Beauty, Bounty, Pomegranate & Persephone
Plant Spirit Medicine - Pomegranate
Dive deep into the juicy wonder of this perfectly sweetart fruit. It is simple in nature, but a symbol of richness, luxury. As if it were filled with rubies, this fruit invites us to give thanks for abundance. As Bethany says, “it is an intimate offering…to extract each seed. It takes skill and patience.” It teaches you to let go of what you cannot control. Pomegranate does not ripen if picked too early from the tree.
We delight in the sensual nature of this plant, personifying and inviting beauty as the rule, not an exception. An offering to the ancestors and the Goddess wisdom, it brings nourishment and brightness, celebration and reverence, particularly as we move from harvest to rest and from the season of light to the season of dark. The Herbal Tarot reminds us that obtaining these treasures are not without cost. Yes there is bounty, but there is also loss to consider. Rip open the fruit and let the seeds spill with abundance into a bowl, but then let the juice drip as you write your grief into it with a finger, or a feather. As allows, our herbal allows remind us that balance is about the relationship between opposites, or dualities, not a still point of perfection.
May you dance in this wonder now, and always.
The inspiring @Fropothecary shared a gorgeous pomegranate exfoliating face scrub in the spring. It started with a desire to make something out of left over fruit peels. Love that! In fact, I adore how much openness and curiosity she brings to her own herbal inquiries! A few days later those dried pomegranate peels were ground up; one TBSP was mixed with 1 tsp honey and 2.5 tsps water. You know I had to try it! Everything about it felt YUM. She gave permission for me to share it with you all, and I highly recommend you try it right after you go give her some love and see the results for yourself on instagram or at her shop fropothecary.com
Pomegranate Insights From Our Herbalists
Persephone…was abducted by Hades and then when Zeus told him he was to return her from hell Hades tricked her into eating a pomegranate, and because she ate food from the underworld she was forced to return there for the winter months and is allowed to spend spring, summer, and fall with the rest of the gods. -JS
For me pomegranate is associated with the wild woman. Like the wild woman, pomegranate is intense. It’s bright, juicy and sometimes hard to crack open. The wild woman and the pomegranate bot are messy, but the reward for getting messy is great! Neither are afraid of their shadow and both get you in touch with your own wild self. - RC
Pomegranate brings to me a feeling of luxuriating in the sensual abundance of nature. The image of lying on a blanket in the grass, pomegranate juice staining my face and my clothes and being in joy, in the sun. Pomegranate also strikes me as a beautiful offering to give to our ancestors, especially at this time of year as we move into the darkness and introspection of winter.
Pomegranate brings to mind the high mountains of Tajikistan, of the deserts of Iraq. The people there understand true luxury. Guests are often offered these delectable fruits in hues of pink or fuscia. It takes patience and skill to open and enjoy this fruit. Once you extract a chunk of ruby beads from the inner skin you crunch and suck the juices and spit out the seeds. Its an intimate offering and that process is an invitation to give thanks to the Goddess. She is truly all around us. How could persephone deny such a gift? -BS
Pomegranate reminds us to be diligent, patient and attentive with ourselves and the world around. Pomegranate exposes a ripe, beautiful abundance often inherent in taking things one step at a time, acknowledging what is right in front of us, and enjoying the bitter with the sweet. Rich in color and pungent juice, she provides strong antioxidants and balancing properties, asking us to slow down. -TWJ