Mimosa flowers float in mountain water under ponderosa pines, flooded with solstice sunlight, on the lands of the Concow-Maidu in the sacred Sierra Nevada foothills. I feel the energies of this powerful site in the pads of my bare feet on the warm earth.
-Tiana, June 2018, California
I don’t have many people around me and in my life who share my many interests. It can feel isolating. I normally do ritual and ceremony alone. (I’m a Cancer rising so ya know it works for me) it was around the Summer Solstice my family was visiting my husband’s parents. My mother-in-law, Holly, shares many interests with me and I really cherish being able to get into deep conversation with her. This year, we happened to be together around the Summer Solstice and we planned to make a flower essence in ritual together. It is such a gift to partake in a small ceremony with someone close to you.
Summer Solstice is a celebration of the longest day of the year. A gathering day of joyous blooming, for ourselves and the earth. We celebrate the fullness of life and the abundance of the earth mother.
A flower essence is a vibrational medicine, a way to connect with the healing spirit a flower has to offer. Working with these Medicines can restore balance within our emotional and spiritual levels. Flower medicine has been used in this way for over 10,000 years. People around the world (Australian Aborigines, Native Americans, Minoans, and ancient Egyptians) drank the dew drops off of flowers, placed fresh flowers in their mouth, and sat with the flowers to take in their healing powers. In the 1920’s, Dr. Edward Bach was working to discover ways of healing for the psychological and emotional issues where illness stems from. He found that by floating fresh picked flowers in spring water and placing them in the sun, he could harness this healing.
Flower Essence Recipe
Choose a flower you are instinctually draw to in the wild or in your garden (free of pollutants). Select flowers that are in full bloom and are vibrant in color. Be sure to ask permission and leave an offering of moon blood, hair, a crystal or a song. Give thanks.
- Fill a glass bowl with spring water and float the flowers above the water for 3 hours in direct sunlight.
- To make your tincture, mix 50% flower water and 50% brandy. Bottle in a clean dark glass dropper. (The brandy acts as a preservative and the dark colored glass protects it from light.)
- To take your Medicine, dilute and place a few drops under the tongue or add into a herbal tea. If you don’t want to take internally you can also add a few drops to your wrists or third eye. (Do more research into Dr. Bach’s flower essence therapy to learn about different flowers and their medicines.)
We gathered the flowers of the mimosa tree.
Mimosa flower is a heart opener. She opens us up to optimism and aids us in awakening our spirit, making us feel more vibrant. Mimosas clears us of internal dullness. She creates clarity and radiance in our lives. Mimosa dispels depression, anxiety, restlessness and gloomy feelings. She brings us into places of trust, sensitivity, empathy, creativity, life force, and spontaneity. Mimosa opens her fluffy pink poms to the sun every morning, spreading into explosive joy. That, to us, was a perfect Medicine for Litha.
Our Summer Solstice Ritual
We gathered the tools, poured the water, and gently float the soft pink explosions into the glittering water. With intention we place the vessel onto the earth, where it could absorb the sun’s fierce light. We surround it in a protection circle of obsidian and shell that we gathered from the land. Placing our Tarot decks within this hoop of protection, we leave it to rest in the sun. At sunset we return to craft our essence. Pouring our alchemy of water and brandy into our bottles. The flowers that remain are laid to rest within the obsidian circle. we sprinkle the remaining water over the ground with our cupped hands. We pull our wet hands through our hair, adorning our crowns with this sweet Medicine. We light a candle and each draw a single card from our sun soaked decks. I feel gratitude for the earth below me, the sun above me and the woman beside me.
**** I am obviously not a doctor and you should use your head when it comes to working with herbal and flower medicines. Just because they are natural does not mean they aren’t powerful. Plant medicines need to be used with respect. Especially if you are unfamiliar with plant medicine or are taking medications, consult you doctor. I have to make this disclaimer, but it is my opinion that more often than not the modern medical industry keeps us sick and disempowered. Taking your health into your own hands can be deeply empowering, but it is vital that you take the necessary steps to fully educate yourself. Flower essences are a great place to start when trying to learn plant medicines.
Magical Yule to Our Witchy Friends in the Southern Hemisphere! Check out our Yule post with Winter Solstice rituals and a tarot spread.
