Thriving Everywhere: Self Heal Plant Profile

When I moved to Nisenan and Miwkoʔ Waaliʔ land / Sacramento, one of the first plants I noticed that was new to my eyes was this little purple flower that seemed to show up in everyone’s front lawn.¹ A careful look through plant identification books revealed to me that this was Self Heal (Prunella vulgaris), a plant I’d learned about in my studies as an herbal student, but not one that I’d ever seen in person before. It’s always exciting to meet a plant friend you’ve only read about and since then I’ve worked a lot with beloved Self Heal.

In the part of California that I’m in, Self Heal grows everywhere much like California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) or Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). It’s a common wayside herb and it’s healing gifts are tied up with the health of working people out in the fields, carpenters and farmers, laborers and Travelling folk. I find their energy to be steadying, their ability to inspire hope in the healing process enduring. Self Heal is a wonderful herb to work with and I hope that you’ll find the following plant profile of use to your own studies and practice.

Enjoy!

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Self Heal
(Prunella vulgaris)

Common + Folk Names : Heal-all, common selfheal, all-heal, blue curls, carpenter's herb, dragonhead, heart of the earth, Hercule's woundwort, hook heal, pimpernel, sickle wort, woundwort, consuelda, ingijbinaa

Tarot Cards : The Chariot, The Tower, The Devil, The Tens (Minor Arcana)

Element : Water, Earth

Zodiac Signs : Virgo (Guardian & Remedy), Gemini (Remedy), Aries (Remedy)

Planets : Venus

Moon Phase : New Moon

Parts used : Aerial parts

Habitat : Naturalized throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and North Africa. Often found in shady edges of woods, fields, roads, and yards.

Growing conditions : Low growing perennial that prefers moist soil and part to full sun.

Collection : Spring and early summer when it has started to flower.

Flavor : Bittern pungent, sweet

Temperature : Cold

Moisture : Dry

Tissue State : Heat, Tension, Stagnation (learn more about traditional western herbalism energetics)

Constituents : Beta-carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin C, vitamin K, zinc, flavonoids, pentacyclic triterpenes, rosmarinic acid, essential oils, tannin.

Actions : Alterative, antibacterial, antibiotic, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, bitter, carminative, cholagogue, diuretic, febrifuge, hemostatic, hypotensive, immunostimulant, kidney tonic, liver stimulant, stomachic, styptic, vasodilator, vermifuge, vulnerary.

Main Uses : Self Heal is one of my "how about a little" herbs, in that I'll come to the end of making a blend and I'll think "how about a little Self Heal" and add a pinch of it to the herbs already assembled. As Culpeper writes, "Here is another herb of Venus, Self-heal, whereby when you are hurt you may heal yourself: It is a special herb for inward and outward wounds.”²

One of the reasons that Self Heal is so useful and easy to add to many an herbal blend is that it addresses inflammation in the body in multiple ways. Reducing inflammation can be a key component to alleviating many diseases and imbalances making Self Heal so versatile. Self Heal clears heat from the body by improving the efficiency of the liver and kidneys, as well as by acting as a blood tonic. As a lymphatic tonic, Self Heal addresses stagnation and the issues that can arise from it such as congested and swollen glands, which can lead to infections. Finally, Self Heal addresses inflammation as an immunomodulator, appropriately enhancing the body's immune response and helping to moderate an over-responsive immune response. 

Many of the key indications for Self Heal are related to excess heat and especially excess stagnant heat which results in swelling and engorgement. Conditions like mastitis can often be helped using Self Heal both internally and externally (alongside other mastitis herbs like Phytolacca americana), as well as alleviating the pain of fibrocystic breast tissue, sore nipples, and general swelling. Other indications for Self Heal include pain caused by tension including tension headaches, neck, shoulder, and back pain, as well as dizziness and vertigo caused by hypertension. The herb can be useful in autoimmune conditions "as manifested by joint pains, low-grade fever, fatigue."³ As an anti-inflammatory, cooling tonic, Self Heal is also a good herb to turn to in case of fever (combine with Eupatorium perfoliatum to help with painful fevers). The herb is useful in damp lung conditions including wet coughs and congestion as well as more serious conditions like tuberculosis. Within Traditional Chinese Medicine, Self Heal continues to be used in treating tumors both malignant and benign and there has been research showing that Self Heal might be useful in the treatments of some cancers. In general, it is a good ally for processes of detoxification.

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Self Heal has long been used as an herb for all complaints of the mouth and throat including sore throats, tonsillitis, laryngitis, mouth ulcers, bleeding gums, and gum disease in general. Use as a gargle and as a tea, but it can also be applied externally as a compress to the neck. In fact, the Latin binomial for Self Heal, Prunella, "was originally Brunella or Brunellen, a name given to it by the Germans as it was used to treat die Breuen, an inflammatory mouth and throat problem, common to soldiers in garrisons."⁴ As I mentioned earlier, many herbalists like myself reach for Self Heal to help harmonize and enhance an herbal blend, but also help to tend to the emotional wounds that can appear alongside physical ones. Herbalist Deb Soule writes:

“For years I had felt that a plant with the name self-heal must have the gift of healing internal wounds that cause feelings of sadness, grief, despair, anger and hopelessness. I began adding small amounts of the tincture of self-heal along with other herbs to enhance the healing properties of a formula. Sometimes I add a few dried flowers of self-heal to a tea mixture to help facilitate a deeper, more inward healing process.”⁵

Self Heal was one of the first flower essences I worked with and it was introduced to me as the type of essence that most anyone would benefit from working with. Self Heal helps us to connect with the belief that healing is even a possibility. I like making an herbal massage oil with both the herb and essence of Self Heal, using it for general body care, reducing lymphatic swelling, and supporting the emotional body through the physical one.

Topically, Self Heal continues to act as a useful anti-inflammatory that draws out heat from wounds and injuries alongside its antiseptic qualities. Many of Self Heal's common names like "carpenter's herb" and "sickle wort" refer to its use by laborers working with sharp tools who were able to harvest this freely growing herb easily. Use the herb as a wash for wound care, liniment, and/or salve for bruises, sprains, strains, boils, and burns. Also a good choice for bug bites and stings (great to use alongside Plantago spp. if you happen to get stung by a bee or other insect when out and about). Used internally and externally, Self Heal is a good ally for hemorrhoids, piles, and ulcers, as well as acne, rashes, and other skin irritations. Use as a compress for back pain, muscle and joint pain, as well as headaches. For those prone to tension headaches, consider combining with Blue Vervain (Verbena officinalis) and/or Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). Self Heal is also useful as an eyewash for cases of conjunctivitis.

Finally, I want to share a description from Anishinaabe mashkikiiwikwewag, Keewaydinoquay, about Self Heal that so succinctly sums up the beauty of Self Heal's (ingijibinaa) healing gifts:

“If it has a nice place to grow in, a moist and sunny or semishaded place, this plant can grow to be eighteen inches tall, but if it is growing on a suburban lawn that is dry and regularly mowed, it can be two inches tall. In either extreme it will endeavor to put out its little flower and live a full life. As Kee used to say, ‘If a little weed can do that, so can people.’”⁶

Magickal Uses : A great herb to add to any healing bundles, spells, rituals, and charms. Helps to give courage to those seeking healing, especially those folks who have been worn down and feel hopeless about their ability to feel well again. Dr. JJ Pursell shares in her annotated guide to Culpeper's Complete Herbal that she was "taught to use self-heal topically whenever I was bitten in a dream because the energetic bite must be treated." I love this bit of herbal tradition of tending to wounds sustained in dreams in the waking world. While Self Heal was not recommended to me specifically, I received similar instructions on working with plants and dreams, and find that it's such a lovely way of helping the body settle after a particularly intense dream or nightmare. It is a very sweet form of somatic magick and calling the spirit home to the body. 

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The Self-Heal Personality : There are two key Self Heal personalities that I've most often come across. The first is the person who on the surface appears to have given up any responsibility for their own healing. They strongly cling to the belief that it is only something or someone outside of themselves that will make them well and that their ability to feel well is not something they have any control over. Sometimes this ties into patterns of addiction to substances, people, and experiences as a way to cope. Deeper beneath this is a belief that not only is feeling well not something they can access through their own effort (alongside appropriate therapeutic, community, and medicinal support), but that they do not deserve to be well. This wound is a deep one and often stems from early childhood experiences, but not exclusively. Self Heal can help them to realize that to feel well and supported in their wellness is a human right and to begin to question their own beliefs around their deservedness. Ultimately, Self Heal helps the to feel a sense of empowerment in being responsible for seeking, cultivating, and receiving what they need to feel well.

The second Self Heal personality I've come across is a person who has done a good amount of inner work, they have a rather secure belief in their ability to seek out and know feelings of wellness, and then something bubbles to the surface that they were not expecting. It may be a familiar pattern that they had thought they had already addressed but are now seeing from a different angle or an issue that they had not faced before because it needed to be uncovered by the healing work they've already done. Self Heal acts as an ally and guide in this process of understanding oneself and one's responsibilities even in areas of life where they believe they've already addressed it all. Instead of shame or humiliation or a feeling that they should've "healed better" before, Self Heal helps them feel humbled by the magick that is healing and responsibly empowered wherever this part of their healing journey is guiding them. 

Contraindications : Generally considered safe.

Drug interactions :  Avoid with insulin and hypoglycemic medications. Because of its liver stimulating qualities, it may reduce absorption of prescription drugs and supplements.

Dosage : Standard dosage. Anne McIntyre recommends an infusion of "two flowering spikes per cup of water 3 x daily."

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If you would like an easy to access, downloadable, and printable version of this and all of my plant profiles, including Self Heal, you’re invited to join The Plant Ally Library.

As you explore the energies of Self Heal and other plant allies, you might be interested in other ways of supporting your healing practice from finding your rhythm with lunar rituals, creating your own oracle of care or cultivating a healing daily practice with tarot.

May you thrive wherever you find yourself, growing steady into the spaces that feel like home.

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

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Footnotes

1. There is a joke that if you take your herbalist friend for a walk where there are plants that it is less likely to be a walk with any momentum and more of a “Ooo! What’s that plant?” and “Oh! The {insert name of beloved plant} is looking lovely today!” stop-every-few-steps meandering. I say “joke” but it is more of a common reality for many an herbalist’s friend.

2. Nicholas Culpeper and J. J. Pursell, Culpeper's Complete Herbal: A Compendium of Herbs and Their Uses, Annotated for Modern Herbalists, Healers, and Witches (Portland, OR: Microcosm Publishing, 2022), 244.

3. Michael Alfs, 300 Herbs: Their Indications & Contraindications (New Brighton, MN: Old Theology Book House, 2003), 96.

4. Anne McIntyre, Flower Power: Flower Remedies for Healing Body and Soul through Herbalism, Homeopathy, Aromatherapy, and Flower Essences (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996), 186.

5. Deb Soule, 'Self Heal' Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners, Spring 2005, https://www.mofga.org/resources/herbs/self-heal/ (accessed March 2023). Be sure to check out the beautiful recipes for massage oils and more that Deb provides in this profile.

6. Mary Siisip Geniusz, Plants Have So Much To Give Us, All We Have To Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings, (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2015), 253.

7.  Nicholas Culpeper and J. J. Pursell, 244.

8. Anne McIntyre, Dispensing with Tradition: A Practitioner's Guide to using Indian and Western Herbs the Ayurvedic Way (Cheltenham: Artemis House, 2012), 106.

Gathering Together: Tarot and Tea for Pisces Season

Welcome to Pisces Season and my latest post on tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (you can learn more the seasons of the zodiac over here).

The season of Aquarius with its intense idiosyncratic energy and emphasis on intellect and innovation has moved on like a sudden storm leading us to Pisces season. Within the dreamy waters of Pisces season we take a break from the (over)emphasized energy of the individual and back into the flow of the collective. "What an interesting idea!" Pisces says to Aquarius. "But how do you feel about it?" Arriving at Pisces season is a culmination of our journey through all eleven previous signs of the zodiac, symbolizing lifetimes of wisdom gained through experience. Here at the end of the zodiac, where we are furthest from earth and closest to the stars, where the emphasis is not on the intellect or physical form, but on the feeling body and consciousness itself. And yet, Pisces is also the beginning of the zodiac, representing the ocean depths, and acting as the energy which resides deepest within earth. Pisces reminds us that we can't think our way through the mystery, it's gotta be felt.

Pisces is a mutable water sign meaning that it embodies the energy of connecting, dissolving boundaries, and deep empathy (Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius are also mutable signs). Mutable signs arrive at the end of a terrestrial season helping us to prepare for the changes of the next season. Pisces helps to draw the energy of Aquarius season down from the head and its focus on the next best thing, back into the heart and the beauty of the now. For in the world of Pisces, the now is infinite, boundaries are meant to be dissolved, and all can find connection to all. In many ways, Pisces season brings us the most radical and most comfortable energy - radical in that the deeply empathic fish has never met a boundary that couldn't be moved and comfortable because the whole point of moving it is for us to find our ways back home to where we feel most held and whole. 

Pisces season helps us to find our sense of connection with the world, often through the tool of empathy, but it comes in all sorts of unexpected and magickal ways. The energy of Pisces helps us to expand even as we're gathering ourselves back together. What we learn through the energy of Pisces is that connection is important and there are plenty of boundaries that need dissolving, but healthy boundaries which protect and strengthen our empathy are needed. Too much Pisces energy can lead to such a strong belief of the self as other that gullibility leads us into dangerous situations or we struggle to hold on to our individuality amid the sea of collective consciousness. With good boundaries and plenty of time to rest, Pisces helps us connect with our intuitive wisdom, our capacity to transcend limitations, and our ability to love deeply.

Gathering Together
Pisces Season Tarot Spread

So much of the energy of Pisces season is about understanding, cultivating, and protecting our empathic selves. We are deeply empathic species often living within cultures (whether broad overcultures or individual family cultures) that reject empathy as weakness. One of the adaptations to surviving in empathy-denying cultures and relationships is to hide away the most precious parts of ourselves. Sometimes those parts of ourselves get lost.

Pisces asks us, "What are you calling back home to yourself?"

As the most effective dissolver of boundaries, Pisces energy can move through all things and spaces, helping us to locate what it is we're searching for. The following spread helps us to name what was lost and guides us to find it again so that we may feel more whole and holy within ourselves and in our relationships.

Card 1. That Which Was Lost

This card helps us understand the part of us that was lost along the way of growing up and growing into ourselves.

Card 2. That Which We Were Hiding From

Sometimes it's helpful to name and know that which we were hiding ourselves away from, to lessen its ability to make us hide further. 

Card 3 & 4. That Which Calls Us Home

These cards help us to reclaim our lost selves through simple practices, shifts in perspectives, affirmations of or own intuition about the matter, or whatever else you need to hear to help you call yourself home.

Card 5. A Message for Pisces Season

A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Pisces season. This card can highlight energy which you might bring more into your life during Pisces season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Feet

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your feet, including physical experiences and energetic ones, what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning. 

image via @majavujic87

A Tea for Pisces Season

How do we nourish the energy of Pisces? Traditionally, Pisces guards the feet, all bodily fluids, and the endocrine system (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Pisces). The sweet boost of empathy that Pisces season can bring can result in a lot of healing and a lot of feelings, so it's important to work with plant allies that support the emotional body. Milky Oat (Avena sativa) is one of my favorite herbs for empaths because it does such a wonderful job nourishing the nervous system and helping us feel our feels without getting (too) overwhelmed. Sage (Salvia officinalis) has an affinity for the fluids of the body, helping to regulate ebb and flow, and guiding our Pisces energy towards the cultivation of wisdom instead of dazed distraction. Finally, Rose (Rosa spp.) honors the complexity of consciousness that Pisces energy has us swimming through, reminding us that life is layered, including the mysterious bits.

• 4 parts Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• 1 part Sage (Salvia officinalis)

• ½ part Rose (Rosa spp.)

These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Pisces). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image via @guillepozzi

Seasonal Reflections

What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?

What is coming to the surface from within me?

What is receding within me?

What am I feeling grateful for?

What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?

What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?

What am I calling to me?

What am I called to give?

♓️

Want to learn more about the magick and astroherbalism of Pisces? I’ve written a full profile on the sign for you to enjoy. You can also check out the rest of my seasons of astrology series. If you want to dive deeper into the world of tarot, plant allies, and astrology, come this way.

One of my favorite Pisces herbs is Angelica (Angelica archangelica) because not only does it empower Pisces' inherent psychic gifts, but it helps folks who struggle to connect with their intuition to open up a pathway to do so.

May your Pisces season be dreamy and sweet, calling in visions of peace and the path towards collective liberation.

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

3 Simple Rituals for Your Lunar Return

After the sun finally gives up
the sky to the moon
and my children are dreaming

I sit in an empty, unlit room
soaking in the silky sounds
of silence. My body breathes again.

In this darkness, I am found.

~ Erin Kundrie ~

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While I cannot always tell you what day it is - either the name of the day or its date - I am often able to say how full or dark the Moon is.¹ This hasn't always been so. Connecting with a lunar-focused way of experiencing time while being raised within a solar-focused culture took time and effort, a reclamation of ancestral wisdom, and new understanding of time and space beyond strident, unending linear progress. My initial inspiration to reconnect to the Moon as an important and ancient way of knowing time and space came from the books I was reading as a young witch that spoke of the magick that could be done by moonlight and the lost Goddesses that could be found there. Sign me up, my little witch heart sang! Decades later I've come to know lunar time as an essential part of my ability to feel whole and holy - measuring my life by the Moon allows me to ebb and flow, to know that all things are changing and reforming, that growth requires the renewal of decay, that tides must come and go from the shore

Lunar time asks us to critically examine the impossible goal of eternal stasis and immortality set out by capitalism and kyriarchy, while instead connecting with the liberatory experience of ever-change, of inhale and exhalation, of deep relaxation after deep tension.

Celebrating my monthly lunar returns has been a more recent addition to my practice, but one that I've come to treasure. As I continue to write about lunar returns, I wanted to write about some of the very simple rituals you might choose to do to connect with the energetic ebb and flow of your lunar return (and if you haven't yet, read my introduction to lunar returns to understand what they're all about and why you might pay attention to them). I want to focus on rituals that aren't about too much self-analysis, focus on self-improvement or anything that moves us too far into our thinking mind and out of our feeling body.

image via @boothryan_

Our Moon sign represents a lot of interesting aspects of our life, but one of the most important ways our inner Moon helps us to understand ourselves is by illuminating the ways that we feel most comfortable and nourished in our lives. Of course, there is a usefulness to journal prompts and deep self-reflection to help you get to a place of knowing your needs around comfort and feeling emotionally supported, and these are tools I love, but sometimes we just need to tap into something more instinctual and intuitive rather than over-relying on the intellectual. Getting to a place of feeling intuitive and trusting your instincts is not an instantaneous process - not everyone, for example, was supported in their intuitive truths or had to develop instincts that may or may no longer serve us (i.e. an instinct driven by hypervigilance). So it can be really helpful to commit to a regular monthly practice where you engage in some simple ritual to help support your growth of healthy instincts and trust in your intuition, especially when timed to the empowering energy of your lunar return.

For me, a lunar return is not about manifesting the ability to be more productive. It's learning how to recognize your own needs versus the expectations of productivity culture. In a capitalist society like the United States, the expectations of productivity are limitless which conflicts with the finite resources of individuals, communities, and the planet we share. I think it's important to be cognizant and wary of the ways that we might slip productivity culture into our magickal, spiritual, and healing work. Endless striving for self-improvement can lead to self-care that feels increasingly laborious, joyless, performative, and isolating. This can ultimately muddy our intuition and make it difficult to develop instincts which support real resilience (i.e. resilience that sees rest as powerful and essential).²

Here's my encouragement for developing a lunar return ritual practice: strive for something which feels pleasurable, easy to do, and which feels like a benefit in your life. I know, those are broad descriptors of a practice and could mean many things to many people, but that's the point - what works for you is going to be unique to you. Make your practice enticing to you. Sometimes where the benefit of a practice shows up in your life isn't always the present moment, but the practice is benefitting future or past you. Present me doesn't always want to do my daily meditation practice but I never regret having shown up for my meditation practice once it's over. That's what I seek in any regular practice of mine - a practice that cultivates pleasure that surpasses time and space. Yes, showing up for my meditation or lunar return practice is beneficial to my present self, even if it might take effort in the moment, but it's also a gift to my future self that I'm grateful to receive.

Before any of these rituals you have all sorts of ways that you can prepare for them, but only if you feel like you have the time, energy, and inspiration to do so. Don't let the fear of not doing something "right" or "all the way" - whatever either of those things might mean - prevent you from showing up to the rituals that you want to practice. Can it be beautiful to set up an altar for your lunar return and take a shower or bath before a ritual? Yes! But if you don't have the extra energy or time to do those things, the path to your ritual is still one of beauty, and you don't need to do anything else before a ritual but show up. I rely a lot on breathwork before rituals to help me ground and center and begin to shift my consciousness from the busyness of everyday life to the time and space between where rituals take place. There will be time for elaborate rituals and preparations but do what you have the capacity to do now - it's all practice, all sacred. With that in mind here is a might-do list for before a ritual.

A Might-Do List to Prepare for a Ritual

Cleanse & bless your body

Cleanse & bless your space

Dress (or undress) in a way that inspires you

Build or re-energize your altar

Drink some tea

Practice some simple breathwork

image via @_k_arrin

The Lunar Return Rituals

In a previous post on the magick of your lunar return, I shared three tea recipes that I find useful for connecting with different aspects of your lunar return. They focused on the three themes of reflection, rebalancing, and reconnecting which I've used as a guide to create simple rituals to help you connect with whatever energy you're most curious about in your life at the time of your lunar return. If you feel called to, you can incorporate the corresponding teas with the rituals below and/or work with one or more of the plants throughout your lunar return cycle, but that's only if it feels like a pleasure to do.

Reflection: Sound Healing

Humans are noisy creatures, using sound and the felt vibration of that sound to communicate ideas, evoke different emotions, and create spaces of healing. I incorporate sound and sound therapy techniques into my own personal and community healing practice, and while I enjoy using the tools of sound therapy, one of our most powerful and uniquely attuned sound therapy tools is our own voice. Singing about and beneath the Moonlight is an ancient way of being human which is one of the reasons I think its a beautiful practice to incorporate into your lunar return rituals.

The healing qualities of sound are manifold, but when it comes to the lunar magick of reflection, sound acts like dropping a pebble into a still pound: the energy ripples out, new things come to the surface, and the shape of your current life is felt through the small waves coming to shore. I like to use a simple technique like humming or toning sacred words or syllables (i.e. such as galdr, ogham, bijas, and so on) but sometimes there is a simple song or chant from my spiritual tradition that I'm drawn to. It's not about being pitch perfect or sounding "good" but using sound as a way to explore your current energetic state and needs. I am guided by my own sense of what feels good to me and I encourage you to be guided by your own sense of feel good noise.

What is powerful about an audible or vibration based sound practice in reflection work is that often we feel a need to reflect because something doesn't feel seen, heard, and/or held in our lives. Through sound we begin to hear and/or feel our way home. 

I like to incorporate tea into this sound ritual, placing a bowl or teapot full of brewing herbs on my altar as I sing, drinking this sound infused tea as the ritual comes to an end. After any sort of ritual I try to pay special attention to dreams and sudden insights that come my way and this is especially true with sound work and the way it can stir up hidden depths.

Rebalancing: Breathwork

One of the simplest ways I find energetic balance in my life is through breathwork. Breathwork is a free and accessible form of healing, helping to address the underlying stress that can cause so much suffering in our lives. While I've created a short course on breathwork geared towards magickal folk, I've made sure that one of my favorite breathwork practices known as the tree of life is available for free.

While I practice some form of breathwork everyday, I like to set aside extra time and space to let myself sink into my breathwork practices on days like my lunar return. Sometimes I practice a slow tree of life meditation and other times I just begin to breathe deeply and let myself be guided by my breath to where I need to go.

I love incorporating tea into my breathwork practice, especially when I'm feeling distracted and discombobulated. I'll begin by holding my cup full of tea under my nose, letting the steam help to open my airways and carry precious volatile oils into my airways, and giving my mind something easy to focus on with the scent of the brew. 

A breathwork session can lead into other practices, such as divination, guided meditation, art, writing, and more, or it can just be a breathwork session. Being present to simple practices instead of always being in preparation for the next thing is a powerful way of grounding, centering, and rebalancing. 

image via @shisilya

Reconnecting: Movement

Using movement as a practice of reconnecting to what it is you have hidden away or lost sight of can help us find a sense of self as holy, as Land, and as beyond worthy.

How you move as an act of reconnection and calling yourself home is going to be dependent on you, your physical needs, and your own unique desires. The guideline I follow is that I can move in whatever way I want as long as it causes no harm to me or those around me - other than that I allow myself to move however I want. I try to be led by how my body wants to move instead of trying to move it and more often than not I don't incorporate any music - but that's just my preference, you figure out what works for you.

I think movement rituals are especially important when you've tried to think yourself back home and now you just need to feel it. We're not seeking wisdom through movement or specific guidance or answers (though sometimes one or more of those things become known through movement work), but we're seeking to move as an act of saying "I'm here, come home, I love you, let's take up space together."

Is ending a movement ritual with tea a very sweet and lovely thing to do? Yes, yes it is. I actually enjoy using movement as a practice of reconnecting to myself and my needs before situations where I know that I'll be outside of my comfort zone, and when I'm able to bring tea from the ritual along with me it feels like I'm carrying own confidence and comfort elixir.

🌙

Reclaiming time during your lunar return for gentle intuitive magick remains a rebellious act. 

Through these simple ritual ideas I hope you're feeling inspired to explore how it is you might show up to your own lunar return if that is something you're called to do. And if you're feeling like you can't possibly add another thing to your life, don't worry, the Moon is already showing up for you.

If you're looking for more lunar-inspired wisdom, you've come to the right corner of the internet. Find my original post on finding your lunar return or you can explore my series on the healing rituals of the lunar phases. I can even help you discover your Moon sign and Lunar Mansion and understand your birth chart better. For those looking for a deeper dive, The Lunar Apothecary is my space for helping folks discover who they are as healers through Moon-centered herbalism and magick.

Blessings on your lunar journey and may you have many a magickal lunar return!

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

Footnotes

(1) Though, before any of you think that this is some sort of holy moon priestess humblebrag, I can't always tell you what's happening with the Moon either, as sometimes the measuring of time and space in any terms is beyond my grasp and I'm just trying to make myself a cup of tea which does not require me to know much of anything beyond where the herbs are and successfully turning on the kettle.

(2) It's also not very fun, all this endless striving, and the Moon has long been a symbol of rebellion against conformity to any oppressive norms including social media driven "wellness" culture.

Expanding the Dream: Tarot and Tea for Aquarius Season

Welcome to Aquarius Season and my latest post on tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (you can learn more about the whole series over here).

The structures put in place and/or reinforced by the energy of Capricorn season is tested through the innovative drive of Aquarius season. How well can our foundations hold-up in unexpected situations, Aquarius asks us, and if they don't pass the test what should they be replaced with? Aquarian energy is the fuel of transformative movements, social change, and intellectual clarity of complex problems and their solutions. Aquarian energy looks at the work of Capricorn and says, "I like what you've done here. But have you thought about this?" and then launches into an unproven but captivating new theory. The Water Bearer is constantly pouring out new ideas, testing theories, and thinking between the layers of the box.

Aquarius is a fixed air sign meaning that it holds the energy of radical self-expression, creativity, and an intensity of purpose (Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio are also fixed signs as well). The far-visioning energy of Capricorn season passes the baton to Aquarius season where we figure out how we get to the future that Capricorn has laid the foundation for. The gifts of Aquarius season are many, not least of which is the energy of curiosity and enthusiasm that the season can stir up. Aquarius season helps us to connect with our analytical mind, the powers of our collective intellect, and the ability to create connections where they have not been made or seen before. Aquarian energy helps us have the daring to dream bigger than we ever have before.

Here's the secret about Aquarian energy (and often those with a lot of Aquarius energy in their birth chart) - it can become quite inflexible, even conservative, beneath the veneer of innovative radicalism. This can happen if too much Aquarian energy leads to an inability to deviate from the "truth" that they have worked so hard to innovate on and/or discover. In some ways, such inflexibility makes sense within the context of innovating, which can be a process of extreme vulnerability and leaving yourself open to criticism from a majority of folks who at best just don't get what you're doing or at worst find innovation (and therefore, Aquarian energy) dangerous. A necessary emotional detachment occurs, an overdeveloped self-belief settles in, and what was once innovative becomes defensive and unyielding. Here, we are led to the other danger of too much Aquarian energy - it can draw out our feelings of being misunderstood to a point of (self) isolation. As we engage with the energy of the water-bearer it can be all too easy to believe that in our clever innovation we're not just pouring the water, but we are its source. But with a healthy wariness of hubris, Aquarius season can bring the much needed energy shift to make necessary and radical change in our lives and cultures. 

Expanding the Dream
Aquarius Season Tarot Spread

While the energy of Aquarius can sound very exciting (Innovation! Change! New ideas!) actually cultivating Aquarian energy in our lives can feel a bit daunting - especially if you've experienced burnout lately or are in a creative slump. Fortunately, Aquarius energy can help to stir up the initial energy needed for innovative thinking by helping to dispel stagnant energy. The key to understanding Aquarian energy is to think of it like a surge of electricity - we want to put the appropriate wiring in place to help direct it in helpful ways and not burn down the house. When respected and made space for, Aquarian energy can help light off (if briefly and erratically) some of the most inscrutable problems with sparks of inspired solutions.

Aquarius asks us, "What's beyond the edges of your dream?"

One of the gifts of Aquarius is to see our own limitations and then dream beyond them. The following tarot spread helps you to understand yourself as a dreamer better while bringing in the fresh perspective needed to expand upon whatever dream you're dreaming these days. In the spirit of Aquarius, try casting or choosing your cards in a new or different way (i.e. fanning them out and choosing them instead of riffle shuffling or throwing them on the floor and yelling at them until a card or two jumps out) to bring fresh energy into your spread.

Card 1. The Dreamer

This card is about you and who you are as the carrier of your dreams.

Card 2. The Dream

This card helps you to understand the current dream you have better, perhaps seeing it from a new perspective.

Card 3. The Dreamer Awakes

This card helps you understand a way of thinking or being that'll help make your dream more real.

Card 4. That Which is Dreaming You

A bit of an experiment, this card speaks to the energies/ancestors/land spirits/cosmic forces that are dreaming of you and see you as essential to their dream being realized.

Card 5. A Message for Aquarius Season

A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Aquarius season. This card can highlight energy which you might bring more into your life during Aquarius season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Electrical Currents of the Body

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your body's electrical currents, including physical experiences and energetic ones, what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning. 

image via @anniespratt

A Tea for Aquarius Season

How do we nourish the energy of Aquarius? Traditionally, Aquarius guards the lower legs and ankles, the electrical impulses of the body, as well as the circulatory system especially as related to elimination (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Aquarius). Aquarius energy is often stimulating to our intellectual body, stirring up ideas and dreams within us, but as a fixed air sign the energy can be prone to excess tension. So we need herbs to support our brain function while making sure our nervous system doesn't get overworked from all of the stirred up Aquarian energy. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is one of my favorite Aquarian herbs, embodying the amphoteric ways that Aquarian energy moves, relaxing or stimulating us as is needed. Milky Oat (Avena sativa) and Rose (Rosa spp.) nourish the nervous system and reduces stress allowing energy (and ideas) to flow freely while Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) helps keep us connected to the beneficial energy of the collective and the legacy of innovation we can draw upon.

• 4 parts Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

• 4 parts Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• 2 parta Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• 1/4 part Rose (Rosa spp.)

I also recommend adding in a few drops of Vervain (Verbena spp.) Flower Essence to help guard against some of the more challenging aspects of Aquarian energy. 

These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Aquarius). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image via @its_tgain

Seasonal Reflections

What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?

What is coming to the surface from within me?

What is receding within me?

What am I feeling grateful for?

What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?

What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?

What am I calling to me?

What am I called to give?

♒️

Want to learn more about the magick and astroherbalism of Aquarius? I’ve written a full profile on the sign for you to enjoy. You can also check out the rest of my seasons of astrology series. If you want to dive deeper into the world of tarot, plant allies, and astrology, come this way.

California Poppy (Eschscholzia california) is another plant ally of Aquarius that I really love, especially when things feel too overstimulating. Elecampane (Inula helenium) is another great Aquarius plant ally and can help us return to our bodies after a time of questioning and seeking.

May your Aquarius season bring you insight, connection, and a sense of wonder about what was, is, and might be.

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

Steadying Our Vision: Tarot and Tea for Capricorn Season

Welcome to Capricorn Season and my latest post on tarot practices and herbal allies for the twelve seasons of the zodiac (you can learn more here).

Sagittarius season may have just ended, mud still on the explorer's boots, and Capricorn is already asking, "Yes, but what did you do out there? What was the point of all your traveling?" While for some these types of questions may destroy the vibe of the adventurer, for Capricorn these types of assessments and reflections lead to the building of legacy and knowledge that can be transmuted into wisdom. If Sagittarius asks, "What is out there?" it's Capricorn asking the all important "What'll we do when we find what's out there? Who might we become?" Capricorn energy is the reason we have dry kindling to start a fire when out camping and that the broken window gets repaired before the cold winds of winter blow in. Marking the Solstice (Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere and the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere), Capricorn helps us to understand where we most often shine our light and how to shine our light with precision.

Capricorn is a cardinal earth sign which means that it embodies the energy of creating the next chapter of a very old book (or a completely revolutionary textbook), a steady eye on the future, and the energy to stick around to see a project through (Aries, Cancer, and Libra are also cardinal signs). Following the breath of the year, as Sagittarius breathes out, so Capricorn breathes in, settling in place and taking note of what needs to be done for the long run. The ability to envision far into the future and experience gratification in the long-run is a gift and lesson of Capricorn. The season of Capricorn helps us to take stock of how far we've come and where we must go next - but before we make any moves, Capricorn energy helps us to plan and prepare.

Many of us are grappling with huge and complex choices that we need to make in order to secure a future on our beloved island planet. Capricorn, in its practicality and straightforwardness, is less susceptible to hype, speculation, and fear (even as it is driven by understanding the realness of crisis), and helps us to simply do what needs doing right now,  wherever we're at. As we learn about ourselves in Capricorn season and in our own birth charts, we learn where it is that we keep our gumption and our fearlessness in scaling mountains and exploring sea depths that the mighty goatfish is well suited for. The struggles of Capricorn are becoming so forward-looking and goal-oriented that the pleasures and experiences of today are missed. The overextension of Capricorn energy in our lives can lead to overwork and defining our worth through our work. Too much dependence on Capricorn energy can measure the worth of everything by its end goal and, in turn, we lose out on the journey. If we learn to guard against these pitfalls and to honor the time that Capricorn energy needs in solitude and focus, we can create structures and foundations that'll guide and support generations (of people, plants, creatures) to come.

Steadying Our Vision
Capricorn Season Tarot Spread

Sitting down to read Capricorn energy is both a serious matter and a laughing matter. While the symbol of the goatfish represents Capricorn's ability to score the heights and depths with their persistence and planning, it's also a reminder that so much is out of our control and that there is a certain amount of strangeness and mystery involved. To do the things which have not been done requires some idiosyncratic approaches - hence the mighty goatfish. Ultimately, Capricorn energy in our lives is helping us to discover what it is that we uniquely require to thrive.

Capricorn asks, "What structure do you need in order to thrive?"

Being able to thrive as individuals means thriving in our communities, so there is already a strain and support (the needs of the goat versus the needs of the fish, for example) that is present when exploring Capricorn energy. Capricorn is (often secretly) a very optimistic sign and type of energy - they believe whatever needs to be done can be done, it just requires commitment to the work. I often think of Capricorn season's correspondence to the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere and the rebirth of the sun during the longest night of the year. While the focus is on the returning spark of light, it is the Capricornian energy of a supportive night that makes such brightness possible. The following spread helps us to shape the night which holds our stars to help us envision a future we want to create.

Card 1. That Which I Hope For

This card helps us connect to the vision of the future we are striving for in our life. It might be a grand vision or a much simpler next step, but this card helps us to name our hope.

Card 2. That Which Surrounds Us

This card helps us better understand our hope in our current environment. This card highlights what is supportive or not supportive to our hope.

Card 3. That Which Needs Structure

This card helps us understand a structural need in our life, whether that is creating more space for self-reflection, implementing a better time management system, or finally using a financial planning system that works for us, this card focuses on the practical needs of our hope.

Card 4. That Which Is Unexpected

This card explores the idiosyncratic energy of the goatfish and your own unique approaches and perspectives that your hope needs in order to create the future you're dreaming of.

Card 5. A Message for Capricorn Season

A general message, signs to pay attention to, and perhaps next steps to take as we move into Capricorn season. This card can highlight energy which you might bring more into your life during Capricorn season so that you are better able to connect with the energetic flow of the next month.

Bonus Card: That Which Guards the Skin & Bones

If you feel connected with the philosophy of astroherbology you can pull an additional card to help you understand the current energies of your skin, your body's largest organ, and bones, including physical experiences and energetic ones and what tension or wisdom you might be keeping there. I encourage you to take a somatic approach with this card - when you pull it and see the energy, follow the feelings and sensations that it evokes from your body to understand its meaning. 

image via @vjgalaxy

A Tea for Capricorn Season

How do we nourish the energy of Capricorn? Traditionally, Capricorn guards the skin, bones, the regulation of body systems, and the management of energy reserves (click here for a full list of traditional correspondences for Capricorn). Reading that list you may get the impression that Capricorn energy embodies a sort of tirelessness - and you would be right. There is work to be done and Capricorn energy is what helps us to do it. Many of the herbs traditionally associated with Capricorn are not the most pleasant tasting ("Pleasant tasting is not the point," I can hear some of my Capricornian readers muttering. "The point is for the tea to work."), but there are some familiar green jewels that we can rely upon to support us through Capricorn season. I like using Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) during Capricorn season because not only is it an herb that supports overall vitality but it helps lighten the mood as Capricorn energy can be very serious. Nettles (Urtica dioica) helps to take care of the skin and bones from the inside out and aligns with the practical and forward-looking nature of Capricorn to take your (herbal) vitamins everyday to help out your future self. Finally, a helpful dose of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) not only helps us keep Capricorn energy in perspective (there is a time for everything, including work and play), but it's a robust and restorative herb that supports our health in the long run.

• 4 parts Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• 1 part Nettles (Urtica dioica)

• ½ part Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

These proportions are only suggested guidelines, so feel free to play around with them to your liking. As you make your tea, slow down, breathe deep, and infuse the blend with your intentions for the season (or whenever you’re drinking this tea to connect with the energy of Capricorn). If you’re looking for more breathwork practices to help you connect with the energy of the season, come this way.

image via @cedilicious

Seasonal Reflections

What does the land feel like, look like, smell like this season?

What is coming to the surface from within me?

What is receding within me?

What am I feeling grateful for?

What am I grieving for or feeling challenged by?

What am I feeling inspired and where is it calling me to this season?

What am I calling to me?

What am I called to give?

♑︎

Want to learn more about the magick and astroherbalism of Capricorn? I’ve written a full profile on the sign for you to enjoy. You can also check out the rest of my seasons of astrology series.

I've written about a number of Capricorn herbs over the years including Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) and Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) - both of which are essential in my winter wellness apothecary.

May your Capricorn season be the right mix of mundane and magickal, leading you ever onwards in the journey of understanding what it is that replenishes your hope.

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