the magic of high summer
Happy belated Lughnasad to everyone who celebrates 🌾
It’s that time of year of endless days, of golden light, of dancing dry grasses and cicadas. Also of uncomfortably hot, sweaty nights, and worry over the ever-stretching fire season.
The hot hours of the day expand into near-nothingness, a steady rhythm marked by the slow hum of insects’ beating and rubbing wings while everything else seems to fall silent. During these hot hours, it’s easy to feel slow, lethargic, lazy even. And why not, after all — if summer wasn’t already a season to embrace this seasonal rhythm of rest and activity, an increasingly warm planet doesn’t just suggest it for physical well-being, it demands it. So drink water, swim in cold water, rely on cooling herbs, lay in front of a fan after lunch if you need it / have the capacity to do so. Taking care of yourself is good work.
And yet, there is so much magic in high summer. Tapping into it, despite the roughness of this season (and perhaps because of it) is part of why, deep down, I like summer. There’s beauty and poetry in the rawness of the environment around us, and there is love to be poured into the wounds. In all senses.
So in honor of high summer’s magic, here are some of my favorite practices for this time of year. They’re simple, easy, and ritualistic, even. A seasonal marker, repeated year after year.
Forage for St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and make herb-infused oil, which is best made using the fresh (or just wilted) herb. The flower usually blooms around the Summer Solstice so, depending on where you live, the ideal harvest window might have passed, but there’s only one way to know!
Look for St John’s Wort along calm country roads, pathways, and fields. As always, follow safe and sustainable foraging practices.
This herb and its bright red oil were my gateway into herbalism, so this preparation holds a very special place in my heart. I keep a little glass of it handy to use in cuts, scrapes, and small burns. And because St John’s Wort oil feels like sunshine in a bottle, I like to use it during the dark days of winter as body oiling after a warm shower (highly recommend that if you haven’t tried it yet!).
Collect blackberries. Every day, most days. This year I’m experimenting with freezing them since we have that privilege now, but much of the harvest finds its way into fermented drinks, jams, and desserts. Free food is my favorite food.
Make flower bouquets, shamelessly inviting botanical beauty into your home. Whether grown or foraged, bouquets can bring so, so much simple joy into your days. Ever since I met the lovely Chelsea Fuss and saw how she works and creates, I feel so inspired to make simple arrangements throughout the seasons, bringing together blooms and leaves, grasses and vines.
Stargaze. And these nights especially, try to catch the magical Perseids meteor shower! The oldest record of this impressive show dates back to 36 AD (“More than 100 stars fell”), and that’s only the written word. So you know, humans have been witnessing this meteor shower for quite a while. Keep the ritual alive and, if your skies are cloud-free, find yourself a dark location, some friendly company, a blanket, and a thermos of hot tea. The shower was at its peak last night, but you can still appreciate the beauty and wish upon a shooting star (or a few!) for a couple more days to come.
What are you doing these days? How are you finding magic this season?
Some stray links pollinating the internets
✨ My friend Farai has just released her latest zine, How to Take Good Care. This is a collection of poems, stories, and herbal recipes on how to take care of each other. Amplifying this important work!
✨ I’ve been listening to Alyson‘s leo season playlist during my mornings and it’s energizing me. Thank you, Alyson 💛
✨ Good things: a free herbal workshop by Herbal Academy! The Sensory Herbalism Workshop starts tomorrow, and you can still sign up. Even if you don’t make it live, you’ll receive a replay after. Bring a cup of sun tea poured over ice!
