Earth Magic!

Brewing Homemade Skin Goodies With the Virgo New Moon

My my my! I wrote this newsletter on Tuesday, and we are sending it out on Saturday! Anyone else noticing some things fall behind as priorities shift with the new season?

*Before you continue, please do me a favor and take a moment to inhale… Deep! Hoooold it! Imagine where you were on Monday… exhale… and…

Sunday was a New Moon and Rosh Hashana! Happy New Year to all of those who observe this holiday season!

I was particularly excited for this New Moon, as it completed a full moon cycle since the start of my first oil infusion quest! The time had come to harvest my ingredients and complete the next phase of my all-natural and organic skin balm!

I like to create things on New Moons when the cosmos are abundant with fertile energy to plant seeds and begin projects.

If you’re new to moon magic, observe the phases and notice how the New Moon offers a wonderfully impregnable void perfect for planting dreams, a clear space for the beginnings of things! Notice how Full Moons illuminate twisty patterns and how as their light spills from our view in the following weeks, so too are we supported in the act of letting go.

New Moons = Grow / Full Moons = Let Go

It all lined up well and good that my oil infusion coincided with the Virgo New Moon. Virgo is an earth sign and thus works well in alignment with real and tangible things. What is skincare via herbs and oils if not earthy and tangible? PLUS, Virgo is represented by the maiden, a symbol of wholeness and representative of the body as a sacred temple, one well worshipped with good health.

Perfect, perfect.

Lining up these sorts of universal symbols is my kinda magic. Intention, intention, intention! When we create magic, potency comes from intention—accumulating and lining up as many markers of our purpose as we can is how to get the most woo for a wish.

And what is my wish with these skin oils and balms I’m preparing for?

WELL, lemme tell yah…

Since moving to Texas, I’ve had mad mosquito problems. I moved here in large part to get more face-to-face time with good ol’ Pachamama, and yet whenever I do frolick in her kingdom, I am ambushed by many a tiny blood-sucking menace.

Ugh! I have an extraordinary, magical AF friend who just asks the bugs to share space and let them be. Which friggen works! I’ve experienced the blessings of having gone backpacking with this wonderous being and basked in their non-buggy, peaceful sphere of habitat.

I have another pal who doesn’t flinch while the nosey beastlies descend upon us and graciously chooses to share their blood… as they… “have more than enough."

Nah, that shit ain’t workin for me. My insect telepathy just ain’t up to snuff, and I don’t have the emotional stamina to so dedicatedly ignore the fallout of a successful mosquito feeding.

Furthermore, in case you haven’t noticed, I am not about that chemical life! Or relying-on-anything life! Goal: to be able to run outside nekkid and carefree without a need to prepare in any way.

It’s gonna take significant exposure over a long period of time to become immune to the local pests. I’d like my body to eventually recognize that the catalyst numbing agent the little dudes leave in me is not a real threat, and to chill on the immune response that leads to the inevitable, subsequent 3-5 brutal days of itching.

*I have been using the bug bite thing, and headsup! It does work! Buuttt, the charade is still a pain in the butt. A literal… pain… in the butt. So! In combination with this hip tool that extracts the mosquito saliva and reduces my body’s response, I have created a salve to heal the little wounds!

I am SO excited about this bomb balm I’ve created to heal bites as well as gently ward off new ones. I say gently because it is not created with the intention to repel mosquitos, albeit it does help! Even though it smells so dang good!

First things first, I found an incredible herb shop in Austin, TX, via a recommendation I extracted from the local natural food grocer here in San Marcos during my town foraging.

THE HERB BAR

I cannot speak highly enough about my experience here. The witches were so helpful in sourcing the best herbs for my needs and turned me onto two solutions I had not been privy to! It was affordable, to boot! I left with four ounces of a variety of herbs for about $20.

As the New Moon opened up the portals of fertile manifestation, I joined the forces of my organic Coconut Oil, Calendula, Horsetail, and Plantain in clean glass jars. There they danced and swirled with each other for the moon’s complete cycle! Every few days I shook ‘em about a bit. Mostly I kept them in front of a window in a brown paper bag. That way, the infusion process could harness the sun's warmth without excessive UV light exposure.

During the full moon, I nestled the jars outside, all cozy in the grass, and revealed them to the powers that be for a couple of days while I was traveling, letting them soak in the Pisces Full Moon vibes and variable Saturnian, Neptunian, Piscean influences. A lot was going on in the stars that week, and while the Full Moon is better for cleansing (rather than creating), I was down with the balancing act she was offering us this cycle and chose to let my oils soak in her big ol’ glow, too.

I went away that weekend, leaving my infusion in the care of my yard. Here’s a complimentary photo of the house cat I hung out with in Dallas during my stay away. His name is John. He has three brothers: Paul, Ringo, and George.

After one month, the New Moon in Libra arrived, and it was time to harvest my goodies. First, I strained the oil into sterilized glass jars.

I mixed my coconut oil with equal parts organic beeswax. Then, I added ten drops of Blue Tansy and 15 drops of lavender oil.

Using my crafty dropper, I distributed my goodies into these tiny metal tins about the size my fingers make when my hand says, “OKAY!”

And voila! I have been obsessed with this creation. It is so friggen good for the skin and smells lightly of honey-dipped flowers. Not only are my bites vanishing quickly, but my complexion is feeling incredible. I’ve started slathering my face and lips and cuticles in it. This potion has definition brought a new level of luxury to my morning & night routine.

I have 8 of these dabs of dew I can send to my beloved readers! If you’d like one, please send a venmo my way to @juliafae with a donation of $15-$20 with your address, and I’ll pop one in the mail for you.

And if you make your own, lemme know how it goes!

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Here’s a quick break-down of every organic ingredient I used and some info on how it helps the skin:

Horsetail: Hella silica. That shit has mega impact on collagen production. Get into it.

Plantain: Soothes and reduces skin inflammation, speeds wound healing, anti-septic (removes dirt, y’all), draws out insect poison.

Calendula: Decreases inflammation, speeds healing, bonafide cell rejuvenator, promotes collagen, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, offers SPF protection, hydrating, serving firmness, antiviral, anti-septic.

Blue Tansy: Calms, boasts anti-inflammatory properties, is anti-histamine, heals UV damage & wrinkles, adds moisture, decreases blemishes, deters mosquitos, soothes mood.

Lavender oil: Tones, treats acne, is anti-bacterial, reduces inflammation, is anti-fungal, cleanses, lessens redness, prevents wrinkles, promotes skin tissue, pain reliever/numbing, repels mosquitos, and soothes insect bites.

Beeswax: Allows skin to breathe, hydrates, conditions, soothes, calms, improves elasticity, protects from environment, cleans with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, anti-fungal, increases cell turnover, anti-septic, treats acne, relieves itching, anti allergenic, THE LIST GOES ON. Bees are gold-spinners, truly.

Coconut Oil: Moisturizing, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, reduces inflammation, increases collagen, and helps to heal wounds.

BOOM, baby! I am feeling armed and ready for the great outdoors. And prepared to smile and wrinkle my crow’s feet and receive heaps of cheek kisses!