Reflection from the Calendula Herb Chat

The more Herb Chats I am a part of at Gathered Botanicals the more I feel aware of what herbalist Rosemary Gladstar often talks about - that the plants share messages with us. And I’m growing more and more open to receiving them.

Their messages come from noticing the season they flower or ripen in, the conditions in which they grow best, their alignment with the broader traditional wisdom of the turning of the wheel, and so much more. 

This kind of medicine cannot be studied by science, but is medicine, nonetheless. The more I practice herbal medicine, the more I realize just how much of the medicine of plants is in their stories and patterns.

Calendula brought messages of generosity, abundance, and lightness. 

The more you pick the flowers of Calendula, the more blooms will be produced. How many examples of that do we have in our lives where when more is taken, more is given? It’s truly wild! Generous, abundant and adds brightness and lightness in volumes! 

Calendula is a wonderful wound healer of all kinds. I love what Kat Meir shares in her book Energetic Herbalism about Calendula’s ability to heal emotional wounds, “While many authors have reflected on this plant as “herbal sunshine,” its use in working with trauma and deep wounds from past experience cannot be underestimated.” She goes on to say, “I use Calendula similarly to St. John’s Wort, when a presence of light and a sense of the sacred needs to be reinstated in a person’s life.” 

If you’re interested in more of how herbs work, I highly recommend coming to an Herb Chat! 

That’s where we dive into the potent stories and patterns of plants. They invite us into being with the complexities of our shared human experiences. They hold wisdom, connection and healing in their own right.