To read the entire Wise Woman Herbal Ezine, including color photos and a recipe for you, visit: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/august3-2012/index.html
Weed Walk
August 3, 2012
Umbels and Asters
Green blessings to you all. Ah, the first days of autumn. Yes, really. The beginning of August is the beginning of fall. Now the days grow noticeably shorter as we move toward equinox. Leaves are already turning: carmine red ones on the woodbine, yellow ones on the birches. It is time for the joyous Feast of the First Harvest. John Barleycorn must die!
With the shifting light, new plant families can claim their turf and declare it to be their time. Cool-weather loving Brassicaceae (cabbage) family plants are mostly gone, though they’ll have plenty of leaves for us to harvest once the nights grow chilly. And our friends, the Rosaceae (rose) and Lamiaceae (mint) families are past their prime flowering in most areas.
Summer’s heat has baked the earth. There is a stillness, an in-drawing of breath on the part of the plants. Another turn of the spiral.
Now the umbels (Apiaceae) and the asters (Asteraceae) are the stars. (Literally, since “aster” means “starry.”) Have you noticed lacy, floating, white umbrellas all along the road? That’s Queen Anne’s Lace, wild carrot, Daucus carota. She is in abundant, and magnificent, bloom here in the Catskills as I write. I sing her praises, I inhale her glorious scent, and I dedicate this week’s ezine to her.
Next week is the Green Goddess Apprentice Week, the biggest event of the year at the Wise Woman Center. It is quite demanding on me: I tend to the students, create the menu, shop, cook, organize my co-teachers and my helpers (and yell at them as needed), take care of the goats and rabbits, and, oh yes, teach. This year we have an additional challenge, our beloved Rainbow Weaver is learning to live without her right leg. She is thrilled to be joining Whitefeather and I as teachers at the Green Goddess Apprentice week. So, no surprise, I probably won’t get around to doing an ezine next week. I leave the door open, but no promises.
But enough of that. Come. Let’s sit with Queen Anne and listen to her stories.
Green blessings.
Susun
To read the entire Wise Woman Herbal Ezine, including color photos and a recipe for you, visit: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/august3-2012/index.html
Susun Weed, Copyright 2012
wisewoman@herbshealing.com
LEARN HOW TO PREVENT ILLNESS AND HEAL YOURSELF safely and easily the Wise Woman Way. Women's health forum, FREE women’s forum, weblog, and email group. Topics include menopause, breast health, childbearing, fertility, disease prevention, nutritional advice, and cancer prevention. Visit the Wise Woman Web
Susun Weed, green witch and wise woman, is an extraordinary teacher with a joyous spirit, a powerful presence, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of herbs and health. She is the voice of the Wise Woman Way, where common weeds, simple ceremony, and compassionate listening support and nourish health/wholeness/holiness. She has opened hearts to the magic and medicine of the green nations for three decades. Ms. Weed's four herbal medicine books focus on women's health topics including: menopause, childbearing, and breast health.
Visit Susun’s site for information on her workshops, apprenticeships, correspondence courses and more!
Browse the publishing site to learn more about her alternative health books.
Venture into the NEW Menopause site to learn all about the Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way.
Or Join the Forum! Susun Weed’s Wise Woman Forum - an open space for discussion. Make yourself at home, post a message or start a discussion. This place is for you to share your questions, concerns, and comments with other wise women like you. Take a moment to register and become part of the community. Enjoy!