“You are allowed to be the fierce one and the tender one. It was never two different hearts.”
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Come and sit a while. I’ve just returned from eight days in Vermont, and this week we meet motherwort — Leonurus cardiaca, the lion’s heart — the fierce, unbeautiful, wholly self-possessed old plant that grows at the edges of fields and slips any garden that tries to hold her. She is the herb the old ones reached for when a heart was racing at three in the morning, and she steadies it without ever stealing your wits.
We’ll sit with what she does in the body, hear how the seventeenth-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper set her beneath the sign of Leo the lion, and look up together at the Full Moon of July 29, 2026 — a Leo-and-Aquarius moon that may have our hearts running full and high. And because motherwort is bitter as anything, I’ll tell you how I gentle her into a cup you’ll actually want to hold. No homework. Just the kettle on, the garden gate open, and a plant with a great deal to teach us about being both the fierce one and the tender one at once.
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🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools
(affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work)
Herbs featured in this Show:
1. Dried Motherwort Herb
2. Motherwort Tincture
3. Dried Lemon Balm Herb
My favorite tea-making tools:
BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker,
Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar,
Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars
📚Bookstore – Brenda J. Sullivan Books
https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com
🌱My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids
Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity.
My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey.
Inside you’ll find:
- Simple planting guidance
- Space for drawings, photos, and notes
- Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef’s Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden)
Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants.
✨ You’ll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey.
🌿 Work With Me
🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open)
Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars.
My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening.
👉 Learn more here:
https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page
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🎶 Music Credits
A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story.
I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander’s work.
🎼 Song: Planning – 320bit – September 5, 2021
🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/
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The New England Herbary is a project of Thompson Street Farm LLC.
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