Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom friend of the maturing sun, I can still remember John Keat’s poem To Autumn even though I was in school when I last read it. It stayed with me, I think, because Autumn has always been one of my favourite seasons. I was born on …. Read More
Category: BLOG
Magical Mugwort – Artemesia!
Tonight there will be a Full Moon and I was thinking of the plants in my garden that are ruled by the moon or associated with the moon. Cucumber is one such plant as are Californian Poppy and Poppy; Chamomile, Willow, Chickweed, Cuckoo Flower, White Rose and Mugwort. These plants are cooling and moisturising, sedating …. Read More
A Brilliant Opportunity!
The world is reeling and in shock at the moment and it can be hard to imagine what the world will be like once this disease, the Corona Virus, has had its day. I am not worried about the virus because I am using herbs. The medical profession are feeling helpless because they are powerless …. Read More
Women and Power
Yesterday, 8th March, was International Women’s Day. We all know about it, we’ve all heard of it but what are its origins? How come there is such a day? A day that is officially celebrated in countries such as Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Mongolia, Turkey, Uganda, Russia, Vietnam, Zambia and elsewhere. There are …. Read More
Danu’s Irish Herb Garden – A Radical New Beginning!
For twelve years I have been working with and learning about medicinal plants in my study of herbal medicine. For the last seven years I have been learning from and journeying to plants and trees. I am now fully out of the closet – I am a herbalist. In today’s corporate world, a world of …. Read More
An Bhean Feasa – Up and At It!
Suddenly, the garden is growing again. It is still pretty cold here and there has been a lot of grey cloud hanging over us but it is May and the garden has suddenly greened! We have had a slow start, with such a long, cold Spring and I have been taking my time about things …. Read More
Springtime Simplicity
Today is La Feile Brigid – Brigid’s Day, a day that always feel special and exciting to me as it is also Imbolc, the first day of Spring. There is a sense of anticipation in the air which is exciting because it feels like a renewal, a fresh start, a change. I was at my horticulture …. Read More
A Feminist Imperative! The Rise of The Divine Feminine.
Christmas is coming and at this time of year I sometimes think of the Holy Mother about to give birth. Nowadays, the Holy Mother for me is an archetype of the Divine Feminine. I have heard this term, The Divine Feminine in passing for the last ten years or so. What does it mean? Several definitions I …. Read More
Dandelion – A “Self-Contained Pharmacy”
Dandelion, Taraxacum Officinale, is a common spring flower that can be seen everywhere at the moment, on meadows and lawns, in hedgerows and fields and even growing through tarmac. There are over 1000 species of Dandelion in Europe alone, with 250 different plants in the British Isles. The Dandelion can also be found in the …. Read More
Waste Not, Want Not
Many, many years ago in pre-famine Ireland, the peasants did not own their homes and rented their cottages as tenants. The dunghil, a pile of household, human and animal waste was outside the dwelling. Social commentators at the time criticised the Irish peasants for piling up all their waste, thinking they must be slovenly and dirty not …. Read More