Creating Your Own Ancestral Tarot Spread: A Guide for Tarot Readers

I love a good tarot spread.

When I was just starting out reading tarot, I poured over books of spread, copying many of them down in notebooks, and delighting in how there seemed to be a spread for every question out there. These days in the era of our tarot renaissance, I love how tarot spreads have become their own sort of vernacular, full of recognizable structures, but taking on the regional twang of their creator. I really enjoy getting to know a tarot reader through their spreads, the ways they lay out the cards, how the questions are designed, and the underlying weft and weave of a sturdy tarot spread. I've created and shared a fair amount of my own tarot spreads over the years and I always have scrappy notes of soon-to-be spreads lying about my workspace. 

Tarot has always been a communal activity for me - it's meant to be read with friends with its secrets and insights traded freely amongst magickal folk. Creating for community, I hope that folks working with a tarot spread that I've written feel drawn back into something whether that is drawn back into a relationship with the seasons of the year or lunar cycle, with deep parts of yourself, and/or your community. Mostly, though, I hope that my tarot spreads bring a healthy infusion of inspiration to a person's life where working with tarot feels like you're working with a living, breathing, and useful tradition.

When it comes to personal practices like connecting with ancestors and the land we live with, I think all tarot readers benefit from learning how to create their own tarot spreads. And as much as I love creating tarot spreads, I love teaching others how to create their own even more. Beyond the benefit of creating a spread that is customized to your needs, the process of spread-crafting can reveal how we think about ourselves as a reader, the ways we prefer to interpret cards, and the frameworks that we are drawn to again and again. 

So, with Samhain and festivals honoring the beloved dead just around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to explore how we can create our own tarot spread to connect with ancestral energies, both of the land and of your familial and cultural lines. 

The Weiser Tarot (background image via @enginakyurt)

The Candle: A Guiding Light

As we begin, I wanted to offer an important bit of guidance since we're working with the vast tradition of tarot and the deep well of ancestral wisdom:

When creating this spread, remember that we are only working with benevolent ancestors. We already have to deal with enough living people who cause us harm, so let's not invite those sorts of energies into our divination practice. There is a time and place (preferably with the support of mental health practitioners and trusted community) to explore complicated ancestral lines but that's not the focus of this tutorial. 

Inviting in benevolent ancestral energies can be as simply as stating at the start of any reading:

I invite in the energy of my benevolent ancestors to guide and protect me as we connect and converse. Blessed be.

The Roots: The Purpose of Your Reading

The basic format of an ancestral tarot spread is to choose the ancestors you want to connect with and then choose the questions or prompts you'll use to converse with them - but how you make those choices is where much of the work lies. 

You might choose to connect with all three ancestral currents (described below), casting a large spread on an auspicious date (like Samhain). Or you might want to focus on one ancestral current such as the Mighty Dead to deepen your connection with a particular cultural practice or the Beloved Dead to find kinship with a part of your heritage you feel distant from. Maybe you've been exploring experiences from your childhood and want to connect with the ancestral Land of your childhood home or connect with the Land of your ancestors. It's always good before any divinatory practice to understand just what it is you're casting cards for but it's especially important for a spread meant to connect with powerful and personal ancestral currents.

With all that in mind, here are the ancestral currents we will be exploring with our tarot spread: the Mighty Dead, the Beloved Dead, and the Land & Beyond-Human Kin.

🌀 The Mighty Dead are cultural and social ancestors ranging from the very real (such as Marie Laveau or Scott Cunningham) to the mythic (such as Aradia or Morgan le Fay). 

🌀 The Beloved Dead are the ancestors who were close to us before they passed - whether biologically, familially, socially. Our Beloved Dead can be our friends, family members, kind neighbors, your first grade teacher who always made sure you had something to eat at snacktime, and all of the animal companions we've known and loved.

🌀 The Land & Beyond-Human Kin are the places - real and mythic - as well as the beyond-human creatures who have shaped our lives. The creek behind your childhood home, the Maple tree growing outside your apartment window, the lake on your college campus, the mythical island that floats just beyond the furthest wave, that one very strange but delightful tree spirit you encountered when you were seven - all these and more are the energies of the Land as ancestor. 

So why do ancestor work and try to connect with any of these energies? There are a number of ways to understand just what "ancestor work" is and why it's useful. There is the literal - you are connecting with your ancestors through thought, word or deed, whether or not you believe you are actually connecting with the spirit of the deceased in order to understand your roots or reconnect with family and/or cultural traditions. Connecting with ancestors doesn't require belief in spirits or even an afterlife - it can be about connecting with the memory of a person or learning more about their life and the context of the culture and time they lived through to deepen a feeling of kinship. There is also the physical nature of ancestor work - we are made up of the DNA of those gone before and share genetics with all life on our planet so there is something magickal about spending time acknowledging that.

Connecting with the land and beyond-human kin as ancestors adds another layer to strengthening the threads which connect us to the cycles of life, death, and rebirth on our planet. It is an act of peace, of respect, and of deep magick to purposefully and consistently honor the mountain as our ancestor as much as we honor our human ancestors, resisting narratives that would have us cut ourselves off from a relationship with the living earth and our own interwoven origins. We are tangled up in one another, and an ancestral practice that honors land and beyond-human kin is one of the ways we can explore what that means in our lives and communities.

Questions to consider for your ancestral work:

What are you hoping to achieve or feel through ancestral work?

What do you hope will be revealed?

What questions are begging to be asked? 

How do you already practice ancestral connections in your life?

What ancestral wisdom do you want to cultivate more of in your life?

Tarot of the Crone (background image via @joashcastro)

The Bones: Casting the Cards

One of the other basic questions to consider when creating your own tarot spread is how many cards do you want to pull. How many cards feel like too much or too little varies from reader to reader, but sometimes when a spread doesn't feel like it's working (whether it's one you created yourself or one created by another tarot reader), is because the number of cards is tripping up the energy. For determining the amount of cards for your spread, it can be useful to draw upon meaningful practices or beliefs that already exist in your life. Examples include:

✨ Being guided by your elemental tradition such as a card for each of the cardinal elements and another one for spirit. In general, your spreads might incorporate 4 to 5 cards or only 3 if working within a tradition of land, sea, and sky.

✨ Being guided by your favorite numbers. If you love the number 7 and it always makes you feel lucky and in the flow, pull 7 cards for your tarot spreads. Similarly, if you avoid culturally unlucky numbers in your practice, perhaps stay away from them in your tarot spreads.

✨ Being guided by ritual practices. If you belong to a tradition that always does things in threes or important ritual actions happen in pairs, then use that energy to choose the number of cards you cast in your spread.

✨ Being guided by aesthetics. You love how nine cards look arranged on the table? Or the way a circle of 8 cards is deeply pleasing to your eye? Go with it!

What I hope to convey is that the number of cards you choose for your spread should aid your intuitive flow, not disrupt it. For my own tarot spreads, I tend to use multiples of three as three is a sacred number within my cultural practices. While not all of my spreads use multiple of threes, it usually forms the foundation to the structure I end up choosing since it is a type of number where I find my flow most easily.

As for the layout or the way your cards will be placed in a reading, let your preferences guide you. I enjoy creating spreads that reflect the mood and intention of a reading and the questions being asked. A spread that is about accessing the cauldron of memory will take on a cauldron shape, whereas a mirror spread for relationships is going to have a symmetry to it. Some folks like having the same layout, but just apply different questions for each position each time. Again, like with choosing how many cards you're going to pull, it's important to think about how a spread is going to read and whether it's too fussy and complicated or not enough of anything to be useful.

Take a moment to consider what feels like too many cards and what feels just right. As for the shape of your tarot spread, it can be useful to pull out your tarot deck and start laying out cards in a pleasing manner. There is both an art and a practice to tarot, and playing can be a good way of exploring the crossroads of art and practice.

The Rattle & Bell: Creating the Prompts of Your Reading

A good question or prompt can help clarity take root in a reading. I have all sorts of prompts and questions jotted down in notebooks - some will be used in tarot spreads, others inspire blog posts, and some might not get used directly, but point me towards a path I haven't explored yet.

As a reader, I fluctuate between using fixed spreads (such as the Celtic Cross) and coming up with one on the spot. A good reading, in my opinion, relies in no small part on a potent question or prompt being asked. Muddled questions can get muddled answers, so it's worth investing some effort in learning how to listen to what a querent is trying to ask. Pay attention to the types of tarot spreads you really love and the ways that questions are asked - take notes and build upon these types of spreads to create your own.

For our work of creating an ancestral tarot spread, I've listed both questions and prompts for you to draw upon or inspire your own inquiries. Some of the prompts have been written with the rhythm of three in mind, but they can easily be adapted or added on to if other numbers make more sense in your practice. 

Sometimes pulling a single card for a single question may be the best path but other times it can be more useful to pull multiple cards for one question, allowing you to find a story in your answer that might be harder to divine with just one card. In other words, cards interact with each other and shape each other's meaning, creating a greater depth of perspective. Sometimes we find that depth from pulling one card for each question and other times we find that depth with fewer questions and more cards. Try both approaches and see what happens! 

✨

Questions for the Ancestors to Speak On

These are broad questions, but feel free to ask more clarifying tarot questions such as advice for next steps to take as well as peaks into the past and future.

Where is {ancestor's} influence or gifts showing up in my life?

What have I forgotten about {ancestor} that would be useful to remember?

How are you your ancestor's daughter/child/son?

What burden of your ancestors do you carry or has shaped your life?

What do you have access to today because of your ancestors?

What are your ancestors hungry for?

What is it time to let go of?

Where are your ancestors guiding you to?

What are the ways your ancestors are proud of you?

What Ancestor of Land is coming through?

What Beloved Ancestor is connecting with me now?

What Mighty Ancestor am I connecting to now?

✨

Stories for the Ancestors to Tell

I love a series of prompts that let a spread unfold like a story. Prompts are slightly different than questions and if you sometimes struggle to answer a card position's question, you might find it easier to complete a card position's prompt. 

It's time to let go of…
So you can embrace…
And become more… 

Don't you remember… 

We want your heart to hear…
We want your body to feel…
We want your mind to imagine…

These are the gifts we left for you…

Breathe in…
Breathe out…
Hold close…

Look for these signs to know we draw near…

The ancestors of land say…
The ancestors of sea say…
The ancestors of sky say…

In your most hidden of hearts we know of your beautiful desire for…

We see your fear of…
Consider this gift of bravery from us…
Remember that we always…

Many Queens Tarot (background image via @joshua_hoehne)

The Altar: Creating the Space & Inviting Your Ancestors

While completely optional, before you cast your spread, you might create an ancestor altar. Some of you may already have a regular ancestor practice with or without a dedicated altar or ancestral space to visit, but if you don't have one or you're working with ancestral energies you don't typically connect with, an ancestor altar might be something to try.

It can be as simple as a candle, a bowl of water (for "feeding" the ancestral energies that arrive and/or representing the pathway that the ancestors travel), and an image or item that represents the ancestor(s) you're trying to connect with. Additionally, it can be interesting to spend time meditating, making offerings at or generally hanging around an ancestor altar for a few days before you cast a spread, letting your ancestors know that you are wanting to communicate with them and giving them time to arrive. 

Whether or not you create an ancestor altar, it can be a lovely practice to invite your ancestors in before you cast your cards with something as simple as naming them or a more elaborate invocation. When you don't know the name of an ancestor, but are seeking them, you can use honorifics or terms of endearment to call them to the table. Here's an example of an simple blessing and invocation: 

Blessed and benevolent ancestors, 
draw you near - 
speak to me through the cards, 
bright and clear.

If you have a couple of ancestral energies you work with on a regular basis you can even assign them (or have them choose) a tarot card to represent them - one of the court cards might be the traditional option, but any card will do. If each of the court cards in your deck, for example, is associated with an ancestral energy you can shuffle and draw a card just from the court to get a sense of who is showing up to connect with you during your reading. You can even place an ancestor's court card on your altar a few hours or days before doing your reading, letting them know that you want to connect.

The Casting: Putting it All Together

Once you've determined your intention, chosen the number of cards you are going to pull and how you'll lay them out, chosen your prompts and questions, and created a space for your reading, it's time to cast your cards!

You might find after your first reading that there needs to be tweaks and modifications to your spread - sometimes questions aren't as clear as you thought they would be or too many cards were drawn (draining your intuitive reserves). Other times a spread just flows and feels like a clear channel of energy. What I hope you'll feel is a sense of accomplishment and curiosity of what you might create next with your spread crafting skills. 

After a reading is done, what are the ways that you have made space for the messages you want to carry with you from the reading to settle around you for a bit? Sometimes I'll keep a card or two from the reading that I want to reflect on further on my altar or in a card holder on my desk. Occasionally I'll journal about the reading. Most often, though, I'll practice a bit of breathwork after a reading, letting the images and ideas from the spread settle into the airways, roots, and branches of my body for me to carry forward in the days and weeks ahead. It's not about remembering exactly what a message is or what cards I've pulled, but to know that I've made space for those messages to settle somewhere in a body-felt way for me to draw on unconsciously again when I need them.

However you end your reading, I encourage you to take a moment to honor the presence of your ancestral guests. Say thanks, offer sacred herbs as incense, offer the water from your altar to a local tree or plant, and just generally wrap up your reading in a state of gratitude. Before you came to be in your body, your ancestors were dreaming of you - what a gift!

🕯️

If you’re looking for more resources to support your ancestral healing practice you might like Plant Allies for Ancestral Healing. I also have a whole archive of tarot spreads, but you might be particularly interested in the following:

• Hallowing: A Samhain Spread

• Three Tarot Spreads for the Season of Samhain

• Using Tarot In Your Healing Practice

And if you’re interested in a deep dive into the intersections of tarot, herbalism, and healing practice, come this way.

Friends, I hope your journeys in the slow magick of settling in and listening deep illuminate the path ahead. May the songs of our ancestors sing so clearly, that the next generation is carried by their noisy wisdom.

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

📚

Tarot decks shown are:

The Weiser Tarot

Tarot of the Crone by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

Many Queens Tarot by Lettie Jane Rennekamp

A Might-Do List for the Moon through the Houses

Through the ages the Moon has been a symbol of change, of transformation, and of the inner tides of feeling that shape our perceptions of ourselves and our world. 

Within the birth chart, the Moon represents not only our feeling selves, emotional wisdom, and intuitive instincts, but the way our consciousness is shaped by our identities, experiences, and ancestral inheritances. Beyond knowing the Moon sign, knowing what it means when the Moon shows up in a particular place our birth chart, such as in one of the twelve Houses, as another layer of useful meaning in understanding our inner landscape.

Recently, with my patrons and the students of The Lunar Apothecary, I spent a year exploring the meaning of the Moon in the Houses. I wanted to create a lunar guide to help us develop our lexicon of healing language to better understand the rhythms of our inner world and show up more grounded and centered for the communities we serve. This post acts as a part two, so be sure to check out the first part of the Moon through the Houses series.

What you'll find below is an excerpt from those explorations, focusing on rituals, activities, and paths of curiosity to take when the Moon arrives in a certain House in your birth chart (and if you need help locating the Moon in your birth chart come this way).

So let's explore these well-worn paths of lunar wisdom…

The Moon in the Houses

In astrology, the Houses represent areas of our life - such as relationships, family, career, health, and community - that shape our sense of self as well as the gifts and limitations of our circumstances. Rather than a tool of predicting unmovable fates, I view astrology as a storytelling tool and a way of engaging with the complexity within, around, and between all of us. Astrology is not a diagnostic tool but rather it's more akin to a meditative practice with a self-reflective divinatory twist. Hopefully, after exploring our birth chart, we emerge with myths and stories that give us hope, meaning, and a way of understanding who we are that empowers us to be more curious about the rest of the world beyond our own.

With all that in mind, let's explore what it might mean when the Moon arrives in a particular House in your birth chart (and for those of you unsure how to figure this out - don't worry, it's easy - come this way). 

The Moon in the First House

Re-examining how we want to be perceived in the world versus our own perceptions of ourselves. Calling home all parts of ourselves back to our bodies. Ritual styles that speak to our unique sense of self, preferences, and sensory desires, needs, and accommodations. Reconnecting with a sense of wonder and possibility for life and living. Gathering up energy to start a new project that is meaningful to who we are and want to be. Releasing outmoded ways of being that no longer align with who we currently are. Sacred body blessings of all kinds. Naming and renaming ceremonies.

The Moon in the Second House

Clearing out old values systems that no longer (or never) fit our current beliefs and (re)aligning ourselves with more empowering value systems. Developing your inner resources from learning how to regulate emotions to trusting in what you know and your intuition. Releasing shame tied to feelings of not having or being enough. Making time for learning about subjects and systems in your life that feel overwhelming but are necessary to grasp such as financial literacy (and asking for help from wisdom-keepers on these things!). Recognizing abundance in your life. Rituals to support your resourcefulness. Making space for long-term planning.

The Moon in the Third House

Discovering and embracing the unique ways you learn and process sensory information. Creating rituals and activities focused on connecting with your nearest and dearest. Exploring the magick in your neighborhood and cultivating it. Exploring with dreams as part of your healing work. Healing rituals for your inner child. Releasing feelings of intellectual inadequacy put upon you by others and letting yourself get curious about your curiosity. Practices to help you speak from a place of authenticity rather than expectation. Reassessing social contracts you have with family and close friends who you struggle to be in a healing relationship with. Consciousness-expanding practices including meditation, breathwork, and flow states. All forms of lunar and divination rituals.

The Moon in the Fourth House

Creating a healing home space that you can return to again and again both in the physical realm and in your inner landscape. Healing ancestral legacies, especially as they connect to physical and epigenetic inheritance, and reassessing what it is we want to carry forward and what it is we want to lay to rest. Ritual and divinatory practices (like tarot) that support therapeutic work focused on reshaping neural pathways after early-life traumatic experiences (such as EMDR). Regular monthly lunar rituals of self-empowerment, calling all parts of yourself home (such as Lunar Return rituals). Learning self-soothing techniques. Practicing empathy with expansive boundaries. Discovering restorative solo practices.

The Moon in the Fifth House

Facing fears of being loved and being worthy of love. Reinterpreting childhood beliefs with the knowledge of adult understanding. Exploring attachment styles in your life, including your own. Reconnecting to the creative current of the world. All forms of rituals involving creativity. Incorporating inspiration-cultivating practices into your daily life. Recognizing endeavors of significance in your life. Rituals and spells that are a bit outrageous. Strengthening community and relationship bonds. Using your wise discernment but still taking risks. Embracing uncertainty.

The Moon in the Sixth House

Creating new healing habits and setting goals tied to lunar rhythms of rest and renewal instead of productivity and hyper-individualism. Incorporating functional systems of change in your healing work (such as incorporating movement, letting people love on you, getting outside with your plant kin, adding nutrient-dense foods to your meals, taking your medication regularly, working with a therapist, etc.). Developing skills of discernment. Creating a temple of healing energetically within yourself and between your community. Creating physical spaces for your temple of healing to be accessed with ease (from as simple as a piece of charmed jewelry to an actual physical healing space). 

The Moon in the Seventh House

Discovering your personal rituals of love and pleasure including but not limited to romantic pursuits, artistic endeavors, and all acts of beauty. Finding and naming how it is you want to be perceived (such as through desire identifiers like aromantic, kinky, demisexual, etc.) and honored in your relationships and the type of qualities you seek in others in your committed relationships. Establishing and strengthening healthy boundaries in your relationships. Healing the energetic injuries of being othered. Recognizing how overculture narratives have shaped your ideas of what is and is not a healing relationship. Learning how to love openly, wisely, and with care for complexity.

The Moon in the Eighth House

Expressing our desire and asking for what we want. Radical generosity. Using harm reduction techniques and seeking moderation. Learning to release resentment. Pursuing regenerative energy. Creating cathartic spaces of healing. Focusing inherent intensity into art, research, and magickal mysteries. Celebrating complexity as a gift not a burden or reason to be distrustful. Releasing jealousy regarding other people's assets, finances, and resources and instead channeling energy into causes which create greater equity. Making space for unexpressed or partially expressed grief, honoring life's impermanence. Exploring fears of death and illness. Making plans for old age and infirmity. Psychic renewal.

The Moon in the Ninth House

Developing discernment and celebrating our hard-won wisdom. Adopting a mindfulness practice to help us develop crucial decision-making skills, support brain health, and assist with thinking before acting. Learning tact, nuance, media literacy, and non-violent communication skills. Re-examining the beliefs we were raised with or adopted later in life, including coming out of high control groups, conspiracy ideology, and religious or institutional indoctrination. Radical acts of transformation inspired by changes in philosophy or belief. Embracing our wildness. Testing the edges of our fear in a supportive environment. Learning how to value the experiences of others, ask questions before assuming, and communicating appreciation.

The Moon in the Tenth House

Exploring stories of self-preservation and self-determination as a way to reconnect with a stronger sense of self and loving community. Bringing your personal desires into more of your public life in ways that feel empowering. Developing practices for composure, temperance, and being able to make choices that feel led by personal desire rather than public expectation. Finding the systems that work for you and your neurotype. The place where we experience our social justice awakenings and begin to seek out communities of change. Learning to find levity. Cultivating a dependable nature, learning how to act from a place of trust and accountability in relationships, and practicing deep compassion.

The Moon in the Eleventh House

Finding and being found. Finding your cause (and, if applicable, healing from time spent as a rebel without one). Becoming part of the communities of change sought out in the Tenth House. Releasing old social contracts and beliefs. Embracing your deeply held beliefs throughout all areas of your life. Learning how to live in the present while agitating for future change. Waking up to the complexity and intersectionality of privileges and oppressions. Learning how to experiment with who you are and what you believe while remaining kind. Practicing reciprocity in relationships. Exploring the boundarylands of your inner landscape. Healing wounds experienced through rejection. Uprooting the lone wolf myth and rejoining the pack. Sitting with the heart of the matter instead of rejecting messy feelings for idealism. Appreciating your good fortune, however it manifests. Embracing hope and honest eccentricity.

The Moon in the Twelfth House

Making space for mystery in your life. Reconnecting with your intuition and psychic gifts. Expanding your ability to sit with aspects of your self that make you uncomfortable. Coming to terms with experiences of critical deprivation in your life (preferably with supportive partner(s), including mental health professionals). Seeking out the stories that lie beneath the myths you were raised with or adopted later in life. Exploring the healthy versus more harmful escapism practices you engage with. Allowing yourself space to recover. Learning about past lives (whether you view them as literal or as a useful allegory) and cultural myths of your ancestors. Rituals of reconciliation with yourself and others.

🌿

If you liked learning about the Moon through the Houses, be sure to check out the other posts in my lunar astrology series:

• The Moon through the Houses: A Study in Lunar Astrology

• The Moon in the First House: A Study in Lunar Astrology

• The Lunar Mansions & The Language of Healing

• Finding Your Moon Sign In Your Birth Chart

You can explore my Moon Studies Archive for rituals, recipes, and more. 

Wherever your studies take you, I hope your lunar explorations are useful and inspiring to your practice, helping you to view your inner world through a kinder, more empowering lens.

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

My Favorite Plant Allies for Students

I began my herbal studies in earnest when I was still a student at college.

I worked with what herbal teas were available at the dining halls and supplemented those with a tight budget and excursions to whatever food co-op or health food store I could find a ride to. I made some truly terrible tasting teas for my friends to help them with everything from headaches to heartbreak and marveled at the way that these little brews seemed to help (while simultaneously apologizing for the bitter infusions I'd concocted). Working with plants in this way not only made me feel like a good friend, but gave me a sense of agency as a student - writing and studying and everything else that happens in college can feel like a whirlwind, but with my plant allies I learned that there were some very practical things I could do that could make things feel that much easier (like a cup of Mentha piperita tea before a study session!).

With students in mind, I've pulled together a short list of some of my favorite plant allies for students (and those of us who do a lot of research and writing for a living). The following suggestions are also great herbs for anyone looking to support their brain health in general, reduce stress, and find a way to make the learning process a little easier. 

So let's meet the plant allies of the student apothecary!

Avena sativa via wikicommons

Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

Every student, in my herbal opinion, should have a few nervous system tonics (aka nervines) as part of their daily rotation of herbs. Many of the plant allies on this list, including Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis), Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), Vervain (Verbena spp.), and Wood Betony (Betonica officinalis), are nervines because they are a very useful type of plant for everyone to work with. 

Milky Oat is one of my absolute favorite nervines - it nourishes the nervous system, helps our body recover from stress, and gently builds up our endurance (making it great for student-athletes!). Milky Oat is also great for helping us deal with information overload (consider pairing with Scutellaria lateriflora) and supports our ability to return to a state of equilibrium after a spike of stress.

What I also love about Milky Oat is that while it's helping you to find more peace during your waking hours, it supports our ability to get a good night's sleep, too. In addition to helping to alleviate anxiety, Milky Oat supports our mood which can help balance our response to the highs and lows of student life. Read the full Milky Oat plant profile.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

I like to think of Lemon Balm as an herb for overextension, protecting us from burnout, and helping us to feel calm without being too relaxing. Lemon Balm helps alleviate inertia while not becoming overstimulating. If sluggishness and low moods are the way your stress most often manifests, Lemon Balm might be the plant ally to consider working with.¹

Lemon Balm has the added benefit of being protective against colds and the flu, aiding with digestion, and recharging our social battery by taking good care of our nervous system. It also tastes delicious as a tea, so if you're wanting a very beginner-friendly plant ally to work with as someone who is new to herbalism, Lemon Balm might be a good herb to consider. Read the full Lemon Balm plant profile.

Gotthilf Heinrich von SchubertFile:Naturgeschichte des Pflanzenreichs Tafel XVI.jpg: Аимаина хикари, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Elder Berry (Sambucus nigra)

It's always good to have an herb that supports immunity on hand and Elder Berry is one of my favorites. It's immunomodulating which means that it can be taken for longer periods of time as opposed to an immunostimulating herb like Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) which is beneficial for short periods of use. Whether at the start of the school year when you're returning to the classroom, when you're starting to or are already sick or any time of the year that finds you spending more time indoors around other folks (like a busy library), an herb like Elder Berry helps to strengthen our immune system without overworking it. 

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

Sage is one of those lovely herbs that makes a great addition to most brain and cognition blends. As a neuroprotective brain tonic, Sage assists with the processing of information and memory, by protecting and improving cognitive function. In other words, Sage helps us to process what we've learned and keep hold of it. In addition to alleviating tension, Sage also helps to protect against infections like the common cold, which makes life just a little bit easier as a student. Read the full Sage plant profile.

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

Rosemary is a warming and drying herb that helps us to focus. It has a long recorded use as an herb for memory, mental alertness, and “drying” an overly moist and cold brain (which is one of the ways herbalists of centuries past described depression). It can be used by students during study to improve brain function. Returning to the drying metaphor of our herbal predecessors, I liken Rosemary’s skills as a brain tonic to the Sun’s ability to dissipate a thick fog. Rosemary is useful for headaches and can be used to improve circulation and the movement of energy throughout the body (consider combining with Salvia officinalis).

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

Long-lived Ginkgo trees are not only symbols of longevity and wisdom, but an actual aid of aging well and supporting cognitive health. Ginkgo helps improve memory and cognitive function while protecting against cognitive impairment. It combines well with Sage (Salvia officinalis) and a nervine of your choice to create a well-rounded cognitive support blend. Indications that Ginkgo may be a good plant ally to work with include poor memory and fatigue.

Millspaugh, Charles Frederick, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

Here is a plant ally for folks with busy brains and a lot of inner chatter. English Herbalist Thomas Bartram notes that Skullcap is a wonderful nervine "for workaholics compelled to work long hours with resulting mental exhaustion" - an apt ally for many students!² For nervousness, fear, and a sense of being overwhelmed, Skullcap stimulates the brain to produce more endorphins in the system and the herb is one of my favorite brain tonics as it not only helps us to develop our pathways of mental clarity, but acts deeply on the nervous system to bring about a sense of wellness and peace.

Skullcap is also an excellent ally for those who have difficulty falling asleep at night especially when it feels hard to turn off the busy chatter of a restless mind. The herb helps promote healthy sleep patterns and guides us back to our peace. Read the full Skullcap plant profile.

Vervain (Verbena spp.)

One of the key indications that Vervain may be appropriate is when someone is struggling to remain focused while not becoming overly tense or rigid in their body or thinking. Tension headaches are another key indication for Vervain, along with struggling to keep the importance of studying and student life in perspective.

Vervain is a powerful nervine that pairs well with a number of other herbs - I don’t tend to use it solely on its own because I think that one of the lessons of Vervain is learning how to work with others and ask for help (an important skill for students of all ages). With tension headaches with a lot of mental chatter, I like to combine Vervain with Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). For recovery after a period of prolonged tension and/or illness, I like to use Vervain with Milky Oat (Avena sativa). Where there is lack of pleasure because tension gets in the way, I like to use Vervain with Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) and Rose (Rosa spp.). So, if tension is a primary way that your stress manifests, Vervain may be the plant ally to consider working with. Read the full Vervain plant profile.

Wood Betony (Betonica officinalis)

Wood Betony helps students and other folks who've been engaged in long hours of study or complex mental tasks to slow down, take a break, quiet their thoughts, and rest. Culpeper recommends the herb specifically for those "wearied by traveling" and I find that it's an herb that is good for folks wearied by life in general.³

For my highly sensitive people and neurodiverse folks who struggle to feel settled after returning home from being out for any period of time (whether at social gatherings, school, work, running errands, etc.), a few drops of Wood Betony as a tincture or flower essence, can help the nervous system settle. I also really like combining Wood Betony with Milky Oat (Avena sativa) and Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) to help folks who have been stressed and fatigued for an extended period find a way back to feeling connected to and hopeful in their life.

The herb is also a great option for headaches or brain fog that arises from nervous tension - a not uncommon experience for students. A great ally for those who run more anxious and need help modulating energy and relaxing after spikes of adrenaline due to anxiety, nervousness or feeling like you have a lot to manage in a little amount of time. Read the full Wood Betony plant profile.

image source

Suggested Use

Before incorporating any new herb or supplement into your routine, make sure to check out its contraindications to confirm it is safe for you to use. Once you've checked that an herb is appropriate for you to use, I've found that the easiest ways for most students to incorporate helpful herbs into their routine is through tea, extracts, capsules, and/or herbal baths or shower rinses. 

🌿 Tea: A simple infusion of hot water and plant material. Standard dosage suggests a generous teaspoon (25 g) of dried herb per 8 oz of water for infusions up to 3 times daily. 

🌿 Herbal Bath or Shower Rinse: An herbal bath or shower rinse is basically a very strong tea but for the body. Find instructions for making your own herbal bath or shower rinse here.

🌿 Extracts: Also known as tinctures, extracts are often made with alcohol, but there are alcohol-free versions available, too (such as glycerites made with vegetable glycerin or vinegar-based extractions). If you want to make your own tinctures, you can either make them folk style or weight-to-volume, but tinctures are also widely available for purchase. You can find a thorough tutorial for making alcohol-based tinctures here. Standard dosage suggests for adults 20 - 60 drops (about 1 to 2 dropperfuls) up to 3 times daily. For managing stress, I have found equally good success with many folks at much lower dosages at 5 - 10 drops up to three times daily.

🌿 Capsules: Herbal capsules can be an effective alcohol-free way of taking your herbs, but it's important to note that the herbal powder within capsules degrade in quality faster than any other suggested form of remedy on this list. Make sure to purchase your capsules from reputable companies, keep them stored in a cool, dark place, and follow dosage guidelines on the bottle for use.

In general, the plant allies I've suggested work best over an extended period of time, so they are less useful, for example, when taken for the first time a night before the exam and more effective when taken regularly in the weeks leading up to a test. Though, a cup of tea full of herbs that support cognition and focus may also be helpful if you're drinking it for the first time the night before a paper is due - if anything it'll be helpful just for the sensory comfort of a hot cup of tea at a stressful time.

While herbs are incredible allies, none of them are a replacement for the essentials: good rest, fresh food, and regular movement. But we are not trying to be puritanical about any of these three essentials (especially when not everyone has equal access to them), only trying to increase them in our day-to-day life where we can and in ways that feel good enough. 

Find out what works for you, work with an herbalist or herbally-enthusiastic friend with a bookshelf full of well-written herb books (that's how I got my start!), and enjoy this gentle way of making your student life just a little bit easier.

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If you're looking for a few recipes, you might like one of my favorite tea recipes featuring brain tonics and nervines or this collection of recipes for finding inspiration, restoring sleep cycles, and helping the nervous system recoup after a period of burnout. If you'd like to view my full collection of plant profiles, come this way.

For those of you wanting to become herbal students yourselves, here is a great place to start.

Wishing you lots of support and clarity and plenty of goofy late night inside jokes that'll fuel your friend group for years as you study for whatever comes next!

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

📚

Footnotes

1. "Low moods" is used to describe feelings of lethargy, overwhelm, and/or inertia within the realm of normal (these moods, for example, are often lifted by a change in scenery, doing something pleasurable, moving your body, etc) and not depression that feels difficult to get out from under. While herbs can certainly be used as an effective complementary therapy alongside mental health services and additional medication, they are not a replacement. You deserve support and places like the Crisis Text Line (Simply text HOME or HOLA to 741741) can be a good place to start.

2. Thomas Bartram, Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine (London: Constable & Robinson Ltd, 1998), 394.

3. Nicholas Culpeper, and J. J. Pursell, Culpeper's Complete Herbal: A Compendium of Herbs and Their Uses, Annotated for Modern Herbalists, Healers, and Witches (Portland, OR: Microcosm Publishing, 2022), 42.

Creating a Personal Curriculum: Magickal Studies Edition

Last year I learned about personal curriculums which then led to dreaming up an imaginary university for my patrons (called Mugwort Commons) full of interesting departments and courses to inspire their own curriculums.¹

This summer I decided to share the first personal curriculum for your herbal studies with all of you and now I'm back with suggestions for a personal curriculum with a magickal focus.  Mugworts Commons is a (imaginary) liberal arts, multi-disciplinary, progressive and cooperative sort of university, so of course we need a department of magickal studies!

The current departments in our imaginary university are:

• Herbology (HERB)

• Magickal Studies (MAGK)

• Ancestral Studies (ANC)

• Art Studies (ART)

• Apothecary Arts (APOTH)

• Literature & Media Studies (LMS)

• Critical Social Thought (CST)

• Herstory, History, & Theystory (HER)

• Community Practice (COM)

• Department of Rest (REST)

With an introduction to our imaginary university complete, let’s review the course offerings!

image via @mrrrk_smith

Mugwort Commons: Equinox Term Courses

✨ The Elements of Practice: An Introduction to Witchcraft and/or Paganism (MAGK101)

Choose one to three introduction to Witchcraft and/or Paganism books to learn about the foundations of either or both paths. For long-time practitioners taking this course, you might choose this path of study to reconnect with the basics or explore how the foundations of each path is being taught now as compared to when you began your studies. 

✨ The Sacred Branch: Creating Magickal Spaces with Herbs (MAGK301)

An exploration of creating magick circles and/or establishing a space for magickal and/or healing work using plant allies as guides. From burning sacred herbs to clear a space, asperging with herb bundles, making and using wands, and the placement of herbs in sacred arrangements to affect energy, students will explore the ways that they can work with their plant allies to create a temple of magick and/or healing to assist them in their work. 

✨ The Witch's Life: Magickal Auto/Biography Intensive (ANC102)

Dive deep into the life of one witch, reading their auto/biography, and studying the cultural context and communities that they existed in. Reading about Doreen Valiente, for example, might include studying the origins of Wicca in England to broader cultural studies of England during Valiente's lifetime, and more specialized topics such as the efforts of magickal practitioners during World War II to protect the United Kingdom from land invasion (look up the Magical Battle of Britain if you’re interested). 

✨ At the Ancient Campfire: The Legacy of Ancestral Traditions (ANC301)

In this course students will explore one part of their ancestral legacy (including biological, cultural, and/or spiritual ancestors), learning about the practical skills, the cultural framework, and ways that ancestral magickal practices have survived and been transformed. Language studies are encouraged if the ancestral practices were originally practiced with a specific language. 

✨ Heretics, Activists, & Healers: A Study of Organizing and Resistance by Witchfolk (CST201)

Explore the world of activism within the magickal community to create change. In the United States, traditions like Reclaiming have been vocal organizers and activists for a cross section of issues from nuclear disarmament, feminist and LGBT+ causes, climate crisis, and anti-facism. Starhawk's book Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics is a great text to start with for historical context of magickal organizing, but there are plenty of modern books exploring the intersections of activism and magick. Highly recommended texts to explore include Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maria brown.

✨ The Art of Magick: An Artistic Practicum (ART101)

Students are encouraged to choose one art medium to explore from the perspective of magickal practice including watercolor and manifestation, fiber arts and the witch's ladder, ceramics and witch’s bottles, etc.

✨ The Art of Magick: Sigil Studies (ART201)

In this course, students will focus specifically focus on sigil magick, studying the history of sigils, their modern application, and different ways of creating sigils from the elimination method, the witch's wheel, and freehand as well as adjunct practices such as magickal squares and incorporating astrological glyphs. Practicum in the form of using sigils on physical objects associated with your practice (such as traced over teas, drawn on jars, etc) is encouraged.

✨ Apothecary Arts: Studies in Magickal Herbalism (APOTH204)

Combining herbalism with magickal arts, this course explores the magick, myth, and folklore of working with plants. Students are encouraged to choose one book on magickal herbalism to read and one plant ally to work with from a magickal perspective. Practical hands-on work is encouraged from spells to making magickal teas or charms.

✨ Apothecary Arts: Create a Magickal Plant Ally List (APOTH203)

Create your own list of magickal plant allies through studying the herbs you choose and creating your own plant profiles to reference. Additional credits can be earned by creating and/or writing down recipes for each of your indispensable herbs. Practical measures are encouraged such as ritual and spellcraft with your chosen herbs and creating an altar with all of your magickal indispensable herbs present or represented, adjusting throughout the term.

image via @oliandud

✨ The Magickal Reader: Witches in Literature (LMS104)

Choose one to three fiction books to read (preferably with tea) that feature witches or magickal practitioners. What about the world-building or magickal systems in these books appeal to you and your own magickal practice? Additional credit can be earned by students who design their own original character to be featured either in an already existing literary world or one of their own making.

✨ Witches Among Us: A Review of Witches in Media (LMS103)

A review of your favorite and new-to-you magickal media including podcasts, movies, television shows, and video games. Students are encouraged to immerse themselves in the experience with additional credits given to students who achieve ideal levels of coziness and/or inspiration.

✨ Of Witches Past: Era or Event-Specific Magickal Practices & Practitioners (HERS302)

Whether the the events of Salem and surrounding areas in 1692, the legacy of pre-Apollonic Oracle at Delphi, the influence of the Libyan Oracles or any other era or event-specific magickal episode in history, in this course students will explore a particular time and place in our collective magickal heritage to help them understand their current personal practice as well as broader social systems of power. 

✨ Community Studies: In the World Magickal Practice (COM103)

This course focuses on bringing your practice into the world including activities like adding magickal resources to little libraries, visiting places of magickal significance (sacred sites, etc.), attending or hosting community events, creating public altars or leaving magickal sigils in public places.   

✨ Moss Beds & Crescent Lounges: A Seasonal Rest Seminar (REST101)

A course dedicated to finding ways to rest and slow down this season, prioritizing screen-free activities and extra credit if rest occurs outdoors. Students gently observe the seasons as wellsprings of inspiration for their rest practices. Connecting with Sacred Ones of dreams, rest, and healing sleep is encouraged, as well as working with plant allies that help relax the body.

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Be sure to check out the personal curriculum for herbal studies if you haven’t already as well as the following resources for herbal students including:

• Earth-Centered Practices for Aspiring Herbalists

• A Might-Do List for Herbal Students

• Growing Community: How to Start an Herbal Study Group

Of course, there are plenty of Worts & Cunning archives to peruse to support you on your path wherever your studies and interests might carry you (just click on the Blog link for a full array of archives to choose from). May your curiosity be well fed!

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

📚

Footnotes

1. We’re calling it Mugwort Commons and I am, as ever, fully committed to supporting the deep well of nerdy energy in our community.

Finding Ease: Meadowsweet Plant Profile

Writing about a plant like Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) which has long recorded use and even further evidence of use in prehistory, can feel like walking into a very full gathering of herbalists and Druids, midwives and cunningfolk, alchemists and physicians, all noisily sharing their stories at once. You begin to imagine all the places Meadowsweet has been - offered as part of the burial goods of beloved member of a tribal community; showing up in a bridal bouquet or burned in a midsummer bonfire; hastily harvested by the eldest daughter to brew a pain-relieving tea for an injured brother; or gathered by staff of a noble household for strewing about the bedchamber. Meadowsweet demonstrates just how ubiquitous a plant can be in our lives, showing up for both the profoundly mundane and intimately mystical.

It's rather amazing how herbal knowledge has been preserved through the ages - this wasn't a guarantee and while there has been loss, there has been a stronger persistence that working with plants is not only useful but meaningful. While I might not be adding a significant amount of knowledge about Meadowsweet to our collective library of plant stories, I do hope that these plant profiles help you experience a sense of familiarity and kinship with all of these plant allies who have journeyed with us through the generations. I hope you'll share your stories of our green kin freely, too, so that the knowledge of herbalism continues to flow like a river and all can drink deep of its wisdom.

So, let's meet Meadowsweet together and and learn all about their healing gifts…

Marterum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Meadowsweet
(Filipendula ulmaria)

Common + Folk Names : Mead wort, bridewort, dolloff, goat's beard, lady of the meadow, meadsweet, pride of the meadow, queen of the meadow, steeplebush, trumpet weed, gravelwort, little hay, spirea, crios cú chullain

Element : Air, Water

Zodiac Signs : Carries the energy of Sagittarius and Libra. A remedy for Virgo, Scorpio, and Capricorn. 

Planets : Primarily Jupiter and Venus, with Mercury and Saturn to a lesser degree

Moon Phase : Full Moon

Tarot Cards : The Lovers, Temperance (learn more about the connections between the tarot and herbs)

Parts used : Aboveground plant

Habitat : Native to Europe and Asia. 

Growing Conditions : Loamy, moist soil and part shade to full sun. Herbalist Angela Paine suggests that the ideal place to grow Meadowsweet is in "a boggy patch in your garden where water tends not to drain away."¹

Collection : When the flowers are in full bloom, typically from Midsummer to the end of July.

Flavor : Bitter, astringent, slightly sweet

Temperature : Cool

Moisture : Dry

Tissue State : Heat/Excitation, Damp/Relaxation

Constituents : Vitamin C, calcium, iron, silica, sulfur, essential oils, salicylic acid, spireine, gaultherine, spiraeoside, flavonoids, vanillin, coumarin, glycoside, mucilage, magnesium, tannin 

Actions : Analgesic, anodyne, antacid, antilithic, antibacterial, antiemetic, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antirheumatic, antispasmodic, aromatic, astringent, cholagogue, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, sedative, stomachic, urinary antiseptic, immunostimulating, antimicrobial, connective tissue healer

Main Uses : Queen of the grasslands, heathlands, and the edges of riverbanks, lovely Meadowsweet is a member of the Rosaceae family alongside fellow toning and anti-inflammatory herbs like Rose (Rosa spp.), Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus), Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), and Lady's Mantle (Achemilla vulgaris). Meadowsweet has deep roots in the Welsh and broader Celtic healing traditions - including use as a healing herb by the legendary Physicians of Myddfai. In the humoral tradition (which form a significant part of the foundation for the more modern six tissue states), Meadowsweet embodies the energies of the sanguine humor, also known as the humor of air and blood. With its "home" in the liver, the sanguine humor not only helps with digestive warmth, but was a pre-modern way of describing the circulatory system. While there are plenty of practices to be left in the past the qualities of an herb with long recorded use within traditional western herbalism like Meadowsweet is even better understood when we have a basic understanding of the ancient energetic systems that our herbal ancestors drew upon. In addition to developing an appreciation for how certain medical concepts came to be in the western herbal and medical traditions, it's also a way to spot and weed out ideas about bodies that are best composted and returned to earth rather than carried forward any longer.²

As modern herbalists, we continue to use Meadowsweet as a digestive tonic and as a circulatory tonic especially in the case of fever. Signs that Meadowsweet might be particularly useful for a cold or fever is indigestion - which you'll sometimes see referred to as "dyspepsia" in older texts which roughly means "ill-humor" - and an accompanying headache arising from stagnant energy. Consider combining with Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) for extra pain-relieving support. 

In fact, it was the study of Meadowsweet's pain-alleviating salicylic compounds that led to the development of aspirin.³ Yet another plant to thank for the gifts of modern medicine! If you find aspirin to be too upsetting for your stomach or need to avoid blood thinners, Meadowsweet might be a useful alternative as it has the added benefits of phenolic compounds which protect against irritation that can be caused by salicylic acid. In the case of ulcers, herbalist Elisabeth Brooke notes that Meadowsweet "increases the rate at which the lining of the stomach is renewed and so helps any ulcer to heal faster than usual."⁴

William Catto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Meadowsweet is also considered a cleansing herb not in a harsh, purgative manner, but in the way that it helps to thin and flush out build-up throughout the filtration systems of the body. Use for urinary tract inflammation and infections. The herb is also helpful in cases of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout, alleviating pain and helping to resolve the build-up of uric acid and oxalic acid - use both internally and topically for relief. In addition to breaking down uric and oxalic acid, Meadowsweet can help to break down deposits that can lead to kidney stones and gallstones. Returning again for a moment to the humoral tradition, humoral herbalist Stephen Taylor's description of the Meadowsweet for rheumatism illustrates some of the ways our ancient herbal ancestors conceived of the four elements as diagnostic tools: 

"Rheum in Greek means flow, so the joints or rheumatics are strongly associated with the water element. When they are hot and inflamed, a cooling, eliminating herb associated with water, such as meadowsweet, is very helpful…"⁵

These days elemental language is both somatically useful as well as being a way of making medical concepts more accessible. For some clients they'll resonate with a description of "applying anti-inflammatory herbs to help lubricate joints to improve mobility" while others might be able to comprehend and feel what is being said clearer with a statement like "we want to bring cooling herbs to this hot and stiff knee so that you can move more freely and feel like you're getting back into your flow." Both are useful approaches and usually a combination of medical and somatic or elemental language will allow for the greatest understanding between practitioner and client. 

Meadowsweet is a general digestive tonic, helpful for many cases of indigestion, but it can be particularly helpful in cases when indigestion and accompanying symptoms of nausea are worse in the morning. The digestive fires need help "waking up" in the morning and Meadowsweet can help to stoke the flames (consider combining with Zingiber officinale). Sea captain turned herbalist and naturopathic doctor specializing in digestive disorders, Captain Frank Roberts wrote highly of Meadowsweet, naming it as "a true normalizer of a badly functioning stomach."⁶ Herbalist Maude Grieve further affirms the herb as a "corrector of the stomach."⁷ Meadowsweet is also an excellent remedy for indigestion caused by an overly acidic stomach (look for signs of acid reflux, nausea, and heartburn) and useful in the case of peptic and gastric ulcers (consider combining with Althea officinalis, Hydrastis canadensis, and/or Curcuma longa). Additionally, the herb is a diarrhea remedy that is considered safe for all ages and helps in general with inflammatory bowel disease, enteritis, gas, and general digestive discomfort. For children (and, let's be honest, adults) with diarrhea and feeling too cranky to relax and recover from a cold, consider combining with Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla).

W.carter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Meadowsweet was also considered a "spring fever" herb by our western herbal ancestors, which referred to both the illnesses that could occur with the change of seasons, but also to the increase of allergens in the air, leading to conditions like hay fever.⁸ Again, we visit with the words of Taylor who summarizes Meadowsweet's gifts well when it comes to moving energy:

"It is a relaxing, anti-inflammatory, and astringent herb, reducing excess phlegm and swelling of mucous membranes. All the passages of the body - urinary, digestive, and respiratory - are helped by meadowsweet, which through expelling heat, cools, calms, and reduces hot wet swellings and excess phlegm."⁹

Traditionally, Meadowsweet has been used for "all the diseases of the lungs" aiding with alleviating congestion and breathing issues (though caution with asthma - see contraindications below).¹⁰ Again, this speaks to Meadowsweet's ability to clear out stagnant conditions like excess phlegm and bring warmth and energy to tired out body systems. 

There have been some limited but interesting studies regarding Meadowsweet's anti-tumor and anti-cancer qualities. Antioxidant-rich Meadowsweet has shown to prevent cells from damage as well as prevent tumorous and cancerous cells from reproducing in vitro.¹¹ Though, to be perfectly clear, we have incredible modern approaches to treating cancer that continue to get better and better, and while herbs should definitely be considered an preventative and adjunct therapy they are not a replacement for cancer care. If you have a family history of tumors - cancer or otherwise - consider adding herbs like Meadowsweet and Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) into your regular herbal rotation as part of a broader anti-tumor preventative practice.

Use for headaches either alone or combining with your favorite nervines to create a calming remedy such as with Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) to quell anxiety and a noisy mind or with Milky Oat (Avena sativa) to bring a sense of ease and gentleness. Taylor recommends combining with St. Joan's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) "when difficult emotions, such as grief and anger, have exhausted the vital spirit and saddened the heart."¹² Brooke points out that Meadowsweet can be a helpful plant ally for highly sensitive people, helping them to "feel they can cope better with their lives; it strengthens and soothes."¹³ Working with Meadowsweet as a flower essence and through meditation can help us remove hurdles around communication that lead to irritation and frustration. In the case of herbalists and healing practitioners, Meadowsweet is a plant ally that can help us learn how to meet our clients where they are at - not where we expect them to be - and point us in the direction of expanding our vocabulary of connection.

Meadowsweet is a wonderful compress for bumps, bruises, bites and stings, eczema, inflamed and irritated skin (including heat rash), and arthritic pain as well as for inflamed eyes and conjunctivitis. Use as a gargle or mouthwash for bleeding gums (either as a tea or a dropperful of tincture mixed with water), mouth ulcers, and sore gums. The herb is also a traditional topical treatment as a vaginal douche for low-grade (CIN 1) cervical dysplasia - this is only suggested while continuing to work with both your herbalist and your healthcare provider for ongoing monitoring. Meadowsweet is also useful for vaginal inflammation and infection. Brooke mentions the use of the flowers by Romany folk around Somerset, England as a beauty tonic for clearing the complexion by steeping the flower heads in water "mixed with a little dew from the teasel plant."¹⁴

Traditionally, Meadowsweet was used as a strewing herb for homes, which not only added a pleasant aroma, but could help deter unwanted pests and act as a mild disinfectant. It's also a traditional ingredient in mead-making (the "Meadow" in Meadowsweet is likely a reference to mead-making rather than the meadows it commonly grows in). Meadowsweet has been found in the pre- and proto-Druidic Bronze Age burial mounds in Wales, Scotland, and beyond speaking to its sacred status to ancient peoples and the many generations of herbalists who have turned to the plant as ally.

image source

Magickal Uses : A traditional ingredient in love spells. The herb also has a Midsummer divination tradition:

"If gathered at Midsummer, Meadowsweet will give you information regarding thieves; if you have been robbed, place meadowsweet on water. If it sinks, the thief is a man. If it floats, a woman."¹⁵

Meadowsweet, alongside Water Mint (Mentha aquatica) and Vervain (Verbena spp.), is said to be one of the three most sacred herbs to the Druids. I'm not sure the origin of the "three sacred herbs of the druids" and whether it is based on historical or modern myth, but it is certainly widespread and meaningful in our present age, which is a beautiful thing. As far as I can tell, many herbals mentioning these three herbs as "the most sacred to the Druids" are referencing Maude Grieve's description of Meadowsweet in her widely read and influential book, A Modern Herbal, first published in 1931.¹⁶ 

The herb was so calming it was said to calm the legendary Celtic hero Cú Chullain's terrifying fits of rage, even given the name "the belt of Cú Chullain".¹⁷ Meadowsweet is also associated with Blodduewedd who was made of the herb alongside Broom (Cytisus scoparius) and Oak (Quercus spp.).¹⁸ The herb was said to be the favorite strewing plant of Queen Elizabeth I and given her connections with the shenanigans of John Dee and Edward Kelley, perhaps add a bit to the altar at your next royal seance, angelic rave or announcement of your newly adopted neopronouns.¹⁹ 

The herb was included in graves within Wales, Scotland, and beyond, and may serve as an herb of burial rites and connections with the ancestors. The herb is an excellent choice for connecting with the Welsh healing tradition of the Physicians of Myddfai as the Welsh burial mound where Meadowsweet was found lies above Llyn y Fan Fach, the lake associated with the famed healers.²⁰ Druids Phillip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm recommend Meadowsweet not only as a funerary herb for assisting with safe passage between the worlds, but as an herb for coming-of-age ceremonies and initiations.²¹

Brooke associates Meadowsweet with the festival of Lammas / Lughnasadh, suggesting that the sabbat altar be decorated with the flowers and garland crowns be worn. She mentions that "Meadowsweet has a heady, narcotic perfume which helps the participants to leave their physical forms behind and contact the essence of the Great Mother and feel at one with her. Meadowsweet tea can be drunk to heighten the effect of the celebration and to provide an atmosphere of merriment."²²

Gerda Arendt, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Meadowsweet Personality : There are a lot of folks well-served by Meadowsweet, including highly sensitive people whose sensitivity and sensory overwhelm leads to digestive upset. Or the person who is learning to step into their power as a young adult, navigating the desires of their heart, mind, and body with greater ease and discernment. 

But I want to focus on the Meadowsweet person could be described as disgruntled, even ill-humored. Their energy can be hard and closed off, which can be challenging to navigate for others in their life, but is often there as a protective measure because of the disappointments, even cruelty they have experienced from others. Having been bullied is a common Meadowsweet person experience and they protect themselves by keeping others out of their orbit as much as they can manage. Like many hard-edged folks, there is a soft, hidden core to many Meadowsweet folk that can be difficult to spot from afar, especially for the hard-edge person themselves who've tried to put as much distance between their sensitivity and how they prefer to be perceived. Their hardness can create symptoms of self-centeredness where they center their suffering before all else - there can be a need to learn to look beyond their own nose and develop the empathy they may have been denied when growing up. For some Meadowsweet folk, they develop an anger that leaves them exhausted and drained, making it difficult for them to imagine developing any other sort of emotional response to their circumstances. Often under this anger is a whole lot of anxiety laced with even more uncertainty about if they are wanted.

Working with Meadowsweet helps folk soften, open up, and learn how to respond to the world through emotions beyond anger, suspicion or dissatisfaction. Even better, Meadowsweet helps folks to greet the world with a glad heart. The herb helps us to acknowledge our own suffering and the suffering of others, without becoming afraid or dismissive of the beauty of the world that exists, too. It is a humoral-balancing herb, turning ill-humored dispositions into balanced ones, where sadness, happiness, grief, and hope weave and mingle without fear or distress. It is the plant ally that reminds us we can do hard things, helping us seek clarity over certainty, so that we can dream beyond what seems inevitable about ourselves and grow beyond the fear of change that a breakthrough brings. Meadowsweet folks, full of the sort of persistent bravery that emerges from working through anger and fear, bring the gift of creating atmospheres of sweetness and care where before all seemed gloomy and dull, ultimately helping folks to find their own bravery.

Contraindications : Avoid is sensitive to salicylates such as aspirin and with bleeding disorders. Caution in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Low doses or avoid altogether with asthma as the herb can cause broncospasms.

Drug interactions : Caution with anticoagulants.

Dosage : Standard dosage.

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Looking for more plant profiles? Check out my plant ally archive which features plant profiles and guides for incorporating herbalism into your daily life.

You can also find all of my plant profiles - including printable versions - and more in The Plant Ally Library.

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Footnotes

1. Angela Paine, Healing Plants of the Celtic Druids: Ancient Celts in Britain and their Druid headliners used plant medicine to treat mind, body and soul (Winchester, UK: Moon Books, 2018), 59.

2. The "wandering womb" and its reinforcement of the misogynistic ideas around women and hysteria that continue to shape modern health care is a good place to start.3. Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal, Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies (New York: Castle Books, 2012), 97.

4. Elisabeth Brooke, An Astrological Herbalism for Women (The Crossing Press, 1992), 115.

5. Stephen Taylor, The Humoral Herbal: A practical guide to the Western Energetic system of health, lifestyle and herbs (London: Aeon Books, 2021), 327.

6. Captain Frank Roberts via Matthew Wood, The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2008), 255.

7. Maude Grieve, A Modern Herbal: Volume II (New York: Dover Publications, 1971), 524. A free, online version of A Modern Herbal can be found here.

8. Taylor, 326.

9. Taylor, 326.

10. Nicholas Culpeper, and J. J. Pursell, Culpeper's Complete Herbal: A Compendium of Herbs and Their Uses, Annotated for Modern Herbalists, Healers, and Witches (Portland, OR: Microcosm Publishing, 2022), 181.

11. Paine, 60.

12. Taylor, 327.

13. Brooke, 117.

14. Brooke, 115.

15. Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2001), 172. Traditionally, gender non-conforming folk are exempt from suspicions of thievery. 

16.  Grieve, 524. It's also worth mentioning that lesser known English herbalist Hilda Leyel (aka Mrs. C. F. Leyel), was not only an editor to A Modern Herbal (which would've been a huge undertaking), but contributed to the book as well. She founded The Herb Society in the UK, was an incredible fundraiser and organizer, and also wrote many herbal books herself as well as operating an apothecary called Culpeper House (and that's only a small portion of her biography). Leyel also seemed to be quite the character and I just love that she and Grieve worked together to leave behind such a profoundly useful legacy of herbal knowledge. 

17. Taylor, 326. Alternatively, the "belt" might refer to Cú Chullain using the plant to alleviate the sores around his waist that he suffered because of shingles.

18.  Paul Beyerl, A Compendium of Herbal Magick (Custer, WA: Phoenix Publishing, 1998), 246.

19. Bruton-Seal and Seal, 97. The angels were all about expansive pronouns which makes neopronouns feel less neo, more immemorial, dare I say, heavenly.

20. Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, The Druid Plant Oracle (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007), 74. 

21. Druid, 74. 

22. Brooke, 117.