Plant Allies for Late Winter
Rosemary, mugwort, and yarrow are herbs renowned for their healing properties and versatile applications. Below is an overview of each, including their benefits and simple DIY uses, followed by an original poem:
1. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
Healing Properties:
Memory Enhancement: Rosemary has been traditionally associated with improving memory and cognitive function.
Protection: It is believed to offer protection against negative energies and is often used in purification rituals.
Make Memory-Boosting Tea:
Steep fresh or dried rosemary leaves in hot water for 5-10 minutes to create a tea that may enhance cognitive function.
2. Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Healing Properties:
Enhances Intuition and Dreamwork: Mugwort is traditionally used to stimulate vivid dreams and support intuitive practices.
Protection and Purification: It is believed to ward off negative energies and cleanse auras and spaces
Make a Dream Pillow
Fill a small sachet with dried mugwort leaves and place it under your pillow to promote vivid dreams and enhance intuition.
3. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Healing Properties:
Wound Healing: Yarrow has been used traditionally to treat wounds due to its ability to promote blood clotting and reduce inflammation.
Emotional Protection: It is known for creating energetic boundaries, offering protection during emotional healing work.
Make a Healing Salve
Infuse dried yarrow flowers in olive oil for several weeks, strain, and combine with melted beeswax to create a salve that can be
applied to minor cuts and abrasions.
Introducing these herbs into your daily routine can be of great energetic benefit. Always ensure proper identification of herbs and consult with a doctor or midwife before using them, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or on medication.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
In winter’s hush, beneath the frost,
three quiet allies stir unseen.
Rosemary— evergreen and bright,
you cradle the sun in your leaves,
warming the soul’s cold corners,
guiding memory toward light.
Mugwort— veiled in dream-scent,
you call us to the unseen,
where intuition reigns,
where truth blooms between waking and sleep.
Yarrow— healer, protector,
you mend what lingers,
guard what is,
and whisper of renewal beneath the frozen earth.
Together, you offer your gifts:
clarity, vision, healing—
fortifying us through winter’s last breath,
toward the quiet promise of spring.
The earth does not forget.
Wisdom waits,
ready to rise.
