As the sun rises higher and higher and the days become longer and hotter, a natural drive toward the cooling waters of the North Atlantic, here in New England, begins to emerge. The human fascination with water is as old as we are. Modern science has even determined that being in, near, around, or adjacent to water does amazing things for our central nervous system and our emotional wellbeing. Simply stated: being near water calms us and makes us happy.

As Summer Solstice draws near, we personally find ourselves gathering with our friends to cool off in Mother Ocean. We know we are very lucky to live in a coastal community with easy access to the shore. A shoreline that supports so many wonderful and healing plants that come to life in June. The strawberries ripen to the most perfect juicy red in the coastal fields under the Full Strawberry Moon, and the wild rose (Rosa multiflora) unveils her fragrant beauty and permeates the night air as you cruise by with your windows down. Closer to the sand dunes, where two worlds meet, beach rose (Rosa rugosa) begins to show her flashy pink petals in the dune grass, beach pea, and other sturdy plants that keep the sand particles of the coastal dunes stable in an ever-shifting landscape of in-between.

Beach Rose Toner
Both wild rose and beach rose are edible. You will of course want to make sure you forage in an area free of pesticides and pollutants. While a freshly picked June strawberry is a treat all on its own, you can incorporate these abundant wild roses into a treat for your skin! A favorite of ours is to further infuse a rose hydrosol (or “flower water”) with fresh rose petals! Any organic rose hydrosol will do (they are readily available from herbal supply companies). In a mason jar, add your fresh petals and steep only for a few days in the hydrosol. Make sure you add enough to cover the petals completely. Because the material is fresh, do not let it sit too long. You could also infuse apple cider vinegar with rose petals in a similar way and add that to a commercially produced hydrosol. However, many people do not like smelling like vinegar even though it's glorious for your skin. Once the hydrosol and/or vinegar mixture is ready, you can fill a small spray bottle about ⅔ full. If using vinegar and hydrosol, add about ¼ infused vinegar and fill the rest of the way to ⅔ full with hydrosol. From here, a humectant such as pure organic vegetable glycerin (again, available from many herbal and skin care supply companies) is a great addition. You can fill the sprayer almost to full, leaving room for a few more ingredients. A few drops of almond oil, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil (rose, lavender, and frankincense are all great for your skin and smell wonderful) added to the spray bottle will give you a cooling and moisturizing skin toner for the hot summer days ahead. Give it a good shake before spraying it on freshly washed skin.

Moving from the dunes into the cooling spindrift of Aphrodite’s realm, we feel the pulse of tide and with it marvel at all that is offered along the rocky intertidal zone. With each ebb and flow of ocean water, organisms adapted to both marine and terrestrial life, feel the nourishment and cleansing of seawater: full of trace minerals and salt ions we cannot get from our terrestrial world. With this, the ocean offers us a peek into hers.

Sea Greens for Glowing Skin
One of the best and most accessible seaweeds that we love harvesting and using in our botanical products is irish moss (Chondrus crispus). You can find this species in shallow water, usually attached to rocks and sometimes free floating after the tide has freed the fronds. It’s small and fan-shaped and ranges in color from yellowish-green to red to dark purple. Irish Moss is very rich in iodine, sulfur, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants. It is wonderfully softening, protecting, and hydrating for your skin. You will find this treasure along the shoreline all summer long.

If you harvest a batch of it, give it a quick rinse with seawater (removing any rocks and debris) and dry it for a few days, then fill tea bags with the dried plant matter. You can simply use it as a quick easy mask by rehydrating a tea bag in warm water, and massaging the tea bag onto your face. It will leave a gel-like film on your skin, which you can let sit for 10 minutes before rinsing it off. This seaweed mask will leave your face feeling unbelievably smooth and soft! We have also conjured up a lovely powdered mix with some other healing ingredients for an even more moisturizing (and deliciously herb-scented) mask as detailed below!

Mermaid Magick Seaweed Mask
After collecting and drying your irish moss, place about ½ cup in a coffee grinder or food processor with ¼ cup of dried lavender and ¼ cup dried sage, then pulse grind into a coarse powder. Add 2 Tbsp of bentonite clay and 1 Tbsp of aloe powder and mix thoroughly. If stored in an air-tight jar in a dry place, this powder will last a while. Each time you want to treat yourself, measure out a teaspoon of the powder and slowly add enough warm water to form a spreadable paste. Massage onto your face (avoiding the eyes) and leave on for 15 min, then rinse off with warm water. The rose toner would be a great follow up after this mask and before you moisturize!

Summer Rituals for Mind & Body
With so many beachside beauties to admire, forage, and craft into healing botanical treatments throughout the summer growing season, it’s difficult not to succumb to sensory overload. We’ve only barely scratched the surface here! In the interest of seeking balance, another satisfying summer morning activity for the mind and body is an introspective oceanside meditation. Meditating at the cusp of a seasonal shift (in this case, the Summer Solstice) can be especially powerful and a wonderful way to experience the energy of the natural world. Later in the summer at Lammas (August 1, the first harvest) you may find yourself returning for an especially powerful time to meditate in nature. Additionally, meditating at sunrise is uniquely beneficial for gaining focus, relieving stress, and the effects may resonate throughout the day by keeping your mind fresh and clear.

Settling into a comfy warm spot on an empty beach at sunrise is a soul-soothing feeling like nothing else. Of course, if you don’t have access to a location such as this, any outdoor space that calls to you will do. Once settled, close your eyes and begin to focus on your breathing, becoming more conscious of each breath. Imagine your lower body melting into the warm sand and feel grounded. With a tall spine, stack your head and shoulders over your hips and allow the crown of your head to merge blissfully with the bright sun and morning sky. Feel this nourishing energy of expansion and growth emanating from Mother earth, and imagine that you are one with her and her healing powers.

Take 3 slow deep breaths in through your nose, and out through your mouth, pausing to feel the breath turn at the top of the inhale, and at the bottom of the exhale. Imagine a warm energizing yellow light expanding around your entire body. With every inhale, comes a feeling of calm focus, and with every exhale you softly release any tension. Remain cradled in this life-giving energy for as long as you like and continue to breathe. When you are ready to return to your physical consciousness, offer the earth and the ocean a small gift of gratitude from your heart directly to them. From here, calmly allow your awareness to return to your body by opening your eyes and gently moving your arms and legs, finally, with care, rising to stand.

Self care rituals, especially involving the aforementioned handmade plant-based products, are a great follow up to a morning sun-soaked meditation. A facial cleanse, mask, tone, and moisturize can seal your morning self care practice on a summer day full of potential. This practice, whether daily, weekly, or monthly may revive the senses while hydrating and cooling the face and body during the hot summer months.

A Time of Growth
As summer’s energy grows and expands into the first harvests from the fields, gardens, and vines, we marvel at all that comes to fruition during this fleeting season. As the vegetables, fruits, herbs, and grains overflow with abundance in their respective spaces, we spend our time projecting outward into the natural world, absorbing Vitamin D from the sun, trace minerals from the sea, and we take in nature’s bounty with all of our senses. On a hot and humid day, the heat breaks after a thundershower passes over the cold ocean water, with the promise of the sun, the moon, and the stars showing themselves in the summer sky again shortly. The pulse of the tides draws us in to listen to all that nature has to share with us, if we only pay attention to the gifts she reveals.

“The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion.”

— Terry Orlick

Absorbing, freeing, challenging with a sense of meaning, joy, and passion. Yes, all of the above, please. What an event last night. We were lucky enough to secure the waterfront lawn at The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, MA last night for an evening full of yoga, tarot, and herbal magic. So. Much. Magic.

Summer Solstice, or Midsummer, is the longest day, and most fertile time of year, representing fruition, fulfillment, and consciousness. With the sun at its zenith, we aligned our personal zeniths of power, manifestation, and self-awareness with the elements, while dancing between the earth and sky.

Chrissy, of Rebel Yell Yoga, led us through 60 minutes of vinyasa flow to harness the intense fiery energy of the solstice, and further connected and expanded through Tarot, and the 22 life lessons represented in the Major Arcana. Every guest pulled a Tarot card at the beginning of class that served as a focal point for meditation and as a sort of "personal spirit guide" throughout the practice.

After yoga class concluded, we spent 30 minutes in the solstice circle, opened graciously by Kris of Dark Moon Tarot. We were then led by Chrissy through a midsummer meditation honoring nature, the elements, and the bounty the earth provides in high summer! The circle focused on earth medicine through plants, devotion to and reverence for the natural world.

The historic Salem backdrop as well as the beautiful ocean landscape and impeccable timing of the stunning sunset was enchanting to say the least. We could not have asked for a better vibe for this event. But please check out the photos below... we think they speak for themselves.