The hedgerows are suddenly alive!  Just as the blackthorn trees go from flower to leaf their cousin the hawthorn (both are rose family members) takes the cue from sun and Earth and explodes into blossom. 

I have been creating my own herbal skincare products for almost 20 years and I honestly never ceased to be amazed and delighted by the wonders of the herbs and how our skin responds.  Our skin is our largest organ and yearns to be nourished and fed from the outside just like our internal appetites crave delicious wholesome foods (and sometimes whiskey and chocolate!).    

Brighid was a herbalist and engaged with the wild weeds to nourish and heal body and spirit.  We are hearing evidence everyday where these herbs are offering vital components to overall vitality and wellbeing.  These herbs grow in our own backyards, along the hedgerows and in meadows and fields.  These herbs are wild and free medicine that we have used for thousands of years and are beckoning us to use once more.

In forest and in gardens, the silver-barked birch trees stand sentinel during these waning days of Winter.  It won’t be long now before the buds will be apparent, especially in Ireland, as birch is one of the first trees to burst forth with the gift of new life and spring awakenings.  Birch, known as Beith in Irish, is a tree of the transition of the season of Samhain (winter) to Imbolc (spring).  It is the third tree of the ancient lunar Ogham Tree Calendar and represents the Ogham alphabet letter B.

Samhain, beginning at dusk on 31 October, spirals us into the winter season of the ancient Irish calendar.   Our Celtic ancestors believed that beginnings began at sunset, or at the end of the day, heralding going into the dark before celebrating the rebirth into the light.   With these same intentions, Samhain is also known as the Celtic New Year, inviting us to slow down, move inward, to nest and rest and dream what we hope to give birth to in the spring.  In the Samhain garden at Brigit’s Garden, the serene Leaf Woman sculpture epitomizes this stillness.

Elder trees line hedgerows, grow in ancient monastic infirmaries and protect sacred sites here in the West of Ireland.  .  Elderberries, a favorite herbal medicine of the winter season for body and spirit, give of their healing nourishment and align with the energies of the crone, the ancient wise woman who guards the door to the Underworld, to shadow and to the dark inner mysteries.  As we spiral into the season of Samhain and begin to move inward, to reflect and rest, to dream and nest, elder is an ally to help us to connect to the ancient rhythms of the season.

More than just a spice for your spaghetti sauce, thyme is a robust herb, available almost year around, offering many healing properties.  Definitely continue to add thyme to your soups, stews and sauces as food is medicine and thyme has wonderful properties to keep our bodies healthy during cold, cough and flu season.

The Autumn Equinox falls halfway between the Celtic festivals of Lughnasa and Samhain, which also means we are moving from autumn (the season of Lughnasa) and spiraling toward winter, the season of Samhain.  This year the equinox falls on 22 September, the day that the sun moves into the sign of Libra. 

The Ogham tree calendar was originally based on lunar months although Niall Mac Coitir in his fabulous book Ireland’s Trees: Myth, Legends and Folklore has distilled this down to fit into our more modern calendar and, according to Coitir 5 September- 2 October is the month of apple which is when its fruit is ripening on the trees.

I surrender to the deepness of the night.  Black sky spiraling above my tangling branches.  Black earth holding me and pulling me deeper, closer.  

The botanical family of rosacea is a favorite of herbalists and gardeners alike and includes a plethora of our healing wild and domestic plants including rose (of course!), meadowsweet, Lady’s mantle, hawthorn, blackberry/ bramble, apple and strawberry.

33 Pearls of Wisdom from Sheela na gig

The vanilla-almond scent of meadowseet fills the air this month and her creamy white, frothy flowers polka-dot fields and hedgerows.