A Midsummer Harvesting Charm
In many of our folkloric traditions of herbal medicine, especially within the ways of Wortcunning, we see many instances where Midsummer, St. John’s Day (or eve), and the Summer Solstice are referenced as particularly powerful times to harvest plants. One of the reasons for this is that the ancient calendars, in contrast to the modern one, saw Midsummer as exactly that- the middle of Summer. In the modern calendar you’ll see that the Summer Solstice marks the beginning of Summer, but I like to honor The Old Ways (Fyrnsidu) and mark this time of year as the middle, height, zenith, and peak of Summer expression.
From the perspective of herbalism and working with the plants, when we consider that Midsummer marks the peak of the bright, growing half of the year, then it makes sense why we might want to harvest some of our most special herbal allies at this time. Once the peak passes, we enter into a subtle state of decline. So, to harvest herbs right before or at the peak of this power means that we harvest them when they too are at the peak of their power.
This, of course, doesn’t work for all herbs- and in fact the harvesting of many herbs and parts of specific plants would be a bad idea at this time of year (think: roots, rhizomes, berries, nuts, and seeds; along with some plants that have taboos against midsummer gathering). But, for many of our most sacred herbs there is alignment now.
One of my favorite plants to consider at Midsummer is Hypericum perforatum, St. John’s Wort. This celebrated herb gets their folk name because their bright yellow blossoms open up around St. John’s Day, June 24th. If you’ve ever crafted medicine with these special flowers, you know that the handful of days they’re open are a narrow window in which to harvest and craft before losing the potency of the herbs completely. An oil made from the freshly-gathered blossoms, with the appropriate prayers and offerings, will turn a brilliant ruby-red color… this will not happen with dried flowers, flowers harvested too early, or those that have not been approached and harvested with the proper heart.
The blossoms of Hypericum perforatum, St. John’s Wort, and the decadent oil extraction produced from the freshly gathered and oiled flowers
In our practice of Wortcunning, we don’t just roll up on a plant, pick or cut what we need, and scurry back to the apothecary to make neat things. Rather, harvesting is a ritual done with foresight, intent, gratitude, and heart. One way to help align all of those things is to write your own harvesting charm which you can then recite to the plants you are harvesting from. The benefits of this kind of gathering charm are many, a few of the most important being:
Crafting or writing down a harvesting charm requires you to think ahead, put some of your energy into the process of receiving from the plants, while doing things with intent and care.
Charms act as an offering- praising the plants and giving them your sincere gratitude for all they do for we human folk.
Charms also act as a petition which communicates your specific need to the plant spirit in hopes they will assist you with it via their collected materia.
A properly constructed and recited charm will help to ‘lock in’ the vital force of the plant so that it’s not lost in the harvesting process- communication is key here, and charms are exceedingly helpful in making sure that the plant knows what you’re up to and doesn’t pull back their power in response to an unexpected cutting.
Tools of the arte: wrapped pruning shears, hemp twine, and dried Juniper
How to Harvest Herbs for Magic & Medicine
Before we get to the charm, I’d like to share a few points with you about how I harvest many of the herbs I work with most. I highly suggest that harvesting be an intentional ritualized, and heartfelt practice- even if all you’re doing is collecting a few flowers or leaves. A short meditation on how much plants give us every day will often well up a great deal of reverence and gratitude for the whole process.
TOOLS
Treat your harvesting tools as sacred. They are, ultimately, instruments of culling and should be handled as such.
Blades, saws, and shears can be wrapped in a cloth as a sign of respect. Carrying unsheathed blades of any type into a garden or especially a wild space is taboo in my practice. The plant must be communicated with before a tool of culling is shown. My devotions to Ingwi-Freyr make it especially important that my tools are never considered as weapons.
Bring a basket or cloth to place all gathered plant materia in as soon as it’s been cut. Avoid laying materia on the soil directly as the vital force is likely to return quite quickly into the depths.
A dense beeswax salve can be carried to harvest so that any larger cuts in branches or stems can be treated.
If you plan to hang-dry your herbs, I like to bundle them as I harvest them both for ease and to spend more time engaging with the plants.
Harvesting fragrant Heather in the foothills of Salt Lake City, Utah
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Enter gardens and wild spaces where you may be harvesting only after you’ve take a few minutes to calm your mind, quiet your nervous system, and open your heart. How you show up will impact the harvest.
Going barefoot while harvesting helps us attune more directly to the plants, the soil, and the practice- it demands mindfulness!
Keep the head uncovered as a sign of respect while harvesting.
Keep your thoughts and conversations on the matters at hand; if you know lovely songs about plants, nature, deities, or seasons- sing or hum them.
Bring something to gift the plants- offerings in any form are so important. When nothing else is available, offer energy, breath, and circumambulation.
Cut with the right hand while holding or collecting the plant with the left. The lore does not say to switch this to a ‘dominant’ hand but rather maintains right and left specifics.
You might like to tie a tourniquet onto a plant before cutting as a sign of where the cut will be made. This twine can then be used to hang-dry the plant.
Herbs being gathered with petition for their cooling, softening, dampening, watery, earthy, intuitive, or myserious virtues can be gathered under the light of a Full Moon.
Herbs being gathered with petition for their warming, stimulating, activating, fiery, airy, cerebral, or pattered virtues can be gathered under the light of the Sun; ideally after morning dew has dried up.
Communicate your harvest before it happens. Let the plant know who you are, what you are asking for, how you’ll be using the materia gathered, and above all things seek their blessings in the work. If you are gathering a specific herb for a specific working or medicine, then make that known to the plant spirit- your end result will be many times greater this way.
Bring an offering for the spirits of place when harvesting in the wild. I like to bring raw, unsalted nuts and bundles of cotton or cat fur from our cat’s brush- animals of the are will use this as material for nests.
Ensure you educate yourself on the right way to cut, where to cut, and how to support the plant in healing once a cutting has been taken.
Privet branches gathered for a protection charm; wrapped in braided red cording and cut with a ceremonial blade.
Working with Plant Spirit Charms
Charms are spoken out loud, and carry both prayer and adoration for the plants. We recite these charms to align ourselves to the work at hand and to open the ways of connection and kinship between our world and the plant world. These charms, even when written by a beginner, also carry a great deal of poetic power that evoke thoughts, emotions, and resonant actions within us- all acts of profound magic.
Taking time to work with a harvesting charm shows the plants that you care for them, you honor the sacred nature of the process, and that you carry them into the world with the goal of creating harmony.
Here’s a harvesting charm you can use as-is, with any plant you may be gathering. You can also use this as inspiration to try writing your own.
Gathering Burdock aerials for a cleansing charm
Wes hál, great green spirit!
You, [common/folkloric plant name], thriving in Summer’s Sun,
With verdant leaves you receive Sunne’s blessing, and Mona’s power.
Your roots in the nourishing body of Mother Eorðe, you draw up countless virtues and deep wisdom.
Hail, great plant kin,
with this charm I honor your might, your wisdom, and your virtues.
I approach you with open heart in love and trust,
I call on your mercy to grant me some of your [specify part to be harvested] which I will cut with sacred blade and gather with great reverence.
With your blessings, I will [state what you’ll make or do with the materia]- adding my magic to yours in the process.
Wes hál, great green spirit!
from my spirit to your spirit,
from your spirit to my spirit,
from your body to my body,
from my body to your body,
from my world to your world,
from your world to my world!
Friend, accept this offering made in love and gratitude- and may the giving of it open the ways between us, strengthen our bonds, and nourish our kinship!
Spend a few moments in silent contemplation, being open to any communication or wisdom shared by the plant.
Make your harvest.
Continue to sit until the energy of the gathering settles and all feels as it was.
Enjoy this vintage video from a class I did many years back on Harvesting with Heart. This class is only available here so you must watch from within this post. Being an older class, I said what I said but may have evolved my own understanding or practices since this was filmed.
These vintage classes are all available as part of the many awesome perks on The Green Arte Patreon.
