Mission Magic TV Show

No, I don’t mean Mission Magic! although that would be kind of awesome (and give me kudos for the obscure reference please!) – but something even more awesome:

That’s right, Herbstalk 2012 Boston’s first Herbal festival:

HERBSTALK: Saturday, June 9, 2012.
Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. in Somerville, MA

Classes run from 11am to 6pm
Herbal Marketplace open from 11am to 6pm.

Admission: $5 suggested donation. Open to everyone!
Children are welcome!

What’s Herbstalk about?  Well, it’s about one day – more seriously…

HERBSTALK is a community event devoted to educating and inspiring people about the common and safe use of medicinal herbs. During our day-long herb fest there will be educational talks and workshops geared towards herbal beginners of all ages. All classes are given by local practicing or aspiring herbalists who are coming together in order to share their knowledge of the healing power of plants. We believe that  herbal education empowers people to take their health into their own hands and builds a vital connection to the natural world and the plants that sustain us.

Our mission is to connect people with healing herbs. HERBSTALK envisions a world in which people of all backgrounds have an understanding of herbs that can be used to heal, feed and nurture us all.

HERBSTALK has become an evolving collective of herb-lovers composed of individuals, organizations, schools and businesses that want to help their community understand and embrace the healing powers of plants. Will you join us?

Hey I’d be going even if I wasn’t giving a talk there  (check out my events page and yes I finally have an events page – which is only half way there since I have several things still to be scheduled this summer.)

If you’re in or near Boston next Saturday – I hope you go and enjoy.

Thanks to my good friend Steph for having the vision and magic to make Herbstalk happen!  (Hi Steph!)

P.S. Sadly Miss Tickle from Mission Magic won’t be there.

Miss Tickle Mission Magic

I’m sure Steph did her best, but can you imagine what sort of speaking fee she must have wanted….

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

In the past I had never given Alfalfa the due she deserved.   I had been taught it as valuable for its nutritive properties, but somehow those never leaped out to me as special compared to others like nettles, any seaweed, etc.   When I finally spent time working with Alfalfa, I felt the calming and supportive magic when I was stressed.

It was Matthew Wood who put the finger on what was really going on in my view (The Earthwise Herbal:  A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants):

“The medicinal properties more likely depend on the strong alkalinity of the herb.  Many problems are due to acidity.  Alkalization sedates the nerves and muscles, removes acids from the digestive tract and internal environment, improving digestion, reducing putrefaction in the gut, and cleansing the internal fluids and tissues.”

When I read that, I knew that was what I was feeling when I worked with Alfalfa.  When you’re stressed your body produces so much excess acids and Alfalfa helps with that.  It’s generally considered a good herb to use when treating nervousness, irritability and insomnia – I suspect for primarily for that reason.

Milky Oats (Avena sativa)

Milky Oats – Avena Sative (Wikipedia)

Milky Oats first appeared on my herbal radar in a significant way when I noticed she appeared in the nervine tincture blend I liked best, after spending some time checking out different blends by different companies.  All the other herbs used across the board seemed to be variations of the usual suspects (Skullcap, Passionflower, etc.)  But the blend with Milky Oats had an extra magic to it that really resonated with me.

I think that David Winston and Steven Maimes summed it up best (Adaptogens):

 “Fresh milky oat extract is a superb food for the nervous system.  It is a slow-acting tonic remedy that calms shattered nerves, relieves emotional instability, reduces the symptoms of drug withdrawal, and helps restore a sense of peace and tranquility to overstressed, angry and chronically upset people.”

Milky Oats is a classic nervine and often used with cases of nervous exhaustion, mental strain and insomnia.  I also think it is an amazing supportive player in combination with other herbs with similar actions making blends stronger.

Nettles, Stinging (Urtica dioica)

Nettle-(Stinging)—Urtica-dioica (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Hey, what can I say about Nettles, because like many herbalists I just completely love them.  They are amazingly nutritive and strong ally to us all.

I remember the very first time I drank a strong Susun Weed style infusion of Nettles (quart Mason jar 1/3 full of dried nettle and then add boiling water, infused overnight)  and was blown away by how dark black, complex and yummy they were.  I couldn’t get enough of it for weeks on end.  What they had, I clearly needed badly.

Nettles are filled with minerals and are so nutritious that I’m embarrassed for my neighbors who keep tearing them out of their gardens to grow things far less healthy.  And Nettles have an abundance of uses – see Susun Weed’s Healing Wise for wonderful coverage of that.

As I was flipping through some books today in writing this, one of the more interesting bits that I don’t recall hearing about before came from Maud Grieve’s A Modern Herbal:

“Nettle is anti-asthmatic:  the juice of the roots or leaves, mixed with honey or sugar, will relieve bronchial and asthmatic troubles and the dried leaves, burnt and inhaled, will have the same effect.”

My Own Take:  Individually any one of these is a great herb to work with, but when you have a strong need I find them amazingly powerful as a team. (You can throw in an adaptogen if you’re so inspired but frankly I find them just perfect as is for a blend.)

I’ve tended to call this blend the Three Amigas (Friends) because I see them as supportive friends to help you when you’re stressed and life feels out of control.  One nourishes you exceptionally (Nettles), one cleanses you (Alfalfa) and the last helps to calm you (Milky Oats) – like the best of friends should in your life when you’re in need.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Stop.     You used to be cool back in the day, but now you shill for greenwashing companies, so away with you and let me get on with at little tree love today.

I’m embarking on a tree themed summer and as part of that I’m starting to line up some readings along those lines.  First up is Tree Medicine Tree Magic by Ellen Evert Hopman.

Cover to Tree Medicine Tree Magic by Ellen Evert Hopman

I generally prefer to review what a book is rather than review what it isn’t.  But I’m going to do that anyway.   This book is so almost what I wanted but not quite.  Not that it is a bad book, it is in fact good for what it is.  I just kept having moments where I felt a nagging feeling of something lacking or wanting something else or more.

The introduction to the book sets a great tone where she says:

“My purpose in writing this book is twofold.  First, I wish to remind the world of the beauty and poetry of the large trees that are being decimated everywhere to make room for parking lots and shopping malls, to make paper and wood products, and also through the destruction of rainforests and wildlands.  My second intention is to bring to public awareness how useful natural medicines are, how easy they are to prepare, and how available they are year round in our own back yards.”

In some ways the book does just that.  For each of the 19 major tree families she covers, there is a chapter with sections on:

• Brief descriptions of individual species within that family
• Practical Uses
• Herbal Uses
• Magical Uses
• Poems between each chapter

One of the problems for me is the the black and white drawing for the trees.  They are fine drawings but linked with the limited descriptions they fail to invoke the trees discussed for me.  Let alone the majesty and power of them.  I’ll contrast it to a similar book The Meaning of Trees: Botany, History, Healing, Lore by Fred Hageneder (which I’ll be review before long) which has wonderful color photos that force you to pause and take in the tree.

There are times when I was reading on certain trees and felt them well covered but too often, I found myself thinking “Is that all? Isn’t there more to tell about that tree?”

At one point, she talks about Christmas and problems with attitudes toward  it as well as the killing of pine trees for it.  Then she relates her friend’s solution “to seek out the ugliest most asymmetrical tree” and that she found that “my little misshapen tree had a natural, windswept beauty that made it truly original and deeply loved.”   And I couldn’t help but think how I liked that story better in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

There are things that I wish had more explanation like when she talks of hawthorn:

“It is wise not to use hawthorn alone as it is a powerful herb.  Mix it with borage, motherwort, cayenne, garlic, and dandelion flowers for a long term heart program.”

Where I’d love more discussion of that since I haven’t seen or heard that warning before.  I’m not doubting her, but simply wanted more.  Mind you while I’ve used hawthorn by itself many times, I generally prefer it in blends myself including one of my favorites – hawthorn, eleuthero, licorice, milky oats and violet – I’ve never noticed a problem with using it alone.

But there are also profound bits like this scattered throughout:

“Large trees are a very valuable asset to the physical and mental health of society in general.  Tall trees act to conduct energy from the atmosphere to the ground, and vice versa.  Large trees in the neighborhood contribute to feelings of stability and strength for the community.”

I wouldn’t mind reading a larger essay along those lines.

I think in some ways I’m sounding harsher than is necessary because I suspect the book is partly just showing its age. It’s from 1991, out of print, and I’d love to see it revised and expanded.   A lot of its information can be found elsewhere, and sometimes more thoroughly, but in separate books.   If you already have good herbal reference books you’ll find the medicinal coverage, ID books will introduce to trees more completely, you can find books on the spiritual and magical aspects.

Nowadays, if you have other books that cover these things separately you don’t need to hunt it down.  (While back in 1991 it would have been the go to book, IMO.)  But if you happen to come across a good used copy, then definitely grab it as a nice addition to your herbal library.  There’s still wisdom and useful info to be found in there if you look for it.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

“I am the Lorax and I speak for Waki-Cola in our new Enviro-Bottle..”

Out, out damn Lorax. I’m dialing 911….

Front View:

Plotting (Image by Michael Blackmore – Mad Crow Herbals)

Side View:

Plotting (side view) (Image by Michael Blackmore – Mad Crow Herbals)

It’s about 7 feet wide by 9 feet long and gets plenty of sun.

I spent a little time Earthing and connecting to the soil.

Connecting with the Soil (Image by Michael Blackmore – Mad Crow Herbals)

Which disturbed the neighbors for some reason, but scaring the neighbors can be good for the soul. 

Once I knew what the space was like I decided what I wanted to plant where by looking at the recommended planting distances and estimated heights.  Taken from the book Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs by Tammi Hartung (which is a great reference book!)

Give the space and conditions, here’s what I decided to try growing:

• Calendula
• California Poppy
• Feverfew
• Lemon Balm
• Motherwort
• Mugwort
• Skullcap

I figured I’d do the Lemon Balm, Motherwort and Mugwort in containers partly because they tend to run a muck pretty easily and partly due to the heights of the last two so I can easily place them where they won’t block the sun of the other plants.  While the rest would go into the plot itself.

According to much of what I read, most of the seeds needed some cold to prep them (cold stratification) for two weeks.  Between the different books and sources there was a certain lack of agreement of the best way to do it (other than putting them in the fridge.)  In the end when I couldn’t decide which thing was best, I went with whichever seemed closest to what they’d find in nature.

I began channeling a little OCD and was putting one seed in each seedling cup as several sources recommended, but then as the seeds grew smaller I surrendered to it and if several fell in, then so be it.     Besides that is way more like nature.  (I did, just in case, set up 30 seedling cups when in the end I’m aiming for 15 plants.)

Everything thing I read warned you must label the seeds because you won’t remember what was where – with much talk about sticks, toothpicks, labels, etc.   All of which seemed quite excessive to me.  A seedling tray is a grid, just like a spreadsheet. So I just marked what was the front and entered it all in a spreadsheet.

See much easier!

While the seeds did their thing, I ordered some nice soil made by Vermont Compost Company.   So I could add another layer to the plot when the time comes and fill the containers for the three going there.  And these great Smart bags for the containers.

Two weeks ago, I took put the seedling tray on their warming mat, underneath their grow light and humidity dome and started waiting for the magic.    Within a couple of days a couple of California Poppies emerged gingerly and gently into the light.  Then a Skullcap and  by the end of the week the rest of the Skullcap.  Then a few more days and a Motherwort appeared and then nothing since…so I began to go into back up thinking, fretting and worrying.

Do I have to order seedlings?  I had lined up a back up place to order (Crimson Sage Nursery) seedlings from which carried all the ones I wanted.  I could probably harvest a few from around the neighborhood, etc.

I hadn’t written off the other seeds yet.  And more importantly,  I had to let go of a couple of things.

First was my attachment to what the books said.  I had become too caught up in the timetables offered by the seductive charts and tables, and my orderly notions that they would all be ready at the same time and all go outside together.  That’s human folly.  The seeds will grow when they chose (or not.)  Some will want to go in May and others in June.

And more importantly,  I may have wanted to plant certain ones, but some may be drawn more powerfully to come out than others.   The Skullcaps were amazingly venturesome, not only were the six you see, but since the seeds were so small I ended up with several seeds in each cup.  And I’ve been busily thinning them because each one seemed to emerge!   (Gee, I can’t image why  nervines would be so needed by someone who makes spreadsheets of a seedling tray….)

Seedlings Go! – (Image by Michael Blackmore – Mad Crow Herbals)

So maybe I’ll just end up planting what arrives into the world, when it arrives, because that it the way it should be. 

One of the many reasons I chose this route instead of just buying seedlings.  There are so many learning opportunities at so many levels when you work with the plants rather than let someone else do it and buy their product.

More in the coming weeks as they develop.  

Here are the rules I set for myself:

• The plants I cover can only be within three blocks of my house
• They can’t be in parks, gardens, etc.  they have to be wild city plants.  Side walk spaces, median strips, vacant lots or off abandoned sections of yards near the street are fine – as long as it is clear no one is tried to plant them
• They have to be in more than one location in that area.  If there is just one plant it doesn’t count or if it can only be found in one place it doesn’t count.  And there has to be enough that you could harvest for yourself if needed – not for making medicine to distribute to others.
• And only finding these by casually looking in my normal walks to and fro.  No extensive searches or going up streets and locations I usually don’t.  I want to find what is offered, not what I can hunt down to exploit.

The notion is you’re home, you need something quick and within five minutes you can find what you need for yourself.  And in particular, I’m doing this focused on being in a city, not a suburb or the country, etc.  – that’s what I’d call an Herbalhood.

Be warned there are a lot of pictures here.  And because of the volume, I’ll only mention a tiny bit at best about what each is good for otherwise this would be a mammoth out of control post.

In alphabetical order by common name, here we go…

1) Burdock

Burdock—Articum-lappa (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

In this case I found two whole different abandoned lots filled with them.  Burdock is traditionally used for cleansing toxins from the system and considered good for the liver.  Hmm, that area has lots of liquor stores and really greasy, fast food restaurants.
2) Chickweed

Chickweed—Stellaria-media (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Hey it’s all over. Soothing and good for various skin conditions as well as being a nutritive plant.  Pretty much everyone living in the city needs that.
3) Dandelion

Dandelion—Taraxacum-officinale (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Detoxifying and cleansing – with special affection for the kidneys and liver.  It’s everywhere we are, because everywhere we live we need it.
4) Greater Celandine

Greater-Celandine—Chelidonium-majus (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

And it is everywhere as well.  Traditionally a cure all  – with affinities for the lungs and gall bladder.  Sap is used for warts.  But it is strong plant best used with knowledge and care.

5) Ground Ivy

Ground-Ivy—Glechoma-hederacea (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Another one that is everywhere.  Often used with ailments and weaknesses of the ear, nose, throat and digestive system.  Hmm, all the things city air and life hurts the most.
6) Knotweed

Japanese-Knotweed—Fallopia-japonica (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Don’t even need to point out how common this one is.  In traditional Chinese medicine it is used for cancer, inflammation and high cholesterol.  And here is considered as a treatment for Lyme disease.
7) Mugwort

Mugwort—Artemisia-vulgaris (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

To be truthful, this particular mugwort isn’t around anymore (not that mugwort isn’t plentiful locally enough to count.)  I chose to use this picture because it illustrates the ability of the plants to appear as needed.  This one was in a corner of door of an abandoned garage and grew to eight feet tall.  It was the first specific plant I dreamed.  I saw it in a dream and knew I had to make a tea from its leaves.  I did  so that night and had a very influential dream on my life path (I may share that another time.)   Mugwort is traditionally a digestive and for elimination of worms.

8) Mullein

Mullein—Verbascum-thapsus (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Not as abundant as some of the others but I found four plants in different locations so I count it. Used historically for coughs and congestion.  And externally as a wound healer.

9) Nettles

Nettle-(Stinging)—Urtica-dioica (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Another one that is everywhere we are.  And outside herbal community not given the love it should.  One of the most nutritional and nourishing plants around.  Better than most of the one’s we buy in the stores to put on our tables.  It’s detoxifying and helps with skin conditions.

10)  Plantain

Plantain—Plantago-major (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Another one in abundance.  Where Europeans walk it follows so goes the lore of Native Americans (earning it the name White Man’s Footprint.)  Great for drawing out toxins from wounds and easing itching – mosquito and other bug bites.

11)  Red Clover

Red-Clover—Trifolium-pratense (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Another fairly common one.  Often used for skin conditions and as an expectorant.  Plus it helps rebuild the soil.

12)  Reishi

Reishi (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

I found three of these which surprised me, so I decided to count them.  There are several different species of reishis which all have the similar immune building uses.
13) Shepherd’s Purse

Shepherd’s-Purse—Capsella-bursa-pastoris (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

This year we have an embarrassment of riches with Shepherd’s Purse.  Not just clumps of plants every 10 – 15 feet, but only stands like this every block or so it seems – particularly in the area of my neighborhood near where there had been several  shootings and assaults this spring.  It’s good for bleeding – coincidence?

14)  Violets

Violet—Viola-odorata (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Another that is pretty common.  Used for coughs and congestion and in treating breast and stomach cancers.

15)  Yellowdock

Yellow-Dock—Rumex-crispus (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

I found one stand in with a bunch a knotweed, plus about a half dozen assorted individual plants in different locations.  So present and easy to find.  The root is a handy laxative.  Hey no one eating take out fast food in the city ever needs that, right? 

And two honorable mentions that aren’t used medicinally so much now but used to be.
16) Garlic Mustard

Garlic-Mustard—Alliaria-petiolata (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

It’s every where and particularly abundant this year it seems.  It is not only yummy to eat.  But it traditionally was used externally for ulcers.

17) Winter Cress

Winter-Cress—Barbarea-vulgaris (Image by Michael Blackmore, Mad Crow Herbals)

Another mustard that is making a strong showing in my Herbalhood.  I found about eight of these about.  Old scurvy treatment amongst other things.

Ta-da!  And that is almost a dozen and half without trying hard.  If I had looked harder or loosened my rules, I could have easily increased that number.  Heck, if I included trees alone that would have done it (I left off trees because in the city they are planted by choice rather than being provided by nature like these.)

And somehow, thinking about the neighborhood/Herbalhood, I feel myself channeling Mr. Rogers (who was so the Jimmy Page of children’s television!) and with apologies to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood I give you…

Mad Crow’s Herbalhood

It’s a beautiful day in this Herbalhood,
A beautiful day for a herbalist,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

It’s a herbally day in this beautywood,
A herbally day for a beauty,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?

I have always wanted to have a herb just like you,
I’ve always wanted to live in a Herbalhood with you.

So let’s make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we’re together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won’t you be my herbal?

Won’t you please,
Won’t you please,
Please won’t you be my herbal?

Ah, brings tears to my eyes.

Since my passion for nature and books rank pretty high in my life, I I wanted to give it a spin and spent considerable time thinking about what book would I focus on. There were several contenders which I’ll talk about another day, but my first choice was The Forest by Roger Caras.

Cover to The Forest by Roger Caras

Caras’ book always held a special magic for me, because it was the book that really got me seeing the hidden and connected world in nature. It’s a narrative view of a forest exploring the life, and lives, of everything within it from the most microscopic to the largest plants and animals.

What made it powerful for me was the way it invoked the sense of how much life, connections and activity are essentially invisible to us. Its tales of the complex life in the soil to the animals that hide from us, the struggles and interactions that occur around us made me realize what we see and we think we know is only a portion of a much larger and mostly elusive whole.

The seed it planted, so to speak, grew over the years both connected to new understanding and old pieces of knowledge:

• The way plants and fungi form communities sharing nutrients and information beneath the soil.
• The chemical messages plants share
• The language of scents, unnoticed by us, that animals and insect live in
• The many times we attempt to shape the natural world only to have it change in unexpected ways
• The complex community of life that lives inside us and our health depends on

From that I understood that we don’t live as part of the food chain we were foolish taught as children, with humans conveniently on top. Or even a food web which still sounds like something we master. Instead we are a thread in a much broader and vastly interconnected tapestry of life.

Pulling threads and altering threads has unforeseen effects. The more we alter it to suit ourselves, the more fragile the whole becomes. We need to live sustainably or risk unraveling it and ourselves in the process.

For me that powerful realization grew from that beginning of insight contained in Caras’ book.

I like to look it at as a time to start working on repairing and strengthening our relationship with the earth and nature. Because when we do that – we change the ways we are, the way we behave and our actions in the world. Then the two camps above aren’t so important anymore.

 Appreciate and Connect

You can connect with Nature with a capital N in the wild, parks, etc.:

Magic Tree (Image by Michael Blackmore - Mad Crow Herbals)

And those places are magical and important. When you can go, then go. But it becomes too easy to see the magic of the earth as reserved to special places.

Everywhere is a special place. Celebrate and appreciate them all.  Even in the heart of the city you can see magic.

The wonder of mushrooms after a spring rain:

Spring Rain Mushroom Bounty (Image by Michael Blackmore Mad Crow Herbals)

Stop and appreciate them.

Or an indomitable lone mullein poking forth between the street and the sidewalk:

Street Mullein (Image by Michael Blackmore Mad Crow Herbals)

Relish those every bit as much as a distant pristine forest; for nature is all around us.

Nourish and Give Back

Find particular plants, either in the wild or the urban jungle – and connect with them by learning about them and nourishing them. Pick a plant you see regularly and if you don’t know it, then learn about it. Stop and talk to it and spend time with it. Nourish it by bringing a little water or fertilizer – or simply your presence and attention.

Watch the animals in your area and learn about them. See them, the plants and the people as part of the same environment and connected.

You can help things grow in new places like I have extra medicinal herbal seeds from my garden planning that I’ll “seed” around in appropriate areas (all local plants and not invasive exotics!)

Look for groups like this great one in Boston – Boston Tree Party which organizes events to plant fruit trees in public accessible places increasing the nature in the city and providing free abundant foods for folks.

There are bigger groups that not only do advocacy but also protect, nourish and preserve the environment. I’m fond of these:

• Audubon Society
• Ocean Conservancy
• National Wildlife Federation

Learning More

There are tons of wonderful books on natural history, learning to ID plants, animals, etc. – almost all of worth exploring. But here are some more philosophical ones that I’d like to share.

My Name is Chellis and I’m in Recovery from Western Civilizationby Chellis Glendinning  – A very influential book for me that talks about how damaged psychologically we have become by being so disconnected from nature. And how valuable it is to connect to nature and spend time in nature.

Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings by John Seed and World as Lover, World as Self: Courage for Global Justice and Ecological Renewal by Joanna Macy – both of these are great books for learning to see our connections to nature and importance of that oneness and actions to recognize it.

Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor by Leonardo Boff -  a little more obscure but interesting book connecting Latin American Liberation theology, advocacy for the poor and environment.

Last Thoughts

Lastly, just go and spend time standing barefoot on the earth. There’s something powerful about connecting your skin to the skin of the earth that is lost in daily life. Try it every day if you can.

Earthing - (Image by Michael Blackmore - Mad Crow Herbals)

Love you Mother Earth! Thank You! THANK YOU!

the Earth - NASA composite image

P.S.  Check out the awesome collection of Earth Day Posts that the ever awesome Lucinda at Whispering Earth assembled for her Earth Day Blog Party!

(Still from the movie The Brain From Planet Arous)

Actually, sometimes it feels like my mind is that big and hovering over me like that….

But thanks to yoga, paired with spiritual practice, that is changing.

I really felt the shift more powerfully in my daily yoga practice recently, where more and more I let go of watching the timer. (My mind really likes the timer, and clocks, not only because it wants to rush through those icky non-mind activities, but because time is information and a way to organize things. Measuring, counting, judging is one of the mind’s great tyrannies and ways to control.)  And more and more I simply find the joy of exploring the asanas and my body’s actions and presence while doing them.

Bit by bit in my practice of yoga my body has been waking up. Parts of my body long tight, invisible and ignored – loosen and awaken. Connections long severed, or at least underdeveloped, grow. And slowly I feel present in my body and enjoy being active in it. I continue to surprise myself by learning what I can do and striving to do what I couldn’t before but can now or what I can’t do yet but now have faith I will be able to do in the future.

While at the same time I’m experiencing a subtle awakening of my spiritual self as I develop different spiritual practices in complement to my yoga ones. Since I’m not studying under any particular teacher like I am in yoga those explorations are varied and haphazard but nonetheless growing dramatically in their impact too. Meditation, journeying, energy work, prayer and more all becomes delightful tools for unlocking new treasures of the spirit and heart.

Sometimes traditions emphasize practices aimed just at quieting the mind and ignoring the body to develop the spirit. But I’ve never been one for that because I believe we have bodies and minds  for a reason and part of the experience of life is developing them and working with them. You can achieve a balance and a quieting of the mind’s control by also strengthening the body and spirit. Then you can have a partnership.

In the brave new world that I’ve been entering via yoga, I’m finding that my body and spirit want to do things for development not just the mind desires.. My mind wasn’t happy at first, but learning that doesn’t have to run the show and that nothing bad will happen has been part of its growth too.

I can’t say it is always a beautiful symbolic blending of mind, body and spirit…more often it is very much like the Odd Couple wrought with amusing and bemusing pulling in different directions, but I know I’m having way more fun with all the new things in my life this brings.

Shrinking-Violet---DC-Comics

No, not Shrinking Violet from the Legion of Super-Heroes. (Of course, she never called after that magical weekend in Maine, but those fictional characters are so unreliable in relationships – not that I’m bitter…Call me Vi!)

But instead I mean the plant Violet (Viola odorata) aka Sweet Violet.

Viola_odorata---Wikipedia

She’s been calling to me a lot lately including every time I make a tea blend I find my hand pulling toward her like a compass aiming north.  I keep finding her everywhere I look. Not only the plants but the name, pictures, the scent, etc. So I felt it was well past time to write a little homage to her here.

Billie Potts in Witches Heal summed up my feelings and shift about violet as well:

“The sweet woodland violet was a charming spring ‘fairy food’ plant that I did not take too seriously as an herbal healer till recently. I owe this modest but powerful plant an apology.”

The flowers and leaves are most commonly used (avoid the roots because they are emetic – unless you enjoy that… who am I to judge) and have been a traditional remedy for such things as:

• Coughs, chest colds and congestion
• Breast and stomach cancer
• Good for digestive system stomach and bowels
• Good for, and has a special affinity with, the lymphatic system

One way I like to think about it is connected to an affinity I’ve seen in the wild. I’ve yet to see it in nature without some snails on the leaves. I’ve found snail shells in the dried I’ve bought from herbal supplies stores. (Heck I almost think snails should be part of the ID for the plant!) And just like how it is good for slimey/mucusey (so not a word but it should be) snails – it is good for anywhere there’s mucus in you (lymph system, respiratory, digestive, etc.) I’ve never seen any reference to it as such, but I find it balancing to mucus systems myself.

It’s great energetically and spiritually and serves to nourishes spirit, heart, as well as the body and the flower essence is used for shyness. And it was a traditional ingredient in love potions, but I can’t say I’ve tried that aspect of it myself – perhaps I should give it a try. It was also supposedly cultivated by monks as ward against evil. Overall it is a special friend to women but also a powerful one for men if they will let it work with them.

One of the best and most poetic descriptions of violet I’ve seen comes from the book Herbal Rituals by Judith Berger:

“Violet restores the element of comfort to its primary place as a potent, transformative power in easing grief and illness. Rocking us in her watery arms, violet leaf infusion loosens tightness in the lung area, coaxing sorrow out of the chest, receiving our tears as she soothes the broken heart. Once the heart has been unburdened of pain, violet leaves and blossoms keep the heart light by strengthening our emotional expressiveness. With violet as an herbal ally, feelings flow rather than hardening or becoming trapped in the tissues of the lungs, breasts, and belly.

Violet’s healing style follow the pattern of the April rain. Steady, rhythmic, and frequent, violet slowly nourishes the terrain of our bodies with vitamins and minerals.

….

Like the rain, violet cools and moistens the environment in which she is present, slowly dissolves hardnesses in the glandular and lymphatic channels with her flowing nature.”

I just love that and the rest of the section on violet is just as good (as is the book in general.)

But before I finish I found a couple of poems about violet that I wanted to share.

“A greedy girl
pulls violets
up from their roots”
Kaga no Chiyojo (1703-1775)

and

“The Violet

A violet in the meadow grew,
blushing quietly, quite unknown;
a pretty little violet.

A young shepherdess drew near,
with tripping foot and merry heart,
she came alone,
singing through the meadow.

If only, the violet mused, I were
the finest flower int he world,
just for a little while,
until the dear girl picked me
and pressed me to her heart ’til I died,
if only, if only for a quarter of an hour!

Alas! The girl approached
and paid no heed to the violet;
she trod it underfoot.

It sank and died, yet it rejoiced:
if I must die, at least I die through her,
through her, here, ‘neath her feet.

Poor violet!
It was a pretty violet!”
Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832)

Interesting that in two very different poets from roughly the same time but two separate cultures were writing about women mistreating violet. Yet violet still gives. A tad co-dependent but so awesome.

References of Note: My favorite three were Herbal Rituals by Judith Berger (informative, poetic and beautiful), A Modern Herbal by M Grieve (great historical overview, growing tips and many wonderful preparation ideas) and Healing Wise by Susun Weed (much love for violet and many uses covered.)

In the more traditional reference vein the Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine by Andrew Chevallier and Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants by Matthew Wood cover what needs to be covered but lacking the passion of the first three. And I found The Magical Lore of Herbs by Marion Davies and Witches Heal by Billie Potts food for thought in a more energetic direction.

Lastly even though it’s an old site the American Violet Society has lots of fun stuff on it.

My Own Take: Violet is a gift of a plant with healing properties physical, emotional and spiritual. Really one to spend a lot of time with. It blends fairly well with other herbs – I’m loving it with hawthorn lately myself. It’s beautiful to gaze upon, splendid to smell, yummy to eat, healing and abundant. What more could you ask?

I just finished The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Herbal Medicinal Plants by  Matthew Wood and given that it is more than 500 pages I feel I’ve accomplished quite a task in doing that! Mind you, it is an extremely worthwhile time spent doing that.

Right in the introduction of the book as he provides a look at philosophies of herbalism, as well as his own, he sets a tone I can completely respect:

“The selection of medicinal herbs was originally base on “tradition only, with shrewd guesses, and close observations,” as Dr. W. T. Fernie (1914,8) wrote. Or, as Nicholas Culpeper (1653) would say, Dr. Tradition, Dr. Reason, and Dr. Experience. These are the foundations The Earthwise Herbal particularly cherishes, and attempts to build upon. Modern knowledge is not ignored or trivialized, but the latter has in recent times been pushed with great zeal, at the expense of tradition, shrewdness, and observation, and it is time that we begin to value experiential and traditional wisdom.”

Philosophically I like at lot so it made for a very promising start.

The first few chapters of the book covered overviews of Energetics of Traditional Medicine, Herbal Actions, The Art of Herbal Practice and Preparation and Dosage – which gives a useful skeleton to hang the rest of the book around. While each of the chapters are good they clearly aren’t meant to be real how to training but just a quick introduction. The bulk of the book is the Materia Medica of numerous individual plants and that part is extensive and fascinating.

In the introduction to this section he describes not only how it is structured but more importantly his approach and intention in writing it:

“It was not my intention to write a formulary, or workbook giving specific preparation methods, formulations, and standard dosages. I have instead merely handed on a collection of notes on preparation from my own or others’ experience that should prove useful and may, in the future, provide material for a formulary.”

So while, of course, an excellent reference book when you want to look up a particular plant, I think its greater value is as a basis for exploration, inspiration and experimentation. The text is sprinkled throughout with ideas of different ways herbalists have worked with and prepared the various herbs discussed. What really shown brightest for me though was not the ideas of the contemporary herbalists but those of previous generations where I’d stumble across something that would cause my eyes to gleam and a deep smile to press across my lips as I thought “I have to try that!” (Like garlic infused brandy which is seriously on my agenda for future explorations!)

It is also great for drawing your attention to plants you may, or may not, be aware of but simply haven’t worked with as much. For example, I was reminded how much short shrift I give to the medicinal and healing properties of what are more commonly used as culinary herbs (basil, oregano, sage, thyme, etc.) Definitely thyme (sorry I couldn’t resist!) to give them the respect they deserve as long time healing allies by working with them more and getting to know them outside the kitchen!

I think my only frustrations revolved around getting all excited to see discussion of a plant I wanted to read more about – only to find there was very brief coverage of it and much longer ones on others I wasn’t nearly as interested in. But realistically, it would be nearly impossible to cover everything so extensively and meeting the interests of every single reader would be quite impossible.

Even though, I knew going into it from his description (which I quoted above) that it wouldn’t necessarily go into depth on formulations. There were times when he’d discuss the use of different plants and I really wanted to know more details and had to step back and remind myself that wasn’t the goal of this particular book. Those would have to be just enticing tidbits for my own future herbal journeys.

And one thing that amused me terribly – these two entries in a row:

“Spiraca ulmaria. Meadowsweet.
Refer to the entry under the modern name, Filipendula ulmaria.”

“Stachys officinalis. Wood Betony.
Refer to the entry under the old name, Betonica officinalis.”

I can kind of rationalize why, but still it struck me as laugh out loud funny. But I’m weird that way.

Overall, a wonderful reference book that I have, and will continue to, referred to often. It’s a great foundation for research and future adventures in herbalism. I certain made a great deal of notes of things that I plan to look into more and explore – and who knows what new ones I’ll find as I return to it.

One final great quote from the book:

 “I do not feel that is a good idea to copy the United States Pharmacopeia or National Formulary slavishly. Herbs are like condiments; they can be prepared in subtle, beautiful, and almost countless ways.”

Exactly.

I think you can make magic working with the plants but to do so you have to embrace that free form, magical creative energy in yourself.