Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darling readers!   For today’s post, I have decided that I will be doing an update on some of my plant allies.   As most of my regular readers will know, I have been taking an herbalism course over the last several months, and I wanted to discuss what it has been like as I form and deepen my relationship with some of my favorite plant and herbal allies!   I especially felt that now was a good time to write about this because of my Faery Forest Adventure that I had over the past weekend, where I was foraging as part of my herbalism class assignments for this month.

I have already written pretty extensively about my adoration of Roses, Apples, and Hawthorns.   I have a deep bond with each of these plants, and I had one long before beginning my journey in my herbalism course.   Roses, particularly White Roses have been my favorite flower for my entire life.   Apples have been my favorite fruit since I was little, plus they are the sacred fruit of knowledge that gives Avalon her name.    Hawthorn is a tree that I have been drawn to for several years, but my relationship with this beautiful tree became much more profound this Spring as I worked with Hawthorn for class!   Of course, Hawthorn gets extra love for being a Faery tree.   It has been a truly gorgeous experience to deepen my relationship with these plants that I adore so much.   Each of them is related to one another, as they are members of the same family and intrinsically linked to the Isle of Avalon!

Other plants that I have written about my relationship with include Lavender and Nettles, and I also want to talk about Red Raspberry Leaf.   Lavender has like the above plants been a lifelong plant ally for me.   It is a calming and soothing blanket to wrap myself in, as well as enjoying its cleansing benefits!   Nettles was the very first plant I studied in my herbalism class, and it has become one of my favorites for its lovely energy boost and how much it helps with my allergies.    Red Raspberry Leaf is a very nourishing plant.   It is a uterine tonic, making it excellent for women to help with fertility and strengthen our sexual organs.   Although it is great for women, this plant is also soothing for men.   I love this sweet and comforting plant in the form of herbal teas!

The final plants I want to talk about today are Mugwort and Wormwood.   Wormwood is a plant that we studied this month, and I adore this plant for its connection to the Fae!   It is often known as the Green Faery, and that is why the alcohol derived from this plant is also known as the Green Faery.   Yea, I am talking about absinthe.   I want to note that Absinthe is named after the Latin name of Wormwood, Artemisia Absinthium.   The first part of the name is derived from Artemis, Goddess of the Wild Hunt!   This alcohol has a lot of stories about how strong the psychoactive effects of it are.   However, that is less to do with Wormwood and even less to do with the formulation of absinthe itself and is now believed to have been exaggerated or more related to the alcohol itself than to Wormwood.   That is why many people who have drunk absinthe have said they have not had any hallucinations while consuming it.   I do not know from personal experience, as I have never tried it, but I did want to mention this.   Wormwood is a digestive bitter and can certainly help calm the stomach.   This leads it to be a soothing component in tea form.   Why I coupled Wormwood and Mugwort together is that they are related plants.   Mugwort is Artemisia Vulgaris, again named for Artemis.   While we have not studied Mugwort in class yet, it was the herb I was able to gather during my foraging this weekend.    Mugwort is also associated with the Summer Solstice, so although I could not find St. John’s Wort, I at least found a Summery plant.  Mugwort is a very comforting and loving herb that allows us to pierce the veil and open up our psychic senses!   That is probably my favorite thing about building a relationship with Mugwort, deepening my psychic abilities with this powerful plant!

I hope that you have enjoyed my rumination on my love for these herbs.   Do you have a deep bond with any of these plants?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a photo of me picking Mugwort!

Tarot Note: I have launched a page where I offer tarot and oracle readings for those of you interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/

Further Reading

• Northeast Medicinal Herbs by Liz Neves
• The Herbal Alchemists Handbook by Karen Harrison
• Magical Faery Plants by Sandra Kynes 
• Llewellyn’s Sabbat Essentials: Midsummer