I've decided, because it's an eclipse and we all need it, I'd gift everyone a bonus! Here is the full Ritual Guide for Monday's New Moon in Sagittarius! If you sign up on Patreon for the High Priestess tier for $10/month, you'll get at least 2 of these per month! Many of the links I've included are to past guides behind the paywall (since this would normally just be for those with access already!), if you subscribe you'll get access to all of them as well!
Herb: Sage
Recipe: Neuro-Chiller Tea
Ritual: Use your intuition!
Tarot: Eclipse Renewal Spread
Days ago, I awoke from a dream of Mercury. I had been attempting to write a blog post on the astrological significance of Mercury in Sagittarius, its current placement. As I whinged to a faceless friend about my difficulties, they calmly explained that I should just stop trying, because Mercury really doesn’t want to be defined right now.
Sounds pretty Sag to me.
As a Gemini who celebrates and identifies with my Sagittarius friends, being lumped together as the social butterfly party friends of the Zodiac, it had never occurred to me that, being directly opposite their home sign, Mercury is in their detriment at the moment.
Since they moved into the Archer, my internet cut out for a week due to a miscommunication and I’ve spent much of the month in a brain fog. Sounds like the ruler of connection and acuity is a little confused right now!
Sagittarius season glows when we get to celebrate the holidays as effusively and gregariously as we can. Stuck inside, forced away from our loved ones (if we’re being safe and caring for others, that is), this fire sign is wont to drive us up the walls.
At least a house-bound Gemini can use the internet to connect! (theoretically)
Pair that with our second eclipse of the month coinciding with the new moon on Monday morning (Dec 14), this time a total Solar eclipse, and we’re all bound to be running in circles and banging our heads against the walls. The communication issues we were having on the Full Moon in Gem have yet to resolve, and our focus has gone from repairing our broken translators to forging full speed ahead with our eyes closed, incomprehensible map be damned.
If you’re someone who can delight in the seasonal offerings of the various winter holidays, maybe that can take the edge off. But this can be a challenge for the rest of us; without the infectious cheer of others surrounding me, I’m liable to forget about it entirely (like I almost did writing this).
Lest we all be caught screaming up at the dark moon for lack of a better outlet, we can turn to the wisdom of Sagittarius’ Zodiacal trump card, Temperance.
Yes, temperance is about moderation, but the cheeky, self-referential kind (you know the saying). It is the balance of extremes, walking the middle line without eschewing either end completely. Temperance is dialectical thinking, as I discussed last moon:
"...when you sit with two opposing statements and begin to feel the point at which they overlap, they begin to synthesize into a much greater Truth, not unlike a Magic Eye image." ~MeTemperance is, functionally, the last step in the alchemy of the soul. It is Coagulation, called by the Golden Dawn “Daughter of the Reconcilers.” In the Thoth deck, she is called Art. Her magick is not of pain but of maturation, of finding best path forward and having the courage to walk it.
We just spent Scorpio season peeling away the rotting flesh of what we no longer need, only to find unfamiliar parts of ourselves suddenly exposed and able to breathe. The Mercurial search for answers will yield no results. We must find a way to access the very best gift of Sagittarius, the skill of joyfully going with the flow. Challenging when said flow seems so still, but fruitful nonetheless.
So find a way to ground yourself in your body and tap into the universal current. I promise, it’s the most stimulating adventure we have access to at the moment. And don’t forget to stay in touch with your family, chosen or blood, because winter is much colder when isolated. Herb
To harness the Jupiterian energy of this season, what better herb to turn to that winter ally and age-old panacea, the great Sage.
Because the earth knows
The scent of history,
It gave the people sage.
This fuzzy, fragrant leaf is a powerhouse of medicine. Mathew Wood classifies age as “an herb of remarkable range and depth” (The practice of traditional western herbalism 2004). Used for thousands of years, the more than 500 members of the Salvia genus grow around the world. Great for cognition, respiration, digestion, and more, its uses are truly innumerable.
Sage has a unique balancing effect on the fluids of our bodies, as it is considered both drying and oily. Too much phlegm? Its astringent properties will dry it out. But when dryness is the issue, its oils soothe and lubricate, keeping passageways and organs supple. In this way also, it supports our circulatory systems, stimulating blood flow to atrophied areas; there is evidence that it can even dissolve blood clots.
It’s pungent oils can aid in stimulating sluggish digestion, specifically helping our bodies break down and process fats and other nutrients more efficiently. It’s antibacterial, antiseptic and antiviral, helping to rid us of infections of all types, from colds and flus to staph and strep.
Sage also helps with the symptoms, as it helps clear clogged sinuses and soothes inflamed sore throats and tonsils. It has a special affinity for the mouth in general, helping soothe and protect gums from recession and infection, and makes an excellent and effective mouth wash. It also aids our lung function, clearing out congestion and helping us to breathe deeper.
Its affinity for oils is part of what makes it such an effective neuroprotective. As it helps with the processing and integration of fats into our bodies, “sage could support the atrophy that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s by maintaining the integrity of fatty brain tissue” (Wood 2004). Yes, it is an incredible ally for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, greatly decreasing their degeneration and suffering; it can also be a support in other degenerative diseases. Studies have confirmed the traditional wisdom, showing that it improves cognition and memory processes, as it slows the break down of acetylcholine in the brain.
"Sage is singularly good for the head and brain, it quickeneth the senses and memory, strengtheneth the sinews, restoreth health to those that have the palsy, and taketh away shakey trembling of the members." ~Maude Grieve
All of this makes it clear why Sage is so often considered a tonic for the aging process. It tonifies atrophied tissue of all kinds. It promotes collagen production and rebuilding connective tissue, improving the appearance of skin as well as decreasing joint pain and inflammation. It is a common remedy for hair loss and greying. Most importantly, however, the wisdom of Sage reminds us not to fear aging and maturation. Theses supports to do not give us leave to stave off aging but rather allows us to embrace it and take control, so that we may truly Age Gracefully, as they say. Like Elder, Sage is of the Crone.
Magickally, Sage can help us with the psychological and spiritual aspects of aging as well. It helps us to accept and process all of the aches and pains that come with growth. And as an herb of both Sagittarius and Gemini, it can help us to balance our fire and air aspects in this tumultuous eclipse time.
"Every one of us is growing and maturing. Some of the time we feel able to learn from our growth, develop as people, and feel a little bit wiser at the end of the day. Other times aging and growing feels ungraceful, traumatic, and miserable. Sage is particularly useful for folks for whom the latter is true, especially if their stall in maturation is a chronic one." ~Alexis J. CunningfolkMost of us will have encountered Sage magickally in the form of burning White Sage, or Salvia apiana. While this is potent cleansing magick, we have over-harvested wild White Sage to the point of endangerment, depriving the Indigenous peoples of its native Southwest US habitat of their ancestral medicine. There are many many other herbs that can be used in its place, including nearly every other species of Sage you can find. Burn what you have but please don’t purchase it unless your source can verify the sustainability of its harvesting. The same now applies to Palo Santo, unfortunately. Alternatives include Rosemary, Mugwort, Lavender, Cedar, Juniper, Garden/Black/Purple/etc. Sage, Bay, Pine, and various resins like Myrrh, Copal, and Frankincense (though it pays to be sustainable with this as well, since we are nearing the same precarity with its mother Boswellia tree in the Middle East). I encourage you to find an herb that aligns with your own ancestral lineage. For example, I use Mugwort to honor my Celtic line and Lavender my Gallic.
You’ll find Sage as an ingredient in the upcoming Clarity tincture blend for cognitive support that I’ll be launching soon.
Neuro-Chiller Tea
I’ve formulated a fragrant brain tonic tea for these mind-boggling times. We’ve got a base of nervous system tonic Oat straw, plus friend-of-cognition Sage, adaptogen Holy Basil, and soothing nervine Lavender. You can find dried herbs here.
2 pt Oat straw
1 pt Sage
1 pt Holy Basil (Tulsi)
1/2 pt Lavender
Pick a measurement to use as your part based on how big you want your batch to be (tsp for a couple cups worth, a cup for a month or more of tea). Add each herb one at a a time to to a clean dry dish. Blend together with a spoon or clean dry hands and as you do, take a deep breath and feel your brain still.
To brew, pour just boiled water over 1 tbsp (per cup, scale up as needed) of your herbal blend and cover. Let steep for 5-15 minutes, depending on how strong you’d like it. Strain and drink before or as you perform your Eclipse rituals or anytime you need the fog lifted and the stress soothed. This one will be good with honey (or other sweetener) I think, or even as a latte! It can also be scaled up into a Bath Tea or Rinse. Ritual
While I refuse to give in to the fear-mongering around performing magick during eclipses, I will say that between my pea soup brain fog and the emotional upheaval that usually permeates the lead up to an eclipse, I am once again coming up short when I ask for a ritual to point you all to.
So my suggestion is to use your own intuition! Honestly, it would defy the Sagittarius spirit just to perform something As Described anyways. Most importantly though, remember to be delicate with yourself.
Cast your circle, perform your Zone Rites, and lay out the following Tarot spread. Ceremonialize your questioning. We can often look to the opposing signs and rulers to see what medicine we need to support us in uncertain seasons. Gemini asks, and then asks again, until they are given the answers they seek.
If your Sagittarius flame burns low as the we prepare for the Sun’s light to be shadowed, let the Air of the information you seek feed the fire. Journal what cannot be said aloud, and maybe you’ll find the answer on the page. Shout what cannot be written and listen for the echo of insight.
If the fire burns too high with what needs dying, threatening to burst forth and catch others in the inferno, it may be best to try and simply sit with it. See if you can tame it by withholding the oxygen of definition and description. Words may not be helpful right now and attempts to blow out the flame with the breath of Naming it might just make it bigger and angrier. Do something to ground yourself in your body and out of your head. And if you are not confident it will burn itself low, make sure to keep water near. Brew some tea and take a bath. Yes this metaphor is extended, but honestly? I think it still holds. Tarot
Use this spread if you feel that more information and potential definition will support you in this transition. If you’re like me and any messages just come out confused and in the wrong order, simply cast a few cards as the Messages from you guide or set your deck aside for this moon and engage in something more somatic. You can also return to this spread later in the week after the vibes die down a bit and ask in the past tense. Your psyche will most definitely be gutting parts of yourself to renovate and move forward, but you don’t need to Know what is happening every step of the way. Or rather you already do. (I remind myself over and over again).
Eclipse Renewal Spread
1) What am I being called to release this Eclipse?
2) What new *thing* am I making room for?
3) How can I best care for myself during this transition?
4) A message from my Guides. Alright, Lovelies, I’ll leave you with that! Listen to what your heart is telling you and follow your inner flame, as long as the road remains safe. Be gentle with yourselves!
And if you want access to full guides like this one for every lunation, head over to my Patreon and take a look at the tiers!
~Corinne
