The Height of Summer, the Thunder Moon, and the Shift from Action to Nourishment

We are truly building a community of crafters, beloveds. The packing party is becoming a beautiful ritual! We\’re proud of this month\’s offerings, so let\’s dive in.

Can you believe we\’ve reached the 6th delivery from the Witch’s Garden? Under the Thunder Moon, your subscription will contain items related the height of the summer cycle and to the element of Air, as the air grows heavier with the rich heat of summer.

In this kind of heat, we simply have to slow down, to drink plenty of water and to get enough rest. The plants around us have spent the spring taking in water and sunlight and mineral nutrition from the soil, putting on new growth and flowering. Now they begin to turn inward – flowers turn to seed, growth stalls, and perennials begin to store energy for next spring\’s growth. Like the plants, we too move from a season of heavy activity – building our gardens and our infrastructure, inspired to growth by the waxing spring of the year – to a season of nourishment. We take in more water, we conserve more energy to combat the heat. We begin to prepare for the harvest.

Reminders:

• Please bring back your cloth bags with the name tag attached, so we know that you returned your bag. Each customer gets two bags for the year – one to pick up full of goodies, and one to return empty so that we can refill it for you next month. The cycle continues until the end of the year, when you can choose whether to keep both bags, one bag, or return them both for us to recycle next year. Right now we’re using a lot of paper. We’ll try to reset next month with more cloth bags, but we won’t be replacing them again this year.
• We will also re-use any glass or packing materials you return. Please help us keep costs down by letting us reuse as much as possible.
• If you haven’t yet, please fill out this survey to let me know what you thought of the Flower Moon delivery!
• If you have any trouble with the form, the blog, or the website, please let us know so that we can iron out any kinks.

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The Thunder Moon

This is the moon of storms in west TN. Named the Thunder Moon by some First Nations groups, this time of year brings heavy, damp heat and stormclouds that roll through with fierce winds, thunder and lightning. These were the kinds of storms believed across swathes of First Nations cultures, and across thousands of years, to be brought by Thunderbird. Here\’s an excellent treatment on Thunderbird stories and knowledge in Audubon.

The Celtic Tree Calendar

A tradition of some Celtic pagan paths, most likely arising in the 1800s but based on the historically ancient ogham writing system, relates a tree species to each lunar month. This month’s lunar correspondence is with the Oak. Oak is a Celtic symbol associated with the \”Oak King\” or the generative principle that thrives in that half of the year from January to June. Oak has a long relationship with humans, representing across cultures justice, strength, honesty, and stability (see this article on oak symmbolism in the light of genomics in New Phytologist).

The Element of Air

In this part of the summer, in this part of the world, you can feel the air wrap around you. In the heavy heat of summer, air has such a vital personality. A cool breeze lifts your spirits and makes the world feel fresh. Morning mists and dew are carried by what may be the only refreshing air of the day. At the height of the day\’s heat, just stepping outdoors leaves you feeling as if you were wrapped in a warm, wet quilt. It\’s a presence that leans into you, unavoidable and unmistakable.

Air has correspondences with space, ether, intelligence, with inspiration and artistry, and with spiritual or \”higher\” callings. The direction East is often association with Air, though that can change depending on tradition. Again depending on tradition, wands, swords, feathers, and windchimes can be associated with air, as are incense and suncatchers. Working with Air in a spiritual or magickal sense can include divination, automatic writing, sending and receiving messages (mundane or psychic/spiritual), astral projection, or communing with those who have \”walked on,\” as Robin Wall Kimmerer says in Braiding Sweetgrass.

Your Items

So what’s in the box?

This month\’s items include, from top left, Eastern Red Cedar bundle, spearmint, oak wand \”blank\”, hophornbeam copperleaf, \”Support Yourself\” herb blend, bergamot blossom, yarrow flower, a hand cut and sewn journal, organic blue pea flower apothecary ink, and a glass pen.

Oak wand – Harvested after our last big storm and prepared by my husband, please consider these wands a \”blank\”. You can attach decorations as suits your intent, from the flowers and pendant in this delivery to feathers, carvings, or beads. If you\’d like to further finish your wand with a sealant, oil, or paint, wait a few more weeks to allow it to fully dry. If leaving it natural, an occasional coat of mineral oil after these first few weeks will help keep it vibrant for years.

Citrine Pendant: Made by wire artist Nessa Raine, these rich yellow pendants embody the Air element. Made of citrine quartz with a gold-coated copper tarnish-resistant wire, the beads are glass and quartz. Citrine calls prosperity, joy, and energy, welcome in these hot days. Found in far-flung locations across the world, citrine reminds us that we all breathe the same air, even if we\’re formed under different conditions.

Cedar Smudge Kit – in the Native American or First Nations lore of the Southwest, the Thunderbird or Thunderbeing builds its home of Cedar. Thunderbird is a protector of the people, with long relationships of care and world-building between humans and Thunderbeing. Cedar is thus a symbol of the Thunderbird and of

protection and safety. In these cultures, Cedar would be burned during storms, when the personality of Thunderbird was wild overhead, as a gentle reminder to Thunderbird of their connection, as an offering, and as a request for safety and security in the midst of the storm. This Cedar is Eastern Red Cedar, a local native that is actually in the Juniper family. To create a smudge stick, bind your cedar with the white twine provided while it\’s still fresh. Add any of the dried flowers provided this month to adjust intention and offering as you like. Hang your finished smudge bundle(s) outdoors in the shade, out of air conditioning and direct light. It will dry quickly.

Inspiration Kit – Air is the element of inspiration and insight. To encourage your inner creativity, here\’s a little gift honoring the Air element:

• Journal – this paper journal was handcrafted by yours truly – designed, cut and sewn for you. The paper is multimedia 60 lb weight for the artists among you. May it unlock your written or visual creativity as the summer heat forces us to slow down and rest.
• Butterfly Pea Flower Ink – Again made here in the apothecary, this ink contains only natural ingredients – pea flower provides the lovely blue hue, a little salt for suspension, gum arabic from the acacia tree for its thickening properties, and a clove to prolong its shelf life through its natural antimicrobial and antibacterial defenses.
• Glass Fountain Pen – to complete the set, put pen to paper to write your own spells, journal for shadow work, or draw to your heart\’s content.

Flowers – This is the season when flowers begin to go to seed in the heat, These flowers were cut and hung in the sanctuary apothecary just for a few days, to help them travel a little better and prepare them for use. They\’re dry enough to be used in tinctures or infused oils, while still carrying their fresh compounds. These can also be added to your smudge stick, bound to your wand, or used medicinally:

• Wild Bergamot Flower: Also known as bee balm, this Monarda species makes a lovely tea or bath. A powerful ally for menstruation, wild bergamot relieves gastric discomfort, bloating, and cramps. It\’s also used in the relief of sore throats, especially as a tea with honey. If using in tea, remove just the petals from the flower head. If adding to the wand or smudge kits, keep the whole head together to make it easier to work with and maintain the classic look and feel of wild bergamot.
• \”Support Yourself\” Herb Blend: This mix of rose petal with white and red clover will uplift body and spirit. Rose, the \”queen of herbs\”, has such a long relationship with humans and such a long association with love because its medicine mimics that of love in the human body – it lifts endorphins and spirits, improves circulation (makes the heart beat a little faster), and is a defense against anxiety. Clover, too, supports the somatic and the spirit – a mover of lymph and a powerful purifier in both magickal and physical senses, clover brings the body a sense of health and ease that lifts the spirits as well. Add this blend to your magickal workings (like the smudge kit), to a bath, or to a tea blend. In many (but not all) traditions, clover is associated with air. Rose, petal in particular, is usually considered to correspond with earth or water for a delicate balance in both physical and magickal workings.
• Yarrow Flower: Yarrow\’s element is Air, its feathery leaves drifting in breezes and its flower reaching for the sky. In the Herbcrafter\’s Tarot by Latisha Guthrie and Joanna Powell Colbert, the Ace of Air is the Yarrow. Aces are starting points, possibilities – is it a weed or is it a vital medicinal herb? Yarrow tells us to use discernment, to see the incredible value in unexpected places – like the quick-propagating, weedy little herb who\’s best medicine is the healing of deep wounds… those dangerous and hard-to treat ones that puncture or cut to the bone.

Fresh Herbs: Bounty from our herb garden, shared with our magickal community.

• Hophornbeam Copperleaf: Used by First Nations for skin ailments and as a tea to soothe dry coughs like those brought on by summer allergies, this summer herbaceous \”weed\” is especially potent in clearing lingering or particularly dangerous punctures like snakebite or spider bite. Obviously, if you\’re bitten by a snake, please go to the emergency room instead of reaching for the Copperleaf. That said, I see great similarities between yarrow and copperleaf – use for the particularly difficult or hairy situations, medical or magickal. Seek the greatest aid even in the most unlikely packages. It\’s also powerful in blends as an herb that can boost the effectiveness of others – the herbalist\’s \”team player\”.
• Spearmint: Often the active compound in scents or flavors marketed as \”peppermint\”, spearmint has a lovely and lasting scent. Crush just a bit of the dried flowers to release the strong spearmint smell. It\’s a great friend in anxious times, settling the stomach, giving a gentle energy boost while soothing restless or nervous energy. Its correspondences for magickal workings are similar.

Using Your Items

The items in your box are yours to do with as you please. I don’t put together “spell kits” or provide rituals for you – you have your own path to walk, and I have mine. Instead I try to provide you with items to use in your own practice, sharing some of my own plans and ideas as inspiration. Legalese, because it’s an important thing sometimes: By using these items, you acknowledge that YOU are responsible for any and all outcomes, including any allergic reactions, and not me or The Witch’s Garden. Know thyself, witch.

A few suggestions for using your items:

Create new magickal tools in a meaningful way. Decide what you\’ll use to finish your wand and smudge stick. Choose a time and create a ritual space to do your work. Complete the work and leave the items on your altar or in a safe and powerful place (in a windowsill to soak up moonlight, on a front porch to call in Air\’s cool breezes…).

Set up or refresh your summer altar with Thunder Moon items. Decorate with flower or strew the altar with fresh healing, nourishing herbs. Add your wand and smudge as magickal tools. When the next storm passes, light your smudge stick and respectfully acknowledge the energy and history of Thunderbird.

Conduct a ritual for yourself or your loved one(s).

Use your wand in ritual to draw a circle or to either draw down or focus power/intent. Wands are a symbol of airy inspiration, oak is a symbol of stability and power – a perfect balance for summer ritual. Use the smudge to purify, protect, or give gratitude for an auspicious outcome. If you infuse a tincture or oil with your fresh herbs, these can be used to anoint yourself or magickal tools as well as for medicinal purposes.

May the summer heat remind you to slow down and to take in all the green and vibrancy around us, beloveds. May inspiration find you wherever your paths take you. Blessed Be.