This month, I invite you to check out some foods and herbs that warm the soul and energize the body as we thank winter for its long embrace and welcome spring with arms wide-open.  Some herbs and plant energies to look at include rosehips, turmeric, citrus, berries, cinnamon, cloves, and cacao.  We also look to all kinds of dairy from our generous livestock and abundant mamas.  These foods can highlight the seasonal energies of any dish or celebration, give clarity and joy to crafts and charms that will draw spring closer, and give power and stamina to those remedies that will strengthen immunity and resiliency in good health and balanced well-being.

​Freshen the air and awaken the energy of your space with a potpourri of cloves, cinnamon, and citrus peels.  Alternatively, you can take one or two citrus fruits – like an orange or grapefruit – and stick whole cloves into them in designs and patterns to make a clove-pomander.  This can be used in centerpieces, on decorated altars, as offerings, or strung & hung to freshen a space for a few days.  They are especially wonderful to clear the air in a sickroom or give a boost of energy to one recovering from illness or injury.   

Infuse honey with rosehips and garlic for a cough syrup and supplement during a cold.  Take a teaspoon daily as a supplement, or twice a day for sore throat & dry cough.  Add up to a tablespoon in your tea likewise as a supplement to good health.  Add Turmeric (fresh root or dried & ground powder) to stocks, soups, and rice dishes to aid circulation and to sort-of “grease up” cold-stiffened joints that are overcompensating with fluid retention and inflammation.  Indeed, as a supplement, up to a tablespoon of turmeric may be added to the honey mix above for further immune support and easing of inflammatory illness.  

​Try some mental flexibility while inhaling some aromatherapeutic orange or vanilla.  Pleasing thoughts, changing our minds about distressing situations and our stories around them, and creating the energy of movement and clarity within ourselves (hearts & minds) will open us to the inspired decisions and inspired actions that embrace opportunities and growth. 

Serve up some fruit pies or tarts made from berry preserves or frozen berries with homemade whipped cream, ice cream, crème fresh, cottage cheese, or yoghurt – if, that is, you can tolerate dairy.  Dairy dishes in many cultures are popular this time of year because one of the old-time agrarian holidays in the first week of February was called “Milking of the Ewes” – the mama sheep heralding spring with the birth of lambs and giving an abundance of milk which also helped folks making cheese, butters, creams, and all manner of baked goods which could get them through the last of winter and into spring planting season.  Seasonal fruits include citrus of all kinds and the berries leftover from autumn in some preserved fashion – blackberries, elderberries, and cranberries – which all go great with citrus.  Strawberries followed by blueberries are also coming to season in certain parts of the world and lend themselves deliciously to creams & cakes.

​And, if there is still the bite of frost in the air, some hot cocoa spiced with red chilis and/or cinnamon makes a great addition to a chilly night or a rich desert.  Plus, if it makes your soul feel good, then that will help the rest of your body’s cells feel good… and when they feel good because you feel good… THAT is good health! 

​In Numerology, February has a 2 Vibration in general.  The 2 Vibration is one of balance & harmony; of course, when it’s vibrating rather low it has the sense of opposition, conflict, and – perhaps – indecision. We tend to see 2’s in contrast rather than seeing how well the value of both pieces and both sides can be harmonized for growth and expansion.  This is the lesson of navigating the 2 Vibrations; it’s all about recognizing and being recognized within the Self and as the Self within the world.  Therefore, we can see February as the fulcrum upon which we balance & harmonize, or the tipping-point from one place to the next.  

In this month we have such holidays and celebrations as Imbolc & St. Brighid’s Feast, which celebrate the halfway point winter’s passing and spring’s approach.  Likewise, in Asia, the Lunar New Year (aka, Chinese New Year) is often in late January or early February (according to the Lunar phases) and celebrates much the same.  It is the Spring Festival, marks a new zodiac cycle, and gives thanks to the Ancestors for their contribution to posterity and for prosperity.  In the commercial world, we celebrate Valentine’s Day (or St. Valentine’s Day), which tends to be all about the care and love we feel in relationship to others – less a group vibe though, and more a one-to-one vibe.  We offer kind gestures, sweet acknowledgments, and compassionate approaches to relating with those around us.  Of course, we also give greater attention to pursuing a mate or appreciating the mate we have.  And, as spring in the animal kingdom shows, we all want to find and be with a special someone.  

​The highlights of these holidays and celebrations around the world in many cultures are 2 Vibrations.  We are working towards finding balance in our lives, relating to others and the world, prioritizing the smooth and harmonious flow of apparent opposites.  So, how do we work with the 2 Vibration generally speaking, regardless of what our Personal Vibe for the month may be?  Look to appreciation for an opposite showing you the other side.  That’s useful information.  Look to finding harmony within – allowing yourself to dance into something great or walk away from something discordant.  Look for creative problem solving and conflict resolution – it’s not about right or wrong or copping-out.  It’s about finding that place in the middle that is holding the easiest and most direct path ahead.  And, no matter what, being on the fulcrum, the center-point, allows you to ground and gain clarity because what lies ahead will surely call you into another action, more growth, more expansion, and the freshness of springtime!