January New Moon Reflections and Musings:           finding the heart of the mystery and the beauty from the herbal world.                                                          

 Welcome to the New Moon series of  reflections and herbal musings. I have two intentions with this. First it is to be a newsletter of sorts. News about the herbs? Yes, they speak to us!

Secondly, the New Moon Herbal online “class” is intended to light up your screen and I presenting in lively animation.  I initially wanted to start in January. Rather, the season brought me here with this introductory newsletter with a candle burning, unseen. 

For January, my screen will remain dark. Please bare with me.

 If you are interested in attending a live short class on any of the New Moon class nights, please “register” by sending me an email and I will send you the link so we may light candles together. See a list of New Moon dates below.

My January Reflection

January is dark. Yes, the earth has made its turning and each day will grow a bit lighter. However, it is winter and I feel we are still in recovery during this post holiday season. I agree with Sharon Blackie who wrote that New Year resolutions that include our purges, weight loss goals, detoxes and the rest don’t work. Why? Because it is putting pressure on ourselves when we are already exhausted! We arrive into January frazzled, exhausted and perhaps unsure about what we really should be doing. “The last thing we need is to launch ourselves like rockets into a regime of major lifestyle change, based on a day in the calendar randomly imposed on us”, she writes.  I have to agree! It doesn’t feel like our calendar-made “New Year” is in sync with the seasons, or our natural cyclical rhythms around us, or that of our own bodies.

Then, what is this season for, if it’s not for purges, diets, detoxes and other high pressure “resolutions”? Again, Sharon Blackie writes: “It’s a time to think about change and transformation,  about letting the long cold dark strip us down to the bare bones and seeing what remains of us that matters”. These are soul searching comments but ring  important truths. 

A long time ago, our original Calendar was generated by women. The months coincided with their menstrual cycles as to this day. Each month began with the New Moon. Each season began and ended, as we know, with the earth’s relationship to the sun, light and darkness. 

Ancient peoples followed the rhythms of the earth and the celestial events of the sun; the solstices and equinoxes. When the living creatures and plants of the earth quieted with the winter months and “hunkered down” so did we. As life lay beneath the soil, so we also turned inward in reflection while looking forward to the coming of light and life to the earth once more. 

This is the season of winter. 

If you listen closely, you can tell when the earth, where winter resides, begins to stir and waken. That is the time, when after our quiet reflective days in the darkness, awaken with new energy to generate renewal and change. 

I found myself in that quiet place leading up to January’s New Moon. Honestly, I couldn’t bring myself to get in front of a camera with neat hair, face paint and pretty cloths. I feel like I am still without leaves or flowers like the barren living things outside. But, I’m human and not a tree. I hope you don’t mind that I am standing here a bit “stripped down to the bare bones”.

Herbs that help us with Anxiety and Depression

These have been crazy times like no other. My  herbal class intention for January was to look at anxiety and depression.

I trust that most of our anxiety is from stress. Stress being  the root cause for so much of our dis-ease. 

A forest hike one day lead us close to a nearby road. My eyes were watching my feet until I chanced to look up and see this little gnome figure made out of spruce bows, red felt for a hat and a potato for a nose. I love love love my walks in the woods but this little gnome caught my eye, made me stop to take a closer look while giving me a good laugh.  Mind medicine comes in all forms I will have to admit. 

There is so much written about how to manage stress. Forest bathing, meditation, yoga, exercise of any kind or simply by taking a bath. Some need more intervention. This is where it gets tricky.

Mild relaxing herbal teas are many. Consider Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Motherwort, Lavender or Linden. Herbs that are a little stronger include Passionflower and Hops. Mountain Tea which is not easy to find will bring you down a couple of notches. I admire this Mediterranean sage for its powerful calming way. Some swear by the CBD products. My experience have found that more often they make matters worse. Everyone is different. “Start low and go slow” applies as it does with any very strong medicine.

I am leaving sedative herbs out of this list though any of the herbs above can help with sleep. 

Many of us respond well to the adaptogens for managing stress. The adaptogens that are calming include Holy Basil, and for some Ashwagandha. I found that for some people starting with a tincture or capsule of Ashwagnadha in early afternoon will help them settle down by nightfall. Others take it before bed with good results. For others this herb can be stimulating. Don’t take Dr. Google too seriously. You need to learn what works for you. 

Depression, like anxiety has many causes but I’ll keep it simple. Generally, people who feel depressed lack energy and motivation to do anything for themselves or others. There is a dark cloud over their heads that persists. Sometimes it’s paralyzing hence the lack of motivation.  Right now we may all have dark clouds. It’s about resilience between those that cope and those that don’t. How do we keep going? How may we get through this globally imposed disconnection from friends and loved ones? These are deeper questions for our times and very challenging.  The herbs are our allies but they can’t change the world for us without our participation with them. This is one way to make a difference. 

Herbs that help lighten the cloud cover include a number of adaptogens. They are Eleuthro, Rhodiola and Schisandra. Try them as tinctures. Two are roots and Schisandra is a tart berry. A little goes a long way. Their energy giving properties are deep unlike coffee’s more immediate tension-like energy. 

What may also help lighten the dark clouds? It is about choosing to find connection. In these times of isolation, I have been connecting with the quiet forest surrounding me. Waiting with them for spring to waken us together. 

The herbs are powerful. We need focused patience for them to help us. We need trust that the plants are here for us. And, they aren’t far away. 

See below for the upcoming New Moon schedule. 

(Email: rjrcnm@gmail.com to register.) Note each date falls on a different evening of the week. The set time is 8pm EST. 

New Moon Schedule going forward:

February 11                           August 8

March 13                               September 6

April 11                                 October 6

May 11                                  November 4

June 10                                 December 4

July 9

Drop me an email if you are interested in any one of these dates. 

I will be making something or doing something herbal on each one of these to bring in some connection with what I am sharing. I know people love cooking shows. I’m thinking to make the New Moon musings -or whatever else to call this evening- something that touches on doing something I know that we would all love to do together. 

With herbal blessings

Hopefully I will see you as the earth begins to stir in February!

Rachel