Author: miriamhicklin

Mugwort Magic with Radical Plant Folk

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Dear friends,

Some moons ago now, I was blessed to join a beautiful group of plant-lovers at the Radical Plant Folk community garden in Dartington, Devon. After some months of planning with Mariam, the day begun in the autumn dew as we set the alembic up and spent considered time with the plants. Through thought and heart-ful meetings across the garden, supported by Mariam’s deep knowledge of the plants, the group decided to distill mugwort, renowned for its effects on sleep and wider mystical encounters, and in ceremony around the pots we held and carried its essence forth into a delicate mugwort water. Since then, I have been carefully meeting with it, as a pillow mist in particular, and have found it a wonderful companion through an intense period of transition. Some photos captured from the day are below, kindly shared by Mariam.

I will be distilling in Fes in April, and will return for more distillations in Devon (including with Radical Plant Folk) in the spring and summer months, to be shared here when details are ready.

Blessed January, I hope you are fairing well through the depths of the year.

Journeying with Orange Blossom and Rose

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Dear ones,

I write from a stormy Devon, still deep in the midst of transition timings and the dark necessity of timelessness that a northern winter demands. However, like the buds on the trees, little shoots are stirring that I thought I should break my silence to share.

In spring, we will be gathering to distill once again, this time opening up the process to more friends and travellers who would like to journey with us as we distill quintessential orange blossom and rose in the spring sunshine (we hope!) of the Fes medina. This has been arranged over a weekend to facilitate travel for as many as possible, with accessible flights for international travellers.

Do be in touch with me if you feel inclined to join us, I am sensing that it will be a special one. And for those who can’t join us in Morocco this time, I will be sharing soon some UK-based offerings that may be more accessible for some.

Bookings and further information at the link here.

Earth Prayers from May

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~ 12th May ~

There is a thinness, like glass, to the gaps between the clouds, and as the swifts rise up through them it seems they could go on through, on and on until the limits of the unknown. I wonder, my chest heavy at the thought, what it must feel to be so limitless. As they disappear back down behind the dark row of rooftops I long for their freedom, the sheer thoughtlessness of their cross-continental migrations. What could there possibly be between the limitlessness of swifts and me? That is a space I pray to open, a gap, cloudless, between all that could be, a space of ascension.

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on the return of swifts and the company of cormorants

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The sky is grey again for the first time in a season, and the swifts have returned – breathtakingly – from their continental journeys. Reunited above the terraced rooves of our coastal city streets a-slumber, arriving with the aseasonality which claims to be such a gift. A sunny sea-soaked weekend again and the joy of dipping in a still-bracing ocean.

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Earth Prayers: An Introduction

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This may very well be a beaconing in, a homecoming of sorts, but not at any remarkable point on this journey, however, it is a threshold all the same and one which has been brewing for some time.

Welcome to Earth Prayers, a collection of nature writings from deep down the garden. Mostly written from the table my mother gave me when we moved to this house, a little rusted, but a good spot to lean back and watch the bats as they pass, fleetingly before the dusk truly settles.

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a few little treasures for sale

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Hello friends,

I am just popping a note here to let you know that I have a few little bottles of orange blossom and rose water for sale, and I would be very happy to share them with you if you would like! This is a very tiny batch from the spring, and I found this year’s distillate particularly special.

Each one is 100ml and bottled in amber glass. Any questions give me a shout, you can find plenty of other information about orange blossom and rose here on the blog!

Each bottle is £10, I am happy to offer a little discount if you would like more than one. Shipping is on top, preferably UK shipping only but I am happy to discuss international too.

Get in touch with me at miriam.hicklin@gmail.com.

~ Returning From the Land ~

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The following reflections were written on return from the Walking with the Land Retreat, organised by the Rabbani Project (Green Deen Tribe). My immense thanks goes to them, for the work they do to create meaningful connections between women, the land and Allah.

Of all the plants that speak to me of the careful balance of life, blackberry is the strongest. She appears at the Lammas portal of the year and shows in her life cycle what it looks like to gracefully bloom, fruit and die. Like this time of year, she celebrates glorious full bodied abundance, whilst signalling the inevitable comfort of its slow decline into winter.

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~ Love Notes from the Summer Solstice ~

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Dear ones,

We enter the solstice with the striving energy of Spring growth behind us, and reaching its high peaks, ask ourselves the questions “Who am I?” and “How did I get here?”. Like the flower buds that break at the tips of the herb branches, we are suddenly awakened in a new and intoxicating space that feels enticing and terrifying all at once. Dive deep – and you will meet the waves of joy, gratitude and comfort you have been seeking.

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Lessons from Orange Blossom and Rose

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Dear ones, I write from the mists of orange blossom and rose. These two friends have walked with me the strange pathways of my adult years, from my early days in Morocco as a young woman, to motherhood, and through many changes. Their medicines are of the heart, of ease and of a special feminine power and magic.

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