The above image is called The Exaltation Of The Flower, from a 5th century classical Greek funerary marble slab. It is said to be an image of Demeter and Persephone, holding either poppies, mushrooms, bones or pomegranate flowers; although we cannot be sure. What is in their hands is their shared, celebratory secret. Two women, entwined arms, leaning close, an untold mystery moving between them. This image often comes to mind when I start to feel the season turn; I can't help it. The hum of their myth is felt in the constant sea of fall field cricket-song, in the foreshadowing of cooler nights, in the season of harvest. My hands exalt the orchard fruits and I delight in the last of the nectarines, juice running down my fingers. They taste that much sweeter because I know the equinox is coming. Our time to savor favorite flowers, fresh herbs, everything green, is short. I lean close to Demeter and Persephone to hear how they tell their story: of the celebration of harvest, of the dying back, of the threshing floor, of how the deep dark approaches.
***
In this magic portal of end-of-summer-gold-into-autumn, I am offering my musings on autumnal plant magic, Veil Opener, as a pre-recorded workshop. It is a (just less than) 2 hour class on working with magical and medicinal plant allies to support us as we turn toward the equinox. There is so much potential for transformation in this beloved season and I want to offer plants and practices that can help you to honor the medicine of this time of year. As you might imagine, Persephone and Demeter and the plants woven into their myth will be with us, too.
We will cover:
- Myths and folktales as seasonal guides
- Plants of Descent
- Taking Stock with Herbs, evaluating what we have accumulated after summer
- Herbal allies for opening to Spirit
- Plants for the dark months of the year
- Cultivating your inner-fire
- Herbs for letting go into autumn
- Plants for honoring mortality
- Considering your ancestral plant allies
- Working with teas, tinctures and flower essences
- & more!
Class is $33 --
You don't have to take this class immediately, you can access the materials whenever you'd like. Watch it on the equinox! Watch it today! Watch it in deep December when you want to be reminded of plants that can help you in the dark! Watch it on Samhain when you want to feel close to the ancestors! Access to the class is forever, all you have to do is download the materials.
You will also receive a 16 page downloadable pdf that is full of recipes to stock in your winter pantry. There are rituals to practice at home and there are folktales and poems to read to a flame during the lengthening nights.
Thank you for being here! See you in September,
xx Liz