Sage : Emboldening your Inner Wisdom to Radiate and Expand into the World
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Like so many people, I planted sage in my garden many years ago. The plant I have now is about 2 feet high and 2 feet wide - with old, thin, and woody stems that grow baby offshoots every year.
She is spectacular, interesting to look at, and still shares her medicine with me.
Although planted over 4 years ago, her aromatics are high and she flowers every year.
A few years ago, I noticed that these flowers in particular attract bees. All kinds of bees; Bumbles, Honey, and even Mason bees.
Although many herbs and flowers attract bees, this was different. The bees seem to hang out around her. Like the were just enjoying her company.
I pondered, is she like the crone who brings things together, sharing her wisdom with those who sit to listen?
At some point, I heard the voice of the Sage politely ask me to have a seat near her and listen to what she had to share.
She shared in bits and pieces, encouraging me throughout most of the year, to try the many ways she has helped humans ALL OVER THE WORLD since before written records were started by Dioscorides in pre-Renaissance times!
Which is why she carries the name officinalis.
Here’s some of what I learned on an energetic level - the way in which she helps us beyond the physical.
Sage shows us how to stay soft, balanced, and flexible as we begin to get older and more set in our ways; to keep our sense of awe and wonder strong enough to continue to grow and learn as we share with others throughout our lives.
She coaxes us share our wisdom into the world, as bright and shining as it was when we were children, even as we encounter bumps in the road of life.
Most interestingly, I found that She ( Salvia officinalis) is very crone-like, holding the essence of the Wise Woman potently. Elders hold a soft, twinkly vibrancy that also holds the essence of the sacred masculine - steadfast, clear-thinking, resourceful, and bringing ourselves out into the world with presence and strength, unabashed.
Wise Women/Crones also show us the wisdom of simple and ancient ways of healing and strengthening our bodies.
And working with Sage medicine, with Salvia officinalis, for body, mind, and spirit is VERY simple!
Sage is known as the plant of wisdom and has been used all over the world for centuries.
It is generally considered safe with no known clinical reactions, is safe to use in foods, but should be avoided specifically as a tincture (due its concentrated constituents) during pregnancy due to its emmenagogue effect on the uterus, and in breastfeeding as it can reduce milk flow…
Also, it can effect dryness in the body, so please consult with an herbalist to be sure this can be used with your constitution, or even planetary connections.
Having an astringent (drying), slightly aromatic bitter (warming) and acrid (spreading/pungent) taste:
she links us physically to both the circulatory system and the respiratory systems of the body.
If you look at how sage grows, you’ll notice it has a main stem and branches outwards. A spreading quality. (looking much like both the circulatory and respiratory systems)
*Sage is good for people who hold their heat at their core while having cold extremities - as it enhances the circulation out from the core to the periphery. (like what I see in my older sage plant - young leaves emerging healthily from a seemingly brittle dry main stem).
It is also used for helping the upper respiratory tract to open up/clear out, and studies are showing it may also enhance circulation to the brain. (It has been used to help with cognitive functioning since the first records were found.)
*Sage is also good for increasing the fires of the digestive tract, most noticeably, in breaking down fats and oils, making them easier to digest. (A good masculine fire to her!)
*sage is excellent for skin health when used topically as a wash to treat acne (damp and hot) and eczema (cold and dry).
*salvia officinalis is interchangeable with other forms of sage (tricolor sage, purple sage, pineapple sage…) but NOT the artemisias which are in the same family.
The leaves and flower tops are most commonly used: along with the small green parts of the stems
*Their familiar silvery green color, oblong shape, finely veined, and soft and velvety to the touch
*and are often found in culinary dishes, infusions, tinctures, medicinal honeys, burned as protection, and have a myriad of culinary uses.
The constituents of sage help to balance both the energies of the body, as well as physiological conditions such as eczema, as a bronchodilator, anxiety, eczema, and has even shown possibilities in short term memory impairment and brain fog.
Sage is full of antioxidants, like rosmarinic acid, which may help fight free radicals and are important for overall health.
My favorite simple ways to put sage into my life, that you can do for yourself, are:
*eating the leaves off the plant before meals or as a tea for a pre-meal digestive stimulant
*adding the leaves into foods to help break down fats and fats and proteins for better absorption into the body
*as an infusion (steeped in water for many many hours) to be used as a hair rinse in place of conditioner. It really cleans the film off your hair and leaves the scalp pretty well balanced in oils, no matter the season.
*as a tea to assist with clarity of focus when I feel morning brain fog, and even cognition! (sage = wisdom)
*and added into a stove top steam blend for colds and flu along with thyme and clove or eucalyptus
Esoteric Significance/ Fun Tidbits about Artemisia (vulgaris, annua, douglasania, and absinthium )
Ruling Planet: Jupiter (Thursday)
Jupiter is aromatic (the gaseous qualities of the planet) spreading up and outwards. It harmonizes our inner yang; helping us to gather perspective, see patterns in life, and make wiser decisions.
Ruling elements: Air
Air is the most subtle of the elements. Being a bit more esoteric - beyond words we know to describe it’s forces - it is the music of creation, the creator of wisdom…
Although it dry and cold, when we take it internally, it actually moistens the constitutions.
Air rules tension in the body - we see it in how it releases wind patterns, which present as different types of tension and spasms in the body. It is known to disperse “stuck” and lingering energy pretty quickly.
Ruling Principle: (What it is here to teach us.)
Esoterically, Jupiter governs the ways in which we embrace change and how we integrate it on both the spiritual and physical planes of existence. We see this in how sage is used as both a smudge and in cooking.
*Sage governs our vitality in the form of our self-expression as it relates to shining bright in the world. We can learn this by working with her flowers and watch them be very showy with love the sun.
*She opens our lungs to breathe and take it all in, it supports out throat to speak with wisdom, and it brings us deep into body/mind connectivity in the present moment.
*As a flower essence, it helps us let go of anger, making it terrific support for our nervous system, our digestive system, and - for driving!
As we can see, Sage is all about wisdom, from the properties it shares, to showing us how to work with what we have, to stand strong during changes that occur both internally and externally, and bring ourselves out into the world in a balanced, expansive, beautiful way.
It asks us to understand the nature of our mind, how the patterns of life, from how we hold ourselves to the inner workings go our digestion, brain, and respiratory tract affect us emotionally and physically.
Do we stay contracted and brittle, or do we open ourselves up and allow warmth to flow through so we may share our true essence with the world?
Like all wisdom keepers, Sage holds space for both ancient and emotional healing, With Sage we learn how to help ease the strains of time on your bodies and minds for greater vitality, and, learn how to support our radiant bright expressive health from the inside out.
When our bodies, our thought patterns, and our brain chemistry feel at ease and balanced, we naturally feel relaxed and more supported to begin to move boldly and safely into the world.
We also begin to feel safer to tap into and listen to our inner voice, that wisdom, to guide us in our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives.
Thank you Sage for your elder lessons.