Ashley Sapir Lathrop

Spring is a season of expansion as we stretch out of hibernation and back into the activity that warmer temperatures bring. This is mirrored by the trees and flowers with unfurling leaves and bright blossoms. Some of us feel moved to cleanse our spaces of cobwebs and clutter that have accumulated over the winter months. It feels good to open our windows and let the fresh air in and allow any stagnancy to move out. This energy is also what moves many to want to give their bodies a “spring cleanse”. This is where the wild green plants step in to assist us in gently encouraging our liver and other organs of detoxification to do their thing. They are doing it anyway, we are just offering support by eating the way our ancestors did. The world around has changed but the wild green plants offer their medicine as they always have.

February begins today and with that I believe there is an “exhale” for many of us. January is often a month fueled by intention and a commitment to new beginnings that can be exhausting.   It’s clear to me now that the intensity of January 2018 was to a higher degree due to the power of the moon. Not only did we have a blue moon, which means two full moons in one month, but the moons were closer to the earth than usual, making them “Super Moons”. As if that wasn’t enough, yesterday’s full moon was also a lunar eclipse, which turned the moon red for a little while. January’s moons held a lot of POWER.

The lessons of goldenrod have come through research, experimentation, knowledge shared by other herbalists and direct teachings from the plant.  It’s always the teachings that come while I’m meditating with a plant or making medicine that touch me most deeply.