In the early morning when the morning dew is still fresh,
sit with some snowdrop flowers.
feel into their essence.
as the water drips away, let winter and come off of you.
what has died and fallen away?
ask the plant spirit   , where in your life may you have  lost hope  ?
how can you restore your Hope and Faith
into yourself and give way to new life? 

how can we fill our cauldrons with a new spark of life?

if you have permission from the plant or landscape, gather some snowdrops for a ritual bath.
bath in the essence of your new cauldron 🧚‍♀️
and let the conception of new life come in !

As I sat and wrote the last post and i heard an owl cry out from the Ella forest . It continued to hoot for beyond a minute or two....

i propelled me to keep writing
it was still hours before the moon would be in her darkest wane before beginning to wax again.

In tarot  the sword represents the word ,
it is our action beyond our mental thought
 ( air ) then comes this sword ~our word

We have incredible responsibility when we pick up a sword
When we use the word

so i picked up a sword fern , and asked for support to do the best that i can in being  impeccable to my word.
(the four agreements, Miguel Ruiz)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are you OK sitting in your silence?

For too long we have been speaking and it is time to create a new language .
language that says
I love you I believe in you

A language that does not sabotage our self or others

we release the sabatour

there are no "shoulds"
we do not cast these on others or ourselves
we say what we want, not what we dont want
we are gentle with our selves.

we release the conditions we placed on others and ourselves.
and we do the best we can.

We are in the dark of the moon . At 9 PM Pacific time
we will cross over into the new moon in Capricorn.
There is a conjunction happening between Pluto , God of the underworld and mercury Bringer of communication.

So I took my telephone to the forest to try to dial up and communicate with the under, middle , and upper worlds To see who I could reach.

It was the underworld that called first… Must be that Pluto Influence that wants to be heard and upheaved.
The Yew Tree, Guardian of the underworld spoke to me from the right side. I entered in carefully and circled under her branches that felt like arms wrapping around me . She gave shelter from the rain and I could hear her in her cave. The stirring began and I could feel it coming out of my body.

I turn to the east welcome in the east
And all the birds that sing in the air
I saw maple tree

I turn to the south to welcome in the south
And all the sea life that the swims n dances is in the fiery sun
I saw cedar tree


I turn to the west to welcome in the west
and all the mammals who Make the coastal rainforest their home with the flowing rivers and Waterfall’s
I saw Douglasfir


And then back to the north and welcome in the north
And all the ancestors a d an elders Found in the stones in the stories of our earth
I turn and I see the Yew from which I began



I feel anchored and centred in the forest and feel so grateful that I was called to the specific place I started to circle over to the east to the maple where I found my brown knitted hat… Soaked in the rain… Even as I write this in this moment it is a mystery to how this hot got here as I was just wearing it yesterday and I have not been back in this forest for a few days

My trusted that there was deep meaning in me being in this forest today and so I continued in my journey heading towards the tree to the south of the circle where I had a heart ache when opening the direction

It was here I decided to put my telephone down to plug-in..
And see if I could find out what that tugging was at my heart

I I tried to dial God I looked up to the skies‘s
I tried to dial the mother I look down to the roots
I I listened by the soothing sounds of the creek
Mmmm. and the birds song
I I need help guide my way
into that silence

So I can hear her speak

Ahhhh you have arrived She said .

I began to breathe deeply and feel all the oxygen of the forest

I was so grateful she had called me back to her on this evening of the dark moon.

With so much falling in our systems
surely we are feeling this within ourselves
in our old conditioning‘s we once had

This is what Pluto was asking to let fall old conditions ruled in the Capricorn patriarch and welcoming in loving and stern inner father , nurturing ourselves with direction and order in a way that is aligned heart and and earthly Capricorn , the great ram.
Let us not ram ourselves anymore with harsh judgements and constraints
Please be free of conditioning .

I went up to my car as I felt to offer a gift to the spot for the clear vision and hearing
On the dash of my car was some pearly everlasting ,
a symbol of hope after devastation.
a symbol of everlasting love ,
that grows at the side of rocky lands or clearcuts.

I gifted these two little bundles to the cedar tree in the face of the south.

Then just a few inches over I saw
what looked like two beautiful pearls.
I looked around for more but there was just these only two perfectly beautiful white iridescent berries…
They were not snowberries
They were more clear
They reminded me of Mary’s tears
A berry that represented the grief that mother Mary may have felt over the loss of her son

Tho these ones did not have speckles ,
nor were they red
they were clear white , like pearls
And there were two

May our hard work and grief
create pearls of everlasting love
As we come on thru to the other side

Please feel free to comment

Or share any insights into this new moon you may have

Or into the gifts of pearly everlasting and symbols of the pearl

He is a wild one who grows down by the river.
He is a wild indigenous soul
who dresses himself in herbs
and feeds on the wild.
He will bring you to the river to baptize your dry or rocky roots .
He will bring your darkness to the light
And send you to the action
of the soul of the fiery sun

Rise up sleeping indigenous ones . Rise up wild child
Happy solar Birthday Saint John
🔥🔥🔥

Saint johns wort‘s are blooming at this time ,during the time known as Saint John’s birthday June 24.
He was a wild man a beast like man , a “green man” who lived down by the river feeding on locusts and wild things dressed in plants and herbs.
He represents our darker side while his cousin Jesus celebrated at the time of winter solstice represents the light.
During the summer solstice times we sometimes think of it as bright and light and beautiful tho it actually bringing back the dark and being OK with those things and looking into that darkness . in the wild you can go out now and find the St. John’s wort blossoming along rivers edges and gravel roads. turning it into medicine that helps lift the darker parts of self into fuller integration and into the light.. from him will grow a new colour , Crimson like , bringing in more self-love and filling in leaking holes ( as seen in the pores in the leaves) , bringing in more wholeness🧡Let the light shine through to the darker places

MATERIA MEDICA
Hypericum Perforatum
St. John’s wort, goat weed

Family : Clusiaceae

Properties: Nervine, relaxant, antidepressant, astringent, analgesic, antispasmodic

Constituents: tannins, flavonoids

Meridians/organs affected: Liver, kidney, spleen, stomach

Energetics: Bittersweet, cool, drying

Forms of usage: tincture, oil or salve, tea.

Medicinal Uses: The oldest most common use of this plant was for skin care. It helped heal inflamed, damaged, torn , dry, painful or cracked skin. It was also used as a topical ointment for treating hemorrhoids Or in conditions where there was nerve pain ( or nerve damage such as sciatica, shingles, rheumatism, trigeminal neuralgia). One would create an oil or salve to use topically. Placing the aerial parts or flowers in an olive oil and allowing to infuse in the sun for approximately four weeks will create a beautiful red coloured oil.
One of the most common uses of St. John’s wort today is for treating nervous disorders including anxiety and depression. It helps to improve the overall mood of an individual and alleviate stress. Herbalists also use it in the case is a painful menstruation that is accompanied with moodiness.

If you crush the bud just before opening a bright red oil will release. The flavonoid hypericin is said to be responsible for this beautiful stain, and also for the herbs reputed antiviral an antidepressant action.

Saint johns wort is a herb that assists with the first stage of detoxification performed by the liver, and it is an antiviral and specific for shingles, pain relieving and a mild sedative for the nervous system. It is one of the true tropho restorative for the nervous system to help heal the tissue.

Folklore/mythology/magic: This plant is said to have an infinity with the “little people”. Matthew Wood writes about this in the book of herbal wisdom.
Saint johns wort usually comes into bloom just after the solstice around Saint John the Baptist feast day, June 24. John was Jesus’s cousin , said to be born 6 months after him. Just as Jesus took over the functions of the pagan god of winter, St. John is associated with the pagan god of summer and vegetation. He was a wild man feeding on wild plants living in the wilderness much like the ‘green man’.

In Greek, Hyperion means “Over and Apparation “ as the plant was thought to protect one from evil. The word wort simply means herb. The leaves are yellow- green with transparent holes throughout the tissue. These dots are oil glands and held up to the light they give the leaves are “perforated” appearance.

Doctrine of Signatures :
St. John’s wort works primary on the solar plexus , like its bright yellow colour indicates. It also helps seal up those who have “leakage” or “holes” in their auric field, primary in the solar region, the seat of our will. It is said in Ayurvedic medicine that our second brain is located in our gut, and where many neurotransmitters are made (Including serotonin, the one most singled out as deficient in the treatment of depression – 70% of which is created in the in the gut)

Contraindications/ adverse reactions: Those on antidepressants should avoid this herb

Walking along the lovely shores of the old mining town of Weymss on the Frith of Forth , we stumbled across SEABUCKTHORNS!
Also known as Hippophae rhamnoides, Sea Berries, Ananas de Sibérie or Sand Thorn.
This was an important medicinal plant used in Ayervedic medicine and traditionally across Siberia, Mongolia, and China.
The name 'Hippophae' means shiny horse, and refers to the good coat developed by horses feeding off the plant!

According to legend,  Sea Buckthorn leaves were the preferred food of the mythical winged horse Pegasus. In the 13th century, Genghis Khan, creddited Sea Buckthorn with giving his armies incredible strength and endurance

It is called the "Holy Fruit" of the  Himalaylas where it grows in the Spiti Valley

And Golly, was I ever greatfull to find it this day, as we had set on on an adventure, without packing a lunch, as well as battling some winter cold symptoms. This magical plant gave us just  the zest n vitality we needed!

and wow ! OMMMMM YuMMMMM
so bursting with tang !

HEALTH BENEFITS

due to its protein building amino acids, vitamins B1, B2, K, C, A, E, and folic acid, over 60 antioxidants, at least 20 minerals, and healthy fatty acids. The fruit is full of carotenoids, xanthophylls, phenolics, and flavanoids, too. Its a power house of nutrients!

• Treats gastrointestinal disorders including ulcers
• Reverses gout
• Eliminates skin rashes
• Cures infections
• Improves sight, lessens eye soreness
• Promotes colon health
• Contributes to proper brain and nervous system functioning
• Reduces inflammatory response in the body
• Improves mental clarity
• Treats asthmatic symptoms
  
• Reduces illness associated with cancer
• Lowers cholesterol
• Boosts lymphatic circulation and immunity
• Reduces hunger (due to Omega 7s)
• Improves the look of skin and hair (also due to Omega 7, 3, 6, and 9s) ....
• Neutralizes free radicals in the body
• Slows the aging process
• Supports internal organs
• Boost health of the mucous membranes lining the digestive and respiratory tracts
• Helps to increase cellular vitality

Thanks to a local Herbal Enthusiuast  Benny, ( who made 15 litres of this juice!)  I was shown how to properly harvest the berries without getting too poked. (theres a reason its called Seabuck THORN.) There are spiny branches that protect the super potent berries, that are ready to burst!

I wished I could have eliminated my fingers and  just put my face under the bush and let the berries fall in my mouth....but it was just too poky!

the berries burst as soon as you touch them , so there is a technique of "milking" where you squeeze the branch with the berries, and you catch the juice with a bucket.

an other option would be to cut the branches, and freeze them, allowing you to then collect the whole berry, skin and seed.

the entire plant is medicinal , but in this winter season, we were just collecting the berries as the leaves had already fallen......

and here you have an  amazzzzzing cold and flu winter tonic , immune boosting , anti oxidant rich beverage !

if you have no access to a harvest yourself , here is a link to a beautiful ethical company selling the juice ~ bless!

I love this video by Yarrow Willard. check out Harmonic Arts ~ Amazing Herbal Jedi , who is super passionate about this abundant medicine! tons of great information here :

Usnea has a very special relationship with the trees. its been growing there for sometimes hundreds of years. the best time to harvest this medicinal lichen , is after a storm, where branches are broken or it has blown off the tree, and is shared with us humans as a gift !

So Remember, just  like in Cookie Monster & the Cookie tree, do not just grab at the Usnea and pull, wait until the tree drops some for you ! :)


I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR HERBAL JOURNEY !