Day 4 Creating Sanctuary Have some tea

We drink a lot of tea around here. I have a couple of cups of coffee in the morning to get my brain set in motion, but I have to limit my caffeine intake, so I switch to tea mid morning. I love to walk out in the wet grass on a warm summer morning and pick some herbs for a pot of tea.  I also love to grab some jars from my grandmother's pie safe and mix up a blend.  My new morning routine since starting my blog again is to light a candle on my altar, light some incense, have some coffee, read for a little while, pick some herbs, make some tea. Then my day can get started with a much better attitude. Survival of the pandemic at its finest.

 Besides our herb jars as a resource for teas, we grow an abundance of mint around here. I seem to be obsessed with it.  My new favorite fresh herb blend is Lemon Balm, Peppermint, and Hyssop. I put a handful of fresh herbs in a pitcher, pour a kettle of hot water over them and let them steep. I keep this on the counter and Wesley and I sip on a cup throughout the day. Most of the herbs we have are for common problems: digestive aids, help for insomnia, anxiety (especially right now) and respiratory health. 

This is my favorite mint, peppermint. I grabbed a leaf yesterday while I was working in the garden and it was like eating a peppermint candy! I think my herbs are at their peak in flavor right now. I like to have a cup of peppermint tea after supper. It seems to settle things down and help the food process properly. It also helps with respiratory issues if that's an issue for you.

We planted this Lemon Balm the first year we moved here and it has been coming back stronger and stronger every year. I have a large jar of dried leaves for the winter, but I like to use up the fresh ones while they are around. It is a very nice tummy soother and a great calming herb for tea.

This is a fun mint I added to the mix late last year. It's called Mojito Mint and it does taste just like a Mojito. I like to fill a pitcher with ice and limes and add this mint with sparkling water. So great on a really hot day. It would probably be nice with some Rum, but no one around here drinks liquor, so sparkling water it is.....

I also have some Chocolate Mint and Spearmint around in beds. All of the mint is contained because it likes to travel.  It's not difficult to have some medicinal herbs around. They are easy to grow in pots on a deck or a porch if you don't have a garden. You could probably grow them indoors in a sunny room, though I wouldn't know what that is, I seem to always end up in a dark house where plants suffer until they can get outside in the summer.  You can create a place for herbs in a small space and incorporate them into a sanctuary space very easily. Think about the kind of herbs you would like, what do you need from them? What flavors do you enjoy? 

I like the ritual of tea. I like the implements of tea. The tea ball, tea cups, tea pots, tea strainers. I like the aroma of both fresh and dried herbs. I like growing herbs, I like drying herbs. Mostly though I like that I am putting something natural into my body for healing or immunity instead of a synthetic drug. I find that many times herbs help me and I have no need to rush to a doctor. Of course if I needed something an herb could not address, I would go that route, but luckily, my ailments are mild and a cup of tea is often just the thing I need.  

If you are not a tea drinker, give it a try this summer. It doesn't have to be a hot tea, it can be a really flavorful iced tea, served in a beautiful antique glass while sitting on the  porch in a rocking chair. 

Sanctuary can be anything you want it to be!