Dead Stories, Living Stories

While I take a break as the season of Samhain arrives in the northern hemisphere, I wanted to share with you a glimpse into my other monthly newsletter, The Moonlight, that my patrons as well as the students of The Lunar Apothecary get access to. While the theme changes each year (my Lunar Apothecary folks get to choose the annual focus), it allows involves some sort of exploration of lunar-focused healing and magick.

This year we've been exploring the theme of "lunar rituals and paths of magick" where I pull a ritual and recipe from my free but secret course (which you can access for free as a Magick Mail subscriber) that corresponds to a lunar phase of current month, exploring the energetic practice behind them as well as adapt them to our own needs and the needs of folks we serve as practitioners.

Earlier this year, when the Dark Moon was in Gemini, a sign that helps us to connect with deep,  shallow, and shoreline currents of communication, I explored a ritual and recipe that I wrote to support all the ways that we support our transitions through the stories we tell. I hope you enjoy the ritual and recipe that follows - may it support your own practice of becoming.

image via @anniespratt

What was a story you were brought up with that was true for you until it wasn't?

It's part of the growing up process to reassess the stories that we were raised with, deciding what we want to keep, what we want to alter, and what we want to leave behind altogether. as a storytelling species, this is one of those lifelong processes, and we'll constantly be encountering new stories to assess. Our stories, their telling and assessing, is one of the reasons that social media has been so challenging for our collective and individual mental health - we are trying to process too many stories, too many opinions, and too much information in less and less time. While rest has always been part of the prescriptive toolbox of the herbalist, it's become even more evident how new forms of social rest (i.e. extended to permanent breaks from social media) are needed. It's challenging to figure out our own stories, much less meaningfully connect with the stories around us, when we are dealing with so many at once. 

When I first wrote this ritual, I wanted to create an outline to work from with supporting folks through their storied transitions. Dead Stories still carries that original intention, but now it feels equally as needed to help us shed the burdensome weight of carrying around all these extra, social media driven stories whether or not we realize that's what we're doing.

Recently, I've been re-reading books that shaped my early practice, some which were decades old by the time I was first reading them, and it's interesting to read herbal and magickal books of different generations and how the recommendations are given for changing technology. From listening too much to the radio, to cautions against getting hooked on 24 hour news or whether or not you should keep a computer in the same space as you store your herbs,¹ it's not been a question of whether or not technology affects our health, but how we should respond to it. When I began my formal herbal studies my initial intake forms asked about time watching tv (my teachers were of the generation that lived before 24 hour news, so they had a clear experience of life before and after such a massive shift in information distribution and how it was affecting people's health), but adding the question about social media didn't come until a few years later.

All of this is to illustrate how storytelling and the stories we are told can shape our own and our client's experiences of wellbeing. One of the ways that we can explore this very Gemini area of our collective lives is to slow down, quiet internal and external noise as best we can, and begin to feel through the stories we're telling ourselves and others. In sessions with clients or even just friends and family, I hear myself asking these story questions like:

• Would it be possible to…?

• Have you ever considered trying…?

• What makes you feel settled/unsettled in your body?

It's very common for folks (all of us reading this included) to have been telling or been told a story that it feels like fact instead of just a choice that's been made. I frequently recommend some sort of meditative practice, but I've had to learn how to meet clients with where they're at with the stories I tell about meditation. I get a lot of folks, for example, who say "Oh, I can't meditate" but their story of what meditation is and how it should be practice is very narrow and often overlaid with what they've been told about themselves that makes them hesitant to try something that might feel momentary discomfort with. A meditative practice is possible, but the story about what meditation is needs to be expanded on. 

I continue to learn about the ways that I can make recommendations to folks that feel inviting, not shaming or full of inappropriate boundary pushing, where I get out of my own way, and I think it's an important skill for herbalists and healing practitioners. It's also a way to collaborate with clients and our community on releasing old stories and cultivating new ones. 

What are the ways that you incorporate storytelling and perspective shifting practices into your healing work?

image via @katkelley

Dead Stories Ritual
I am accepting all of who I am

There are moments in our life when we realize that we're telling a story that is no longer living - it is a dead story that we tell ourselves because it is comfortable, convenient, because we're fearful of what another story might mean, and for so many other reasons. Maybe these stories are more accurately called limbo stories - stories that can keep us trapped in old narratives that don't allow us to fully live our current truths. This ritual helps us to bury these dead stories with honor and let them decay so they may be fodder for future stories that better reflect our current lived experience and understanding of ourselves.

Dead Stories is a good ritual for before and during big transitions (getting out of an abusive relationship, initiations, starting therapy, self-acceptance of hidden parts of yourself, gender transitions, and so on) where there can be grief and a feeling of unease because new and appropriate boundaries are being set in your life. These are ultimately joyful journeys, but often we need to honor our grief and fear through honoring and releasing these dead stories before we can access that joy. This is a great ritual to perform within your beloved community and the outline below should be adapted to your needs (including ability and sensory needs) - this is only one way that a dead stories ritual can be performed and I encourage you to find the path that makes the most sense to you (for they are your stories to bury).

You will need:

• Paper and pen

• A metal cauldron or burnsafe container

• Metal incense tongs or similar item

• A bowl of water (Moon water, spring water, water with chosen essences in it, whatever you like) 

• A washcloth

• A towel

• A feather

• A new stories altar with one or more candles (see description below)

You will need two altar spaces - one in front of you and one behind you. The space in front of you is the dead stories altar and should hold your paper, pen, burn-safe container, and nothing more. The space behind you is where you can build your new stories altar filled with items which represent the stories that you are bringing into your life and illuminating more. Here is where you can place your feather and towel.

Begin by writing the old story down on your paper. Take as little or as long as you like, making sure to let yourself feel this story as it is moving through your body, through the pen, and onto the page. I encourage you to do this in silence to represent the way that the telling of this dead story has silenced other living stories in your life. When your story is written, begin to tear the paper into shreds, beginning the process of decay. Here is where you can start to make sound if you're called to it, no words yet, but feeling-sounds and grieving-sounds. Add the shredded dead story paper to your cauldron and light them on fire. Use the tongs as you need to to make sure that all the paper burns. 

When the body of the dead story has turned to ash, transformed into something new, and it is cool enough to touch, you can start to rub the ash against your forehead. You can rub the ash on any part of your body that you feel comfortable with (avoiding sensitive areas of course). At this time you (or your community) can start to call forth the new story from within you, all with affirming language. I've given examples of solo and/or community phrasing below:

Hello, sweet little me, you're safe now.

There you are! You're so brave! We've been waiting for you! Come on home!

My name is {name} and I am so {brave, smart, wise, beautiful, etc.}.

I am {chosen name}. {Chosen name} is my name. {Chosen name} is who I am.

Oh we've been waiting for you, {chosen name}.

Come on home, {name}, tell us your story. We've missed you.

Once the ash has been rubbed on your forehead (and wherever else you want to place it), pick up the washcloth and submerge it in the water. Use the cloth to wash the ash off of you. If you are in a community ritual and feel comfortable with it, have one or more members of the community wash the ash off for you. If you like you can sing a water chant such as the Born of Water by the Reclaiming community:

Born of water, cleansing powerful, healing changing, I am

When you are ready, turn for the first time to your new story altar, pick up the towel and clean yourself off. From here on out you can speak and laugh and say what you please. Light the candles on your new story altar and speak your new story, new name, new career, new beliefs about yourself. You did it! It can be very sweet and grounding to have a feast of favorite foods prepared for after this rite. Any leftover ash should be buried, flushed, or disposed of in a way that feels final.

I love flower essences for their gentle yet profound effect on our emotional body. Whenever we or a client, family or community member is going through a transition and trying on new words for their story-in-transformation, I like to offer flower essence support. In my experience, most folks find flower essences really enchanting - they speak to the playful, potion-making side that a lot of folks interested in herbalism often have. We're coming up on 100 years of the modern iteration of flower essences developed by Dr. Edward Bach who wanted to create an inexpensive, easy-to-make, and accessible form of homeopathic(ish) medicine. While flower essences are dismissed as purely placebo, I think it is more accurate to categorize them, when used within a traditional storytelling format as recommended, as a form of psychosomatic or psychoneurological remedy (if you're interesting in more of this as it relates to the practicing traditional western herbalist, I highly recommend The Consultation in Phytotherapy: The Herbal Practitioner's Approach to the Patient by Peter Conway). 

While I have offered a few essences that I like to turn to for supporting new story confidence, feel free to take inspiration and work with the essences you have readily available to you. One of the joys of any form of plant healing is the locality of practice and being able to turn to our plant neighbors for aid.

image via @qinghill

New Stories Essence
I am living my most affirming stories

I created the New Stories essence to support the work that follows a Dead Stories ritual and for those times when we're needing extra emotional support when speaking our new stories to ourselves and others. 

Blend together a few drops of each of the following flower essences into a dosage bottle:

• Rose (Rosa spp.): Helps us to unfold, find lost stories and secret strengths, evolve, and open up to the depth of loving ourselves and who we are becoming.

• Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria): Helps us to move from a place of telling stories that hide who we are (because of the expectations of others, our own fear, inherited stories, and so on) into being able to tell a more honest and genuine story that we want to tell.

• Cerato (Ceratostigma willmottiana): Helps us to trust our intuition and our deep, wise knowing of who we are and the stories that best support that inner truth.

Take 1 - 3 drops as needed throughout the day for a Moon cycle or whenever you need support in telling your new stories (i.e. telling someone your new name, setting a boundary, and so on). 

🌙

Healing stories, stories of healing, stories told that we might heal - what are the stories that are shaping your path these days?

If you’re interested in exploring more lunar paths of healing, consider connecting with the story of the Moon phases, starting with the Dark Moon. You can also find a full collection of lunar healing in my Moon Studies archive.

I hope you’re inspired to explore the stories that you’re telling yourself and others as the old year dies and the new year comes to be.

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

The Astroherbalism Apothecary: Crafting Herbal Charms for Your Ascendant

Just what is the Ascendant?

Unlike our Sun signs or our Moon signs with their familiar language and symbols, the Ascendant, also known as the Rising Sign, can feel abstract. As a position on the birth chart the Ascendant is the sign of zodiac that was rising or ascending from the horizon at the time of your birth. Just like the Sun and Moon, stars rise up from the horizon, too, including the constellations of representing the twelve signs of the western zodiac. While many of us might know our Sun and Moon signs, the Ascendant isn’t as commonly known (though our current renaissance of astrological culture is certainly shifting that), yet it’s often the sign that feels more like us when we do become acquainted. 

As with my last two posts in the astroherbalism apothecary series, I'll share recommended plant allies to connect with the energy of your Ascendant, but more importantly, I'll offer you a framework for creating your own unique herbal charms using ingredients readily available to you.

To do that, we'll explore how our Ascendant shapes our energy and the common ways that our Ascendant energy can get disrupted. I view astrology as a story-telling-listening tool and helpful way for folks get to know and name the healing needs of their body (and by "body" I mean physical form, emotional and mental experience, the psychic body, and so on).

Within traditional western herbalism, our Ascendant represents perception including how we perceive ourselves and want to be perceived by the world, including our physical appearance and the ways we our purposeful in our physical presentation (i.e. clothes, hairstyles, makeup, patterns of speech, gender affirming care, and so on). The concept of perception is one of the reasons that many folks identify easier with their Ascendant than their Sun sign when it comes to descriptions of personality.

Our Ascendant helps us to understand the choices we are drawn to making, the relationships we find ourselves again and again, and the patterns of connection we rely on the most and whether any of those aspects of our life need adjusting. For some of us, the inner world of our Moon and the outer world of our Ascendant are deeply aligned, where others have a sharp distinction between their inner life and outer presentation. Working with our Ascendant helps us to shift through the perceptions of others, and the ways we have shaped ourselves in order to hide away or be seen, and how we can choose to perceive ourselves in ways that feel empowering no matter the expectations of the world around us. Through our Ascendant we can adjust the lens by which we view our lives, channeling the energy of our Sun and the wisdom of our Moon in a way that helps us feel interconnected and part of life.

While our Sun helps us understand our inherent energy and our Moon helps us to understand how our energy is expressed (i.e. our inner truths and wisdoms), our Ascendant channels the energy of our Sun and the expression of our Moon into our engagement with the world (i.e. the stories we tell, the communities we connect with, and the identities we hold).

When it comes to supporting our Ascendent there are three primary paths that I focus on: enhancing our Rising Sign energy, reorienting our energy when we feel disconnected from our sense of self, and how we can bring ourselves comfort. To help you identify what path may be most useful for you at this time in your life, I've created brief descriptions of each path as well as key phrases that you may or may not connect with. I encourage you to read these phrases out loud and if something resonates, to consider pursuing that path of magickal healing. Once you've identified what type of path will be most useful for you at this time, you can choose a few suggested herbs and then follow the guide below to creating your custom Ascendant sign charm.

Crafting Your Ascendant Charms

I’ve suggested a variety of herb types and plant allies to create your own Ascendant sign charms. The simplest approach would be to use whole dried herbs, combining them together to create an herbal charm bag or spell bottle. You can also build an Ascendant sign altar, adding your chosen plant allies to it. If you have the flower essence version of whatever plants you resonate with, you can easily craft your own flower essence potion. For those of you with herbal experience, you can choose herbs to make your own Ascendant charm tea, tincture or topical herbal oil, taking into consideration appropriate individual needs and contraindications.

When available I’ve linked to the full plant profile of any of the plant ally suggestions below that are available for free on my community blog - they all contain additional magickal information you might find useful. You can find all of my plant profiles in The Plant Ally Library (which is available on a sliding scale as well as to all of my patrons for free).

image via @mooncolonytn60

Enhance Your Ascendant Energy

Herbs and essences that help us to step into the true power of our Ascendant, where we make the choices about how we present ourselves to the world that feel liberating, reducing the tension of having to hide behind a mask we no longer want, and honoring the pace we want to move at.

Key phrases that indicate you might benefit from an enhancing charm include:

• I don't feel like people know the real me.

• I feel like I'm in a slump when it comes to my appearance - I don't know what my style is.

• I'm tired of pretending I'm something I'm not.

• I'm ready to be braver in being who I am, but I don't know where to start.

• The masks I've relied on aren't working anymore.

Herbs for an Enhancing Ascendant Charm

An enhancing charm should bring out and energize what you already have within you, helping to make space for that part of you to emerge by clearing out stagnant energy. Plant allies that are traditionally associated with cleansing, such as Vervain (Verbena spp.), Juniper (Juniperus spp.), and Sage (Salvia officinalis), combined with plant allies that are restorative, such as Milky Oat (Avena sativa) and Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). In general, seek out herbs that are associated with the folkloric magick of glamours, with energizing body systems, and with illuminating the aura, including plants with scents that you love, and any herb that makes you feel happy when you work with them. 

Here are a few plant allies for an enhancing Ascendant charm to consider:

• Linden (Tilia x europaea)

• Vervain (Verbena spp.)

• Juniper (Juniperus spp.)

• Sage (Salvia officinalis)

• Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

• Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• Pine (Pinus spp.)

There are a number of stone allies to consider when trying to enhance your Ascendant energy and, if you have them already available, you might include Amber, Citrine, Orange Calcite, Red Jasper, Lapis Lazuli or Turquoise in your charm. You might also consider choosing warm tones for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @barbydalbosco

Reorient Your Ascendant Energy

Herbs and essences that help us reset our compass to our true north (our Moon) and reconnect to ways of expressing ourselves that are more conducive to our inherent energy (our Sun), giving us perspective amongst all the cultural and social noise by seeking ourselves within (rather than through a screen or someone else's lens).

Key phrases that indicate you might benefit from a reorienting charm include:

• No one understands me.

• I feel like a stranger in my own life.

• I have a constant fear of missing out.

• I spend too much time letting myself be influenced rather than investigating my own desires.

• I feel like I need a fresh start.

Herbs for a Reorientation Ascendant Charm

A charm that helps us reorient our Ascendant energy should include plant allies that help us to think clearly and focus, while supporting our ability to change direction. Nootropic (i.e. brain tonics) plant allies like Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica), and Sage (Salvia officinalis) support cognitive health and mental clarity support our ability to cultivate inner wisdom while adaptogens like Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum), and Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) help us reorient to our actual desires and needs. In general, seek out herbs that are associated with wisdom, intuitive connection, and confidence, helping you to feel sure in your choices and how you present yourself to the world. 

Here are a few plant allies for a reorienting Ascendant charm to consider:

• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

• Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)

• Sage (Salvia officinalis) 

• Damiana (Turnera diffusa)

• Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus)

• Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum)

• Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• Lavender (Lavandula spp.)

If you already have them available, there are a number of stones you might work with to help reorient your Ascendant energy including Obsidian, Nuummite, Onyx, Garnet, Smoky Quartz, Red Jasper, and Bloodstone. You might also consider choosing earth tones for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @harrycunningham

Comfort Your Ascendant Energy

Herbs and essences that help us feel held and at ease within ourselves, healing the places that feel most exposed in our life, and gently guide us back into a state of homeostasis, after experiencing all of the challenges that come with being perceived by others. 

Key phrases that indicate you might benefit from a comforting charm include:

• I'm so tired of everyone else's opinions.

• I just want to exist without being hassled or harassed.

• I just want to be taken care of.

• I feel worn down by the world.

• I want to be loved for who I am, instead of who I'm expected to be.

Herbs for a Comforting Ascendant Charm

Our Ascendent is the part of ourselves seen the most by the world and that can create a complicated concoction of the benefits and challenges that come with being perceived all the time. Sometimes what our Ascendant energy needs more than anything is to be comforted -  whether it is after years of living under the shadow of other people's perceptions of you or from the energetic wear and tear of all the ways we're dragged down by the micro- and not-so-microaggressions against who we are. Nervines (i.e. nervous system tonics) are great for a comforting charm, helping to tend to the needs of a worn out, overwhelmed, and/or overstimulated nervous system. One of the best things that you can do for your Ascendant energy is to get to know and regularly use your favorite nervine. Some of my favorite nervines are Milky Oat (Avena sativa), Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), and Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis). 

Here are a few plant allies for a comforting Ascendant charm to consider:

• Linden (Tilia x europaea)

• Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis)

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

• Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

• Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Stone allies that you might consider working with to help comfort your Ascendant energy if you already have them available are Rose Quartz, Moonstone, Amethyst, Blue Lace Agate, Kyanite, and Sodalite. You might also consider choosing soft color tones for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @danfarrell

Creating Your Ascendant Sign Charm

Decide on the form that your Ascendant charm will take (i.e. a spell bottle, a charm bag, an ascendant sign altar, flower essence potion, tea, etc.) and gather all of your ingredients and items. You should also find a clear stone (the clearer the better) or piece of glass, a bowl of water, a candle, incense or burning herbs of your choosing, and a wand or branch (included a flower or herb stem). While I don't personally know of a traditional elemental correspondence for the Ascendant, we will be drawing on all of the elements, with special attention to the element of Air, since it embodies many of the qualities of the Ascendent, with its focus on perception and connection.

You can choose if you perform this spell under sunlight, moonlight or starlight - let yourself be guided by your intuition and what feels most empowering. I like to place all my items on a tray and bring them to the ideal location where I'll be able to catch sun, moon or star light.

Go to the place that you'll be performing this ritual, ground and center (perhaps with a tree of life meditation), and settle into sacred space through your preferred method. Lay the bowl of water in the west, the candle in the south, the incense in the east, and the wand or branch in the north (or arrange them to the corresponding cardinal directions that makes the most sense to your cultural, spiritual, and/or personal traditions). Place your stone or piece of glass in the center.

Light the candle and the incense. Take up your stone and hold it to your solar plexus, connecting with it on an energetic level, letting it bathe in your energy. Then, hold the stone before you, and blow your breath gently on it, waking it up with your breath of life. 

Once you feel ready, pass the stone through the smoke of the incense, saying:

The breath of life connects us all
within, without
around and about

Weave the stone around the incense and then around you. Bring the stone back to your solar plexus, letting the energy of Air mingle with your own energy. When you feel ready, pass the stone through the flame of the candle, saying:

The flame of wisdom connects us all
within, without
around and about

Weave the stone around the candle and then around you. Bring the stone back to your solar plexus, letting the energy of Fire mingle with your own energy. When you feel ready, hold the stone over the bowl and anoint it with water, saying:

The water of dreams connects us all
within, without
around and about

Weave the stone around the bowl and then around you. Bring the stone back to your solar plexus, letting the energy of Water mingle with your own energy. When you feel ready, place the stone down, take up the wand and tapping the stone as you say:

The earth of renewal connects us all
within, without
around and about

Weave the stone around the wand and then around you. Bring the stone back to your solar plexus, letting the energy of Earth mingle with your own energy. When you feel ready, weave the stone around all of the elements, saying:

The elements of life connects us all
within, without
around and about

Weave the stone around you once more before bringing it back to your solar plexus, connecting with the interwoven energy of the elements flowing through, around, and between all. When you feel ready, hold the stone up to the sun, moon or star light. For the following spoken charm upon saying the first here, hold the stone against to your heart, letting the spell sink into your energy, letting every repetition of here grow stronger as you say it:

By the light of brightest {Sun, Moon or Star}
By earth, by air, within and without
I see and am seen with great love and care
By water, by fire, around and about
When I am lost, I'll be guided back here
By water, by fire, around and about
When I am lost, I'll be guided back here
By earth, by air, within and without
When I am lost, I'll be guided back here!
So mote it be!

If you are crafting an herbal charm, spell bag, flower essence, etc. do that now and then either add or place your stone with that charm. Let the candle burn down, the incense burn out, return the water to the earth, and wand to your altar (or if a flower or herb stem, return it to the earth).

You can also choose to carry your stone with you if you like, re-energizing it with this ritual and adding layers of intention as you go (i.e. visualizing improving your interpersonal communication skills when passing the stone through incense or releasing an old way of being perceived when channeling the energy of earth into your charm). 

✨

I hope you feel a little more empowered and inspired about connecting with the energy of your Ascendant and the ways that energy flows through your life.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out the first two posts in this series on your Sun sign and your Moon sign. Having an understanding of these three elements of your birth chart will open up so many pathways of exploration and wisdom-growing within the world of traditional astrology.

If you're looking for more resources for your astroherbalism studies, come this way.

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

Unhindered Brilliance: Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) Plant Profile

Our plant allies offer many gifts, alleviating the symptoms that arise from stress to inflammation to infections, but they also draw us into a deeper relationship with what it means to feel whole and well in our bodies.

Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) is a plant that I turn to often in my practice for very grounded and everyday needs, while watching again and again it guide folks through a transformative relationship with their bodies. So, I'm very pleased to share what I've learned about the unhindered brilliance of Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus) and it’s transformative ways.

image source

Cramp Bark
(Viburnum opulus)

Common + Folk Names : Guelder rose, snowball tree, wayfaring tree, water elder, white dogwood, spindle tree, whitten tree, highbush cranberry, king's crown, rose elder, may rose, dog rowan tree, gaitre berries, European cranberry, kalyna, rosa da qúeldres.

Element : Fire, Water

Zodiac Signs : Carries the energy of Libra and Pisces. A remedy for Leo, Capricorn, Libra, and Pisces.

Planets : Venus, Saturn, Neptune

Moon Phase : Waxing Moon

Tarot Cards : The Hanged One, The World, The Fives

Parts used : Bark

Habitat : Native to North Africa, Central Asia, and Europe, naturalized in North America. Grows at edges of woodlands and hedgerows.

Growing Conditions : Prefers sun to part shade in nutrient-rich and moist soil.

Collection : Spring or fall. Deb Soule recommends gathering "in the spring when the sap is rising or in the autumn when the leaves are falling from the branches."¹

Flavor : Bitter, astringent

Temperature : Neutral to warm

Moisture : Dry

Tissue State : Tension, Stagnation

Constituents : Catechin, glycoside, valeric acid, coumarins, salicylates, tannins, resin, arbutin.

Actions : Antispasmodic, astringent, hemostatic, nervine, partus preparator, parturient, relaxant, sedative, uterine tonic, vasodilator, vulnerary.

Main Uses : As an herbalist, I am practiced in explaining to folks that most forms of herbal medicine take some time to bring about change - patience is required but the healing that comes about is often one that lasts. There are a few herbs within the traditional western materia medica however that work quickly to alleviate significant suffering. Cramp Bark is one of those herbs, an ally to those experiencing cold, stagnant tension where energy is not moving resulting in deep, prolonged pain.

The primary use of Cramp Bark in traditional western herbalism is as an amphoteric uterine tonic - the herb is able to tend to the needs of the uterus in a variety of ways. Occasionally you'll see Cramp Bark is categorized as an emmenagogue, but this is a bit misleading, and most herbalists would view the herb as a menstrual regulator. In addition to helping with painful periods (dysmenorrhea) and heavy or prolonged periods (menorrhagia), Cramp Bark is used to help prevent miscarriage as well as regulate and slow down labor. 

Cramp Bark is my favorite herb to recommend for menstrual cramps. Taking a dropperful when you begin to feel cramps come on (and twice more in 15 minute increments if needed) can often completely prevent cramp pain.² Even if you are in the midst of cramping, Cramp Bark can help. Consider combining with Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) when sleep is disrupted and excess anxiety is present. If you experience anal cramping during menstruation, herbalist Thomas Bartram recommends combining 2 parts Cramp Bark with 1 part Stone Root (Collinsonia canadensis), and ¼ part Cayenne (Capsicum annuum).³ In general, Cramp Bark helps to circulate energy and alleviate uterine congestion, which is the traditional western energetic way of describing the conditions that lead to imbalances like endometriosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts, and uterine fibroids.

While alleviating uterine cramping is where Cramp Bark really excels, it can also be used for other muscle cramps and spasms, including lower back pain (consider combining with Taraxacum officinale or Verbascum thapsus when you're also trying to strengthen the back or with Hypericum perforatum if there is nerve pain or discomfort). You can include Cramp Bark in your post-workout blends to help alleviate and prevent muscle pain and fatigue. Use Cramp Bark in combination with other bitter herbs to help relieve intestinal and stomach cramps, including cramping caused by IBS.

Cramp Bark has long been used as a midwife's herb in the care of pregnant folk, including helping to prevent miscarriage especially when miscarriage has occurred before. Rosemary Gladstar regards Cramp Bark as a prized pregnancy tonic especially when threatened miscarriage due to excessive stress and anxiety is present.⁴ Cramp Bark can help to slow down a labor that is moving too quickly, regulate labor, and help the laboring person regain some strength. Use the herb postpartum to help prevent hemorrhage and alleviate pain.

While Cramp Bark is primarily used as a uterine tonic, it is also a great bronchodilator and antispasmodic that's not only useful for asthma but for coughs in general. Use Cramp Bark to help “clear phlegm and catarrh through warmth.”⁶ The herb also has relaxing nervine qualities that address the stress and anxiety that often accompanies an asthma attack. For folks, especially babies and young children, who are experiencing increasing states of agitation and wakefulness due to coughing at night may be aided by appropriate dosage amounts of Cramp Bark (consider combining with Verbascum thapsus, Prunus serotina and/or Inula helenium depending on the type of cough). Cramp Bark can also be used in case of heart palpitations or cardiac conditions where there is a weak heartbeat (combine with Crataegus monogyna). The clearing warmth of Cramp Bark can also be applied to states of stress that are alleviated by feeling held and comforted - Cramp Bark helps to reduce “nervous tension due to the gentle warmth that it imparts to the nerves and brain.”⁷

A note about preparation: a decocted tincture of the bark - where the bark is first boiled with water, strained, cooled, and then a preservative is added - is recommended.

image source

Magickal Uses : For a plant that we know we have been working with for thousands of years as a species, I struggled to find historical resources in English recording its medicinal or magickal uses - but we can make some folkloric assumptions around magickal use. 

An excellent use for Cramp Bark would be in love and fertility magic. I could also imagine incorporating it into wreaths for both menstrual and croning rites. The beautiful red color of a Cramp Bark extract or infusion can be used to symbolize blood in rituals. Cramp Bark shafts used to make arrows were found in the grave of a Copper Age European, you might incorporate the shafts of the plant in ancestral magick.⁸ 

Some modern ogham practitioners include Cramp Bark, or Guelder Rose as it is more often referred to in these circles, as part of the forfeda, associating the herb with either pín/iphín or peith. This association seems to have started with Nigel Pennick in his book Magical Alphabets, but I first came across the association through the work of Elen Sentier in her book Trees of the Goddess. The association with pín/iphín probably arises from Cramp Bark's use as a spindle or shaft tree/shrub. I'm less certain about the reasons for the association with peith - Pennick states it is the "equivalent" to the rune perthro which seems to be chosen from the fact that both symbolize the "p" sound.⁹ Sentier ties the magick of Guelder Rose / Cramp Bark to peith and the menstrual cycle, which I appreciate as a much needed (whether modern or previously lost) addition to the ogham tradition.¹⁰ But peith is also a variation of beith, associating it with the first ogham fid that symbolizes many things including new beginnings and birth which ties in nicely to Cramp Bark's medicinal uses.

Personally, I see Cramp Bark as holding space with other liminal hedgerow plants like Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) and Elder (Sambucus nigra). These three herbs hold a Faery Queen/Goddess/Elder Crone energy to me and I enjoy incorporating their magick in Goddess rites (especially of the initiatory variety) and trancework.

The Cramp Bark Personality : When I think of Cramp Bark folks the image that comes to mind is someone in a dark and liminal space, trying to hold onto everything. They are rummaging around in the dark, engaged in the dance of withdrawing from vulnerable experiences with others while still clinging desperately to them. On the surface they may appear judgmental of others. For Cramp Bark folk there is such potential for growth but life is hindered by being unable to let go. It can be terrifying to let go as Cramp Bark folks deeply feel and fear the potential of loss. Often, though not always, there was a significant experience of insecure attachment as a child that has left Cramp Bark folk struggling to form secure attachments as adults. Asking Cramp Bark folk to let go, become more confident in their ability to be resilient, while also allowing people into their life in a more meaningful way, is like asking them to paint a picture of an animal they've never seen before - they have little context for what an alternative to their clinging and stuck-ness would look like, so the change not only feels frightening but not even possible.

The brilliance of working with Cramp Bark is that it is a plant that is very comfortable in the liminal, in the stranded spaces, in the places that feels too full and unmovable. Cramp Bark is able to help us generate the energy needed to move energy, to unclench from unhealthy attachments, and begin to relax instead of just stagnate. Working with Cramp Bark can help these folks to take chances in their relationships with others while leaving the past in the past, coming to a deep comfort with the present, and curiosity instead of fear about the future.

Contraindications : The uncooked berries are toxic. Avoid in cases of salicylate allergy, hypotension, kidney stones, and bleeding disorders. Stop use a week before surgery.

Drug interactions : May affect anticoagulants due to presence of coumarins. 

Dosage : Standard dosage.

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The request to write a profile about Cramp Bark was suggested by one of my patrons and I'm so happy they asked!

Cramp Bark is such a lovely plant to work with and if you’re seeking more plant wisdom, be sure to check out the plant profile archive.

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

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Footnotes

1. Deb Soule, The Roots of Healing: A Woman's Book of Herbs (New York: Citadel Press, 1995), 110.

2. For folks for whom Cramp Bark does not work, I've generally found that Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium) will and can be used in the same way as Cramp Bark.

3. Thomas Bartram, Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine (London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, 1998), 133.

4. Rosemary Gladstar, Herbal Healing for Women: Simple Home Remedies for Women of All Ages (New York, NY: Fireside, 1993), 175.

5. Soule, 139.

6. Stephen Taylor, The Humoral Herbal: A practical guide to the Western Energetic system of health, lifestyle and herbs (London: Aeon Books, 2021), 286.

7. Taylor, 286.

8. Ötzi, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi (Accessed January 2024).

9. Nigel Pennick, Magical Alphabets: The Secrets and Significance of Ancient Scripts -- Including Runes, Greek, Ogham, Hebrew and Alchemical Alphabets (York Beach, ME: 1992), 118.

10. Elen Sentier, Trees of the Goddess: A New Way of Working with the Ogham (Hampshire, England: 2014), 80.

Joyful Summer, Golden Autumn: Herbal Remedies for the Bright Season

After a long summer, where it seems that everything might be gold and green forever, and the winds of autumn have yet to sweep in and pull the last of summer's fruit to the earth, I think of the ways that these spaces between seasons are a good time to check in on the boundaries within and around us.

While boundaries can sometimes evoke feelings of absence, pushing away, and borders, I find it more helpful to understand boundaries as an essential form of nourishment. To resist our need for boundaries is to go hungry - when we deny or ignore our own boundaries we can be left hungering for the protection and nourishment of ourselves and our dignity that sturdy boundaries provide. Testing and having our boundaries tested, in nonviolent, even playful ways, is a normal process of development, when we get to say no and figure out what our yeses look like as we develop our sense of self. The seasons of the year and the seasons of life are full of boundaries and edges, places to explore to know ourselves and our worlds better.

I find that the transition from one season to the next are times of boundary testing, seeing what has thrived, what has struggled, what has grown, what has been dreamed up in the past season, and how that will carry us through the next. There are the practical boundaries of the places we live in, the ways we feed ourselves, sources of income, and the day-to-day needs of our wellbeing.¹ There are also the less tangible, but equally necessary boundaries of the dreams we've protected, the discernment we've developed in our relationships, and the ways we respect the shape of our energy and healing needs. Tying the practice of boundary-making and re-shaping to seasonal tides helps us to create a cyclical rhythm to our boundary work instead of a one-and-done approach that can leave us feeling disappointed or exposed if we find ourselves having to create or renew a boundary.

Boundary work shows up in all sorts of interesting ways in herbal consultations and classrooms. There are the boundaries that I establish as a practitioner and teacher that helps define what I do and do not offer long before a client or students enter a space, the boundaries that respect the freedom of movement and encourage the curiosity of students and clients, and boundaries that respect the various relationships created in these learning spaces. There are boundaries of time spent together, boundaries of privacy, sensory boundaries, and the unique boundaries that will always arise at any given consultation, class or event. I make sure that I reflect on, renew, and adjust my boundaries frequently throughout the year not only for my wellbeing, but for the wellbeing of those I serve.

If you're a practitioner, what are the personal and professional boundaries that you hold in classes and consultations? If you're a client or student, what are your own boundaries and can you easily identify the boundaries that your teacher and/or practitioner holds?

image via @eilisgarvey

As the wheel of the year turns and one season shifts to another, I imagine boundaries less as fixed and stoic walls between me and a person or experience, and more of practices that shelter and strengthen me so that I can fully arrive in the coming season. As summer's long days give way to autumn's golden glow, I check-in with what it is I need to make sure that I'm able to make it - physically and energetically - to all of the harvest festivals that I want to attend in the coming months, including being able to show up to those celebratory harvests of personal accomplishment. In other words, my boundary work is less about building a wall and more about making sure that the path ahead is clear so that I can return again and again to beloved community and the experiences that I treasure most. 

So as summer transforms into autumn, I've collected a few of my favorite recipes for the bright season to help us store up light and energy for the rest of the year, strengthen our edges so that we better know what it is we are feeling and want to be held, and find ways to feel steady and sure in our practice.

Summer to Autumn Remedies

The following recipes are formulated as teas but can easily be made into herbal extracts, baths, or other forms of herbal remedies. I’ve crafted them with the transition from (roughly) Virgo to Libra season in the northern hemisphere and from (roughly) Pisces to Aries season in the southern hemisphere, but they can easily be adapted or used throughout the year.

image via @anniespratt

For When You Need To Store Energy

Summer is long where I live and sometimes the heat can feel neverending, but I've also lived in places where summer is sharp and quick, quickly bowing to autumn's splendor. I've learned that no matter what type of summer I may be living with, learning how to pace yourself in the heat and store up the season's light for the rest of the year is a good skill to cultivate. I like to work with plant allies that help strengthen our cardiovascular system (like Taraxacum officinale), build up the blood (like Crataegus monogyna), and increase our body's capacity to effectively manage our energy (like Ocimum sanctum), helping us to feel strong throughout the year.

• 4 parts Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum)

• 2 parts Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale)

• 1 part Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus monogyna)

image via @anniepratt

For When You Feel Ungrounded & Uncertain

If we feel disconnected from the earth of our body and the earth of the land, uncertain about what next steps to take, and generally uncentered, it can make setting and maintaining boundaries challenging. The end of summer and the beginning of autumn is such a beautifully earthy time of harvest and connecting with the nourishing energy of the land. Herbs like Sage (Salvia spp.), Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) help us feel centered, connected, and grounded in our bodies with the added benefit of strengthening our immune systems as we move into cold and flu season.

• 2 parts Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• 2 parts Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

• ½ part Sage (Salvia spp.)

image via @anniespratt

For When You Foundation Needs Strengthening

Taking care of the structure of our body - our musculoskeletal system and skin - helps all other healing herbal remedies, wellness practices, and opportunities for joy grow more easily in our lives. Vitamin and mineral rich herbs like Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) and Nettles (Urtica dioica) help to nourish and rebuild energy while sun-bright flowers like Calendula (Calendula officinalis) help the skin to glow from the inside out. 

• 3 parts Nettles (Urtica dioica)

• 1 part Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

• ½ part Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

• Lemon juice to taste

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Three simple recipes to help us move from summer to autumn with our dreams held close and our energy sheltered. You can find more seasonal inspiration for your practice by checking out my summer wellness apothecary and autumn wellness apothecary posts. You can also explore my series on herbal and magickal suggestions for every season. If you’re looking for more between-the-seasons guides be sure to check out:

• Slow Winter, Soft Spring: Herbal Remedies for the Quiet Season

• Sweet Spring, Bright Summer: Herbal Remedies for the Waking Season

May these days of shimmering glow settle all around you, so you may carry this light like a lantern into the dark half of the year, steady on the path illuminated all around you.

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

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Footnotes

1. Ideally, these would be needs that we didn't have to earn, but already have as an inherent part of a society's social net of safety and welfare. May we continue to call such a world into being.

A Might-Do List for the Dark Moon

It feels fitting that the final post in my series of might-do lists for the lunar cycle is on the Dark Moon, when the Moon pulls tight her veil of night, letting the stars illuminate the night sky as she takes respite.

The Dark Moon, sometimes called the Old Moon, Black Moon or Void Moon, is the final period of lunar waning before the New Moon takes to the sky, marking a time of respite and retreat, dissolution and discernment. While the Dark Moon is one of my favorite times during the lunar cycle, I debated whether or not to write a might-do list since I try not to do much of anything except get slow and rest for this phase. I realized, though, that while I don’t often make remedies or perform rituals of any kind during the Dark Moon, when I do, these inevitably end up being some of my most beloved acts of magick. 

So let's travel together, beyond the edge of illumination, to a realm of lustrous unlight and explore what we might do (or not, because the dark is meant for resting) during the darkest lunar phase.

image via @masonkimbar

Bury the Dead

Many New Moon lunar practices involve cleansing and renewing my spaces, but if you feel that extra effort is needed to clear out a particularly stubborn bit of energy, you can work with the magick of the Dark Moon to "bury the dead." In this case, the "dead" might be dead flowers or expired good, old remedies that are no longer useful, any clutter or unwanted items that can be lovingly re-gifted or donated. Try to lay all this dead and decaying energy embodied in these item to rest in the most ecologically respectful ways, making the bright promises of the restart of the lunar cycle that much easier to connect with. If I'm called to this sort of cleansing work during the Dark Moon it is often because the energy and items I'm trying to clear out have been stagnated and stuck for a while, requiring me to journey into the dark to get them, honor them, and let them go. A ritual of burying the dead, followed by experiences like good food and relaxation in your nearly cleared space, can be the sort of impetus needed to finally move this energy out of your home and life. 

Become Invisible

There are all sorts of interesting spells for invisibility from old to modern grimoires and these enchanted me as a young witch. In fact, some of my earliest lessons on plant identification was trying to figure out what fern spores were and how I could collect them as an essential ingredient to an invisibility spell I had come across on the internet.¹ These days there are two approaches to invisibility that I find particularly useful: invisibility charms which help you go unnoticed as a matter of protection in everyday life and going invisible on social media. For some powerful Dark Moon magick, try a ritual practice of social media invisibility by disappearing off of social media, from posting on it and scrolling through it, for one full lunar cycle. It is an increasingly profound act to practice invisibility like this and whenever a spell of invisibility is cast a spell of revelation is cast, too. What would it mean to be less visible to the invisible spectators of social media? What would it feel like to cultivate relationships of shared, sacred, silly, and loving visibility with others? Working with Dark Moon energy is one of the ways we can explore our stories of visibility.

Explore Your Shadows

The Dark of the Moon is an auspicious time to practice shadow work. I prefer shadow work with some form of divination, like tarot, but the opportunities for shadow work are limitless. You could explore an area of your birth chart that you've judged to be "bad" or not well aligned, taking time to explore what really lies there. You could get yourself back in therapy, but this time with a culturally-competent therapist who specializes in your mental health needs. Shadow work comes in many forms, but at its core, shadow work is paying attention to and exploring the parts of ourselves we'd rather not acknowledge (i.e. keep hidden away in the shadows away from the view of ourselves and others). Shadow work is both deeply personal and collective - our shadows are formed by our personal experiences as well as shaped by cultural shadows (i.e. the cultural shadow of patriarchal norms that influence and help to shape our personal shadows). One of the easiest ways to spot a shadow is paying attention to when feelings of jealousy or feeling left out arises, perhaps while scrolling social media, and then following that feeling and the story that unfolds. I think shadow work is best performed when you have at least a few strong relationships that you can lean on and keep perspective with while you explore your own tenderness. Not that you need to share all the details of what you're exploring with someone - though I hope you have at least one trusted confidant that you can open up to - but that you have a person who'll help you decompress after you return from the shadowlands.

image via @nathananderson

Write an Ancestor Letter

I think that letter writing is one of the sweetest forms of ancestral magick and the Dark Moon, especially when near a veil-thinning sabbat like Samhain, is an especially auspicious time to practice it. You can surround the following practice with as much or as little ritual as you like, but gather a pen and paper, choose an ancestor known or unknown to write to and start writing. You can update a beloved ancestor on what has happened in your life since they passed or connect with an ancestor in your distant past if you're trying to explore that area of your ancestral line. If you like you can even ask questions asking for answers in dreams, divinations or other forms of communication. After you are done writing the letter you can burn or bury it, or if you're using water soluble ink you can pour water over your letter and let the letters flow back to the earth. Another option is keeping the letter hidden away, but pull it out after a length of time has passed (at least a few months, but a year is great), reading through it again and paying attention to how your ancestor may have responded to your words. 

Dissolve & Banish

If you need to perform a banishing spell, the Dark Moon is a great time since the lunar phase is rich with the energy of dissolution. My favorite simple banishing spell involves a bowl of water, some salt, and a spoon. You can perform any additional ritual before or after this spell, but for the banishing spell itself begin by holding the bowl of water in your hands. Speak what it is you seek to banish from your life to the water, visualize pouring all the energy of the thing to be banished into the water. When you feel ready, and without touching the water, pour in the salt and stir it widdershins with your spoon. When the salt has dissolved pour it outside or down the toilet and walk away. Let the spell run its course without speaking of it to anyone, but taking real world actions to follow up with your energetic banishing.

Cut Your Hair

There is a lot of folklore surrounding the growth of hair and the lunar cycle, including the most auspicious times to cut it. I personally like a Dark of the Moon trim so that the physical and energetic hair can grow strong and healthy with the increasing growth of the Moon. Dark Moon hair cutting can also be another gentle act of dissolution in your life, letting the pieces of your cut hair carry away unwanted energy. Expand hair cutting to a whole hair spa experience by scheduling the monthly hair treatments that you usually partake in, from masks to rinses, at the Dark Moon. 

image via @ryan_hutton_

Create A Community Memorial

Whether as part of an organized event or as part an individual act of devotion, create a memorial in a public setting (respecting nature, accessibility - don't block sidewalks, etc. - and the neighbors). It can be a memorial which brings attention to what used to exist on a part of land that was paved over, for the loss of plant or animal life, of community members, beloved family pets, changes to the local ecosystem due to the climate emergency, and more. One of the great powers of the Dark Moon is its energy that draws us in, and we can direct this energy in a way that gets folks to pause, engage with, and let themselves feel together. Consider the ways that your memorial creates interaction (i.e. animal memorials with statues that can be petted) and the space you hope to create to let people feel what they feel. 

Rattle the Bones

There are times when we are seeking insight into the faraway depths - that is when performing divination during the Dark Moon can be useful. We can ride the ebbing of lunar energy, letting it draw us down and inwards, helping us to find the hidden knowledge that we seek. Incorporating plant allies like Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) or Sage (Salvia officinalis) as teas, herbal baths or incense can help draw in Dark Moon energy to support your intuition. If you like, you can whisper the following charm (spells spoken under the breath are an invocation of Dark Moon energy) to support your divination practice:

By the Moon
and by my blood
Between the space
of land and sky
Guided by
ancestral love
I open now
My third eye

Brew A Dreamer’s Elixir

If I am to engage in remedy making during the Dark Moon it is usually a recipe associated with dream work. I like to imagine that while the Moon is dark in our world, she is shining Full in the otherworld, helping to direct the energy of our dream elixirs toward the bright light beyond our world and at the edge of another. For a Dreamer's Elixir combine herbs that your ancestors would have worked with (and I mean ancestors in the most expansive of ways, from biological, cultural, and spiritual), especially if those herbs have dreaming folklore attached to them. Then add in Elder Berry (Sambucus nigra) to bring in the herb's otherworldly energy as well as add a dark purple color to your final brew whether you choose to make a tea, tincture, oil or bath. Let your remedy sit in a dark place where no light will reach it for a full lunar cycle - Dark Moon to Dark Moon. Once the cycle has passed the Dreamer's Elixir is ready to use and should be taken before dreamwork or pathworking (use standard dosage guidelines for whatever type of remedy you make). 

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If you’re looking for inpsiration for your Dark Moon practices, I’ve also written a simple ritual, recipe, and tarot spread for your Dark of the Moon healing practice. You can also find the rest of my might-do lists for the lunar esbats below:

• A Might-do List for the Full Moon

• A Might-do List for the New Moon

• A Might-do List for the Quarter Moons

For those of you just starting out on your lunar explorations, how about finding your Moon sign first? And for those of you ready to dive deeper, come this way.

Wherever you find yourself in the dark, I hope that your practice illuminates your path back home.

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

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Footnotes

1. Can we bring back website-based grimoires that we visited through the labyrinthine magick of webrings? The longer that webrings are gone from the modern internet, the more useful I think they were as our modern social media landscape rapidly degrades. I also love that there are a few of you who are currently searching "what are webrings" and I'm glad to share that old internet tradition with you.