Sonoran Sweetness: A Gathering

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

The cherished time of year in the Sonoran desert is now upon us. While the desert heats up to temperatures above 110 F, many run for cooler, moister climes and foreign visitors are scorched in a short time. This heat is necessary, it is a natural process inherent in our desert’s ecology. To eliminate it in some way would be to lose one of the greatest gifts this desert has to offer us. Without the intense heat, the fruit of our Saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) would not mature properly. Not many people today know the characteristic sweet taste of the fruit of the Saguaro cactus, known as bahidaj in the Tohono O’odham (native peoples of the Sonoran desert region) language. It is the O’odham people (often referred to as Papago) who have preserved the knowledge on how to prepare such things as Saguaro syrup (bahidaj sitol), Saguaro jelly…

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Summer Herbals: Estafiate

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Artemisia ludoviciana – Estafiate

Other names: Western Mugwort, Western Wormwood, Louisiana Sagewort, Prairie Sagewort, Mountain Sage, Simonillo, Itzauhyatl (Nahuatl)

Origin: Native throughout the entire western US

Energetics: Warm & Dry. Bitter, Pungent, slightly Astringent. Vital stimulant, Tonic Relaxant

Properties: Digestive, Carminative, Diaphoretic, Aromatic Bitter, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, Decongestant, Sedative, Nervine, Hepatic, Cholagogue, Choleretic, Diuretic, Expectorant, Emmenagogue, Anodyne, Anthelmintic, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic, Anti-fungal, Hemostatic, Styptic

Organ Affinities: Liver, gall bladder, gut, nervous system, female reproductive, lungs, muscle tissue, tendons/ligaments, endocrine, brain, skin, blood

Uses: Internally: Indigestion, gas, bloating, poor appetite, acid reflux, GERD, mild constipation, gastritis, diarrhea, IBS symptoms, weakened digestion, gastroenteritis, pinworms, cold, flu, chest congestion, fever, traumatic injuries, amenorrhea, edema, nervous exhaustion, muscle pain. Externally: Broken bones, bruises, sprains, strains, nosebleeds, insect bites, stings (bee, scorpion), poison ivy rash, rheumatism, moxibustion Other uses from ethnobotanical sources include: Foot deodorant (placed in shoes), poultice of leaves applied to…

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Sacred Tree Profile: Cherry (Prunus Serotina)’s Magic, Mythology, Medicine and Meaning

The Druid's Garden

Butterfly on choke cherry

When most people think of cherry trees, they think about plump, juicy, red or purple cherries from cultivated cherry trees. However, here in the USA, we have a variety of wild cherries that are an interwoven and rich part of our landscape. An enigmatic tree found throughout the eastern part of North America and South America is prunus serotina, the wild cherry, black cherry, mountain black cherry, or rum cherry tree. Most people interact with this tree not in its living form, but through the beautiful reddish-brown heartwood that this tree produces, and that can be frequently found in their furniture and flooring. And yet, this tree has so much more to offer than just beautiful wood! While I’m targeting my comments today about the black cherry, many of the material found here can be about *any* cherry tree local to you, including domesticated cherries. Many…

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Trap Garden: One man’s vision for food secure communities in Nashville and beyond

Summer Solstice Celebration Oil

Celebrate Calendula Flowers

Crooked Bear Creek Organic Herbs

Calendula flowers have a sunny disposition in the garden. Use its golden petals in the kitchen and be sure to keep it well-stocked in the medicine cabinet for an array of medicinal uses, including soothing ointments and astringent tinctures.

Since antiquity, calendula flowers, or pot marigold, have been used in infusions for many maladies.

Since antiquity, calendula (also known as pot marigold) flowers have been used in infusions for many maladies. The Egyptians used the petals to heal wounds. In the Middle Ages, calendula was used for indigestion and healing bruises and burns. In World War I, the herb was used on the injured to prevent inflammation and infection. According to Annie Burnham Carter, author of In An Herb Garden (1947), “In England during that war, Miss Gertrude Jekyll gave a field on her estate for the exclusive cultivation of pot marigolds . . . the flowers which bloomed there…

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Dandelion Divination & Tea Leaf Reading Ritual | Full Honey Moon in Sagittarius

Tonight’s Full Moon shines bright in the expansive and optimistic sign of Sagittarius. Our days continue to grow longer and warmer here in the Northern Hemisphere as we get closer and closer to the Summer solstice happening later this week.

As the days get brighter and busier, it’s more important than ever to take the time to appreciate the sweeter things in life.

The Honey Moon is known by many names in various cultures… it’s sometimes referred to as the Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon, and the Mead Moon. The one thing that each of these names has in common… sweetness!

This Full Moon in Sagittarius has us looking at the bigger picture with greater ease than ever before. While making detailed future plans might be hard right now, looking at your present situation or even your past under the light of Sagittarius can help you realize just how far you have come in the last year or even 6 months!

This Full Moon is also being influenced by expansive Jupiter and dreamy Neptune which brings us a heightened sense of abundance, brighter optimism and enhanced intuition for the rest of June.

During this Full Moon, our intuition and divination skills will be enhanced. Sagittarius ramps up our curiosity and has us wanting to explore our inner worlds with a fiery enthusiasm. Keep an open mind this week and get to know yourself and others better. There is a combination of wanting new adventures and connections, while also coming to know yourself better.

Read this article in its entirety at: Spirit de la Luna Dandelion Divination & Tea Leaf Reading Ritual|Full Moon In Sagittarius

Working with and Honoring the Sun at the Solstice

The Druid's Garden

Sacred rays of the sun

The sun’s rays come over the horizon, on the solstice, the most sacred of days. The solstice goes my many names, the day of high light, midsummer, Alban Hefin. Across the globe and through time, it has been celebrated since before recorded history. In the light of the sun, we have strength, warmth, growth, energy, abundance, healing, and wisdom. The sun has been shining down upon our beautiful planet has been shining for at least four billion years and we can expect it to remain unchanged for another five billion years. The sun is also enormous–it accounts for 99.86% of the mass of our solar system. It is such an incredible thing that it’s hard to image in the scope of the sun as it compares to of human lives or human history. You might say that the sun is one of the most…

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And The Award For June’s Most Bizarre Fungus Goes To…

Greetings!

Before I share a brand new video with you, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be presenting and leading a foraging walk at the annual West Virginia Mushroom Foray.

This upcoming event will take place from July 19th through the 21st at the beautiful Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis, West Virginia, and the lineup of instructors this year includes such notable mycophiles as Arleen Bessette, Walt Sturgeon, and John Plischke III.

You can learn more about the event by clicking here!

And now on to this week’s brand new video!

It’s not every day that you get to see a fungus that appears once every 17 years in your neck of the woods. Such is the case with a fungal species that targets periodical cicadas.

Over the past few weeks, periodical cicadas have been emerging in parts of western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Associated with the appearance of these cicadas is an incredibly fascinating fungus that destroys the genitals and alters the behaviors of these ephemeral insects.

Needless to say, this pathogenic species is highly deserving of the title “June’s Most Bizarre Fungus,” and if you’re interested in learning more about its relationship with our beloved cicadas, check out the brand new video!

Thanks for reading and watching… and as always, thank you for your support!

-Adam Haritan

SAGITTARIUS FULL MOON CRYSTAL RITUAL: GET UNSTUCK

The Sagittarius full moon on Monday, June 17th at 4:31am presents a chance for us to change, grow, and move forward in a way that is in alignment with our higher purpose and destinies. This is an especially powerful moon for anyone who feels stuck, blocked, or held down right now in their lives.

It’s inevitable on our life paths that we will experience periods where we feel the change we’ve been desiring or working towards manifesting just simply hasn’t happened — yet.

It’s also inevitable that we’ll experience situations in which we feel there’s no way out or way to change, that we’re stuck in a compromise or situation that doesn’t feel right or satisfying.

But there’s almost always a solution or a different way. Sometimes it just needs to be revealed. Sometimes it’s our beliefs about it that first must change.

This full moon offers us an opportunity to change a deeply held belief AND change our situation, because change is what life is made of, my friends, and there’s no way for us to evolve and move forward on our journeys without it.

This full moon holds a particular personal resonance for me, because after years of non-stop hard work, devotion to my healing craft and business, I have decided to take this summer to prioritize my own personal self and needs.

Read remainder of original article at: Krista Mitchell Sagittarius Full Moon Crystal Ritual: Get Unstuck