Greens, Greens, & Nothing But...

I finally remembered to take down that yarrow from where it's been drying. It's only been there.... two weeks?

Anyway, I got it cut into smaller portions and stashed in a nice jar:

Now I just have to pick some of my basil....

July 2nd, 2015

It's been a busy week, so I'm taking the day off everything to recharge my batteries. This morning, I got the crystals I found last week settled and put two of them out in my fairy garden as offerings.

I also noticed that we have a lot of yarrow growing alongside our patio, so I clipped a bunch to dry and store, before someone mows the lawn and shreds it all. 

It looks a little wilted now because it's only just started to dry, but I've hung it upside down in front of my window to speed the process. When it's finished, I have a jar to store them in.

Yarrow is a useful herb for many reasons, and it can be found commonly across much of the planet's northern hemisphere. It is indeed so common that it is considered a weed in many places. 

When fresh, it has clotting and anti-bacterial properties. If you scrape yourself gardening, pressing a fresh yarrow leaf to the wound will quickly help it stop bleeding. It has the same effect on nosebleeds. I have used it to this end myself, with considerable success. Its genus name, Achillea, comes of course from the Greek Achilles, the hero who carried the plant into battle to treat the wounds of his soldiers. The flowers' essential oil is employed as an anti-inflammatory agent.

If you are working a healing spell, yarrow is an obvious choice. It could also be sympathetically identified with binding spells, as it "binds" skin together.

In the I Ching, a divination system originating in China, dried yarrow stalks were tossed as a randomizing agent. As such, the plant also has associations with psychism and traditional divinitory practices. 

Yarrow leaves are edible*, albeit somewhat bitter, and may help to reduce fever, to lower blood pressure, or to lessen menstrual symptoms. 

*I am not an herbalist, and this information comes from Wikipedia. Be certain when eating any wild plant that you know what it is, if you have any chance of being allergic to it, and what the anticipated effects are. Also be aware that many herbs are not safe for pregnant individuals to ingest. 

For the record: water hemlock looks similar to yarrow, and all parts of this plant are poisonous. Be safe when collecting.

January 8th, 2012

Today has been a day of tidying. It is tradition, of course, to intensely spring clean before Imbolc, but this was really more of a rudimentary fixing up of my bedroom. Over the last week, things had gotten strewn all over creation, and my Yule tree was still up. Much as I love my tree, Yule is well and passed, and 'tis time to think of the future. I took my tree down and got my reading chair back in place, before having to find homes for everything I acquired over the holiday season. I can say now that I'm very pleased with the result. If you can recall that whole Feng Shui business I wrote about a few months ago, then you'll know just how much moving some furniture around can change the feel of a room. I definitely feel much calmer, almost languid, and I can be pretty darn sure that I'll sleep well tonight! :) I'll leave you with a last thought: my brother and I each received some flowers to grow, and I found a sweet little garden blessing on the 'net just now. If you have or will have a garden, even if it's just a pot of herbs or flowers, give it a go! Plants need love too.

"Lovely yarrow is known as the wise woman's herb,
Elements four, gather round at the sound of my words.
Bless this garden with growth, health, and bounty, I pray,
Bringing wisdom, magic, and joy, day after day."