Very interesting information that I want to add to the changes I need to make in the garden next fall. I also noticed that the pictures you select add so much to the information. You have a knack for selecting the perfect illustration. I've always loved dandelions, and it never bothered me where they show up.
I think it often helps to step back and think about what's going on out there--beyond our usual concerns about color and foliage and watering, etc. I'm grateful to Substack for making it so easy to include photos. And AI makes it easy to generate just the right one.
I love all of these plants and have grown all of them at one time or another. Dandelion will always be my herbal darling. I think of it as a Jupiter ruled plant for its literal ability to go anywhere and everywhere and thrive. Some folks hate that, I know, but knowing all of the nourishing and healing benefits of this plant all I can see is the tremendous generosity of the plant. I still believe that hating Dandelion is a learned behavior.
It's interesting to me how much the 'greediness' of Jupiter/Sag is emphasized. I've just not seen that trait in the Sagittarians I have known. It makes me wonder if it is because I am greedy so I don't see it. I've never thought that before but I will definitely be watching with an open mind and considering it in the days to come. (My natal Jupiter in Capricorn conjoins my Sun in Cap in the 12th house...shadow side of unconscious greediness? Maybe this is why even I can't see it? Interesting. Maybe I have been deluded in thinking these folks---and myself---can be generous to a fault.)
Leenie, I think of dandelions as a useful teaching tool. I think they got their "Eck! Dandelion" reputation when we started mass producing our food. All 'weedy plants' were considered bad and undesirable if they interfered with the growing and harvesting of the main crop. Not knowing of their nutritious and medicinal value, they were not only considered expendable but an easy to spot intruder. Same goes for effort to maintain the perfect green lawns not to be sullied with those bright yellow dandelions and heaven forbid their wind borne seeds. I doubt we will be able to turn this ship of wrong thinking around in my life time. Though, who knows? Maybe RFK Jr. will have us eating dandelion salads with his favorite non-seed oil dressing!!! :-)
Meantime, I will look forward to my harvest of young dandelion greens by my compost pile. I have found I like a few fresh chopped greens on my soups in place of the fatty (if tasty) things I might have otherwise have added in the past. These fresh greens toppers have become a must - for enjoying my meals.
I also profoundly appreciate the paradigm-shifting perspective of these two books: THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow and SAPIENS: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. They feel like an invitation to rethink all the assumptions and indoctrinations about our origins and evolution in a way to inspires seeing new possibilities for our "inevitable" future as a species. Very Jupiter/Sagittarian!
Bill has read both of those books. His sense of Graeber/Wengrow is that it's pretty comprehensive, maybe a bit daunting for Guerrillas. I'll get to work on SAPIENS. Have you read Harari's NEXUS? It's just out--Bill thinks that might be a good choice too. Aren't we fortunate, to have so many paradigm shifters to choose from? I think LIGHT EATERS might be a good choice for Guerillas, as well--it works on many different levels.
Graeber/Wengrow’s book is dense and comprehensive and, I agree, could be daunting. I stumbled across it on Libby at a time when I absolutely needed to find some thin sliver of Hope. It did the trick and the impression has stayed with me. But now I am ready to read more broadly in that realm. I just added Harari’s NEXUS (and HOMO DEUS and 21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY) to my queue. My husband is decidedly not a non-fiction reader unless it is a how-to book or related to craftsmanship in an area of interest, but he loved Sapiens and we still refer to it sometimes over our morning coffee and ruminations. I’ll take any excuse to reread LIGHT EATERS! I’ve never been more aware how important writers (and readers) are to the future and to navigating the present.
I would be up for Sapiens and Light Eaters. If Bill suggests Nexus, that's a go, too! :-) Sorry it has taken me a bit to get where you are going with the Guerrillas reading plan. I have re-read your initial post about it and see that I missed the two books you have listed we might begin with. It is my reading by osmosis reading! HAH! No, Sandy you cannot pick everything up on the page by simply looking at it! All of this to say, I am getting those two books to get going on them! Might I also suggest 'Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents'
by Isabel Wilkerson. I have been meaning to read it. I see it is available in most formats at Amazon and audio and eBook on Libby.
Thank you as always for the wealth of knowledge and information, Susan! Jupiter is a mere 5" from my Ascendant, just shy of my first house and I have Sagittarius on my 2nd house, and I have always been both generous and optimistic and have felt the shadow of both traits.
I intend to do a lot of reading in December, hopefully this is not too optimistic🤔 My issue is I have a hard time sitting still and for some reason I don't enjoy audiobooks very much. Maybe it feels too much like someone just talking my ear off. 🤣
I'm not an audio person either, Maria. I just don't process that way (Bill does, and I envy him!). I read ebooks (Kindles) with text-to-speechn via a headset and the reader on a book stand beside me where I can see it--while I do handwork (Xstitch, knit, etc).
It's taken a long time to understand (even a little!) and appreciate the influence of my Jupiter/Sag cluster and the other fire planets/houses. And so much still to learn, esp. about the transits.
Funny about our world turning and all. We begin to feel like everything will be repeated with time. And yet there are some singular events. Today I am celebrating the 100th birthday of my favorite Sagittarian, my Uncle Stoney! Still quite bright on the phone, he has so many of the Sagittarian traits. Has always loved to travel. Has lived in many places while always returning to his roots in Baton Rouge with his extended family. Always been very generous with his time, home and money. Over the years he stayed in touch with many of the men he served with in Europe during WWII and often met with them both state-side and over there. Wonderful memory for people! He is the last of my father's siblings. And while he has many grandchildren and nieces and nephews, he is the last of a French man and an Irish woman and their 9 children all raised in Baton Rouge. Through most of his 80's and 90's he made weekly visits to his remaining 2 sisters. Taking them shopping and for a meal and such. A quietly religious man, who did everything with his wife, prior to her passing. He honors her by 'taking care' of their children and relatives. I am so blessed to be this man's niece!
Loving everything in this Sagittarian post, Susan. So much ringing true to my experience. Taking note of your generous links and recommendations. Lots and lots to chew on here! Many thanks for it all! :-)
This is so beautiful, Sandy. I'm struck by the similarities with my husband whose ancestors are French and Scots/Irish, he being born in New Orleans. I so enjoy poring over his family history going back to at least the 1700s. We have a new grandson who will be 1 on December 5th and I am so delighting in watching and supporting him in his explorations of the big, wide world and his very apparent love of the natural world.
My, my Leenie! Fascinating about the similarities in your husband's heritage! Uncle Stoney did quite a lot of studying his family's history in his later years. In his early nineties one of his granddaughters helped him to make copies of his work to fill notebooks to be sent to various family members. I have one of those notebooks! The first part of it tells of what he discovered in France going back 3 generations. We have a rather large bit of the family tree in Louisiana. In fact, we practically fill one small town's phone book! My grandfather had several brothers which accounts for some of that population. :-)
But, I do go on! And this is such a wonderful post by Susan! I'm especially interested in the herbal references and books! Do you garden by the moon and/or sun signs? I have generally been using them to keep my tending of plants and the soil in harmony with what is best for them. Not too strictly, but paying attention to the phases of the moon and the house we are in. Seems to help with mowing and giving young plants a good start.
What a wonderful idea! You've given me a bushel and a half of much needed and timely info--especially for my squirrel population. Can't wait until you get to Scopio!
I love this series so much! I have dabbled in astrology for decades after having my natal chart completed by an astrologer when I was 18. My Sun is in Sagittarius with a Libra Moon and Libra Ascendent and like my dominant scales of balance, I am always seeking to moderate my over-indulgence and over enthusiasm. Before I read this morning, I woke with annoying sciatica pain now in its second week, and began planning my 2025 travel adventures! I have already started my 2025 garden planning, and have an ever-growing book list. Thank you for this series!
Oh, Sue, we Jupiter folk have such a hard time being realistic about what we can accomplish! But that's okay: next month, Capricorn season comes along and trims our sails. 🙄 I'm glad you're enjoying these posts. I'm not sure the project will amount to a book, but we'll see. There's a lot of interesting material ahead of us.
I'm adding ALL of these books to my TBR list, starting with Serviceberry, which I will begin today as soon as I finish HISTORY OF THE RAIN by Niall Williams. For fiction, I am rereading Charles Dickens' GREAT EXPECTATIONS, which I do many years around this time. Even the title strikes me as rather Sagittarian. I read it for the first time when I was in the 6th grade over the winter break and it gave me such a cozy, hopeful feeling that I love revisiting that.
Today I am headed to the garden to dig more Elecampane and Horseradish roots for Lung Tonic syrup for friends and family. It's a beautiful, sunny, slightly chilly day and my heart feels hopeful so I know that time in Nature will help me stay connected to that. I will finish reading about the Sagittarius Season herbs and the Workbook when I come back inside. I look forward to these newsletters all month. Thank you! 💚🌿🌎
If you can get Catton's book from the library, it would be good to read that one first (well, after Kimmerer). It was the first and most important book and most ecologists begin where he left off. It was a dark book when it was published (1982), even darker now, I'm afraid. I'm so glad you have your herbal practice to sustain you, Leenie! And yes, Dickens too--although that title has an ironic ring to it, don't you think? Pip hitches his wagon to the wrong star.
I listened to Serviceberry yesterday and almost restarted it the moment it ended. Interestingly, the photo I am using for the back of my herbal mystery book is of me teaching a field-to-table wild foods class and I am pointing at the berries on a Serviceberry tree, whose abundance we all enjoyed that day. Such a generous tree! I will stop in at our local library today to see how many other books in this list are available there.
You're right about Pip and the irony of the title. On this read-through I am thinking deeply about the Fool's journey. I think we all hitch our wagons to the wrong star at some point in our lives.
And yes, the herbs are my anchor and my sails, my heart's home and my balm. When 'the world is too much with me' I turn to them and always they remind me of the spark of Hope that lies within and can never be extinguished. 🌿💚
Very interesting information that I want to add to the changes I need to make in the garden next fall. I also noticed that the pictures you select add so much to the information. You have a knack for selecting the perfect illustration. I've always loved dandelions, and it never bothered me where they show up.
I think it often helps to step back and think about what's going on out there--beyond our usual concerns about color and foliage and watering, etc. I'm grateful to Substack for making it so easy to include photos. And AI makes it easy to generate just the right one.
I love all of these plants and have grown all of them at one time or another. Dandelion will always be my herbal darling. I think of it as a Jupiter ruled plant for its literal ability to go anywhere and everywhere and thrive. Some folks hate that, I know, but knowing all of the nourishing and healing benefits of this plant all I can see is the tremendous generosity of the plant. I still believe that hating Dandelion is a learned behavior.
It's interesting to me how much the 'greediness' of Jupiter/Sag is emphasized. I've just not seen that trait in the Sagittarians I have known. It makes me wonder if it is because I am greedy so I don't see it. I've never thought that before but I will definitely be watching with an open mind and considering it in the days to come. (My natal Jupiter in Capricorn conjoins my Sun in Cap in the 12th house...shadow side of unconscious greediness? Maybe this is why even I can't see it? Interesting. Maybe I have been deluded in thinking these folks---and myself---can be generous to a fault.)
Leenie, I think of dandelions as a useful teaching tool. I think they got their "Eck! Dandelion" reputation when we started mass producing our food. All 'weedy plants' were considered bad and undesirable if they interfered with the growing and harvesting of the main crop. Not knowing of their nutritious and medicinal value, they were not only considered expendable but an easy to spot intruder. Same goes for effort to maintain the perfect green lawns not to be sullied with those bright yellow dandelions and heaven forbid their wind borne seeds. I doubt we will be able to turn this ship of wrong thinking around in my life time. Though, who knows? Maybe RFK Jr. will have us eating dandelion salads with his favorite non-seed oil dressing!!! :-)
Meantime, I will look forward to my harvest of young dandelion greens by my compost pile. I have found I like a few fresh chopped greens on my soups in place of the fatty (if tasty) things I might have otherwise have added in the past. These fresh greens toppers have become a must - for enjoying my meals.
I also profoundly appreciate the paradigm-shifting perspective of these two books: THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow and SAPIENS: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. They feel like an invitation to rethink all the assumptions and indoctrinations about our origins and evolution in a way to inspires seeing new possibilities for our "inevitable" future as a species. Very Jupiter/Sagittarian!
Bill has read both of those books. His sense of Graeber/Wengrow is that it's pretty comprehensive, maybe a bit daunting for Guerrillas. I'll get to work on SAPIENS. Have you read Harari's NEXUS? It's just out--Bill thinks that might be a good choice too. Aren't we fortunate, to have so many paradigm shifters to choose from? I think LIGHT EATERS might be a good choice for Guerillas, as well--it works on many different levels.
Graeber/Wengrow’s book is dense and comprehensive and, I agree, could be daunting. I stumbled across it on Libby at a time when I absolutely needed to find some thin sliver of Hope. It did the trick and the impression has stayed with me. But now I am ready to read more broadly in that realm. I just added Harari’s NEXUS (and HOMO DEUS and 21 LESSONS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY) to my queue. My husband is decidedly not a non-fiction reader unless it is a how-to book or related to craftsmanship in an area of interest, but he loved Sapiens and we still refer to it sometimes over our morning coffee and ruminations. I’ll take any excuse to reread LIGHT EATERS! I’ve never been more aware how important writers (and readers) are to the future and to navigating the present.
I would be up for Sapiens and Light Eaters. If Bill suggests Nexus, that's a go, too! :-) Sorry it has taken me a bit to get where you are going with the Guerrillas reading plan. I have re-read your initial post about it and see that I missed the two books you have listed we might begin with. It is my reading by osmosis reading! HAH! No, Sandy you cannot pick everything up on the page by simply looking at it! All of this to say, I am getting those two books to get going on them! Might I also suggest 'Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents'
by Isabel Wilkerson. I have been meaning to read it. I see it is available in most formats at Amazon and audio and eBook on Libby.
Thank you as always for the wealth of knowledge and information, Susan! Jupiter is a mere 5" from my Ascendant, just shy of my first house and I have Sagittarius on my 2nd house, and I have always been both generous and optimistic and have felt the shadow of both traits.
I intend to do a lot of reading in December, hopefully this is not too optimistic🤔 My issue is I have a hard time sitting still and for some reason I don't enjoy audiobooks very much. Maybe it feels too much like someone just talking my ear off. 🤣
I'm not an audio person either, Maria. I just don't process that way (Bill does, and I envy him!). I read ebooks (Kindles) with text-to-speechn via a headset and the reader on a book stand beside me where I can see it--while I do handwork (Xstitch, knit, etc).
It's taken a long time to understand (even a little!) and appreciate the influence of my Jupiter/Sag cluster and the other fire planets/houses. And so much still to learn, esp. about the transits.
Funny about our world turning and all. We begin to feel like everything will be repeated with time. And yet there are some singular events. Today I am celebrating the 100th birthday of my favorite Sagittarian, my Uncle Stoney! Still quite bright on the phone, he has so many of the Sagittarian traits. Has always loved to travel. Has lived in many places while always returning to his roots in Baton Rouge with his extended family. Always been very generous with his time, home and money. Over the years he stayed in touch with many of the men he served with in Europe during WWII and often met with them both state-side and over there. Wonderful memory for people! He is the last of my father's siblings. And while he has many grandchildren and nieces and nephews, he is the last of a French man and an Irish woman and their 9 children all raised in Baton Rouge. Through most of his 80's and 90's he made weekly visits to his remaining 2 sisters. Taking them shopping and for a meal and such. A quietly religious man, who did everything with his wife, prior to her passing. He honors her by 'taking care' of their children and relatives. I am so blessed to be this man's niece!
Loving everything in this Sagittarian post, Susan. So much ringing true to my experience. Taking note of your generous links and recommendations. Lots and lots to chew on here! Many thanks for it all! :-)
What a lovely story, Sandy--makes me smile. Jupiter/Sagittarius at its best. You are indeed blessed to have this deep connection with him.
This is so beautiful, Sandy. I'm struck by the similarities with my husband whose ancestors are French and Scots/Irish, he being born in New Orleans. I so enjoy poring over his family history going back to at least the 1700s. We have a new grandson who will be 1 on December 5th and I am so delighting in watching and supporting him in his explorations of the big, wide world and his very apparent love of the natural world.
My, my Leenie! Fascinating about the similarities in your husband's heritage! Uncle Stoney did quite a lot of studying his family's history in his later years. In his early nineties one of his granddaughters helped him to make copies of his work to fill notebooks to be sent to various family members. I have one of those notebooks! The first part of it tells of what he discovered in France going back 3 generations. We have a rather large bit of the family tree in Louisiana. In fact, we practically fill one small town's phone book! My grandfather had several brothers which accounts for some of that population. :-)
But, I do go on! And this is such a wonderful post by Susan! I'm especially interested in the herbal references and books! Do you garden by the moon and/or sun signs? I have generally been using them to keep my tending of plants and the soil in harmony with what is best for them. Not too strictly, but paying attention to the phases of the moon and the house we are in. Seems to help with mowing and giving young plants a good start.
What a wonderful idea! You've given me a bushel and a half of much needed and timely info--especially for my squirrel population. Can't wait until you get to Scopio!
Oh, those squirrels. They don't bother my daffs (they don't like them, apparently), but they constantly raid the bird feeders. For Scorpio, look here: https://susanwittigalbert.substack.com/s/growing-green
I love this series so much! I have dabbled in astrology for decades after having my natal chart completed by an astrologer when I was 18. My Sun is in Sagittarius with a Libra Moon and Libra Ascendent and like my dominant scales of balance, I am always seeking to moderate my over-indulgence and over enthusiasm. Before I read this morning, I woke with annoying sciatica pain now in its second week, and began planning my 2025 travel adventures! I have already started my 2025 garden planning, and have an ever-growing book list. Thank you for this series!
Oh, Sue, we Jupiter folk have such a hard time being realistic about what we can accomplish! But that's okay: next month, Capricorn season comes along and trims our sails. 🙄 I'm glad you're enjoying these posts. I'm not sure the project will amount to a book, but we'll see. There's a lot of interesting material ahead of us.
I'm adding ALL of these books to my TBR list, starting with Serviceberry, which I will begin today as soon as I finish HISTORY OF THE RAIN by Niall Williams. For fiction, I am rereading Charles Dickens' GREAT EXPECTATIONS, which I do many years around this time. Even the title strikes me as rather Sagittarian. I read it for the first time when I was in the 6th grade over the winter break and it gave me such a cozy, hopeful feeling that I love revisiting that.
Today I am headed to the garden to dig more Elecampane and Horseradish roots for Lung Tonic syrup for friends and family. It's a beautiful, sunny, slightly chilly day and my heart feels hopeful so I know that time in Nature will help me stay connected to that. I will finish reading about the Sagittarius Season herbs and the Workbook when I come back inside. I look forward to these newsletters all month. Thank you! 💚🌿🌎
If you can get Catton's book from the library, it would be good to read that one first (well, after Kimmerer). It was the first and most important book and most ecologists begin where he left off. It was a dark book when it was published (1982), even darker now, I'm afraid. I'm so glad you have your herbal practice to sustain you, Leenie! And yes, Dickens too--although that title has an ironic ring to it, don't you think? Pip hitches his wagon to the wrong star.
I listened to Serviceberry yesterday and almost restarted it the moment it ended. Interestingly, the photo I am using for the back of my herbal mystery book is of me teaching a field-to-table wild foods class and I am pointing at the berries on a Serviceberry tree, whose abundance we all enjoyed that day. Such a generous tree! I will stop in at our local library today to see how many other books in this list are available there.
You're right about Pip and the irony of the title. On this read-through I am thinking deeply about the Fool's journey. I think we all hitch our wagons to the wrong star at some point in our lives.
And yes, the herbs are my anchor and my sails, my heart's home and my balm. When 'the world is too much with me' I turn to them and always they remind me of the spark of Hope that lies within and can never be extinguished. 🌿💚
Always such fascinating and interesting posts! Thank you, Susan.