I fell in love with “Rosita” this year.
She first called to me in early summer, when her blossoms were still in tight buds. The subtle courtship began with rose essential oil, rose water spray, rose lip balm & a slight obsession with Mary Magdalene mythology. As she opened her petals, I opened my heart & turned my attention toward her. She became a centerpiece of my altars & my growing apothecary. I learned how to harvest her midsummer blooms & dry them for later use – noticing the ones I found way up high were much more vibrant than ones closer to town. I also learned it’s best to go slow to fully appreciate her beauty & avoid getting pricked by thorns. I waited until autumn to collect her juicy hips, giving one batch back to the earth because they were mysteriously infested – a humbling spiritual lesson. I embraced her song & sung it softly when harvesting in the mountains. I even planted a petite rose bush in my own garden because I wanted her close. As winter darkness settles in, I am relying on her medicine more & more to keep my heart light, open & pure.
Rose has many actions/properties, including but not limited to alterative, astringent, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, carminative, emmenagogue, gentle laxative, refrigerant, and nervine. She works to soothe anxiety, depression, digestion, inflammation in skin & eyes, heart issues (physical & spiritual), hemorrhages, menstruation, and sore throats.
In herbal astrology she is associated with Venus — goddess of love, sex, beauty & fertility. This lends to rosa’s feminine qualities of beauty, harmony, attraction, love, reproduction, sweetness, and compassion. She is a most gentle ally, who brings balance & calm.
As an essential oil she vibrates the highest of them all. Because of this & the massive amount of petals it takes to distill her essence, she does not come cheap. Nor should she! For she is of the divine, so full of love & purity. She restores our hearts to wholeness & opens them up like blossoms in full bloom after they close from heartbreak, grief, or losing our center. I apply her regularly between & on my breasts, neck & face and remember to feel her abundant beauty underneath the softness of my own touch.
She is a powerful medicine on her own, but pairs well as such a loving plant would.
Mix her with shatavari, schisandra, hibiscus, cacao, or honey.
Here are a few more of my favorite ways to enjoy her:
Venus Moon Mylk
– 1 tbsp rose powder
– 1 tsp schisandra rose elixir
– 1 tsp shatavari
– 1 tsp mangosteen hibiscus powder
– 1 tsp maca powder
– 1 tbsp rose infused honey (see recipe below)
– 3 strawberries (if in season)
– 12 oz plain moon mylk
Blend all ingredients together & enjoy over ice or at room temp.
This is a such delicately delicious drink that has me instantly feel beauty & love radiate from my spiritual center.
LOVE to make this a warm nightime tonic + Cacao
Wild Rose Honey
- wild rose petals
– raw, local honey
Simply place clean petals in jar & cover with honey. Stir to remove air bubbles. Seal & let sit a few days before using in teas or sweets. The petals will preserve in the honey so you can keep them in if you like.
Love Potion
– Euphoria Elixir
– sparkling mineral water
– pinch rose petal powder
– pinch rose hip powder (see how to make below in “vitamin c tonic”)
– candied rose petal garnish
Pour intuitive amount of elixir into a flute & sprinkle in the rose/rose hip powders. Swirl. Fill glass with sparkling water & top with rose petals.
This is a gorgeous & simple sparkling treat, especially if you are sober/cutting down on alcohol but want a fancy bubbly bevy.
Enjoy with a loved one to amplify attraction & loving connection.
Vitamin C Tonic
– warm water
– 1/2 lemon, juiced
– rose hip powder
– schisandra powder
To make rose hip powder – finely grind dried berries in a coffee/spice grinder. Sift through a fine mesh sieve. Use this tart powder in tonics, teas, smoothies, or healthy baking.
Can save the unsifted powder & seeds to infuse two weeks in oil for a lovely facial moisturizer.
Mix all ingredients together well & sip slowly.
Enjoy first thing in the morning or whenever you need a little immune boost.
Luxurious Self Love Ritual Bath
– rose petals
– rose hips
– rose water
– rose powder
– rose essential oil
– rose quartz
– rose & cedar smudge bundle
– red clay
– rose tulsi tea or Venus Moon Mylk
– rose or floral scented candles
Fill bathtub with water of desired temperature. Light candles. Smudge yourself & the space by lighting bundle & fanning smoke with hand or a feather. Place crystals, petals & rose hips in tub.
Meanwhile, make a facial mask by mixing red clay, rose powder & rose water and apply to clean face.
Apply rose essential oil to your heart center & massage in clockwise motion. Can indulge in a full body oil massage too, if time allows.
When ready, submerge entire body into the water & rest here as long as possible.
Bring focus to your heart & notice how the sensations shift.
Repeat silently or out loud “I AM LOVE”.
Sip on rose tulsi tea or Venus Moon Mylk to feel rose work her magic inside & out.
For more on “The Magic of Ritual Baths” click here!
“ As a young person, I spoke to him with a heavy heart, lamenting that I had no native language with which to speak to the plants and the places that I love. ‘They love to hear the old language,’ he said, ‘it’s true.’ ‘But,’ he said, with fingers on his lips, ‘you don’t have to speak it here. If you speak it here,’ he said, patting his chest, ‘they will hear you.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer
“Braiding Sweetgrass”
Sources include:
Anima Mundi Apothecary
The Yoga of Herbs by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad
Emotions & Essential Oils by enlightened healing
Wild Altar 