Wild Folk Apothecary

What if questions are far more powerful than answers?

What if begging the corrupt to act with integrity is an act of prostrating yourself at the altars of their power?

What if turning away from that corruption in heart, in soul, in body, and devoting yourself to the laws of nature above all else is an honouring of the realness, the humanity and the life force that beats within us all?

What if every single action driven by Empire is out of alignment with natural law?

What if the machine feeds on your disconnection from yourself, from the earth, from each other?

What if remembering who we are is the greatest act of rebellion there can ever be?

Really appreciating the strength and beauty of hollyhocks this morning. Some of these are ten feet tall, seemingly defying gravity. They do often fall from their own weight, but they stand so tall and proud until they fall, and then they continue to flower even after succumbing to their tumbling. The buds are really delicious pickled, the flowers are like sweet lettuce, hearty and delicious. They are a good demulcent medicine somewhat like marshmallow. They grow in every crack here and root themselves wherever they fancy. Hollyhocks remind me of the beauty of just growing with fullness and joy, giving it all to the expression of life, just like they do.

We had a few years without them, and now they have returned, and I am glad.

If you’d like to join me on a foraging walk this summer, there are a few spaces left on the walk in July in Lavenham.

The beautiful fragrant Linden tree (Tilia europea) lines many roads, churchyards, and pathways with her sticky blossoms and tasty edible spring leaves; a wonderful heart medicine, she has some fascinating folk uses too:

Wearing amulets made from linden wood or leaves is said to bring good luck and protection, particularly from being struck by lightning.

Linden blossoms have long been used in love spells and potions, as they are known to heal and open the heart and therefore attract love and enhance romantic feelings.

Linden flowers are known for their calming and soothing properties, and drinking linden blossom tea before bed can enhance dream recall and bring prophetic dreams.

The flowers can be used in sachets placed under pillows to encourage peaceful sleep and protect against nightmares.

Linden trees are considered sacred and inhabited by spirits or deities. Humans have long spent time sitting in meditation beneath the trees to seek guidance from these spirits.

The rustling of linden leaves can convey messages from the other world, with those who know how to listen interpreting the sounds for the purposes of divination and inter-realm communication.

Bathing in water infused with linden blossoms is said to purify the body and spirit, removing negative influences and promoting healing.

Current Wild Folk offerings:

🌀Visit Bernadette Ashcroft | Wild Folk Apothecary for handmade balms, salves, essences, skincare courses and walks, all made with deep reverence for and respect to the wild. 25% off ends at midnight. Use code SOLSTICE

🌙Link in the usual place for all the above offerings.

If you ask what the great web of life can do for you, instead of asking how you can serve the web, then you are asking the wrong questions.

When we walk alongside the Earth, we walk alongside our own natural selves, and we return to resonant belonging.

The most powerful thing we can do for the world right now is remember who we are.

It is a state of being in constant devotion to the Earth.

Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) is a fascinating plant with a rich history of use in herbal medicine and traditional cloth production.

Teasel has been used by some in cursing and binding spells, and also as a protective plant. The spiky seed heads were also believed to act as a barrier against this same “dark” magic of binding or cursing. This kind of carry on isn’t what I call magic, if something seeks to control or dominate energies or other beings, it is coming from a place of power-over and indeed a lack of internal power. The goal is, or should be mastery, of the self, of one’s own power, of the energies yes but in a way which understands inherent equality and the flow of energy. To make a choice to attempt to manipulate energy by cursing or binding is in many ways a pretty clear sign of the lack of power of the practitioner. Real magic is pure, and far more powerful than a magic which seeks to dominate and manipulate others.

Historically, teasel heads were used in textile production to raise the nap on fabrics, especially wool. The dried flower heads were mounted on a rotating spindle to tease out the fibers of the cloth. This practice gave teasel its name and was vital in the production of fine woolen fabrics. Unlike metal cards, teasel heads are flexible and less likely to damage the fabric, making them ideal for this purpose.

Teasel root has been used in traditional herbal medicine for its anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, and bathing in teasel-infused water is said to help with skin diseases and promote overall health, particularly when accompanied by incantations or prayers.

Spin the Teasel! - The spiny seed heads were used in love divinations, where they were spun to determine the faithfulness of a lover or to answer questions about future relationships.

Predict the weather - It was once known that when teasel heads closed up tightly, rain was on the way, while open teasel heads indicate fair weather.

Teasel is associated with themes of transformation and metamorphosis, and those seeking change or renewal in their lives might use teasel as a symbolic tool in ritual or ceremony. I made my wedding bouquet with teasels, pic three.

Always in devotion to Mugwort, Cronewort, Artemisia vulgaris, the wayside guardian, the silvery maiden-mother-crone of hedgerow and meadow.

She works strongly with your intentions and guards the boundaries between the conscious and the unconscious, between the realms of spirit and matter, between the dream world and the body. As such, she is also the keeper of the threshold, the one who will let you pass if you ask the right questions. Mugwort is a herb of real magic.

She is the queen of the moon, the queen of the night, the queen of darkness, and the deep wisdom of the body. Her bitterness is a tonic for the digestive system, and her medicine has a deep affinity with everything in the pelvic bowl: the kidneys, digestion, womb space, and the organs of elimination and sexual reproduction.

Has her medicine has touched you lately? Perhaps it has reached its silvery fingers right down into the depth of your being. Perhaps she calls you but you don’t know how to work with her? Mugwort always has more to teach us.

I’ve written a whole course about mugwort, and there are many mugwort-infused offerings at Wild Folk Apothecary.

Those on my mailing list will have received an offering this week, I’ll be sending it again later today, so feel free to join.

Blessings from the hedgerows.

There is such a deep and profound disconnection from the real magic which surrounds us in every moment. But it is there, waiting for us to return into a place of resonance.

We are living in a time of deep forgetting, but it is also a time of remembering, as the land speaks and the people begin again to prick up their ears and hear her whispers.

We are magical multidimensional beings, wild, free, connected, and powerful.

But power is confusing in a world of domination and control. Power is corruption and greed and war and constraint. If your magic reflects these desires then your magic is born of an empire mindset.

Real power lives within us and is sovereign, responsible, and non-destructive. Real power seeks to live alongside all in resonance and reciprocity. Real power is not held by the corrupt, for it cannot be.

A return to remembering is all that we need to remember our true nature. Lay your heart upon the earth and listen with your whole self. Sit with the trees and ask them what they see. Swim in the sea and feel her power hold you. Surrender into the everything and nothing that you are.

The magic isn’t what we’ve been told. The magic is simple, earthy, wild and free.