Whole + Healing Sensuality : Full Moon in Taurus

The following is the most recent excerpt from my bi-monthly astroherbology newsletter to Lunar Apothecary members. Want to learn more about medicinal and magickal herbology? Join our year-long herbal adventure!

Congrats! You made it through the wild star weather we've been having lately! Your prize is a big and sturdy, gorgeous and bold, Taurus Full Moon! You know what Taurus teaches us, divine friends? Taurus teaches us a whole heck of a lot just like all of the signs, but with a big Taurus Full Moon hanging like a ripe promise on the horizon, she is especially teaching us about sensuality. Our earthy Taurus calls us back to the sacred temple of our bodies because our physical natures are special. Taurus calls us to sensuality on a rooted, grounded, physical level.

As plantfolks and herbologists, we facilitate relationships between plant, humyn, and creature. Ask yourself, where does the sensuality lie in your process of remedy-making, herb-recommending, and tea-drinking? It is easy to fall into the trap of mechanical thinking: our body is a machine that often gets broken and we need to take this pill (whether herbal or pharmaceutical) to make it better. To get in touch with the grounded nature of Taurean sensuality, I would encourage a practice of magickal thinking. Of your cup of tea not just being "what I should take when I'm sick" but a curved horn boat that allows you to ride through the watery currents of your body. Taurus encourages us to get tucked into ourselves. Get cozy in our bodies. Snuggle our bones.

I see a lot of folks running from body sensuality - I've done it, too. It is hard to reside in a physical form that we don't always feel at home in whether or not because we judge it to not be good enough or it doesn't match up with who we know ourselves to be. Taurus, being of earth and sturdiness, asks us to put aside what we think about our body and to feel our body instead. Do the things that feel good and pleasurable. Hot baths or long stretching. Gentle strokes and firm massage. A home-cooked meal and warm blankets. Bare earth beneath your feet and spices crushed between fingers.
 

How do you practice sensuality, sweet friend?

Rooty tonics are great Taurus remedies. Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinalis), Burdock (Arctium lappa), Angelica (Angelica archangelica), Ginger (Zingiber officinalis) as well as herbs like Rose (Rosa spp.), Sage (Salvia officinalis), and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris). Think about nutrient rich herbs in blends meant to tonify and strengthen the whole body. Taurus Moons can bring up a lot work around our ancestral heritage that we experience in our bodies, so think about working with flower essences like Rose, Lotus, and Black Cohosh that can help us navigate some of the emotional baggage we carry as well as embrace the strength we've inherited. Sit in the Fourth Moon Mansion (we cover all of the Mansions in new ways in the Lunar Apothecary!) and learn - it is an exceptional place to unpack and settle into our truth.

Looking for a nourishing Taurus inspired recipe? Check out our Beautiful Sustenance Chaga Chai!

Herbs for Times of Tragedy

6/16/12 Addendum

Damn.

Since originally posting this blog it seems like America has become only more violent. But that would be disingenuous because, especially for communities like Black folk, Indigenous folk, Queer + Trans folk, Womyn folk, and the multitude of intersections of these identities, America has long been a relentlessly violent place. We're only just starting as a larger culture to acknowledge that it may be so.

But we haven't decided to reject and uproot the violence within our systems of power that allow for the incredible acts of everyday violence that goes unchecked and unchallenged. We haven't rejected but instead have continued to breed a culture of mass shootings to the point that we have grown numb as a people.

It makes sense to be angry and exhausted and worn-down and afraid and confused and grieving. It makes sense to be anxious and depressed and heart-broken. There is no magic pill to relieve us of the pain. As a community herbalist invested in the welfare of the web of folks I care for, I can offer to share with you what has been shared with me by our plant kindred who have an ability to remain kind to our confused species even when we don't seem to make any damn sense at all. These are not herbs that are meant to make you "tougher" or more "resilient" to the violence - they are meant to help us let the trauma pass through us so that we may know it but not let it rot our bones and spirits. These herbs offer to hold space, hold hearts, and give us the gentleness we all deserve. 

While the following is only a short list of suggestions, see my ongoing list of grief-related resources and writings.

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Hiya, everyone,

Given the recent events in Boston, I was reminded that I have wanted to start a community conversation about herbs in times of tragedy. In my own practice I work with lots of folks who are recovering from various levels of violence and trauma in their background, so I have certain herbs (including flower and gem essences) that I find myself reaching for often. In general, I reach for adaptogens (such as Tulsi Ocimum sanctum) and nervines (like Oats Avena sativa) for dealing with the impact of trauma. I think Bach's Rescue Remedy is an excellent in-the-moment aid and I usually keep a small bottle on me. The remedies I use range depending on the circumstances as well as when I use them, but Rose (Rosa spp.), Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), Elder Berry and Flower (Sambucus nigra), Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) have all been useful. For those who hearts are hurting right now, consider inviting in Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) in as a tea, tincture, glycerite or powder.

For herbalists, street medics, birthworkers, social workers, and others who find themselves working on the edges, I always recommend knowing what plants are your allies - the ones who have your heart when things get really tough - and to develop a sacred relationship with them before the hard times come.

What other herbs have folks used? I look forward to learning about other folk's herb allies and the way we support our communities when they are in pain. 

Be well, be tender, and reach out to those around you.

Flower + Gem Essences for the Journey: Labor

Flower + Gem Essences that are particularly useful during pregnancy, labor and postpartum (to learn more about what Flower + Gem Essences are visit our previous blog post).  The great thing about Flower + Gem Essences is that they are good remedies that, by their very nature, can do no harm which makes them wonderfully safe to take during pregnancy.  Continuing our journey through pregnancy and postpartum, we've now arrived at labor!

Here we go (!) (?) (.) (!?)

CHERRY PLUM "I trust the journey"

Ah, sweet Cherry Plum!  Here is an ally for laborer and baby - it guides us to trust the experiences of our journey and to find balance during times of stress and uncertainty.  Sounds like it was made for labor, right?  Such clever flowers!  I find that Cherry Plum is especially good for those who seek to have lots of control in their life.  Cherry Plum is a kind massage of a Flower Essence, helping us to gently loosen our grip on our (generally futile) attempts to control all possible variables of labor (and life).  Trusting in the greater cycle of life, the lineage of births before us, and the knowledge that we don't know everything is another gift of Cherry Plum.

BORAGE "I am courageous"

For some folks it is really scary to contemplate labor.  For first-time laborers it may be the uncertainty of the unknown or their mental / physical / emotional capacity to go through labor.  Other fears arise from previous birth traumas or worry about complications throughout pregnancy leading to complications during labor.  Sometimes it is just scary.  Borage teaches us that we get scared to know where the fear lies and knowing that fear is often a process of finding our own power.  The star-shaped blue flowers of Borage hang from their stems, gazing down at the earth, not fearing the fall, but meeting the journey with an open heart.  Take Borage for an infusion of courage during uncertain moments and the most challenging parts of labor to remember that you are, in fact, complete, whole, and full of strength.

MUGWORT "I move between"

Mugwort is an excellent ally to move between one stage to the next - a wonderful remedy during transition in labor.  The herb is also a guardian of childbirth and easy labors.  Mugwort seems to help communicate between parent and baby during labor, helping to psychically guide the child through the birth canal when both parent and baby are ready.  As a herb of dreaming, Mugwort also connects us to our most important visions dreams and vision just before and during labor.

BLACK COHOSH "I transform disturbances"

For those who have suffered from trauma in the past, especially of a sexual nature, Black Cohosh is an essential ally during the labor process.  Labor can be a birthing of many things: a new child, a family, and a (re)birthing of the laborer.  Through labor our previous traumas, our hardest challenges, and our most disturbing experiences can sometimes arise, challenging us during some of our most powerful and vulnerable moments.  Black Cohosh strengthens our back-bone and resolve to transform cycles of abuse into a wheel of wellbeing.  Releasing the built-up congestion of imbalance, Black Cohosh helps us not only confront previous trauma, but to be present to the challenge and joy of labor.

WALNUT "I am free from limitations."

Ever feel like everyone is so eager to offer their opinions of your pregnancy that it is hard to know what you really want in your labor?  Maybe an overbearing Mother-in-Law or a pushy, know-it-all sibling?  Labor is a good as time as any to be firm in your resolve and desire for your birth experience.  Walnut is your ally to untangle from the limitations of everyone else's opinions, beliefs, and social conventions.  Walnut is a guiding star for your labor journey - it helps to attune you to your own internal compass.  Like Mugwort, Walnut helps us with the transitions of life, and, in particular, the transition from being swayed by the opinions of all around us to being steadied by the truth of our own experiences and desires.

Read our recommendations for the First Trimester, Second Trimester, and Third Trimester.

We carry Borage in our Etsy Shop and Poppy Swap Shop.  Other Essences can be found from a variety of resources such as the Flower Essence Society and Bach Flower as well as local health food and natural healing stores.

Explore our full series of Flower + Gem Essences for the Pregnancy Journey:

• The First Trimester
• The Second Trimester
• The Third Trimester
• Labor + Birth
• Postpartum - coming soon!