A new chapter for Woodspell
Sowing stars & learning when to let go
There is a piece of artwork that I love to share during this slice of time between the solstice and the new year. It is a painting by Valera Lutfullina titled “Sowing Stars”.
It depicts some faceless deity accompanied by two huge bulls walking across the dark landscape while she quite literally sows stars. I’ve done some research to try and find out if there is some actual mythology behind this painting, but I have yet to find anything. (Let me know if you’ve heard of any similar stories!)
But when I look at this painting, I see how this ghostly goddess tosses the stars to the ground. Sightless, she has no idea how or where they will land. But her head is held high with the certainty and confidence that no matter where they root, they will grow into something that was worth planting.
Yet you can tell by the way she faces directly forward that just as soon as the stars leave her hands, she’s already let them go. They no longer belong to her, they no longer bind her, they were simply working through her. A blaze of light that was always meant to be born.
Bulls often represent solar energies, their slow procession across the painting reminding us of the sun’s gradual return. They also symbolize strength, determination and perseverance. Perhaps she can feel these natural forces at her sides, lending the faceless goddess the courage to go forth so boldly despite being blind to the path in front of her. The knowledge that this inevitable force of creation is always in motion propels her hands and feet forward.
It brings me back to this darkest time of year when we are cloaked in shadows, but we are also sensing the shiny promise of a new year. So many seeds yet to be sown. May we embody this idea that we might toss whatever seeds, stars, ideas, hopes and dreams within us out into the world without second guessing. That we might have the confidence to let them land as they will, to keep walking and planting regardless of the outcome.
Like the goddess’ stars, these ideas were never ours to begin with. We are channels for the cosmic creative spark that quietly knocks on all of our doors. If we choose to answer, good medicine is born into the world. Doesn’t this make the task of creating something less daunting? To know that we are simply channels for something larger and older than ourselves?
The new year is a time for possibilities to shimmer through the long nights. I’ve always felt most creative, most in tune with my inner self in this season. This long winded idea of sowing new stars brings me to the main reason for this newsletter.
When I started Woodspell almost five years ago, I didn’t know what it would be. I just knew that it had to be. I didn’t know what form it would take or how I would connect to people through it. But like the faceless goddess, I simply sowed those stars blindly. It took on a life of its own as I shared stories from the garden and forest. These random seeds I tossed into the ethers began to take root.
Three bitters blends became the first thing (along with the Woodswoman Salve) I offered to the world. They have remained the core of the apothecary ever since. But from the very beginnings of Woodspell, I knew in the long run what I really wanted was to create accessible tools and resources for people to connect to the natural world; to heal with it, to grow with it. I wanted to create a bridge for people to walk across and uncover the many intimate layers of plants and soil. I just didn’t know what that would look like.
Then just last year I began this crazy journey of self-publishing with the Lunica Planner. Things felt like they were falling into place. It is a project I love, that I get to grow and create each year. It felt like this was the avenue I needed to follow, the path I was searching for when Woodspell was barely just a dream.
But for new journeys to begin, other ones have to end. I continued making bitters, even as the stringent rules of the FDA attempted to strangle out all of the joy I get from crafting these blends. Though that is a whole other conversation. The point is, I’ve been struggling with letting go of the bitters for the past year or so, because I know many people love them. But with a new year hot on our heels, I’m ready to finally let them rest.
You may have noticed there hasn’t been a shop update in quite a while as I’ve been focusing on the 2024 Lunica Planner, and that is because there won’t be anymore restocks of most of my current products. The bitters left in the shop (which is just a handful of Baba Yaga Bitters at this point) will be discontinued after the last one is sold.
Thank you so much for allowing me to experiment and figure all of this out. You’ve given me so much grace as I’ve moved through the growing pains of starting a business and navigating the bumps in the road. Gratitude seems too insignificant a word.
So what does the future of Woodspell look like?
Well, as mentioned, the Lunica Planner has quickly become my core focus and inspiration. I’m so excited to continue its evolution throughout the years to come. Aside from that, I plan on exploring more self-publishing projects and writings. I love that I get to work with local printers, to craft every aesthetic detail and to not have anyone tell me what I should or should not write.
If you’re worried about the apothecary side of things going away completely, worry not! I had this idea recently to collaborate with other local growers, herbalists, crafters who are so passionate about what they do to create some signature collections for Woodspell. Plus, I will personally still be making a few of my favorite products (including the Woodswoman Salve) in small batches too.
My vision is for Woodspell to be a collaborative boutique print shop and apothecary. A place to empower the home medicine maker and grower to explore these relationships with the stars and soil.Lastly, I’ll also be offering some continued learning options here on Substack for those interested in diving deeper into plant medicine and lunar gardening. But more on that later.
I hope this change sounds as exciting to you as it does to me. Overall it won’t be too different, I just won’t be offering anymore tinctures or things the FDA would consider “dietary supplements”. They just take more time and effort to sustain than I have to give.
And if you’re in a position where you feel a bit lost, directionless even, just keep walking, keep sowing stars. It took me five years to find a path that fit best. Evan told me when I was struggling with all of the possibilities that these things can be fluid. Just because we choose to do something in the beginning, doesn’t mean we have to stick with it forever if it doesn’t fit. Toss new things into the world and see how they make you feel.
As we sit on the last few days before the new year, I wish you all the experiences you need in the year to come for that clarity. As Zora Hurston said, there are some years that ask questions and some that answer.
Both are good and useful.
Much love,
Val
If you want to move deeper into a seasonal land-based life, consider pre-ordering my 2024 edition of the Lunica Planner. Because learning to live in tune with the land doesn’t come from grand gestures or life-altering shifts, but rather from daily routines, devotions and observations of the land and how we relate to it.
This yearly planner is the love child between a farmer’s almanac and your daily lunar planner. It weaves seasonal land-based practices with modern living so that you can live more intentionally and presently within every season of your life. It was created for the plant people, the land lovers, the gardeners, and the seekers to plan their lives around the rhythms of the earth as our ancestors have for thousands of years. More than just a planner, Lunica is a practical yet spiritual guide to living, working, gardening, and celebrating in tune with the ever-shifting world around us.
Purchasing a planner also helps support this publication!
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An apothecary print shop sounds like the stuff my little hobbit dreams are made of 😍 excited for any and all magic that comes through you!!
Blessings on this next leg of the journey!