Oat Medicine + Ancestor Connection
Photo: My brother Matt helping with the oat harvest.
In many parts of the world, autumn is a special time for honoring our ancestors. Halloween brings pumpkins to mind—but they’re native to the Americas, and my ancestors are not.
I’ll always have pumpkins close by in October. They help me feel rooted in the seasons where I live, and they’re darling. (More on pumpkin medicine below!)
But to help me feel closer to my ancestors who lived in Europe, I weave grains like oats into Halloween/Samhain (Celtic Festival) activities, decorations, and rituals.
For common people throughout Europe, grains have been pivotal to making it through the winter. Many rituals and celebrations formed around grain harvests, and grains are incorporated into communities’ holiest days.
Photo: Freshly harvested barley (left) and oats (right). My husband grew the barley for brewing. The oats were a cover crop in our garden, and I’ll use these tops for bouquets.
In Polish Customs, Traditions, and Folklore, Sophie Hodorowitz Knab writes:
The last stalks of grain to be harvested were critically important and filled with many customs…Sometimes the last ears or sheaves were made into the shape of a person and called baba (old woman), or pszenna baba (wheat woman), or dziad (old man). The reapers would tie the bundle into the shape of a person, dressing it in a blouse, skirt, and scarf. In some regions, the baba was made especially heavy…[as] a charm to ensure a large or heavy crop during the following harvest (149).
Photo: Kristin (right) has also used oats to connect with community! For years, she teamed up with Singer Farm Naturals to host a free milky oats harvest. I (Sarah) am pictured at left.
In Living Ancestry, Kristin Grohman shares that she turns to oats to feel connected to her ancestors:
When your grandmother/parent was pregnant with your mother/parent, the egg that would form you was already nestled within. Three generations in one body.
The way the oat seed is held by the chaff is a reminder of our connection to generations before.
As an herbalist, I have many other reasons to love oats:
Before the grain matures, milky oats (green seed pods) serve as a gentle, nourishing tonic for the nervous system. It comes to mind for folks who feel frazzled or “wired and tired.” It’s time to harvest when the green seedheads exude a milky white substance when squeezed. A tincture made with fresh milky oats may be more effective than drying it.
While you’re collecting milky oats, harvest the oat straw (stalk), too! These tough stems are mineral-rich and mild in flavor. I dry them to add to tea blends.
Of course, oatmeal (made from mature seeds) is a gem. It’s rich in mucilage, which can soothe inflamed digestive tissue and nourish gut flora.
Bundle of oats ready for bouquet making.
Plus, oats are easy to grow and the whole plant is gluten-free!
Did I mention that oats are beautiful? They add interest to fresh or dried flower bouquets, and they look dashing on an ancestor altar, too.
Wishing you a sense of connection with the ancestors this season.
