A Might-Do List for the Full Moon

Having written a might-do series for the sabbats, I thought it time to make one for the esbats. A "might-do list" is a no-pressure, full of inspiration guide to magickal practice where you are encouraged to do or not do whatever speaks to you for a particular celebration. An esbat is a (typically, though not exclusively) lunar-focused celebration practiced by some magickal folk in some contemporary traditions of Paganism (most notably Wicca) and witchcraft. Sometimes esbat refers to all celebrations of a coven or an individual outside of sabbat rituals. The term "esbat" was adopted into Wicca by the spiritual magpie Gerald Gardner via the work of Margaret Murray who described the esbat as a time for celebration, rites to aid coven members, and times of music, dancing, and "sheer enjoyment."¹ While modern Pagan traditions like Wicca have their own formalized and beautiful rituals and practices for the esbats, I'll be making suggestions for Full Moon celebrations that aren't tied to any specific tradition. 

The Full Moon is a time of gathered energy, ripe and ready for magick. During the Full Moon there can be a feeling of abundance and openness in the air, of expansion and possibility. Under the light of the Full Moon we can feel untethered from what is "normal" and expected as the night becomes brightly illuminated - not quite day, but not quite the feeling of night either, marking a space between the known and unknown.

How we mark time - by fixed calendar, lunar calendar, seasonal changes, personal rhythms, and so on - can create or contract space for the type of healing work and magickal practice we hope to experience, which is why time is such an interesting thing to explore in our lives. When I talk about magickal practice to my students, I always encourage them to begin observing lunar cycles as a way to not only connect back to ancestral rhythms of measuring time, but to begin to connect with time in a way that feels supportive of magickal practice - something cyclical, open to change, and able to hold space for all of our complexities.

So if you're curious about developing a Full Moon practice, here's a list of nine things you might-do for your esbat celebrations.

image via @whileimout

Reorient Your Compass

The Full Moon creates an opportunity for us to pause and reorient. Our lives are busy and filled with all sorts of decisions that need to be made, things that need to be done, and tasks to be tackled. It is easy to forget where we are and where we want to be living our life from. With Her bright light illuminating hidden spaces, the Full Moon is a wonderful time to reconnect to our inner compass of values and visions, of healing and lineage, of purpose and dreaming, so we can feel more connected to our centered self as another lunar cycle unfolds before us. This can be done in all sorts of ways through ritual and actions of care, but one simple ritual is to write down your values and guiding principles in a way that feels simple enough to recite and empowering to say. An example might be:

I am, {Name},
I call in beauty and mirth,
compassion and patience,
kindness and wonder,
that I may be in right relationship
with my beloved community
the land I live with
and the vision of a vibrant, joyful planet

I also think singing simple chants are a beautiful way to realign energy and help us to center ourselves in our values. Let's say you're a peace activist and abolitionist - maybe you sing the Circle Chant by Linda Hirschhorn, which was originally written in support of the 1982 janitor's strike of UA movie theaters, and sings of circling for freedom and peace.² A song like the Circle Chant, or anything from the song collective Beautiful Chorus, or the vast archive of old and modern Pagan chants, can be an easy, joyful way to feel strengthened in our purpose and calling.

Gather Energy

Under the Full Moon, energy is pulled up from deep in the earth, gathering in swirling pools and rushing lines across the land. It is a time when we can walk the land and call that energy into ourselves or summon the light of the Moon wherever we might be on a Full Moon night. It is also traditional to leave items that we want to be charged up under the light of the Full Moon, including tools of divination, stones, and jewelry, being sure to bring them back inside before the Sun rises. 

Connect With the Cosmic Coven

While I'm using the word "coven" I am really referring to the form of community that you are most called to connect with. As a young witch who had limited access to the greater Pagan community, the idea that at every Full Moon there were other witch folk and Pagans creating magick under Her light was completely enchanting and filled me with a sense of belonging as I sat at my bedroom altar. Working with the cycles of the Moon is not just a personal preference for me and an act of liberation from static solar, patriarchal measurements of time, but a way to connect to ancestral traditions, living communities of the present, and helping to make a path of Moon magick for generations to come. If you have a working magickal group, but are practicing solo for the Full Moon, it can be lovely to coordinate rituals or keep an item on an altar that connects you to the rest of your circle. But if you're still seeking a group or don't have an interest in group practice but want to feel connected to the wider magickal community, you might take a moment to visualize and breathe into the web of community that runs through us all. If you're looking for further inspiration, a few years ago I wrote about how every Full Moon you have a coven.

You may have noticed that I've been emphasizing connecting with people, as opposed to land or spirits or divinities, because I think that making time to call in and be called to community that feels good and nourishing to you is an important regular practice. We live in times where the spell of fracturedness is run amok and we feel more separated and lonely than ever. Creating a monthly practice focused on cultivating community with other people is one that I think we need more than ever and calling in community under the light of the Full Moon is an especially magickal way of helping to do that.

image via @joannakosinska

Develop Your Psychic Gifts

With the energy stirred up under the Full Moon, why not channel that into the development of your psychic gifts? I think a playful approach to getting in touch with our intuition is particularly appropriate for Full Moon celebrations and even better with friends. There are all sorts of ways to develop your psychic gifts, but I wrote about how you can use a tarot deck to help you out. You can also work with plant allies like Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), and Sage (Salvia officinalis) to help support your psychic energy.

Dream Magick

Speaking of developing psychic gifts, performing dream magick at the time of the Full Moon is particularly auspicious. Here is where you can have fun seeking out traditional and modern dream rituals and spellwork, but a very simple ritual is to call in a dream for a situation you're seeking insight on. Using a stone or plant bundle as a point to anchor your magick, hold it under the Full Moon light while chanting:

Full Moon, O Full Moon
Send me a dream
Illuminate for me 
What remains unseen

Visualize the situation you are seeking insight on as you draw the light of the Full Moon down into your magickal item. Keep your item beside or under your bed to help pull the dream towards you sometime over the next few nights. While you might not remember the dream, you may wake up with a sudden knowing or experience a flash of insight over the next few days to help you with your quandary.

A general tip for all kinds of dreamwork: while there are culturally specific traditions for calling in dreams, I find that performing a dream spell in a dreamlike way can be helpful. So wear that piece of dreamy clothing while dancing around a circle of chalk marked onto the earth, your stone held aloft in the Full Moon light, candles burning, familiars purring…

Connect with the Elements

Within western esoteric tradition, each Full Moon is charged by the energy of one of the four elements of earth, air, fire or water. If you do any sort of elemental-based work in your practice, the Full Moon can be a time to immerse yourself in the elemental energy. A Water Full Moon might be a time to do a lunar bath, dream work, and water-based remedies for the cycle ahead while a Fire Full Moon might be spent before an altar full of candles, working fire magick, and dancing up energy. The element of each Full Moon is determined by the sign it is in:

• Earth Moons happen when the Moon is in Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn.

• Air Moons happen when the Moon is in Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius.

• Fire Moons happen when the Moon is in Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius.

• Water Moons happen when the Moon is in Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces.

The four elements are central to the traditional western herbalism philosophy of healing and if you're curious you can learn more about that here.

image via @joeehu

Make Moon Water

I've found that making Moon water is an activity that many a new-to-magick practitioner performs early on in their practice - which makes a lot of sense! It's an accessible, inexpensive, and powerfully simple way of connecting with lunar energy that leaves you with a tangible object that you can use after a night of Full Moon festivities. Setting out a bowl of water under the Full Moon light, maybe with herbs and stones added or a silver coin, feels like an old sort of magick. Moon water is versatile - you can use it in lunar baths and in spellwork, for watering plants, cleaning and blessing your home, and on and on. Some witchfolk even make their flower essences under the light of the Full Moon, carrying the magick of Moon and herb with them in tiny bottles of enchantment to use whenever they need extra emotional support.

Learn or Create Your Own Full Moon Chant

One aspect of modern Pagan culture that I love is the preservation and sharing of knowledge through simple chants, sung or spoken. There are circle-casting chants, chants for healing, chants to raise and banish energy, chants to celebrate rites of passage, and chants to pass on wisdom teachings. There are plenty of Full Moon chants and songs out there - Libana's Full Moonlight Dance is a classic, sung by Full Moon circles around the world, but there are plenty more. You can also draw from your own cultural traditions for lunar chants or create your own. When sung or spoken under a Full Moon month after month, a chant has the power to help us move into a state of reverence and flow, of creativity and magick, with little effort. 

Zone Out

While this post is about things you might-do to celebrate a Full Moon esbat, you also don't need to do anything. It is an act of rebellious magick within the overculture of over-productivity and burnout to choose a nonproductive state of being and to bathe in the waters of un-busyness. If you are able to lie down under the light of the Full Moon with no plan in place, just presence in mind, that is a ritual of zoning out of the normal modes of consciousness and tuning into something else. What that something else is is for you to discover. 

🌕

If you're looking for more inspiration, how about a Full Moon tarot spread and healing ritual for your esbat celebrating? You can also find the rest of my might-do lists for the lunar esbats below:

• A Might-do List for the Dark Moon

• A Might-do List for the New Moon

• A Might-do List for the Quarter Moons

I also have a collection of over 120 lunar-centered rituals and recipes - The Moonfolk Book of Shadows - that you can access for free as a member of my newsletter community. 

Friends, I hope that wherever and however you gather 'neath the Full Moon's light that you are held by the dreams of a thousand generations of magick-makers holding fast the circle of love and possibility.

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

📚

Footnotes

1. Margaret Murray, Witch Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology (Oxford: Oxford Press 1921), 113.

2. Organizations like Rise Up & Sing are excellent resources for finding inspirational chants and songs.

Vitality: A Tarot Spread for Your Sun Sign

The Moon and our Moon sign is something I've explored a lot as lunar-focused rhythms of astrology and healing are ones that I find interesting and useful. The Moon, though, is just one part of the story of astrology and in western astrology the Moon forms an important triad with our Sun sign and our Ascendent (also known as our Rising Sign). 

There are whole books dedicated to exploring the meaning of the Moon, the Sun, and the Ascendent, drawing upon thousands of years of tradition, but the metaphor I've found most useful in understanding these aspects of our birth chart (and ourselves) is to start by imagining a river.  

image via @mateusjatenee

The water of the river represents our Sun sign. How much or how little water there is, the speed and velocity of the water, what the water is able to carry by the strength of its flow, all represent our inherent energy. Within medical astrology the Sun helps us to understand our baseline energy and the way that our vitality most easily manifests. Our Sun sign also helps us to understand where we are prone to burnout, exhaustion, and overdoing it. Our energy is shaped by much older sources of water from high up in the mountains (i.e. our ancestry and genetics), but there is much more that goes into the energy of who we are and our willpower beyond inherited biology. Some people's energy is more like a slow and ambling river, wandering through the countryside. Other people's energy is wild and rushing, moving quickly through the landscape. There is no "good" or "bad" energy and, while there is a pace that our energy can feel most comfortable in, our energy is changed and shaped by our life experiences.

The banks of the river, the rocks in the water's path, the fish and river life, and everything that affects the flow of water is our Moon sign. Our Moon represents the ways that our energy is shaped not only by our internal workings (i.e. our mental physiology, our nervous system, our emotional experiences), but external factors, especially those experienced in our early years (i.e. the type of family culture we were raised in). Our energy is shaped by and shapes our environment. There are riverbanks that feel familiar and suddenly a boulder drops into a quiet part of our river path, disrupting our flow. The boulder shapes the flow of the river (i.e. a new conscious awareness), but the water also shapes the boulder over time, too. There might be two people who have energy that is quick and rushing, but one person's river is relatively smooth and calm on the surface, leading out to the sea, while another person's river is full of rocks and jagged turns, ultimately dropping over a cliff to create an incredible waterfall. All of our rivers are shaped by the circumstances we were born into, culture, society, and our lived experiences. In this way, the Moon represents how our inherent energy (Sun) is shaped into consciousness, helping us to form our own sense of what feels supportive, comfortable, and true to ourselves as well as what feels unsettling and unsafe. 

Finally, our Ascendent is the spirit of the river itself, representing how we want to be perceived and how we are perceived. A group of people will visit a river and each one may have a different perceptive experiences. Some may take delight in the wild, frothy noise of a rushing river, while others might look out and see a dangerous, unstable energy that must be approached with caution. The spirit of the river might want to be seen as a wild and untamed thing, keeping people at a distance, because this is how they have learned to protect themselves and it has kept them safe from undue interference. Or the spirit of the river might try to create soft riverbanks that feel inviting and gentle, working hard to reshape their rocky edges, wanting to be known as a welcoming place. The spirit of the river is hindered and aided by its inherent flow (i.e. it's Sun sign energy) and instinctual expressive shape (i.e. it's Moon sign energy), but throughout life will shift and change as they engage with the world and the world engages with them. 

In other words, our Sun sign represents our energy and vitality, our Moon sign represents expression of our energy, including our personal stories and memories, and our Ascendent represents the engagement of our energy. The Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are shaped by their placement in our chart and their relationships (i.e. aspects) to other planets and celestial objects, but getting a sense for these three parts of your birth chart is a really good way to start to understand your personal astrology.

So with our mini astrology lesson done, let's look at your Sun sign with a tarot spread that can help you to understand your inherent energy, support systems you might consider, and pitfalls to avoid.

View fullsize

Vitality: A Sun Sign Tarot Spread

Begin by pulling out the Sun card from your tarot deck and set it out at the top of your reading space. If you like you can place candles around it and build a solar altar full of items representing Sun energy and your own Sun sign. You might include solar plant allies like Calendula (Calendula officinalis), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Sunflower (Helianthus spp.), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), and St. Joan's Wort (Hypericum perforatum).  Focus on creating a space that feels welcoming to your energy.

Card 1: Radiant

This card describes your inherent energy. It can be helpful to observe the elemental signature of the card. Fire and Air cards, for example, tend to represent energy that is quick to manifest, though might not be the most sustainable or prone to last, while Water and Earth cards can represent energy that is slower to move and manifest but with greater longevity and endurance. For those of you familiar with the astrological correspondences of the tarot, you can draw on this knowledge, too.

Card 2: Protected

The characters and landscape of this card can help to describe the sort of people, places, and situations that your energy feels most supported and able to flow easily through. Pulling the 10 of Cups, for example, may represent the way that you feel most recharged and able to act from a place of steady energy when you are surrounded by good friends and family. In other words, an energy that feels protected and nourished by the company of others. Tell a story of how you want to be protected.

Card 3: Hindered

This card highlights the situations, people, and experiences that hinder, harm, and/or drain your energy. In many ways, this is an "obstacles" type card, just on a grander scale. Sometimes this card represents a very present situation that is obstructing your energy, other times it can refer back to an event that has had a lasting experience on how you change the shape of your energy to meet an expectation (making others feel more comfortable, trying to protect yourself the best way you know how, and so on). Often this card represents an ongoing type of experience, person or situation to be mindful of. Realizing, for example, that while many of your friends love a big weekend out, your energy needs more downtime at the end of the week to be able to recharge if you pull the Four of Swords.

Card 4: Hidden

This card gives us a peek into an aspect about our energy that you may only be coming to understand or is still well hidden from you. Reasons for why a part of our energy may be hidden from you can be many including being taught to hide your energy away, experiencing a significant life event that brought this aspect of your energy to the forefront of your consciousness, and just the natural change that happens through your own growing and changing. At first this card might be difficult to interpret and that's ok - it is a card that is meant to give you a glimpse, not a whole explanation, and it might be the first time you're getting a look at this particular aspect of your energy. Other times it can affirm what you've been exploring about yourself and what you've learned so far. It might be a card that you meditate on for the next lunar cycle if you're feeling particularly intrigued by its meaning.

Card 5: Unencumbered Joy

The traditional Sun card imagery from the Smith Waite tarot shows a joyful child, unencumbered in their energy and safe in their self-expression. It is how we all deserved to be loved and cared for as children. This card represents the ways that you feel unencumbered in your joy, freely able to express your energy. 

Of course, it is not unusual for a challenging card to show up here and it can represent a few things. First, there might be an image or symbol on a card that is traditionally interpreted as challenging but that brings an immediate sense of joy to you - it's more than ok to focus only on that part of the card. Second, there might be an overwhelming feeling that makes it hard for you to connect with your joy - shame, doubt, fear, and so on - and this card can be a place to recognize the current story you hold about your ability to access joy. 

A simple act of magick you can perform when pulling a challenging card in this position, either during or after your reading, is to take a challenging card in this position and to cover it with another card, of your choosing, from your tarot deck that represents joy to you. Visualize the challenging card being buried deep in the earth as a seed of experience that has risen to the surface and transformed into something new, as represented by the card of joy you chose. Our roots shape us, but they are not our fruit - choices and possibilities, kind-hearted interventions, are always present to us in our growth.

☀️

While there are so many techniques of discernment and knowledge-gathering within astrology, just becoming familiar with your Luminaries and Ascendant will open up a significant gateway to the part of existence that makes up who you are. If you want to learn more about the signs in astroherbology, including the healing qualities of your Sun sign, come this way. If you’re looking for a reading for your Moon sign, find it here, and here is the post for your Ascendant.

For those of you intrigued by the connections between plant allies, the tarot, and healing practices, you might enjoy The Tarot Apothecary.

The great strength of astrology in healing work is providing us language to tell our story from a more empowered and inspired place which is what I hope this Sun-sign inspired tarot spread helps you do. Remember, the myths are still being written, as they always have been, by people like you and me, so keep telling the stories that need to be told.

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

Daily Weekly Monthly: Developing a Rhythm of Herbal Practice

One of the reasons that I've written so much about the ways that we measure and observe time, from seasonal to astrological practices, is that there is so much to learn about ourselves, our world, and our interconnectedness through how we experience time and space. Within herbal practice, and especially earth-centered herbal practice which seeks to work in partnership with the land, sea, and sky as opposed to the hyper-commodification of plants as abstract cure-alls, beyond trying to connect people with specific plants there is a lot of attention is given to how one is experiencing time. It's not unusual to be asked questions about the length of time you've felt unwell, how much time you spend sleeping, time you spend working, times when you feel anxious, times when you feel well, and so on when in an herbal consultation. Many herbalists want to know not just about the quality of the symptoms and discomforts that have brought you into their consultation room, but the quality of time as you experience it.

Asking about time helps us to make recommendations of care beyond herbal remedies, including spending more time resting, less time scrolling on screens, seeking quality time with a mental health practitioner, and more. In my experience, most folks just want to decrease the amount of time they are suffering and increase the amount of time they feel well. So, we talk about time and the practices that a client might incorporate into their life that helps them feel more empowered by time and less overrun by it. 

One of the ways that I work with clients and students in developing a conscious connection with time in their herbal practice is considering when and how to use different types of herbal remedies. Much of this is just part of the foundational training of an herbalist: some herbs are more appropriate to take a very specific times for very specific time periods (such as immunostimulants and antiviral plants at higher dosages for shorter periods of time for acute infection) while other plants, like culinary herbs and spices, can be used more often. Additionally, considering time in your herbal practice is one of the ways that we begin to understand and apply preventative care in our lives which can go a long way in lessening and preventing illness and suffering while increasing a sense of wellbeing.

How do you think about time in your healing practice? In U.S. English, a common phrases used to talk about time include "time well spent" or "spending time.” While "spending time" is not a good or bad phrase, it can be interesting to experiment with other ways of talking about time. Instead of time well spent, which can feel like we are always meant to be productive with our time and time is simply another form of currency, I invite you to think about experiencing time as well worn, time well experienced, time shared, and time well loved. How do those phrases feel to you in comparison to thinking about time in the context of "spending" it? What are ways of envisioning and talking about time that feel empowering or oppressive? It can be an interesting practice to come up with different ways of considering time and creating conversations about time not only in the consult room but in our personal practices as well.

In addition to thinking about time in your life, there is the practical ways that we incorporate different herbs at different times. Below you'll find some of my simple recommendations for how you might work with herbs on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. These are simple guidelines that focus on general health and preventative care and look a lot different to an herbal routine for acute conditions. These guidelines are only one approach to herbal practice and are meant to help you think about the rhythm of your herbal practice rather than be prescriptive rules to follow. As always, work with your health care practitioners to determine the most supportive course for your unique health needs.

Tarot deck shown is the Moon Baby Tarot (2nd Edition) by Brant Palazzo

Daily

For daily herbalism, I tend to focus on two categories of herbs: nutritives and nervines. The types of nutritive and nervine herbs that I like to use in daily practice are ones that are not only considered generally safe, but are best used over a long period of time. Nutritives are herbs which have a strong nourishing quality, often containing high levels of vitamins and minerals. Examples of nutritive herbs are Nettles (Urtica dioica), Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Alfalfa (Medicago farfara), Turmeric (Curcuma longa), and Chickweed (Stellaria media). Many kitchen herbs (i.e. spices and herbs used for flavoring meals) are nutritive in value, too, and can be enjoyed on a daily basis. 

Nervines have a beneficial effect on the nervous system. While most nervines are relaxing, some are more sedating, others are stimulating, and some are considered balancing (i.e. nervous system tonics). I tend to recommend relaxing nervines and nervous system tonics though plenty of folks already include stimulating tonics (i.e. Coffee arabica and Camellia sinensis) in their daily routine. Examples of relaxing nervines and tonics include Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), Lavender (Lavandula spp.), and Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata).

For many of my clients, one or two of these types of herbs will be included in my recommendations for them as having a daily herbal practice that is nourishing and nutritive is an important part of the healing process. Many of these herbs are also ones that students of traditional and modern western herbalism are introduced to early in their studies because they are such a foundational part of our practice.

I also pay attention to the ways I can incorporate seasonal herbs into my own and my clients’ daily practices. Chickweed, for example, shows up in the garden every spring and that's when I use it fresh in my daily tea as it's not a plant that stores well once dried (though it makes a lovely herbal vinegar if you’re looking to extend its healing qualities). Working with seasonal herbs is an invitation to observe and connect more deeply with the land and our plant allies.

Finally, one of ways that I feel-think about a daily herbal practice is that these remedies are the breath of my practice - a steady breath that allows me to meet myself, my community, and whatever the day may bring.

Cards shown are from the Dirt Gems Oracle by Anne Louise Burdett & Chelsea Granger

Weekly

With our daily practice established, what might a once-a-week herbal rhythm look like? Topical treatments like herbal masks and oils, steams, shower rinses, and baths are some of my favorite once or twice a week practices. Here is where we work with herbs a little more slowly than with teas or tinctures, and can experience more immersive sensations in our herbal practice.

I love herbal baths of all varieties and practicing self-massage with herbal oils is a simple and restorative way to not only support our nervous system, but nourish our largest organ - our skin. You can make these weekly rituals as simple or complex as you like (Make an altar! Light those candles! Write that time-sensitive email while your face is covered in Moon-blessed herbal powder and clay!), but think of the ways you can make space to slow down and be in your practice amidst the busyness of daily life. Some of my favorite herbs for bath and body are Rose (Rosa spp.), Lavender (Lavandula spp.), and Calendula (Calendula officinalis).

Once or twice a week can also be a beautiful time to bless your space with herbal incense or washes. One of my favorite herbs for burning is my local Mugwort (Artemisia spp.) variety.

For me, a weekly herbal practice motion and movement to the breath of daily practice. What am I moving into? What am I moving away from? What is moving within and around me?

Deck shown is the Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot Deck in a Tin

Monthly

For monthly practices I focus on spiritual rituals and hormonal support. Herbs used in a monthly practice might be, but are not always, ones that have a more intense effect on our bodies and would not be appropriate for everyday use. If you are feeling like your herbal studies or practice is very much in your head space and you want to draw your practice down into your body, connecting with the plants on a less academic and more somatic level, I recommend creating a monthly practice as a path of connection.

As someone who loves a lunar practice, I try to make space each month for simple herbal rituals tied to certain lunar phases or returns. This might be a lunar bath, ritual, or gentle cleansing rite, but it is a time to step between the worlds and connect with the spirits of land, the deep needs of the dreaming body, ancestral lineages, and my own magickal practice. Sabbats and other special celebrations fall under this monthly category for me, too. What your monthly practice looks like will be entirely up to you, your spiritual needs, your cultural traditions, and so on, and if you don't have a practice like this already I hope you have fun discovering your very own version. 

In addition to a monthly spiritual practice, hormonal support might also be something you consider, especially if you menstruate or experience a monthly hormonal cycle. What these hormone regulating herbs look like will be different for each person, but in general, I love working with Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) and Crampbark (Viburnum opulus). 

The monthly herbal practice is where we allow ourselves to be held by energies beyond our own effort, brought there by the movement and breath of our weekly and daily practice.

᠅

This post is part of a series exploring some of the broad themes of herbal practice in the consultation room that started with Night Allies: Herbs for Sleeping and Dreaming. If you're looking for more seasonal guides to help you develop the rhythm of your herbal practice you can find them over here and you can also check out my series on the seasons of the zodiac, too, another interesting and mythic way of observing time.

I hope you're feeling inspired to explore what your herbal practice looks like through days, weeks, and months, and that you find the unique rhythm of your own healing path.

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

✨

Cards Shown

Moon Baby Tarot (2nd Edition) by Brant Palazzo
Dirt Gems Oracle by Anne Louise Burdett & Chelsea Granger
Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot Deck in a Tin

All The Love: Damiana Plant Profile

Today I get to introduce you to a plant friend that I met in one of my very first formal herbalism classes. I still remember the ease and laughter that talking about Damiana (Turnera diffusa) brought to the class - a feeling which encapsulates Damiana’s gift of joyful exchange. While Damiana is typically classified as an aphrodisiac and seen as an herb of sex and romance (which it is), Damiana is also a wonderful plant ally to work with when you’re trying to create connection with other folks in a shared space.

If you prefer to be able to easily print out the following profile as well as learn about other aphrodisiac and adaptogenic herbs, you’re invited to The Plant Ally Library.

I hope you enjoy meeting Damiana and getting to know this plant that acts as an “adaptogenic aphrodisiac” helping us to soften our edges while feeling sturdy in our sense of wellbeing.

Enjoy!

Image via (CC) H. Zell

Damiana
(Turnera diffusa)

Common + Folk Names : Pastorcita, yerba del pastor, hierba del venado, hierba de la pastora

Tarot Cards : The Lovers, Suit of Wands, Suit of Swords

Element : Fire, Air 

Zodiac Signs : Libra (Guardian & Remedy)

Planets : Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter

Moon Phase : Full Moon

Parts used : Aboveground plant

Habitat : Native to the American Southwest, Mexico, and the West Indies.

Growing conditions : Rich to sandy soil with regular watering.

Collection : Collect when the flowers are blooming.

Flavor : Bitter, pungent

Temperature : Warm

Moisture : Dry

Tissue States : Cold (Depression), Stagnation (Damp), Relaxation (Damp) - learn more about traditional western herbalism energetics.

Constituents : Vitamin C, phosphorous, selenium, silicon, sulfur, flavonoids, essential oils, glycosides, damianin, beta-sitosterol, arbutin, tannin.

Actions : Adaptogen, antidepressant, alterative, anti-inflammatory, aperient, aphrodisiac, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, diuretic, emmenagogue, nervine, stomachic, urinary tonic. 

Main Uses : An herb that has recorded use stretching back to Mayan culture, Damiana has a lot to offer in the ways of herbal healing. Damiana has long been used by the indigenous peoples of the American Southwest and Mexico, including the Yaqui, Rarámuri, and Pima Bajo, including as a tonic for stomachache, a remedy for diarrhea, infertility, inflammation, for lowering blood sugar, increasing the metabolism, and low libido.¹

Damiana was one of the first herbs I was introduced to in my first round of herbal classes in Southern California and it’s honored as an important local remedy as well as a recognizable local liqueur bottled in a distinctive Goddess-shaped bottle. While Damiana is typically presented as an aphrodisiac (which is definitely is), you’ll sometimes see the plant is categorized as an adaptogen. I was taught to use it as an adaptogenic aphrodisiac, embodying the best qualities of herbal aphrodisiacs with the nourishing and restorative qualities of an adaptogen. One of the reasons that Damiana is so effective as an aphrodisiac is that it reduces stress and stress-related complaints including ulcers, colic, indigestion, poor fertility, and low libido. In addition to helping with stress relief, the adaptogenic qualities of Damiana work to regulate the pituitary gland and increase energy. 

Damiana clears brain fog and many head-related disorders including migraines and headaches, calms the nervous system, and greatly reduces overactive mental activity. For anxiety, Damiana is indicated when anxiety creates sluggishness in the mornings and becomes increasingly worse in the evenings.² Damiana can either be stimulating or relaxing to the nervous system, depending on the needs of the body. Damiana is helpful in cases of mental agitation including OCD and anxiety as well as for cases of cognitive decline, including dementia. Herbalist Thomas Bartram recommends combining Damiana with Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and Milky Oats (Avena sativa) for dementia with accompanying indications of weakness resulting in a blend which strengthens and nourishes while providing gentle stimulation which assists in cognitive function and stability.³

The herb helps the nervous system to deliver information throughout the body and as both a brain tonic and aphrodisiac helps to line up mental and physical clarity and desire (i.e. helping to alleviate the ways we can get stuck in our heads in unhelpful ways when pursuing pleasure). While the herb has soothing energies, it is also energizing in that it invigorates the mind and body, which is another reason that Damiana is such a great aphrodisiac.

image via @freestocks

As an aphrodisiac, Damiana also helps to improve libido, increase fertility and sperm count, and reconnect the body to the experience of orgasm. Energetically, the herb is said to help folks who want to to overcome shyness and fear of intimacy as well as the fear of being “good enough” in bed. Herbalist Karen M. Rose recommends Damiana for those recovering their pleasure after experiencing disconnection due to trauma.⁴ While it should not be used during pregnancy, the herb can be used during labor to aid in childbirth - it softens and opens up the birth canal. Damiana is also useful for menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. Overall, it is an excellent herb to reconnect with pleasure in your life.

In addition to use as a nervine and aphrodisiac, Damiana can help to expel excess phlegm and dry up excess mucous in cases of colds and bronchitis. The herb helps to relax the respiratory system, calming coughs and helping to alleviate the symptoms of asthma.

Topically the herbal oil (not essential oil) can be used as a lubricant in mundane and magickal rites of sex and pleasure.

Magickal Uses : Damiana is an excellent herb for love magick, especially when sexual desire is involved. Use it in sex magick and practices, especially when it comes to communicating clearly with your partners and feeling comfortable expressing your sexuality. 

The herb also aids in the development and awakening of psychic vision. Magickal herbalist Paul Beyerl notes that Damiana has an affinity with quartz crystal and he recommends storing clear quartz in your jar of Damiana as well as making an quartz crystal oil using a base of Damiana oil.⁵

The Damiana Personality : The need of a Damiana person feels so great that they have cut themselves off from it to cope. Damiana folk want sensuality and sex but the emotional labor to experience it because of the emotional baggage they carry can feel insurmountable. There can be a pattern of denying and suppressing wants and desires which then emerge in unhealthy habits in an attempt to find the pleasure they feel denied. There can also be a fear of rejection tied up with low self-esteem that makes even the smallest dismissal from a significant other feel catastrophic, further driving a wedge between their needs and desires for physical affection. Fortunately, when Damiana folk are able to get the support they need (therapeutic, nutritional, herbal, etc) and untie the emotional knots tangling up their spirit, they can and will experience pleasure again. In fact, they’ll often find that the pleasure that they imagined was unattainable is small compared to what they are able to experience in a beneficial Damiana state. For Damiana is a patient, flexible, and wildly intelligent ally when it comes to pleasure of all kinds, not just sexual, and reconnecting us to the radiant fullness of feeling.

Contraindications : Generally regarded as safe, but may interfere with iron absorption. Avoid during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Caution with diabetes medication due to Damiana’s affect on blood sugar.

Dosage : Standard dosage.

᠅

I believe that every plant contains the possibility of helping us to connect with our pleasure as a state of expanded connectivity where we feel good in ourselves.

Of course, there are plants that have a reputation for being very effective at helping us to connect with what feels good in our bodies and our relationships, including Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), and Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), to name just a few. Building a relationship with plant allies, returning your herbalism to an earth-centered practice, and allowing yourself to play with possibility as a path of healing can all help to name and experience your own pleasure. In other words, there are as many paths to pleasure as there are beings, and plant allies are just one of many helpful partnerships to finding those paths.

As you journey through the world of herbalism, I hope that you find those plant allies which help you connect with your deepest desires, and find a way to know your desires as things of loveliness and revelation throughout your life.

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

📚

Footnotes

1. Margarita Artschwager Kay, Healing with Plants in the American and Mexican West (The Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press, 1996), 265.

2. Michael Alfs, 300 Herbs: Their Indications & Contraindications (New Brighton, MN: Old Theology Book House, 2003), 51.

3. Thomas Bartram, Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine (London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, 1998), 140.

4. Karen M. Rose, The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism: Transform, Heal, & Remember with the Power of Plants and Ancestral Medicine (Beverly, MA: Quarto Publishing, 2022) 112.

5. Paul Beyerl, A Compendium of Herbal Magick (Custer, Washington: Phoenix Publishing, 1999), 150.

A Year of Healing Stories: Celebrating the Zodiac Seasons

In 2022 I spent a year writing about the seasons of the zodiac, complete with rituals, recipes, and tarot spreads for each of the twelve signs. Working through the celestial seasons of the year and trying to codify practice and folklore into a useful format for readers like you, lead me to reflect on and nurture my own seasonal practice. Throughout the year I found myself trying out new and reconfigured rituals, ways of connecting with my tarot work, and letting myself experiment with my practice in all sorts of ways.

So I'd thought I'd share with you some of the ways that I observe the seasons of the zodiac as well as why this way of working with time and space can be useful in our healing work.

If you've been wanting to incorporate astrological knowledge into your healing and tarot practice but feel overwhelmed by the idea (Why does this feel like spiritual math and the answer is always look within, but not there within and only when Uranus is not quincunx to Saturn?! What the heck is a decan and am I supposed to be walking with it?), starting with a the seasons of the zodiac may be a gentle but informative path to pursue.

image via @dariobroe

A Year Full of Stories

How we observe and engage with time says a lot about our healing work. Time is not only defined by cultural differences (i.e. observing a solar or a lunar calendar to mark the turning of the year) but also by social norms (i.e. the nine to five workday or whether or not there is a socially acceptable period of rest in the middle of the day). There is so much religious thought and custom dedicated to defining not only the length of time for different matters (i.e. the world was literally created in seven days versus seven days being a metaphor) but how we should spend our time (i.e. we have one life to live and it should be focused on the eternity of the afterlife versus this is one of many lives and we'll be back again). Every season can bring different expectations of what we should be doing with “our” time, that it can sometimes feel challenging to know how it is we want to be at any given moment of the day or night, much less the year.

So what are astrological seasons (aka seasons of the zodiac or zodiac seasons) and how do they fit in with healing work and learning to connect with time in a different way? In short, the astrological seasons are when a planet transits from one sign of the zodiac into another. The length of time that a planet is within that sign is a "season." The astrological seasons that are often referenced on social media and in popular books on astrology are usually solar seasons or seasons of the Sun. The Sun changes signs or seasons every calendar month and since the Sun is one of the most influential energies in the birth chart, it's one that we tend to pay attention to, but every planet has seasons for different lengths of time. The start and end of the solar seasons change by a few days each year, but they all start and end roughly around the 19th to 23rd days of the month. The Sun starts its annual journey through the twelve signs of the zodiac when it enters the sign of Aries around the 19th to 23rd of March.

For me, astrological seasons are a relatively neutral way to think about and define my experience of time. They help us to understand that there is time and space for all aspects of our lives to be experienced, taking out the idea of “using time wisely” within the narrow confines of productivity, success, and growth defined by institutional and cultural systems imposed upon us. I also enjoy the playful aspects of seeing time through the lens of myth and metaphor, instead of time being viewed as a transactional experience to be spent, saved, and used “wisely.”

When sitting in a consultation, I try to pay attention to how my client is speaking about time and space. Do they feel like they don't have enough time and space? Have they been sick forever and don't remember when they felt not sick? Do they feel like they're wasting time or are they overwhelmed by the increasingly large number of their age? Are they worried they are not using their time wisely or feel like they are losing time to activities such as social media or a job they don't like? There is so much interesting information to be heard in the stories people are telling themselves and others about time.

tarot deck shown is The Herbcrafter’s Tarot

As a witch and Pagan herbalist, part of my calling is not only helping to facilitate connections between plants and their people, but to help folks re-connect with the land and themselves as land. I do this in a number of ways including using seasonal remedies and including seasonal activities and observations as part of my wellness recommendations. While I talk of the wheel of the year and other tradition specific holy days with my Pagan clients, many of my clients come from varied social, religious, and cultural backgrounds, so I try and have a variety of myths and stories that I can use to help get them excited and interesting in how they engage with time. Here is where the seasons of the zodiac can really shine as a storytelling tool.

The language of astrology and specifically astrological seasons (i.e. Aries Season, Scorpio Season, Pisces Season, etc.) are one of those forms of storytelling that I draw upon. I find it useful to engage with the year as a series of stories, tied to the land, the planets, and the stars, as a way to find my unique rhythm and pace. These myths help me to release other people's notions of what I should or should not be doing with my time that doesn't work for me and my family. It's also another way to reshape difficult parts of the year as something you're part of and less of something that is happening to you. In the northern hemisphere, for example, Capricorn marks a time of deep winter and for some folks struggling with sadness during these darker and colder parts of the year, it can be interesting to work with the story of Capricorn. Capricorn is a sign that enjoys a certain level of stillness and structure, but it's not only in a linear productive sense (which can be over-focused on as desirable qualities under capitalism). Sometimes the myth of the goatfish is the creature that sits at your window on a still winter's night, saying, "In the quiet and the dark, we can build what we've been dreaming of before anyone can catch us."

For other folks, the myth of Capricorn they might be learning to connect with is learning about the power of slowing down and exploring deep - a muscle that not everyone is encouraged or granted the safety to explore in their younger years. For those familiar or interested in astrology, I like to point to the place where a season lands in their birth chart. "Look here!" I might say, "Capricorn is bringing energy to your Fourth House of home, which is not only the place that you live, but your experience of your body as home. Does that area of your life feel particularly tender or challenging during the winter months?" So many conversations and explorations can be started by looking at our own personal constellations of stars and planets. If a story like Capricorn feels useful to a client, I might draw on appropriate Capricorn herbs and remediation techniques to help support them further. Through our exchange of stories, I can also recommend further resources and healing modalities for clients to look into, such as somatic therapy and bodywork to help with the stagnant energy they might be struggling with in winter. 

Personally, when I began to be more mindful of the astrological seasons I found a lot of relief in being able to name, in ways that felt empowering to me, what it was about certain points of the year that felt challenging. It's the difference in being able to live my myth instead of trying to fit in with a story that has been told to me. 

If you're interested in exploring a seasons of the zodiac approach to the year, I suggest starting by making note of one or two months of the year that you find to be most comforting and enjoyable versus one or two months that you find to be the most challenging. Then, compare those months with the astrological seasons I've listed below and read more about the one or two signs and how their stories may help you understand your own.

Solar Seasons of the Year

Aries: End of March (Equinox) to end of April
Taurus: End of April to end of May
Gemini: End of May to end of June
Cancer: End of June (Solstice) to end of July
Leo: End of July to end of August
Virgo: End of August to end of September
Libra: End of September (Equinox) to end of October
Scorpio: End of October to end of November
Sagittarius: End of November to end of December
Capricorn: End of December (Solstice) to end of January
Aquarius: End of January to end of February
Pisces: End of February to end of March

Seasonal Rituals & Practices

Seeking Elemental Balance & Meeting Our Star Bodies

Each sign of the zodiac has a corresponding element of Earth, Air, Fire, or Water. Aries is a Fire sign and brings fiery energy into the season and whatever area of our life it is illuminating into your birth chart. If you're trying to bring more fiery energy into your life, for example, you might try engaging in fiery and energizing activities during Aries season such as energetic movement to fire magick as well as engaging in activities that feel exciting and adventurous. You might incorporate appropriate-for-you fiery herbs into your routine from spices and more stimulating herbs to digestive tonics. If you struggle with too much fiery energy and find Aries season to be overstimulating, you might try cooling and tempering activities such as gentle movement, forest bathing, activities that feel emotionally regulating, as well as relaxing herbs and liver tonics. 

Signs & Their Elements

Fire Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Air Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Water Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

A simple way to start with elemental work is to ask yourself the following series of questions, and not only think about the answer, but try to feel your answer, too.

• Do I feel like I have enough {element} in my life?

• If not, what can I do that is {fiery, watery, earthy, airy}?

• If I feel like I have too much of {element} how can I balance it with {opposite element}?

Every sign of the zodiac is associated with parts of the body and it can be an interesting somatic experience to explore the corresponding parts of your body for each season of the zodiac. You can learn more about the signs of the zodiac and our bodies over here.

Seasonal Tarot Readings

I enjoy beginning a new zodiac season with the corresponding tarot spread (you can find links to all of my astrological season tarot spreads in the Solar Seasons of the Year list above). For me, these readings aren't about predictions or trying to peer too far and back in time, but about reading the energy of the next cycle of the zodiac. It is also about connecting with the energy of the season on a personal and energetic level. The reading is contemplative and somatic: I write about my reading and I also feel it out without trying to put it into words.

Side Note: if you've been in a bit of a tarot funk, I recommend these (or similar) seasonal tarot spreads to help you move energy and inspire your intuition in a relatively low stakes sort of way.

These seasonal readings can also be using the same spread each month (i.e. the Celtic Cross for Aries season, Taurus season, Gemini season, and so on). If you're trying to work with solar energy in your life, doing a regular reading when the Sun changes signs can be a rewarding practice.

Alternatively, I've really enjoyed doing a zodiac season reading at the end of the season (i.e. when Aries season is coming to an end and Taurus season is about to begin). This is a spread to help you reflect on the energies of the past month as they manifested in your life and can sometimes be a more useful approach if you're new to the idea of zodiac seasons. 

Alternatively alternatively, you can do a reading at the beginning and end of the zodiac season. I would do this when a month has been particularly intense or if I'm trying to better understand a particular sign of the zodiac better (i.e. what the heck is a Taurus and why is it in my ninth house?).

book shown is the stargazing notebook by the unemployed philosopher’s guild

Birth Chart Meditation

After I've done my reading, I'll pull out my birth chart and look at what is happening in the area of my chart that the current zodiac season is illuminating. Aries in the Third House, for example, might mean taking note of what is happening in your life in regards to your curiosity, your ability to communicate ideas and concepts about yourselves and your world, as well as paths of learning that we may be on or want to be on, and relationships with siblings (including chosen family siblings). If you have planets in this area of your chart you might explore what they signify when they're in the sign of Aries. Finally, consider how the energy of Aries has informed your understanding and experience of Third House issues (i.e. you might learn best in an active environment or are someone who needs to move in order to think). If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you can download my free guide to The Moon in the Houses in the subscriber’s only resource page, which can be used more broadly for understanding the general emotional energy of each House.

Again, I'm not trying to practice any sort of predictive astrology, but to familiarize myself with what energy might be stirred up, what concepts might be illuminated, and what shadows revealed while the Sun traverses this part of my birth chart and life. If you're just starting to learn about your birth chart, a practice of seasonal observation like this can be a great way of exploring the energies of the stars and planets at the time of your birth. 

Plant Allies

I try to work with the seasons in my herbal practice as much as possible, working with plants as they spring up on the Land around me. So it's easy to work with Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) to temper the energy of Aries during Aries season (which arrives in late March in the northern hemisphere) as Lemon Balm is one of the first plants to return after winter.

When working with plant allies for the zodiac season, especially if you're new to the practice, I would start with the herbs you already work with and learn about their astrological correspondences. It can be a fascinating practice to notice the type of astrological energies you're inherently drawn to in your choice of plants to work with each season. See the "Additional Practices" section below for some more ideas for working with plants.

Tarot deck shown is Thea’s Tarot by Ruth West

Additional Practices

Depending on the season, the time and energy I have, and honoring the human urge to arrange things in such a way that feels pleasing and spiritually harmonious, I might build an altar for each season. An astrological tarot altar might include traditional and personal images of the current Sun sign, symbolic connections to your birth chart, and anything else to represent the ways that you're working with the energy of the season, including symbols for what you're trying to call in or release from your life. An altar to help you connect with the energies of Virgo Season, for example, might include images of healing spaces, bowls of grain, and an item or two representing an area of your life that you’re calling in healing energy.

I love altar building and in addition to being a beautiful thing to do, I think that altars serve as excellent tactile representations of abstract information and can be a great practice for folks who are learning about astrology for the first time or expanding their knowledge into a specific aspect of the art.

You can also wear your altar and incorporate the energy of the season into your clothing and adornments. A specific piece of jewelry might represent the energy of Virgo to you, for example, and you might wear it everyday for the season.

I've also enjoyed making herb bundles and/or flower and gem essence blends based on my zodiac season tarot reading and my own emotional needs for working with specific energies of the zodiac. Solar seasons of the zodiac are roughly 30 days which is generally considered a good length of time to work with a flower essence. You can even choose to work with Bach's recommended essences for each sign (i.e. The Twelve Healers, Bach’s original guide to his essences and the zodiac is available for free via the Bach Centre), but I encourage you to work with what you already have as this can prove useful energetic insights with essences you're already in relationship with.

᠅

What would your year feel like if time were a river of starry-hearted stories?

I hope that this post has brought some inspiration to your practice. If you want to explore more about the individual energies of each sign of the zodiac, come this way. You can also check out my entire seasons of the zodiac series.

If you’re looking for inspiration for a lunar practice, I’ve written about that, too.

May your year be a story ever-unfolding, helping you connect with the land and your community, as you find your way through your myths.

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