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Given all you have, who will you be?

~Hiliary Barret

Dear Reader,

I wonder just how often it is that we linger on the edge of our full potential. Unaware of all that is within reach, we stall, spin in place or in some cases follow a path that was never ours to take. The Sun has been transiting through Gate 14 that offers up glimpses of our potential. The question to contemplate is the quote above, given all you have who will you be? Perhaps at some point this week you caught a glimmer of potential that been hiding in plain sight. That was certainly the case for me.

Last Saturday I packed up my trusty garden cart for a little jaunt down the road. It was the Celebration of Heritage Crafts at Mill Hollow Works and I had been asked to offer a short class. November isn’t Gemmo making season but it is the ideal time to prepare oxymels for winter. What’s an oxymel you ask? Well that is exactly what the ten women who gathered around the table last weekend came to discover.

The first known documentation of combining vinegar, honey and herbs into oxymels was in Greece around 400 BC. This type of elixir by the name of oxymel was also noted in Roman texts with continued notations through the Middle Ages. It soon secured a place in European folk medicine, each region adding their own spin.

Oxymels were later brought to America and regional variations were often found in kitchens across the country. It was Rosemary Gladstar in the 80’s who brought the idea of oxymels to a new level of awareness when she shared her “Fire Cider” recipes.

My garden cart, lined with mason jars of fresh herbs bumped and rattled its way down the street before coming to a quiet stop in front of a row of tents erected for classes. With the help of early arrivals the ingredientssoon lined the length of the table. Once every chair was filled and introductions complete I opened by sharing,

Not so long ago, and not so far away generations of women would gather around tables, much like we are today and preserve their herbal harvests. But throughout the past decades our ties to these traditions have nearly been lost. Today lets rediscover the simplicity of plant medicine and begin restoring the connections with our ancestors.

An oxymel is just one of many was of extracting the medicinal qualities from plant materials. Tea making is the simplest, oxymel a step up requiring vinegar and honey and then there are the slightly more sophisticated but just as easy to make Gemmo extracts using alcohol and glycerine.

In the oxymel making process we used our senses, relied on personal experiences, and leaned into ageold wisdom. Given a list of suggested blends for digestive, emotional, respiratory, and mental support they each went to work filling their jars with herbs and spices, apple cider vinegar and local honey. Within 60 short minutes they each held a customized quart jar of oxymel to take home. It would take another 3 weeks for the extraction to be complete but until then they would need to give it a gentle shake every few days.

While there are many reasons this gathering filled me with joy, what touched me the most was watching the inner glow brighten in each participant. I am certain what lit each one up was different but there was no mistaking the magic that filled the tent. There simply are not enough opportunities today for women to gather and make something that is connected to both the past and the present. It’s a powerful sensation and one I also have felt when planting garlic or harvesting potatoes. At those times I am clearly in the present but the task my hands perform connect with with generations of women that have gone before me.

For years I’ve considered what makes an easy onramp onto the superhighway that is Gemmotherapy. I’ve given talks, written books, served as a practitioner and each no doubt helped some find their way. But this past Saturday I experienced quite unexpectantly an onramp I had never considered. The ramp came together with ease by connecting women, in community, to their ancestral history of making medicine from herbal teas, to oxymels to Gemmo extracts.

If you would like my oxymel handout please drop me a quick email request. Perhaps an oymel is too far a reach but stepping out and collecting some needles to make invigorating cup of White Pine Tea is just right. And for those big dreamers how about considering your very own tiny tea garden. In the case that you've done herbal teas, and steeped oxymels and are looking for the next level then think Gemmo extracts. Now is the time to begin thinking about resources to make your own. If you live in the Northeast I"ll be putting toether a short Spring 2026 series on site in the Gemmo Forest on Gemmo Plant and Tree ID, Bud picking and Gemmo making. More details forthcoming early 2026.

What’s wonderful about contemplating your next steps here and now is that today the Sun begins its transit through Gate 34, and its time to ask yourself,

How will you use your power?

During the next 5.5 days there will be a strong drive to harness your power and put it to use. Listen in here to my most recent chat with Christine and Lois about Gate 14 and 34.

In closing, this theme of power reminded me of a conversation I had with the late Jyoti Wind on self-love and power. It might be a good reminder on the right use of power. Carve out 20 minutes with a cup of tea this weekend and savor this Jyoti’s wisdom.

Until next week,

Self-Love and Your Power

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Ready to Ship!

Sagittarius Season

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