'TIS the SEASON of ST.JOHN'S WORT

If there were ever an herb suited for the winter season, it would be St.John's Wort, perfect remedy for the long, dark December nights. St. John's Wort brings comfort and reassurance to the one holding this herb close during the winter months. Even though the sun is now in fact returning, ever so slowly, day by day, leading up to the summer solstice, when it will again begin slipping away, imperceptibly at first and then more noticeably by August and fleeing quickly by October, until we get back to the darkness of December and the Christmas/Winter Solstice season, and so on, ad infinitum -- in one's mind and deep, I think, in one's primal consciousness, the flight of the sun always inspires fear and doubt and a direct view into the void, the dark night of the soul -- that the sun will not return at all. St. John's Wort can bridge this gap, mend this false sense of dualism inherent in the human psyche. The healing comes in unification, the bringing together of all disparate parts of one's consciousness. There is no dualism with St. John's Wort, only unity.

I find the oil of St. John's Wort, made from infusing the fresh flowers at the height of the summer season in extra virgin olive oil to be a particularly useful for of this magnificent healing. A massage with St. John's Wort oil is what's needed. You can do this yourself, or if you're fortunate enough, have your partner do this for you, and right before bedtime is a wonderful way to drift off into sleep. Pay particular attention to the souls of your feet and your face and neck. Massage deep and hard into the tired bottoms of your feet, bend and squeeze/fold the foot from the toes on down. Grind your feet with your fist as if you were crushing herbs with a mortar and pestle. Gentle movements across the face, making circles with your finger tips above the eyes and down into the temples will go along way to dissolve the stress of the day. Don't forget to massage below your eyes, too. If you really in need of a good dose of this energy, take the tincture as well right before bed. I'd say anywhere from 2 to 6 droppers full in a small glass of water. You will experience deep sleep, as an herb under the snow in winter. You may find you don't even move the covers much. Like a stone dropped into the sea, you've gone to some healing place, completely out of your body, until morning when you return.