July 3 @ 4:38 am PDT / 11:38 am UTC |
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Full Moon Blessings First name / Moon Child! I’m always happy to see a Capricorn influence in the lunar and solar cycles, mostly because I was born under that sun sign. This is perhaps a slightly selfish reason on my part, as not everyone is a Capricorn! That being said, we can learn from the wisdom and medicine of each of the zodiac signs as they manifest in the lunar and solar cycles regardless of our own personal sun or moon signs. We can look to the qualities of each sign for inspiration in our personal situation or soul work, pondering them through the eyes of those qualities. Back in my corporate days managing large supply chains, our teams used a similar approach to problem solving or project planning, to ensure we looked at all aspects of a situation and not just through our typical ways of being. We used various processes to help us make decisions and to create more effective teams, ensuring all perspectives were considered, and all possible challenges and factors were both raised and addressed. We often used concepts like Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” technique. We considered the issue from the perspective of each of the six “thinking hat qualities”, enabling us to see solutions or possibilities we might not have considered before, including data and facts, risks, emotions of those impacted by our choices and outcomes, and even our intuitive senses. Click here for more about this process. So, what if we were to approach our soul work in a similar way? Instead of (or in addition to) working with the six hat qualities, we could consider the qualities of the relevant zodiac sign, which at this full moon is in Capricorn. As you consider your next steps in your soul work, or goals for the month, you might ask questions such as: - How might the qualities of Capricorn inform my choices?
- What aspect of my life could improve by using Capricorn strengths?
- What Capricorn correspondences could I bring into my Soul Work?
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This full moon is in Capricorn, a Cardinal Earth sign governed by Saturn, energetically associated with structure, stability, honouring traditions, tapping into self-determination and self-sovereignty, and adopting an approach to life that is grounded, clear, practical and perhaps a little cautious at times, but definitely sure-footed and confident. Beyond the personal qualities of each zodiac sign, there are additional correspondences, some of which you would be familiar with, such as gemstones, colours, metal, flower, herb, numbers, and anatomy. Check out this site for a basic summary of the correspondences for each sign, and I do encourage you to explore additional sources. During this full moon, known in Celtic traditions as the Wyrt Full Moon (also applied by some to the August Full Moon) or Mead Full Moon, let us explore the herbal correspondences for Capricorn and consider working with those herbs and honey, and other correspondences. Why herbs? Why honey? Wyrt — an old English word meaning plant, root or herb, and likely derived from a proto-European language meaning root — is more familiar to us as “wort”, which we see in various plant names: liverwort, motherwort, mugwort, St John’s Wort, etc. Worts were considered to be medicinal plants, and the opposite of weeds — although, didn’t everything begin as a weed or a wild uncultivated plant? We see that word today in many plant names such as milkweed, knotweed, pokeweed and ragweed. Honey is the basis of mead, a fermented beverage, and is also a powerful healing food. It has antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial qualities.
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Some herbalists look to the qualities of the zodiac sign as a more holistic way to plan a treatment for an ailment or condition, merging the qualities of the plant with the qualities and needs of the person. For a more detailed overview of this, click here for a post from Sajah and Whitney Popham of Evolutionary Herbalism. Capricorn Herbs Ruled by Saturn, this zodiac sign is associated with the form, stability and structure of the skeletal system (joints and bones). Herbs that are best for Capricorns are high in calcium, or woody plants and shrubs that show annual rings. Saturn herbs are often used to treat rheumatism and arthritis. Herbs associated with Capricorn include, but are not limited to: |
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Click image to download as a US letter-size PDF |
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CAUTION Before using any herb, whether taken internally or applied externally, research the herb to ensure there are no contraindications for you due to underlying conditions or medications. If in doubt, speak with your physician or herbalist. |
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A project for Capricorn Herbs |
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Let’s combine the Mead Moon and Wyrt Moon qualities and start a project using honey and herbs! Mama Earth always gives us what we need at the right time. And although it is not yet autumn, which brings many a cough, cold or flu, at present the hives are thriving and honey is available for harvesting and beginning some medicines which will be ready when needed. Honey’s natural anti-bacterial and soothing properties have long been used for wound care and as a throat soothing syrup, especially when combined with herbs. Medicinal and culinary herbs are also in abundance. One of my favourite go-to cough syrups is a sage infused honey, and is so easy to make. The following recipe can be used with either fresh or dried sage, and the method can be used with virtually any herb or flower to create a lovely honey infusion that can be used either medicinally (depending on the plant properties) or for culinary purposes. I have made delicious honey infusions with various plants such as rose hips, rose petals, lavender, elderflower, thyme, and even garlic. Both garlic and honey are said to have antibiotic, antiviral properties, and contains antioxidants. Great for treating coughs and colds. And if wildfire smoke is prevalent in your locale, do consider working with mullein to help ease lung inflammation and congestion. I drink it as a tea, and also infuse it in honey. |
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You will need: - a sealable glass jar, sterilized in either boiling water or in a dishwasher
- chopstick or wooden stick to remove bubbles in the honey
- local raw liquid honey (or the best quality available to you)
- freshly picked sage leaves OR dried sage
Method - Garble fresh leaves (remove any bugs or bad bits) and let dry/wilt for a few hours to minimize the water content, then chop finely.
- If using fresh leaves, fill the jar half way, and if using dried sage, fill the jar 1/4 full.
- Fill the jar with honey to roughly one inch / 2.5 cm from the top. Let the air bubbles release, and to be sure there are no air pockets, poke and stir with a chopstick.
- Add more honey, as needed, to roughly 1/2 inch from the top (1.25 cm).
- Seal the jar with a lid, and be sure to label with date and ingredients. Ensure the jar is tightly sealed, as it’s a good practice to invert the jars daily, and no one wants a sticky mess!
- Allow the herbs and honey to infuse in a cool dark place (or place in a kraft paper bag to keep out the light) for at least two weeks. Taste to see if you like the strength of the infusion. I often infuse for a full month.
- Once complete, you can decant/strain the herbs from the infusion into either the same jar or a new clean sterile jar.
- Use the honey to sweeten a herbal tea, on toast or a scone, in cooking, or use a up to a tablespoon as a cough syrup and to soothe a sore throat.
TIPS - Straining can be easier if you SLIGHTLY warm the honey first. Be careful not to use too much heat, as that can destroy the medicinal qualities.
- Consider using the decanted sweet herbs to sweeten a cup of tea!
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Blessings on the Full Moon in Capricorn! And to all those in Canada and the USA celebrating a holiday weekend — July 1 (Canada Day) & July 4 (Independence Day) — I wish you a happy and safe holiday! Stay tuned for more soon, Moon Child, Le grá (with love in Irish), |
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