Lavender & Galdor : A Charm for Cleansing & Purification
In an upcoming Plant Spirit Journey with our Wortcunning working group, we’ll be focusing on one of those herbs that folks often give a big eye roll to- Lavender. Another Lavender thing? Look, I get it… Lavender burnout is real! The last time I walked down the detergent aisle in the grocery store I couldn’t believe how many products were scented in synthetic Lavender. But, this month we have a goal- to connect to a plant that is so fiercely celebrated in the ancient herbal texts that we would be remiss not to given them the center stage they deserve. This whole year we’ve been sitting with plants exclusively from the Lamiaceae family, the mints. We’ve connected with Peppermint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Skullcap, and many more as we’ve gotten to know a family of medicinal and magical herbs that often don’t get the accolade they deserve. Many times, the mint family plants are pigeon-holed into those for beginners or the most basic and safe of all the herbs, and this couldn’t be further from accurate. Mint plants like Lavender aren’t basic- they’re famous, and they have worked hard with their human allies over thousands of years to earn that fame. Also, they aren’t always the ‘safe’ herbs- I’ve had my proverbial ass whooped by many a mint family plant over the years!
So, why are we sitting with Lavender? Because this is an ally that is essential in the modern Wortcunning repertoire for all things purification, cleansing, and brightening. From the name of this plant all the way down to the most contemporary lore and remedy, Lavender shows up time and time again in the deeper herbal texts as being irreplaceable for switching things up. Let me explain…
We tend to think of Lavender as the penultimate herb of relaxation. If you get involved in the essential oil racket, you’ll see this even more. Modern pop information around Lavandula angustifolia and many of their various other species and cultivars pretty much starts and stops at relaxing the body, quieting the mind, and easing stress. I certainly carry no qualms with this since this plant is an exceptional relaxing nervine and even somewhat of a nervous system tonic in the right individual, but this is such a small part of the story, and more importantly this is not attested in the ancient, ancestral herbals! That isn’t to say we can only work with herbs in the way they show up in leechbooks and grimoires, but that our wisdom should be rooted in the ancestral. When we shake off the deep wisdom about a plant in favor of a trendy approach to reductionist ‘this for that’ herbalism, we cut ourselves off from the real power of spiritual herbalism.
In the old texts, Lavender is celebrated as an herb that can help with pain in specific areas of various types of bodies, but far more than that this is an herb of cleansing, washing, purifying, and brightening. The name alone holds enough of this wisdom passed down from our herbwise ancestors for us to take a second look at Lavender:
The botanical name Lavandula originates from the Latin verb lavare, meaning to wash. This alludes to lavender’s long-standing use in bathing, laundry, and cleansing rituals since ancient times. The name of this aromatic herb speaks volumes! But wait, there’s more!
Over many years of working with this plant, I can happily share with you that there is a powerful overlap here between the modern understanding of nervine, sedative, and relaxant effects of Lavender and the ancient wisdom of their cleansing properties
Between the cleansing and the relaxing we find the truth of who Lavender is as a wight, a spirit…
In my practice, Lavender, which we call Herb Stecas, is a profound ally of release, cleanse, wash away, and brighten. The terpine-rich nature of most all aromatic plants like Lavender combined with their nervine effect on the body makes them an active nootropic; an herb that support plasticity in the brain and in the mind. Lavender helps us identify what needs to change, then allow the change to happen- releasing old patterns of guilt, shame, and self-loathing in favor of new patterns of love, harmony, and respect. As part of this softening of the mind, the whole person must let go, release, and relieve. We cannot free ourselves from the toxic patterns of guilt, shame, and lack of self-love if we continue to carry around the same patterns. So, Lavender softens us so that we can change while also helping with the supportive work of cleansing and clearing us of the sludge that remains. This is so, so powerful!
My hope is that from this one aspect of Lavender’s many mysteries you will start to consider this herb as more than they are often presented by reductionist, pop herbalism in the modern world. Lavender is a powerful spirit with a big connection to humans and our success.
I’d like to share with you an incredibly simple yet profoundly effective ritual you can do with Lavender and a galdor charm. I suggest gathering some fresh, fragrant Lavender stalks with flowers on them and making a small broom bundle. If you can’t do that, make some Lavender water, use a hydrosol, smolder some dried Lavender as Racels, incense, or even work with some properly diluted essential oils.
Sweeping your body or space with the Lavender, use your foresight vision to see and experience cleansing happening with the presence of this plant while reciting the charm.
I invite you to join us for our next plant spirit journey, and to access the massive library of past journeys, classes, advanced workshops, and amazing community we have!
