Make Your Own Flower Essences

One of my favorite healing modalities to use in my practice are flower essences. They are a vibrational form of energy medicine that works primarily on the emotional body. Flower Essences do not contain any plant material and are not herbal extracts (i.e. herbal tinctures or glycerites that are a potent form of herbal medicine) but instead help us to connect with the energetic quality of a flowering plant. There is no plant or stone material within the essences, only the energetic imprint. If you choose an essence that is not meant for you, it will not affect you. However, if you choose an essence that does fit your needs, it can be transformative.

Various forms of flower essences have been around for a long time, but the modern tradition of Flower Essences in western herbalism emerged in the 1930s through the work of English physician Dr. Edward Bach. He wanted to create a form of healing medicine that was inherently harmless and very easy to understand and use. Dr. Bach recognized that much of disease was caused by stress generated from emotional distress and that there was a healing that occurred when a client could recognize themselves in the remedy being offered (as opposed to feeling lost in unnecessarily medicalized jargon that created a schism between the body and its feelings). Some of you may have already heard of Rescue Remedy which is Bach's most well-known Flower Essence and helps to support a person's recovery from shock and trauma. Bach created 38 essences in total and many other folks have followed in his footsteps leading to the modern renaissance of essence making

Flower essences are fun and easy to make, using inexpensive ingredients, and the process encourages you to slow down and connect directly with plant spirits. For the modern tradition started by Dr. Edward Bach there are two primary methods (the sun and boiling methods), but nowadays you'll see a wide range of methods in use by folks who are continuing to experiment and play with the practice. I have described the way that I was taught to make essences which (as far as I've been able to parse out from the lineages of the teachers who taught me including Dori Midnight, Deb Soule, and the written works of Edward Bach) combines Bach, Flower Essence Society, and queer feminist witchfolk methods.

While I completely encourage you to get out there and start making essences on your own, if you do have the chance to sit in community and in communion with a teacher and classmates, it's an incredible experience. 

The process of making essences is simple - it is primarily a meditative act of paying attention to the plant spirits, the environment, and slowing down enough to listen with your whole self. I've listed out my process below and at the end included notes on flower essences and standard dosage. I hope you feel inspired to create your own essence after reading this tutorial and participate in the beautiful culture and community of flower essence collaborators (because it really is a collaboration between person and plant).

How To Make Flower Essences

Gather together supplies. For flower essence making you'll need:

• A clear glass bowl or jar

• A pair of wooden tongs or fine mesh strainer

• Spring water

• A funnel is useful

• Coffee filter

• A clean (preferably new) bottle to store your essence

• Preservative of choice

For my essence making bowl, I use an old, thick glass jar that used to house a candle - it is a tool in my practice that is used exclusively for essence making. If wooden tongs are difficult because of issues with dexterity, you can use a fine mesh strainer to scoop out the plant material. The uses for these tools will be explained in the essence making process below.

Begin with the breath. Before I even choose an essence to make and when to make it, I allow myself to come into a meditative state. The physical act of making flower essences is simple, the complexity of this form of remedy-making comes from the focus and intention of the practitioner in communion with plant spirits. For me, it means that I begin the process of making flower essences by returning to my breath and checking in to see if I'm in a place energetically and emotionally to be making essences. If the path feels clear, I proceed with the next step. And if it doesn't? I pause, I wait, I come back to the work another day, and that's ok. 

Choose the flowers to make an essence with. Like much of herbal medicine making, making essences is a seasonal craft and asks us to be aware of and sensitive to the growing world around us. Knowing when it is time and with what plant to make essences with is a bit practical (the Roses will be blooming in May) and a bit intuitive (ah, I hear Rose song - it's time to make an essence). I'll get an idea for making an essence, but sometimes the message I receive back when sitting with the plants is that I need to wait. The timing of making essences isn't about what works for my schedule but being in partnership with the plant spirits. I trust the process, knowing that'll all come together eventually, returning to my breath again and again so that I'll be ready to flow with the work when the moment arrives.

One note about choosing flowers to work with and researching them ahead of time. Personally, I prefer not to read up about what others have written about an essence before I make my own. Of course, I read about essences all the time so this isn't always possible, but instead of doing a deep dive into research like I would do for an herbal remedy I'm making, I instead strive for a state of curiosity and open-mindedness to learn directly from the plant when making a new essence. After I make an essence and have written my own initial notes about it (more on that below), I love diving into the words of others about that plant. 

Pay attention to the weather. While I can prepare all I like, one of the conditions which is out of my control is the ideal weather conditions for essence making. Here is where you'll most often find variation in essence making practices, mostly with folks being a lot more lax about weather conditions than I was taught (which is completely fine!). I find the observation of and waiting for the ideal weather to be part of the mindfulness of connecting with the plant world and is an essential part of essence making. I make essences on cloudless, sunny days or at least those conditions for the time that I'm essence making so that no shadow will pass over the bowl of essence water during the process (more on this in a minute). On rare occasions I make lunar essences under the light of the Full Moon.

Approach the plant spirits. I always approach the plant from which I hope to make an essence with reverence. For me that is breath and song along with simple offerings of water. I state my intention and I ask to be able to pick their flowers, always waiting for a response before proceeding. How you approach the plant spirits will look different, but it's an important step in continuing to make the energetic connection with the plant you are making essences with. Once I've received permission from the plant spirit, I move on to making the essence.

Set up your bowl. Fill your bowl with spring water and place it in such a way that no shadow, including your own will pass over it. Once I place water in the bowl I begin to be very mindful of my movements so that my shadow does not pass over the water. I was taught that the water at this time easily absorbs energy, including the transfer of energy from my body through my shadow. On a more mundane note, it's a practice in mindfulness, especially in group essence making situations, to be aware of where you are in relation to the essence.

Add flowers to the bowl. Now it is time to add whole flowers to the bowl. Here is another place of differentiation that I see with other instructions I've seen for making flower essences. I was taught to use only a few flowers (and in my case either three, six or nine flowers total) in the bowl, whereas other practitioners will completely cover the surface of the water with flowers. Be guided by the plants on this and be mindful to not take more than you need. Aesthetically it can be beautiful to fill a bowl with flowers, and sometimes that is the path to take, but often energetically you only need a few flowers.

I use wooden tongs to add flowers to the bowl so that I don't touch the flowers with my skin and mingle my energies with theirs before placing them in the bowl of water. If you don't have wooden tongs you can use a leaf pinched between your fingers and the flower so that your skin is not touching the flower as you pick them. Again, this is a practice in slowness and mindfulness that I find to be so beautiful with flower essence making.

Some practitioners don't even pick flowers, especially if a flower is rare or there are too few of them, and hold the bowl of water up to the flower, letting the flower rest on the surface of the water for a period of time. Though I haven't tried this myself, I think that this could be a really beautiful approach to essence making.

Be still and connect. Once the flowers are in the bowl of water it's time to let the essence brew. I was taught to be in meditation with the plants during this time, listening for stories they might offer about the essence that was being brewed and the healing qualities that it possessed. Instead of a set time of energetic infusion, I was taught to be plant-led to know when it was time to strain the essence. I write down what comes through from the plants at this point so I don't forget what can seem so clear in the moment but hazy upon reflection later. 

Offer the flowers back to the earth. Once the essence is done brewing it is time to offer the flowers back to the earth. I do this by picking them out one by one from the water with my tongs and laying them at the base of the plant. I do not let my shadow pass over the water until all the flowers are removed at which point the brewing process is done. I like to arrange the spent flowers in a way that feels pleasing to the eye. An offering of beauty can be a powerful one when making flower essences and it can be a really beautiful process when making essences in community to have everyone participate in the creation of a spent flower altar.

Filter and preserve. I set up my coffee filter in my funnel and add the essence water to my bottle. I'll add in my preservative of choice at this point (typically organic vodka, but that's just because it was a preference of one of my teachers; many essences are made with brandy) at a ratio of 75% preservative to 25% water. You can use non-alcoholic preservatives (like glycerin or vinegar) but these are less shelf-stable and I've personally not had a lot of luck keeping essences not preserved with alcohol from going off. This bottle is known as the Mother bottle and will be the source for the Stock and Dosage bottles you use of the essence.

Offer gratitude and thanks. End your flower essence making session with gratitude and thanks to the plant spirits for their help. I add any leftover water from the essence making process back to the plant. At this point I'll ingest a few drops of the newly made essence - this is always a special moment and I find it to help ground and center me after this meditative medicine making process.

Flower Essence Dosage Guidelines

What you've just learned is how to make a Mother Bottle which is the essence that you'll make Stock bottles from. Here is where the connection to homeopathy shows up with modern essence making (Dr. Edward Bach was a physician and a homeopath), as dilution is considered potentizing to an essence and a necessary part of remedy.

Most essences who find in stores or being sold online, including the Bach Flower Essences and Flower Essence Society essences, and sold as "stock" bottles. You're meant to create a dosage bottle from these stock bottles which means that those small bottles have quite a long shelf life. A dosage bottle typically lasts for one month, but that can vary depending on need and use.

To create a stock bottle: Take a one-ounce glass dropper bottle and blend together water with a preservative of choice (i.e. vinegar, alcohol or glycerin). You want to add 50% water to 50% preservative. Into this bottle add 1 to 3 drops of essence from the Mother bottle. Now you've made a stock essence that you can create dosage bottles from.

To create a dosage bottle: Take a one-ounce glass dropper bottle and blend together water with a preservative of choice (i.e. vinegar, alcohol or glycerin). You're looking to create a rough ratio of 75% water to 25% preservative. You can also use only water and simply keep the bottle in the fridge. I like using spring water because that was the wisdom that was passed down to me, but any water will do. To this bottle you want to add 1 - 3 drops of essence from your stock bottle(s).

Standard dosage for flower essences is 1 - 3 drops directly under the tongue or in a small amount of water up to three times daily. What I recommend for your personal rescue remedy is to follow the standard dosage and take 1 - 3 drops during acute moments of stress. Taken this way, dosage bottles typically last for a month. I like to use an essence for at least one cycle of the Moon and then check-in with myself to see if I should continue using the essence, pause, make adjustments to a blend or move on to another essence. Reflecting on your journey with an essence or blend after a month's time is an important part of working with flower essences, so I highly recommend it.

A Few Magickal Variations for Making Essences

• You can make essences under the light of the Full Moon using the same methods described above. This can be especially potent with night-blossoming flowers and flowers with strong lunar associations.

• Use Moon-charged water for the base for an essence.

• Time your essence making to astrological events (i.e. during conjunctions, planetary hours, and so on).

• Build an altar or nature mandala for your essences to brew on.

• Make essences in crystal bowls (like a rose quartz or jade bowl), wood bowls, or with quartz crystal in the bowl. These will all interact with your essence in interesting ways.

• Charge your essence with sound while brewing. Songs, singing bowls, monochords, drums, flutes, guitars or whatever instrument you play can be used to create a soundscape for an essence to brew in and also as an offering to the plant spirits.

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Do you make flower essences? Or use them in your practice? Not all herbalists do though I feel like most western herbalists will have at least some exposure to them in their training. I always enjoy being in a room of plant folk who suddenly start pulling out the essence bottles they keep on their person (there’s always at least one and, ok, I’m often that one) and start to share the magickal story of how these flowers have brought them healing and inspiration.

And maybe that’s what I love most about flower essences - storytelling and the communion between people and plants are inherent in their making and taking. So here’s to the more magickal of remedies in our practices and the stories they bring.

May you find yourself in a field of flower stories and find some healing and comfort there.

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

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.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

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.

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

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.