April’s medicine is gentle, sweet, Spring medicine—Rabbit, a prey animal, sweet pea flower, and Emerald, also the affirmation is you got this, sweet pea. A bit of Mothering from Mother Rabbit. Let’s talk about Sweet Pea first.
SWEET PEA
The sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is an annual climbing ornamental garden plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) that is native to Italy and the Aegean region. It is similar in appearance to its pea-like relatives, but it is toxic. Sweet peas and rosary peas aren’t that closely related to garden peas, or even sugar snap peas. Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) are grown for their flowers and have toxic seeds. Rosary peas (Abrus precatorius), as their name implies, are grown for beads and are fatal if ingested — if it’s thoroughly chewed, a single rosary pea is enough to kill an adult human. Garden, snow, and sugar snap peas are different cultivars of Pisum sativum, and are grown for their edible shoots, pods, and seeds. L. odoratus, A. precatorius, and P. sativum are members of the family Fabaceae, but so are plants like lupine, Scotch broom, and logwood trees. For this reason, it’s important to draw a distinction between folklore and magical uses of edible peas, versus sweet pea or rosary pea. The sweet pea is best known for its fragrance and is ornamental.
The Sweet Pea in History and Folklore
The sweet pea was developed in England from seeds received from Italy by Henry Eckford specifically for the garden trade during the Victorian era.
In the language of flowers, the sweet pea means “farewell and thank you for a lovely time”.
Symbolism of Sweet Pea
Sweet Pea is often associated with delicate beauty and is admired for its vibrant, fragrant flowers. It symbolizes charm, grace, and pleasure.
Victorian Flower Language
In the Victorian era, Sweet Pea was used to convey messages and sentiments through the language of flowers. Different colors and varieties were assigned specific meanings, such as blissful pleasure, gratitude, or tender memory
Sweet Pea has a long history of symbolizing nurturing and affectionate love. It is often associated with maternal love, friendship, and gentle emotions. Sweet Pea’s appearance during the spring season is seen as a symbol of new beginnings, renewal, and the arrival of warmer weather.
Growing Sweet Peas
Sweet peas are easy to grow in a sunny spot provided they don’t get too hot. They like to climb and look nice dressing up a fence.
Don’t try to eat these like peas. They are not edible and are moderately toxic.
Magical Correspondences
The sweet pea isn’t a very ancient plant, so it doesn’t have a lot of magical history behind it. However, its fragrance and airy nature correspond to the air element and its fragrance is said to inspire loyalty and affection.
Sweet Pea is believed to possess magical properties related to love and friendship. It can be used in spells or rituals to attract or enhance love, foster strong friendships, or bring harmony to relationships.
The enchanting beauty of the Sweet Pea is associated with enhancing personal charm, grace, and attractiveness. It can be used in glamour spells or rituals to amplify one’s natural beauty and magnetism.
Sweet Pea is thought to bring joy, happiness, and positive energy. It can be used in spells or rituals to uplift the mood, promote optimism, and attract happiness into one’s life.
Sweet Pea is believed to stimulate creativity and inspire artistic endeavors. It can be used as a magical tool to unlock artistic potential, overcome creative blocks, or enhance imaginative abilities.
Some practitioners associate Sweet Pea with protective energies and healing properties. It can be used in rituals or charms to provide spiritual protection, promote emotional well-being, or aid in healing processes.
Herkimer Quartz “Diamonds”
Herkimer Quartz “Diamonds” are the high energy seekers of the crystal world. Unusually transparent with a brilliant sparkle, they manifest pure, solid Light and are powerful amplifiers of spiritual energy. As perfect conduits of the universal Life Force, they are exceptional healing crystals used in meditations, dream and vision work, and advanced spiritualization applications.
Herkimer Diamonds are the most powerful of all Quartz crystals. Being doubly terminated, they have the ability to not only transmit their energies but to receive spiritual energy and amplify and focus it intently. Â They are reportedly harder than all other Quartz, giving them the strength and durability to handle difficult challenges beyond the scope of other Quartz crystals. What they lack in physical size, they more than makeup for in spirit energy.
This mineral owes its name to Herkimer County, New York, USA, the principal place where it is found. The small, double-terminated crystals are short and stubby, formed in a hard rock matrix, giving them strength. They may be exceptionally clear and colorless or contain rainbow inclusions, air bubbles, or black carbon deposits. A small percentage of these crystals contain enhydro inclusions of water. Some are smoky rather than clear, and similar-looking crystals have been found at other sites but generally do not have the same hardness or high gloss of genuine Herkimer Diamonds.
Herkimer Diamond is a great ally for dreams, visioning, purification, and spiritualizing a physical life. Herkimers help bridge to the transpersonal chakras, stimulating the third eye and crown and then bridging to those upper chakras in meditation. They are healers of the auric field and are particularly useful for clearing blockages and energy fogginess. dreams, visioning, purification, and spiritualization of a physical life. It helps bridge to the transpersonal chakras, stimulating the third eye and crown and then bridging to those upper chakras in meditation. They are healers of the auric field and are particularly useful for clearing blockages and energy fogginess.
Herkimer Diamond is an “attunement stone,” useful for attuning to another person, group, or environment. It is particularly beneficial to use before the “laying-on-of-stones” or other healing situations when the practitioner and subject are not well acquainted. It is an exceptional crystal for linking people who have to be apart. For attunement, the Herkimers should be held simultaneously as one at first, then upon parting, each person should retain one of the stones; or, a cluster may remain at one location while an individual carries a portion of that cluster on his person to connect with the energy of a group or environment.
Herkimer crystal is also valuable in its ability to receive and magnify the influence of other stones. It expands a small or soft energy stone, giving it the strength and effects of a much larger stone. Herkimer Diamonds have a crystal memory, accepting and retaining information that can be retrieved later. They may also be programmed with love, well-being, or healing thoughts for others to draw on.
The Herkimer Diamond is extremely useful in healing environments where its clarity, brilliance, and high frequency facilitate the removal of energy blocks or debris and stimulate healing by increasing the amount of Light energy the body can utilize. It is an exceptionally strong crystal for clearing electromagnetic pollution, radioactivity, and geopathic stress and makes an excellent environmental spray or gem elixir. Larger Herkimer, even cloudy, included ones, may be used to grid a home, healing space, or bed.
Herkimer is a good crystal for spirituality and alternative therapies teachers. As a power stone in the workplace, it brings positive attention and prosperity through high achievement, assists with research and study as it stores knowledge, and stabilizes company finances.
Rabbit Medicine
Courageous, Innocent Rabbit existing in the wild is a lesson on resilience, intuition, magick, creativity and fertility. Rabbit symbolism is also evident in various spiritual and religious practices. In Christianity, rabbits represent rebirth and resurrection, particularly during Easter celebrations. The rabbit's ability to reproduce quickly also signifies fertility and new life. In Buddhism, rabbits symbolize humility, kindness, and compassion. The story of the selfless rabbit who offered his body as food to a hungry traveler is a popular Buddhist tale highlighting the virtues of generosity and selflessness.
In Earth-based spirituality, rabbits are associated with the moon and are believed to possess magical powers. The rabbit's ability to burrow into the earth symbolizes its connection to the spiritual world. In Shamanism, rabbits represent intuition, fertility, and transformation. The rabbit's ability to navigate the underground tunnels signifies the journey into the unknown and discovering hidden truths.
East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on pareidolic interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. Legends of Moon rabbits also exist among some indigenous cultures of North and Central America.
The Maya moon goddess frequently is depicted holding a rabbit In Mayan art, glyphs, hieroglyphics, and inscriptions, a rabbit frequently is shown with the Moon Goddess and another deity related to the Moon.
According to an Aztec legend, the god Quetzalcoatl, then living on Earth as a human, started on a journey and, after walking for a long time, became hungry and tired. With no food or water around, he thought he would die. Then a rabbit grazing nearby offered herself as food to save his life. Quetzalcoatl, moved by the rabbit's noble offering, elevated her to the Moon, then lowered her back to Earth and told her, "You may be just a rabbit, but everyone will remember you; there is your image in light, for all people and for all times."
In Canada and the United States, a Cree cultural legend tells a different story, about a young rabbit who wished to ride the Moon. Only the crane was willing to take him there. The trip stretched the crane's legs as the heavy rabbit held them tightly, leaving them elongated as the legs of all cranes are now. When they reached the Moon, the rabbit touched the crane's head with a bleeding paw, leaving the red mark cranes wear to this day. According to the legend, on clear nights, Rabbit still may be seen riding the Moon.
With my teacher Pixie Lighthorse, I was taught to work with Rabbit for creativity, art and vulnerability. Working with Sister Rabbit means setting ourselves up for creation, prolifically discovering our whys. What are our guiding lights? What values and motivations underlie our process—creative or joy-seeking.
Rabbit is a prey animal, but do not underestimate the power of wild Rabbit. Though she is a vegetarian and a prey animal, she is not to be undervalued. She is often the totem of children, for she reminds them of themselves. She is soft, vulnerable, and can be tamed as a pet in some cases. But she is to be respected as a feral creature: protective of her young and her warren, an excellent provider, and instinctual Mother.
One of the gifts of rabbit is her hypervigilance and she can be a true guide for those of us with trauma, childhood wounds and healing the inner child, because she is always hyperalert, aware, anxious. So, she is also a great ally for those of us who deal with nervousness. Rabbit is known for speed, and her alertness is paramount to her survival. She relies on her senses of smell and eyesight to keep she and her “kittens” safe. She knows where safety is, and always has a plan to get back to it if she has found herself too vulnerable. The beauty of Rabbit is that she never stays in her hidey-hole longer than needed. As soon as real threat has passed, she's back out in the open again. She does not isolate out of fear, but maintains calm awareness at all times. Her survival is not linked to her ability to get underground fast, but to her willingness to continue showing up vulnerable in the open grassy meadows where the sweetest nourishment awaits.
A Rabbit doe creates up to eight litters a year, along with the support of her buck, suggesting that she paces herself for creation in a way that we can heed. In order for her to do her job with efficiency, she must accept that she is as fertile as she chooses to be. For us humans, we're able to learn from Rabbit by pacing ourselves for the good work we do. For some of us that looks like a daily practice, or showing up in public spaces a few times per year. We get to choose! And once we do, we can make a deep commitment to ourselves and our craft.
Rabbit inspires a fire in the belly for creation, and quite literally, in the sacral chakra, which governs the reproductive organs and systems, and vibrates to the color orange when in active health.
Creativity lifts us out of stale routines, breathes new life into old life stories, and teaches us how to catch flame from our dormant state of being. It is required for all of life to exist, and places us squarely in the position of START again and again.