The Astroherbalism Apothecary: Crafting Herbal Charms for Your Sun Sign

I've written about the gifts of our Sun sign and how we can connect with that energy of our birth chart through a simple tarot practice - and now it's time to explore working with our Sun sign plant allies in magickal practice.

Building upon the energy of exploring our birth chart, I wanted to explore some astroherbalism techniques to help you craft elixirs and potions that support the energy of your Sun sign. As the Sun sign is a common starting point for many folks to western astrology, I'd thought it would be a good place to start, but I'll be continuing this series exploring the Moon sign and Ascendant, too.

While you'll find a few recipes in this post, what I really want to share with you is the framework of how we would approach creating your own unique potions, elixirs or herbal charms for your Sun so that you feel inspired to use what is readily available to you. We'll start by naming the ways our Sun sign affects our energy and then look at the common ways that Sun energy might need support in our life because its been blocked or undernourished. I'll provide you with some suggestsions to help you craft your own charms, and then leave you with a Sun sign ritual to support your magickal workings.

Let's get crafting in the astroherbalism apothecary!

As an herbalist, I work with astrology as a story-telling-listening tool and a way to help folks get to know and name the healing needs of their body (and by "body" I mean physical form, emotional and mental experience, the psychic body, and so on). Within traditional western herbalism, the Sun represents our inherent energy. There is no "good" or "bad" inherent energy, just the baseline energy that we're born with and our Sun sign helps us understand the ways that our energy flows throughout our life. Some of us, for example, have energy that is quick to show up and quick to disappear, while others have energy that is slow to arrive and meandering when it does get here. We bring this inherent energetic signature with us into all of our life experiences, including our experiences of wellness, discomfort, illness, and healing. 

Throughout our life we learn how to tend to the needs of our energy and develop skills to interact with the world that not only feels good to us (if at times challenging, but in a way that is helping us to stretch and grow more into who we are) but is sustainable. 

When it comes to supporting our Sun sign there are three primary paths that I work with: recipes that energize, recipes that soothe, and recipes that nourish. Below you'll find a brief description of each path of support as well as key phrases that help you identify your Sun sign energy needs. I encourage you to read these phrases aloud and if something resonates, to consider pursuing that path of magickal healing. Once you've identified what type of path will be most useful for you at this time, you can choose a few suggested herbs and then follow the guide below to creating your custom Sun sign charm with.

image via @mickeydziwulski

Energize Your Solar Energy

Herbs and essences that help to awaken, enliven, and generally stimulate Sun sign energy that may be sluggish, recovering from stress and/or illness, and in general need of waking up. Key phrases that indicate you might be in need of an energizing charm include:

• I feel like I can't get going. 

• I feel stuck in one place. 

• What's the point?

• I don't feel inspired or creative.

• I just feel "blah" all the time.

Herbs for an Energizing Charm

For a charm that is helping to energize and wake up our Sun current, we want to work plant allies that are stimulating, inspiration-inducing, and energetically bright. From a magickal perspective, seeds and fruits are especially energizing, which is why I love incorporating plants into my Sun charms that are brightly colored and grow prolifically like Calendula (Calendula officinalis) not only in flower form, but in seed form as well. While you should check out the "Remedy Herbs" section of your astroherbology profile for your Sun sign, in general, brightly colored, especially in warm and sunny tones, plants that grow easily in a variety of conditions, as well as spicy or strong tasting plants, are great options. Here are a few energizing Sun plant allies to consider connecting with:

• Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

• Ginger (Zingiber officinalis)

• Cayenne (Capsicum annuum)

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

• St. Joan’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

• Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.)

• Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum)

• Peppermint (Mentha piperita)

If they are already in your collection, you might consider adding any of the following stone allies to your energizing Sun charm including Citrine, Clear Quartz, Carnelian, Red Jasper, and Tiger's Eye. You can also consider choosing bright and warm color tones for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @rayhennessy

Soothe Your Solar Energy

Herbs and essences that help to soften, relax, and create a sense of calm for Sun energy that is in excess leading to feelings of agitation, anxiousness, and general overwhelm. Key phrases that indicate you might be in need of a soothing charm include:

• I'm so anxious!

• I don't fit in anywhere.

• I need a hug (or other comforting experience).

• I just feel on edge all the time.

• No one gets me.

Herbs for a Soothing Charm

Focus on herbs that help to diffuse excess Sun energy, helping to ground and center us. From a magickal perspective, roots and barks of plants (always sustainably harvested), have an inherently grounding energy which is why I love solar plants like Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale) for soothing solar charms. While you should check out the "Remedy Herbs" section of your astroherbology profile for your Sun sign, in general herbs that are cooling, including cooling colors such as blue or purple flowers, grounding, and relaxing are excellent options. Here are a few Sun energy soothing plant allies to consider connecting with:

• Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale)

• Lavender (Lavandula spp.)

• Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

• Burdock (Arctium lappa)

• Borage (Borago officinalis)

• California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

• Rose (Rosa spp.)

• Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)

There are also a variety of stone allies you might consider working with to help soothe your Sun energy if you already have them available including Smoky Quartz, Black Tourmaline, Bloodstone, Obsidian, Amethyst, Citrine, and Flourite. You might also consider choosing cool color tones for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @kiendo

Nourish Your Solar Energy

Herbs and essences that tend to the fundamental needs of our Sun energy, helping us feel energetically fed and supported in our energetic needs - a Sun sign tonic. Key phrases that indicate you might be in need of a nourishing charm include:

• I feel burnt out.

• Everything feels like too much.

• I'm exhausted.

• Who's going to take care of me?

• I could really use a break right now.

Herbs for a Nourishing Charm

Focus on herbs that feel comforting and inviting, helping us to come home to our solar self. From a magickal perspective, flowers and leaves carry nourishing energy and I'm particularly fond of plant allies like Rose (Rosa spp.) to help nourish solar energy.  While you should check out the "Guardian Herbs" section of your astroherbology profile for your Sun sign to help you explore nourishing herbs for your particular Sun energy, in general focusing on vitamin and mineral rich plants, herbs full of gentle but warm color, and herbs that you enjoy the scent, taste, and/or feel of can be good options. Here are a few Sun energy nourishing plant allies to consider connecting with:

• Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

• Angelica (Angelica archangelica)

• Linden (Tilia europea)

• Sage (Salvia officinalis)

• Nettles (Urtica dioica)

• Milky Oat (Avena sativa)

• Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)

• Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus monogyna)

Stone allies that you might consider working with to help nourish your Sun energy, if you already have them in your collection, include Citrine, Rose Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Pink Tourmaline, and Magano Calcite. You might also consider choosing gentle and warm colors - such as rosy pinks, soft oranges, warm yellows - for any candles, fabric, bottles or other items that you incorporate into your charm.

image via @daiga_ellaby

Creating Your Sun Sign Charm

Decide the form that your Sun charm will take (i.e. a spell bottle, a charm bag, a solar altar, or something else entirely) and gather all of your ingredients and items needed as well as a candle and candle holder. If you are able to perform this charm on a sunny day, even better, but it's not necessary for success as often we need to recharge our solar energy because sunny days have been far and few between. Ground and center (perhaps with a tree of life meditation) and settle into sacred space through your preferred method. Lay the items for your charm out before you, along with your candle. Light the candle by saying:

By the light of the Sun
By the light of the fire
By the light of my heart's
honest desire
I work my magick
I cast my spell
To {charge, soothe, nourish} my energy
That all may be well.

Visualize the light of the candle (and the Sun if you are outside) growing and expanding, meeting with your own solar energy. Let the light fill up the places of your solar aura that need healing, helping to fortify your Sun energy. When ready, begin to craft your charm, naming aloud the purpose of each item that you are adding to it such as:

Calendula for energy and strength
St. Joan's Wort for hope and joy
Lemon Balm for clarity and community

Once the charm has been made, pass the charm through the flame six times, visualizing the light of the flame and the sun being gathered up into the charm. Then pass the charm between you and the the candle flame, reciting at least six times (or until the energy needed is raised) in a rhythmic fashion:

By light, I am {energized, soothed, nourished}
My Sun renewed
Round and about
Through and through

When you feel the energy has been raised, press the charm to your heart and exclaim: 

So mote it be!

You can now use your charm as you please, carrying it with you or setting placing it in an auspicious place in your home. The charm can be re-charged by putting it under sunlight and/or repeating the sun charm ritual as needed.

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While I love connecting folks with healing modalities, plant allies, and magickal practices, I've come to realize that a lot of my work is learning how to be an effective resource library and to help folks connect with their healing community. I find that astrological language can be an excellent tool for that, especially for marginalized folks who've been injured within medical systems - physically, emotionally, spiritually - feel hesitant to access the care they need. 

It was my own magickal practice that led me to re-membering, after being raised under the deep shadow of capitalism that tries to sell us the lie of the isolated individual solely responsible for earning their "wellness," that healing is a community act, that we all deserve healing resources (including accessing the work of mental health professionals) by simply existing. If you have read through this post and feel some resonance with a statement that you weren't expecting or feelings that feel hard to sit with, I invite you to seek out some of the incredible community-centered healing resources available to you (you can find a short list at the end of this post to help get you started). Part of working with paths like modern astrology is recognizing where the story of our birth chart is pointing us towards - including the types of collaborative healing spaces and skills that would benefit us the most during any and every stage of life.

That's magick, friends, clarifying our intention, naming it, asking for what we desire, and letting love open the path back home to ourselves and our community.

If you are looking to learn more about your Sun sign come this way and you can check out my astroherbology archive for an abundance of resources for your studies and practice. 

May your inner Sun shine brightly!

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

Vitality: A Tarot Spread for Your Sun Sign

The Moon and our Moon sign is something I've explored a lot as lunar-focused rhythms of astrology and healing are ones that I find interesting and useful. The Moon, though, is just one part of the story of astrology and in western astrology the Moon forms an important triad with our Sun sign and our Ascendent (also known as our Rising Sign). 

There are whole books dedicated to exploring the meaning of the Moon, the Sun, and the Ascendent, drawing upon thousands of years of tradition, but the metaphor I've found most useful in understanding these aspects of our birth chart (and ourselves) is to start by imagining a river.  

image via @mateusjatenee

The water of the river represents our Sun sign. How much or how little water there is, the speed and velocity of the water, what the water is able to carry by the strength of its flow, all represent our inherent energy. Within medical astrology the Sun helps us to understand our baseline energy and the way that our vitality most easily manifests. Our Sun sign also helps us to understand where we are prone to burnout, exhaustion, and overdoing it. Our energy is shaped by much older sources of water from high up in the mountains (i.e. our ancestry and genetics), but there is much more that goes into the energy of who we are and our willpower beyond inherited biology. Some people's energy is more like a slow and ambling river, wandering through the countryside. Other people's energy is wild and rushing, moving quickly through the landscape. There is no "good" or "bad" energy and, while there is a pace that our energy can feel most comfortable in, our energy is changed and shaped by our life experiences.

The banks of the river, the rocks in the water's path, the fish and river life, and everything that affects the flow of water is our Moon sign. Our Moon represents the ways that our energy is shaped not only by our internal workings (i.e. our mental physiology, our nervous system, our emotional experiences), but external factors, especially those experienced in our early years (i.e. the type of family culture we were raised in). Our energy is shaped by and shapes our environment. There are riverbanks that feel familiar and suddenly a boulder drops into a quiet part of our river path, disrupting our flow. The boulder shapes the flow of the river (i.e. a new conscious awareness), but the water also shapes the boulder over time, too. There might be two people who have energy that is quick and rushing, but one person's river is relatively smooth and calm on the surface, leading out to the sea, while another person's river is full of rocks and jagged turns, ultimately dropping over a cliff to create an incredible waterfall. All of our rivers are shaped by the circumstances we were born into, culture, society, and our lived experiences. In this way, the Moon represents how our inherent energy (Sun) is shaped into consciousness, helping us to form our own sense of what feels supportive, comfortable, and true to ourselves as well as what feels unsettling and unsafe. 

Finally, our Ascendent is the spirit of the river itself, representing how we want to be perceived and how we are perceived. A group of people will visit a river and each one may have a different perceptive experiences. Some may take delight in the wild, frothy noise of a rushing river, while others might look out and see a dangerous, unstable energy that must be approached with caution. The spirit of the river might want to be seen as a wild and untamed thing, keeping people at a distance, because this is how they have learned to protect themselves and it has kept them safe from undue interference. Or the spirit of the river might try to create soft riverbanks that feel inviting and gentle, working hard to reshape their rocky edges, wanting to be known as a welcoming place. The spirit of the river is hindered and aided by its inherent flow (i.e. it's Sun sign energy) and instinctual expressive shape (i.e. it's Moon sign energy), but throughout life will shift and change as they engage with the world and the world engages with them. 

In other words, our Sun sign represents our energy and vitality, our Moon sign represents expression of our energy, including our personal stories and memories, and our Ascendent represents the engagement of our energy. The Sun, Moon, and Ascendant are shaped by their placement in our chart and their relationships (i.e. aspects) to other planets and celestial objects, but getting a sense for these three parts of your birth chart is a really good way to start to understand your personal astrology.

So with our mini astrology lesson done, let's look at your Sun sign with a tarot spread that can help you to understand your inherent energy, support systems you might consider, and pitfalls to avoid.

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Vitality: A Sun Sign Tarot Spread

Begin by pulling out the Sun card from your tarot deck and set it out at the top of your reading space. If you like you can place candles around it and build a solar altar full of items representing Sun energy and your own Sun sign. You might include solar plant allies like Calendula (Calendula officinalis), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), Sunflower (Helianthus spp.), Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), and St. Joan's Wort (Hypericum perforatum).  Focus on creating a space that feels welcoming to your energy.

Card 1: Radiant

This card describes your inherent energy. It can be helpful to observe the elemental signature of the card. Fire and Air cards, for example, tend to represent energy that is quick to manifest, though might not be the most sustainable or prone to last, while Water and Earth cards can represent energy that is slower to move and manifest but with greater longevity and endurance. For those of you familiar with the astrological correspondences of the tarot, you can draw on this knowledge, too.

Card 2: Protected

The characters and landscape of this card can help to describe the sort of people, places, and situations that your energy feels most supported and able to flow easily through. Pulling the 10 of Cups, for example, may represent the way that you feel most recharged and able to act from a place of steady energy when you are surrounded by good friends and family. In other words, an energy that feels protected and nourished by the company of others. Tell a story of how you want to be protected.

Card 3: Hindered

This card highlights the situations, people, and experiences that hinder, harm, and/or drain your energy. In many ways, this is an "obstacles" type card, just on a grander scale. Sometimes this card represents a very present situation that is obstructing your energy, other times it can refer back to an event that has had a lasting experience on how you change the shape of your energy to meet an expectation (making others feel more comfortable, trying to protect yourself the best way you know how, and so on). Often this card represents an ongoing type of experience, person or situation to be mindful of. Realizing, for example, that while many of your friends love a big weekend out, your energy needs more downtime at the end of the week to be able to recharge if you pull the Four of Swords.

Card 4: Hidden

This card gives us a peek into an aspect about our energy that you may only be coming to understand or is still well hidden from you. Reasons for why a part of our energy may be hidden from you can be many including being taught to hide your energy away, experiencing a significant life event that brought this aspect of your energy to the forefront of your consciousness, and just the natural change that happens through your own growing and changing. At first this card might be difficult to interpret and that's ok - it is a card that is meant to give you a glimpse, not a whole explanation, and it might be the first time you're getting a look at this particular aspect of your energy. Other times it can affirm what you've been exploring about yourself and what you've learned so far. It might be a card that you meditate on for the next lunar cycle if you're feeling particularly intrigued by its meaning.

Card 5: Unencumbered Joy

The traditional Sun card imagery from the Smith Waite tarot shows a joyful child, unencumbered in their energy and safe in their self-expression. It is how we all deserved to be loved and cared for as children. This card represents the ways that you feel unencumbered in your joy, freely able to express your energy. 

Of course, it is not unusual for a challenging card to show up here and it can represent a few things. First, there might be an image or symbol on a card that is traditionally interpreted as challenging but that brings an immediate sense of joy to you - it's more than ok to focus only on that part of the card. Second, there might be an overwhelming feeling that makes it hard for you to connect with your joy - shame, doubt, fear, and so on - and this card can be a place to recognize the current story you hold about your ability to access joy. 

A simple act of magick you can perform when pulling a challenging card in this position, either during or after your reading, is to take a challenging card in this position and to cover it with another card, of your choosing, from your tarot deck that represents joy to you. Visualize the challenging card being buried deep in the earth as a seed of experience that has risen to the surface and transformed into something new, as represented by the card of joy you chose. Our roots shape us, but they are not our fruit - choices and possibilities, kind-hearted interventions, are always present to us in our growth.

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While there are so many techniques of discernment and knowledge-gathering within astrology, just becoming familiar with your Luminaries and Ascendant will open up a significant gateway to the part of existence that makes up who you are. If you want to learn more about the signs in astroherbology, including the healing qualities of your Sun sign, come this way. If you’re looking for a reading for your Moon sign, find it here, and here is the post for your Ascendant.

For those of you intrigued by the connections between plant allies, the tarot, and healing practices, you might enjoy The Tarot Apothecary.

The great strength of astrology in healing work is providing us language to tell our story from a more empowered and inspired place which is what I hope this Sun-sign inspired tarot spread helps you do. Remember, the myths are still being written, as they always have been, by people like you and me, so keep telling the stories that need to be told.

This post was made possible through patron support.
❤︎ Thanks, friends. ❤︎

The Longest Day : Herbs of Midsummer

The day grows long and when the Sun enters the sign of Cancer the Crab, the festival of Midsummer or the Summer Solstice has arrived. The Summer Solstice is a dance of fire and water where we bathe in dew for beauty and burn bonfires for protection. The following herbs are some of my Midsummer favorites for both their magickal and medicinal qualities. 

Hypericum perforatum flowers via wikipedia

St. Joan's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) ☉

An herb of the Sun, St. Joan's Wort is a wonderful herb to incorporate into your Midsummer festivities. Traditionally, the flowers of St. Joan's Wort (also known as St. John's Wort) are collected on Midsummer day to be made into remedies. It is said to be best to harvest the flowers while naked. The Summer Solstice is a prime day for love magick and charms including the use of St. Joan's Wort in charms and spells. Since the herb is very protective, use it in charms to protect against heartbreak and to develop a courageous heart.

A brave nerve restorative, St. Joan’s Wort steadies the spirit and calms a nerve-wracked system, making it very useful for conditions such as neuralgia, anxiety, and tension. St. Joan's Wort combines well with other nervines such as Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) and Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) for nerve pain and relief of tension. 

Lavandula officinalis by author

Lavender (Lavandula officinalis) ☿

The cooling blue flowers of Lavender are a welcome relief to the Summer Solstice's heat. The flowers are a traditional Midsummer strewing herb, bringing peace and serenity to the home when cast into the bonfire. An herb of Mercury, Lavender brings peace and compassion, calming without creating drowsiness but instead cultivating focus. A prime cooling remedy, Lavender works well to soothe the nervous system when experiencing agitation, nervousness, and insomnia and especially when overheated conditions such as anger and irritability are present. Lavender is a great herb for colic-y and cranky kids (and adults, too!). Add some tea to their bath water or better yet, give them Lavender hydrosol sprays to play with during their evening bath (I’ve done this combined with flower essences to excellent sleepy-time results).

Artemisia douglasiana aka Dream Plant by author

Mugwort (Artemisia spp.) ☾

While Midsummer is certainly a celebration of the brightest day of the year and the warmth it brings, it has a lunar leaning, too. The holy day is marked by the Sun entering the sign of Cancer whose Guardian Planet is the Moon. So it is that Mugwort, known as the oldest of herbs in indigenous Northern European traditions and a Moon herb, finds its way into the Midsummer magick. The Summer Solstice is a time of divination and Mugwort opens the psychic pathways. Drink a brew of your local Mugwort tea to awaken your vision. When night is shortest and hours usually hidden are revealed to us, Mugwort's magick works in revealing veiled mysteries. Cast Mugwort into Midsummer fires for energetic cleansing and healing. Mugwort has an affinity to womyn beyond the confines of gender. Mugwort is womyn as culture and has a special affinity for queer women and gender rebels of all sorts.

The herb has long been used as moxabustion in which the dried leaf is burned either close by or directly on acupuncture points to move energy and relieve pain. Place a few leaves beneath your pillow for prophetic dreams and burn in your bedroom to transform it into a dream incubation space. 

My friendly, neighbohood Verbascum thapsus by author

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) ♄

The mighty Mullein is also known as Hag's Tapers as the thick stalks were dipped in fat or wax and burned as a primitive candle for late night witcheries. The bright yellow flowers glow with the power of the sun and the soft leaves are an excellent remedy for many a skin and musculoskeletal complaint (hence its Saturnian guardianship). Burn Mullein in your Midsummer bonfire for protection and gather the ashes to use in protection and healing charms throughout the year. 

Like many other Midsummer herbs, Mullein has a relationship to Midwinter as a primary remedy for clearing phlegm from the system. As a remedy, Mullein opens and clears the lungs. It combines well with Elder (Sambucus nigra) and Peppermint (Mentha piperita) for a lung-opening, immunomodulating blend. Topically, the mucilaginous Mullein is excellent for dry skin conditions but also as a healing compress or salve for boils, bruises, inflammation, hemorrhoids, eczema, sciatica, and joint pain. Mullein and garlic ear oil is a trusted remedy for ear infections helping to relieve pain and infection.

Sambucus nigra by author

Elder (Sambucus nigra) ♀♇

If you are brave (or foolish) enough to sit under an Elder Tree on an important night of the year (namely, Midsummer and Samhain), you just might see the Good Folk march by in all of their finery. The spirit of the Elder is a gatekeeper between the realms of life and death - she is fiercely protective and very no-nonsense. Astrologically, Elder is a plant of Venus and Pluto for its beautifying and harmonizing qualities, its sweet scent and taste, and it dark underworld berries.  Midsummer is a time of celebrating not only spiritual but physical beauty. Find an flowering Elder tree on Midsummer morning and wash your face with the dew on the flowers to beautify your features within and without.

While the Flower is associated most with Midsummer - it's heady scent saturating the air is a sign that summer has arrived - the Berries are a Midwinter medicine. Read about Elder's medicinal qualities in my Tree of Medicine post. 

Wherever your Midsummer festivities finds you, I wish you an abundance of magick and wonder that our longest day can so often bring. 

Be sure to research about your local Midsummer blooms and learn about other traditional herbs of the Summer Solstice including Vervain (Verbena officinalis), Calendula (Calendula officinalis), Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and Yarrow (Achillea millefolium). From an astroherbology perspective, Sun herbs are particularly potent at this time of year.

If you're looking for some divinatory inspiration, check out my Bonfire Offerings : Summer Solstice Tarot Spread. For my southern hemisphere darlings, check out my post on Winter Solstice Herbs. Enjoy!