Neighborhood Herbalist

a quick guide to the holiday of the summer solstice

WHAT DAYS IS IT CELEBRATED?

Its celebrated on the longest day of the year. In the NH this is usually from 20-23rd June. Most people celebrate it on the 21st June or across the 3 days. In the SH it’s usually from 20-23rd December.

WHAT DOES IT CELEBRATE?

It’s a celebration of the longest day of the year with the shortest night. It also celebrates the peak of summer, the sun being in its fullest, passion, success, ferlitity of the earth and growth.

TRADITIONAL WICCA CELEBRATION?

It traditionally celebrates the pregnancy of the Goddess and the Sun God being at his most powerful and full potential.

WHAT CAN I DO TO DECORATE MY HOME AND ALTER?

• light candles : green, yellow, gold

• light incense: lavender, orange, honeysuckle, floral, sage

• use ribbons or cloth in the same colours as the candles

• put flowers around your alter or home: sunflowers, daisy, honeysuckles, pink roses, wild flowers

• make summer wreaths or flower crowns and places them around your house

WHAT ACTIVITIES CAN I DO?

• mediate outside with crystals or at sunrise

• do larger rituals that need more power and strength: manifestation, love, relationships, friendships, fertility

• midsummer bonfire/ fire ritual

• candle magic

• love/sex, protection and home spells

•collect the ashes from the bonfire and use in your work

•recreate or make a wand

• make protection charms and necklaces out of seashells or sacred wood

• make Gods Eyes for protection and hang around your doors

• go on walks and enjoy nature

• have a picnic in the park and on the beach

• bike rides

• clean the environment around you

• pamper yourself

• if you do, work with the fae or leave them an offering

• wear summer clothes or the colours

IMPORTANT ‘CORRESPONDENCES’ FOR THIS DAY?

• herbs: rosemary, parsley, mint, basil, sage

• colours: green, yellow, gold, orange, silver, pink

• scents: honeysuckle, lavender, flowers, lemon, honey

• crystals: sunstone, amber, citrine, yellow topaz

• flowers: sunflower, daisy, roses, wild flowers

FOODS TO MAKE?

• spicy foods: curry, break, muffins

• fresh fruit and veg : watermelon, blueberry, strawberry, tomatoes

• buttermilk bread

• lavender or elderflower cake, wine, lemonade, syrup etc

• cake: lemon, honey, blueberry

• ginger beer or fruity beer

• fresh smoothies

HELLENIC LITHA

• Apollo: Hes the Sun God as well as music, medicine and healing all of which I link to summer

• Hestia: The Goddess of family and home. This is an important part of Litha

What is Beltane?

Beltane is celebrated on May 1st although some people choose to celebrate it from April 30th to May 1st. Beltane is a day for fun, light-hearted celebration, love, and it is often represented by maypole dancing and performing fire rituals to honor the Mother Goddess and Sun God. The days are getting longer and all life is bursting with potent fertility and sexuality on earth is at its peak.  Beltane celebrations are filled with feasts and sun magick, the name Beltane means “fire of Bel”. Beltane is a time to watch what you’ve been manifesting and working so hard towards come to life before your eyes. Celebrate, laugh, love, drink, eat and have a good time!

Ways to Celebrate

Play music that gets you feeling happy and excited. Beltane is a celebration of abundance and high energy, so play music that raises your energy

Prepare something in the kitchen. Make a food that reminds you of the coming summer months, share it with whoever you live with if you can/want to

Get crafty! You could draw, paint, write or even just work on a project for yourself. It could really be anything, as long as you’re creating it.

Light some candles or incense! Lighting fires on Beltane is tradition. So however you can safely have a fire lit nearby, have it burning while you do any of the other activities listed above.

Flower gathering

Nature walks

Washing your face with morning dew

Making Beltane bread

Colors🌈

Red

White

Green

Blue

Yellow

Brown

Pink

Crystals💎

Amber

Bloodstone

Citrine

Carnelian

Agate

Malachite

Moonstone

Ruby

Emerald

Sapphire

Rose quartz

Herbs🌿

Angelica

Mint

Mugwort

St. John’s wort

Yarrow

Thyme

Hawthorn

Flowers🌸

Foxglove

Bluebells

Daisy

Lilac

Food 🥐

Bread

Cereal

Honey

Cherries

Oatmeal

Strawberries

Wine

Salad

My new plant-love of this Spring season is the unassuming (and yet striking beautiful) Lamium purpureum, aka Purple Dead Nettle.   This wild forageable is considered a “weed” in many yards and gardens and yet has great medicinal, edible, and magical properties.  What more is there to love? I first noticed purple dead nettle after seeing it on a Youtube channel - it turns out, it was growing in my neighborhood all along and I had been oblivious! Purple Dead Nettles (Also sometimes called Purple Archangel) is found around the world.  In warmer areas, it is a annual Winter weed that provides much needed ground cover - here in Southern New England it is a early Spring flower that blooms for about six weeks starting in mid April.   It is highly distinguishable by its square stem (proving its membership to the mint family) and distinct red/purple leaves.  It can grow up to 8-10 inches tall but generally prefers to stick close to the ground. It is a super food - all parts of the plant are edible though its leaves are fuzzy so it can be a strange experience to eat it on its own.  It can be added to salads, used as an edible garnish, made into pesto, or added as a green to smoothies.   It’s flavor is green and reminiscent of grass or clover. Medicinally, it is an astringent, diaphoretic, and purgative.   It has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.  It’s leaves can be made into a salve or applied directly for on-the-go wound care.   Consumption slows the production of histamines so it has a claim to fame as a plant used to treat seasonal allergies.   It can be dried and drunk as a tea but can have a laxative effect if consumed in quantity.   It is also listed as unsafe for pregnant and breast feeding humans. On of the best quality of this wonder-plant, in my opinion, is that it is one of the earliest bee friendly flowers that blooms in the colder climates.  Bees and other native pollinators seem to prefer Purple Dead Nettle to other plants.  Yet another reason not the mow this lovely plant down and let it thrive!

harvest full moon.

Found hollyhocks(?) along a walking path.