The Irish are credited with bringing Halloween celebrations to the United States when they immigrated following the Potato Famine between 1845 and 1852. People began dressing in costumes and going door to door asking for treats, but the first candy corn didn’t appear until the 1880s.

Have you ever wondered what sweets and treats were like before Hershey’s chocolate bars and kisses showed up in the early 1900s? My daughter Mycala took me on a field trip to True Treats in Frederick, MD where we had a chance to find out! Sadly, the store is no longer there, but when I returned  I did a two page spread in my illustrated journal while nibbling on the sampling of delights we purchased. 
My descriptions aren’t complete recipes but they’ll give you ideas and you will probably be able to find more information on line. 

Please leave a comment if you try any of these historic treats. I found some to be delicious and others left me craving a peanut butter cup. You decide!

Aww, come on now!  You didn’t really think witches were scouring the forest to gather the eye of a newt or the toe of a frog, did you? I’ll admit, there was a time when I used to guard my dog in case the witches needed an extra dog tongue. Fortunately, I found out about the secret herbal codes!

Folk names were used for herbs long before Shakespeare came along It was a bit like the copyright protections we have today.  “Witches” were actually healers who were protecting their recipes and secret ingredients from those who had no  understanding of nature, plants, and their magical powers. Secret code names were created to protect the identity of the ingredients, as well as  give mystery to the herbal  cures. Many plants are still called by their folk names today!

Some names can be determined by the part of the plant associated with particular body part: for example, seeds were associated with eyes.  If Shakespeare had said mustard seed instead of “eye of newt”, a certain mystery would have been lacking. The toe of a frog was a leaf of cinquefoil, holly leaves were the wool of the bat, and hound's tongue was the tongue of the dog. Thankfully!

Even though his descriptions were visually stirring, they were not appreciated by the herbal healers of  the  time. His using their code names made them furious  and they  put a curse  on not only Shakespeare, but  anyone  who  dared  use the word ‘Macbeth’. Uttering the word in a theater is considered bad luck, to this day. Even witches who have dedicated their lives to healing can become enraged and vengeful if their secrets are exposed!  Hopefully,  I won’t  regret writing this article.   I  think I’ll  go gather some agrimony, for protection, just  in case!

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ALICE SCHLOTHAUER ( [email protected] )

For 15 years I lived at the corner of Blymire Hollow Road and Shangrila Road. In that part of York County the story of Mr. Blymire and Mr. Rehmeyer and the Hex Murders in 1928 was told and retold. This time of the year, we would sit on our front porch and watch the hayrides come up Blymire Hollow Road with loads of very frightened people aboard. A book called Hex was written about the incident and you can read all about it on the internet. It is full of hexery and witchcraft. Pretty fascinating!

Plan to make several wreaths to share with friends!

Are you thinking of spring? Many of us are!

​Imbolc falls on February 1st and 2nd this year. It is a word derived from the old Irish Gaelic, means "in the belly”, and specifically refers to ewes, pregnant with lambs. In a larger context, it symbolizes Mother Earth being pregnant with the promise of spring. It is about half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. 
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Originally a pagan holiday, Imbolc later became known as St. Brigid’s Day, the feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, and the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. It is also known as Candlemas Day, the day people take their candles to church to be blessed. 

Then, February 2, 2024, we will celebrate Groundhog Day, also associated with the arrival of spring, and historically associated with Imbolc, The event began as Badger Day in Germany and traveled across the ocean to eventually become affiliated with groundhogs.

THE FIRST MENTION OF THE GROUNDHOG DAY CELEBRATION

​A journal entry from February 2, 1840 by a  Welsh-American storekeeper in Pennsylvania is the earliest mention of the celebration, according to Don Yoder, author of Groundhog Day. ​

Groundhogs in the United States and Canada are also known as ground squirrels, whistle pigs, land beavers, marmots and woodchucks. European ground hogs are called hoary marmots. Hedgehogs, in addition to badgers,  were also credited with weather predictions in Europe. 

Punxsutawney Phil, acclaimed as the Weather Prophet, is the most famous of all of the groundhogs. This much maligned, innocent fellow is annually yanked out of his burrow by a rowdy crew wearing top hats who have been drinking heavily all night. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter, and if not, only two. If spring doesn’t arrive early, he alone is blamed. For many reasons, my heart goes out to Phil. 

The Winter Solstice is a pagan festival that has been celebrated world wide, and in some places since the Stone Age.  This year it falls on Saturday, December 21st, 2024. Of all the days of the year,  it has the shortest amount of daylight, and the longest amount of darknesss! The solstice is associated with the festival of Yule, a fire festival, featuring a huge log of oak, often burned for days. Saturnalia, another mid-December celebration, is a Roman festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn, and is still celebrated by some. It honors the promise of a spring harvest. Evergreens, valued because of their association with protection and immortality, are featured in all of these celebrations.

Note: Those living in the southern hemisphere will be celebrating the Summer Solstice. Please see my blog on the Summer Solstice for ideas to celebrate!

Honoring nature, the return of longer days, and the celebration of increased sun and light, encompasses values all cultures and beliefs can embrace! Our reverence for nature forms a bond of unity and highlights our similarities.  All religions, cultures and ethnicities can join together in this celebration!

Make a note of the time the sun rises and sets. Mark it in your calendar. If you’re feeling dedicated, you can check and record the change in time daily, or you can just jot down the times of the sunrise and sunset every Sunday, or the first day of every month. Being aware of the length of the days and nights keeps us in touch with the cycles of nature. 

Since it is the end of the year, why not think about your accomplishments? Begin with the experiences and memories that make you grateful. Have you reconnected with friends from the past? Have you taken courses and learned new skills? Have you made new friends and traveled to places you’d like to revisit? Include set backs and challenges, and give yourself credit for your resiliency and progress. Have you supported others who have gone through difficult times? We should all have a running list of ways to include self care in the coming year. 
What are your goals for the coming year? What are the things that give you satisfaction that you’d like to continue to do? Is there anything you would do differently? What are you ready to completely release? The position of the moon and planets at the time of the winter solstice are ideal for letting go.  Are there things you need to release? You might want to put past frustrations aside, release the need to control, or let go of lingering grievances. It’s a perfect time to move on to things that will bring you peace of mind. 
Having these thoughts sketched out will be a wonderful start as you consider possibilities for your new year! 

You are a vessel, filled with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that you have gathered that make you completely different from any one else! Do you know what they are? We are constantly learning and growing, and it’s easy to forget all of the things that make us special and unique.  Take some time between now and the new year to play!

Gather your supplies! You’ll need a huge piece of paper. You’ll need a lot of room! You’ll need your favorite drawing utensils in colors you love! Bring crayons, markers, pens and paints! 

Draw an outline with your vessel. It might be a silhouette of your shape, or it could be a circle, a  heart, your brain, or something completely unexpected and abstract. Regardless of your age, I think you will be surprised as what you have learned - and forgotten that you have learned - over the years. 
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Begin to fill your vessel with your talents, interests, skills, passions, beliefs, courses you’ve taken, books you’ve read, lessons you’ve learned, etc. Some of you will make neat, numbered lists. Others will have drawings and letters in different colors and sizes, diagonally and randomly through out your vessel. You can’t do this incorrectly! It’s about you, and YOU are the authority so create vessel that represents you. 

The important thing is to have fun! It can be a work in progress and you can continue to fill it as you grow and add new KSAs! 

​ (Just in case you aren’t aware, this is an excellent example of marketing!)
Use this information to make 2024 the best year you’ve ever had!

Evergreens - If you haven’t already made one, create a simple evergreen swag to hang on your door . Gather branches of pine or fir as the base, add holly, ivy, juniper and mistletoe. secure with a heavy rubber band and decorate with ribbons. Place branches of pine, spruce or cedar on your window sills. Evergreens provide protection and their ability to remain green and alive in the dark days of winter gave them magical associations. Cedar branches were gathered to help those experiencing grief from suffering a loss.
Rosemary - Rosemary is the herb associated with friendship and remembrance. It stimulates the brain and encourages pleasant memories of loved ones. 
Chamomile - Chamomile tea is ideal for relieving stress and promoting a good night’s sleep. 
Lavender - A tea made of lavender will create a feeling of calm and promote healing. Epson salt baths with lavender and especially therapeutic this time of year. This will be especially delightful when you come in from stargazing (see # 7 below).

Do you have an enormous oak Yule Log handy? I don’t. But I can find a place to watch the sun rise and/or sunset. Do you have a fireplace or fire pit? How about a wood or pellet stove? Light tea candles! Fire and light can be hypnotic, and gazing at them can allow our minds to rest. Seek, appreciate and celebrate the light!

Consider turning off all the lights in your house as darkness approaches, dress warmly, take a blanket outside, light a fire if you have an area where that is permissible, and watch the sunset. Do some stargazing and then turn in early for the night! 

Rosmarinus officinalis
​“Dew of the Sea"

Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire

Smelling  rosemary  prevents aging,” I explained to my class of 25 students, as I handed each of them an eight to 10 inch sprigs from my garden. All were over 50 years old in the Renaissance Institute lifelong learning program.  “It will also keep you alert and help you remember the information you learn in class.” It was my first session in a series, over a period of 6  weeks, of my Enhancing Your Life with Herbs, and rosemary was the ideal herb to introduce the course. 
Rosemary’s well documented and legendary gift of preventing aging is one of the virtues I wish I had found out years ago - maybe when I was eighteen! Since I’ve learned of this magical power, I breathe in deeply  when the plant is nearby.  
Many virtues have been associated with rosemary throughout the centuries. He is one of 500 herbs featured in Eber’s Papyrus, found in the Valley of Tombs near Luxor. The 20 meter long scroll, about the  size of a bowling alley, was written in 1500 B.C., though believed to have been copied from an earlier document. It documents its use as an herbal remedy. Sprigs have been found in Egyptian tombs dated from 3,000 B.C. 
Its medicinal uses have been documented in Greece and Rome since 500 B.C. The “herb of crowns”  is also reputed to improve memory and mental powers. 
Priests burned it as incense and it has been used as a disinfectant and strewing herb. The pungent fragrances covers up unpleasant odors and purifies the air. It has been credited with protecting people from the plague and having a clean fragrance that is purifying in a sick person’s room. Once valued for medicinal uses, it is now mostly used in cosmetics and cooking. 
Friendship and love have long been associated with rosemary. It has been used in love spells and is credited with encouraging faithfulness, so it is often used in friendship and wedding bouquets. Both Sir Thomas More and Shakespeare have commemorated rosemary’s association with friendship and remembrance in well known quotes.  
Rosemary  is often found at with funerals. My rosemary sympathy cards and comfort journals for people who have lost loved ones encourage people to find easement in sacred memories.

 

Valentine's Day, celebrated annually on February 14th, is a day dedicated to expressing love and affection to those dear to us. Central to this celebration is the iconic symbol of love – the heart. I’ve always assumed that the heart shape associated with Valentine’s Day came from the shape of the human heart. According to ancient origins, the first association of the heart symbol came from a plant grown in North Africa that became extinct before 1753 when the Linnaeus system for botanical nomenclature first began.

The plant, silphium, is said to have looked like a giant fennel, with yellow flowers and leaves similar to celery. It only grew in a limited area, a plot one hundred miles long and twenty-five miles wide, that is now known as eastern Libya. It was in such high demand that its value was compared to silver and gold. The plant was widely used in Ancient Greek and Roman societies as a seasoning and medicine, but was also associated with romance and sex. It was used to make perfume, said to be an aphrodisiac, and was also valued as a form of birth control. The silphium seed pod was the shape of a heart.

During the Middle Ages, the heart shape gained prominence in European art and culture. However, the heart symbol as we know it today started to take form during the medieval period. The concept of courtly love, popularized in literature and poetry, depicted love as an ennobling force. Artists began incorporating the heart shape into their work as a visual representation of love and passion.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the heart shape took on new meanings. The sacred heart, symbolizing the love of Christ, became a prominent motif in Christian art. The heart was often depicted surrounded by flames, symbolizing divine love and purity. This religious association with love likely contributed to the enduring connection between the heart shape and romantic love.

The Renaissance era further solidified the heart shape's association with love and romance. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer incorporated the heart symbol into their works, contributing to its widespread recognition. The heart shape became a common motif in paintings, tapestries, and sculptures, representing the emotional and passionate aspects of human relationships.

In the 19th century, the commercialization of Valentine's Day began in earnest. Greeting cards adorned with romantic imagery, including the heart shape, became popular tokens of affection. The heart symbol was increasingly associated with expressions of love, and its presence on Valentine's Day cards became almost ubiquitous.

In the 20th century, the heart symbol's association with love reached new heights. It became a universal and easily recognizable emblem of affection. The heart shape featured prominently in advertising, fashion, and popular culture, solidifying its status as the quintessential symbol of love.

My favorite association, and the one most surprising, was the heart-shaped seed pod of the now extinct silphium. Art, history, physiology, literature, poetry, religion and plants, in addition to romantic love, can all be celebrated on Valentine’s Day. There is something for everyone! I hope you will all find something of value to celebrate on this day. 

This year, the Celebration of the “New Year of the Trees” falls on Thursday, January 25th. It may seem odd to celebrate the trees’ new year during these cold, dark months when they appear to be dormant, instead of when they are in blossom or bearing fruit.  Even though the budding hasn’t begun, the sap is beginning to run and there is potential for growth.
Metaphors from nature are a powerful way to express aspects of our own personal growth. We have periods when we are more energetic, and at other times we are less active. But even through the darkest times, there is growth. 
As we pay homage to the trees on their special day,, let’s take an in-depth look at one of the most magical and revered trees, the ash.
Do you have a favorite tree? I hope you’ll take a few moments on Thursday, January 25th, or any time, actually, to celebrate the gifts from  trees!

The ash  is associated with wisdom, knowledge, protection and prophecy. 
Fraxinus, the Latin word for ash, comes from spear which may refer to its spear shaped leaves or because its wood was used to make weapons.

The ash has been revered for centuries and is associated with magic and good fortune.  This immense tree , known to reach over 130 feet tall, was said to be the backbone of the universe. 

Norse mythology defined the ash as the world tree, tree of life, or Yggdrasil, representing the universe. Odin hung from the tree for nine days and nine nights to be granted knowledge and wisdom.  The tree was said to be a friend of the sky, with its crown so high it rose above the clouds and roots that stretched so deep they reached the underworld. The tree was continually watered from a mysterious well that never ran dry and it has strong association with the oceans. 

Neptune, the Roman god of the sea (his Greek counterpart is Poseidon) is associated with the ash tree. Anything made from ash will offer protection from drowning. Ships were once built of ash, sailors carried solar crosses made of its twigs,  and witches’ broom handles are still made of ash to enable them to travel across large bodies of water and keep their feet dry!

If snakes are a concern, carrying an ash staff will come in handy! St. Patrick carried an ash wood staff to aid  in driving the snakes from Ireland. Snakes are said to refuse to crawl over its roots, and one strike from a branch would kill one instantly. Pliny, Roman naturalist, author and philosopher, declared that simply circling a serpent with a branch from the tree would cause it to die immediately. 

Ash has also been used to cure snake bites by tying a circle of ash twigs around the sufferer’s neck.  Scott Cunningham, a life long herbal healing advocate, strongly suggested if one was bitten, it would be best to get the snake bite kit and call a doctor. I agree!

Vampires were also susceptible to the powers of the ash.  It was one of five woods, ash, aspen, willow, juniper and the hawthorn, most commonly used, to make the stake to drive through his heart.  

A cure for warts recommends sticking a pin into the bark of an ash tree and then into the wart. As the wart diminishes on the body, it will be transferred and grow on the tree’s bark. 

New born babies have been influenced and protected by the ash.  The first time a baby’s fingernails are trimmed, if they are buried  under an ash  tree, the child  will be gifted  with  a beautiful singing voice! Hanging ash over a baby’s cradle was said to protect it from mischievous fairies.  A teaspoon of  ash sap was given to newborn babies to protect them from disease and infant death.

Another attribute of the ash is prophecy.“The even ash leaf in my hand, the first I  meet shall be my man.or
“The  even ash tree in my  glove, the first I meet shall be my love.”
In addition to carrying the leaves to find your special someone, you can put them under your pillow and they will bring prophetic dreams. 

There are common names for the ash tree, such as Nion, from the Celtic word Nionon which means heaven. Another is Kingswood or KIng’s Tree, from the tree’s spring arrival and fall departure. The ash is the last tree to awaken in the spring and the first tree to shed  its  leaves in the fall. Like the king, it was “The last to arrive and the first to leave.” 

The majestic ash tree has been the source of legend and lore, spanning centuries and continents. It has inspired myths, and folklore, and it continues to provide us with protection, prophecy and inspiration.