Gothic Foraging, Wildsteading, and Natural Healing

  A s Winter Solstice and Christmas draw close upon us, we look into our sick-bays, healing rooms, herbal nooks, and cupboards to see if we have the herbs of the season and dream of the warm smells and sweet delights they bring to us. Peppermint:  A favorite among the seasonal sweets, peppermint traditionally was an important herb of the winter for dealing with fevers brought by wintertide.  Equally important, it was and is still used for dealing with upset stomachs and heartburn to this day.  It is said to symbolize: Healing, Purification, and Abundance Ginger:   The beloved seasoning of my Appalachian Mountain kinfolks of SE Kentucky/Eastern Tennessee, who to this day make Mountain gingerbread handcakes like ones their ancestors made in Scotland.  Ginger is known to aid stomach upsets.  It is said to symbolize: Adventure, New Experiences, and Confidence Clove: Used in topical numbing to this day, especially for teeth, clove is still a common herb both medicinally and in cooking. I

This winter, as we approach Winter Solstice, Christmas, and so many other of the winter celebrations, and as personally many of the extended families and my own birthday creep closer in the Wolf Moon ( January ), gifts are on my mind.  As a Goth, a Rewilder, and as one who seeks to live in harmony with the shadowlands and the other than human creatures, I would like my gifts to reflect my values, while still honoring those whom I am gift-giving. As personally, I am trying to live as locally as possible, and online shopping is last on my list.  Thusly, the following is where I first look: Homemade:   Homemade gifts are personalized, made by ones own hands personally for the person one is giving the gift to.   Local Crafters/Craft Fairs:  Getting into connection with local artisans for personally made items, while both supporting others with similar values who live locally. Local Farms/Farmer's Markets:  For food gifts, often I will look at farmer's markets and contact my known w