#fleabane

[faguscarolinensis]

Erigeron philadelphicus / Philadelphia Fleabane at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens in Savannah, GA

[hillbillybubbeleh]

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝕴 𝕷𝖎𝖛𝖊: 𝕸𝖆𝖞

I was tagged by 🖤 @slewfootwitch 🖤 to participate in this month's Where I Live (a wonderful creation by 🌿 @dvoeverie-stitches 🌿). My previous Where I Live contributions: February | April

May sounds like the sharp call of the guinea fowl sounding off in the garden every morning. 9:20am every day; you can set your clock to it. It sounds like the buzz of bees bobbing from clover flower-to-clover flower; like the shuffling of tarot cards in the night, like heavy rain pelting down on an old roof, and like the clinking of poker chips tossed onto the wooden table top, added to the pile. May sounds like the lilting laughter of the children racing each other home from the mosque down the street every evening; and like Southern twangs and drawls overlapping with rich laughter, merry chortles floating from the back porch through the screen door and into the kitchen.

[Above: Tarot cards that presented themselves in one of the readings I did for someone this month.]

May tastes like fresh strawberries, straight from the bush to the mouth; like limoncello popsicles split over iced tea and lashon hara; like green tea with ginger and lemon daily; and like the tea bread I now make every Sunday since a fellow witch kindly shared their recipe with me (thank you again, @witchofalbion! It's become a favorite treat in my house!).

[Left: Some cute little pink and white fleabane, complete with carpet beetle buggies. // Right: Illustrative Hebrew text featured in a kabbalah book I will not name (call me gatekeeper all you want lol). The text reads, אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה (I will be what I will be. // I am what I am.)]

May feels like that Southern humidity every morning; like too-hot patches of intense sunlight skirted by pleasant swaths of shade. May feels like the cool, soft brush of satin tichels against my neck; like the gentle, secure pull of the tightly braided hair underneath. It feels like clothes snagged on rosebush thorns; the soft, fluffy feathers of baby chicks in hand; and the rough bark of the maple trees I'll never be too old to climb.

[Above: Roses (Osiria rose, a hybrid tea rose) in my garden after the rain.]

May looks like swollen, dark-bellied storm clouds rolling in to wash away another batch of brightly colored chalk-drawn hopscotch boards. It looks like red-pink roses waking up and greeting the season, like ink-drawn kabbalistic workings by candlelight, like familiar eyes in old family photos I hadn't seen before, and like the flames of Shabbos candles dancing in front of windows darkened by thunderstorms, streaked by heavy rains. It looks like cardinals and blue jays sweeping back and forth across the garden, like starlings scratching for worms in the clover beds, like robins and their recent hatchlings crowded in their nest, and like crows coming down to leave their trinkets on the front porch — rocks, rusty washers and bolts, bits of broken glass; treasures, gifted in exchange for the water and food I leave out for them.

[Above: One May Shabbos.]

May smells like rain — rain rolling in, rain rolling out. It smells like pots of jambalaya cooking on the stove, and like soft, fudgy brownies for dessert. It smells like wet earth, the sweetness of clover flowers, and the faintly citrus and floral notes of my tea roses in bloom; like spring.

I'd love to see what May has been like in y'all's neck of the woods! Feel free to share in whatever way you like, with or without pictures/videos, just text-based, even a bulleted list or a poem. I'm tagging: @bubblefemmes, @pomegranate-jewitchery, @witchothebogfolk, @witchofalbion, @awitchnamedjuniper, @waterbee0, @eldestvillainess, @yorubaby, @librarydruid. Apologies if you've been tagged already and I missed it!

[cirruscastle]

Annual Fleabane

[dvoeverie-stitches]

Fleabane

Fleabane (Erigeron spp.) is generally considered a medicinal herb rather than a palatable food, known for its astringent, diuretic, and anti-inflammatory properties. While some species have edible young leaves, they are often bitter. It is historically used in teas, poultices, or tinctures to treat diarrhea, hemorrhages, headaches, and menstrual issues.

Historically, fleabane was hung over doors, placed in sachets, or kept in "medicine bundles" to repel negative energy, evil spirits, and malicious spells. It was sometimes mixed with other herbs like St. John’s Wort to strengthen its protective barrier.

Dried fleabane has been burned since ancient times during exorcism rituals to drive out demons and clear stagnant or negative energy, especially after an illness or conflict.

In Scottish folk traditions, placing fleabane under a pillow was believed to induce prophetic dreams and aid in psychic work.

Associated with the Moon and myths involving Hephaistos and Athena, the plant was sometimes used in unguents or sprinkled in bedsheets to encourage chastity.

Cultural Folklore & Myth

Known by the name Erabona, it was associated with warriors who used it to disarm enemies or protect themselves in battle. In Ireland, it was traditionally thrown into Beltane fires to ward off evil for the coming year.

Linked to the "semen of Hephaistos" in ancient grimoires, relating to a myth where the plant sprang from the earth during an encounter between Hephaistos and Athena.

The Cherokee referred to it as "firemaker" because they used its dried stalks to start friction fires. Other tribes used it in smoke inhalants to treat spiritual or physical ailments.

(Results of a quick google search)

[druidinvirginia]

fleabane

[chupacabracrafts]

3rd full year of "killing the lawn" is going well

[stoptheworld-please]

[kristo-flowers]

Fleabane