35 Trees Don’t Die From the Present: An Herbal Guide to the Emotional Spring Thaw
Release Date: 03/01/2026
41 Creating Seasonal Rhythms: Herbs & the New Moon in Aries
The New England Herbary
"For those of us navigating intensity — planetary, personal, or simply the wild energy of early spring — they offer exactly what Aries fire sometimes forgets to give itself: steadiness, and release." The New Moon in Aries arrived on April 17th — and just the day before, the Sun and Chiron came together in a rare and potent alignment called a cazimi. If this past week felt tender, intense, or quietly transformative, you're not imagining things. In this episode, we sit with the energy of this threshold moment and explore what it means to create small, seasonal rhythms that...
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40 Fierce and Nourishing: What Nettles and Dandelion Teach Us About Strength
The New England Herbary
"Dandelion is the plant that will not be erased. Every attempt to remove her simply disperses her further — her seeds carried on the wind, landing in new places, beginning again." April is a season of fire and contradiction — warm one afternoon, cold the next, full of urgency and uncertainty in equal measure. In this episode, we settle into the waning moon energy of mid-April and turn to two of...
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39 First Light: A Celtic Herbalist's Easter Morning
The New England Herbary
On this Easter Sunday, herbalist and Celtic seasonal guide Brenda Sullivan invites you into the quiet of early morning — before the world wakes, before the day begins — to explore the oldest layers of this beloved threshold holiday. In this special 50-minute episode, Brenda weaves together the ancient story of Eostre, the dawn goddess of the spring threshold, with the remarkable astronomy of Easter itself — including the Full Moon that set its date just three days ago — and the healing herbs that are pushing up through the April soil right now, offering their medicine to anyone willing...
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38 The Slow Cleanse: Spring Detox Herbs Your Grandmother Knew
The New England Herbary
“You are not emptying yourself. You are making room. There is a difference, and it lives in the body.” In Week Four of the March series, we arrive at the Waxing Gibbous Moon — luminous, nearly full, and ripening toward the Pink Moon just days away — and talk about two of the most quietly powerful spring herbs growing right...
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37 Chickweed, the New Moon & the Body's Quiet Wisdom
The New England Herbary
There is a small green plant growing right now along the edges of your garden bed, tucked into the damp shadow beneath the stone wall, pressing itself quietly against the base of your fence. Most people walk past her without a second glance. She is not showy. She does not announce herself. She simply arrives — every year, before anything else dares to — and gets quietly to...
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36 The Body Knows Before the Mind
The New England Herbary
"You are not falling apart — you are thawing. The body knows before the mind does. And the plants growing quietly in the cold right now know exactly what you need." Early spring arrives quietly in New England — not with fanfare, but with a loosening. The snowpack recedes. The bluebirds return. And somewhere in the damp, cold edges of the garden, two small plants are already growing before...
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35 Trees Don’t Die From the Present: An Herbal Guide to the Emotional Spring Thaw
The New England Herbary
"Trees don't die from the present. They die from what happened in the past — slowly, quietly, underground, where no one was watching." It is snowing outside my studio window as I record this. A real blizzard — the kind that silences the street and turns the world white and still. And yet underneath all that snow, something is already moving. In this episode, I share a story from a recent drive along the Housatonic River to a woodland lecture with an arborist — and what the trees taught me about damage...
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34 Alliums, Eclipses and The Great Reset
The New England Herbary
"We are the earth element this week. We provide our own grounding." There's a sound that marks the turning of late February — dripping water. Ice dams releasing. Snowpack thinning. The quiet, persistent rhythm of melt and freeze that tells us something underneath is waking up. In this episode of The New England Herbary, we explore what's being revealed as eclipse energy ripples through our...
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33 Hawthorn Holding the Future Gently
The New England Herbary
In a week that feels mentally loud and energetically unsettled, this episode is an invitation to slow down and strengthen the heart instead of rushing toward answers. As eclipse energy builds and ideas begin arriving faster than the body can follow, we turn to hawthorn — the quiet protector of the heart and guardian of thresholds. Through story, herbal wisdom, and a gentle pause, this episode explores what it means to hold the future without...
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31 Return of Inner Fire
The New England Herbary
Return of Inner Fire is a quiet Imbolc offering for anyone feeling worn thin by late winter — when the world feels loud, the days still feel heavy, and hope can seem fragile. In this long-form episode, we step into the old Celtic threshold of Imbolc, the season of hearth fires and becoming. Together, we explore the wisdom of tending what cannot yet be seen — hope without proof, warmth without urgency, and the steady return of inner light....
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"Trees don't die from the present. They die from what happened in the past — slowly, quietly, underground, where no one was watching."
It is snowing outside my studio window as I record this. A real blizzard — the kind that silences the street and turns the world white and still. And yet underneath all that snow, something is already moving.
In this episode, I share a story from a recent drive along the Housatonic River to a woodland lecture with an arborist — and what the trees taught me about damage that doesn't show up for years, and healing that happens slowly, underground, where no one is watching.
We are standing at the threshold of the emotional thaw. That tender, unglamorous season between deep winter and spring — when what has been frozen in us begins, slowly, to move. And the wisest thing we can do right now, while the snow is still on the ground, is begin to prepare.
I share five gentle herbs for late winter — dandelion root, cleavers, nettle, burdock, and red clover — not as a detox protocol, but as quiet allies for a body that is ready to soften. We also talk about simple practices for moving the lymph, hydrating deeply, and — perhaps most importantly — tending the emotional self before spring arrives with all its urgency.
This one is personal. Because I am in my own thaw this winter too.
This episode is for anyone who has been patient with winter and is ready — slowly, gently — to begin again.
Simple Late-Winter Tea Blend:
2 parts dried nettle leaf
1 part dried red clover blossom
1 part dried cleavers
½ part roasted dandelion root
Steep one heaping tablespoon per cup in just-boiled water for 15–20 minutes. Add honey to taste. Drink one to three cups daily.
🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools
(affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work)
Herbs featured in this Show:
1. Dandelion Root
2. Cleavers
3. Nettle
4. Burdock Root
5. Red Clover
My favorite tea-making tools:
BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker,
https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH
Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar,
https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L
Heat proof wide mouth mason jars
https://amzn.to/4pNflmq
Bookstore - Brenda J. Sullivan Books
https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/
🌱 My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids
Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity.
My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey.
Inside you’ll find:
- Simple planting guidance
- Space for drawings, photos, and notes
- Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef’s Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden)
Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants.
✨ You’ll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey.
🌿 Work With Me
🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open)
Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars.
My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening.
👉 Learn more here:
https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page
🌿 Join Me on Patreon
Support this work and receive exclusive herbal & holistic content
✨ Membership includes:
✔ Monthly herbal & lunar insights
✔ DIY recipes & printable guides
✔ Free class replays
✔ Bi-annual personalized herbal consultations (Tier 3)
Membership can be as little as a cup of coffee ☕️
👉 Join here:
https://patreon.com/ThompsonStreetFarm?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
♈ FREE Zodiac Herbs Guide
Unlock the secrets of personalized wellness with my free Zodiac Herbs Guide.
https://www.brendajsullivanteach.com/zodiacherbguidefreebieor
☕ Buy Me a Cup of Tea
If this story brought you comfort, you can support the channel here:
https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg
🎶 Music Credits
A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story.
I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander’s work.
🎼 Song: Planning - 320bit - September 5, 2021
🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/
🌿 Stay Connected
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💬 I’d love to hear how this story landed for you. Feel free to share your reflections in the comments.