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Walk in the Woods Wellness Blog
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Now & ThenYesterday a was day of sacred gifts.I am honored by the challenges that come my way. They are sometimes frustrating, mysterious, even frightening. They are more often playful teasers that I recognize and acknowledge as opportunities for growth and renewal. Yesterday I revisited the "simple" (so I am told) method of cream-making. I had tried this blending of oils & water years ago and just ended up with mess after mess. These were usable messes, mind you, but messes none-the-less! So, for years I have stuck to salves, simple (truly!) oil blends that pose little challenges to she who creates them. And yet, yesterday it seems the moon was in the right phase and the stars and planets were aligned in such a way that my being allowed oil to mix with water, producing my first-ever respectable cream! I am delighted. It is not perfect (what is really?), but quite respectable. What perplexes me is that it is the same recipe and method I had tried in the past - straight out of Rosemary Gladstar's book on Natural Beauty. Why did it work for me now and not then? Yesterday I received two sacred gifts, this cream being the least of the two (or so it seems), yet the two gifts are connected in some way. These are the kinds of synergies in life that give birth to the mysteries that - well - keep us going, questioning, exploring learning, sharing, creating! Pay attention to the gifts in your life. Why now and not then? Why, indeed. Posted on: 2005-01-12 09:04:52. Comments
Reiki BlessingsJust for today . . .No worry. No anger. Gratitude for life's work. Kindness to all living things. Posted on: 2005-01-11 20:18:17. Comments
Infusion PlayToday was for water-based herbal extractions. I suppose, as the sun came out and began to warm up the ice and snow, the melting and fluid energies of the day itself simply fed this activity.I made a simple infusion of Linden flower and leaf to kick things off, just to start with something familiar. It is smooth, slick, and gentle and refined. It is mucilaginous and therefor soothing to skin and tissue. It is calming to the nervous system and nourishing to the immune system. According to Susun Weed, it benefits T4 thyroid function. I simply like the feel and flavor of this herb - all on it's own - steeped for 20-minutes (when impatient) or overnight when grounded enough to plan ahead. I also blended a "tea" for a client - their blend. Of course I blended extra so I could taste a bit. I think I'll save that for the morrow. Posted on: 2005-01-10 15:43:42. Comments
Spirit of the DayToday is another day to stay tucked indoors, where it is warm, dry and safe. Outdoors, everything is ice. Even the snow that fell yesterday is now covered in a thick icy coat.My spouse made a decadent second pot of coffee, a special late-morning treat! I was compelled by the aroma to partake, not that the aroma had to twist any reaching arms into submission. Now, I normally take my coffee black. Yet, since this was a day for decadence, I figured a splash of bourbon and a bit of cream and sugar would complement the excessive energies that had taken root. I reached for the bourbon. Instead, I lifted my own herbal "Digestive Liqueur" from the cabinet. It is bottled in a lovely recycled bourbon bottle, so it was an "honest" mistake. I noticed this and almost returned the bottle to its place in the cabinet, yet a little voice said, "go for it." I trusted the voice and I am glad that I did. Wow! Yummy! This is a lovely after dinner liqueur that I made two seasons ago. I like to sip it from little cordial glasses after a meal of over-indulgence (which, thankfully, is not often). As it has aged, the warming and bitter flavors of the herbs have mellowed and smoothed out. It just keeps getting better as it hides in the cabinet. What is it? It is a combination of dandelion root, orange peel, cardamon pods, ginger root macerated in brandy and enhanced with sugar. Strained and bottled and allowed to age. You might like to experiment with these herbal (an other) combinations. I invite you play a bit with making your own liqueurs and cordials. Remember, be patient - flavors actually improve as the bottle sits. To the “spirit” of the day! And thanks to my CHA eGroup friends for being part of the inspiration for today's blog. Visit CHA's eGroup at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CHA/ Posted on: 2005-01-08 15:22:28. Comments
Snowy ReflectionsThe snow falls and reminds me to wrap myself in a blanket of white that reflects all within, all without. So it shall be a day of self care and honor.Clients are offered the option to reschedule so they may stay put and be safe - and care for themselves. I smudge my home, my healing space and my self. I sit in quiet meditation. I lie quietly to receive healing from the guides, angels and fairies. . . I practice healing, on myself and for others. I create wholesome nourishment for the spirit, the mind, the will, the heart . . . the body. I reflect the light that flows through my being into all that am, all that I do, all that I create. I invite you to make time (even a moment) to nourish the vessel that you are and acknowledge the light so it may reflect your true nature to all. . . Posted on: 2005-01-06 09:50:24. Comments
Stellaria species - ChickweedThe snow is falling today and once again covering the low-growing chickweed that only yesterday I easily harvested to add to my lunchtime soup. I looked for stellaria in my personal materia medica and found that this humble little herb was missing. I had no notes on this common herb that I use primarily a as food and often to make infused oils that, in turn, become soothing, healing salves.I know family herbalists that swear by the healing qualities of this common "weed" for treating all sorts of skin conditions - and rightfully so, for such healing energies have been well documented for ages. You find grand mention of stellaria in the Western works of Gerard and Culpepper. So, in honor of this humble little "garden weed" I must make time today to give it its proper place in my ever-growing materia medica. Green blessings. Posted on: 2005-01-05 12:09:25. Comments
A Gift of ChickweedThe past couple of days have been spring-like. This won’t last. After all, it is January in New England and winter’s worst still lies ahead. But today’s mildness lured me around my little acre to poke around to be reminded of what had been hiding under the snow, which is now all gone.And there it was - lovely stellaria, better known as chickweed - green and vibrant, and plenty of it. I harvested a small amount of those little green leaves and stems and brought them to the kitchen where I boiled up some filtered water, slowed it to a simmer, added the chopped chickweed, some homemade kishk, and a pinch of sea salt. Yum! What a lovely green and nutritious gift to have in Januray. Easy, too! And I didn’t even have to dig in the snow to find it. Posted on: 2005-01-04 19:13:08. Comments
Good IntentionsI had planned to join a peace vigil today on the town green. It takes place weekly for only an hour. And yet . . .I found myself utterly absorbed in Richters 2005 Herb Catalogue. I lost all track of time as I searched for the seeds and plants I already know I want to add to my gardens this year. I found myself reading through description after description of countless other plants. What a joy! Just as winter arrives at the solstice, so too do my seed catalogs and I rejoice. Really! I jump up and down with excitement and validation that spring - indeed - is a promise. I set the catalogs aside for after the flurry of holiday mayhem and madness (even though I keep my distance from those holiday energies - they still manage to creep in). Today, I made time to peruse one catalog and completely lost myself in a lovely ritual of promise and - - - peace! So much for my original intention and yet, I suppose I practiced my own solitary peace vigil. Peace and promise to you. rose Posted on: 2005-01-02 13:30:59. Comments
Happy New YearWith each new sunrise, we are gifted each day with a clean slate and fresh start. And so today, as we turn our calendars to 2005, we are gifted with an entire year . . .I hope you fill yours with many ripples of peace, love and joy. Expect miracles. Posted on: 2005-01-01 10:51:20. Comments
Today is for ShamanToday is for Shaman. . .She who walks the floor of amber and crushed crystal, below the cover of jade and smoky quartz. She who pauses to listen. She who hears the whispers of her New England siblings, those wise ones whose ancient memories recall their tropical soil. She who looks up at their tattered extremities as they tell her: Turn to face the sun. Know that all winds are winds of change. She who smiles and continues on . . . Posted on: 2004-12-31 17:36:58. Comments
Uncontaminatable Essence"I am an enthusiastic Visionary with an uncontaminatable essence."~ Gaynor Linnecor A precious friend shared these glorious words with me today and once I got past the physical challenge of pronouncing “uncontaminatable” out loud - I laughed out loud! I laughed for two reasons. One reason was the shear humor at hearing my own voice spitting and stumbling over what seemed an utterly unpronounceable word. Once I surrendered to simply speaking the word as I understood it and not trying to pronounce it as written, it was simple. I laughed again. Why do we make things so difficult for ourselves? The other reason I laughed is the serendipity of the quote. In my quest for simple approaches to healing and wellness I have started (expanded, really) to experiment with making my own fermented foods, by simply working with the itsy-bitsy airborne fungi and bacteria that share my home and kitchen with me (and you with yours!). It is sad that we live in a world where simply hearing the words “bacteria and fungi” evoke thoughts of “Enemy!”and “Contaminant!” Where product after product bombards us with antibacterial this and antibacterial that. A world that is pasturized and homogenized to death. Fear not contamination. In my play and education with fermented foods I have learned and remembered that those little “germs” that cause fermentation have given us mighty gifts throughout our history. Not the least being simple survival! And wine! Those “contaminants” work magick for us - by preserving nutrients, creating new ones and transforming others into more digestible foods! Those pesky “contaminants” actually work to transform and remove toxins from foods! Ahhh, how can I fear contamination when it comes to me as such a miracle as this? These contaminants are my friends. They are my newfound midwives and nurses, showing me old ways to do new things . . . showing me how unnecessary, wasteful and potentially detrimental arbitrary killing of them is . . . showing me wisdom practiced and handed down from the ancients that is life-sustaining - in both metaphor and practical application! Showing me, that pasteurization is not in the interest of my personal health and wellness, but rather that of an larger profit-oriented energy and that homogenization defies the mystery of Nature - of life itself - by only offering a consistent product time after time. That’s just dull, and dulling - not words I associate with wellness. So, I say - Make friends with your enemies! Learn from your contaminants! It certainly makes things simpler (less difficult). In doing so, you open yourself to becoming an uncontaminatable essence! It’s silly, isn’t it? The simple practice of fermentation has reminded me that, from a holistic perspective, our enemies are usually our allies. So, yes - “I am an enthusiastic Visionary with an uncontaminatable essence” and you can be too! To learn more about fermentation, read Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz or visit online at: http://www.wildfermentation.com/ Posted on: 2004-12-30 14:59:47. Comments
Wellness Journey . . . Here and ThereWelcome to my blog!No telling where this may lead. For me, herbs encompass one day, spiritual guidance the next, shamanic journeys another, maybe time spent with Nature, or drumming, and so on . . . you get the idea. To me, this diversity is at the heart of the people's medicine. We have choices. We have the will to learn about them. We have the power to choose. And we have the right to change! A regular entry in a blog, like any journal, may force me to focus on one aspect of wellness or another (something many of my peers have "encouraged" me to do, and yet I resist!). On the other hand, this practice may simply allow me to organically explore the diversity of life, healing, spirit and energies that make up my being and offer me the experiences and opportunities that I am able to share with others - in the hopes to nurture holistic wellness and growth. So, join me in this journey, wherever it may lead, and - please - add your comments, for they are food for me! I invite you to offer your experiences and insights, as well as your challenges to my perceptions! So that is where I am today. I wonder where I will be tomorrow? Be well by Nature! rose Posted on: 2004-12-29 08:55:23. Comments | |