I’m so excited to start discussing plants with you. Everybody needs plants in their life. Gardening in and of itself is more Taylor’s thing (I say this because she is far better at it than I am.) BUT I myself love to putz around in the dirt. Whereas Taylor will be focusing more on care of plants, cultivation and propagation; I will be focusing on “what’s this plant, can I eat it, what are it’s uses?” as well as the history, lore, and magic in said plants”-especially herbs-but all plants.

So many modern solutions and fixes still have their roots (haha, roots) in the ancient study of herbology. Humans have been studying and relying on the magic of plants for thousands of years, and there’s a lot of wisdom you can draw from if you’re willing to take the time to learn. And no study of herbology would be complete without first starting with the queen of all herbs. 

The Dew of the Sea: Rosmarinus officinalis, also known as Elf Leaf. 

Throughout the ages Rosemary has been used for not only culinary purposes but medicinal and spiritual ones as well. Its uses are almost endless and steeped in tradition. It’s easy to grow and care for; and it’s almost as good dry as it is fresh. If there is one plant on the planet I will love forever, it is Rosemary. Its one of those plants whos aroma I immediately associate with warmth, peace, and calm; which is apropos considering the over-arching commonalities we’re about to discuss all center around clarity, purification, and love. 

History + Lore:  

Rosemary hails from the Mediterranean and the original myth was that Aphrodite was draped in the magical plant when she rose from the sea born of Uranus’s semen, whilst not the most romantic of stories, being so heavily associated with the goddess of Love’s origin story may play a heavy part in why the plant later became so closely tied with love.  

Culinary, Nutrition, and Medicinal Uses:  

From a culinary standpoint, you really cannot go wrong with this herb. Aside from its amazing flavor and aromatics it is high in anti-oxidants, anti-microbial and is heavily used in anti-inflammatory diets. It can help improve blood circulation, fight free radicals, and some studies are even beginning to show consistent evidence of its ability to help maintain brain function and fight Alzheimer’s (for more info on this see HERE). In older medicinal practices, it was used to improve memory. It can also help lower blood sugar. It is high in Iron and Vitamin B6 and can be taken orally as well as used topically for eczema and skin inflammation. It has also been used historically in skin care to tone skin and reduce redness. Much of Europe also uses the herb to treat indigestion. 

Rosemary can be used to season meat (rosemary is king when it comes to seasoning lamb), baked into breads, steeped into teas, infused into oils, and made into all kinds of balms and tinctures. A more versatile herb you will not find anywhere in the world. From a practical standpoint it can also be used to repel insects; in your garden but also I also like to put a bit into my campfires and the smoke keeps the mosquitos away.  

Symbolism:  

Among other things, rosemary has long been a symbol of love. In ancient times brides traditionally wore a headpiece of Rosemary and even into modern times have been known to include it in their bouquets. It is also typically symbolic of friendship, loyalty, and remembrance- thus is typically one of the plants carried by funeral mourners. It is also commonly used to symbolize the cycle of life from death to the rebirth of Spring. 

Spirituality: 

Rosemary is closely associated with the Third Eye Chakra and Spiritual Clarity. Common uses include smudges used to cleanse and sanctify spaces, inclusion in dream sachets to produce clear dreams and deep sleep, clairvoyant rituals, protection spells, alter representations, healing, memory spells, and (historically) love spells (though I morally don’t support that). Among the many things that make Rosemary the Queen of magical herbs is the fact that Rosemary can be used in mixes to amplify most other forms of magic as well.  

Again, it can be cooked into things or steeped. It can be dried and tucked into wreathes, garlands, protective symbols, or made into sigils. you can burn it, turn it into anointing oils, and use it in your common day to day aroma therapy practices to help focus meditation and mindfulness as well as reduce anxiety. 

Care: 

Rosemary is a hardy little plant, with its woody stems and deep growing roots. It will grow from year to year if maintained well. Since it hails from the sea swept coasts of the Mediterranean she prefers temperatures of 68-86 degrees Fahrenheit with soil temperatures above 65 degrees. If you live somewhere colder I would suggest growing her inside, or in a greenhouse (side note for those who think greenhouses are a pipe-dream: there are some decent sized portable ones on Amazon until we can all be millionaires and afford the Victorian grow house of our dreams). Rosemary is drought tolerant and prefers sandy loamy soil that is well draining as well as full sun. It can survive in mid sun provided you do not over water it. you want to fully let the soil dry out between watering as over watering can lead to root rot.  

Whether you are buying it or growing it (I would encourage you to try growing your own), Rosemary is more than worth it.  

All the best,  

Mikaela

What is Ostara?

Not to be confused with the Christian Holiday of Easter, Ostara is the festival of growth, new beginnings and the dawning of a new season of life. It is traditionally the celebration of the vernal equinox, a sign that truly warmer days are ahead. A time to plan the upcoming season of hard work.  

While there are some symbolic overlaps in the celebrating of Easter and Ostara, they take place several weeks apart and celebrate two very different things. For those that follow the Christian Faith, Easter celebrates the rebirth of Christ. The spring Equinox has been known by many names: Ostara (Germanic), Eostre (Saxon), No Ruz (Persian) etc. Ostara has been celebrated in one form or another for hundreds of years, evolving and changing as civilizations grew and moved. 

Through the evolution of language, and the migration of beliefs many people came to celebrate Ostara and Eostre as one in the same: a time to rejoice, to honor Eostre: the goddess of the dawn, spring and fertility. Some religious studies even suggest that whilst the Easter holiday celebrates something entirely different, the Christian church adopted a similar name during their attempt to convert pagans to Christianity.  

There is even overlap in the symbolism behind the Painted eggs, and the Easter Bunny, but we’ll get to that in a later post because the evolution of legends and beliefs is one of my favorite topics, and the Easter Bunny is a fascinating tale.  

Celebrating at home is easy and doesn’t have to be a massive production. We’ve included some of our favorite ideas below, some are even things you can do in groups or with family, while others are more suited for those of you that want solitude. 

Ways to Celebrate:  

Painting Eggs

This is an old tradition, one with a lot of overlap to Easter and many of the Slavic nations. Grandma never had time to paint her own eggs but both her and mom had a knack for collecting intricately designed or carved decorative eggs that we always loved when we were kids. Still, hand painting or even using a dye kit can be a fun family exercise or a crafting challenge if you are more detail oriented like my sister. If you get really into it, it can also be a great way to meditate and use the power of intention setting.  

Arranging Flowers & Your ‘Hearth Space’

This is another amazing intention setting tool. Taking the time to select the flowers that represent the things you want to manifest, speaking positivity and energy into them while you arrange them, allowing color and new life into your home. 

Prep Your Garden, Spend Time With Your Plants (setting intentions while you do so)

Are you noticing a theme here? A large portion of my home practices rely strongly on mindfulness and intentionality.  Finding the magic in every day processes gives you a never-ending pool of energy to pull from. Spring is a great time to refresh your soil, nudge awake your perennial friends and plant your annual guests. I find this to be a quiet, peaceful, and reflective time. Relaxing instrumental music and some fresh air help clear my mind and setting my intentions with my plants gives me a great way to channel and manifest growth. A fun exercise is assigning a purpose or focus to each plant in my garden. If I want to grow in a personal relationship, I spend a little more time with that plant. If I want to grow my focus, I spend a bit more time with that plant. 

Herb Wreathes & Floral Wreathes

I have several grapevine wreathes hung in entry ways and doorways around the house. I switch out the flowers and herbs tucked into them from time to time to refresh the flow of energy and reflect the current season. It gives me a chance to use my creative side and adds a personalized welcoming touch to our space. I believe homes should be a representation of the people that live there, and I want the people that come to visit us to know that we put thought into welcoming them into our space. 

Alter Updates

Spring flowers (avoid lilies if you have a cat that likes to chew on plants), painted eggs, or decorative eggs, carvings or figures of rabbits and hares. The goddess Eostre was considered a guardian of portals, often depicted with keys hanging from her belt, old skeleton keys make great decorations for your Alter. Focus on whites, Yellows and Greens in your candles. Moonstone, Amethyst and Quartz make great energy focuses this month. If you like to include plants or spices look to primroses, clover, dogwood, daffodils, and tulips. Incense commonly include rosewood, vervain, violet, myrrh, geranium and jasmine. 

Pack Away Cold Weather Clothing

This is an easy mild way to do some spring cleaning. It also opens up your mind to the changing of the seasons and helps remove clutter and mess and focus down your needs. I am an advocate for as little clutter as possible. Clutter makes me feel overwhelmed. This is the part of the year to emerge from winter hibernation, shed your unnecessary layers and simplify. Tucking away heavy, bulky clothing you won’t need until next winter season is a good way to facilitate that mentality shift.  

Take a Floral Milk Bath

Self Care is important, and while self-care is not always bubble baths and face masks, taking a quiet evening for yourself- even if its just an hour to soak is a great way to refresh yourself. Keep your eye out for the post I’ll be making about a fun spring milk bath recipe you can try. This is really much easier than it sounds. It’s a lot of fun, and again, a great way to bring mindfulness into your life. 

Smudge & Cleanse

This is a time to renew and energize. That includes your home and your sacred space as well. You can make your own smudge or buy one from a reputable vendor, words are not necessary, but you can also set the boundaries and intentions of your home this way. I start at the heart of my home and work my way outward to each room, finishing with all the exterior points of entry into the house. Starting at the center for me is symbolic of renewing the heart of my home or my ‘hearth center’ and pushing all the negativity outward. My favorite invocation to use for this (once the smudge is lit) is ‘Smoke of Fire, and Water, and Earth cleanse this home and cleanse this hearth. Drive away All hate and fear; only good may enter here.’ I repeat this as I move from room to room. Its meditative and helps focus your intentions and energy.  

Dawn Ceremony

On the morning of Ostara wake up early (before the sun rises). Put on a pot of coffee or tea (I prefer a floral tea for this occasion). Find a quiet place to sit and meditate while you watch the Eastern horizon, again I prefer to do this outside in the quiet, but a nice large window will do. Sit, enjoy the sunrise, greet the day, and set your intentions. 

Ostara Baking

I am, at the end of the day, a house witch, and I work best with food. You can put a lot of emotion and intention into food when you cook. It is my way of nurturing those I love and showing them I care. I find peace in it, and to me a welcome home is always warm and smells of bread. An Ostara favorite of mine is Sourdough Rosemary Buns- again, I plan on sharing this recipe soon; but any form of seasonal cooking will do. Think about your goals for the upcoming season as you prepare your Ostara meal. I have included our menu this year as an example.  

Our Ostara Feast: 

• Berry and mixed greens salad 
• Hard boiled- painted eggs 
• Kielbasa 
• Pierogi 
• Sourdough rolls 
• Vanilla Bavarian cream filled Packzki 

Remember…

Spirituality is a personal journey. It is your journey and nobody else’s. How you choose to experience it is up to you. These are just ideas, here to help you if you are new and feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities. Go with what resonates with you, you could pick one, you could pick ten. You could use none of these, but let it spark something else.  

We always love to see how you make something your own. So Celebrate! We also welcome you to chime in- suggest the things you love to do.  

All the best, Always, 

Mikaela.