The Mother Wound: Reflective Alchemy for the Subconscious Heart
May this medicine carry you. This is the time when we reclaim our heart's power to transform our lives with love. Many of us are feeling big changes and profound purification taking place. The moments are promising but also bring a depth of work to be done. This is a month to open to the power of creation and let it rip through our psyches until we are breathless with the fun and wonder of the Light. This is the month to step into our heart’s power. But not without moving through and with our shadow, first. Astrologically, the planets are on fire: Uranus is in Aries, with Mars, Mercury, The Sun, and The Moon all in Leo. Saturn has also been making its journey in Sagittarius. The trajectory of these planets, in combination with some other planetary alignment, bring with them the following lessons: "asserting our individuality from the mainstream, releasing our masks covering the authentic heart-felt self, letting ourselves be used as vessels for our divine essence and our purpose in this lifetime, radiating our confidence and delight in our power to create a magnificent life, courageously standing up for the kingdom and community we want to live in, releasing our inner child to play, create, express, and becoming champions of love and awakening…” With all of this in mind, 3 important questions were posed to guide us through the cycle which we find ourselves in:
- How can I feel more connected to others?
- What spiritual lesson am I trying to master right now?
- Who in my life do I need to reach out to right now?
The answer to these questions give us a clearer picture of the things occurring internally which are reflected externally in interaction and communion with the world around us. There is something very deep happening for many of us, and we offer this spiritual elixir as a light for our work with the shadows. May this medicine nurture us.
how can i feel more connected to others?
Do the work of healing your inner child and releasing past and present traumas. 5 of Cups. In the image of this card we see a man, surrounded by 5 cups which have been spilled, a child stands next to him, unclothed and looking toward a couple standing close to the edge of a creek. He looks down at the cups almost as if blindly searching. This suggests that we are dealing with an aspect of self that is disappointed or searching for something one feels one did not receive at a crucial time in life. This suggests that we may even be at a loss for a sense of emotional security and, therefore, emotional intelligence. The shadow we are presently working through is represented by the traumas that we may have acquired during our younger years -- our parents perhaps did not support our development (spiritual and emotional) in the way that we may have needed. This could have been due to their own inner or outer hardships - being overworked and underloved. Further, the alchemy being beckoned through this card is one which reminds us of the true reasons as to why we may have a hard time trusting or even believing that others are capable of offering the support and companionship that we may need. This alchemy asks us to really be honest with ourselves about what needs to be looked at. Where are the weeds in your garden and how can you fully but gently uproot them?
Pry further. What do I need that I didn't get? Perhaps several answers arise: to be allowed visibility; to be allowed fullness; space for errors and integrative learning; more hugs and kisses; to be told that I am beautiful and enough. Your personal answers could vary but are equally important in this process of healing the inner child.
what spiritual lesson am i trying to master right now?
Spirit asks you to release the fear of lack and the need to (subconsciously or consciously) "steal" from others what you think you otherwise would not be able to have. Release self-deceptive attitudes and ideas. The lesson is on inner abundance as influenced by the power of the mind. 7 of Swords. The 7 of Swords is a card that appears in your Tarot reading to reveal issues of breaking free, doing things your own way and abandoning group ideals. The 7 of Swords is seen as a card of saving yourself; this can have positive elements to it, as in many personal transformations, but it can be negative as well, revealing the core selfishness present in many of our decisions. There is also an element of haste in this card, an indicator of moving fast in a decision making process. When we see the 7 of Swords, we are being asked to more closely study our own behavior. Projections run amok in times like these. Projections may be felt as reflections even when they aren't. The medicine of the 7 of swords is for us to really be intentional about how exactly we are interacting with our peers and environment. Perhaps you are upset at someone who you think may have wronged you, but you are not clearly identifying your role in the entire situation. Where, within your mind, can you make a shift or transmute a thought to create a more harmonious exchange with friends, family, the world around, and the inner self? How can you find and shine your own light and stop being threatened by or envious of another's?
who in my life do i need to reach out to right now?
Go forward to the places and the people who support your hopes and dreams. Reach out to your innermost self for the jewels and fortune contained within. These may comes as lessons or shadows. Still, the medicine is there. 9 of Cups. This card depicts a family - a man with a baby upon his shoulders and a woman sitting near them, smiling as she admires the fruits of her labor. Behind them you see people dancing and another family walking near the waters. This scene is very pleasant and heart-warming. This card is about returning to the spiritual family, invoking ancestral guides, and communing with benevolent forces. This is actual a perfect number in observing the sequence of the cards mentioned above - 5, 7, 9. This is an appearance that speaks of progress. The 5 of Cups had us confronting that feeling of not having received all that we needed to feel secure and abundant in the world. The 9 of cups brings the cycle of healing that wound to a new place - we now begin to integrate the lessons and see the wound for what it has the potential to be - a place for the light to shine through. Right now, we are being beckoned to unity with our soul groups, spiritual community, natal family, and inner selves. Perhaps, there has been a rift in your connection to some of these units. Perhaps, it is hard for you to connect with your natal family. Perhaps, the deeper question in this time is, "how can I be the point of difference which ultimately unites and balances?" This time is prosperous in the sense that it lends it energy for transmutation and the ability to truly be the shaper of what we surround ourselves with. At this point, there is a balancing act happening between the inner child and the inner mother. The inner child may need to be reminded, "I am okay". It is an empowering process - to accept the parts that we feel have been rejected. In this process, we begin to see the patterns that emerged early; we recognize the voice of our mothers within and how they have served to either hurt us or uplift us. Nevertheless, transforming the mother voice from pain and criticism to abundant and unconditional support is a superior part of what happens through these shifts. We begin to feel safe again. We begin to access the inner child for true creative and manifestation potential. We begin to heal the wound of inadequacy. When we reach a certain point in this dance, we then have access to our authentic self.
Now, to aid in this powerful healing, there is a very specific ally that speaks to us. Her name is Motherwort. Used in at least 4 of our potions, this plant is known as the helper of mothers and their children, hence the name Motherwort. The English name (motherwort) reflects the long history of use for easing tension, anxiety, cramps in new and expecting mothers, and supporting the circulatory system. This is a plant native to Eastern Europe and Asia, brought to the US by the northern european colonizers. It has naturalized throughout the US, although, according to the USDA plants database, not in California. Motherwort is indispensable for healing the mother wound as it provides support for both the heart and the womb. With Motherwort, we are able to release longheld grief and gain clarity about generational traumas and blockages so that we may be able to heal them. It is also perfect for birthing mothers as it creates a shield and possibility for a trauma-free birth experience.
Here is an outline of Motherwort's super powers:
- She helps regulate tachicardia (uneven heart beats) especially when due to stress and anxiety; this happens very quickly after dosage and can be a powerful ally for someone who feels their heart beat frequently due to tension and anxiety and especially for someone whose fear of having anxiety can turn into panic
- She calms the nervous system's overactivity: reducing the sympathetic overdrive that expresses itself as nervous tension and anxiety: worryworts who pace, tighten and get jumpy
- She has a distinctly soothing quality to her calming powers, like a "big hug from mom," as my herbal teacher introduced her to me exclaimed fondly
- She is decidedly bitter, one of the more bitter plants in the mint family, which makes her an ally for stimulating digestion and even more so, an ally for someone who tends to leave their bodies and/or 'zone out' when facing fear or elevated emotions ~ the bitter flavor brings us back into our bodies and helps draw the energetic center of our awareness further down from our minds to our core, as well as bringing us into the present moment
- She is considered to be a 'cardio-tonic,' a plant that helps restore optimal functioning to the heart:
- Leonurine, an alkoloid that is found in Motherwort, is a mild vasodilator and anti-spasmotic to smooth muscle tissues, including the heart
- She helps bring down high blood pressure when this is a primary symptom of anxiety and stress response, especially when their are signs of heat and excesses of nervous and digestive systems as well, she is a cooling herb
- There are recent studies showing her ability to decrease clotting and fats in the blood (great for pre-flight worriers who also might have some stagnation issues) as well as such and such
- She is a traditional remedy for 'gladdening the heart,'
- She may assist with bringing back into balance a over active (hyper) thyroid as part of a larger regimen addressing thyroid excess
- She has a strong relationship with the needs of mothers and female reproductive transitions:
- She is an emmenagogue (stimulates the uterus/brings on menses) in larger doses and can be used to help assist a mother the final weeks/days prior to labor, easing labor pains, soothing fears and relaxing elevated central nervous functions as well as calming the heart during such a high intensity period of transition - if pregnant, use only with the supervision of a well studied herbalist or midwife as dosages and frequency matters depending on personal needs
- Also used post labor to assist with the healthy tone of the uterus as well as a preventative for infection ( largely due to motherwort's assistance in properly evacuating the full contents of the uterus post partum)
- Motherwort can be a great ally for a formulation addressing PMS symptoms as it has quick relief for the tension and often can assist with the constrictive headaches prior to menses (I like to combine with rosemary and lavender or skullcap for this) in combination with other herbs, nutritional and lifestyle recommendations based on the person
- For a lady with hot flashes, anxious tension and heart palpitations, motherwort is a great friend to help cool and calm, careful to dose according to bleeding patterns, not too heavy if there is menstrual flooding
- Motherwort has been said to help mothers who over mother, allowing them to let go and surrender the need to feel in control, especially when they have no idea how controlling/overly involved they can be, it as become their new normal and see worry as a form of caring.
If you would like to know more about the potions we have which contain Motherwort, check out the list below in the corresponding sections in the Shop:
- Venus Potion found in the '7 Planetary Powers Potions' section.
- Spirit Gate found in the 'Tea Blends' section.
- Fluidez and Chakra Balancing Tea Blend found in the 'Age of Aquarius Healing Collection'.
Also check out our next post (full moon), for a more in depth survey on healing the heart, the womb, and our connection to the mother - inner and outer.
With Love.
*some information on Motherwort via http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/benefits-of-motherwort.html