A Simmer of Hope

“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”

– Lady Bird Johnson

Right now in my world, I am ass deep in weeds! But as I am in the midst of torturing my glutes and hamstrings, clearing space, tilling the soil, checking out the worms and grubs (with glee!), I see the buds, the little flowers, the new growth and it elicits a warm feeling of hope.

Spring is the unconditional energy reset. As we move from Pisces (water, introverted, dreaming, end of winter) into Aries (fire, extroverted, action, spring) it’s go time. Nature always seems ready for it, the resilience of this earth is amazing.

Spring arrives officially on Tuesday, March 19th this year which is the start of the new astrological year. I’ll be teaching my annual The Astrology of Spring workshop live at The Craft House in Moorpark on that day. You can also schedule this workshop at your event or venue and it’s also possible to do it remotely if you prefer to meet online.

I’ll be touching on the major transits and astrological events of the spring season, how it relates to your natal birth chart and we make a spring herbal stick you can admire or use to clear your space with some cosmically connected energy.

I realized that not everyone likes to light dried herbs on fire as much as I do, so a few years ago I started making fresh and dried simmer jars for all the seasonal changes. All you need is a pot, some water and a stove or fire to get the essences of the herbs out into the air. The cave woman’s diffuser if you will.

I look at the planets ruling the zodiacs/season and honor what mother nature has bestowed upon me, and basically that is how the mixture makes its way into a jar.

The Spring Equinox (EQX) Simmer of Hope is a blend of:

English Lavender – helps with a calm and peaceful mind, connecting to Mercury energy
Lemon – cleansing and clearing, uplifting, connects to the Sun
Orange – cheerful, yet calming, also connects to the Sun
Rosemary – helps with “anti” everything, inflammation, anxiety, bacterial, etc. linked to Mars
Sage (Lavender/Purple) – harmonizing and relaxing, perfect for the Venutian influence of the season

Everything in this simmer was grown on my property in Simi Valley. No chemicals or pesticides. It comes in a 16 oz. mason jar. I would recommend opening the jar up and spread it out to let it air dry for a few days on a cookie sheet placed on your kitchen counter. The oranges and lemons are all dehydrated before they go into the jars. This will allow the simmer to last longer and will provide the first aromatic experience in your space. If you are going to use it all right away or you are buying the dried version of the simmer, then you can skip that step.

What I like to do is take about a handful with a bit of everything in it, add that to 2-3 cups of water (I use spring or distilled), get it simmering along at a fairly low heat and let it fill the room. Add water as it gets low – I’ve burned up a few pans over the years – and always make sure you don’t leave it unattended or else you will end up burning the herbs, but not in sacred way!!

I like to provide these in mason jars because you can reuse the hydrated herbs a few times. During the winter I just have a dedicated simmer pot and I leave it on the stove and reheat as I want to. As the days get warmer I will take it out of the pan and pour in a jar and store in the refrigerator over night or for a day or so to reuse.