Chapter 5
EARTH MAGICK AND MEDICINE OF SUMMER
Ripen & Thrive: Action & Transformation | South · Fire · The Mother
The Portal of the South at a Glance
ELEMENT Fire
TIME OF DAY Midday | 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
MOON PHASE Full
SEASON OF SOLAR YEAR Summer | June, July, August
EARTH HOLY DAYS Litha (Summer Solstice/Midsummer) | June 19–23
WHEEL OF LIFE ARCHETYPE Mother | Age 21–41
ENERGIES Growing, expanding, nurturing, doing, transforming, creating, taking care of others, responsibility, accountability, mothering, networking, moving energy, alchemy, being out in the public, planning for an abundant future, working hard, becoming more resilient, taking risks, practicing courage
HEALING HERBS
Circulatory tonics Hawthorn berry, rosemary, lemon balm, cacao, cinnamon
Strengthening/uplifting/antidepressant herbs Rhodiola, schisandra, Saint John’s wort, lemon balm
Demulcent herbs Calendula, marshmallow, comfrey, slippery elm
Digestive tonics Nourishing herbs, adaptogens, bitters, carminatives, spices
Nourishing herbs and adaptogens Nettles, chickweed, burdock, schisandra, eleuthero
TENDING THE GARDEN Greatest amount of work required in the garden: consistent harvesting, weeding, trimming, composting, mulching, watering, tending; abundance of medicine to harvest, tincture, dry, preserve; the more we work in the garden in the summer, the more food and medicine is generated
APOTHECARY Harvesting and making medicine, making tinctures from fresh plants and dry herbs, infusing honeys
RITUALS Rituals of celebration, community, abundance, generosity, harvest, transformation, fire, empowerment, and rites of passage
RIPEN TO REGENERATE YOURSELF, LIFE-GIVING MOTHER
Summer! The peak of solar expression, the longest days of the year, the time when sweat drips down our brow, our hearts beat hot, and we cool ourselves with hydrating gifts from our abundant gardens, including raw salads, cucumbers, and fruit. On these long days, it is hard to remember when the full sun was just being born on the other side of the wheel at the Winter Solstice. He was just a babe then, so meek, so in need of encouragement. He grew through the Spring of our youth, and even those days feel far away when we find ourselves melting in the strength and light of the solar rays. Now we seek shade, moments of rest, and tall glasses of cold drinks. And yet, our enthusiasm is ripe, there is much to be done in the garden, our lives feel full, and projects are riding the currents of their own momentum.
Now is the time of the Mother archetype: she who feeds all the children, multitasks, and moves miraculous amounts of energy. Those of us who are mothers know how motherhood stretches us beyond what we thought we were capable of. There is not enough time in the day, and yet the archetypal Mother tends to her children, creates life, mothers, encourages, feeds, and supports. Even if we don’t have human children, we can relate to this archetype if we have birthed a business or project. In the Spring of birthing a new creation into being, we never expect the amount of work, effort, and labor we must pour forth when the energy climaxes in its portal of Summer. Somehow, through the expansive energy we circulate, through the transformative fire element of the portal of South, we ourselves are re-created. We often surpass our own expectations as we ride a regenerative current in peak expression. Sometimes we feel we are just along for the ride, working hard to keep up. Riding these high currents, we often stumble, fall, and have to pick ourselves up again. When we do, we become more resilient and wise—we grow up. Our efforts at this time must be to ride these powerful waves without burning out, midwifing our own deaths, rebirths, and transformations, and mothering the Mother (ourselves).
In the garden, the seeds that incubated in the darkness of Winter womb and that we tenderly planted with prayers in the Spring are now unrecognizable. They are in full bounty, glory, and wild abundance. The food garden is exploding with tomatoes, squash, herbs, and flowers. When I lived in Vermont, we laughed in awe at the ridiculous abundance a few seeds created, and we secretly left the never-ending surplus of squash at one another’s doorsteps or at the side of the road with a “free” sign. In the heat of the Summer months, Gaia gifts us with an abundance of hydrating and cooling food and herbs to help us balance the yang energies of the summer with yin produce such as cucumbers, watermelon, mint, salads, and other fruits and veggies.
The seasons of Spring and Summer are Earth’s exhale. The expansive energy of this portal has the plants growing out toward the sun and moving their life force into flower, fruit, and seed production. In biodynamic gardening, we tend to these places where the plants meet the air and sun with practices such as foliar and atmospheric sprays or plant teas.
Our medicinal garden, too, is at its peak of production, pollination, and expression. Like the Mother archetype, the garden’s Earth body is deeply interwoven in a humming, ever transforming ecosystem in peak alchemy. Bees, butterflies, insects, and birds are all riding the expansive energies of our perennial plants. The long days of Summer make it an ideal time to garden. Nature encourages us to spend hours outside each day, harvesting flowers to dry or make into medicine, cutting back herbs, composting, and weeding where necessary. The more we touch the herbs, take from and give to them, the more abundance is generated in the garden. Like all beings in reciprocal relationships, plants being cultivated produce more food, are healthier, and thrive better than those left on their own. And so, our medicine gardens teach us about the alchemy of moving great transformative energy through our bodies and the land we love, where we reap the medicine and magick of reciprocity and relationship.
The energy we move and the work we do now in ourselves, our communities, and the lands we tend will lead to a rich harvest, a magickal apothecary, and much to be grateful for in the Fall. Herbal raw juices, demulcent teas, cold nourishing herb infusions, and iced teas of hibiscus and schisandra, rich in vitamin C, keep us energized, cool, hydrated, and balanced. Otherwise, the high solar energy can lead to burnout if we ride them to an extreme.
The South’s portals of thriving open to you at the climax of each energy cycle in nature. We are supported in moving the greatest amount of energy each day at noon, each full moon, each Summer season, and in the peak years of your career and life. Draw from the deep roots you sent into the regenerative darkness of the Earth’s soil in seasons past. Fill yourself from the source of all life force energy—from the depths of the Earth, from your roots, pulling Earth energy into your replenished adrenals, nourished nervous system, and renewed immune system. Expand with the exhalation of the Earth, reaching out like the plants, growing toward the radiant sun. Be bold; shine bright; play, work, generate in the ripe fullness of an unapologetic you. Now is the time! Don’t hesitate—shine!
Ripen to regenerate yourself, life-giving Mother.
ENTERING THE PORTALS OF THE SOUTH
The portal of the South is a current of climactic energy that we ride in the middle part of the day, at the full moon, in the summertime, and in the prime of our lives.
In the night sky, the full moon is the peak of the lunar cycle in full expression. We celebrate under the light of the moon, giving gratitude for the prayers we cast with the new moon. We acknowledge what we have received and what has come to fruition with grateful hearts. The full moon is an ideal time for gatherings, prayer circles, rituals, moon bathing, meditation, manifesting, and relaxing in awe and wonder. At times, the energy of the full moon is ecstatic—perfect for being naked outside in the moonlight, for spells, lovemaking, and riding waves of wildness. Other times, the full moon can make us feel like “lunatics”—and then balancing the energy with yin practices that belong to the portal of the dark moon help us harmonize and stay centered. On those occasions, solitude, reflection, journaling, ritual baths, meditation, sound baths (see here), rest, intuitive art making, and being more still outside can be very healing.
In the menstrual cycle, ovulation corresponds with the full moon. Herbs, foods, and practices that encourage circulation in the womb help us have a healthy cycle. It is a wonderful time to practice vaginal steaming, as it encourages circulation and movement of chi in the womb—unless you wish to conceive or already have, in which case vaginal steaming is not advisable.
On our Wheel of the Year, the season of Summer spans the months of June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere, with the Summer Solstice (June 19–23) marking the official start of Summer, the longest day of the year, the peak of solar expression. After this, the energy of the year will slowly wane, the heat continuing but the nights growing in length. Midway between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox, we celebrate the cross-quarter holiday of Lughnasadh, or Lammas, on August 1. It is the first harvest festival, honoring the mature aspect of the Sun God. It is the time when the grains are harvested. By celebrating each of the three harvest festivals, humans weave their gratitude and strengthen the life-force energy that continues to feed and bring abundance.
In the wheel of our lives, Summer corresponds to the archetype of the Mother and our “adulthood,” roughly ages twenty-one to forty-two. This transformative time is when we truly grow up—becoming wiser and more resilient through the trials of life. We become more expansive and capable, stretching ourselves, throwing ourselves passionately into projects, creations, community, or family. Many times, we burn out and thus learn how to mother ourselves and sustain our energy. We often refine our purpose, deepen our relationships with community, create a career, and perhaps start a family. The expansiveness, curiosity, exploration, and experiments of our youth—the time of the Maiden archetype—may now be channeled in productive ways, though part of running such high-fire energy is learning to get burned along the way, to heal, recover, transform and begin anew. We are often pushed beyond what we thought we were capable of. In this portal, we often learn to heal heartbreak, sit with pain, be unafraid of suffering, and face challenges with courage, knowing they will transform us and we will grow. This is our time to be bold, take risks, and grow in strength and power. This portal ends at age forty-two, a time that tends to be accompanied by a “midlife crisis,” with regrets and doubts about having lived life fully or succeeded in certain areas. Perhaps throwing ourselves courageously into the transformative fires of the South helps us arrive in completion and readiness for the waning of the West.
RIDING THE CURRENTS OF THE SOUTH DURING THE DAY
In the twenty-four-hour wheel of the day, South corresponds to middle of the day, roughly from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is the most “yang” time of the day, warmest and brightest, with the strongest energy. Our bodies, interwoven into the fabric of all of nature, mirror this. Thus, many cultures traditionally eat the largest meal at noon—the time when our digestive fire is also strongest.
Because the solar energy within and around us is at its peak, this is the most suitable time of the day to be productive, to move the greatest transformative energy while staying in balance. We can crescendo our energy at 10:00 and enter a highly productive flow, take a lunch break, pause and digest, and go back into an afternoon flow that begins to wane at 4:00. However, if we need to work a more traditional work schedule that extends on either side, it is especially beneficial to take breaks during our day. In many Latin cultures, the hottest part of the workday, after lunch, is reserved for a siesta—a nap. Thus, in the middle of the most solar time of the day, the energies are brought into balance by calling upon the tools of the North and rest. In northern climates, where the days are not as long or hot during most of the year, this is not the custom.
In the Summer portal, we learn how to modulate our nervous system so we do not burn out. In the course of the day this means focusing on one thing at a time, taking breaks, moving the body and stretching, staying hydrated, and getting some fresh air. If we try to push our minds, bodies, and creativity into a linear pattern or push productivity with coffee, sugar, or other stimulants, we eventually get off the regenerative tracks, deplete our system, and burn out. Ride the energies of this portal following smaller spiral flows of energy, renewing yourself many times in the larger arc of creative output. Taking two minutes to close your eyes and breathe in between tasks, or to sit on the Earth outside for ten minutes, increases your productivity and regenerates your mind and energy.
The portal of the South connects us to the fire in our belly, our digestive system and our solar plexus. Physically, this is an opportunity to notice if your fire is low, in which case you may feel sluggish, depressed, lethargic, unmotivated, or sad. You may have slow digestion, get bloating from eating, or feel tired. If you have excess fire, you may have a high metabolism and difficulty absorbing nutrients from your food. You may experience blood-sugar drops, “hanger” (anger or moodiness caused by hunger), anxiety, scattered thoughts, and ungroundedness. If your fire is in balance, you have a steady, warm, and joyful disposition and a positive outlook. You feel motivated, engaged, enthusiastic, passionate, and optimistic. You can enjoy a meal without anxiety and enjoy a pause without rushing yourself or feeling chaotic. This state of harmony is what allows us to thrive and what Nature shows us leads to longevity. Notice how you can support your fire to experience balance each day.
Daily Practices to Balance Your Fire Element
If your fire element is low, activate it with any of these practices:
• Movement, including yoga, cardio, or boxing
• Five to ten minutes of sun salutations to move energy
• Inversion—standing on your head, hanging upside down, getting blood into your brain, and moving your lymph
• Warming elixirs and herbs that increase circulation, such as ginger, rosemary, cacao, turmeric, thyme, schisandra berry, or hawthorn
• Warm foods like blended soups and bone broth, which are easy to digest—avoid cold and damp “yin” foods and drinks, such as raw foods, salads, or ice water
• Taking an herbal bitter twenty minutes before a meal to assist with digestion
• Drinking ginger, peppermint, or another digestive tea after a meal
• Drinking espresso or green tea, or eating cacao, especially if blood pressure is low and if your constitution agrees with it, in moderation
• Taking a walk outside
• Avoiding snacking too much between meals—allow each meal to fully digest so you do not dampen your digestive fire
• Practicing the Breath of Fire yoga technique
If your fire element is overcharged, bring balance with yin practices such as:
• Staying hydrated
• Drinking cool, moist herbs, such as marshmallow, jasmine, white peony root, linden, chickweed, motherwort, or dandelion leaf
• Eating raw veggies and fruit
• Eating grounding snacks with healthy fats
• Using rose spray or another mist made with water and cooling essential oils, such as peppermint
• Breathing, meditating, and calming the nervous system
• Creating a relaxing environment
• Listening to meditative and calming music
• Taking baths, doing self-massage, or oiling the skin
• Practicing yoga, swimming, or tai chi, choosing movement that is centering and grounding to the spirit
WHAT IS TRUE POWER?
Power can be a trigger word for the modern empath because to our current culture, it means having power over someone else, something, or some place. This is not true power but domination, control, oppression, entanglement, and sickness.
True power is the ability to transform anything.
It is something we cultivate in the soul, in the flame of the solar plexus. We do this through right action, courage, unapologetically loving ourselves, and walking in devotion and right relationship as we are guided by the mysterious whispers of the Great Mystery and the stirrings in our hearts and souls.
The ability to transform comes from stretching ourselves, taking risks, being brave, confronting injustice, facing truth, and diving into the fire of transformation. With true power, we are not afraid of life. We do not turn away from all the flavors that are inevitably part of being human. We rejoice in sweetness but also accept, receive, and learn to digest the pain, the bitter flavors, the challenges, and the traumas.
The digestive system is a perfect metaphor for the role of the fire element that resides in the corresponding solar plexus chakra. A healthy digestive system allows us to eat all sorts of foods and turn matter into energy to grow and regenerate. Once we have taken from our food what we can use, the rest is meant to be released through our bowels—out of our bodies for good! If we do not release it, it gets reabsorbed by the membranes of the colon back into our blood, causing toxicity and illness.
This is exactly what happens when we do not fully process the challenges and traumas of life. We must radically face the truth of what life has served us, and we must be bold and courageous, having faith in our fire—in our ability to transform the experiences of life into fuel or waste to be released. We digest them, transforming them into medicine we can absorb for our growth and evolution. We ask ourselves, “What is the medicine in this situation, illness, or relationship?” We find the gift, the nourishment in all that greets us, receiving it, allowing it to change us and help us grow. And the rest? We release it from our energetic and physical bodies, cleansing our hearts, returning it to the Earth Mother to be transformed into compost.
Everything contains some food for growth and evolution. Life is here to change us. Don’t hide from transformation; it is inevitable, and your courage will help your power grow. As your power grows, your confidence increases, and you will realize that you truly can transform anything and everything. That includes yourself, over and over, again and again.
CELEBRATING WITH THE FULL MOON
One day a month, the moon swells in her luminous fullness in the dark night sky. Celebrate this night as holy. Create pause to spend time with her, drink her in. Moon bathing is the practice of receiving her light into your body—much like suntanning. You can expose your genitals to the moonlight and feel the moonlight entering your sacred womb or sacral charka, your fertile void, your yin spaces. Cleanse your crystals and charge them in the moonlight (see here).
The full moon is a time when Witches gather for rituals, celebrations, and spell casting. Some full moons have a social energy and are a wonderful time to connect with your sacred friends, share a meal, and go for a walk in the moonlight. You can cast a circle together under the light and say some prayers. The simple practice of gathering with dear friends each full moon and new moon has a powerful effect in aligning your body to the rhythms of nature. It’s also an organic way of creating a coven of sorts—a sacred container for prayer, ritual, and sharing from the heart.
Some full moons have a “lunatic” or chaotic energy. In those cases, you can draw on the practices of the dark moon—solitude, meditation, ritual baths, and alone time in nature—to balance the energies if they are feeling too expansive, or if you are feeling uncentered.
THE MOTHER ARCHETYPE
The healthy mother is herself mothered. The thriving mother is interwoven in a village or a community of reciprocal support. At this time in our lives, we move so much energy, creating and giving of ourselves, that we may become depleted if we are isolated or alone. We simply cannot access the immensity of energy available in the Great Web when we are not interconnected in a web of support. No wonder so many mothers have postpartum depression, overwhelmed by the challenges, changes, responsibilities, demands, and lack of experience of becoming a new mother. No wonder so many new business owners burn out, feeling isolated and alone or as part of a competitive culture instead of a collaborative culture.
In the abundant Summer garden, the bees, flowers, soil, worms, birds, thunderclouds, rains, sunflowers, gardeners, children playing, and cats napping are one organism, thriving and living in giving and receiving. May we learn from the thriving garden and create thriving communities of mutual support and collaboration where each individual’s success is seen as a benefit to all.
In the Summer, we celebrate Independence Day in the United States. Let us start celebrating our interdependence instead. Let us acknowledge all who participated in our growth and expansion, knowing we never accomplish anything on our own. Let us share in the wealth of this energy, understanding the laws of alchemy and magick, in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Let us throw the old cultures of competing, individuation, superstardom, domination, and hierarchy into the cauldrons of transformation. Let us gather in circle under the full moon’s light as equals, as one. Let us thrive.
EARTH MEDICINE OF THE SOUTH: ACTIVATION AND HYDRATION
The fire element is the quickest to change, and it can be volatile. It is the element Witches work with to create the greatest transformation in the shortest amount of time. All elements hold the power of change, but fire can quickly transform great matter into nothing but ash.
For this reason, when working with the fire element in the portal of the South, we work with plants and practices that help us stay in balance. Balance is an active state; just like healing is a lifelong journey of unending growth and transformation, balance is not an end goal or a destination we reach. When we see someone walking a tightrope, we notice that balance requires constant awareness, presence, and attention. A breeze nudges us from one side, and we respond right away to stay in balance.
The medicinal plants that support us in the South portal embody the diverse aspects of the fire element. Some, such as ginger or cayenne, awaken our fire and can make us burn quick and hot. Others, such as lemon balm or calendula, soothe the fire element in us while supporting the light of our inner flame. Demulcent herbs, such as marshmallow, slippery elm, and licorice root, can cool, heal, and repair tissue that has been burned; they are anti-inflammatory, calming excess heat in the body.
In the portal of the South, we work to support the movement of our energy and blood with circulatory-system tonics such as hawthorn berry, ginger, turmeric, rosemary, mint, cacao, and culinary herbs. We strengthen our sense of power and joy with adaptogens and antidepressant herbs such as rhodiola, schisandra, Saint John’s wort, and lemon balm. We support our ability to transform food with digestive system tonics made from nourishing herbs (see here) and herbal bitters (see here). We raise our energy with adaptogens and stimulants such as cacao, mate, tea, schisandra, and rhodiola. We cool our bodies with herbs that lower our temperature and remove heat, including dandelion leaves, herbs in the mint family, and linden leaf and flower. We stay nourished and grounded with nourishing herbs, which restore our adrenals and replenish the systems that are working hard. We calm our spirit with spiritually centering herbs such as tulsi, reishi, and motherwort, which bring the wisdom and inner silence associated with the dark-moon North portal. They can be balancing when the fires of the South portal begin to feel overwhelming or chaotic.
We can support the activation, balancing, and hydration with food medicine as well.
SUMMER RECIPES and MEDICINE MAKING
The overnight nourishing herb infusions described in the Spring portal (see here) are a staple to our tradition of herbal healing year around. Continuing to work with your daily wild-weed ally will keep you grounded and nourished with replenished adrenals during the busy Summer months. And while the Wise Woman tradition tends to favor overnight infusions as the primary method of intaking herbs, Summer is a great time to expand our apothecary and medicine-making methods. Following are some other methods herbalists use to extract plant medicine.
Tinctures
What’s the difference between a tea, an infusion, and a tincture? A tea is created by steeping any plant in hot water for about twenty minutes. An infusion is steeped for a minimum of four hours. The longer time extracts a greater amount of minerals, vitamins, and other alkaloids. Drinking infusions helps us develop a deeper sensitivity to the plant we are working with. It is easy to self-dose as you drink sip by sip, noticing how much of an herb you need that day. Infusions are also nourishing and easy to assimilate into the body. Taking an herbal capsule, on the other hand, is a commitment to a set dose, even though plants have different effects on different people. A tincture is an alcohol extraction of an herb. It is concentrated, strong medicine, diluted in water for consuming.
For some purposes, tinctures are preferable. First, it takes a lot of plant material to make an infusion. The same amount tinctured in alcohol makes enough medicine to last many moons for many more people. When working with medicine that uses ingredients less abundant than wild weeds, this factor of sustainability is reason enough. Second, alcohol extractions make stronger medicine, which is sometimes better for acute conditions. Third, adding two to three drops of tincture to a few ounces of water is simple, easy to remember, and great for people on the go or traveling. I always travel with a 1-ounce (30 ml) tincture of an antimicrobial herb, such as white sage, usnea, or yerba santa—it can easily kick bacteria I may be exposed to on my travels before they take hold. Finally, tinctures capture a moment in time of a plant’s expression and your connection. If you have a relationship with a particular herb or place, create ceremony in harvesting, perhaps doing it on a holy Earth day. All of that is woven into the medicine you make. When you can take that medicine, you reexperience the magick of that never-to-be-repeated moment in time. For instance, I have a tincture of Saint John’s wort that I made in ecstatic ceremony on the Summer Solstice in a field in Poland with the moon in Leo. Each drop of that potion is a full body yes of solar magick!
Fresh Leaf Tincture
In the summer, many medicinal herbs used for their aerial parts (often the leaf and flower) are at their peak of vitality and ready to be harvested. The folk method of making herbal tinctures is quite simple and foolproof.
Yield: varies
Herb to harvest*
80- to 100-proof organic vodka, brandy, mezcal, or other alcohol of your choice (to be shelf stable, menstruum must be at least 25 percent alcohol, or 50 proof)
1. Create sacred space.
2. Harvest the herb with intention, using the sacred harvesting method (see here).
3. Loosely chop the plant material and fill any size jar about 90 percent full without stuffing it or making it too compact.
4. Pour your menstruum over the herbs.
5. Ensure the plant material is fully submerged; if not, push it down with a utensil. Cover the jar.
6. Label your medicine. Keep it away from direct sunlight, and shake it every once in a while.
7. Strain and bottle after two months or more.
*If you are using dried plant material, you will use one-third the amount as fresh—so your jar will be about one-third full instead of 90 percent full before you add your menstruum.
Herb-Infused Honey
Herb-infused honeys are pure bliss—medicine of delight! The honey gently extracts the medicinal properties of the herbs and is particularly wonderful for aromatic herbs, such as sage, tulsi, or lemon balm, or for flowers. A sage honey is wonderful to have in your apothecary for cold Winter months, when a spoon of it in hot water will make an instant fresh antibacterial tea and will bring you into the delight of the summer months while helping you fight flu symptoms. You can also cook and bake with your herbal honeys, spread them on toast, eat them by the spoonful, add them to elixirs … you get the idea.
Yield: varies
Herb to harvest*
Raw honey
1. Create sacred space.
2. Harvest the herb with intention, using the sacred harvesting method (see here).
3. Loosely chop the plant material and fill a jar of any size about 90 percent full without stuffing it or making it too compact.
4. Pour the honey over the herbs. Use a chopstick or spoon to get bubbles out.
5. Label your medicine. Keep it away from direct sunlight, and shake it every once in a while.
6. Strain and bottle after two months or more.
*If you are using dried plant material, you will use one-third the amount as fresh—so your jar will be about one-third full instead of 90 percent full before you add your honey.
Peace and Bliss Tincture
This is my lovely formula for easing stress and anxiety and to bring the mind, nervous system, and air element into balance. The milky oats holy basil and skullcap are restorative to the nervous system and adrenals, and the blend is aromatic, opening the breath and heart, calming the belly, and centering the mind.
Yield: varies
1 part holy basil
1 part oat straw or milky oat tops
1 part skullcap
Organic vodka
1. If using dried herbs, fill a jar of any size one-third with equal amounts of each one. If using fresh herbs, blend in the vodka after making sure your fresh herbs fill your container.
2. Bottle, let the mixture sit for at least two months, shaking periodically, and strain.
3. Add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) to 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water and drink two or three times a day, or when feeling stressed.
Love Potion
This love potion draws on the heat of passion, the plants of the tropics, and the prayers in your heart! Take each ingredient and pray into it, calling forth the spirit of the plant and the qualities you ask it to bring to your medicine.
Yield: varies
1/2 jar’s worth fresh passion-vine leaves, vine, and perhaps a flower for sensuality, flow, creativity, and self-love
1 fresh rose for the highest vibration of unconditional love and grace
1 stick cinnamon for passion and spicy sweetness—sparks that fly!
1 thumb-size piece fresh ginger for heat and moving sacral waters
1/4 jar dried damiana herb for a relaxed, warm, fluid flow
1 handful dried hawthorn berries for a courageous, strong, loving heart
Generous amount raw honey for the bees, alchemists, pollinators, and lovers
Splash of Flora Sagrada Rose hydrosol—sacred Bulgarian roses for ancient, timeless love
1 stick of vanilla for sweet, safe pleasure
Rum or another alcohol of your choice, such as tequila or brandy
1. Combine all the plant ingredients in a glass jar of any size with a lid and top it off with the alcohol.
2. Shake with prayers and spells. Seal with the lid, label, and allow it to sit for at least two months, shaking periodically.
3. Strain and add to hot cocoa, elixirs, teas, raw chocolate, or Lovers’ Licking Chocolate (see here).
Fresh Herbal Juices
We learned the “herstory” behind fresh herbal juices (see Raw Herbal Juices, shown here) and some great spring juice recipes. Following are my favorite herbal juices for the summer months, keeping us hydrated and cool.
Nerve-Repair Mint, Comfrey, and Saint John’s Juice
This is one of my all-time favorite fresh juices. It is delicious, refreshing, and hydrating. Everyone loves it! The predominant flavor of fresh mint makes it a desirable form of nutritive replenishment on a hot summer day. The other medicinal herbs, comfrey and Saint John’s wort, are incredible allies for supporting cellular, tissue, and nerve regeneration in the body.
Be aware that not all herbalists agree about using comfrey internally—some insist it is unsafe, and many herbalists get into heated debates on the topic. Other herbalists drink comfrey on a regular basis and question the methods of researching the toxicity of some alkaloids in the plant. I adore comfrey and find it to be one of my most beloved allies and healers, though I do not consume or recommend consuming it daily for an extended period of time, such as a few months. However, in my many years of working with comfrey, I have seen it to heal so deeply and profoundly. (For more about comfrey, including several precautions, see here.)
I shared this recipe with my dear friend Linda, who made this fresh juice five out of seven days a week for a few weeks and experienced a healing of old nerve tissue around her knee from an accident that had taken place six years prior. This is a deeply healing, regenerative juice.
Yield: 1 serving
2 handfuls fresh mint leaves
1 small fresh comfrey leaf
1 handful fresh Saint John’s wort leaves
1. Add ingredients to a blender full of spring water.
2. Blend, strain, and serve over ice.
3. Bottle and store in the fridge.
Watermelon-Mint Juice
In the summer, the garden gifts us hydrating fruits and vegetables, which are full of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that keep us nourished, cool, and energized. Watermelons are about 90 percent water, and they are a good source of vitamins as well as potassium, copper, and antioxidants. Blended with fresh peppermint and ice, this juice is refreshing, sweet, delicious, awakening, uplifting, and energizing.
Yield: 1 serving
4 cups (600 g) fresh watermelon
1 cup (96 g) fresh peppermint
1 cup (140 g) ice cubes
1. Cut watermelon into cubes, removing rind and seeds.
2. Blend all ingredients and enjoy!
Cooling Iced Teas
Schisandra Infusion
This simple schisandra infusion is the embodied energy of thriving in the full expression, enthusiasm, and expansion of the summer portal. Schisandra is an energizing, stimulating adaptogen, detoxifying to the body, focusing to the mind, and uplifting and empowering to the spirit. Read more about schisandra shown here and enjoy drinking her to connect to the motivated, creative energy available in the Summer portal.
Yield: 1 quart (946 ml)
1 tablespoon (25 g) dried whole schisandra berry (not powder)
1. Infuse the berries in 1 quart (946 ml) of hot water for an hour or more, preferably overnight.
2. As you drink the infusion, feel free to chew and eat the hydrated berries to receive all of her medicinal properties. Enjoy throughout the day to stay energized. A great ally to work with daily for a month to enjoy the maximum benefits of detoxification and activation.
Schisandra-Hibiscus Spritzer
Both schisandra and hibiscus are high in vitamin C, tonify the reproductive system, and hold the essence of thriving sensuality and bright energy. This infusion has a delicious lemony flavor and beautiful fuchsia color. Mixed with carbonated water and an optional sweetener, this effervescent pink drink is uplifting, beautifying, and fun for parties. You can also spike it with a nice vodka for a fabulous cocktail.
Yield: varies
1 tablespoon (25 g) dried whole schisandra berry
2 tablespoons (3.5 g) dried hibiscus flower
Sweetener of choice (optional)
Vodka (optional)
1. Allow the herbs to infuse in 1 quart (946 ml) of hot water for an hour or more.
2. Dilute halfway with sparkling water. May be sweetened or spiked with vodka. Serve over ice. Both the hibiscus flowers and the schizandra berries are edible, so no need to strain.
Goddess Beauty Infusion
This tea is incredibly beautiful—a clear fuschia color. It is also incredibly beautifying, rich in antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. Made of two of my favorite exalted Goddess herbs, butterfly blue pea and schisandra, this blend came through in meditation, where it was revealed that both plants are allies for manifestation, empowered creativity, sensuality, and embodied feminine power together balanced in their yin and yang aspects. Drink daily for a couple of weeks for greatest benefits and results.
Yield: 1 quart (946 ml)
1 tablespoon (7 g) dried butterfly blue pea flower
1 tablespoon (25 g) whole schisandra berry
1. Steep together in 1 quart (946 ml) of hot water for an hour or longer to make a deeply medicinal, adaptogenic and magickal infusion.
2. Serve over ice during the summer or dilute, to taste.
Coffee and Chocolate Creations
Motivated Mocha
This delicious, creamy, mochalicious, energizing sugar-free elixir is full of protein, adaptogens, brain tonics, and medicinal herbs that promote heart health. While it supports the circulatory system, it floods our body with feel-good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine that have no sugar high or crash. Sometimes in the portal of the South, we call on our plant allies to help us bend the laws of time and space. This is the perfect elixir when we need a little extra push and power. I have used it to fuel myself with sustainable, joyful energy and creative productive flow when juggling the multiple roles and responsibilities in the Summer aspect of my life.
Yield: 1 serving
1/2 mug (120 ml) organic, fair-trade coffee
1/2 mug (120 ml) hemp mylk
2 tablespoon (10 g) cacao powder
1 tablespoon (7 g) collagen powder (or pea protein powder for vegetarians and vegans)
1 tablespoon (14 g) medicinal extracts of reishi, turkey tail, lion’s mane mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) macuna (dopamine bean)
1 teaspoon monk fruit (1.5 g) (zero-glycemic sweetener)
3 drops vanilla liquid stevia extract
1. Blend all ingredients on high until frothy. Serve and enjoy.
Lovers’ Licking Chocolate
The climactic energies of summer nights, the moon in her luminous fullness, and the energies of creation in full expression may be enjoyed and enhanced in delicious ways with plants and lovers alike. This recipe is delicious, simple, and quick to prepare. It makes a delicious, thick, creamy chocolate ganache you can use to top a cake, drizzle over fresh strawberries and harden in the fridge, or lick off your lover’s body on a full-moon night. It is full of healthy fats as well a mineral-rich and heart-healthy sacred cacao.
Yield: about 11/4 cups (300 ml)
1/2 cup (109 g) extra-virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup (162 g) maple syrup (Grade B if possible)
1/2 cup (43 g) cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
Generous dash (about 1/8 teaspoon, or 0.25 g) Ceylon cinnamon powder
1. Melt the coconut oil on low heat stirring and turning off once it is liquid. (On a hot summer day, your coconut oil may already be in liquid form.)
2. Mix in the maple syrup, cacao, and vanilla.
3. Finish with the salt and cinnamon.
4. Dip your fingers in and test the results.
Butterfly Blue Pea and Vanilla Chia-Seed Pudding
Chia seeds are a superfood loaded with nutrients, healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, and protein. They offer sustained energy, regulate blood sugar, improve digestion, and give us what our bodies need to move through the high-energy demands of the Summer portal. When infused in water, juice, or a nut mylk, they plump up, creating a tapioca-like texture. This can then be blended to make a mousse or served with fruit and sweetened for a delicious, healthy dessert. I love to get creative, and I make infinite variations of chia-seed puddings! Here is a beautiful creamy version that satisfies your sweet craving and is loaded with antioxidants and nutrition.
Yield: varies
1 cup (240 ml) butterfly blue pea infusion
2 tablespoons (38 g) coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
1/8 cup (80 g) maple syrup or coconut sugar
1/4 cup (44 g) chia seeds
Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries
1. Blend the butterfly blue pea infusion with the coconut cream, the vanilla, and the sweetener of your choice.
2. For a mousse-like dessert, add the chia seeds and blend. For a tapioca-like consistency, pour the liquid into a jar and mix in the chia seeds.
3. Allow to sit for a few hours in the fridge, ideally overnight, stirring once if possible to prevent the seeds from clumping.
4. Cut the fruit into clear glass cups and alternate scooping layers of fruit and pudding on top. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup (optional).
IN THE GARDEN, ON THE EARTH
Summer is when the garden sings in glory. Fruits hang on trees, and every day there are fresh vegetables to harvest from the garden. Sometimes it feels like plants grow before our very eyes. Medicinal herbs flower and call out to pollinators and green witches, as many of them are ready for harvesting and medicine making.
The days are the longest of the year, and the energy of transformation is at its peak. This is the time to spend as much time as possible outside, in relationship with the gardens and lands you love. Think of the Mother archetype and how she lives in continual reciprocity with her children, community, and network of support and relations. This is the time to practice mothering land, to create healthy community, to spend time outside, and to socialize, expand your network, weave connections, and nourish reciprocal relationships. Now you generate bounty, learn directly from the plants that are in the peak of their expression, expand your abilities and apothecary, and transform yourself.
SUMMER RITUALS
In the season of Summer and the full moon portal, Witches draw on rituals of celebration to weave themselves into the climactic expression of energetic currents we have been encouraging since the darkness of Winter, through the awakening of Spring. Seeds that had been planted, prayers cast, visions in dark nights are now in ripe manifestation. While we never know what form our prayers will take, we pause in the Summer and give gratitude to the currents and mystery of life. We feed this portal with generosity, offerings, gratitude, devotion, and ceremonies of commitment.
The Summer Solstice is the holy day marking the highest point of solar expression, the longest day of the year, the peak of the masculine aspect of yang energy. In Europe, many villages celebrate by having a large bonfire, drinking and dancing into the night. Some make and burn male straw figures. While these are very pagan rituals, they have also been associated with celebrations of Saint John the Baptist Day, June 24 (just after the solstice). Some say the Christian church wove the strong pagan celebratory currents into Christian cosmology, moving the dates ever so slightly so the peak moment of the portal of magick was no longer accessed by the masses. In Poland, bonfires burn on Saint John’s Day, and on the Summer Solstice maidens weave flower crowns, decorate them with candles, and offer them to flowing rivers.
Following are some of my most beloved Summer rituals that weave us into the generous, transformative portals of magick. All rituals of celebration, gratitude, community, and full-moon rituals and festivities weave us into the portals of the South.
Ritual of Transformation: Fire Ceremony
The portal of the South allows us to access the transformative power of the fire element. With fire, we can access instant release, activate our courage, fuel our prayers, and create meaningful change and miraculous transformation.
A Fire Ceremony can be simple or elaborate. For a more elaborate version, consider gathering with your coven or in a group of three Witches. This adds power to the ritual and the sacred container you create. It requires courage, which feeds the portals of transformation. Gather with the intention of releasing energies that do not serve your highest evolution and replace them with prayers for growth. Each Witch should bring her sacred tools, crystals, flowers or herbs that hold power for her. Together, create an altar and at the center place a vehicle of fire: a cauldron, a fire pit, or a candle. Create sacred space and cast a circle of protection for your ritual. Shift your consciousness with meditation, breathwork, tea, plant medicine, music—whatever helps you enter prayer space. Spend some time writing down in a piece of paper all that you are releasing. Write it in the affirmative: “On this day, I release …” Alternatively, come to the ritual already having written down all you are releasing in this ceremony. On another piece of paper, write what you are calling into the space that will be made.
Having called in the spirits and your guides, in sacred space, approach the fire one by one, breathe into your solar plexus, and speak out loud what you are releasing. This requires courage as you move radical truth from your body out through the sound of your unapologetic throat and the clarity of your third eye. When it is not your turn to speak, hold witness and ground the container in sacred space through your presence and prayers, assisting your sister or brother Witch in their release. Once you have spoken what you are releasing, burn the paper in the fire and affirm loudly, “And it is done!” The other witches repeat, affirming the spell, “And it is done!” Take a moment, breathing into your body, closing your eyes, and connecting to the space that has been made from what you have released. With your hands on your heart, speak what energies you are inviting into the space that has been made. It is good to keep it general but to be clear in your boundaries of what may enter this space within you. For example, you may call in trust in yourself, peace, faith, self-love, or the like.
A simpler version involves lighting a candle and burning paper with words you speak of what you release. When casting your circle and calling in the elements, always give gratitude to the spirits of fire and their miraculous ability to create transformation.
Marking Rites of Passage
The Summer portal corresponds to the Mother archetype, a time in our life when we are autonomous adults forging our own destiny, creating from a place of passion and purpose on a path of self-love, discovery, and self-expression. Entering this portal is often the first time we have the opportunity to create a rite of passage for ourselves, a practice we may then share with our children, friends, and family and draw on as we age. In the portal of transformation, we learn to fully digest our experiences in order to receive their medicine while also releasing old patterns or tendencies that hold us back from evolving into our next incarnation. A rite of passage allows us to mark the ending of an era and the birth of a new one. Rituals draw on the power of symbols and their associations in various levels of our consciousness. The embodied aspect of rituals that may seem theatrical from the outside allows us to engage all aspects of ourselves, including where experience and memory is stored: in the tissue, in our movements, words, songs, emotions, visions. When creating a ritual to mark a rite of passage, craft one that engages all senses. Grieve the end of one era in order to fully open to the gifts of the next.
Some examples of times when marking a rite of passage may be useful:
• Becoming a parent, marking the death of the maiden aspect
• Moving cities, communities, or countries
• Changing jobs
• Ending a relationship
• Release of a pregnancy through miscarriage or abortion
• Claiming a new title or a new role in your community, such as teacher or therapist
SUMMER PORTAL HERBS
plant profile
Cacao
LATIN NAME Theobroma cacao
FAMILY Malvaceae
Cacao is a seed, coming from an orange reddish fruit resembling a small papaya that grows directly off the trunk and branches of a tropical evergreen tree. Though cacao is native to Central America, most currently comes from Africa and Brazil. With a history of thousands of years as sacred medicine and “food of the gods,” cacao continues to be a beloved plant consumed in large quantities by humans around the world, thus making it imperative we purchase certified fair-trade and organic cacao for ethical, environmental, and humanitarian reasons explained below.
HERBAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
• Nervous system stimulant: gives us energy and increases circulation
• Digestive: soothing to the stomach in bitter form
• Supportive to the heart: dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure
• Mineral rich
• Calming to the spirit, releases feelings of pleasure and joy
PLANT SPIRIT HEALING
I cannot imagine my life without cacao. It nourishes the root chakra, relaxes the parasympathetic nervous system, and brings feelings of ease, calm, and comfort. Cacao melts the body and heart into feelings of bliss, ranging from relaxation to feelings of giddy joy and euphoria. As an aphrodisiac and heart opener, cacao helps us connect lovingly to those around us. Boosting energy, motivation, joy, and mental clarity, cacao can fuel us in joyful creation and manifestation. As a plant spirit, she can be lover, seductress, or grandmother—her love is diverse and all encompassing. A dear friend and ethical chocolatière once pointed out that the guilt that some people feel when eating chocolate may be an energetic connection to sources that are unethical; indeed, some common candy brands use chocolate grown by slave children. How sad that an offering meant to elicit love can actually cause so much pain and suffering. For this reason, it is imperative that we boycott the big chocolate companies and purchase only fair-trade, organic cacao.
FAVORITE USES
• As food, making my own chocolate
• As drink and in elixirs
• As ceremonial drink, in meditation
plant profile
Schisandra
LATIN NAME Schisandra chinensis
FAMILY Schisandraceae
A perennial, deciduous climbing vine, schisandra grows in cool, temperate climates, having originated in northern China, Russia, and Korea. Harvest the red clusters of medicinal berries in the Fall for medicine—their seeds are shaped like kidneys. In traditional Chinese medicine, schisandra is called wu wei zi, the “five-taste berry”; it works on all meridians and organs and tonifies the three treasures: Qi, Jing, and Shen.
Those who are already frail or have a sensitive nervous system (classified as vata in Ayurvedic medicine) should use less schisandra, as she can be overstimulating to the nervous system and bring feelings associated with anxiety. For such individuals, I suggest adding a few berries to an infusion of oat straw.
HERBAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
• Adaptogen and longevity herb: used since ancient times as a plant for vigor, longevity, stamina, strength, and vigor
• Works on all systems of the body and all organs: strengthening to the immune system, nervous system, endocrine system, digestive system, cardiovascular system, and respiratory system (call her the miracle berry!)
• Nerve and mind tonic: energizing and stimulating, bringing mental clarity, focus, and motivation and uplifting with a brightening, antidepressant quality; amazing ally for chronic fatigue and stress; opening to the third eye and upper chakras
• Restorative to adrenals and kidneys: lifts us up out of darkness and lethargy, giving us energy while replenishing the adrenals and cleansing and tonifying the kidneys and liver
• Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich beauty herb, with astringent properties that tonify the reproductive system and balance the water element in the body, making us more “juicy”
• Inspires creativity
• Aphrodisiac: a sexual tonic for both men and women that boosts libido, stamina, and zest for life
• Cleansing to the body: protective to the liver, boosts metabolism
• Heart tonic: supports circulation and integrity of blood vessels, balances blood sugar and cholesterol
• Immunomodulating: great for those with allergies and overactive immune systems as well as those who need a deep immune-system tonic, cancer-fighting ally, or support for chronic viral conditions such as HIV
PLANT SPIRIT HEALING
Schisandra is a superhero, a miracle berry of light, bright joy and zesty, juicy encouragement. She is one of my most beloved allies and has saved my life many times in moments of supreme challenge, darkness, and oppression. When you first drink her, the bright, lemony taste feels energizing, and the pucker of sour shows us how she tightens and tonifies mucous membranes, helping us contain and move our water, creativity, energy, and vitality in a vessel of integrity. Balancing to all chakras, she increases chi, cleans out toxins, moves stagnant emotional and physical energy, and brightens and clears the energetic body, mind, spirit and heart. I often feel her spirit cleaning the windshield of my third eye, bringing clarity and focus to my visions while offering a sassy, supportive, sisterly “You got this!” I have created some real miracles in my life thanks to her support and uplifting energy. She has motivated me, inspired me, and gotten me unstuck in times of great hardship. If you work with her consistently for a month, you will see significant changes in your energy, and you may also begin to embody some of her sassy personality. She is not shy, she knows what she loves, and goes for it with confident joy and self-love!
FAVORITE USES
• Hot overnight infusion, enjoyed cold the following day (drink daily for a month)
• Mixed with oat straw for a more calming version
• Mixed with butterfly blue pea or hibiscus, as in recipes
• As a base for fabulous medicinal summertime cocktails with vodka and soda water
plant profile
Mint
LATIN NAME Mentha spp.
FAMILY Lamiaceae (mint family)
Low-growing, widely spreading, hardy perennial herbs native to Eurasia, North America, southern Africa, and Australia, mints are widely distributed throughout the temperate areas of the world and have naturalized in many places. These plants have a square stem and bright leaves that are harvested in the Spring and Summer and cut back after they have gone to flower and seed.
HERBAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
• Carminative and aromatic: wonderful after a meal to help digest and soothe the belly, especially in cases of gas, bloating, lethargy, and overeating
• Antispasmodic: relaxing to muscles, helpful for cramps and menstrual flow
• Diaphoretic: increases circulation and lowers body temperature
• Decongestant: opening to breath, lungs, and nasal passages
• Calming to the nervous system
• Supports mental clarity, focus, and clear communication
• Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory
PLANT SPIRIT HEALING
Peppermint and spearmint bring us to the joyful, sunny garden where the Earth is moist and the body feels grounded and revitalized. Nourishing, energizing, and grounding, this plant spirit is an ally for moving stuck energy, bringing vitality and light, and purifying our vibration. The mints move energy in the sacral chakra and solar plexus and can be activating, gently uplifting, and encouraging. The current of vital Earth energy continues to move up the chakras to a heart that opens with an expanding breath and greater clarity and perspective in the mind. The air element in mints has a strong presence and opens the centers of communication and the upper chakras. These plants have a confident, joyful disposition, helping us connect to the feelings of what it means to thrive, woven deeply into all the elements and the fabric of the nourished Earth.
FAVORITE USES
• In herbal formulas to improve taste and increase circulation
• In fresh herbal juices
• As an after-dinner digestive following heavy meals
• One of the best herbs to relieve gas
• Pairs incredibly well with watermelon (see recipes)
• In food medicine: I love to make a quinoa tabbouleh with generous amounts of parsley and mint.
plant profile
Calendula
LATIN NAME Calendula officinalis
FAMILY Asteraceae/Compositae (aster family)
This flowering annual reseeds itself easily, creating beautiful, daisy-like, velvet-smooth flowers, consisting of concentric rows of ray florets, colors ranging from yellow to orange, growing to about a foot. Calendula (pot marigold) is native to southern Europe but has spread, growing in temperate regions around the world. Incredibly easy to propagate, the seeds resemble lions’ jaws, and the flower resembles the sun.
HERBAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
• Vulnerary: wound healer, topically in salves, oils, teas, and washes; internally soothing, healing, and anti- inflammatory as well
• Antimicrobial, antiviral, immunostimulant
• Antispasmodic: relaxing to tension in the body, an ally supportive of menstrual flow and a magickal herb for the womb and sacral chakra
• Lymphatic: moves the waters in the body and cleanses the lymphatic system
• Calendula has ancient associations with goddesses of many cultures such as Xochiquetzal, the Aztec love goddess; Mother Mary (source of the name marigold); the Indian Goddess Mahadevi; the Greco-Roman Diana and Apollo; and many more
• There is much lore and magick associated with protection spells, love spells, and secret teachings of life and death.
PLANT SPIRIT HEALING
While her simple beauty can easily be overlooked, behind the childlike joy is deep magick and portals that open gateways to the mysteries. I have received profound teachings and healing from the marigold, including instant healing with herbal bathing associated with problems I was experiencing in my womb. She bridges the lands of the living and the dead, the masculine and feminine aspects, light and dark. In meditation, she calms the spirit, soothes and nourishes the water element and brings gentle inspiration, movement, and creative flow. Opening to the heart chakra and gently consciousness shifting, I find this plant spirit very accessible and available as a healer and guide.
FAVORITE USES
• Edible flower on salads
• For salves, oils, and other beauty uses, including baby bum-rash balm
• Flower essences
• In gardening, for pollinators, as an easy, beautiful herb and groundcover
• For tea, tincture, infused honey, and infused vinegar
• For bath and shamanic meditations—an incredible teacher plant
plant profile
Hibiscus
LATIN NAME: Hibiscus rosa, Hibiscus sabdariffa
LATIN NAME Hibiscus sabdariffa
FAMILY Malvaceae (Mallow Family)
Hibiscus is an evergreen shrub with flossy, oval deep-green leaves and large, beautiful, fully open five-petaled flowers ranging from pink to red, with her reproductive parts sticking out on a long filament. Native to North Africa and Southeast Asia, she grows in tropical regions around the world.
HERBAL AND MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
• Astringent, cooling herb: used often in tropical folk medicine to cool the body, cleanse the urinary-tract system, relieve fevers, and tonify the reproductive organs
• Anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive: lowers blood pressure and is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and nutrients.
• Antiparasitic and antibacterial: a great ally for urinary-tract and bladder infections
• Aphrodisiac: heart chakra opener with ancient magickal lore connected to the Goddess
PLANT SPIRIT HEALING
Beautiful hibiscus embodies a sensual, creative, feminine, and loving energy, supporting us in dissolving sexual trauma, cleansing and purifying the womb space, and bringing the spirit of her ever-renewing blossoms. She teaches self-love and treating oneself as sacred. A great ally for healthy boundaries, she opens the heart and has helped many women reconnect to their sexuality, sensuality, and innocence. Cooling and hydrating in the summer months, she replenishes us and makes us feel like a goddess.
FAVORITE USES
• Hibiscus glycerite
• Iced tea (see recipes, shown here)
• Edible leaves in salads
• Flower essence
SOUTH PORTAL JOURNAL PROMPTS
Reflect on the element of fire in you. These are some examples.
Fire element in balance
• Healthy sense of self, self-motivation, being fueled by a zest for life, ability to follow through, act, and create in a consistent, effective way (balanced with earth)
• Passion, purpose, playfulness, joy, optimism, warm disposition (balanced with earth, water, and air)
• Good boundaries, but not rigid (balanced with earth, water, and air)
• Ability to take risks, step outside of the status quo, and confront injustice
Fire element out of balance
• Jealousy, being quick to anger, bad temper, volatility (needs grounding of earth and cooling and calming of water)
• Inflammation in the body, rashes, eczema, dry skin (needs demulcent, hydrating, anti-inflammatory herbs)
• Really quick metabolism, does not assimilate nutrients (needs more earth and water, grounding foods high in fats and healthy grains and veggies, and consistent, earth-paced eating habits)
• Unmotivated, depressed, lethargic (needs more fire to balance earth)
Reflect on how you can cultivate balance in a time and culture that pushes doing and giving.
• Which practices of the North portal help balance the energies of the South for you?
• How can you mother yourself? What are your deepest emotional needs right now, and how can you support yourself in receiving what is most nourishing for your soul?
• Make a list of all the things in our life and plans that feel like a big, resounding yes!
• Make a list of all the things, people, and plans in your life that feel like a “meh” or a no.
• What do you most want to transform right now? In yourself? In your life? In your community? In the world?
• Find inspiration in an activist or one of your heroes. How did or do they live their life in courage?
• What achievements can you celebrate right now? Make a long list! Remember all the things that you have started as seeds and hopes. Take the time and do a ritual of celebration honoring all that you have accomplished, all the ways you have grown. The full moon is an optimal time for this ritual.
• Create a ritual marking a transformation in your life. Perhaps you have literally become a mother. How could you ritualize the death of the Maiden, or the new beginnings that await you? Perhaps you are turning fifty this year. How can you deeply honor the significance of the transformations in your life?
