I like to think of winter as the resting season. Our nights are so very long and dark, resting feels so natural. Cold weather makes me long to curl up on the couch with tea and Tolstoy. But life can’t stop completely just because it’s winter.

I may want to hibernate all through the winter, but I have children to teach, goats to milk, and a little household depending on me. So I’ve been mixing up energizing motivating tea blends this season, as well as a few little tonics to warm the long nights.

Obviously, some days need more than just tea to get me through. I’m a avid coffee drinker as well, and my bullet journal is one of my primary motivators. It’s not a pretty journal – full of sketches and trackers. My bullet journal is pretty straightforward. It’s full of lists and plans.

Into Darkness

I made this tea for an Advent retreat a friend and I hosted. We spent two days resting in the deep, anticipatory darkness of midwinter. This tea helps me support healthy boundaries, which is a wintertime essential in our one-room house.

It’s full of nettles, yarrow, rosemary, St. John’s wort, and hawthorn berries. I like to add in a few dried cranberries as well. I like to drink my “into darkness” tea on nights when Seth is away and I’m sitting up with the stove, planning for spring, and just letting myself be alone in the dark.

3 parts stinging nettle leaves (nutrient-dense, cleansing, anti-inflammatory)
2 part yarrow leaves and flowers (immune boosting, boundary supporting, aids in grieving and emotional healing)
1 part St. John’s wort (mood balancing)
1 part rosemary (circulation, memory, focus)
1 part hawthorn berries (boundary supporting, circulation)
1/2 part dried cranberries (vitamins, taste)

When I mix up a tin of this, I scoop the herbs with a shot glass, each scoop equals one part. But you could use anything as a scoop to keep the proportions.

It’s a soothing, delicious tea for the winter months, but don’t drink it if you’re pregnant. Many of the herbs can stimulate your uterus. Instead, use it to calm and sooth the winter nights, aid in balance and reflection, and avoid cabin fever.