The last few weeks I have been in southern Italy, where the seasonal shift has been hard to catch (at least for my Canadian senses). I’ve been swimming in the sea, sweltering in 30 degree weather, and eating gelato – all of which feel very out of season in late October. Even still, it seems that my body knows where we are on the seasonal clock, even if my mind is having a hard time grasping autumn. I’ve been needing more sleep than usual, craving comfort meals, and just wanting to be cozy. I’ve always loved this time of year. I like when the nights get cold and crisp, and when darkness starts to linger for longer. There is a noticeable dusting of magic in the air during those nights and chilly mornings, which I have been missing. But today, as we drove from Calabria to Puglia, I noticed fallen leaves, misty forests, and a cool wind.
Last month, while I was in Austria meeting my relatives, the question of what I do kept coming up. Through the language barrier and the translation attempts it was determined that “herbalist” = “kräuter hexe”, which literally means herb witch. Damn, what a title, right? Herb witch seems to encompass so much more than “herbalist” ever could, because it contains a sense of mysticism and magic in it and that is a profound piece of herbal medicine, in my opinion. I’ve been slowly making my way through the BBC podcast, Witch, a listen I highly recommend. The history of women and healing, magic, and, you guessed it, herbal medicine, is not a happy one. We likely all carry our own “witch wounds” from our ancestors (I know I do!). But being called a kräuter hexe in my ancestral homeland made me feel proud, and like a past wrong was being righted. Like a wound was healing. Since being in Puglia, I have noticed an alarming number of black cats hanging out in groups. Perhaps my new claimed identity is attracting them to me, hehe. Here’s to the inner witch in all of us. Tis the season after all ; )
It’s the time of the celtic new year - samhain. I love that this time of death and decay in the natural world was chosen as the time for new beginnings too. Because that is how it goes. Death and rebirth, darkness before the light, decay and rot breeds new life. The cycle is forever beautiful. I’ve never really been into Halloween in terms of the costumes or the parties, although I am now seeing it as incredible inner-child medicine, but the collective coming together to celebrate the spirit world and turn the focus to the dead is something special. Yesterday was All Saints Day here in Italy, and we spent it feasting, as you do, and joining the crowds of people in the village streets after dark around bonfires with wine and music.
On Halloween night we were in a huge, empty mansion in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone reception or wifi, in the midst of a storm which caused random hallway doors to rattle and slam shut. Usually I like to indulge in a horror movie for the occasion, but I could not muster up the courage to make the experience scarier. A few days prior, however, we rewatched the ‘70s thriller Don’t Look Now, featuring Donald Sutherland in peak hotness, lol. Even after a second viewing I still get a little lost in the plot, but I love a movie set in Venice and love the creepy atmosphere the movie builds. The “spirit season” (as Liz Migliorelli aka Sister Spinster, one of my favourite herbalists and teachers calls it) is still going strong so if you’re up for a stylish thriller give it a watch.
Burn some mugwort, brew a pot of burdock tea and maybe add a little cinnamon or ginger to warm you up. Let your home get dark and then light some candles and feel the presence of magic in and all around you. It’s there, I promise.
Lots of love to you. Thank you for reading <3
Anika
Herb witch 💚🖤
herb witch!!! 🖤