Dear friends,

 

I’ve been in the bath. Soaking it in. Full body immersion as well as foot baths in a pot by the wood stove when drawing a whole bath feels like too much. Since October, I have been nursing an injury that has limited mobility and output and the water not only helps to ease the pain of said-injury but welcomes a different pace, which I seem to need regular reminders of. I am not one for a New Year’s Resolution (the Gregorian calendar is not my thing, but I play along!) but I will never pass up an opportunity for a ritual of renewal. So, I am here, stirring salts into the warm bath, welcoming the pause and ease of the medicine of water into my daily routines right now. [If you don't want bath musings, skip to announcements below!]

 

Even without our beloved herbs added to the mix, here is a list of some of the medicinal actions of water, plain and simple and miraculous water:

 

 

Of course, water welcomes collaboration and I am a big enthusiast of bath time additions. Some of my go-tos include: honey (infused or plain), milk, Epsom salts, oatmeal, dried herbs, fresh herbs, dried flowers, fresh flowers, evergreen boughs and seaweed (when I want to be a mermaid). I harvest certain plants specifically for my baths: the leaves of poplar, birch and willow are favorites that ease tension and relieve pain, and I keep jars of the dried leaves close at hand for year-round bathing.

 

Flower essences are medicines of water — so it might be obvious that one of my favorite ways to work with essences is to add them to my bathwater. Why yes, I will submerge my full body into the pulse of this flower! ;) I add three drops to the water, then stir the essence in with my hand, making the pattern of the lemniscate a few times over. I will often add whatever essence we are proving in Flowering Round at the time. I let the essence set the tone.

 

I wanted to send out a beloved bath recipe, in case you are, like me, sinking into the New Year slowly, in a still-hibernating state & not rushing towards productivity (I will emerge in Spring with the maples and daffodils, ok!?!):

 

For foot bath or full body! This is a great preparation for when you feel like you have a cold coming on, to help detoxify, or when you want to really warm up the body because you’ve got that deep winter chill in the bones. Highly recommend after a long cold walk in the woods with a cup of hot ginger tea.

 

2 c epsom salts
1 c sea salt
2⁄3 c mustard seed powder 
1⁄2 c baking soda
2 tbsp. Ginger root powder
2 tsp. Cinnamon powder
add 5 drops rosemary e.o or eucalyptus e.o if desired

Combine and mix all ingredients together in a big bowl, making sure the ingredients are well-combined. Store in a jar that is airtight. Label the jar, it can help to write the dosage (1/4 c per bath) so someone doesn’t accidentally dump the whole jar in the bath one day.

 

For use: Add 1⁄4 cup of the mixture to a running bath, up to a 1⁄2 cup if you really want to sweat! For a foot bath, 1/8 c to 1/4 c is plenty! Soak for 20-30 minutes. Rinse off, dress warmly, get in bed with a book and try not to fall asleep. I recommend reading the poetry of Lorca for a post-bath dream state, who often wrote about the healing waters of Granada, his home (…For something Mother Venus / was born in its breast: / it is love of love we drink / when we drink water… ~ from Morning, 1918). 

 

I hope this finds you warm and well. If you find yourself fantasizing about spring green when you are in the bath later on, I wanted to share that registration for Turning Toward The Flower is now open! We begin in March. Flowers and water magic will abound. More announcements below. 

 

xx Liz 

 

~ Speaking of Lorca, I watched this documentary about him the other day (from the bath!) and absolutely loved it: The Spirit of Lorca. The above stills are from the documentary.

 

~ One spot has opened in Flowering Round - my year round flower essence practitioner training. We begin in March! You can take TTTF this year (the pre-req course) and Flowering Round in the same year! Learn more about Flowering Round here.  

 

~ BIPOC Scholarships are available for Turning Toward The Flower. Find them at the bottom of the TTTF page! 

 

~ The best book I read in 2024 was North Woods by Daniel Mason. I keep talking about it, telling everyone I know to read it. My friend Paige says, “It's a very Liz book” which is true because it has apple magic and ghosts and deep time. Brilliant storytelling that I will never forget. 

 

~ Yesterday I took myself to the movies for the first time in a really long time and saw Soundtrack To A Coup d'Etat which is about the U.S. backed 1961 assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. Not only is the history told through incredible jazz performances, the film gives crucial context to the current converging crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo where slave labor is used for cobalt mining that powers Tesla cars (and other electric vehicle batteries) as well as the batteries in our Apple iPhones. Intense and important. The film also features one of my favorite Nina Simone performances, found here. 

 

~ Really enjoying being a member of Cody Cook Parrot's writing group: Landscapes. I wrote this newsletter from the sweet space of this group, which is full of lovely folks and so much support!

 

~ Last month I announced that I will be offering an in-person Herbal Mystery School (in Red Hook, NY) cohort as well as the online cohort. Both cohorts are full for 2025 but there was some confusion about my future offerings. For the forseeable future, I hope to be able to offer both! I am not fully transferring to in-person teaching, I just want to open up more possibilities by building out the schoolhouse this next year. Folks who are far away will be still be able to take HMS in the future! 

 

~ I have a few new client openings this month and next if you are looking to work with a clinical herbalist for regular support. You can learn more here. 

 

~ If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider forwarding it to a friend! If you've received this newsletter via friend-forward, you can subscribe here.