Of Will & Wishes - Working with Dandelion Medicine

Everyone knows this weedy wonder.

Many are beginning to wake up to their healing benefits, despite the lawn cultivating culture that deems this plant public enemy #1 and a primary target of poisonous endocrine-disrupting herbicides.

I say, stop the war and let the weeds win.

There’s a big reward in that kind of surrender.

A reward of health, not just because we aren’t poisoning the soil and water (and ourselves) with chemicals, but because of the nutrient density and medicinal properties of many of the weeds.

It’s interesting that on a spiritual and energetic level, Dandelion affects the solar plexus center, the place of identity, will, and action. I say this because, we have the will to shift our relationship with plants we may not see the value of. We have the will to find the beauty and gifts in these plants.

Dandelion is also a plant of wishes. It is a rare individual who has not blown on a fluff of Dandelion seeds to make a wish. My wish is that we all understand the value and wisdom of the wild and weedy ones. Especially those who make decisions about using weed killer or not!

(You might be very happy to learn that NYC Parks Department stopped spraying herbicides, thanks to a group of elementary school kids’ dedication, wishes, and will!)

I’ve written about Dandelion a few times before.

This is one of the plants that I mark the seasons by, that I feel the turning of the wheel of the year with, that I incorporate into my life on a regular basis.

In the following video I’ll share a bit more about this plant’s magical attributes and we’ll go on a journey with them to our inner sun.

Enjoy the video! Please like, share, comment, and all that good stuff.

Healing Plant Connections - Birch

Birch is such a magical tree - revered throughout the boreal forest that circumnavigates the globe.

The Human-Birch relationship is deep and deeply spiritual.

I’ve written about Birch before, so I won’t give away too much. (Plus in my last post I showed you how to make Birch beer.)

Especially because in the following video I’ll take you outside to meet the Birch tree at the edge of spring.

I’ll share some clues for identification, as well as a whole bunch of the rich symbolic and spiritual aspects of this graceful tree.

And I’ll take you on a journey to Birch to call in a new beginning for yourself or the world.

Enjoy the video, and please share and comment to let me know what you think!

Want to get to know Birch a little better? Check out INFUSE a la carte Birch month – a whole month’s worth of lessons on Birch, including meditations, identification, wildcrafting, medicine making, crafts, lore, and more.

And if you want to go even deeper with the healing plants, you might want to join INFUSE for a season or the year!

Mystical Mullein Smoking Blend

Wow, did I have some wild dreams last night.

While I don’t recall them all, I’m left with a certain feeling that I tapped into an unusual state of consciousness. I had several moments of active hypnagogia and hypnopompia - those states between being awake and falling sleep, and being asleep and waking (respectively). At one point I was speaking to someone in the dream as I was waking up, recounting a dream within a dream to them. I caught myself with eyes open yet still half asleep, speaking aloud to that person who was still in the dream.

I’m not totally certain that I can attribute the phenomena to a particular herb or combination of herbs, but being as I have been a bit rundown I’ve been increasing my intake of certain herbs that might stimulate my body to produce GABA – gamma-aminobutyric acid – a neurotransmitter that can affect our brain waves. Specifically, GABA has been shown to increase alpha waves – which are active when we are relaxed and not thinking too much. Our brains produce these waves as we are beginning to fall asleep or just starting to wake up.

I’ve increased my intake of both Oregano (Oregano vulgare) and Bee Balm (Monarda species) - the former in the form of oil and the latter as an infusion. These are both mint family (Lamiaceae) plants. Many of the plants in this family contain rosmarinic acid and other compounds that have an effect on GABA production. They’re great herbs to take before meditation or to enhance dream recall and as oneirogens, or dream-stimulating herbs.

Although not typically thought of as an oneirogen, and not a member of the mint family but the figwort or Scrophulariaceae, Mullein (Verbascum species) does have an effect on dreams. Some say that Mullein helps to ward off nightmares. I find that it has a gently supportive quality, that brings grounding and relaxation with its mildly soporific effects. Like a light in the dark, Mullein can be an anchor or beacon to guide someone through dreams.

As with all herbs, individual results will vary.

Mullein leaves, roots, and flowers can be drunk as an infusion or taken as a tincture. Another way that some folks like to enjoy Mullein is to smoke the leaves. There are a couple of ways to do this, which I’ll show you in the following video. In it, I mix up an herbal smoking blend for occasional or ceremonial use. Enjoy the video and I look forward to your comments, either in this post or on YouTube.

If you enjoyed this video, you’ll love INFUSE, a monthly immersion to deepen your relationship with healing plants. We work with one plant each month, connecting through meditation, wildcrafting, medicine making, ritual, and other creative collaborations with the Wise Green Ones. Learn more and join a community of fellow plant lovers.

Rosemary Bath for Loving Clarity

Water is a conduit for healing. And water has memory. The waters of our body hold deeply stored emotions, and when we let them flow, we can have a healthy relationship to these emotions.

One way to get in tune with this flow is to spend time with water. Study a waterfall. Listen to the dripping of a melting icicle. Imagine being a piece of driftwood or a fallen leaf floating down a river. Get in the water!

Baths are one of my favorite restorative rituals. I start with an herbal infusion. Rosemary is a favorite! This herb is fantastic for the skin and hair, but what’s more – Rosemary is restorative. Rosemary stimulates circulation, bringing mental clarity and awakening our hearts. Like water, Rosemary helps us remember.

After I make an infusion (steep the herbs for about 20 minutes or more), I like to draw a bath as hot as I can stand. Strain said infusion into the water. Turn off all the lights. Get in the tub. Completely submerge myself in the water. And then I tone - loudly - allowing the vibration of my voice to course through the water and penetrate my cells. It is an herbal-water-sound bath. It is one of the most powerful practices I know.

Out of the darkness I allow images, messages, and sensations to arise. It’s another way of dreaming. And btw, Rosemary is also a great dream herb.

I haven’t been practicing this bath ritual much since the pandemic has kept everyone at home and I’ve had little privacy.

So instead I’ve been spending time with the ocean, swimming in the icy cold salt water. And even though Rosemary isn’t in the sea, her name means “dew of the sea.” Rosemary originally hails from the Mediterranean and is linked to Aphrodite, love goddess born from the sea. And I would say Rosemary would be connected to other ocean goddesses, too, as all oceans are one.

Mama Ocean, Goddesses of the sea, and Rosemary - they all stimulate feelings of love and of clarity - reminding us that We Are Love.

In the following short video, I share how to make a Rosemary infusion for the bath. I highly recommend it!

If you liked this video and would like to experience a deeper connection to the plant realm, you’ll love INFUSE. Doors are open for the spring season. We begin March 3 with Cleavers (Galium aparine)! Learn more and register.