Episode Details

Some plants nourish us. Others seem to invite us into a mystery.

Mugwort has long captured the imagination of herbalists and spiritual seekers, gathering stories of dreams, protection, intuition, and the unseen. But behind its mystical reputation is a living plant with a distinctive character and a history that reaches beyond the dream pillow.

In this episode of Rooted & Wild, I’m joined once again by Kari Balderston, herbalist, intuitive healer, and founder of ApotheKari Healing Arts, to explore mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris, and its place at the meeting point of practical herbalism and spiritual tradition.

Together, we follow the threads connecting this aromatic herb with the body, the dreaming mind, and the human search for guidance. Our conversation makes room for traditional uses, personal experience, and the folklore surrounding a plant often associated with crossing thresholds.

What does it mean to develop a relationship with an herb? How do we approach stories of dreamwork and heightened intuition with curiosity and discernment? And what can mugwort teach us about paying attention to experiences we might otherwise overlook?

From its place in the Old English Nine Herbs Charm to its continuing presence in contemporary herbal and spiritual practice, mugwort offers a fascinating way to explore how plants become woven into our understanding of healing, protection, and possibility.

In this episode, we explore:

• Meeting mugwort: Its botanical identity, aromatic qualities, and distinctive place in the herbalist’s toolkit
• Traditional herbal practice: The importance of understanding the plant, its preparation, and its appropriate use
• The Nine Herbs Charm: Mugwort’s place in a historical healing text where plants, sacred language, and protection meet
• Dreams and intuition: The experiences and traditions that connect mugwort with the inner world
• Protection and thresholds: Why this herb has become associated with boundaries and movement between states of awareness
• Building a relationship with plants: Bringing observation, respect, and personal discernment into the practice

About Kari Balderston

Kari Balderston is the founder of ApotheKari Healing Arts, where she brings together herbal remedies, energy healing, and intuitive guidance to help people reconnect with themselves and experience greater clarity, peace, and ease.

Her work includes Reiki, ThetaHealing®, channeling, ancestral and past-life healing, and oracle card readings. Alongside her sessions, she creates handcrafted herbal remedies, combining her love of plants with care, intention, and practical support for everyday wellness.

Kari is a Usui Reiki Master, an Angel Alchemy Academy Angel Alchemist, and a certified ThetaHealing practitioner with training in Basic DNA, Advanced DNA, Dig Deeper, and RHYTHM to a Perfect Weight. Her herbal education includes completing Rosemary Gladstar’s The Science and Art of Herbalism, alongside studies in Herbs for the Otherworld and Intuitive Plant Medicine.

Warm, lighthearted, and approachable, Kari welcomes both experienced seekers and those just beginning to explore herbalism and spiritual practice.

Connect with Kari

ApotheKari Healing Arts:
www.apothekarihealingarts.com

This conversation is for education and exploration. Mugwort isn’t appropriate for everyone, particularly during pregnancy; seek qualified guidance before using it.

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