Mercurial Wisdom: Peppermint Plant Profile

It’s been a minute since I shared a plant profile with all of you. I found I needed a bit of a break from writing plant profiles and just some more time out in the garden and making a mess in my kitchen trying out new recipes. However, I woke up this morning with an itch to talk plant nerd with you before I head off on my winter break (which is all very impulsively mercurial and therefore the herb I’ve chosen to talk about is quite appropriate).

I wanted to share with you more stories about one of my favorite herbs that I reach for in the depth of winter and the height of summer almost equally. Peppermint is just magickal like that when it comes to working its way into both my warming and cooling recipes. But we’ll get to that in a minute…

I’ve written about Peppermint a number of times already, but always in the context of a larger post, and it felt like the write time to get deep about our green companion. The following profile is from my course exploring the intersections of herbal wisdom and the tarot - The Tarot Apothecary. So you’ll see my correspondences for individual tarot cards listed below - why different cards are allied with different plants is something that I explore more in the course (as well as helping you find your own personal correspondences).

Do you use Peppermint (or any of the myriad varieties of Mint) in your practice? What’s you favorite way to work with the plant? Let me know in the comments.

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Peppermint
(Mentha piperita)

Common + Folk Names : Brandy mint, lament
Tarot Cards : The Fool, the Hermit, Justice, the Star, the World, the Messenger (Knight) of Swords, Four of Cups, Six of Wands.
Element : Fire + Water
Zodiac Signs : Gemini, Virgo, Libra
Planets : Mercury, Venus, Jupiter
Moon Phase : Full Moon
Parts used : Ariel parts
Habitat : Naturalized throughout the world
Growing conditions : Full to partial sun with moderate to high amounts of water. 
Collection : Collect in the spring before flowering, but it can be gathered throughout the summer.
Flavor : Pungent + sweet
Temperature : Cool + warm
Moisture : Dry
Tissue State : Heat/Excitation, Cold/Depression
Constituents : Beta-carotene, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, potassium, flavonoids, essential oils, ketone, tannins, resin, rosmarinic acid, menthol.

Actions : Analgesic, anesthetic, anodyne, antibacterial, antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-parasitic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, aromatic, carminative, cholagogue, choleretic, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, immunomodulating, nervine, stimulant, stomachic, tonic, vasodilator.

Main Uses : Peppermint is a useful herb embodying the mercurial qualities of its Guardian Planet. It is able to relax when needed one day and to awaken and stimulate the next. To understand how a plant can be both relaxing and stimulating, try the following. Rub the top of your head with your fingers for a quick moment. Feel how that is both relaxing and stimulating? Such is the powers of Peppermint. So, it is a popular herb in the summer for its cooling qualities and it is found again during the winter as part of warming teas and cold-care remedies. 

Peppermint is a tasty and popular digestive remedy. It relaxes cramping of the intestinal muscles and alleviates a number of digestive complaints including gas, indigestion, colic, IBS, hiccups, and heartburn. Peppermint also has tannins which help repair leaky guts by strengthening the lining of the intestines, promoting better digestion and proper assimilation of nutrients. The herb is used for a number of intestinal diseases including Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Peppermint is especially effective for digestive issues arising from stress and nervous conditions that lead to cramping. Look for signs of poor digestion, headaches from digestive tension, lack of appetite, and distention. Peppermint is excellent for when there is lack of pleasure around the process of eating food. Enjoy the tea a half hour before meals, but be mindful of over-relaxing the intestines with long term use (so no more than a few weeks daily and then take a break from use before restarting again). Peppermint is useful for car sickness and nausea as well as in pregnancy for morning sickness after the first trimester.

image source

As a circulatory tonic, Peppermint regulates energy throughout our bodies. The herb relaxes peripheral blood vessels helping to release excess heat and damp due in part to its menthol content. It helps blood move effectively through the body which is one reason that it helps to relieve brain fog and clear the head. Peppermint also has an effect on the lymph system helping to stimulate lymphatic action and therefore improve circulation. 

The herb dries excess damp as well as expels mucus in cases of colds, ‘flu, and sinus congestion. In general, Peppermint is good for heart palpitations (especially when associated with indigestion), inflammation and infection of the lungs, sinusitis and sinus headaches, asthma, bronchitis, laryngitis, and general sinus congestion. The herb is clearing and helps us to take a deep breath. For bronchitis and asthma is it especially effective as a steam, but can also be used as a hot tea to reduce spasms of the airways and clear excess mucus. Coughs and sore throats are also aided by Peppermint. 

As a nervine, Peppermint is refreshing. It awakens the senses while reducing excess. If there is too much heat, Peppermint cools. If stagnation is a problem, Peppermint tones and stimulates. If overstimulation is present, Peppermint calms. I find the herb to be useful when mental dullness is present as Peppermint entices and excites the senses to movement. Along with drinking the tea, the essential oil burned or sprayed in a room can help shift the energy from dullness to inspired. Peppermint also assists with relieving anxiousness, nervous tension, and general anxiety. Again, Peppermint can help to stimulate where there is stagnation (which can lead to anxiety and depression because of lack of movement and tone) as well as help to relax tension (which can lead to a different sort of anxiousness and restless energy).

Peppermint is a classic cold care herb along with other herbs such as Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Elder (Sambucus nigra). Since it is a warming and cooling herb, it is effective for colds and ‘flu with symptoms of fevers and chills. In addition to  strengthening the lymphatic system in regards to circulation, Peppermint also strengthens the lymphatic cleansing process, clearing the blood of old cells and promoting the production of white blood cells, thereby enhancing immunity. Peppermint has been shown to be effective against streptococcus, staphylococcus, e. coli, helicobacter pylori, candida, and other pathogens. Since Peppermint is moistening to connective tissues, look for signs of skin atrophy, aching and dried joints, and general dryness, when choosing it for compromised immunity.

image via @jonathanpielmayer

Peppermint’s immunomodulating qualities are also tied to its improvement of the body’s ability to digest and absorb nutrients. A robust digestive system leads to a healthy immune system since the body is properly receiving all the building-blocks it needs from the food it is consuming. Additionally, early studies have shown that Peppermint may have chemoprotective qualities.

The herb assists with menstrual cramps and complaints due to uterine congestion. Look for signs of feeling heavy and bloated just before and during menstruation, along with mental fatigue and fog. The herb’s stimulating qualities are noted by Culpeper as he described the herb as stirring “up bodily lust.”

Historically, Peppermint has also been used for kidney and gallstones as well as clearing out a stagnant liver. There are warnings against using Peppermint too often for too long (as in daily for a few months) as it will become overly clearing and lead to weakening the blood, even stopping menstruation. 

Use a poultice on the stomach for pains and on the chest for respiratory colds. A topical poultice is useful for muscle pain, including back pain, and spasm as well as arthritis and sore joints since Peppermint is anesthetic. Cold compresses can be applied to the forehead during fever and headache as well as rashes, bug bites, measles, and chicken box. Also, a topical herbal oil mixed with the essential oil can be used to alleviate headaches when massaged into the brow.

Internally, Peppermint will help to bring measles boils to the surface. Culpeper recommended washing the heads of young children with a Peppermint tea for the treatment of scabs and rashes. Use the tea as a gargle or spray for good breath and to clean the mouth. Chewing the mint will give the same effect.

As an antiseptic, antiviral, and anti-fungal herb, Peppermint is useful for such conditions as the herpes simplex virus, athlete’s foot, and other uncomfortable and infectious conditions. 

Magickal Uses : Peppermint is an herb that can be used in magickal works of prosperity, abundance, and good fortune. Use in rituals of cleansing and consecration as well as in incense blends to clear a space of harmful energy. The sharp scent also ignites the senses, as discussed earlier, but also attributes itself to awakening the psychic senses. Use the herb in spells and charms of clear communication, negotiation, and business deals while invoking the powers of Mercury (invoke Jupiter, too, if business and the need for good fortune is involved). It was said that Peppermint would reduce dreams of a sexual nature by 17th century herbalist John Parkinson, so be mindful if you would rather keep those dreams as part of your nighttime experience and avoid taking the herb at night. The herb is excellent for wind magick as well as matters of justice and judicial process as it has some guardianship by Jupiter. 

image via @sugarcoatit

The Peppermint Personality : There are two types of Peppermint personalities. The first tends towards a restless and nervous energy. Their thoughts spin and sometimes they struggle with silence. They possess the gift of gab, are prone to be on social media for one too many hours, tying their self-worth to the amount of positive attention they receive online. They have trouble settling down and being slow and still. They can exude a great deal of nervous energy and sometimes their anxious thoughts keep them up at night. What they feel like they need to accomplish every minute of every day feels dizzying and impossible. Peppermint will help them calm down and connect with their core strength and stillness. They will be especially served by Peppermint’s relaxing nervine qualities. The other type of Peppermint personality is nearly an opposite of the first. Slow and stagnant, they are uninspired. It is as if a heavy fog bank has rolled into their mind and they are unable to find their way out of the seaside soup. Sorrow for their lack of inspiration may have set in and a confusion around who they really are and what they are supposed to do with themselves. They will be best served by Peppermint’s stimulating nervine qualities. 

Both Peppermint personality types will be served by Peppermint’s ability to provide clarity and help them overcome their shared fear of success (even they go about avoiding that fear in different ways). What is really important to you, the mint asks, what is really necessary? Ultimately, Peppermint helps both personalities figure out who they are in the world and what they are called to do.

Contraindications : Avoid large amounts during breastfeeding as mints may dry up the milk supply. Other sources recommend Peppermint for mastitis. Do not use the essential oil during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Drug interactions : None known.

Dosage : Standard dosage.

I’m off to brew some Peppermint tea with a bit of leftover Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) from some cake that I made the other day (I am easily won over by a sticky Ginger cake, by the way, if you’re ever trying to lure me to a social gathering). Merry winter, friends, or happy summer depending on wherever you are in the world. Wishing you lots of minty magick!

A Might-do List for Yule

Yule, known as the Winter Solstice, Mōdraniht (or Mother’s Night), Alban Arthur, marks the longest night of the year. The Solstices are probably some of the oldest holy days celebrated by our species and monuments from around the ancient world were built to align with the sun on these sacred days. It’s a time to gather together in the warmth of each other’s good company and remember that we are interdependent with all life and death on earth. Continuing a project started at Lughnasadh, here’s a list of nine things that you might-do (or not) for Yule and the deepest dark of the year.

Extend the season for less pressure and more cheer. The winter holidays in many parts of the world are times for family reunions, harkening back to our ancestral impulse to gather together with kith and kin to make it through the season. It can be a lot of pressure to try and host everyone on one single day - so don’t. In my household, our Yule season comes to life slowly, really beginning to grow bright starting on the first of three Thursdays from Christmas (aka Knocking Night). For me an extended season of celebration helps me feel that I’ll time for company and time for cozying up under the blankets, the moon hound at my feet, a good book in my hands, and a cup of tea chortling beside me.

Tell stories aloud. Whether reading from your favorite book or making up a story from scratch, the long nights are ripe for the harvesting of stories. We are wired for storytelling and listening to a story is a unique sort of magick that can’t be replicated by solo reading or watching movies. Bonus points for telling a story only by candlelight. 

image via @galina88

Make your own decorations. You don’t have to make all of your decorations, but there is something very sweet (and very Pagan) when it comes to creating your own decorations from items from nature. Homemade decorations made from earth-centered materials help bring us closer to the world rather than separate us from it.  Whether making pomanders, cutting out citrus stars to string about a tree, creating recycled paper chains, or bringing in evergreen boughs to decorate a room, festooning our house can take on the same spirit as dressing an altar.

Celebrate what you already have. From decorations that you’ve bringing out for years to using the same holiday recipe that’s been handed down through generations, practice gratefulness for what you already have in your life - and ones that are specific for the season. Of course, you can expand your gratefulness to all areas of your life, but it can be really helpful to get grateful about the particularities of your life that make the winter joyful - it can act as a buffer against the “must-have!” pressures of the culture at large.

If you buy new, buy small. I recently wrote about the profoundly positive impact shopping small can have on small business owners like myself. If you are going to purchase new items this year, support your locally owned businesses. Second choice would be to support your global network of small business creators. I can’t tell you how many times I am filled with gratefulness (and relief) when an order comes in at the right time and I am able to pay a bill, buy groceries, and continue to run my business. I try and support little and local more often than big and corporate and it pleases me greatly knowing that so many folks are participating  in this powerful spell of interdependence and resilience.

image by @anniespratt

Make sun-shaped foods. As the sun wanes until its weakest point at the Winter Solstice, practicing a bit of sympathetic magick can not only help remind the big gaseous star in the sky that we like it very much, thank you, but also bring cheer to those of us waiting again for warmer days. Cakes and bread can all be shaped into little suns and shared at the festival tables and golden colored drinks can warm us up from the inside out.

Create your own candles. I like to make candles during the Yule season to use for the rest of the year, blessing them at the fire festival of Imbolc. Candlemaking can be a time to meditate on the ways that each of us are a candle in the dark - when we gather together our illumination and warmth grows - and how we care for and tend to the needs of our brightness and the brightness of others throughout the year.

Honor the Wild Hunt. Depending on your cultural orientation, there are many myths surrounding the Wild Hunt and ways of understanding Their work and purpose. One of the important functions of the Wild Hunt for me is that They are the wild-hearted crew which never forgets the names of the forgotten dead and those who have died too soon. In my personal cosmology They are the protectors and seekers of the Queer and Trans dead, bringing them home to peace on billowing clouds of stardust and cackles. They come to land on earth on Yule, after a season of sweeping over the land finding all the lost souls that They love so fiercely, bringing the Beloved and Forgotten Dead to the feasting table for the twelve long nights of Yule, moving on again at the end of December. Set a place at the table for Them, place candles in the windows, and wish swift passage to a place of rest and joy for those departed. In the long passages of dark it is good to remember that there exists a great many Someones who’ll never forget who we are.

image via @frostroomhead

Sing Together. It doesn’t have to be fancy, you don’t have to worry about being in tune, and it requires nothing but your presence and few simple songs, but singing with others is so good for us. Singing is an endorphin-releasing practice and when we sing together we are practicing feeling good with one another. It isn’t a coincidence that so many of our movements for change have been held together with song (here’s a really dramatic and inspiring example) and so many moments of passage in our lives are marked by song (i.e. singing at birthday parties). Songs are a great way to pass on knowledge (modern Pagans do it all the time with our vast collection of ritual chants) and to be sweet and silly with others. There are so many songs for the Yule season that there is surely one that you can find joy singing with others as you sip a hot beverage and light candles for the glittering Hunt.

I’ve written a lot about winter and staying well - from building your winter apothecary to healing and magickal practices of the season. I’ve made a tarot spread for the season and shared a tea or two as well.

You can also check out the rest of my might-do lists for the sabbats and beyond.

• Samhain

• Winter Solstice (Yule)

• Imbolc

• Spring Equinox (Ostara)

• Beltane

• Summer Solstice (Midsummer)

• Lughnasadh

• Autumn Equinox (Mabon)

However your Yule season unfolds I hope that it brings you closer to the source of love in your life in the many ways that it manifests. That your merry and bright is enduring and ephemeral, sustaining and also open to the magick of a passing flash.

Tarot Shadow Work: Healing with the Lunar Mansions

Between Samhain and Yule I can be found wrapping up my work from the previous calendar year, letting go of the pressures of late summer and fall, and spending time in the quiet the growing cold can bring. With the passing of the Witch’s New Year, I also spend time reflecting on where I’ve been and the crossroads and intersections my life and work and curiosity has brought me to. It’s also a time of year that I try really hard to take time off and to focus on something other than work for a little while. Usually this means diving into my magickal studies (I know, I know, we could honestly argue that all that I do is related to my work), spending a lot of time in the process of making (running a business that lives much of its life online means that it can feel very intangible - that’s why making things with my hands is so helpful in keeping me grounded), and listening in and to the dark.

Having written about shadow work a few years back and incorporating it into almost all my online and in-person courses, I was feeling inspired again in this time of magickal gloaming to write some more about working with our shadows. Being of a lunar nature and using the tarot as beloved tool in my magickal and healing practice, I’m incorporating both a Moon and tarot focus into this post. It’s also a way for me to talk about the Lunar Mansions which I think are a very cool but often overlooked aspect of traditional western astrology.

The Lunar Mansions (aka the Mansions of the Moon) are one of the oldest systems of astrology showing up in multiple cultures as a way of estimating calendar and determining auspicious timing (including for spellwork, herbal remedies, and all sorts of rebellion and reconciliation). There are 28 of them and each Lunar Mansion represents the Moon in one or more signs of the zodiac (i.e. the First Mansion is in the sign of Aries while the Third Mansion is in the sign of Aries and Taurus). It takes the Moon about 2 to 2 ½ days to travel through a Mansion. While they have long been part of western astrological tradition, the Lunar Mansions are not commonly spoken about (though that is changing with an emerging appreciation of the many ways the Moon influences the birth chart) and even less understood.

image via @anniespratt

Like any part of astrology, the Lunar Mansions can be understood as simply or complexly as you like. In my own studies of the Lunar Mansions, I have written modern profiles for every one, describing the way I engage with them in astroherbology in my course The Lunar Apothecary. With the Mansions we can learn more about ourselves and our gifts through studying the Mansion we were born in, by timing our healing and spellwork to the current movements of the Moon through the Mansions, and in learning to better understand and track the ebbs and flows of our own energy.

So then how do bring the Lunar Mansions into our shadow work? When we work with the Moon in astrology we are often looking at understanding the emotional body, our instincts, and the emotional experience of our life. Considering that so much of our life is through the lens of how we feel about it, the Moon therefore reflects an expansive portion of our life back at us. I often speak of the Moon as representing our most true story about ourselves. I appreciate Stephen Arroyo’s description of the Moon from his Chart Interpretation Handbook (he’s speaking specifically to the element your Moon sign but it’s helpful in understanding the general influence of the Moon in the chart): 

“The element of the Moon’s sign represents an attunement from the past that manifests automatically, a mode of feeling and being that one needs to be aware of in order to feel inwardly secure and at home with oneself.”

Arroyo touches upon a common element of healing work - we are always dealing with the past and how it’s affecting us now. Even if we’re trying to alleviate stress about future events, that stress has already been shaped by the experiences of the past (i.e. if we don’t attain a certain level of wealth by a certain age we won’t be seen as successful in our family, a story we probably started learning as a child). In addition to helping us to deal with past experiences and way they form us today, the Moon reflects back to us the unchanging truth that everything (even truth) is always changing. Who we think we are and how we feel about the world and our place in it changes. Our personal empires fall along with the empires we live in and the Moon, steady in Their changing, reflects it all. 

image via @anniespratt

So, if the Sun represents our capacity for holding energy and life force, the Moon is the filter that we perceive what we experience through that inherent capacity, and our Ascendent (aka Rising Sign) is the way that we express ourselves based on all that. Put another way, if the Sun represents our inherent energy, the Moon represents our ability to know ourselves through the energy we give and receive. The Moon’s ability to help us know ourselves is one of the reasons She’s such a powerful ally in shadow work.

When we begin to work with the Lunar Mansions, we bring in story and nuance to help us in our path of self-discovery. Bringing the tarot with us through the Mansions - as a tool of telling stories about ourselves and our pasts, presents, and futures - allows us to have a collection of meaning rich symbolism in which to connect with the feeling rich domain of the Moon. Since we are working with our shadows, I’m focusing on the energy of the Dark of the Moon (the period of time just before the New Moon when the Moon is not visible in the sky) in each of the Lunar Mansions. During the Dark of the Moon, no longer is light reflected and refracted from the Sun and instead we are left in the dark with ourselves. While there are many questions we might ask ourselves in each of the Lunar Mansions, I have focused on ones that connect with the deep, sometimes challenging, often liberating energy of the Dark Moon. 

Below I have created below are 28 prompts - one for each of the Lunar Mansions - to help us explore our shadows by the light of the Moon. You can use them in a variety of ways, including:

• Pull a card for the Lunar Mansion you were born in. To find out what Lunar Mansion you were born in take a look at your birth chart. Find the sign that your Moon is in along with the degree and minute (it’ll look like 4 Aries 23 or Aries 4°23’) and find out where that falls below.

• Practice 28 days of lunar shadow work. For 28 consecutive days or nights, pull a card for each of the Mansions. Bonus if you correspond your 28 day journey with the Moon moving into each Mansion (i.e. starting on the day of the month when the Moon will be in the First Mansion). 

• Add a Lunar Mansion card to any spread you cast. If you’ve cast a spread and feel like there are underlying emotional energies that you want more insight on, pull a Lunar Mansion card and answer the corresponding prompt. You can either use a prompt for the current Lunar Mansion at the time you’ve cast your spread or for the Lunar Mansion the querent was born in.

• Read through the whole list and see what resonates with you to discover the sign you might want to work with. If you’re feeling the description and prompt of the Fourth Mansion you might consider adding more Taurean rituals and remedies into your life.

What follows are my prompts for each Lunar Mansion along with the astrological boundaries of each Mansion, a poetic description of my modern interpretation of each Mansion, and a prompt in the form of a question. Remember, since we are focused on shadow work, the prompts are centered on some of the more challenging aspects of the Lunar Mansions.

The First Mansion - 0°00” Aries to 12°51” Aries
The Fiery Expression of Destruction + Creation
What needs to break or be released in order for something new to be created?

The Second Mansion - 12°51” Aries to 25°42” Aries
The Courageous Reconciliation 
What am I afraid to reconcile within myself? Within my world?

The Third Mansion - 25°42” Aries to 8°34” Taurus
The Abundance of the Waking World
What abundance in my life have I neglected being grateful for?

The Fourth Mansion - 8°34” Taurus to 21°25” Taurus
The Upheaval of Inheritance
What have I inherited (from ancestors, culture, peers, etc.) that I no longer need or want?

The Fifth Mansion - 21°25” Taurus to 4°17” Gemini
The Mirror of Expression
What is being reflected back to me in my relationships that I’m ignoring?

The Sixth Mansion - 4°17” Gemini to 17°8” Gemini
The Head Remembering the Body
What idea or vision of mine needs grounding in the physical world?

The Seventh Mansion - 17°8” Gemini to 0°0” Cancer
The Prayer for Alignment
How do I ask for enough?

The Eighth Mansion - 0°0” Cancer to 15°51” Cancer
The Compassionate Dismantler
What needs dismantling? What is the most compassionate path of its destruction?

The Ninth Mansion - 12°51” Cancer to 25°42” Cancer
The Covering
What in my life do I close my eyes to because I fear it?

The Tenth Mansion - 25°42” Cancer to 8°34” Leo
The Rebuilding of Strength
How do I rebalance after times of struggle?

The Eleventh Mansion - 8°34” Leo to 21°25” Leo
The Lion Emerges
Where am I practicing power-over others instead of power-with in my life?

The Twelfth Mansion - 21°25” Leo to 4°17” Virgo
The Embattled
Where have I given up my power and created conflict instead?

The Thirteenth Mansion - 4°17” Virgo to 17°8” Virgo
The Relief of Desire
What true desire have you denied yourself?

The Fourteenth Mansion - 17°8” Virgo to 0°0” Libra
The Discernment
What false desire have you chosen?

The Fifteenth Mansion - 0°0” Libra to 12°51” Libra
The Sacred Contract
What have you learned that needs to be offered back to the world?

The Sixteenth Mansion - 12°51” Libra to 25°42” Libra
The Reassessment of Worth
How do you undervalue yourself? How to do you undervalue others?

The Seventeenth Mansion - 25°42” Libra to 8°34” Scorpio
The Taming of the Trickster
Where have you given up seeking justice?

The Eighteenth Mansion - 8°34” Scorpio to 21°25” Scorpio
The Unguarded Heart
Do I fear my own power?

The Nineteenth Mansion - 21°25” Scorpio to 4°17” Sagittarius 
The Bringing of Blood
There is a season for growth, for harvest, and decay - what needs to be allowed to return to earth?

The Twentieth Mansion - 4°17” Sagittarius to 17°8” Sagittarius
The Animal Self
How can you embrace your animal needs for your welfare?

The Twenty-First Mansion - 17°8” Sagittarius to 0°0 Capricorn
The Two-Faced Traveler
What are my warning signs of burnout?

The Twenty-Second Mansion - 0°0 Capricorn to 12°51” Capricorn
The Liberating Message
What swift change am I craving?

The Twenty-Third Mansion - 12°51” Capricorn to 25°42” Capricorn
The Undoing of Resistance
What do I suppress instead of choose?

The Twenty-Fourth Mansion - 25°42” Capricorn to 8°34” Aquarius
The Cocoon of Serenity
When and where in my life have I denied myself nourishment? 

The Twenty-Fifth Mansion - 8°34” Aquarius to 21°25” Aquarius
The Emerging Forest
What part of my inner world do I overfocus on?

The Twenty-Sixth Mansion - 21°25” Aquarius to 4°17” Pisces
The Devotion of Love
Do I desire myself?

The Twenty-Seventh Mansion - 4°17” Pisces to 17°8” Pisces
The Empathy of Intersections
Where am I least mindful of my impact in my personal life? On a larger societal and environmental scale?

The Twenty-Eighth Mansion - 17°8” Pisces to 0°0 Aries
The Rest After Harvest
Where do I get caught up in comparing myself to others?

About halfway through writing this post I paused and thought, “Maybe I should be starting with New Moon energy or even Full Moon energy? Aren’t I asking my readers to dive into the deep end by beginning with Dark Moon shadow work?” Perhaps I am - butI also trust your ability to discern whether or not such work is right for you at this time in your life. I also wonder if I give off the impression that I’m constantly scrabbling around in the murk, chasing down every shadow, up til 3 AM conjuring my personal demons while swaddled in clothes of black. Very much not so. I see shadow work as the necessary, if at times unpleasant or tedious work, process of being able to live the vast majority of my life not facing my most tender and challenging places.

Finally, some of you might be wondering if there is a website or app that tracks the Lunar Mansions. If you have an iPhone you’re in luck (see below), but the rest of us have to get creative. The website of Peter Stockinger has a Lunar Mansion ephemeris that is updated a few times a year. Peter's site has a number of primary resources for the Lunar Mansions including this great resource of all of the different names and transliterations for the mansions. Lunarium is another great resource and the one I used to recommend to everyone, but it’s currently being rebuilt and will hopefully continue to provide information of the Lunar Mansions (though if you have an iPhone you can download the iLuna app which still tracks the Lunar Mansions - the same app for android does not have Lunar Mansion tracking).

I wish you steadiness and insight on your journey with your shadows.

A Might-do List for Samhain

Samhain, known also as The Witches New Year, Calan Gaeaf, Kalan Gwav, Halloween, is the third and final harvest festival of the year. It’s a time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest and all sorts of magick is afoot. Continuing a project started at Lughnasadh, here’s list of nine things that you might-do (or not) for Samhain and the dive into the dark half of the year.

Honor + Commune With Your Ancestors. Samhain marks one of the thin times of the year (the other being Beltane), when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. While we are always able to commune with our Ancestors, there is a widespread multicultural attention turned towards the dead at this time of year which, in addition to the thinning veil, makes communion that much easier. Begin with rituals of naming and honoring those who have past, especially those who have crossed over since last Samhain.

Host a Silent Supper. Sitting and eating in silence, with a plate of food and seat reserved for the Ancestors is a beautiful and contemplative way to begin your Samhain celebrations. It can be as simple as setting a plate full of food that everyone is eating before an empty chair or more elaborate with one end of the table becoming an altar of offerings of your ancestors favorite foods and drinks from when they were alive. In silence we remind ourselves that the voices of our ancestors are ever-present if we were to get quiet enough to listen. When a person is done eating they leave the table, taking a moment to honor the ancestors’ place and spend time in quiet meditation (perhaps even divination) until all are done eating and a return to sound begins again.

Practice Divination. The veil is thin and it’s time to ask some questions. From apple peels to scrying bowls, casting cards or stealing kale (no really, look it up), there is a myriad of ways to divine answers and information at Samhain. 

Take Stock of Your Winter Wellbeing Supplies (and help others do the same). For our ancient ancestors who had to face winter weather (as opposed to our ancestors who lived in more temperate climates), it was vital to take stock of the harvest and supplies that they had to help them survive the winter. Winter can be hard for any number of reasons which is why taking a moment to realize what you do have to help you through the colder months is important. It is also an opportunity to practice gratitude for the things (shelter, medicine, transportation, a full pantry) and people that are vital to our wellbeing. It is also time to collect food and winter goods for others in your community who need extra help, including volunteering your time.

Burn a Bonfire. Look, I could say burn a bonfire at every Sabbat and find precedence for it. But Samhain is a particularly auspicious time for burning big fires. The fires chased away unwanted harmful spirits, attracted good luck, and reminded folks that though the Sun’s strength was waning, there was a power of brightness in one another. And bonfires are really friggin’ fun.

Find the Magick of Being Silly. Do all the Halloween things you love to do (and always dreamed of doing because you saw it in a made-for-tv Halloween movie). Carve pumpkins or turnips, dress up in costumes, watch your spooky movie of choice (can we please have a queer romcom in which one of them is actually a Witch?), and go trick-or-treating with the little ones in your lives. Because we need the joy of Samhain to carry us through the darkening year - so practice it!

Perform a Dark of the Year Home Blessing. Another traditional practice of Samhain is to bless the home usually through some sort of burnt offering. So, taking some of the light from your bonfire whether through a lit piece of wood or by lighting a candle and walking around the perimeter of your home as a form of blessing. Alternatively, use a bundle of sacred herbs or other traditional plants (such as fir or a bit of turf) to cast a spell of protection over your home, its inhabitants, and all within it. It can be a very sweet tradition to send home your bonfire guests with a candle lit from the Samhain fire.

Take to the Streets With Your Grief. Now, more than ever, we need to show our grief. We need to show our grief so that young people know that it is ok to weep and cry at the state of the world - that nothing is wrong with them. We need to show our grief so that old people know we’re still fighting the fight. Grief is a holy road to empathy and action if we’re allowed to express it fully. Invoke the beansidhe or similar spirit of mourning (and, aptly, warning in our time of climate crisis). We have to grieve and we need to do it together. If the streets are not your style, then host a grief ritual for friends, family or covenmates.

Reconcile. Many a witchfolk, myself included, celebrate Samhain as the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. It is a time to reconcile differences and begin again in the spirit of compassion and goodwill. Reconciliation can be with the living or the dead, people and creature, landscapes and their spirits. Call upon the Ancient Hags and Crones, who have guarded well the gateways between all worlds and relationships since before time began, to guide you.

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You know, friends, this list could’ve been much, much longer, but I’m trying to create a might-do list and not a never-ending scroll of suggestions. As someone who could probably write a course on “self-discovery through list-making” these writing this list reminded me that there is a part of my being that holds its breath until the season of Samhain comes round again.

Curious about what else you might-do for the Sabbats? Check out the rest of my might-do lists for the sabbats and beyond.

• Samhain

• Winter Solstice (Yule)

• Imbolc

• Spring Equinox (Ostara)

• Beltane

• Summer Solstice (Midsummer)

• Lughnasadh

• Autumn Equinox (Mabon)

Wishing you and yours a whole and holy Samhain season. 

Herbs + Essences for the Haunted

 In some ways, we’re always dealing with ghosts when it comes to healing. We’re haunted by past events, words spoken to us at tender times, promises broken, pleasure denied, the shock of trauma, and the weight of memory. When someone seeks my services as an herbalist and Witch I am not only meeting them in the moment, but I gaze back and forward along their weblines, trying to see what they’ve brought with them and where they might be headed. I get to meet younger and elder you while sitting with the present you.

The shadowlands which we all of us spend time in, meeting with or enthralled by our ghosts, grow all sorts of strange plants that sprout up in our life as grief, anger, shame, despair, loneliness, and more. In other words, the list of recommendations I could have for plant allies that help us to deal with our hauntings could be vast and neverending. That’s not very useful. In fact, the open secret is that if an herb, any herb, is helpful to you on your path of healing, it is an ally to you in facing your ghosts. So, knowing that there are a great many choices out there, I’ve chosen herbs and essences that I’m fond of, that I think are far-reaching in their scope, and because they are the ones that came forward at the time of writing this post.

Image by @frostroomhead

The Herbs

Thorn magick, such as Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Rose (Rosa spp.) is a very valuable ally in working with our ghosts. I’ve written more about working with thorn medicine plants here. In short, Rose helps us to deal with our grief instead of running from it and Hawthorn helps us to open our heart again to life.

Mugwort (Artemisia spp.) is our dream ally as so much of what we feel haunted by can be accessed in liminal states. It’s an incredibly powerful herb for integration and in traditional western herbalism it is honored as one of our eldest of herbal allies. Working with herbs like Mugwort, which are considered spiritual elders, to actual ancient plants Gingko (Gingko biloba), and Rose (Rosa spp.) that have been on this planet for millions of years is useful in haunting work. These plants have the ability to travel through our timelines with strength, wisdom, and discernment. Use the essence of Mugwort, too, especially if dealing with nightmares.

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is an herb that I talk about a lot and that’s because it is so useful when it comes to dealing with excessive mental chatter, anxiety, and the inflexibility that can arise from both conditions. When it comes to our personal ghosts, Skullcap helps us to move out of our heads and into our bodies. Some of us try very, very hard to logic our traumas, to make sense of our ghosts, and while sometimes we can build stories that make sense, that’s not always the case and that’s not always necessary. Sometimes it’s just about recognizing, deeply and making space for the emotions that arise, that something hurt and that once we do that we can begin to leave that pain behind. Skullcap is a good ally to work with if you don’t know quite where to begin - you feel like there are ghosts everywhere and they’re all talking. Skullcap can help come in and quiet everyone down.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is another liminal spaces herb and one intimately linked with the Good Folk. In my tradition, the Good Folk are some of our eldest ancestors (you’ll see a theme emerging with my recommendations so far - work with the Old Ones). Trauma and the things which we are haunted by can sometimes happen over a slow period of time and sometimes it happens suddenly, shocking the system. There is a lot of lore tied to the Good Folk and shock - they are often accused of being the source of ill but I think they are often the ones who show us that we are already suffering we just hadn’t realized it yet. Another way to understand this pattern of energy is to recognize Yarrow as a plant ally for the wounded warriors and wounded healers among us. They are the ones who facilitate some of the most beautiful and profound healing spaces for others because they carry a great wound themselves. We are at a moment that as a species we are carrying the vast wound of environmental degradation caused by the choices we’ve made and the distance we’ve created between ourselves and the rest of our living planet. I highly recommend Yarrow as an essence and learning more about the Yarrow Environmental Essence that the folks at the Flower Essence Society has created.

Image by @anniespratt

The Essences

The essences listed below are either available as part of the Bach Flower Remedies or the Flower Essence Society collections.

Aspen (Populus tremula) is helpful for those who are afraid of the unknown that lies beyond their current state of being. It can be scary to imagine what our lives would be like without the familiarity of our ghosts, even if we know that we no longer wish to be haunted. Aspen helps us to face our fear and move beyond it.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa) helps us to let go of our ghost, releasing attachments to the things, places, and beings which are no longer with us.

Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris) helps us come to release feelings of being somehow “contaminated” with our trauma and that makes us impure or unfit for healing and connection with others. 

Evening Primrose (Oenothera elata) is a great ally when we are processing childhood trauma and its impact on us today. Take before and after your therapy and healing sessions.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium) helps us to arrive back in the present moment so that we can move on with our lives.

Rock Rose (Helianthemum nummularium) helps us to befriend the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. For those who are afraid of dying or loss of self.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) helps us to get out of own way, accept the fact that we have and should change as we grow, and come to accept ourselves for who we are now.

Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) for those of us who don’t believe we have the capacity to heal, that our minds and bodies are broken beyond repair. Self-heal reminds us that our healing is possible, assists us in reaching out to others for help, and learning how to trust ourselves again.

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) helps us to deal with the shock of loss. We’re not always able to deal with the initial feelings of loss in our life and have to make time and space for it at a later point. Star of Bethlehem helps us to navigate that meeting with our feelings.

Wild Mustard (Sinapis arvensis) is one of my favorite essences for the type of sorrow that feels like there is no light left in our life. It helps to bring back the sun.

Willow (Salix vitellina) helps us to forgive, release bitterness, and move forward with out lives.

Image by @whale

Working With Herbs + Essences When You’re Haunted

Before you use any herb or essence, do your research by referencing reputable materia medicas (i.e. books full of plant profiles) to determine if a plant is right for you and the correct dosage. In general, googling a plant is not the best way to find accurate information or appropriate use. Please use discretion, practice empowered choosing, and ask your local herbalist for help, too!

There is something about water-based remedies that I find to be particularly powerful when it comes to working with the stuff that haunts you. We live on an ocean planet, we are made up of so much water ourselves, and we are formed and shaped in a watery womb. If you have access to a bath, I highly taking an herbal bath. If you don’t have a full bath to use, you can still do a foot and/or hand bath, as well as making a shower rinse (i.e. make a strong infusion of herbs and water, strain, and wash with as part of your shower). Teas are another simple way to use herbs in ghost work and adding a few drops of an essence into your morning water is great, too.

Once you’ve chosen what plant allies to work with begin by stating your need to the plant. Begin by setting up a space in a sacred manner - it can be as simple as cozying up on your favorite comfy chair, wrapped up in a blanket or more similar to casting a circle. Once you’ve set space for the work to begin, set your intention with your plant ally. You might already know the work you want to do and the haunting you want to clear from your soulshrine (i.e. your body and sacred being). Or you might not, in which case it is helpful to journal, cast cards or spend time in meditation. Take a moment to greet your plant ally, introducing yourself and speaking to them with reverence and kindness. Once you’ve determined what haunted room you want to walk into, state to your plant ally:

{Plant Name}, I wish to release the ghosts of my past. I am haunted by {describe your haunting}. With your aid, {Plant Name}, I seek to release it. Thank you, {Plant Name}, for guiding me in my healing work.

Repeat this simple ritual for the next three, six, or nine days. Pay attention to how the description of your haunting may or may not change during this time. Take time for journaling, casting cards, talking with your friends and family, your dog, your therapist. Sharing the stories of our hauntings can help to shed light where there was once murkiness - and then at some point the story may feel all told out. Invite your ancestors in, especially the really old ones whose names have been forgotten but are no longer afraid of earthly haunts.

Image by @anniespratt

As for how long to take the herbs in haunting work - that depends on the herb and you. In general, using an herb or essence for a cycle of the Moon and reassessing at the end of that cycle can be a good place to start. Does this mean that it only takes a cycle of the Moon to release a haunting? No. Healing work is circuitous, mostly lengthy, and on rarer occasions it feels instantaneous. But when we’ve found the modalities of healing that serve us best, feeling better day by day can become a very familiar feeling. I wish a swift and steady healing for all of you.

May this and all Samhain seasons be ones of reconciliation and healing, of happy reunions and blissful revelations.