We hope this past month has been filled with cozy wintertime rituals and deep self care. As we swivel into this new moon cycle, we have been practicing the art of
s l o w i n g d o w n.
We’ve been enjoying offering our sound paths meditation classes at both Anchor Meditation and Passion Project, and loved it when one of our students described our class as “adult nap time!”
Photo by Kremi Arabadjieva
The effects of being a modern human, with 24 hour access to computers, mainstream media, and cell phones, as well as 24 hour pressures to somehow balance full time work, while finding extra time for meaningful friendships, relationships and marriages, all while raising families, having side hustles, cleaning the house, exercising, and somehow having a creative or spiritual outlet, is quite frankly making us sick.
It feels so important to combat these modern day conditions by resisting the pressures to conform, and by nourishing your adrenal glands and nervous systems with nutritive, stress relieving herbs, rest, and meditative practices.
For this Month, we have two exciting offerings to help you reclaim your right to slow down and nourish yourself!
We will travel to the land of plants and honey. This will be a fantastic section for folks looking to learn how to make their own herbal infused honeys, or for folks looking to easily integrate plant medicine into their daily routines.
How to Make Plant Infused Honey
Infusing plants into honey is one of the most ancient, sacred, and simplest ways to extract and enjoy the medicinal constituents of plants. We are so excited to share this method, because it is EASY and fun and the opportunity for creativity when choosing your herbs is limitless.
It's basically as easy as throwing whatever plant is calling to you into a mason jar, covering it with honey, letting it sit for at least one week, or up to one moon cycle, then straining and enjoying as a heaping spoonful on its own, or adding to teas, oatmeal, smoothies, snacks, or whatever you feel is needing some sweetness.
The magic and medicinal properties of honey are many. In addition to it being anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, and an antiseptic for sore throats or external wound healing, it is also rich in amino acids which help with digestion and metabolism, and rich in minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. On top of all that, it is fantastic for healing burns and skin irritation, as it reduces inflammation while promoting the growth of healthy new skin cells.
Herbalist Robin Rose Bennett describes honey as "an everyday, sacred miracle."
We couldn't agree more.
When infusing herbs into honey, you are not just creating a tasty treat! You are brewing potent, intentional medicine. It's a melody that your body remembers, and knows how to use.
When thinking about nourishing your heart and nervous systems, herbal infused honey is such a wonderful medicine to reach for. The plant matter suspended in honey becomes even more bio-available, because your cells become more permeable and receptive in the presence of sugar. It is also a beautiful thing to give your heart and nervous system something sweet. We often go days/months/years without remembering to soften or to slow down enough for self-care. Ingesting honey is like eating a love poem from the earth, sky, and bees.
When thinking about which plants to infuse, we encourage you to slow down and look around at what's growing around you. Often the plants that are growing right outside our door, the plants that remind us of our childhood, or the plants we walk by every day are just the medicine our bodies are craving.
Another tactic is to think about which plants you know you want to ingest, but have trouble getting down. Shout out to valerian! Traditionally, honey was used to make pungent herbs more palatable, or easy to ingest. Herbs were ground up to a fine powder then infused into honey to make an herby paste. This was then eaten by the spoonful or used as a spread. This can go a long way with compliance, especially when you are working with children or the inner child in all of us!
This moon cycle we challenge you to infuse and enjoy your own medicinal honeys!
We put together three of our most beloved recipes featuring plants that open and heal the heart, plants that ground us into our bodies, and plants that support the digestive, nervous, and cardiovascular systems.
We hope you fall in love with herbal honeys as much as we have:)
Ingredients:
Dried Herbs
Raw, Unfiltered Honey
Directions:
1. Fill a clean quart sized jar a little less than halfway with dried herbs.
2. Pour raw, unfiltered honey over herbs. Try using a chopstick to poke the herbs down to make sure honey completely covers the herbs.
3. Put a lid on the jar and place the jar on a plate.
4. Turn the jar over AT LEAST once a day to get the honey moving over all the plant material. (You'll be happy the jar is on the plate for this step!) Say a thank you to the bees, to the sun, to the plants, as you engage with your medicine.
5. Keep an eye on your jar. Does it need more honey? Sometimes the herbs soak up the honey and more is required to keep the herbs submerged. It's really important they are fully covered at all times.
6. Infuse for one moon cycle. I like infusing from new moon to new moon! But if you are in a pinch, I've had great success with infusions that sat for just 1-2 wks.
7. Strain out herbs using a finely grained strainer, then store in a cool, dark place.
Here are our some of our favorite formulas:
Tending the Fire
3 parts Ginger
2 parts Cinnamon
1 part Rose
7 Cardamom pods
This one is so spicy and delicious! We love adding it to teas or just taking a spoonful whenever we need a little extra warmth in our belly and heart space. It's fantastic for digestion, so it's wonderful to have before or after meals, and it really helps get the blood moving. It's great for keeping warm on winter nights, or feeding to your sweetheart before going in for a kiss!
Let it Flow
2 parts Hawthorn Berry
1 part Linden
1 part Rose
Sometimes we need a little support to feel our feelings and move forward. This formula really helps you drop into grief and allows trapped emotions, anger, and water energy to flow up and out of the body. This is tree medicine. Thorny and Boundaried. Celtic and Witchy as hell. It holds you in the shadow, drapes you in profound self love, and walks you back into the light.
Redeux
2 parts Tulsi
1 part Lemon Balm
1 part Rose
This stress relieving formula helps to re-write stories of trauma and helps break unhealthy patterning connected to trauma, nervous system fatigue, stress, and heartbreak. It is soothing to the nerves and supportive to the digestive and cardiovascular system. We love this one!
Thank you for coming on this brainwave music and herbal honey journey with us!
We hope you are feeling the new moon energy and creating space for continued self care.
With Much Love,
Nora and Josh
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