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:

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.

 

 

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.

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.

 

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:

Click image to download as a US letter-size PDF 

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.

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.