The Magic of France
Making friends with Hawthorn in France
Hello my lovelies, what a mixed start we've had to Winter...freezing rain, wind, warm sun, and lots and lots of folk sick with respiratory 'bugs'. I hope you're not one one of them. I do have plenty of tricks up my herbalist sleeve that will help. Please, please get in touch if you need some help: short, 'acute' consultations (via phone, online or in person) are available and it's easy for me to go to my dispensary and whip something up for you. Of course, prevention is always better than cure, and I can help there too, just get in touch to book in a consultation. As most of you know, I had a wonderful opportunity to travel to France last month, to take part in a very special course/retreat, 'Plant Spirit Communication' with the amazing Jacqui Bushell. (I did my Reiki Master Training with Jacqui and am now hoping to go on and do the Teacher Training with her too). But back to the plants and why I went to France: we're learning more and more now about Plant Intelligence and how they communicate with each other, but did you know that they communicate with us too? They're always trying to get our attention and love it when we learn to stop and listen to them. They have so much healing to offer us, and are just waiting for us to realise this and to use them for bettering our lives and the the health of our planet. I'd need more than this blog post to go into this more deeply and I know time is precious, so all I want to really say is that my trip was more than I was expecting. The part of France we stayed in has its own special magic. You know how some places just really feel alive, they feel safe and you can feel your energy lift just by being there? Well that's what this special area was like. And the plants! The plants were so alive and vibrant - full of life force and vitality. I just wanted to make medicines from all of them but time (and suitcase space) didn't allow for that. I have come home with some beautiful medicines though, I made a *tincture from the magnificent Grandmother Hawthorn in this photo. Hawthorn is a wonderful heart tonic, and this one, in particular, I believe, is about feeling safe in our heart, about melting away barriers that we erect after being hurt, and about connecting with those we love, and who love us. It's here in my clinic just waiting for the right people so ask me about it, if it calls to you. I also made tinctures of yarrow (oh my it's a good one, I picked it from a very special place. Please ask me about it too, if you're curious to know more); horsetail; self heal and red clover. And I have three **flower essences that I'm still wanting to sit with some more. I'll share information about them as it develops more fully; and about the other tinctures I've made. Keep an eye out on my Instagram and Facebook pages. It is wonderful too, to be back home and back in clinic. My work is incredibly rewarding and I love it very much. Thank you for all the beautiful messages I had wishing me a wonderful trip before I left and welcoming me home on my return.
Love and light,
Sally xo * tinctures are liquid herbal medicines made by soaking the herb in alcohol for a length of time, then squeezing them out to extract the active principles. Fresh plant tinctures, like those I made, are particularly lovely as the full life force of the plant is present and there has been no degradation of the herb in drying it. I used a beautiful French brandy in the ones I made in France. ** flower essences are vibrational medicines that act on our emotions and therefore affect physical healing. Bach Flower remedies, like Rescue Remedy and the Australian Bush Flower Essences, are well known brands.
