A carniliviari semmu tutti aguali — At carnival we are all equal

Carnevale Elixir is a tonic made for and with the spirit of Carnevale in mind. As discussed by our brilliant ancestor, Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum in her book, Black Madonnas—

Carnival, for the Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin, “preexists priests and kings and its theme is freedom.” Festivals of Italy closely tied to “fertility rites” (the academic term referring to the civilization of the goddess) are new year’s day, carnival, and May 1. Although christmas, epiphany, and easter are festivals of renewal, the church imprimatur on these holidays has obscured earlier origins. The Italian festa most clearly bonded with the goddess is carnevale.

Authentic carnivals were, and still are in some places, spontaneous explosions of vernacular culture that defy the powers that be in radical satire of the dominant culture and politics.

Acting out subversive vernacular beliefs under the canopy of festival, peasants in carnevale shed subjugation to the authoritarian rule of lords and bishops and creatively expressed their desire to turn the existing world order upside down.

The continuity of all life is celebrated at carnival time in Italy with seeds, nuts, flowers, and fruit.

Carnivals, for Bakhtin, are utopian projections of how people would like to live in a community of freedom, equality, and abundance, in a society hostile to dogma of all kinds and inimical to views that close off possibilities. As dynamic as the spiral of nature, carnevale can be regarded as a feast of becoming, change, and renewal. The ultimate egalitarian festival, in authentic manifestation carnival turns everything inside out, bottom to top, front to rear, and unveils, unmasks, and uncrowns. A rite of renewal, and potentially of transformation, carnival laughter is directed not only at authority but at one’s self.

Sicilian Astragalus & Rose, Northeast US Reishi & Ginger, Hyblaean Mountain Wild Thyme Honey, and Red Valerian Flower Essence I made this November from a striking bunch of flowers growing out of Mamma Etna’s lava rocks, come together in Carnevale to fortify our life force—increase stamina, strength and vitality, reduce stress, expand our capacity for love and humanity, and lift our spirits. Tonics are preventative medicines at their core, meant to be taken regularly in small doses to have deep impact overtime. This is an elixir to keep our fires lit through the winter, to help us walk between worlds, and to see things clearly so we may resist the war on our imagination. Viva la carnevale!

Comes in a 2 oz. amber glass bottle with dropper top

Detailed info on the plants, ways to work with, and dose with order.

Ingredients (all organic / grown in house) Astragalus siculus (Sicilian Astragalus root), Ganoderma Multipileum (Reishi), Rosa Canina (Wild Rose), Zingiber officinale (Ginger), Thymus capitatus (Mediterranean Wild Thyme), Hyblaean Mountain Honey) Red Valerian Flower Essence.

Please note orders ship in 5 - 10 business days. We are a super small apothecary and appreciate your patience & support of Slow Handcrafted Medicine.

Required Disclaimer - These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.