Circé + Medée

12/29/2025

If you missed our sold-out Solstice ceremony last week with Karla Jean Delaney, she will be offering a sound bath with our dear colleague Kaitlyn Comeau Registered Dietitian at her beautiful Pulse Wellness Studio in the Tiny Village. More information on the poster. Holistic Expressions will rock (err... vibrate) your socks off!

Karla is coming back to host another sound bath on January 4th!

Join us to release stress and restore inner balance 😌

Pre-registration required + spots are limited!

12/24/2025

We are about to turn off the lights for the holidays, bring the cats back into the house, and let the space rest for a moment. Circé + Medée will be closed from December 25 to January 5, inclusive.

Cassandra and I are both taking a few days off, though we will also be doing some quiet catch-up behind the scenes. The past several weeks have been unusually full, demanding, and fast moving. This pause is needed!

For clients with pending pickups or ongoing arrangements, we will reach out directly. If you have not heard from us, regular activity resumes on January 6.

To everyone who supported us throughout 2025, thank you. Your trust, your patience, and your steady presence have mattered more than you know. The business continues to grow in a grounded way, month after month, which allows us to reinvest in better tools, better systems, and better service. A few upgrades are coming in the weeks ahead, and we are excited to share them with you ASAP.

And if you happen to know a business loan fairy who enjoys supporting community spaces, finishing studios, and ambitious herbalists, feel free to send them our way.

With sincere gratitude,
Andrée Noye + Cassandra Francis

12/24/2025

Stealing from The Lumberjack's Daughter. We are open until 5pm.

12/23/2025

A quick update on custom herbal products at Circé + Medée

As of our January reopening (January 5), we’re making a small but important change to how custom and semi-custom products are handled.

First, the good news.
We already offer a wide range of ready-to-go teas and tinctures that cover most common needs. From digestion, relaxation, sleep, and emotional support, to seasonal and body-specific formulas in the Farmacy, many people will find exactly what they need on the shelf.

For tinctures, we also work from a curated set of 34 master formulas, which allows for thoughtful combinations when appropriate.

What’s changing

• Custom or semi-custom products now require 24 hours’ notice
• No made-while-you-wait formulations
• A $25 customization fee applies to any semi-custom or custom product
• A brief health disclosure and consent is required for all customization

Why the fee exists

Customization isn’t just mixing herbs. It involves:
• reviewing health information
• checking for safety and contraindications
• deciding what is appropriate within a non-clinical scope
• formulating and documenting responsibly

That time and expertise matters, and the fee allows me to do this work properly rather than rushed.

Important distinction

If you choose not to book a full herbal consultation, I’m still happy to help. In that case, customization remains general wellness support only, based on limited information. Clinical-level customization requires a consultation.

This change protects your health, my professional scope, and the integrity of the apothecary.

If you’re unsure what you need, just ask. We’ll find the right option together.

Thank you for understanding and for supporting thoughtful, ethical herbal care.

12/23/2025

✨ 2025 is officially wrapped. We’re stepping into 2026 with intention, craft, and a full winter calendar. ✨

The full January–March workshop lineup is here, and January is already moving fast.

JANUARY 2026 – Register now

🫙 Spell Jars for the Seasons | Jan 9 | $55
This one is already well attended. I still have a couple of spaces left. If you’ve been waiting, this is your nudge.

🧭 Pendulum Divination | Jan 16 | $55
Also filling steadily. Hands on, practical, and grounded. You’ll leave knowing how to actually use a pendulum, not just admire one.

🃏 Intro to Tarot | Jan 23 | $55
This one is more than half sold and honestly… touch and go.
If you really want in, contact me ASAP. Once it’s full, that’s it.

🍲 Cooking with Herbs | Jan 30 | $55 | Special Guest: Gillian Smith
This evening is going to be something special.
You’ll eat together, you’ll learn how to actually cook like an herbalist, and you’ll leave with food to take home. You’re getting far more than the $55 value, both on the plate and in your hands.
If you’ve ever wondered how to integrate herbs into real life cooking, this is the class.

FEBRUARY sneak peek

🕯 Candle Magic for Imbolc & Candlemas | Feb 6 | $55
Imbolc lands on February 1st, and this workshop leans fully into that energy. We’ll be making candles and learning a few techniques that are both practical and symbolic.

💗 Love Potions & Aphrodisiac Herbs | Feb 13 | $55
Teas. Small sweets. Herbs that support desire, connection, and vitality. Perfect for couples or very intentional self love.

🌿 Botanical Incense Crafting | Feb 20 | $55
I’ve wanted to teach this for a long time. This is the OG of aromatherapy. You’ll learn how to make real incense from plants and resins, not store bought shortcuts.

🩹 Herbal First Aid Cabinet | Feb 27 | $55
You’ll leave with three classic first aid products. The kind every herbal cabinet should have.

March is coming too, but January is where the action is right now.

👉 If a workshop is calling you, don’t wait.
Message me or register as soon as possible. Several of these will sell out.

Looking forward to another season of learning, making, and gathering together.

12/21/2025

Incense is, quite simply, the earliest form of aromatherapy we know. Long before diffusers, long before distilled perfumes or bottled essential oils, people worked with plants through fire. They burned resins, herbs, bark, and leaves, and they paid attention to what happened next. They noticed how smoke altered mood, sharpened focus, marked ritual space, soothed grief, and supported the body.

It did not take long for people to understand that if you could crush plants into a paste, you could shape them into cones or sticks, let them dry, and create something portable, intentional, and repeatable. From there, entire traditions emerged. What we now call incense was never only about scent. It was about breath, chemistry, and relationship with plants.

At Circé + Medée, I work with incense in both traditional and practical ways. I make hand formed incense cones using powdered herbs and resins, and I also work with fresh and dried plants burned gently on charcoal. Both methods rely on the same principle: heat releases plant compounds, smoke becomes the carrier, and the lungs receive them.

Incense can absolutely support spiritual and emotional practices, but it can also be used thoughtfully for physical support. Plants like mullein, for example, have long been burned to help clear heaviness from the lungs. Juniper has been used to cleanse air and sharpen mental clarity. Resins such as frankincense support steady breathing and focused attention. When used with respect and moderation, incense becomes functional, not just symbolic.

If this kind of plant work speaks to you, we will be hosting a hands on workshop focused on making incense from scratch. We will cover rolled incense, cones, and loose blends, and talk through the why behind each method, from plant selection to safe and effective use. Details will be shared shortly for those who want to deepen their relationship with this old, practical form of aromatherapy. Drop us a DM if you are interested.

12/21/2025

Tonight’s cacao ceremony and sound bowl bath unfolded in a very honest way for me.

Ceremonial cacao, especially at a full 40 g per person, is not a gentle social drink. It is medicine. It opens the heart and invites whatever has been waiting to move. For me, that meant grief. Deep, recent, unpolished grief. We have lost Ed’s father and our Bluebell within the last six months, and that kind of loss does not soften on a schedule.

I had to step away from my mat. My body has never loved flat surfaces, and my nervous system needed me upright. So I stood. I stayed present. I let the sound carry me in a different way. Even standing, the vibrations were there, steady and grounding.

Karla Jean Delaney’s talent with the bowls is immense. The way she holds rhythm, space, and restraint matters, especially when emotions are close to the surface. I felt supported throughout.

I lit juniper on charcoal to support the group and the space. Juniper clears. It holds boundaries. It helps what needs to move, move. It felt appropriate on a solstice that asked for inward work rather than performance.

The solstice does not always arrive as celebration. Sometimes it arrives as permission to slow down, to feel, and to let the dark do what it does best: teach us how to sit with what is real.

Thank you to everyone who shared the space with such respect and care.

12/20/2025

My little holiday anti-inflammatory

During the holidays, we eat more. Richer food. Sweeter food. And rarely at regular hours.

The joy is real. The body, though, can feel a bit swollen, sluggish, or overwhelmed.

This little jar is what I keep on hand this time of year. In herbalism, it is called an electuary. Powdered plants mixed with honey. Simple. Effective. Easy to take.

I use it to support digestion, calm inflammation, and help my body find its footing again between festive meals. Because the best habits are the ones that survive real life. Even with tourtière (or râpure), chocolate, and a third dessert “just to taste”.

Fire Honey – Holiday Edition

½ cup raw honey
Turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon
A pinch of cayenne if you like a bit of warmth

Mix well. Let it rest a day or two. Keep it in a small jar on the counter.

How I use it
1 to 2 teaspoons a day. Straight off the spoon or in a warm drink.

Why it works
It supports digestion. It tempers inflammation. It helps smooth out the blood sugar ups and downs that tend to sneak in during the holidays.

Nothing flashy. Nothing extreme.
Just steady support.

As with most good herbal habits, it is not dramatic.
It is coherent. And the body loves coherence.

More to read: https://www.circe-medee.ca/post/the-little-holiday-anti-inflammatory

12/20/2025

A quick note on the cacao itself, because this is where the magic actually lives.

Ceremonial grade cacao is not hot chocolate and it’s not a sugary treat pretending to be wellness. It’s whole cacao bean, minimally processed, with its natural fats and compounds intact. The effect is very different from coffee. Instead of a spike and crash, it tends to feel grounding, steady, and supportive to the nervous system.

When cacao is prepared simply with hot water, it carries depth and bitterness that balance sweetness beautifully. That’s why it pairs so well with something rich like eggnog. The cacao anchors the drink, softens the sugar, and turns it into something that feels warming and centering rather than overstimulating.

If you’re someone who wants comfort without caffeine, or festivity without feeling wired, cacao is worth getting to know. It’s subtle, but it shows up in the body in a very real way.

And yes, we do keep ceremonial grade cacao on hand at Placide’s Garage.

I wanted an eggnog latte today, but I did not want caffeine, and I did not want decaf beans. I also wanted something grounding, because it is one of those days where you still have work to do, but your nervous system would appreciate not being poked with espresso.

So I played.

Ceremonial grade cacao made with hot water, then topped with store bought eggnog, frothed like a latte. No coffee. No caffeine. No whipped cream. And yes, it was ridiculously good.

The water-made cocoa took the sugary edge off the eggnog, felt grounding rather than buzzy, and honestly gave me the kind of steady energy that lets you work a longer evening without feeling fried. Which is helpful, because we are open late tonight.

So yes, this is absolutely an option. A caffeine free mug of winter comfort that actually lets you keep going. Come by if that sounds like your kind of evening.

Photo: not mine, I think it is watermarked for credits. I swear, it looks exactly like what I made, although *my* mess didn't include stars and cinnamon, but eh, it's pretty.

12/19/2025

So this is the kind of day it's going to be... How's your day going?

12/19/2025

Guess who was in Pubnico today! That's right, our very own Kaitlyn Comeau Registered Dietitian had a good turnout for her presentation at the Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos et centre de recherche and popped in for a quick catch up afterwards. She may be one hour drive away, but only one quick message near! Bravo Kaitlyn.