Herbalism is a craft that is inextricably entwined with the heartbeat of Nature, and the Rhythms of Life. As the seasons come and go, so do the plants: Growing, flowering, setting seed and fading as the year does. And with all this are the birds that come and go, following the food and warmth into the northern states and back again, while on the ground animals born last spring are becoming well grown, and hopefully, thriving.
In August I am watching Goldenrod, for the first buds that tell me it’s ready to share it’s exuberant goodness with those who are supporting urinary tract health and mitigating allergies. Our most common species is Solidago canadensis, but most of the Goldenrods will work well in conditions of bladder concerns, achy kidneys, edema in the feet, and seasonal itchy nose.
The energy of our Mugwort, Artemisia ludoviciana is so heady right now that it induces a sort of giddiness, leaving me near to surrendering to a porch swing in my garden to just revel in it. Mugwort is known for facilitating dream work, and dreaming surrounded by the puffy white clouds of the not-so-hot mornings in the Dog Days of summer does not seem like a bad thing.
Another plant that calls me to the fields now is Gumweed. Here that’s likely to be Grindelia ciliata. It may not be quite ready to share its resins yet, but it’s such a treat to see those pointed, silk-shiny buds nestled in their sticky calyxes, getting ready for the signal to open. Amid the heat and bristling grasses of summer, they harbor an astonishing beauty, and the final extract is a loved ally for respiratory conditions such our recent pandemic has handed us.
The herbs call loudly now, and August also speaks of food,
our first medicine.
You may have heard me say at times…
We are tied to the Earth through our food.
Now, the hot end of summer call us to the first harvest.
The Irish holiday of Lughnasadh falls at the halfway point between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox. It is traditionally celebrated on August 1st, but the actual astronomical midpoint has moved to around August 4th, 5th or 6th, depending on the year. The land is rich with ripe grain and fruits, and as the days grow shorter, the idea of setting aside food for the winter begins to tease at the edges of our daily plans.
In the often wrenching heat of the Dog Days of Summer, as Sirius shines in the predawn sky, Lughnasadh signals the first harvest. Earth’s bounty has transformed from the flowers of June to the fruits that follow, and we can gather for future months.
Each year around this time there is a wistful moment when I know the energy has shifted, and and that we have moved on to the gold grain colors and feelings of late summer. I know, too, that soon the cicada song will wind down, and by middle August, birds will start to gather in advance of their autumn journeys. Lughnasadh seems to mark the end of an exuberant holiday, and the beginning of preparations for dark and cold that are not even yet in sight. This year the waning moon adds to that background energy of ebb.
Aligning with this halfway point between Summer Solstice and the first day of Autumn brings a potent reminder of our relationship to the changing earth.
In six weeks it will be autumn. The rhythms of earth are winding down, and call us to reflect on the summer that is already slipping away. (How did that happen so fast?!) Here at least, things feel ragged now in the heat and dryness that characterize this time in the Wheel of the Year. It is hard to keep the garden looking tended as plants get leggy and wildness takes over. That swing and a sprig of Mugwort are looking better. But ahhhh, it is in the time of Lughnasadh. The herbs are calling from the open prairie, and now is the time to gather. Living with the rhythms of nature means you are on her time, responding with pleasure to the world that is unfolding in this moment. Such a sweet form of mindfulness. And the Mugwort and swing will still be there, when I am done.
