Red Clover: The Triple Goddess Of The Plant Queendom
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) has revealed herself to me in many different phases of my life. When I’ve asked for a plant guide, red clover peeked her cute little blush-red blossoms through the grasses beneath my feet, her unassuming stem just nearly tall enough to make herself seen amongst her other green friends. When I’ve sat in contemplation, asking for guidance around healing aspects of my womanhood, red clover gently eased her way into my consciousness, encouraging me to take a closer look at a plant that has been a long-time companion.
THE THREE PHASES OF THE TRIPLE GODDESS
The Maiden correlates to the waxing crescent moon and is symbolic of spring time, youth, playfulness, and new beginnings. Often this correlates to menarche (the onset of menstruation) or the adolescent phase of a woman’s life, but it can signify any time that she is cycling through a new creative phase or project. It is a time when a woman is experiencing outer transformation and creative visions of the future.
The Mother represents the full moon and the summer season, as well as adulthood, fertility, giving, healing, and compassion. This symbolizes the childbearing or reproductive years of a woman’s life. Even if a woman does not become a mother, she is still developing her inner mother—her inner nurturer—and learning how to fully love herself and generously give, love, and show up for people in her life other than herself. During this time, Mothers are learning how to manifest the big dreams of the Maiden, so this phase can also represent any time that a woman is in an actively creative cycle.
The Crone signifies the waning crescent moon and autumn, wisdom, intuition, and aging. This is the phase of the Wise Woman, the honored and respected Visionary. Crones are often postmenopausal women (those who have undergone the cessation of their menstrual periods); however, the Crone stage of life can represent any time when a women is letting go of a creative cycle. It is a period of powerful inner transformation, as it necessitates surrendering to change and renewal, and using their wisdom and heightened intuitive capacities to guide and support their community of other Crones, Mothers, and Maidens.
She is pure nourishment for your body and soul—some of the sweetest medicine on Earth!
Bees love this medicine! The sweetest food on Earth is made by these hardworking little insects: clover honey. Just smell a fresh red clover blossom and you’ll sense the light, familiar fragrance of honey on its petals. Now close your eyes and imagine a summer meadow filled with red clover blossoms, the air sweetened with the light scent of its flowers. Hear the buzzing of the bees as they move from blossom to blossom. How nurturing and lovely this all feels! Just the picture of this alone is enough to raise our own spirits and fill us with a sense of peace.
Just like all plants, red clover’s medicine affects our bodies as well as our minds and spirits.
To work with red clover as a medicine, consider first developing a relationship with the plant prior to taking her internally as a tea or tincture. Befriend her in her natural environment, sit with her and watch the bees dance around her blossoms, meditate in her presence, cultivate her in your garden. When you have familiarized yourself with the plant, make a strong tea. The sweet, lightly floral herbal infusion is wonderful with a bit of honey! If you’d like to use a tincture or alcoholic extract of the plant, I recommends a dosage of 3 drops three times daily for 6 weeks to achieve optimal effects. The blossoms and seed sprouts also make beautiful additions to salads.
Remember that plants are our teachers and thus their medicine is far greater than the effects of their chemical constituents, so know that whichever ways you choose to work with red clover will allow you to incorporate her teachings and offer potential for healing.