Mother Tongue's Spell for Strength

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Mother Tongue. Terry Tempest Williams describes it as “the language a woman speaks when no one is there to correct her.” To me, the Mother Tongue encompasses the language of the body and soul. It is intuitive and grounded, holding the complexity of truth with unapologetic grace. It is the unrelenting power of the earth’s elements. It is the language that tells the story of my body, with an honesty as fierce as fire and as gentle as a stream. 

If I were to tell my story in this language, I would speak of strength. In Mother Tongue’s Spell for Strength, I lean on natural elements to cast a spell that symbolizes this act of calling strength into my own life. Swallowtails, who imbue this quality as they expand and transform from one form to another. Nasturtium, who grows with resilience and acts as protection against unwanted visitors and pests. Red raspberry, whose leaves have been used by folk herbalists and kitchen witches to aid in strengthening the uterus and easing menstrual discomfort. Orchid, who mirrors back my own endurance to grow in difficult environments. And of course, a pelvis; the seat of my most vulnerable self, the foundation my entire body depends upon.