eleuthero to get yourself re-centered for long-term, sustainable wellbeing.

Winter Warmer
A Gentle Adaptogenic Bitters Brew

Combine the following herbs if you are making a tincture from scratch or blend individual tinctures if you have them already made up:

• 4 parts Fresh Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• 2 parts dried Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus)

• 1 part Fresh Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) or 2 parts Dried Ginger

• 1 part Maple Syrup (optional but super yummy)

Brew as a tincture (you can use the folk method or a 1:5 ratio would be just fine). You can make this into a tea - but note that I've not created this recipe with the taste in tea form in mind (though it would probably be quite nice).

Winter Warmer is a great remedy to take before and after meals, but I find myself taking 3 - 5 drops throughout my day when I feel I need a little extra support during the cold of the yuletide season.

Be sure to share your Winter Warmer creations and the other ways you keep it simple at during the season of Yule with the hashtag #ASimpleYule. I'd love to see the ways you're keeping cozy and content this winter.

What are herbs that you can't do without in the winter? Let me know in the comments. If you're looking for more winter inspiration holy heck do I have you covered. Check out my other winter-inspired resources:

• Snowfall: A Simple Yule Tea

• Creating a Winter Apothecary

• Winter Wellness: Healing Herbs for the Dark of the Year

• The Longest Night: Herbs for the Winter Solstice Season

• Winter Solstice: Recipes of Mirth + Brightness

If you're looking for herbal gifts for giving, look no further.

Happy wintering!

The Twelve Houses of Rest: Find Your Sweet Spot For Restorative Healing

It’s a Full Moon in Taurus tonight and I’m thinking of rest. I’m thinking of how rest is an act of resistance. How taking time for self-care is radical and necessary. I’m thinking of how I resist taking time off, playing into the dominant paradigm that busy-ness means you’re useful, you’re worthy, you’re doing something with your time. 

Holy Goddess, I'm done with resisting the necessity of rest. 

Recently in my bi-monthly newsletter to members of The Lunar Apothecary I wrote about the Twelve Houses of the zodiac and how they relate to rest. I’m bringing it to you now because I think it’s a simple way to create some custom care for your whole self.

If you haven’t yet, go ahead and pull up your birth chart (you can get a free one at astro.com). For those familiar with astrology, I use the whole house system when calculating my charts as this is the system that our medical astrology ancestors would have used and I find it to be the most useful in my practice. 

Photo by Annie Spratt

What are the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac?

The Houses represent different areas of experience within our lives from our ideas about our individuality, to our work life, relationships of all sorts, spiritual endeavors, and more.  Every planet and sign on your birth chart fall within a House. If the planets and signs are signposts on the map of your being, the Houses are the map itself.

When you have more than one planet in a House that can be an area of influence and importance in your life. For our purposes we’ll be focusing on the Moon’s position in your birth chart and what it says about your unique need for rest.

The Moon in the Houses

If you’ve signed-up for my Magick Mail newsletter, you’ll already have gotten access to my handout on the meaning of the Moon in each of the Twelve Houses. In general, the Moon highlights the emotional current of whatever House it's in (whether your natal Moon or a progressed Moon). But the Moon is the planet of rest and sleep (paired with Neptune) and it can be a sacred roadside indicating the way we need to rest. 

Look at your birth chart and find the symbol of the Moon on it. Notice what house it is in. In the chart below the Moon is in the Eleventh House. The Eleventh House is all about social groups, community, where we feel at home outside of our home, chosen family. In the Eleventh House The Moon focuses on or reveals how our individual emotional reality is connected to the shared emotional experience of the community at large. The Moon highlights what type of community we need to feel emotionally fulfilled, seen, and held. 

But what about rest? Usually, the gift of rest in each of the Houses is a break from whatever area of life that they represent. You can be a passionate entrepreneur but you still need a break from work to keep that passion well-cared for. You can be in the best, most romantic relationship, but you still need some alone time to recalibrate.

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The Houses of Rest

Once you have located the position of the Moon on your birth chart, you can refer to the following list for a simple reminder on one important way that you need to rest:

First House: Rest Yourself (i.e. stop worrying about others and focus on you slowing down)

Second House: Rest from Acquiring (i.e. buying things or acquiring "likes")

Third House: Rest from Social Media (and/or Studying, School, Learning)

Fourth House: Rest from or with Family

Fifth House: Rest from Making + Creating + Childcare (if applicable)

Sixth House: Rest from Day-to-Day Regime

Seventh House: Rest from Relationships (i.e. take some alone time)

Eighth House: Rest from Emotional Labor

Ninth House: Rest from Travel (including commutes + philosophical wanderings)

Tenth House: Rest from Work

Eleventh House: Rest from Service + Social Events

Twelfth House: Rest from Seriousness (i.e. go and play!)

You can also apply this list to the current Moon and learn what it is right now you should take a rest from. Tonight’s Full Moon is in Taurus at 11 degrees and 58 seconds. On our sample chart that would put the Moon in the Third House. The Third House represents learning, education, exchange of information, and social networks. The Third House Moon focuses on or reveals the ways we learn best in order to express ourselves emotionally. Additionally, the Moon in the Third House focuses on or reveals how we want to be cared for by our social networks or community. For our sample chart, there is a wonderful synchronicity between their natal Moon and the current Moon. A break is called for from social media and perhaps even social events. 

Photo by Giulia Bertelli

Herbs for Rest

What herbs support our journey of rest? Relaxing nervines are generally a good place to start and many of them are lunar in nature. Milky Oat (Avena sativa) is a favorite of mine. Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) helps move energy out of the head and into the body if you tend to overthink and analyze instead of relaxing. Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is relaxing and an excellent herbal ally for sleep. California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Rose (Rosa spp.), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), and Lavender (Lavandula spp.) are other restful options.

You can use these restful herbs in evening teas, herbal baths, and emotional bitters.

Using the Moon as our guide we can chart a path to a calm place of rest and rejuvenation. What House does your Moon fall in? Let me know in the comments. Want more Moon magick in your life? Come this way.

Blessed resting!

Radical Harmony : The New Moon in Libra

Take a sledgehammer
to the statue
they have erected of you
fashioned by their own fancies
of how you should look,
who you should be.
Do not
ask for permission.

Smash it
into a thousand shoulds
you sweep into the dustpan.
Then stand naked
in front of your own mirror
and dress
in your softest words
of wisdom
whispering
from within.

- Kaveria Patel -

The New Moon in Libra takes to the night sky like a scythe. It is the season of Samhain (and by some calculations, Lunar Samhain) and Libra’s guardian planet of Venus arises in their form as Crone. We need the slow rumination and depth work of the Crone now more than ever in our time of quick clicks, soundbites, and the constant fear that you might not be keeping up, doing enough, being aware enough.

Libra is a sign of harmony and it’s symbol the scales of justice. The voice of Libra this season moves away from the common Libran question of “Is it fair?” to a Libra which shouts, “No justice! No peace!” For justice should be a tool of harmony and from the harmonization of conflict we hopefully arrive at the Libran vision of peace. This is the Crone’s path of unbridled, shape-shifting, core-changing harmony. As it is the season of Samhain, we must remember that it is a traditional time of reconciliation at the Witch’s New Year approaches. And what is harmony but a radical reconciliation of all our parts into an whole?

Image by Ryan Holloway

At the New Moon in Libra we have an opportunity to change that which needs changing in order to align our inner values with our outer actions. Libra is an cardinal air sign which means that it brings an energy of new starts and momentum to our lives. In pursuit of a life that feels just, that works for peace, and that feels like there is harmony between all parts of who you are,  you are being asked to not depend on what others say or think you should be doing but to instead listen deeply and unflinchingly within for that which you know needs changing. Because the Crone doesn’t do what she does because she’s worried about getting dragged on twitter. The Crone builds mountains and tears down walls because they are connected to the certainty of who they are and their purpose. Are you?

Elder (Sambucus nigra)
The New Moon in Libra Plant Ally

I’ve written about Elder many a time on this blog and it’s one of the herbs I recommend working with during for Samhain. And I just used it in my most recent tea recipe. So, I’m going to depart from the norm in this part of the New Moon Healer’s Project and focus solely on the magickal and spiritual gifts of Elder. 

Elder is traditionally classified as an herb of Venus. I see it specifically as an herb of Venus in Crone form. If you have worked with Elder, you’ve most likely met the fierce guardian spirit of the plant. As humxns we have been cultivating and using Elder since the stone age. She has raised us, kept us well, set boundaries to help keep us safe. The Elder has a decidedly take-no-fools attitude combined with a generosity of healing that is immeasurable. To sit with Elder is to say, “Ok, I don’t just want to get rid of this head cold - I want to learn about the coldness that haunts me in my heart.” And off you’ll go between the worlds (for Elder is a guardian of the gates between the worlds) and between your words and between the places you thought forgotten. 

If you’re ready to take up the scythe of the Crone in your life and cut away that which no longer serves you, add a jar of Elder berries to your altar. Sit with the Elder tree if you have one growing near you. Know that the Elder one will protect you on your journeying, but once you start down the path you must see it through to the end. For that is the promise of the Elder Mother - they’ll never abandon you, but they also won’t allow you to abandon yourself. 

Flower + Gem Essences for the New Moon of Libra : Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Rabbit Orchid (Thelymitra antennifera), Vervain (Verbena officinalis), Yarrow (Alchillea millefolium), Agate, Peridot, Smokey Quartz, Rose Quartz.

Essential Oils of Libra : Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum),Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens), Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii).

Photo by Oscar Keys

Cutting Cords Ritual

Whether on the New Moon or at Samhain, perform this ritual to cut away that which no longer serves you. Be the Crone in your own life and stand on the foundation of who you want to be, not who you’re expected to be.

If you have a sacred blade, scissors (silver is best) or athame, you may use those in this ritual, but they are not necessary. Begin in a sacred way (read the New Moon in Aquarius post for further inspiration). Once grounded and centered within yourself, start to whisper:

Crone, Wise Elder,
Reveal to me
Those things which I carry
unnecessarily.

Continuing to whisper the chant, hold your hands a few inches above your body, start to move them in slow sweeping motions over all of your parts. You are feeling for the knots of energy that you carry which mark a burden that you carry that you can now release. When you find one of these knots of energy, pause from saying the chant and if you have it, take up your athame, scissors or blade. Or extend your pointer and middle finger out from your hand like a blade. Imagine slicing through the knot while saying:

I cut away that
which is no longer needed
Your presence in my life
has been completed

Repeat this charm two more times and end with a “So Mote It Be.” You can continue to say the first chant and scan your body for more knots, cutting cords as many times as is necessary. Once the rite is done, thank the Crone in your way and be sure to spend time doing gentle self-care or going to bed for the night. 

The World Spirit Tarot

Oracle

With a divinatory tool of your choosing ask the following question. You can also ponder it during meditation or through journaling.

How do I give my self-worth away?

Additional queries to consider:

• Where in my life to I bow to public pressure?
• What do I need to give up in order to be more me?

Tarot Cards of Libra

Every card within the tarot deck has an astrological association. The following correspondences follow the system laid out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. You can add these cards to your altar as part of your New Moon in Libra magick or use them in readings to help with determining celestial influence or timing (i.e. this will come to pass at when the Moon is in Libra).

• The Sign of Libra: Justice
• Moon in Libra: Two of Swords
• Saturn in Libra: Three of Swords
• Jupiter in Libra: Four of Swords
• The Air Signs of Gemini, Libra, + Aquarius: Ace of Swords

Find all of the New Moon Healers Project posts right over here. Be sure to share your insights and experiences in the comments below or via instagram with the tag #NewMoonHealersProject.

Need more astroherbology in your life? You can learn more about the astroherbology of Libra by reading my in-depth profile on the sign. Check out the magick of each phase of the Moon. For those of you ready to learn how to live your magick and create your herbal remedies by the cycle of Moon and star, you're invited to join the The Lunar Apothecary.

Blessed New Moon, wise healers.
May your healing be healing to us all.
May our healing be healing to you.
Blessed be! Blessed be! Blessed be!

The Woods at Samhain : A Cold Care Tea Recipe

I feel that the best way to treat a cold is to prevent one. But when I do catch a cold I try to work with my body’s natural healing mechanism to clear out viruses and infections. I do that by reaching for herbs that help strengthen immunity and support my ability to self-heal. When autumn and early winter roll around I always make sure to have a rotation of warming teas stocked in my apothecary cupboard, including the one that follows.

My most recent cold care brew combines herbs of Libra (the sign that the Sun is for the majority of the time between Mabon and Samhain) with a nod to Samhain magick. And it uses just three herbs all of which are considered generally safe for most folks. The tea has a woodsy, comforting taste and smell making me think of gatherings of Witchkin and their familiars in secret forest circles. My hope is that The Woods At Samhain tea will help you prevent or overcome any sort of cold that comes your way so you don’t miss your coven gatherings.

Image via freestocks.org

The Woods at Samhain
Cold Care Tea Blend

In addition to making a great tea blend, The Woods at Samhain would also make an effective tincture. For extra magick, brew it when the Moon is in the sign of Libra to help bring harmony into your life.

Combine together the following three herbs:

• 4 parts Wood Betony (Stachys hyssopifolia)
• 4 parts Elder Berry (Sambucus nigra)
• 1/2 part Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Wood Betony (Stachys hyssopifolia) : I only started working with Wood Betony and one of the things I love about this herb is it’s taste - it is reminiscent of black tea without the caffeine. Wood Betony has long been used in traditional western herbalism, whether as an Anglo-Saxon charm of protection or as a well-regarded panacea. Within our blend, Wood Betony helps clear out congestion in the head, whether from respiratory infection or from anxiety and stress which has brought on brain fog. It also helps with sore throats, headaches, and general aches and pains that come along with having a head cold. 

Elder Berries (Sambucus nigra) : If I could only choose one herb to use for colds and ‘flus, it would be Elder. I can attest to the incredible preventative and healing power of Elder - it’s an incredible Crone of Medicine tree. In fact, Elder was one of the first herbs I wrote about on this here blog and you can read more about it’s healing gifts here.

Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) : Anise Hyssop is a delightfully aromatic herb that officially falls under Mercury when it comes to planetary guardianship, but it is still an Air herb (Libra is an Air sign) and it’s sweet fragrance ties it to Venus, too. Medicinally, Anise Hyssop soothes sore throats, calms coughs, and relieves indigestion. It also lends our tea a naturally sweet flavor.

Recommended Dosage: 1 teaspoon tea per 8 ounces of water. 3 - 4 cups daily when you have a cold. 1 - 2 cups daily for prevention. Brew for 10 - 15 minutes or longer.

If you’re looking for more recipes for Samhain (including my other favorite cold care tea, Witch’s Delight) be sure to check out my ebook, The Haunted Apothecary. From a cold care elixir straight from the cauldron to a herbal powder for the brain so good it'll have zombies salivating, The Haunted Apothecary is full of some of my favorite and most used recipes.

Have you worked with any of the herbs listed above? Or do you have your own favorite cold care botanicals? Let me know in the comments!

Between the Light : An Introduction to Tarot Shadow Work

In the northern hemisphere we are in a time of growing shadows. The Sun's light is nearly harvested after Lughnasadh and Mabon. The fields are turning into the barren valleys of the Crone. 

As a practitioner of an earth-based spirituality, my personal daily practice is cyclical and seasonal (my Witchcraft + Weeds series is a great insight into the ways that I change my practice based on the seasons). As I prepare for the new year at Samhain, I follow the patterns of life and death that I see happening all around me. As the sun rises lower each day and the nights stretch on and no, the emerging shadows remind me of my own. 

Shadow work is the process of exploring the hidden parts of ourselves that affect our daily life in ways that we’d rather they not. Our shadow hides old wounds that haven’t quite healed and ways that past injuries have turned into present anxieties. Internalized and unexpressed pain find a home in the shadow.

Find part two of my shadow work series over here.

The shadow is actually an ally - but it can be hard to see it that way. Our shadow attempts to hide pain from us to protect us from feeling hurt. Hidden pain, though, becomes more powerful over time. Doing shadow work can be like meeting the monster under your bed -it's a creature that has terrified you all of these years but you come to find out that you had put them there in the first place. We often forget the origins of our shadows, because that is the nature of our mind, which is why spending time exploring our shadows when the veil between the worlds thins (including our inner worlds) can be so beneficial. 

I was first introduced to a structured form of shadow work via Christine Jette’s book Tarot Shadow Work: Using the Dark Symbols to Heal. It was the second book on tarot that I ever read and I dutifully worked through the exercises so that I could understand my inner psyche (oh, the ambitions of a thirteen year old witch). I learned some valuable skills that not only helped me in the confusing and complex years of teenage-hood, but the shadow is something I’m always looking for in my work with others (hello, lunar magick). Our shadows represent an opportunity for integration and finding the ways to help us match up our inner landscape with our actions in the world. 

Simple Shadow Work

Since it is the season of growing dark, what follows are a series of simple practices to introduce you to the tradition of shadow work. I hope you find that the practice brings you as much insight as it has me. And if you want more shadow work techniques, be sure to subscribe to my Magick Mail where you’ll get access to my member’s only site where I’ve posted additional resources for free (including my tarot spread for haunted hearts and clearing out old emotional ghosts). 

Meeting Your Shadow Card

I love this practice! I believe I first learned it not from a tarot book but from the guidebook to Brian Froud’s The Faerie Oracle written by Jessica Macbeth (again, going down memory lane this was my first oracle deck I ever owned and it’s simply lovely). The exercise of finding and meeting your Shadow Card is simple but amazing to do. 

When many of us get a new tarot or oracle deck, we search through the cards noticing on the ones that speak to us and that we resonate with. We like to find our favorite cards. When seeking your Shadow Card you’re invited to look through your deck, but now you’re seeking the card that you like the least.

I encourage you to choose only one card. There are going to be multiple cards in the deck that you find challenging, but one of the gifts of shadow work is learning how to focus and narrow your gaze.

When you have chosen your least favorite card in the deck, spend time meditating on or journaling about the following questions:

• What don’t I like about this card?

• How does it make me feel?

• Are there certain symbols, expressions or characters in this card that I find hard?

• Does this card come up often for me or rarely in my readings?

Make sure to finish your session with your Shadow Card by asking yourself the following two questions:

• If I see this card as a true friend and teacher, what changes?

• What does this card tell me about myself?

I recommend doing this exercise annually in the season of Samhain as your Shadow Card will often change. This is also a great practice to do at any time of the year if you’re having trouble pinpointing what it is that is bothering you in general or in a particular life situation. It’s also a fantastic practice to do in community and I highly recommend gathering together with your friends and finding your Shadow Cards together (preferably while drinking tea).

If you’re interested in more tarot shadow work, be sure to sign up for my Magick Mail and get access to my Haunted Hearts tarot spread for free in the members-only Magick Mail Apothecary.

A Ritual of Reconciliation

As it is the Witch’s New Year, Samhain is a traditional time for reconciling differences between individuals. One of the ways that reconciliation is made possible is through sincere apologies. But apologizing can be hard, especially when our shadows prevent us from feeling sincere in owning up to our mistakes. 

Consider a place in your life that requires reconciliation. If there is nothing recent, think about something from further into your past. It should be a situation in which an apology on your part feels difficult. 

Pulling out your journal or a pen and paper, write about why you don’t want to apologize. 

It wasn’t that big of a deal.

Well, they behaved worse than me.

I don’t see what I did wrong.

Why can’t we just forget about it and move on?

When you have a series of reason why you don’t want to apologize, begin to look at them one -by-one to find the shadow beneath (you can pull a card or two for each if that helps). For a moment, put trying to determine who is “right” and “wrong,” and focus on what personal narratives lie beneath. Looking at the first example from above you might surmise:

It wasn’t that big of a deal can reveal dismissiveness as a defense mechanism. The defense mechanism can lead you to the shadow and what lies beneath. Perhaps it’s a fear that making a “big deal” of something requires more emotional involvement and connectively than you feel comfortable with. Or a “big deal” means that you’ve hurt someone’s feelings and have to admit you’re wrong which reveals an old childhood wound that has led to your constant need to be “right.”

Of course the above summary is short and simplified, but hopefully you get the idea of where you might journey in your explorations of your shadow. Once you’ve done the work of recognizing your shadow it will hopefully be easier to reconcile. Often reconciliation involves forgiving yourself first.  I would recommend pulling a card or two that helps you connect with the healing potential of reconciliation. So you might choose the Two of Cups to help remind you of what your relationship with the person your in conflict is actually about - what of giving and receiving care and kindness.

You might choose to reconcile in-person with the offended party or if that’s not possible, to write to them. Or if there is no way to reconcile with the person (because you’ve lost touch or they have passed or whatever), you can still write a letter and bury or burn it on Samhain with the intent of sending out reconciliatory energy. 

However you proceed, keep sincerity as your watchword and the hope of a untangled start your new year. 

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What are your favorite shadow work techniques?

If you’re looking for more shadow work inspiration, this time working with the lunar mansions, come this way.