47 Litha An Herbalists Threshold

It's the longest day of the year — and at the edge of every hedgerow in New England, an old guardian is blooming right on schedule.

This week, we sit with elderflower: the threshold tree, the doorkeeper, the one plant in the old hedgerow lore you never cut without asking first. We talk about her folklore — the Elder Mother who watches over her own wood, the fairy king said to ride past on Midsummer's Eve, the doorway she's long been said to keep between this world and the next. We talk about her medicine, her cordial, and the old custom of "liquid light." And we talk about a small, true story of loss and rediscovery — an elder tree once grown and unexpectedly lost, and a small patch found this very week again, on land that was never mine.

Tonight's First Quarter Moon in Virgo asks something quieter than celebration: not to manifest something new, but to check the map on what's already begun.

There's no homework here. Only an old doorkeeper in white bloom, a moon asking you to look honestly at where you are, and a seat that's always saved for you, right here, beside the hearth.

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It's a slow, unhurried corner of the internet. Come as you are.

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🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools

(affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work)

Herbs featured in this Show:

1. Dried Elder Flowers

https://amzn.to/3SyHgLW

2. (Book) Elderberries: The Beginner's Guide to Foraging, Preserving and Using Elderberries for Health Remedies, Recipes, Drinks & More

https://amzn.to/4xDXrI1

3. Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water – Premium Mixer for Cocktails and Mocktails, 6.8 fl oz Bottles,

https://amzn.to/4eBh4Yy

My favorite tea-making tools:

BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker,

https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH

Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar,

https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L

Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars

https://amzn.to/4pNflmq

📚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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Episoder(51)

52 John Barleycorn & the First Loaf: The Story of Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh, the first harvest of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, has come — the season of the first grain, the first loaf, and the old harvest gratitude. In this episode, we follow the story of John Bar...

9 Aug 38min

51 Motherwort | The Lion-Hearted Mother

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 th...

26 Jul 26min

50 Our Grandmothers' Herbs | The Thread That Came Down Sideways

Some of us inherited the apron and the herb bundle. Some of us inherited three thousand miles and a grandmother who was at war with the dandelion. This week, in the deep hearth of Cancer season, we si...

12 Jul 18min

49 The Lavender Drawer

There is a drawer in every house that remembers. Open it, and something rises to meet you — soap and sunlight and something older than both. This week, in the heart of Cancer season, we visit the lave...

5 Jul 26min

48 After the Sun: Cancer's First Whisper

The morning after the longest day, something turns. You can't see it — the garden is still roaring, still climbing toward its peak — but the sun has already begun its quiet journey back toward home, a...

28 Jun 36min

46 The Sun in a Bottle| St John's Wort at the Summer Solstice

This week, the queen of the solstice finally has her hour. St. John's Wort blooms right at Midsummer — and she's no ordinary summer flower. Come out to the garden with me and meet her properly: the li...

14 Jun 33min

45 The Pollinator's Sermon | Tending Here While Holding the Dream

"The garden you have is already worth returning to. Tend it well." Brenda J. Sullivan In this episode of The New England Herbary, I share a small, unexpected moment from my deck garden in Connecticu...

7 Jun 30min