Earth Pathways Showcase

The Moon Through the Signs

♈︎ | Moon in Aries ~ The Moon in Aries brings adventurous, confident energy. Let your enthusiasm spark, work with this energy and run with your desires. The mood is direct and impulsive – time to play the music, explore new boundaries, and initiate any plans that have been waiting. Be bold, embrace a sense of headstrong determination.

♉︎ | Moon in Taurus ~ The Moon in Taurus will give a sense of being body-centred. Focus on the physical, there may be enhanced sensuality for you at this time. Feelings of being at peace come into prominence and bring the steady and persistent tenacity needed to continue with a project you have started. There is fertile ground right now in which to plant seeds and ideas.

♊︎ | Moon in Gemini ~ The Moon passing through Gemini creates an active mind and an articulate tongue. Speak your dreams, communicate all you wish to see and do. Be inspired, feel light-hearted. A flip side is that we can feel restless and fickle, so ground and re-connect by being with the trees.

♋︎ | Moon in Cancer ~ A Cancer Moon creates a need for peace and quiet: a feeling of a need to belong, to be home and feel safety; a motivational time for putting things in order at home. There is much healing potential. Nurture your soul and connect with the beauty in nature. This is a time to be insular. Feelings run deep, making it an ideal time to connect with and listen to your heart.

♌︎ | Moon in Leo ~ This is a time of warmth, generosity, of whole-hearted loving – all the world is a stage. Extroverted vibes bring attention-seeking and a celebration of your own special qualities. Laugh big belly-laughs, smile and bawl at the comedy and tragedy of this life.

♍︎ | Moon in Virgo ~ Reorganise, rethink, assess, analyse everything, especially any plans that are making you feel uneasy. Reflect on your health and wellbeing. The energy is pensive, sensitive, compassionate and particular. Be aware of not only what needs discarding, but also what needs preserving and nurturing.

♎︎ | Moon in Libra ~ A time to create order, balance, and equality. Where can your relationships be more equal? Where can you find fairness and justice? Find equilibrium with work and relationships. Activities that involve self-examination come to the fore.

♏︎ | Moon in Scorpio ~ The Moon in Scorpio can bring an intense emotional experience. This can create a time of deep introspection and a sense of rising passions and interests. The atmosphere of this Moon is an ideal time for connecting with ancestors past and gifts that may have been energetically passed through to you.

♐︎ | Moon in Sagittarius ~ Sagittarius brings great optimism and positivity. This Moon inspires an expansion of consciousness. Journey into the mind at this time, but also travel will be more possible in a physical sense. It is a good time to learn a skill or interest. There is seemingly no limit to the sense of freedom at this time. As a result, mark down all your ideas, but leave the decision-making for later.

♑︎ | Moon in Capricorn ~ With a Capricorn Moon, there is a strong focus on work, with an ambitious yet practical energy. This is a time to gain insights into our strengths and weaknesses. Create goals and plan how to achieve them. Make a list and check it off to create a sense of accomplishment.

♒︎ | Moon in Aquarius ~ During this Moon there is a strong sense of individualism. It is a time to explore new ideas, beliefs and learn from other cultures. Relax, breathe deeply, check in with community, chat to loved ones. The vibes are philosophical, open-minded but also stubborn! Rebellion is the name of the game, take care that your actions are for a positive purpose. This is a great Moon to shift old, stuck patterns and look to a new way of being.

♓︎ | Moon in Pisces ~ This is a really soft, flowing time, as though boundaries and edges are blurred. Be gentle with yourself and others. Rest is in order; candle-lit bathing, drawing, writing, and letting tears flow. This can be an emotionally sensitive time, perfect to retreat and find quiet time to imagine. Get your divinatory tools out, as intuition is at a peak.

The Moon Through the Signs © Seed Sistas 2024

Phases of the Moon

The ever-changing movement and shape of lunar light gives a framework to support magical work, dream connection and harvesting.

The Dark or New Moon ~ The phase of the Moon when there is no Moon visible in the night sky. The Sun and Moon are both on the same side of the Earth. The Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, so cast into shadow; representative of the cunning Crone, the wisdom of the dark. An ideal time for introspection, a time to dream, to rest and lean into the hidden places. The Dark Moon is the time for harvesting medicinal roots and rhizomes when the energies are pulsating down into the soil, deep in the dark earth. Just at the turn of the Dark Moon, the energy of the New Moon enters. This time represents new beginnings, youth and energy. These novel, vibrant energies allow magical workings that invite new growth: the beginnings of a project, a chance to start again, creating beginnings and wishing in your desires. This is a good time for seed planting.

The Waxing Moon ~ This refers to the phase where the Moon is growing in illumination, lasting from the first appearance of the crescent sliver to the Full Moon. Observing the waxing Moon parallels a sense of growing projects, hopes, dreams, anything that you would like more light directed onto. The energy of planted seeds can start to stir with this growing lunar energy.

The Full Moon ~ The Full Moon is a time of great power, representing generosity and abundance. The extended light provides activity in the aerial parts (above ground) of plants, thus the optimal time for harvesting leaves, flowers or fruits. The Full Moon is a time to celebrate successes and accomplishments. It is also an auspicious time for connection magic, to work with kinship, unity, for celebrating togetherness and connection to community.

The Waning Moon ~ The waning Moon is the period from the Full Moon to the next Dark Moon. A period useful for banishing work, such as ridding oneself of bad habits or cutting negative influences out of your life. We use this time for creating clear awareness around where boundaries are needed. Herbs, trees and bushes with thorns are helpful in this work; boundary hedges like Sloe, Hawthorn and Rose potentise the practice through sympathetic magic.

Phases of the Moon © Seed Sistas 2024

The Moon Void of Course (v/c)

From our beautiful home planet of Earth, as we gaze beyond the Moon, we see constellations in the night sky. As the Moon (who does a good job of ruling our emotions, our instincts, and our inner life) passes through these constellations, various qualities come to pass. Between constellational transits, there is a period of time where the Moon is said to be ‘Void of Course’. This is the perfect time to take stock, to restore, to plan, plot and assess but not to start anything afresh.

For some grounded herbal support, you could reach for Valerian during these times, to untangle mentally and relax any tension. Try brewing a Valerian root decoction to add to a foot bath with a drop of Lavender essential oil.

The Moon Void of Course (v/c) © Seed Sistas 2024

Retrograde Planets

The planets of our solar system all travel around the Sun in the same direction, almost on the same plane, in smaller and larger orbits. and they travel at different speeds. When a planet overtakes the Earth or is overtaken by the Earth, we observe that planet start to appear as if it’s moving backwards. Reach for herbal friends that are calming and grounding during these times. Our favourites include Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Fennel, Rose and Hawthorn.

☿ | Mercury ~ 15th March - 7th April / 18th July - 11th August / 9th - 29th November. The big hitter of the retrograde movements, Mercury in retrograde affects communication and the flow of technology working well. A good time to reflect and gather, to prepare and plot. Fennel is ruled by Mercury, so brew yourself a tea or chew some seeds for calm inspiration.

♀︎ | Venus ~ 2nd March - 13th April. A good time to assess relationships and where we can provide self-love. Not necessarily a good time for starting new love. Work with Venusian Rose buds or petals to focus on where you can nurture yourself a little more. Place some on an altar space and make a Rose tea with a drop of honey to sweeten the mood.

♂︎ | Mars ~ 6th December 2024 - 24th February 2025. The planet of fire and drive in retrograde can make tempers quick to flare. Take some chill time, time in nature to support a calming of this high energy time. Mars-ruled, dried Hawthorn berries can make wonderful worry beads, popped in a pouch to fondle when emotions are heightened.

Retrograde Planets © Seed Sistas 2024

As ‘Community Herbalists’ who have focused intent and action on inspiring, creating and supporting community medicine gardens, the magic and power of ritual is of utmost importance to us. All of our work is our prayer, a prayer to shift consciousness to empathy and care. In the fertile soil of shared practices, something truly magical happens – we transcend our individualist selves and sprout into a vibrant community garden. Rituals, like the tender care we give our beloved herbs, have the power to connect us deeply, weaving threads of unity and harmony. Whether it’s the simple act of brewing a cup of herbal tea or joining hands under the full moon, rituals remind us that we are part of a greater cosmic dance.

These enchanting ceremonies, much like seeds sown in unison, cultivate a sense of togetherness that goes beyond the bounds of our own existence. Just as a thriving garden is a collective effort of sun, rain, and earth, our communal rituals create a tapestry of shared experiences, hopes, and dreams. So let’s gather ‘round the cosmic cauldron of unity and let the magic of rituals remind us that we are never alone in this journey. Let’s nurture not just our herbs but also the connections that grow from the fertile ground of shared intention and collective care.

Rooted In Ritual © Seed SistAs 2024

All magical practices and traditions develop in response to the surrounding flora, fauna and physical environment. This means that it is possible to re-create and re-paint a picture of ancient rituals through working with and being inspired by our local plants. We can then flavour this with contemporary knowledge and the current circumstances and situations in which we live. The essence of each plant holds the experiences of those people and places that have gone before in its energetic body - a resonance of the past.

Connecting with the plants and trees in our home habitats can help deepen the understanding of what is needed for ourselves, our community and the local environment. They can create insights and instigate profound experiences. Much has been lost with lack of ritual in our modern society. Ritual that enables connection beyond the self, to realise that as part of community, we thrive together. Ritual takes you beyond an individualist nature and can be created in community with the help of plants that can bring us together and alter the everyday conscious pattern that we most often exist in.

This can be as simple as a seed collection from surrounding wild flowers, made into a seed bomb with some neighbours and family. With conscious care and intent to support nature, we can work wonderful magic together.

Magical Plant Practices © Seed SistAs 2022

Winter is the season of stillness and surrender. All of nature is quietening down. The deciduous trees are bare, berries have been picked off the trees and bushes and nuts stored away. Nature’s energy is deep underground in the earth. It is now a time of retreat, rest and introspection but often of hardship, darkness and of facing our fears as well. Winter is the time of the Crone, the dark moon, associated with death. In nature, death is part of the cycle. Winter teaches us that death is a natural part of life and not something to be feared. The enormity of winter activity happening beneath our feet is astounding. Rain pounds on the earth’s surface, filters down through the mud, and roots drink up the sustaining life force. Movement underground is relentless, rootlets searching for nourishment, stretching out in the dank darkness, feeling their way. Mycelia of fungi carry information and nourishment in a vast underground network of radical connection. Further below is the continuous movement of the tectonic plates. However to the naked eye, the earth is solid, unmoving, a constant companion to which we are bound through gravity.

Winter © Seed Sistas 2019