The Winter Mother’s Basket — Foraging Tasks for the Dark Half of the Year

February comes with an overflowing pot and a fish' tail, grey, sullen, bitter; the winds are sharp and the snow hefty, and as our bones are soaked with cold, our skin crackles, and our knuckles bleed. The trees are picked over, the fields are frozen, and the woods groan in pain, stiff and solid against cold breath. Magpie's song is quieter now, and we seldom see Squirrel or Mouse on the white landscape; they are thin and out of breath, surviving day by day until Spring brings deliverance. The Winter Mother's skin is paper thin, and her dance has slowed; purple feet beat and drag on hardened soil.

February brings few gifts, and offers little hope; though the Sun has begun his ascent and brings promises of warmth, we Prairie folk will not feel the soft Southern winds until March has passed, and yet it may be another month more if Fortuna does not gaze upon us. It is a melancholic month, and though the same can be said for the length of the Mother's reign, February brings biting winds, deep colds, hoarfrost, and a dryness so pervasive that water hardly quenches our thirst.

I find this period of Midwinter to be the most difficult of the Dark Months, as few journeys are made, and there is little opportunity for enjoying Nature's bounty. The many storms and fluctuations in temperature render the world unappealing, and demons of the mind seem to think the same as they begin to bounce about the walls, steal the warmth from my hands, and tug at my shadow. Though there is comfort in the sweet scent of blessed beeswax which fills the air, and in the many pastries, breads, and stews made and consumed, this month seems to drag like a weight at my ankle.

Nonetheless, there is work to be done, and the Winter Mother provides bounty, tucked beneath the snow-covered thickets of Broom and Hawthorn. Limbs of trees felled by storms, the rare evergreen bush, and the oddly ripe, resinous berries of Juniper bring us medicine and warmth in this cold month, each providing exactly what is needed to survive this harshest time.

Aspen Wood

I enjoy visiting Aspen in Midwinter when the Mother is at her strongest, as this tree is especially dear to her here in the Prairies. Our local biome is named the Aspen Parkland, after all. Like the Winter Mother, Aspen sways and dances in the cold winds, though its movement becomes tired and slow in the month of February, when the constant fluctuation in temperature makes frost of its rising sap. Unlike its counterpart, Black Poplar, Aspen rarely sheds its limbs, as it retains a much softer quality than Poplar's whorled joints, even through the Winter months. However, the larger limbs often break around this time of year, when strong winds shake the already strained branches weighed down by snow and ice. The best time to collect these is during a cold snap following a period of warmth, as this allows the medicinal sap to rise through the limbs before they drop to the ground. The bark can then be flayed and shredded, and the wood left to cure until it is ready to be carved. This bark is great to keep on hand as it contains salicin, the constituent from which Aspirin is derived. As such, it boasts great analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, astringent, and sedative properties. The bark can be decocted and diluted to the concentration of a tea to help in reducing fever, but it can also be used as a liniment or ointment for deep muscle aches, itchy skin, and nerve pain, which is a great relief at this time of year. An ointment of Spruce pitch and Aspen bark is amazing to heal cracked skin during this dry month.

I tend to collect the fallen branches during my walks through the valley towards the end of February, when we typically receive our final cold snap. They are often covered in snow or ice, which clings to the leathery, powdery bark with ease. This does simplify the process of peeling the bark, however, as it is rendered soft and moist once thawed. A sharp knife can be used to split the bark down to the cambium, lengthwise, and used to pry the bark away from the wood, or you can use a good old potato peeler and plenty of patience. Cutting the bark into strips at this stage will allow you to pound it into shreds and splinters relatively easily once it has dried. The fresh bark makes for the best infusions and tinctures, whilst it is best infused into oil when dry. The dry bark can also be broken into chunks and added into tea blends against fever and headache, and is excellent when paired with other diuretic herbs such as Bearberry and Yarrow for urinary tract infections and to induce sweating to break a fever. The tincture can be added to baths to relax sore muscles and help with itchy skin, while the oil can be rubbed directly into the skin. This oil makes a great remedy for tension headaches when used to massage the nape. Aspen bark oil can be combined with the buds of Poplar or with the pitch of Spruce to create a deeply healing, moisturizing, and relaxing oil that will also perfume the body with a wonderfully green aroma, which I also find to be pleasing to spirits of all kinds. This oil can be used to quicken the healing of bruises, cuts, abrasions, and piercing wounds, and also helps to ensure minimal scarring and reduce the appearance of pre-existing scars.

Magically speaking, Aspen has quite a dark reputation; like its consort, Poplar, it is associated with the Dead and was once considered to grow in the forests of Hades. It is sometimes associated with the Moon, or with Saturn, but I find that it best suits the realm of Venus as Evening Star, and as it is best collected when Venus is in Pisces (or Aries!), I do consider it to be a representation of the Venusian qualities of the Winter Mother. However, it does not take on the mask of kindly Venus of Taurus, or social empress of Libra, but rather of commanding, domineering Venus of the Night, who entertains the Dead with song and dance and subdues the sub-lunary spirits which haunt our landscape past dark. It can be used in love magics, but only those which call on the Dead to haunt and pester a victim until love emanates from adversity. It is much better suited to the crafting of oils or incenses to summon, feed, and appease the Dead. The wood can be grated or shredded and added to the resin of Pine and Spruce to summon Shades, lending a sweet, woodsy aroma to the mixture, while the bark can be used to wash altars, tools, or idols prior to rituals of necromancy. The decoction can also be poured onto gravestones for the same purpose. Once the wood has cured and can be carved, it is very well suited to the crafting of effigies or charms representing the Dead, and the ambitious may choose to fashion vessels from it to use as spirit pots. Two rings fashioned of Aspen wood can be used to exchange vows with the Land in the context of rituals of dedication. These can be sealed with a mixture of Beeswax, Poplar bud and Linseed oil to lend perfume and strength to the wood. Of course, all parts of the Aspen can be used to honor the Winter Mother in the last months of her reign, whether by crafting small charms or items to leave at the foot of a large Aspen tree, or by burning it and fumigating any tools or fetishes dedicated to her, such as rosaries, dolls, or jewelry.

Broom Wood

Broom is a tree which can be worked with throughout the year, as it blooms when the Sun enters the domain of Aries, and shoots its seed through the thickets when Sol enters the bounds of Scorpio; this makes it ideal as a tree of Mars, whose influence on this shrub is indisputable. Although I work with Broom throughout the year, picking the shoots and flowers in late March or early April, the leaves in July, and the seeds in October, I collect the wood in February, as it is driest and hardest then, making it quite easy to pick compared to the extremely fibrous greenwood found in the Spring and Summer. This dry wood has few medicinal uses, but it is very useful in the making of incense and powders belonging to the sphere of Mars, and especially for the crafting of charms and talismans for the command of storms. For this latter purpose, I prefer to pick it the day after a powerful storm has knocked the branches to the ground. When I'm feeling fancy, I may choose to pick the branches when the Moon is in the sign of Aries, visiting the bounds of Al-Sharatain or Al-Dabaran. There is not much work to processing Broom at this time of year; the branches should be soaked in water until the bark begins to peel, at which point it can be shaved off with a good knife. The wood should then be left to cure in a dry place until the moisture has evaporated and the wood becomes somehow both hard and spongy. When sufficiently dried, it is carved quite easily, and can be fashioned into any manner of fetish, charm, or tool for the sake of weather-working; I would especially love to carve a bull-roarer from a thicker branch at some point.

Broom has a long history of use in medicine, and it is important to note that I am speaking of Scotch Broom, or Cystisus Scoparius, and not Spanish Broom, or Spartium Junceum, whose effect is estimated to be 6 to 10 times stronger and therefore quite dangerous, as all species of Broom are toxic when consumed in large doses. I do not use Broom medicinally, nor do I recommend you do so without proper training, but I do find some of its medicinal uses quite interesting for their strongly Martial effects. In its various forms, whether it be decoction or tincture of the young wood, distilled essence of the flowers, or tincture of the seeds, Broom is used as a cardiac regulator, a very strong diuretic, and to tighten soft muscles. Its action on the heart is used to treat hypotension, as it excites the heart and increases the strength of its contractions, although it soon relaxes the same, which can leave users in a short-lived stupor. It is also used against bloating and water retention due to its strongly diuretic action which flushes and irritates the kidneys. What I find most interesting however is its use to reduce menstrual and post-partum bleeding, as it constricts the uterine muscles and staunches the blood from within, which is an undeniably Martial action. However, it also induces vomiting in larger doses, and can cause damage to the kidneys. In extreme cases, it can also have a similar action to Conitum by numbing the nerves responsible for respiration, which can lead to death. On a more positive note, the flowers can be distilled for their oil, or repeatedly infused in perfumer's alcohol to render a peculiar perfume which is used to attract romantic and sexual partners for masculine folks, to inspire courage, and to increase virility.

In magic, I like to grate or rasp the wood for use in incense and powders aligned with Martial powers, whether for dusting or fumigating my bull-roarer, or to combine with other weather-witching herbs to call forth rains, storms, and winds. Such an incense can be made of Broom wood dust or shavings, Violet flower, Henbane seed, and Aconite root, although this should only be used outdoors, and should be avoided at all costs by the practitioner, due to its extreme toxicity. I typically substitute the Aconite root for Fern pollen, and have noticed no difference in the potency of this incense to conjure storms. After anointing my bull-roarer with an oil of Broom flower, I like to dust it with an even mixture of Broom dust, powdered tobacco, and powdered Henbane leaf, which helps to empower its use in weather-magics. It is true that Broom can be used to create besoms, as its young shoots grow in appropriate whorls to bind into the shape of, well, a broom. These formations are more typically found in the Spring, but can sometimes be found at this time of year, although they will require boiling before being formed into besoms. These can be swung about the head at hilltops to stir the winds and clouds and draw forth rain, but should never be used to sweep, as using a Broom besom indoors may sweep away the head of the family; in other words, don't sweep with Broom unless you think it's time for grandpa to join the ancestors. Pieces of Broom wood can also be carved into wands, or simply used as-is, to cause a commotion by hitting copper tubing, which summons lightning. They can also be carved into fetishes of storm-spirits to gain their tutelage in the art of weather-witching; carving such effigies into stakes of Broom to be stuck at hilltops is a great way to gain magical control of the area's weather. In the Spring, when the shoots are fresh and tender, they can be macerated to extract a plentiful fiber from their inner bark, from which cordage or thread can be made. This is a project I hope to undertake this coming Spring, so that I may fashion a new string for my bull-roarer, and so that I may craft pouches to honor the spirit of Broom. The seeds may be collected in the Fall, as they explode when touched by winds, and used in all manners of block-busting or road-opening magic. I find that they are especially loved by the royal star Aldebaran, and can be used in all manners of work with him.

Juniper Berries

I have spoken already of Juniper leaves and wood in January's article, but as I revisit this ally in the month of February, once the berries have ripened, I thought it appropriate to include a short section here on the use of the berries themselves. They are the portion of Juniper most used in medicinal applications, and are used for all manners of ailments, but especially for their diuretic, carminative, diaphoretic, tonic, and stimulating properties. They are also used as seasoning for game meat, especially mixed with Green Alder catkins, which boast a very similar flavor to Long Pepper. Used in this way, Juniper enhances digestion, expels gas, eases indigestion, and stimulates the appetite, which can be incredibly important during longer bouts of illness. The berries can also be brewed as a tea to clear the sinuses and throat of phlegm and to strengthen the immune system, as they are incredibly rich in vitamins A and C, and contain a range of soluble minerals which support immune action.

The berries can be used in all manners of application, whether it be as a tea, decoction, liniment, infused oil, or tincture. They can be powdered and used as seasoning, or added directly to bath water for their relaxing aroma and anti-inflammatory effect. Infused in apple cider vinegar with Rue, Rosemary, and Wormwood, they render a product commonly called Four Thieves' Vinegar, which has a strong action on the immune and digestive systems, although modern recipes tend to replace the Rue and Wormwood for Garlic and Black Pepper; this modern interpretation is excellent all the same, and can be used as a delicious vinaigrette or marinade, or taken by the spoonful, although this is far from a pleasant experience. The traditional recipe can be used to deter pest when sprinkled about the house, taken by the spoonful against worms and parasites, or used a spiritual cleansing agent. It can also be used for magical protection against illness. Juniper berries can be crushed and infused into oil over the course of a month to render a deeply aromatic, warming massage oil which can be used to heal sore muscles and is excellent for the feet in particular, better yet when combined with Mugwort. The tincture can be added to baths for the same purpose, or smelled to clear the nasal passages; it can also be taken by the spoonful to strengthen the immune system and help the passing of wet colds. Taken regularly, the tea is good against chronic pain, sciatica, and arthritis, but it does have a strong diuretic action, so be prepared! This can be used to an advantage in treating urinary tract infections quite effectively, and can also help to clear uric acid from the urinary tract, which helps in preventing and treating gout. It is typically recommended to combine Juniper berries with demulcent herbs to reduce any kidney irritation it may cause, and my preferred local herb for this is Plantain leaf, which can be found all throughout North America. Bearberry, another Alberta native, is also a great help here.

I have used the berries to craft bracelets and necklaces against infertility, and for the protection of children against demons and evil spirits, and I have used an infusion of Juniper berry and Birch bark to exorcise spirits seated within a man's body, but I otherwise use the berries just as I would the leaves and wood, so I will refer you to last month's article, which you can find right here.

Labrador Tea

Labrador Tea is a spirit very, very dear to my heart, who has been with me since infancy; it was used by my ancestors for all manners of ceremony, whether smoked or drank as an infusion, as it is one of the only evergreen shrubs found this far North. The leaves can be seen poking through the snow all through Winter, with their characteristic shade of deep, emerald green, and fuzzy orange-brown, sometimes silvery underside shimmering in the wind. Although Labrador Tea is consumed throughout the year, I must admit that it has always played the role of a Winter herb in my life; I have seldom drank its tea or smoked its leaves in Spring, Summer or Fall, as I only seem to find it in the Winter months. Its short stature and habit of growing in peaty, wet areas means that it is often unnoticed in the warmer months, when I tend to avoid wet ground with all my might. I do collect and dry it in the Winter, however, and will usually note the location of shrubs in the Summer, to visit during the reign of the Winter Mother. The tea is absolutely excellent to drink in the Winter, as it is very warming, bringing blood to the skin, and packed with vitamin C. It has a woodsy, bitter aroma, and tastes similar to black tea, although it contains no caffeine and is in fact a slight narcotic. As a child, I was often given Labrador Tea when forced to hike or walk through the woods despite being sick (no rest for the wicked, even the wee ones, my mother would say), which usually led to a prompt nap in a snow bank along the way. Labrador Tea is also shredded and used as kinnikinnik, a ceremonial smoke used to welcome guests and friends, and generally regarded as a social occasion in my tribe's culture. It is smoother than Tobacco, and tastes about as bad, but the smoke is more fragrant and less offensive to the nose. I sometimes feed my ancestors shredded Tobacco and Labrador Tea during rites of communion, and it is also my preferred offering to Genii Loci residing on Indigenous land (which happens to be nearly everywhere in North America!)

I originally planned to speak more on Labrador Tea within this article, but I feel like this plant deserves its own, separate article, and as such I will reserve my thoughts for a different post down the line! I have found many uses for Labrador Tea, both traditional to my ancestry and within my witchcraft practice, but I have never seen it discussed within this context before, so I hope to be the first to speak of its use in modern North American witchcraft!

Check out the rest of our foraging articles right over here!

Cheers,

Mahigan