Peace, Love, and Tea Leaves

 I love Basil. In fact, it was the first herb I ever grew! And GROW it did! My first Basil plant grew taller than me. It was so wonderful to go outside every morning and see it thrive and shoot up little by little. Because of this personal experience with the herb, I find that even to this day it is favorite herb to plant and keep in my garden. Basil is versatile in both the kitchen and the cauldron! (See what I did there). In the kitchen, basil is often added to Mediterranean and Greek dishes. It has a very green taste that is best enjoyed fresh, in my opinion, but can be used dried. I like to add it to my pasta sauce; both tomato and cream based. And have you ever had a fresh basil pesto? It is TO DIE FOR! But Basil is so much more than a garden herb you can add to your dishes.  Basil holds great Magic! You can use basil to draw prosperity into the home by hanging a bundle near your door. The scent is also very refreshing while drying in a bundle. The bright green color of t...

I found this little stone right after my first Reiki session. After my spiritual healing, I was once again called to the crystal section of the shop. Of course, I was! It's like they're singing to me lately. "Buy us, Maddie! Buy us!" Anyway, I knew immediately the stone I had in mind was going to be a cool, bluish green type stone. It's just the color/vibe that popped into my mind. I ended up purchasing two; the Rainbow Fluorite and an Amazonite, which I'll talk about in a different blog post. Rainbow Fluorite comes in a range of colors- i.e, the RAINBOW in rainbow fluorite. Blues, greens, purples, translucent, and somethings a mix of all three! This stone is known for its ability to aid in cognitive function and mental clarity. Because of this it is perfect to keep around offices, work spaces, craft rooms, and on writing desks. It's also a fantastic stone to wear when you're going into a place or situation where you want to make sure to keep your wits...

That's right! Peace, Love, and Tea Leaves is not just a blog and vlog...but also a SHOP! I started Peace, Love, and Tea Leaves (PLT) in the year 2019 when I really got into making my own herbal teas. I had been studying herbalism for a few years at that point and started making my own holistic medicinal teas for myself and my husband. I had a good friend over and we would play around with different herbs and their flavors and health properties. Every time this person came over we would make another tea to try. It got to the point where we were bringing our tea blends to local Witchy Gatherings for others to try. Soon, people were interested in BUYING our teas for their medicinal properties. And that's where the PLT started. The first tea we ever sold was the SELENE'S KISS blend, a tea to help promote relaxation and sleep. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, my partner could not be there as frequently as needed and I ended up buying out their half of the sho...

  I recently added a raw Rose Quartz to my ever-growing collection of crystals. This, of course, instantly prompted me to want to make this blog post. As you all know, I've been diving into the realm of personal Crystal Healing. I've never felt a call towards this line of work until recently and I'm very excited to learn more about it. I don't know what it is. There's just something in my gut, in my spirit, telling me its time to learn to Heal with crystals. And I'm going to High Priestess this shit and listen to my intuition. (That's a tarot reference, by the way lol) Studying up on Rose Quartz has been fun and informative. It's such a beautiful stone with it's rosy pink color- though it can sometimes be quite dark in pink. It's a feel good stone. It literally makes the person studying it or wearing it FEEL GOOD!   Rose Quartz is all about emotions, love, and the Heart Chakra.  This stone is used in healings of the heart.  I think when we think ...

I love Dragon's Blood. Really, I do. I think it's my favorite incense to burn. (I realize I say that about everything, but this is my blog! It makes sense that I'd be talking about my favorite things!) I burn it for protection. I burn it for offerings. I burn it cleanse a space. I burn it for literally EVERYTHING.  Dragon's Blood is a bright red resin obtained from a tree native to Asia and Africa. The sap of the tree is a shocking red that looks like blood pouring from a wound; hence the name, Dragon's BLOOD.  It holds medicinal properties such as being an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It's used as a dye and pigments due to its bright color. It can even be used to create natural ink for quills and pens! Have you ever heard of the phrase to "sign in blood"?  But I think Dragon's Blood is most commonly known and used for its Magical properties.  Dragon's Blood is used for protection and often added to protective charms and spells. When burne...

Lavender is easily in my list of top five favorite herbs to use in my holistic practice. And I think a lot of people use it medicinally without even realizing that's what they're doing! Lavender is a calming herb. Magically, it's used to promote peace, prosperity, and positive or "zen" vibes. It's often used to promote luck (after all, we all know the saying "Plant lavender for luck..."). I personally like to add it to my protection spells and charms to draw in only love and harmony while the protection is up. Much like it's magical uses, Lavender is most often used for its calming properties in holistic medicine. It holds anti-inflammatory properties, so it can be used to sooth irritated skin- like eczema or acne breakouts- and is often found in beauty products and body lotions. It is said to help with headaches and can often be found in essential oil blends to target migraines. Lavender can also be used to sooth away aches and pains- especially...

I have started my new year off by wearing SELENITE. This is a beautiful, translucent stone that radiates positive energy- literally. It is said to take negative vibes and transform them into positive ones. As someone who has recently had a baby, the Post Partum is REAL. So I decided to look into some crystals that could possibly help with this. Selenite was the one that stuck out the most to me and my situation. So, I guess we'll talk about the healing properties of this crystal first.  Selenite is known to calm the mind and ease negativity surrounding a place or a person. It's gentle effect makes it perfect for those struggling with negative thoughts (of course, always reach out to your doctor or a help hotline if you are having thoughts on harming yourself or others). It can aid those struggling emotionally or with anxiety. Selenite can also help with mental clarity and focus.  I struggle with Post Partum OCD. I had it with my second son and I have it now with my last baby. ...

Rosemary is easily my go to herb when it comes to holistic health- it always has been.  I was introduced to this herb for its benefits on cognitive function and brain health. There are times when I find myself struggling with the occasional brain fog. In fact, after my first pregnancy loss, the brain fog was so bad I felt...unreal, as if I had stepped into an alternate reality and was watching my body live my life without being inside it. I guess, I would describe it as almost floating above my body. It was intense and frightening to say the least. I thought I was going insane! During that time, I was looking into many tinctures and teas to help with brain function. I was so over this feeling of brain fog (which I later learned was caused by a vitamin deficiency, but we'll talk about that some other time) and was desperate for a solution. I didn't have insurance at the time so talking to a doctor was out of the question. So I decided to do my own research on herbs that help wit...