Goldenrod Notes: 8/10/11
Goldenrod represents “abundant harvest” to me. She begins blooming right at the start of the first harvest and provides food for so many insects… She teaches me how to share with bugs and bees and spiders… she shows me that there is enough of her medicine for all of us.
Her taste represents sunshine and clarity to me. I love how she is so warming and astringent, making my throat clear and my nose tingle. When she began this past winter’s lessons, I felt her really work in my lungs. I felt my lungs expand so much that the intercostal muscles between my ribs were affected. I also felt a lightening in my spirit. I usually get pretty sad right before Spring (and our Spring comes a lot earlier than most people’s), and I either hit a tanning bed for a few weeks (I know…bad bad), or I run out to the back yard, pull my shirt off and freeze my bits every time the sun comes out. This year I supplemented my mad behavior with taking Goldenrod tincture and daily doses of infused vinegar, and found myself much more comfortable.
Very impressive.
Amazing how she shows up right when I need her… Last week the cooling fan on my central air unit died. I was without air conditioning for two days and had to sleep with a fan blowing on me all night. The third night I slept with a portable air conditioner blowing in my room. By the fourth morning I had laryngitis and felt miserable. I started using elderberry, elder flower and mullein tinctures, as well as sage tea and other herbs to combat this problem and, after a week of the scratchy blahs, I was feeling a little sad and concerned that nothing was helping.
*In walks Goldenrod*
I thought, “I need something to clear my sinuses and support my lungs while I am dealing with this,” and immediately thought of Goldenrod. I took some of my goldenrod tincture and within minutes felt my head begin to clear and my breathing deepen. I felt lighter and more peaceful than I had in over a week, and this feeling continued as I kept working with her. So far I still have a scratchy sounding voice, but clear lungs, clear sinuses and very minimal irritation in my throat.
This summer I have made tincture, oil and vinegar out of her dried leaves and I was sooooooo not impressed. Okay, I probably would have liked it just fine if I had not made the same infusions and tinctures with the flowering tops last year. LOL Working with the leaves before the blooms arrive is “nice”. Okay? Nice as in “pleasant”, “gentle”, “unremarkable”, “subtle”. I still feel the same qualities in the plant’s effects on the systems of my body, but there is something outrageously vivid, vivacious and spectacular about her essence when you wait for the blooms. Kinda like me.
Notice how her little tops are straightening up compared to earlier pics. I tried to get a good shot of her buds that are beginning to form. *Enchanting*
~Dana
