Three Tarot Spreads for the Season of Samhain

The season of Samhain has nearly begun and I am ready for the new year and the cooler weather to come. As I write this the skies are gray, promising rain, and the wind is stretching through the branches of autumn tinted trees, excited for the wild riders who’ll soon take to the sky to fly the land ‘tween Hallows and Midwinter.

For many Witch folk, myself included, the season of Samhain is the most auspicious time for divination, so I thought I’d share a few spreads to inspire your own casting of cards and lots. The following three spreads touch on important themes and lessons of the year: how we reconcile our differences with members in our family and community so that we can journey into the new year unburdened; the ways we can invoke transformation to help us call in our dreams; and the magick of facing our fears to know our power.

Enjoy and blessed be!

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The Hazel Branch Tarot Spread

To help you reconcile differences between you and another, so that the new year can arrive with greater lightness of heart and spirit. If you're looking to learn more about Samhain and the practice of reconciliation (including a suggested ritual), come this way. This spread can also be cast to help you heal the wounds between yourself and someone who has passed beyond the veil - Samhain teaches us that healing knows no time, no space, only possibility.

Card 1. The Knot

This card highlights the grievance which binds you to the other person that you are in conflict with.

Card 2. What I Think I Want
& Card 3. What They Think They Want

These cards help to highlight what has been expressed publicly about the grievance. These cards are about the surface level of the conflict and what is easy to see. 

Card 4. What I Actually Need
& Card 5. What They Actually Need

These cards dig a little deeper and examine some of the unconscious or hard-to-share needs of both involved. Comparing the first two cards with these two cards can reveal unspoken elements of the challenge which is adding to the conflict. It's important to remember that Card 5 is only going to reveal to us what is appropriate for us to know and ways for us to find compassion for the other within the conflict.

Card 6. What I'm Not Seeing
& Card 7. What They Are Not Seeing

These cards show what part of the conflict remains hidden from view, but is important to recognize.

Card 8. The Hazel Branch

This card shows a step towards reconciliation, the Hazel branch being a symbol of peace and wisdom.

Card 9. The Ancestors Speak

A card of unknotting, this card illustrates the possibility of what reconciliation may bring and the healing that is possible.

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The Cauldron Tarot Spread

To tap into the transformative energies of Samhain which straddles time and space, spiraling between life, death, and rebirth to help you manifest a dream. A great spread for casting during ritual and with a coven of friends to help you focus on a goal and how to work towards it.

Card 1. The Fire

That which inspires you and keeps you engaged with the world and your magick. 

Card 2. The Cauldron

How your desire guides you and can be transformed into a tool to reshape your life in a way that supports your goal.

Card 3. The Swirling Brew

As yet unknown, unfamiliar or forgotten energies at work that you can choose to connect to between now and Yule to help you with your goal.

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Facing Your Fear

A spread to support the work of facing our fears to know our power. Choose one fear or anxiety to focus on for this spread - it is often best to start with the one that is most present in your day-to-day life and/or hinders your ability to connect with your magick.

Card 1. My fear

The card which highlights your fear - sometimes in surprising ways.

Card 2. The ties that bind

This card looks at the way that your fear has created restrictions in your life.

Card 3. The wall that separates

This card examines how your fear is, in often misguided ways, trying to protect or support you.

Card 4. What lies beneath

Fears have origin stories and this card highlights the most important part of that story for you to examine.

Card 5. Where there is fear there is power

The final card starts to help us understand the power that lies within our fear. The title for this card is a quote by activist and elder, Starhawk.

If you’re looking for more Samhain inspiration I have a whole might-do list for the season and a tarot spread for connecting with your ancestors and the magick of the new year. You could also spend some time learning about the herbs and astrology of the season - including Lunar Samhain. Or maybe you’re just looking for a cup of tea.

I wish you and your community a beautiful Samhain - may you find the joy and reunion with those who have gone before and plenty of peace with the living.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

How We Tell Our Stories: A Review of the We'Moon Planner

"Huh? What's a We'Moon?" 

That's what I asked when my friend, who was taking a wholesale order for our college Pagan group, offered to sign me up for a copy.

"This," they whispered, reverently and smiling, while producing a well-worn and colorful book from their bag. "Is a We'Moon planner."

I flipped through the pages, seeing that it was a weekly guidebook and planner full of unfamiliar symbols alongside lunar phases and artwork and words that I hadn't seen elsewhere. It was a cackling of feminist noise, a song of welcoming, a viewing of the world from an unihibitedly queer and womxn-centered lens.

Suffice to say, I signed up to order one and have been using a We'Moon ever since for the last 15 years. 

I have wanted to write about We'Moon and the importance of womxn's independent publications for a good long while so when the lovely folks at We'Moon offered to send me a copy of their 2022 planner to review and share with all of you it was a very easy yes. 

A small collection of my We’Moons over the years…

But, first - what is a We'Moon? A We'Moon planner, known fully as We'Moon: Gaia Rhythms for We'Moon, is a full-color feminist weekly datebook guided by lunar rhythms and overflowing with art, poetry, sacred prose, holy days of the wheel of the year, and astrological insight (including an emphermeris and multiple Moon calendars!) reflecting the ever-changing diversity of womxn's culture from around the world. It is created by and for folks who identify as womxn, is trans-inclusive, and committed to the liberation of all womxn. If you identify as a womxn you can answer the call for contributions and submit work inspired by the annual theme. I've always found the editorial team at We'Moon to be really great to work with and highly recommend submitting art or poetry if you're feeling called. 

The name We'Moon reflects the long tradition within womxn's culture of reweaving, reclaiming, and redreaming language to better reflect our experiences outside the boundaries of patriarchal oppression and the bindings of the binary. Wemoon means "we of the moon" and is a way of creating space for womxn to create art, culture, and spaces to exist in our own image as well as realigning ourselves with the rhythms of Moon, Star, and Sun rather than endless cycles of production, extraction, and consumption presented to us by patriarchy and capitalism. In the spirit of dismantling oppressive powers and centering the voices of womxn, We'Moon continues to seek out and center the voices of BIPOC womxn in addition to holding space for dykes, lesbians, and queer womxn.

But here's the reason that I've continued to support We'Moon for all these years: I've ever encountered another publication that so consistently and radically tells womxn, and especially queer womxn, that they are loved and adored and needed and magickal. All of this is done in the holy container that We'Moon has created over the years, inviting in familiar rituals alongside new words, and helping womxn to track their rhythms in ways untethered from endlessly being othered into a Moon-shaped world of just being.

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We'Moon is part of the long but often untold and unknown story of radical womxn's publications such as Sinister Wisdom, Azalea, Amazon Quarterly, Of A Like Mind, Lady-Inclination-of-the-Night, and WomanSpirit, to name just a few. We'Moon is unique in its longevity having been in publication for forty years which is no small feat for a group of mostly lesbian and queer womxn indepentendly publishing a printed book during some of the hardest periods endured by the publishing industry. And they're not just publishing a planner but caretaking land and leading educational retreats for lesbian feminists - it's amazing and inspiring. The We'Moon anthology, In the Spirit of We'Moon, is a beautiful read if you want to learn more and also just have a lovely collection of words and art to feed your soul (it really is like a Book of Shadows in addition to an anthology). 

And, holy Goddess, is this sort of feminist rabble-rousing, queer dyke gathering, and womxn-centered story-telling needed during this time when trans-exclusionary folks are noisier than ever.

Trans-exclusionary folks who are binary-bound and biologically-reductionist in their thinking are not only terrifyingly un-feminist by modern standards but also by the standards of many of our feminist ancestors who were truly radical in their philosophies. I've been around long enough to watch elders and their followers in my community become poisoned by the powers of patriarchy that they are fighting and embrace patriarchal thinking, swayed by its illusions of power and adopting its cruel and threatening tactics of silencing womxn's voices - all which makes them seem more numerous than they really are. I've also been around long enough to see plenty of my elders continue to be incredible in their radicalism (hello, Judith Butler).

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One of the ways that patriarchal systems of power are dismantled is through spells of storytelling, of collecting and distributing herstories and ourstories and theystories like dandelion seeds on the wind. Because the power-over narratives of the patriarchy are paper thin and easily shredded by the stories of brilliance and love and struggle and resiliency that emerge when we tell our own stories. And that is why We'Moon continues to be more relevant than ever - it is a current of telling, an upswelling of songs, a flow of herstory through time and space, messy and revelling and wondrously wild.

If you've been following me long enough, reading my newsletter or blog over the years, you've read poetry that I first encountered in the pages of We'Moon. I've been published in We'Moon a few times and it's been an incredible honor. More importantly, sharing my work has connected me to an intergenerational community of womxn, as readers of We'Moon have reached out to me, and let me know that my own words has been shared in rituals around the world (it is truly wild to know this). Knowing that I'm participating in this vast network of womxn caring for eachother through the power of our words and art has shaped me and how I move through the world.

Every year, when my friends and I receive our We'Moon we sit down together, sometimes with a greater community of other wemoon, sometimes just ourselves, and read out loud the astrological forecasts of our signs. We look at the poetry and art on the pages surrounding our birth dates and fill up on the vision of a world that is kind and feminist and queer and sees us as we see ourselves. Friends, it's a powerful magick, and if you're feeling called to participate I highly recommend getting a copy of the We'Moon planner or calendar - you can purchase them directly from We'Moon or often find them in co-ops and similarly rad spaces.

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The 2022 theme is The Magical Dark so as you can imagine I've been reveling in the deep resonance I'm feeling for so much contained in these pages. Every year a portion of proceeds from We'Moon is donated to a values-aligned organization because we all thrive when we cast seeds of resources far and wide. You can get a spiral-bound planner, a sturdy paperback (my preference) or unbound (I always imagine that this if for the most chaotic of hags who shuffles the pages and lives according the the random order in which they fall and, holy heck, do I want to meet you). The planners are also available in both English and Spanish.

I hope that I have succeeded in introducing some of you to the magick of We'Moon much in the same way that I was introduced to it so many years ago - with excited whispers and the sort of wonder that emerges when you finally see yourself reflected in the world and choose to say "YES."

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This post was made possible by the womxn of We’Moon who sent me a copy of their 2022 planner for free in exchange for an honest review.

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Elemental Imbalance & Disease in Traditional Western Herbalism

In part two of my series on the elemental energetics of traditional western herbalism, we’re looking at elemental imbalance and how it helps us to understand disease and discomfort. If you haven’t read part one yet, where I look at what the elements of traditional western herbalism are and their correspondences, I recommend that you do that first to help set you up for the explorations ahead.

A foundation of good health within traditional western herbalism is maintained through the harmony of the four elements within and around a person. In other words, living in ways (including sleeping, eating, moving, thinking, spiritual practice, and relating to others) and in spaces that balance the four elements within us. Being born with tendencies towards one or more elements (i.e. our inherent constitution), there are often things which we'll need to practice throughout our life to support our health. If we tend to have busy thoughts and are prone to anxiousness (a quality of excess Air), mindfulness practice might be a lifelong remedy that we use (which brings in grounding Earth energy).

Just as every person has elemental dispositions (i.e. the temperaments as discussed in part one), so too do diseases have elemental signatures. Fevers, for example, are an imbalance (and strength) of Fire, usually combined with too much Air (intermittent fever) or Earth (prolonged “bonebreak” fever). Too much cold (Earth and/or Water) might lead to issues with digestion and constipation where too much dryness (Air and/or Fire) can often manifest as skin issues. An excess of damp (Water) can show up as edema or a wet, unproductive cough. I'll highlight different elemental imbalances and the diseases and symptoms they may produce in the elemental profiles later on, but hopefully you're beginning to get an idea of how to think about diseases from an elemental perspective.

What I find useful about considering the elemental imbalance of disease is that it can help us think about the body as a living, holy space that needs to be cared for as a whole, as opposed to being overly focused on what is "broken" about a person. It is also a continuous process of recentering the healing process and the person in need of support as being of the land and seeking remedies of the land in turn (whether those remedies are simple herbal teas grown on your windowsill or complex, plant and organic material derived medicines administered by your pharmacist).

Of course, there is a lot more than considering the elemental balance or imbalance when it comes to assessing disease within traditional western herbalism. As you move further into your studies you’ll begin to encounter specific traditions within traditional western herbalism. Do you work with the astroherbalism of Culpeper? The regimens of traditional Greek medicine? The healing procedures of Unani medicine? Or the plant and spiritual guidance of Hildegard of Bingen? The medicinal traditions of the Eclectics? Those are just a few ideas, but that is beyond the scope of this post and I recommend exploring further if you're feeling inspired. 

The Elemental Correspondences of Herbs

Herbs can be categorized strictly using the systems of ancient correspondence used by the Greeks (where the heat, coldness, moisture and dryness of herbs was measured to different degrees), but these days the elemental energies of herbs are determined in a number of ways from ancient tradition to magickal correspondences and, importantly, direct experience. So it's not uncommon to see one herb assigned an elemental correspondence in different ways by different herbalists. The primary point of learning about the elemental system in traditional western herbalism is not to figure out the "right" correspondence (because that will always be subjective to some degree) but to have another way to directly connect with plants beyond a strict biomedical approach which ignores the spiritual aspect of herbalism and/or dangerously commodifying plants into cure-alls.

Knowing Ginger (Zingiber officinale) as an herb of Fire, for example, I have an instant sensory response - I can feel the heat in my body and I know that it assists with circulation which helps me better understand how Ginger would be of use when there is too much coldness in the body brought on by an illness and depletion of energy.

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As you go along and apply elemental energetics to your study and practice of herbalism, you'll also know that there is a lot of subtlety with the elements. All plants, people, and diseases are a combination of elemental energies and it's only through observation that we begin to pick up on those subtleties and begin to discern what herb would work best in what situation. I know from tradition and experience that Angelica (Angelica archangelica) is an herb of Fire, but for me it also carries with it a subtle Water energy because of the way that it moves through the body, soothing the nervous system, breaking up stagnation, and gently stimulating the imagination. 

Below I’ve created elemental profiles for each of the four elements. In addition to the aspects of the four elements we've already discussed, I've also included the Six Tissue States that each Element corresponds to depending on if there is excess or lack of an Element leading to imbalance. I've also included a summary of how we create elemental balance through working with each of the elements, magickal actions, remedy type suggestions, as well as a general overview of what each Element represents in a person's life beyond physical health.

You'll also find listed herbal actions (i.e. terms for ways an herb acts in the body and its most common properties) for each of the four elements, but I want to emphasize that these are not hard and fast correspondences, nor does any one type of herbal action defined by a single Element. The herbal actions and the four elements you see below are derived from the recorded traditional western herbalism, such as those codified during the 17th century by herbalists like Nicholas Culpeper, oral tradition and exchange, as well as my own direct experience with plants.

Discussing herbal actions is where the system of four element theory and modern herbal actions can seen to be in conflict if four element theory is taken at literally (i.e. all Air herbs are hot and heating in nature such), whereas an herb like Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) carries a number of Air qualities and is generally seen as cooling in nature. This is where we must remember that four element theory is a) describing not just actual temperatures but non-temperature based energies and b) our energetic system in traditional western herbalism has continued to grow and change over the centuries. Lemon Balm is generally considered cooling and is excellent for alleviating tension (many cooling herbs are) and tradition handed down from Paracelsus honors Lemon Balm as a life restoring herb - something which aligns it strongly with the element of Air. Flexibility of thought and understanding is needed when exploring herbal energetics so that we understand that there are multiple layers of meaning to seemingly simple terms like "Hot" or "Cold."

The Elemental Profiles

background image via @billy_huy

Air

Primary Quality: Hot + Moist
Secondary Qualities: Light, thin, subtle, adaptable, porous, moves energy upwards
Humor: Blood
Temperament: Sanguine
Season: Spring
Direction: East
Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Excess: Tension/Constriction Tissue State.
Lack: Damp/Relaxation Tissue State and/or Damp/Stagnation Tissue State

Herbal Actions: Aromatics, balances temperature, stimulants, nervous system tonics, circulatory tonics, vasodilators, astringents that support focus, opens and expands, protective against air-born viruses and bacteria.

Magickal Actions: Inspiration, communication, uncrossing, hex-breaking, blessing new beginnings and endeavors, transitions, study aid, divination (all forms but especially wind, cloud, and smoke divination), bringing out change.

Remedies: Hydrosols, room and body sprays, incense, smoking blends, essential oils.

Excess: Flighty, nervous, anxious, lack of coordination, irritable, prone to mood swings, tense, fanatical or obsessive thoughts, the nervous system is overworked and feels frayed, sharp-worded, easily overwhelmed and over-reliant on others for help, remaining superficial in interactions. Excess Tension/Constriction tissue state.

Lack: Brain fog, unfocused, difficulty breathing, poor circulation, understimulated, lack of vision, uninspired, stagnant but restless, poor memory, insufficient memory, ineffective cellular metabolism, lack of tone, easily overwhelmed by feeling under-resourced, difficulty with executive functioning. Too much Damp/Relaxation and Damp/Stagnation tissue state.

Elemental Balance: When in balance, Air strengthens our intellectual, logical, and communication capacities. The element of Air also helps us to be grounded in consensus reality while exploring beyond its boundaries without losing ourselves. Working with Water, Air is able to become more mutable, a bit more solid, and able to experience empathy better. Fire and Air make a very energizing pair which can help to move us out of emotional and physical stagnation, but typically needs to be used in small, short-term doses. Earth and Air bring about a sensation of seated flying - the visionary qualities of Air are able to be rooted and grounded with the gifts of Earth. 

Air Herbs: Air herbs are often one or some combination of the following - aromatic and/or slender in appearance, warming to neutral in temperature, tightening, astringent to neutral in flavor. Examples of Air herbs include Vervain (Verbana spp.), Lavender (Lavandula spp.), Catnip (Nepeta cataria), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Elder (Sambucus nigra), Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). 

In our life and remedies Air represents the ability to think deep and connect with what we are inspired by. Inspiration is what guides us to know more about ourselves and the world. Through Air we meet our inner scholar, engaging with the abstractions of the universe, and dwelling at the boundary between our inner depths and the world around us. Air is the part of ourselves that is most visible to the world around us and so it is a place that we also learn about how we express ourselves in alignment with our values.

background image via @yucar

Water

Primary Quality: Cold + Moist
Secondary Qualities: Moderate heaviness, soft, slippery, smooth, easily adapts shape of energy, receptive 
Humor: Phlegm
Temperament: Phlegmatic
Season: Winter (traditional) or Autumn (modern)
Direction: North (traditional) or West (modern)
Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Excess: Damp/Relaxation, Cold/Depression, and/or Damp/Stagnation Tissue State
Lack: Dry/Atrophy, Hot/Excitation, and/or Tension/Constriction Tissue States

Herbal Actions: Nervines, demulcents, adaptogens, analgesics, diuretics, anti-inflammatories, anti-spasmodics, cardiotonics, galactagogues, sedatives, vasodilators, emmenagogues, febrifuges, herbs that soften and open up, and cooling herbs.

Magickal Actions: Psychic development, sacred bathing and cleansing rites, rituals of transition, ancestral connections, emotional release, water based divination such as scrying, menstruation magick, Moon magick.

Remedies: Infusions and water based extractions of all kinds including teas, herbal baths, flower essences, hydrosols, glycerites, and spiritual waters (such as Moon or Florida Water).

Excess: Lack of willpower, easily overwhelmed, oversaturated emotionally, poor digestion due to weak digestive fire and to much damp in the system, lack of tone, water retention, tends to be cold, easily influenced by others, difficulty setting healthy boundaries, tendency to addictive habits and thought cycles, chronically self-sacrificing. Too much Damp/Relaxation or Damp/Stagnation tissue states.

Lack: Lack of empathy, underdeveloped emotional intelligence in regards to themselves or others, unyielding and inflexible, unable to adapt or change plans, aloof and disconnected from the needs of others, dismissive of the feelings of others, belief in invulnerability and avoidance of display of vulnerability. Excess Dry/Atrophy and/or Tension/Constriction tissue states.

Elemental Balance: When in balance, Water strengthens our emotional intelligence, reflective abilities, and capacity to empathize. With Water we expand our perception and are able to feel and resonate with the complexity of life. Working with Air, Water is able to dry up excess damp, think a bit more critically, and begin to communicate effectively in the world. With Fire, Water warms up and aids in metabolic function as well as strengthens willpower and self-confidence. With Earth, Water begins to take form, toning water-logged body systems, and helping rooting dreams and desires into real-world action and manifestation.

Water Herbs: Water herbs are often one or some combination of the following - water-rich and/or oily, sea and water growing plants, cooling to neutral in temperature, softening, gentle, sweet and/or neutral in flavor. Examples of Water herbs include Chickweed (Stellaria media), Cleavers (Galium aparine), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Mugwort (Artemisia spp.), Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Aloe (Aloe barbadensis), Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), Willow (Salix alba), Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica).

In our life and our remedies Water represents the ability to feel deeply and connect to our dreams and other beings. We are able to evolve as a species through the empathy we develop with Water. Through Water we meet our inner mystic, distilling wisdom from simple and complex experiences, and learn how to dissolve the boundaries which keeps us separate. Water is the part of ourselves that can be most hidden from the world, because it represents how we feel and what we know to be true. So with Water we learn how to bring these stories to the surface or dive deep with them as needed.

background image via @tengyart

Fire

Primary Quality: Hot + Dry
Secondary Qualities: Absolute lightness, bright, very rare, transforms and transmutes energy into other qualities
Humor: Yellow Bile
Temperament: Choleric
Season: Summer
Direction: South (Northern Hemisphere) or North (Southern Hemisphere)
Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Excess: Heat/Excitation and Tension/Constriction Tissue States
Lack: Cold/Depression, Damp/Relaxation, and/or Damp/Stagnation Tissue States

Herbal Actions: Stimulants, diaphoretics, anti-depressants, rubefacients, carminatives, cholagogues, cardiostimulants, herbs that stimulate digestion, herbs that help us reconnect to the spark of life and our willpower.

Magickal Actions: Candle lighting spells, fire and smoke magick and divination, fire-based cleansing rites (such as jumping the fire, burning sacred herbs), carrying prayers and spells via smoke, energizing all forms of spellwork, sex magick.

Remedies: Incense, herbal bundles for fumigation, herbal oils and rubs, liniments, alcohol extracts.

Excess: Prone to anger, short-tempered, restless and impatient, accusatory and quick to blame others, bullying and cruel, egotistical, overbearing, intolerant of differences, lack of empathy, self-centered, prone to burnout, overheats easily which can cause intense or chronic fevers, dry skin, poor digestion from lack of moisture, brittle hair, and chronic inflammation. Excess Heat/Excitation and Tension/Constriction tissue states.

Lack: Lack of willpower, prone to depression and pessimism, difficulty connecting with joy, creative lack and blocks, conservative mindset and lack of creative thinking when it comes to other ways of doing things or imagining possibilities, rarely excited, possessing an imagination deficit, lack of heat can cause poor digestion, circulation, and inability to fight off illness and infection. Excess Cold/Depression, Damp/Relaxation, and/or Damp/Stagnation tissue states.

Elemental Balance: When in balance, Fire strengthens our creative capacity, our love of life, and our inherent vitality. With Fire we realize ourselves as participants in shaping the world we live in and yet to come. Working with Air, Fire is fed and brings life and enthusiasm to all situations. With Water, FIre is tempered and taught empathy so that it can warm and not burn out or become destructive. With Earth, Fire is held and focused bringing heat and light where necessary and helping shape raw material into invaluable tools and skills.

Fire Herbs: Fire herbs are often one or some combination of the following - warming and dry, warm to hot in temperature, irritating and stimulating, strong or spicy in flavor. Examples of Fire herbs include Basil (Ocimum spp.), Ginger (Zingiber officinalis), Blessed Thistle (Cnicus bendictus), Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), Nettles (Urtica dioica), Rose (Rosa spp.), St. Joan’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum).

In our life and remedies Fire represents our spark of life and how we engage with the creative energies of life. Without Fire there would be no life, no joy, and no open-hearted hope. Through Fire we meet our inner optimist and change-maker, learning how to find possibility and bravery in the most dire of situations. Fire is our source of energy and shapes the way that we pass on wisdom and knowledge to those around us, including the generation to come.

image via @sebastian_unrau

Earth

Primary Quality: Cold + Dry
Secondary Qualities: Heavy, firm, stable, dense, sustained and enduring energy that centers and moves downwards
Humor: Black Bile
Temperament: Melancholic
Season: Autumn (traditional) or Winter (modern)
Direction: West (traditional) or North (Northern Hemisphere) or South (Southern Hemisphere)
Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Excess: Cold/Depression, Damp/Relaxation, and/or Damp/Stagnation Tissue States
Lack: Dry/Atrophy (think poor soil quality) and/or Hot/Excitation Tissue State

Herbal Actions: Alteratives, carminatives, expectorants, bitters, anti-parasitics, anti-catarrhals, hepatics, nervines, food staple plants like Oats (Avena sativa), tonic herbs that can be taken over a long period of time.

Magickal Actions: Rituals of transformation, death rites, stone and rock magick, rituals acts of burying, garden magick, dismantling systemic oppression, strengthening community, body magick, and rituals of self-discipline.

Remedies: All forms of cooking with herbs, powders, herbal salt rubs, compresses, salves, decoctions, herbal pills, suppositories, herbal sachets and plants worn on the body.

Excess: Too much Earth can lead to stagnation in issues of health and in life in general, stubbornness, cynicism, workaholism, overreliance on systems of hierarchy, being loyal to an idea, cause or person beyond reasonableness, dictatorial behavior, decrease of mobility physical, emotional, and mental, self-indulgent, over-valuing the acquisition of material objects or "perfecting" the body as a sign of self-worth. Excess Cold/Depression, Damp/Relaxation, and/or Damp/Stagnation tissue states.

Lack: Difficulty being present in the body (everything from being spacey to dissociation and beyond), inability to manifest dreams into reality, demonstrate follow-through in projects, under-developed survival skills, a dislike or disinterest of "nature", lack of stamina and vitality, unreliable, over-promises and under-delivers, prone to posturing in place of actual self-reflection, stuck in one part of life and not growing and developing as a person. Excess Dry/Atrophy and/or Hot/Excitation tissue states.

Elemental Balance: When in balance Earth helps us to be embodied in all aspects of our life. With Earth we see ourselves as part of the world and in a deep interconnectedness with all other beings. Working with Air, the steady and slow nature of Earth can find a bit of speed and mutability, warming up what can be a cold element. With Water, Earth can become a rich and fecund place of growth, helping to bring empathy to embodiment. With Fire, Earth is warmed up, becoming a greenhouse where the spirit and body can thrive throughout the year and all kinds of experiences.

Earth Herbs: Earth herbs are often one or some combination of the following - nutrient dense and/or oily, cold to neutral in temperature, toning, strong, earthy, and/or bitter in flavor. Blessed Thistle (Cnicus bendictus), Chickweed (Stellaria media), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Elder (Sambucus nigra), Elecampane (Inula helenium), Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), Rose (Rosa spp.).

In our life and remedies Earth represents our ability to manifest, ground and center, and to be embodied in the physical world. Without Earth there would be no growth, no sensations of life, and a lack of shared experience. Through Earth we meet our animal self which has never forgotten that we were born of wild places and that from Earth we emerged and to Earth we shall return. Earth is our source of physicality and the way we experience all our sensation in the world, gleaning wisdom from a very real and felt journey through life, death, and rebirth.

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In the next part of our series we’ll be exploring the four elements theory in practice including simple remediation techniques. If you’re head is buzzing with all this information and paths of study to follow, may I suggest a cup of Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) tea?

A practical exercise you might do to help you integrate some of this knowledge about elemental energetics is to think about a recent health issue you had and begin to describe it from an elemental perspective? A cough that was damp and persistent? That sounds like too much Earth and Water. A rash that’s red and dry? Lots of Fire and Air happening there. It’s one simple way to begin to think about yourself and the world from an elemental perspective.

Until next time, friends!

This post was made possible through patron support.
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Using Tarot In Your Healing Practice

When I started reading tarot I had the good fortune to be gifted a book that centered the cards as not only a tool of divination but one of transformation. The tarot was a living temple that one could visit, populated by interesting people, creatures, Old Ones, and landscapes that reflected our own inner psyche. Another of my early tarot books was on shadow work with tarot which I worked through as an earnest teenage witch who didn't quite know what they were doing. That early enthusiasm for self-inquiry and healing work has supported me these decades later and led me to turn again and again to my cards when seeking clarity around healing work. 

For me, the tarot is a multidisciplinary magickal tool - it is art, a collection of rebellious and traditional ideas, a practice of self-realization, a path of divination, a book of healing, and so much more.

With that in mind, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite ways of bringing tarot into your healing practice, whether for your own healing work or as a practitioner working with clients. 

The Gentle Tarot by Mari in the Sky

Create a Healing Tarot Altar

Tarot can easily become a vision board so why not create an altar incorporating cards related to your healing desires? For me, The Star is one of the most beautiful and healing cards in the deck and often finds its way onto my altar. It represents rest and restoration which is something I struggle to commit to in my healing practice. But any card in the deck can represent healing for you including goals you might have, allies you want to remember to recognize or call-in, and healing practices you want to incorporate into your practice. Finding cards for your healing altar can be as simple as flipping through your deck and pulling out whatever cards call to you, that you feel hope and possibility with. Add some other items if you like (a bowl of water, a candle or two, a healing stone or plant friend) and you've set up a sweet little space for healing work. If you work with clients this can be a really special thing to do with them while in session or ahead of time before they arrive in the space. If you're looking for more inspiration I've written about each of the healing qualities of each of the tarot suits.

Tarot by Caro - Caro Clarke

Find Your Shadow Card

I've written a whole post about tarot and shadow work including how to find your shadow card, but essentially it's a wonderfully visual and visceral way to understand a healing challenge you might be faced with at the moment. For example, if you're working with a client who is experiencing anxiety but is having difficulty pinpointing why or one of the places it might be stemming from, helping them choose a shadow card can help to start a discussion by talking about what they see in the card and the feelings it brings up in them. I do this in my own personal practice when I'm feeling overwhelmed by what seems like an endless expanse of things to be anxious about during these times of churn and change, to help me find an anchoring point to reconnect with my own inner compass and figure out what needs meeting with first. Learn more about how to find your shadow card.

The Future Ancestors Tarot by Alexa Villanueva

Cast a Healing Spread

I have a couple of different tarot spreads that I turn to for healing insights including the Healer's Celtic Cross for general readings, this one for working on old stuff including ancestral inheritance and generational trauma, and this one for helping point towards hope in the midst of a challenging situation. But I more often than not pull very simple three card spreads for healing guidance such as:

• Mind/Body/Spirit: A good general spread to check in with different parts of ourselves. You can pull additional cards for any of these points, expanding the reading if you need more clarity.

• Finding the Love: Struggling with health (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and so on) can be draining and demoralizing. When I'm seeking hope I like to pull a card that represents the situation I'm in, another card for what I'm feeling challenged by, and a third that represents where the love is at. I don't think illness is here to teach us a lesson, but we have opportunities to learn through whatever we're going through, and one of the skills we can develop is to learn to spot the love in any situation. It might be recognizing who showed up to support you when you needed them or the ferocious way you chose to believe in your worth no matter what in a challenging situation or the simple pleasures that are helping you keep grounded and centered. Love fuels hope and hope fuels healing which is why this three card spread can be so useful.

• Embrace/Release/Return: One card for something you should be doing more of (embrace), something you should let go of (release), and a reminder of where you hope to go (return). 

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So those are my simple suggestions for bringing tarot into your healing practice. What are the ways you use tarot in your healing work? I work a lot with the tarot and plant allies, so if you're interested in the healing intersections of tarot and herbalism, check out The Tarot Apothecary.

However you cast your cards, I hope that you're able to find the answers you're looking for and that your healing needs are met again and again.

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Notes

The two books I refer to at the beginning of this post are Teach Yourself Tarot by Naomi Ozaniec and Tarot Shadow Work: Using the Dark Symbols to Heal by Christine Jette.

Honoring Sensitivity: Chamomile Plant Profile

I work with a lot of highly sensitive people, neurodivergent folks, and empaths in my practice and a few years back I wrote about herbs and essences to support those of us who live with extra sensitivity (and then created a course). The gentle yet effective ways of plant medicine can be a welcome path of healing for many sensitive folks working with their sensitivities instead of overwhelming them. Over the years there have been a number of herbs that I have returned to again and again to support sensitive folks and one of those plant allies is Chamomile (Matricaria recutita).

Chamomile is a beautiful herb to work with for young folks and old folks and all in-between as it supports our ability to grow into our sensitivity in ways that may not have been possible when we were younger.

If you are someone who experiences extra sensitivity in the world or work with folks who sensitive, you might be interested in my upcoming course on healing practices for highly sensitive people and empaths being published later this year - sign-up for Magick Mail to be kept in the loop.

And now let’s meet Chamomile…

image via @michaelheld

Chamomile
(Matricaria recutita)

Common + Folk Names : Mayweed, ground apple, manzanilla, German chamomile, wild chamomile, blue chamomile
Tarot Cards: The Moon, The Sun, 6 of Cups
Element : Water
Zodiac Signs : Water Signs, Leo
Planets : Venus, Moon, Sun
Moon Phase : Full Moon
Parts used : Flower
Habitat : Native to Eurasia.
Growing conditions : Sun to partial shade and makes a good and fragrant ground cover.
Collection : Collect flowers in spring.
Flavor : Sweet, bitter
Temperature : Neutral
Moisture : Moist
Tissue State : Tense/Constriction, Hot/Excitation

Constituents : Calcium, magnesium, iodine, phosphorous, potassium, vitamin B2, choline, essential oils, flavonoids, levomenol, sesquiterpene lactone, coumarins, salicylates, plant acids,

Actions : Analgesic, anodyne, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, emetic (in large doses), febrifuge, nervine, sedative, stomachic, tonic, vulnerary.

Main Uses : Chamomile has an affinity for the stomach and as such is an herb for emotional upsets that manifest in the stomach and digestive tract. Think about the person (maybe you!) who gets a nervous or upset stomach during emotionally challenging times - Chamomile is a fantastic ally. The herb is bitter and sweet which helps us to produce fluids such as bile for digestion, but also helps us to digest our emotions properly. 

Chamomile is one of my favorite herbs for all varieties of childhood complaints from upset stomach, nervousness, cold and 'flu, and invoking calm. It's a classic remedy for the colic-y child and it is a great herb for the sensitive child whose emotional disturbances and overstimulation is felt by them through their stomachs as they often complain of an upset stomach when their environment (internal and external) feels unsteady. But truthfully this describes many sensitive adults, especially those who did not have stable home and parenting environments when younger. Chamomile helps to settle an upset stomach and any accompanying digestive issues, while helping to move energy throughout the body so it doesn't just stagnate in one spot.

After helping to settle an upset stomach, Chamomile continues to work its magic, helping to support children and adults who have great emotional sensitivity to move through their feelings and the world around them. For adults, Chamomile can be especially useful in connecting with our inner child and re-parenting them if necessary. Many of us are carrying around emotional baggage from our young and formative years that can keep us floundering or stagnating in our present life. Chamomile can help us to process these difficult emotions, by gently reconnecting us with who we were before so that we can move on to who we are becoming.

Chamomile has a great ability to cool overheated conditions including excess heat and inflammation, pain, and the emotional turmoil such conditions can create including anger and irritability. One of the indications for Chamomile is oversensitivity to pain which can let us know that the nervous system is on the verge of burnout or already there. The herb is deeply relaxing, helping to alleviate tension and create a sense of calm in the body. Use for cases of anxiety, low self-esteem, and an overall belief that one cannot be properly cared for (look for signs of masking disappointment and low self-esteem with anger). Sometimes when our sensitivity is rejected as a child or we grow up in an environment that is not safe for us to be sensitive in, a shield of anger and toughness can grow over wounded places which traps heat and energy. Chamomile's cooling qualities are useful here and if you're identifying with a lot of what I've been writing about Chamomile so far, be sure to read the "Chamomile Personality" section, too.

Chamomile is a bit of a panacea meaning that it is beneficial to most common conditions that you'll come across in your family or practice including headaches (especially caused by conditions of excess heat), insomnia, heartburn, ulcers, fever, restlessness, sciatica, and so on. Another sign for sensitive folks that Chamomile might be a good ally for you is the need for touch, being held and cared for, but in very particular way as most touch feels too overstimulating or irritating and/or feeling like there is never enough reassurance (physical or otherwise) even as folks are actively reassuring you.

The herb is helpful for premenstrual tension as well as relieving cramps during menstruation. If menstruation is a time of excess sensitivity (especially when there are signs of excess anger and irritability), Chamomile can be a great ally to work with. The herb is also useful for allergies and hay fever and inflamed respiratory systems. Take as a tea daily through allergy season. Use during fire season in the same way to help protect the body from the excess heat and pollutants in the air. 

Use for all sorts of external treatments of the skin including for inflammation and burns, hives, eczema, psoriasis, insect bites, dermatitis, sunburn, acne, and wounds in general. Use in sitz baths for hemorrhoids and in baths for both children and adults to create calm in the body. The salve is great for diaper rash and a mild tea can be used for teething. Use in massage oils for pain conditions including sciatica and inflamed joints. The hydrosol or simple tea infusion makes a great toner for skin prone to redness and acne. Gargle for sore throats and infections, as well as gum and tooth pain. Use as eyewash for conjunctivitis. 

image via @yoyoqua

Magickal Uses : Use in money spells as the golden flowers resemble gold coins. Add to luck and success spells and any ritual honoring or invoking the energy of the Sun. A beautiful addition to the altar during Midsummer and Yule. The herb is a sweet addition to sleep charms as well as children's charm bundles. Place the Moon card and the Sun card from the tarot on your altar (or an image of the Sun and the Moon) and a bowl of Chamomile with your name written on a piece of paper tucked inside to help you find balance between your inner (Moon) and outer (Sun) worlds.

The Chamomile Personality : Anger can be a tool of signalling that they are in distress because it is a loud and self-protective way of letting others know something is up, but for Chamomile folks it is often overused. For one reason or another (childhood neglect, unhealed trauma) anger has become an overdeveloped muscle and Chamomile helps these folks to become open to and develop other skills of self-expression, especially when they are feeling hurt and insecure. Anger can be a tool to help protect us in acute situations, but when it becomes a chronic condition there is a need for extra mental health support. There is often some emotional trauma unhealed from childhood for Chamomile folks and Chamomile is one of the best plant allies to work with when navigating challenging experiences of our youth. The herb helps Chamomile folk to re-parent themselves and have space to be youthful and appropriately protective and loving towards their own inner child. From this place of tending to the roots of their soul, Chamomile helps folks to feel safe in knowing that they can express themselves beyond anger and be heard and held and wanted and loved always.

Contraindications : Ragweed allergies and some folks experience contact dermatitis with the fresh plant. Otherwise generally considered safe.

Drug interactions : Avoid with anticoagulant medications. 

Dosage : Standard dosage.

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I hope you enjoyed the sweet wisdom of Chamomile. If you felt resonance with the descriptions above but don’t know much about what it means to be sensitive, you might check out my new course on herbs and essences for highly sensitive people.

If you are a person living with extra sensitivity in this world, I hope that you are receiving lots of care and support so that you are able to experience your sensitivity as the gift that it is.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎