How to Gather Herbs on Midsummer's Day

Herbs for sacred and magical purposes have been gathered on Midsummer's Day around the world for centuries, if not longer. It is believed that herbs collected on this day, when the sun it at its most powerful, retain their strongest essence. Ironically, the most common herbs and flowers are often the most powerful. After all, it is these "weeds" that have survived and propagated in every condition, rather than the hothouse, or rare, flowers and herbs. Rosemary, lavender, parsley, mint, St. John's Wort and dandelion are a few such examples.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Basket for collecting herbs
• Gardening shears to cut the plants

1. Go into the woods and lanes nearest your home and see what's blooming on this late June day. You want to connect with the earth around you, so the herbs that grow locally will be your best bet. If you know and can recognize herbs this will be easy. If not, your local library should have herb books that you can carry with you as you walk. You will soon become excited as you learn to recognize the power and healing wisdom that has been around you all along.

2. Gather St. John's Wort, if you can find it. St. John's Wort has so long been associated with Midsummer that Midsummer's Day is often called St. John's Day.

3. Place the herbs you gather loosely in a basket, covered by a towel or cloth. Do not let the herbs be compressed too tightly, or their juices will be pressed out. It's these juices you will want to extract and use later in spells and home remedies.

4. Tie herbs in bunches (unwashed, just dusted off) with string or dental floss and hang upside down in a dark place so that they can dry properly. In two weeks or so, you will have potent dried herbs that you can use year round. Consider sprinkling dried lavender in the bathtub, or sew it into sachets to put under your pillow.

5. Make flavored vinegar or oil by gently washing the herbs of your choice (rosemary is good for this) and then placing the herbs, stem and all, into a bottle of vinegar or oil and allowing the herb essence to infuse the liquid.

Tips & Warnings

• If you plan to gather midsummer's herbs every year, you can start a garden with the herbs of your choice. This gives you a guaranteed harvest of the herbs you'll use throughout the year, and an easy way to collect them at the height of their potency.
• Try to collect plants that have not been sprayed with dangerous pesticides. If you are unsure, wash them thoroughly and allow them to dry away from sunlight.

Resources

• Uses for St. John's Wort at Botanical.com