Approaching the Long Night • Solstice, Stillness, and the New Cycle Ahead
Asheville Herbals • Seasonal Update
With the final Gladheart Farm Market of the year behind us, I want to offer a sincere thank-you for another rich season of community, conversation, and plant wisdom. The weekly rhythm of the market becomes its own kind of ceremony—one that will return in March, when the ground begins to soften and the first green things reappear.
Until then, Asheville Herbals shifts into winter mode: slower, quieter, and more deliberate. This is not a dormant season—it’s a formative one.
And this year, the timing carries particular weight.
🌑 Winter Solstice Arrives in About a Week and a Half
We are moving toward the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year and one of humanity’s oldest ritual markers. Across Indigenous, agrarian, and ancestral traditions, solstice was never treated as an endpoint, but as a cosmic still point—the moment when the wheel stops turning just long enough to reset itself.
At solstice:
the sun reaches its furthest descent
the land enters its deepest rest
outward motion pauses
and the seed of returning light is planted in darkness
This is a time for tending the inner fire rather than projecting energy outward. Dreams deepen. The nervous system asks for gentleness. The body remembers that rest is not the opposite of productivity—it’s the foundation of it.
Solstice is especially well suited for:
dream incubation and inner listening
nervous system restoration
immune fortification for the long winter stretch
reflecting on what the past year actually taught you
quietly clarifying what wants to emerge next
🌀 A New 260-Day Tzolk’in Cycle Has Just Begun
Layered directly on top of the solstice is another major threshold: the beginning of a new Tzolk’in cycle, the 260-day sacred calendar used throughout Mesoamerica to track spiritual, agricultural, and psychological development.
When the Tzolk’in resets, the entire sequence of 20 day signs moving through 13 tones begins again. The first days of the cycle are considered embryonic—they imprint the energetic pattern that will unfold over the next nine months.
That this reset occurs so close to the Winter Solstice is significant.
Two different systems—one astronomical, one calendrical—are signaling the same message:
Something new is beginning, but it begins quietly, in the dark, before it is visible.
This is not a time to force decisions or rush clarity. It’s a time to notice subtle movements: dreams, intuitions, bodily signals, and the quiet sense of direction that often gets drowned out during busier seasons.
🌿 Winter Restock & New Tinctures — Coming Online Soon
Winter is extraction season. While the green world rests, roots, seeds, resins, and stored plant material offer their deepest chemistry. Behind the scenes at Asheville Herbals, tinctures are being filtered, refined, and prepared for release.
New Single-Herb Tinctures (Releasing Soon)
These allies are being prepared specifically for the nervous system, immune tone, and the introspective demands of the dark season:
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
A classic ally for dreamwork, liminal states, and deepening intuition. Traditionally used for visioning, menstrual support, and navigating the boundary between waking and sleep.Milky Oats (Avena sativa, fresh tops)
One of the most reliable long-term nervous system restoratives—slow, nourishing, and ideal for burnout, depletion, and chronic stress.Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Mineral-rich and deeply supportive for immune health, inflammation, and overall vitality, especially during seasonal transitions.
Each tincture is crafted in small batches with attention to harvest timing, extraction ratios, and real-world use.
🌲 Returning Favorites & Seasonal Medicines
Several long-requested medicines are either available now or moving through their final preparation stages:
Natural cold tonic — Available Now
A fresh winter batch designed for early intervention and acute seasonal support.Amanita muscaria — Returning Soon (previous batch still in stock in very limited ammount)
Carefully prepared, intentionally dosed, and offered with clear educational context.Sassafras — Later Release
Harvested sparingly and released only when timing and stock allow.
🍎 Fall / Winter Tonic — Available Now
A warming, circulatory, and immune-supportive seasonal formulation made for the dark half of the year:
Goldenrod • Horseradish • Rose Hips • Sage • Local Honey • Apple Cider Vinegar
This tonic supports:
sinus and respiratory health
immune resilience
circulation and lymphatic movement
recovery and seasonal recalibration
Prepared with local honey and raw apple cider vinegar to preserve enzymatic activity and bioavailability.
❄️ Winter Vending & Availability
Gladheart Farm Market will return in March, but Asheville Herbals may appear at occasional winter pop-ups, indoor markets, or community events as opportunities arise. These will be announced through Instagram, Facebook, and the Plant Wisdom Newsletter.
Because winter production is slower and more intentional:
quantities are limited
some items sell out quickly
restocks are announced as soon as they’re ready
This is also an ideal season for custom blends, deeper consultations, and building a winter medicine cabinet that can carry you through until spring.
🔥 Working With the Solstice Window
The pairing of Winter Solstice and a new Tzolk’in cycle makes this an unusually potent inner-world threshold. Practices that harmonize well with this time include:
plant-assisted dreamwork (Mugwort, Blue Lotus, Calea)
immune and lung support (Reishi, Propolis, seasonal tonics)
nervous system nourishment (Milky Oats, Tulsi, California Poppy)
journaling through the first 13 days of the Tzolk’in to track emerging themes
gentle clearing of accumulated emotional residue before the year turns
This is a season for listening more than pushing.
🌱 Until the Light Begins Its Long Return
Thank you for supporting small-batch herbal medicine made with care, precision, and respect for the living intelligence of plants. More updates—new tinctures, winter availability, and upcoming events—will follow soon as the cycle continues to unfold.
— Joseph
Asheville Herbals