Welcome & Herbal Allies – Lavender

Welcome to the Half Moon Blog. First things first. I have a confession to make — I am an animist. Animism is the basic foundation of the work that I do. It’s pretty simple, really. I believe that everything has a spirit. In order to do my work, I connect with the spirits of herbs, roots, fruits, vegetables, etc. and ask for their assistance. Rather than ordering them around, I’m asking for them to help me, to become my allies.

I first started working closely with fruit about 3 years ago. I would find myself walking through the produce section of the grocery store, hearing little whispers and getting impressions of different concepts. Fruit, apparently, had a lot to say! It was during this time that I learned to trust my intuition and to follow up on the impressions that I was receiving rather than pushing them away. I wrote down much of what I was told, waiting for the right day to use this information.

Most of what I wrote down, I discovered, was a kind of guide — suggestions of which allies to ask for help with different causes. This past year,  lavender has been one of my favorite herbal allies. Lavender is commonly known to help with relaxation, but is also great for promoting self-love. I use lavender as primary ingredient in one of my most popular products: Heart Balm (pictured above), which is used for love uncrossing, or removing obstacles to love. After all, self-love is an extremely important component to romantic love.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was visiting family & friends in Texas. I was driving from Houston to Austin when I saw a sign on the side of the road notifying me that there was a lavender farm coming up. This, I decided, would be a lovely adventure. I turned off of the main highway and went a few miles down some backroads. After perhaps 10 minutes of driving, I arrived at the Chappell Hill Lavender Farm on the very last day of the season just a few hours before they closed.

Outside the gift shop was sign that cheerfully invited visitors to cut lavender for free. The attendant clarified which fields were available for harvesting, and pointed me toward the baskets and sheers. There weren’t many flowers left, but what was there was beautiful. Butterflies flitted about, landing on the last of the lavender blossoms. Here, I realized, was an invaluable chance to get to know one of my favorite herbal allies in its rawest form!

I walked through the field, taking in what lavender looks like as it grows and cutting a small bouquet of flowers. Once I was finished, I went inside and chatted with the attendant a bit. I snapped some pictures and then, finally, got back on the road. This entire experience lasted perhaps 45 minutes, but was an excellent reminder of how allies are all around us, if only we take the time to look. In remembering that I was surrounded by allies, I received a much-needed reminder that I am surrounded by love, that I am, in fact, love.

Where are the untapped allies in your life? Where are the forgotten sources of strength? What are you made out of?