Featured Picture: Sprouting common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) seeds, to be grown in pots, and harvested to prevent excessive self seeding. The birth of my garden project and first plant to spring up! (For those who know mullein, is this even a surprise?)
Today is Herbalist’s Day, and what great timing it is here. Spring is a bit late in my region, but the snow is finally melting and temperatures are rising. Feels like it’s starting! The theme of rebirth and growth that spring brings is a symbol of personal change and transformation, whether physical, spiritual or mental.
Oftentimes we see talk about spring cleanses and “detoxes”, but I prefer to consider that different seasons may require different habits. Winter is a time of slowing down, and often spending more time inside leads to introspection. Just like seeds waiting to sprout, people find optimism in spring. T-shirts are already comfortable to wear in contrast to the icy winds we faced a month ago. The excitement is there!
Instead of embarking on a cleanse, I’ve elected to consider spring my energizing period. During the winter I took time to nurture and clarify my business and education goals and work on my health with positive results, the slower pace making it easy to be intentional about what I want for my life as I move towards being more self-sufficient and mastering herbalism. Now it’s time to get into action. It’s said that setting goals is like growing a plant from its seed; we must tend to them to see results.
My spring will be filled with eating healthy greens, identifying the new growth of the plants of my area post-frost with my growing confidence in botany, gardening and enjoying the sun. I intend on improving my photography skills during this time as well, and letting go of my habit of impatience. (Herbalism will help with that, having to wait 1-2 months to strain and press a tincture will change you if you are used to fast results, won’t it?)
What do you have planned for yourself, any seeds ready to grow?
For herbalist’s day, I wholeheartedly suggest a little introspective activity for the budding herb nerds out there: look into which weeds grow in your area. Do you recognize them? For me, a great example is broadleaf plantain (Plantago major), pictured above, a very common weed. When I was a child, I would often touch and run my fingers across the leaves while sitting down in fields, and I remember them being quite soft. I was excited when I learned that THIS is the plantain you can put on an insect’s sting for relief.
If you are looking to live closer to nature, I hope you are enjoying the process of moving towards that goal!
Happy herbalist’s day and I hope your personal seeds grow big 🙂
-Ophelia
Grigorii Pisotsckii/Shutterstock
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