I'm Moving!

Z-man helping

 My daughter and son in law are building me a Grannie Flat in their back yard (!!)

So after 19 years here, I'm engaged in downsizing and purging for that move, which will be in stages!

During construction, I'll be mere yards away, in a back nook in their home! Able to watch over and bless the process at every stage! Deciding what to take with for that 3-6 months, what can go into short term storage! 

I've ordered my new mattress, but for the nonce, I'll borrow one of the kids bed, that fits in the space. 

My new room

Note to self: Wash the walls with a bit of salt and citrus Essential Oil in the walls to clear predecessor Chi.

Meanwhile, I've lived the longest in this  house on Galloway! So there's much accumulation of - stuff!! My daughter and her first 2 girls lived with me 17 years ago - and left some things in my garage (we've sorted that). 

That nest egg included things from my mom (who died the previous winter) and dad,  who's now been gone 30 years. And of course many things from my own 72 years circling the sun.

Having their help has been huge! 

I asked a new neighbor if he was intersted in buying my house - and his brother is! A realtor friend is overseeing the sale, and I have a week and 1/2 left to finish up! 

I've been sweeping the front porch and spritzing the door with cinnamon (thanks to tips from Amanda Gibby Peters) and have a virtual consultation scheduled later in the month with my BD twin Gwynne, who is a Feng Shui practioner! 

Partway through many of my moves, I often just want a backhoe at the end - and sometimes just brought junk along! On the weekend I thanked Mary and Matt for "being my backhoe BEFORE the very end!" 

Construction beginning

The stuff! The books! The plants!! 

We began moving the plants first - I had kept many in pots, and dug up others  .... I somehow found time to garden (rather than being going through stuff!) this summer ... and my grandson Z and I put in a little bed on their back garden, which he helps check and tend!

I've been listening to lots of podcasts and watching decluttering videos, and realize I'm 'motivational challenged and have problems wroth executive function - my dad would say, "Penny wise, pound foolish!" I can focus for hours on non-essentials!! But often delay important tasks. Procrastination often goes with this challenge getting motivated! And sticking to one task (they are a subset of ADHD!)

One clutter clearing champ, Cass, invites us to learn to "eat the Frog First!" Do that hard thing you don't want to do, 'cause you know you'll never want to!!

I'm assisting in a virtual creative class (scheduled months ago!) Last week we created glyphs / sigals - I used the non-repeating letters from 'Eat the Frog First' in creating this one - 

Eat The Frog First 

So - I'm eating the frog 🐸  and find its getting easier with practice. 

Some tips on dealing with the stuff - whether you're simply dethugging (and we all need to at times - toddy people have less stuff - who knew??) or preparing for a move! 

✔ have trash bags/ bins in every room, plus recycling, shredding, and areas for donations. 

✔ thank / bless the items as you bundle them up 

✔ it can help to start with things you're less attached to - and handle quickly! 

✔ Our brains release bonding hormones when stimulated by touch - have a friend hold up/ point to/ ask you about things! A good phrase is, 'it looks tired' ... another,  'close your eyes and think of the house you want to live in - does this fit?' 

✔ Choose what you want to keep and work on boxing those, let a helper bag/ box up donations (that helps keep me from rebonding!) If they want it, it's theirs!! Since we're dealing with family things, we have a box set aside for my son, and my daughter reclaims special items.  

Books for Matt to box

✔ Engage a friend or your kids to witness /go with you for the first donation drop!
✔ get yourself some flowers 💐 and/or favorite coffee ☕ on the way home! 

✔ If you can, have someone else handle some of the drop offs! Have a clear staging station, and just let them do it - go along occasionally if you want - up to you! The less disposal I'm copingwith, the easier sorting becomes 

In the past, those bags🎒 🛍 rumbled around in my car for months ... it's such a blessing to just set them on the porch for them to load up! 

✔ Selling? If you're good at it and have time .... or there's a garage sale you can tag into .... Matt is listing a few things on marketplace, and deals with those, I sold one of my old massage tables (don't judge!) to a friend who's taken Reiki from me.

When you need to do a donation run, set yourself up for success ✔ Have a system for when and how you'll bookend it with other errands, and where in your car you'll put them. 
✔ include a treat once a week - fresh flowers are great! Amanda Gibby Peters of Simple Shui has some great stories about it being a quick way to freshen Chi! Find her Simple Shui tips on Instagram.

✔ be good to you! Stay hydrated!! Have glasses of water, maybe with a bit of lemon and cucumber, stashed around. Schedule breaks - go on a little walk, sit down, take a bath or shower at the end of the day.
You've got this!! 💕 💐 

Happy mail

 Yay - that was quick!! 

I placed my order Sunday, and here it is! For most of my supplements,  buy off the shelf or order most from the office where I offer massage and Reiki sessions ... but needed more of the Niacinamide for my joints, and wanted to try a time release formula.

I discovered Niacinamide's use for arthritis this spring, as I was experiencing some pain and stiffness in my right hand, 

New Supplements!

In the 30s and 40s, Dr Kaufman had many of his patients with 'Wear and Tear' arthritis take several thousand milligrams in divided doses throughout the day, and found it to be an excellent control for the pain. It also helped rebuild collagen - often making joint surgery unnecessary! And then, cortisone became available and popular, and of course more lucrative for the industry - the vitamin B-3 in this form is 13c each, for 1000 mg! 

Niacinamide was the first mega-vitamin used for mental health, and is very supportive in that regard as well, especially for struggling teens. It's removed in milling and heat sensitive, so harder to get even in normal amounts from food. 

I take a B vitamin blend from Thorne daily as well, and liquid B-12.

I'm a Virgo, and true to form, have long been interested in health and ways to support that - I had a little book on yoga on HS, and began taking movement classes by the my late 20s  (ballet, and a few years after that, Tai Chi) My dad always had a garden, and we got whole raw milk from the dairy next door.  I continued gardening, eating whole foods, making my own bread and yogurt (still from raw milk), supplemented with vitamins and  minerals from my 20s.

In nature, vitamins A and D naturally occur together, and Cod Liver Oil (which i have to my kids!) is still a great source. This one's Icelandic. 

  In the PNW, we are above the 45th parallel, so most folks find taking a higher dose of D  helpful. Both of A and D support the immune and cardiovascular systems, enhance bone health and calcium metabolism. In one 40s study, toddlers who were low in Vitamin D, and beginning to show signs of rickets, would request spoonfuls of CLO, until the condition was corrected!

Though we're near the ocean, the PNW is a goiter belt, so iodine and seaweed can be very supportive of thyroid health,  metabolism, and immune function. I do eat and love seaweed - and discovered I felt better with supplemental iodine in my 20s! 

Boron is a trace mineral that's also a cofactor for magnesium metabolism, heart health, the parathyroid, is anti-inflammatory, and can prevent bone loss as we age! It supports health of nerves and immune function as well - - what's not to like? 

(I like this talk Dr Jorges Flecher gave to dentists at a conference on oral health on his own discovery of the importance of Boron) In the US, 23% of the population have some form of arthritis, and most of us get 0-3 mg of Boron daily; in areas getting 10-30 mg of dietary Boron daily, the arthritis rate drops to .5 % ! There's less Boron in arthritic joints than in 'normal' joints. 

Resveratol and NAC are new to my regime 

  Resveratol is found in red grapes (one of the reasons drinking Red wine is recommended - and whilst I live in the heart of wine county, I just don't drink much!) It is considered a longevity herb, its use can mimic fasting, and support healthy long life.  Some studies point to consuming it on alternate days - especially on days with higher fat intake, to be most beneficial. It also seems to support the health of our mitochondria, which are key to vitality.

NAC (N Acetyl L Cystine) is an antioxidant which supports health glutathione levels, immune, liver and respiratory function and energy production! It's advised to be sure to drink sufficient water whilst taking this one - 6-8 glasses. I've been having a pinch of sea salt before drinking water, to enhance absorption by the cells! 

Now,  to integrate these into my routine... 

Years ago, I read a lovely tome from our public library which detailed in a few pages each, cutting edge research on individual supplements. At the end of each chapter, the author asked the researcher, 'what supplements do you personally take?' 

Generally: a multi or B complex, vitamins C and E, many also took D and some minerals - and they EACH took whatever they were studying!! 

An MD studying longevity had the longest list of supplements and lifestyle supports like eating whole foods, and exercising daily!' 

I love the easy access lids (I only needed to swap out the Niacinamide top - I keep a few of the extras on hand.

I've recently taken up sprouting again, after seeing info on the enzymes in broccoli sprouts and their anti-carcenogenic effect on cells. I also discovered the Japanese morning exercises (< 10 minutes!) That are a great way to wake up the lymph and begin the day! 

Do you have a favorite supplement and movement routine? I'd love to hear about them!

Sea kale babies

Crambe maritima 

I'm beyond excited that my Crambe or Sea Kale root cuttings sprouted!! 

Sea kale in the garden

A 'formerly common denizen of single banks' in N Europe and the British isles,sea kale is a delightful perennial wonder!

In Living in a Wild Garden,  British author Roger Banks wrote,  'there are still odd clumps of it,  .... at first you think you are looking at a distant line of breakers till you realize that it is neither rough enough for such a sea to be running nor can you hear it... 

'Then through binoculars, you see that your breaking line of surf is still - still as the great wave of Hokusai's picture - and that the lace-like foam flung up on its rearing green crest is as dry as the 17th century master's woodcut. ... you realize you are witnessing the flowering of SeaKale, Crambe maritima. If only people wanted to lift up their hearts, there would be special excursions to see such a miracle and of only they cared for their palettes, there would be a local cottage industry cultivating it...'

Sea kale in bloom

- Like other Perennial vegetables, Crambe's strong root system gives these lovely kale relatives access to deep minerals.

Their seeds have a corky coating, which allows them to float off and inhabit new shores! 

In the past, I've tried growing from seed a few times, then read that root and stem cuttings are much easier to start, and was able to get a few pieces of root last fall. There is an old population near a lighthouse on our coast, and these were exposed and so likely to break off in stormy weather and high tides. 

I simply tucked them in gallon pots of potting soil, putting a piece of garden fleece over each pot to keep slugs and other visitors out, and left then on my front porch over the winter.  

I was so excited to see each of the three cuttings beginning to leaf out. There was a nice root on the piece I just planted, and I'll give one to a friend who first introduced me to this long lived denizen of shingle banks!! 

Chrysanthemum Tea

 I have joined a Tai Chi class that meets thrice weekly in the park by my youngest grandkids' school. I've been doing Qigong in the park while my grandkids play a little while after their morning school time, then a friend invited me to join the group practice. 

It's been lovely to revisit the Yang Long form, which I first learned nearly 40 years ago, during my massage training. My mentor suggested Tai Chi as a life long practice, and way you learn good ergonomics. She was so right! 

A week or so ago, the friend who invited me brought me this lovely treat - a Tea Pot and flowering tea from Numi! I often steep tea in a glass tea cup with matching strainer - but this provides such an elegant experience! Each tea "ball" can be stepped several times, and I often as some of my own tea leaves for additional batches.

Tea pot and flowering tea

This is the time of year I dream about the new varieties I'll add to my garden, and was pleased to find Bo Jo Hua Chrysanthemum tea plants at my friend Melissa's Van Hevlingen Herb booth at the Farmers Market! 

She had two varieties, which bloom in the late fall like otter Mums. Bo Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum morifolium) doesn't set reliable seed, so is only available as plants - I'm excited to add these to my garden! 

I found several blog posts about tea chrysanthemum and its flowers, which support the liver, eye health, and are good for the heart, type 2 diabetes and easing headaches (Sage Garden Theory) On a Growing Tradition, Thomas recounted his search for the plants and success. 

Bo Jo Hua Chrysanthemum

Melissa said the plants bloom on Halloween, and into November. The flowers are first collected mid day, and dried then stored. I think they will be lovely to steep in the little round pot! 

Time for tea

 Each year around this time, my beautiful tea Camellia begins putting on new growth, and it's time to harvest the first flush of leaves! Last fall I pruned my Sochi Camellia, which increases the number of new leaves to harvest.

Over a decade ago, my friend Nikki and I began growing Sochi Camellia sinensis. The most northern tea, this variety grows in Sochi Russia near the Black Sea, and is well suited to our latitude at nearly 45° N. 

It is both aromatic and frost Hardy. While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower) its mature leaves are about the size of those on my ornamental Camellia. I dry some of the flowers in January which can be used for a light and fragrant tea. 

CODEX with tea Camellia blossom

Several years ago, Nikki invited me over for a tea party, both teaching me the process, and sharing afternoon tea from a previous harvest when finished. She sent me home with a basket of fresh leaves we pluckedfrom her bushes, which I augmented with leaves from my own for a second batch. 

It is such a satisfying process, and I'm always struck by the fragrance of the leaves as they dry. As this Camellia association article notes, few people realize that whenever they sit down with a cup of green, black or white tea, the brew comes from Camellia leaves! 

Camellia sinensis Sochi

High in antioxidants, especially catechins, green tea is preventative for cancers, lowers the risk of stroke, and helps control blood sugar. In Okinawa Japan, one of the "Blue Zones" for longevity, drinking several cups of green tea daily was common. They often added jasmine flowers and a bit of turmeric for shan-pien, "tea with a bit of scent."

Harvest - 24 hour rest

The leaves are resting in three baskets, and around 3:30 this afternoon, I'll begin the next steps of the process, which you can find here and here.

Do you grow herbs you use for herbal Tea? I have a number of those as well, and enjoy their medicinal qualities and varying flavors.

Snowdrop essence and Intention

 

Snowdrop Essence - set your intention!

Before enlightenment, 

Chop wood, carry water

After enlightenment

Chop wood, carry water 

Attention to the small

As we chart our course.

Spring is an excellent time to refresh and renew, body, mind, spirit and emotions. Many traditions invite spring fasts or cleanses, as a reset from less activity and heavier foods of winter.

As spring flowers begin to emerge, I eagerly awaited my Snowdrops' bloom! During the Angel Cafe in November, Sarah Estelle mentioned Snowdrop as part of a favorite trio for aligning with our divine feminine energy. It is also associated with poultry, innocence and simplicity. 

Snowdrop welcomes energy into our crown and into the heart, and provides impetus to "set intention and rewrite our future." I was delighted to find the clumps under one of my apple trees in bloom, and make Snowdrop essence on the weekend! 

I put some of the left over essence water into a couple of mister bottles, following Sarah Estelle's suggestion of using it this way each morning to help set intention. Like her mama, mine loved blooming spring bulbs.

When I lived in the Breitenbush community, I often gave myself the gift of a day off after  a workshop. It was so nourishing to have time for integration, introspection, logging insights, practicing new techniques, receiving bodywork, and soaking in the hot mineral water!  I was grateful for the organic vegetarian, meals and herbal tea that were our daily fare & often made myself a flower essence bouquet to support my process and integration. 

Snowdrop would be a wonderful addition to a workshop bouquet. Another of our spring beauties, Camas, helps integrate intuitive and logical processes, and harmonize methods of learning. Tea Camellia, the "Ancient One, rooted in timeless beginnings, brings stillness, connection to one's true self, and provides a mirror for self reflection."

At times, we may experience a mountaintop breakthrough, either in life, or during a workshop. We see new possibilities shining... It's so beautiful to have that reference point of being so completely present - then, how do we integrate and implement shifts?

It can help to remember our tools for grounding, centering, and to continue our favorite daily practices wherever we are! Selenite is a great travelling companion - sweep your aura, do self Reiki, smudge the room, ground yourself. Maybe have a favorite herbal tea and breathe the stream ...

Some of my favorites are Qigong, flower essences, doing a creative practice, music, prioritizing local organic fare - so fortunate to have a year round farmers market! And Dark chocolate is my favorite treat!)

Sending blessings of spring, and Snowdrop flower essence, to Rewrite your future!   

Essence Cards

This fall I've been enjoying learning about, and beginning to do Neurographica. This way of creating helps "Balance the mind, inspire creativity, and explore different approaches to problem solving." 

The basics:

• Think of your intention or conflict
• Draw random lines (not an even zigzag!) 
• Round the intersections -calms the neurons, reduces tension
• Circles bring harmony (observe how your body feels as you draw, stood those intersections as wewel
• Color - 3 or more colours, color in at least three segments with one color 

Through November I drew and colored a number gratitude cards, and some centered around handprints or leaves.

Neuro-Noodle Labyrinth

After seeing a friends Neurographic Christmas cards, I was inspired to some as well - In the 70s and 80s, I often drew our cards, and sets of paper dolls. A couple of those were printed in doll magazines. 

California Poppy - true gold in your heart

I've been creating essence bouquets for my grandkids, and began drawing essence cards - I did a few cards decades ago when I began creating my first essences and combining them into bouquets 💐 The first were larger (poppy and fuscia)

Fuscia - soul warmth

Using 5.5x8.5" mixed media paper, I began creating smaller cards - the #Neurolines interconnect if I draw before separating them ❤ I start with the circle for the flower cameo, then add the neurolines (on larger cards there's room for circles) I haven't colored any yet, and may print these! 

Essence cards

• Forsythia – announce presence, golden trumpet, Gabriella
• Hyssop – takes the strain off DNA, purify, release guilt 
• Rosemary – liquid ambrosia, strengthen immune system, enhances memory
• Violet – trust warmth of others, express own warmth, comfort in groups

• Aster - illumination, sacred play, create time and space for creativity 
• Borage  – optimism, seed of Hope · opens heart, comfort and courage, joy, illuminates your unique path  
• Nettle (Sister Spinster) - align with personal truth, speak up in prickly situations, don't panic! 
• Yarrow - strong, healthy boundaries, compassionate awareness, seals energy leaks, wholeness         

Drawing these cards is a sweet way to connect with the energy signatures. Do you have a favourite you'd like as a card? Let me know in the comments! 

Full moon Land Tuning

 Tree spirit

Since last week's Angel Cafe on 11/22 with Aisling Mooney and 21 practitioners, I've been reengaged with my own essence friends! 

Thank you, essence guides Sara Estelle Turner and Aislng Irwin for sharing your gifts, and my friend Alessandro for inviting me to participate! (I signed up for Alessandro's complementary month with his online Qigong group!)

I pulled out essences and definitions to concoct several "bouquets" to help my grandkids focus on their schoolwork, as I'm Distant Learning Aide for the 3rd graders. They helped choose flowers from my suggestions, and named their bouquets. Today we tested them for the first time ...

I checked definitions in several books, including Molly Sheehan's Green Hope Farm Essences guide. This evening, I reread the section on her trips to Ireland and essences she created while there. During her visit in 2005, she had a chat with the elementals* shortly before she left, asking why they had been so supportive of her work.

They replied, "We steady this planet. We steady out emerald island. Most often, we steady against the imprecations of humans, but we find in this project, humans working to steady the planet with us. We thank you one and all for working with the Flower Essences and working to both balance yourself and your worlds. We need you. We need you most intently right now." 

The went on to talk about water coming, flooding (and as we have seen in the last 15 years, other earth changes!) And invited humans to step up and help 'Steady.'

"What do we mean by steadying? Your efforts to find balance in your lives matter." 

They go on to clarify that while our "ecological footprint" is out of balance, "the most pressing need is for you to work on your emotional footprint... You must stop leaving your emotional chaos littering the natural world. You must invite us to clear the land you inhabit."

Mountain Cascade - Joshua Fender©

The Elementals then asked Molly to put her basic process for Land Cleansing (or "Tuning") after their message in the guide. 

"You may think that your contribution to this effort would not make any difference. You would be wrong in this. We were interested in Molly's farm, small though it is, because, in part, the routine energetic cleansing done at this garden has helped in a significant way. .

"We speak in a united voice with our brethren Elementals of the new world when we speak of the significance of energetic cleansing. ... If you want to begin a deeper relationship by helping us in some way, doing any variation of the following process would be much appreciated. 

"Green Blessings."

I share this process with Molly's enthusiastic permission. Like the Irish Elementals, Molly feels the more people who do this in harmony with the guides of their bit of land, the better! She has had several experiences where bad weather was avoided or diverted, after being nudged by the angels to do this clearing every day.  

During the wildfires in September, I did this clearing daily for both my bit of land, and remotely for my beloved Breitenbush Hot Springs. Though much burned, including Vista where I offered massage, and the Sanctuary where I taught Tai Chi and Qigong, much was saved.

Molly comments that the guides & devas delight in being asked to help us. She & others who are sensitive to land energies feel that nature holds & stores energy that has been released when there are intense emotions, battles, etc. And when we ask, "A group of spiritual entities connected with Nature do the actual energy cleansing but this group cannot do this work unless a human asks them to do it. It is one of our vital roles in the co-creation & maintenance of earth. If a human doesn't ask for energy cleansing for a piece of land & this land is holding a lot of negativity, spirit's only options for removing this negativity are extreme weather."

Here's the Process Molly & I use:
** Imagine the boundaries of the land you wish to clear (you may want to have a map of your property, if it's larger, & may be guided to clear it in sections. If you're in an apartment, clear your own space, imagining the grounding cord of the apt going into the earth below you, & clear the land surrounding the apt. Invite guidance for what best suites your circumstances!

Energy Cleansing Process
Find a quiet & comfortable place to center yourself. In the beginning, you'll want to be in the garden/ on the land you're clearing.
"Ask for assistance from:
The Overlighting Deva of the piece of land you want to clean. This being from the Angelic realm holds the divine plan for this piece of land. (Deva is a Sanskrit word meaning 'being of Light')
Angels Overlighting the land. They work with the Deva
The Elementals of the land. These are the beings who bring land into form & then hold it there so we can live in a physical world. Gnomes for the Earth element, Undine with water, Sylphs work with air, & Salamanders with fire.
Pan, Head Elemental of Earth (Machaelle Wright calls Pan the CEO of Nature)
Any Ascended Master of God realized being who is connected with this piece of land. There may or may not be any connected, depending on the piece of land. (You can always invite the presence of the Ascended Master Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Quan Yin, St Germain, & other Masters with whom you you feel connected.)
Deva of the Earth's atmosphere, Lunaria
Deva of the Earth's surface, Sapphalo
Deva of the sun in the center of the Earth, Darndella
Our Sun, Helios & Vesta.After you call in this group, ask them to CLEANSE, CLEAR, RE-BALANCE & ILLUMINATE the land you are clearing.

Photo© - Marilyn Affolter, Amity OR

Molly: 'You can visualize all the negativity being removed from the land both below & above the ground. You can visualize yourself or an angel holding a sword (Michael/Michaella) cutting all the negativity free, perhaps spinning in a circle holding the sword out; or you can imagine a big gyroscope whirling & cleansing. 

"The image only needs to work for you. If visualization isn't possible, it's OK. The land will still be cleansed because you have asked to have it done. Close the session with a thanks to everyone involved.

"This is the bare bones of a process. Over time you will probably develop your own individual approach. For example, you may get to know the names of the Deva & Angels of the land. You may get shown a process that will improve on this one. You may get asked to do several pieces of land. Thank you for doing this service."

Violet Flame

** I also like to imagine a hedge of roses (think Brier Rose) with portals of violet flame at the entrances, clearing folks' energy as they enter or leave. At times I erect a golden pyramid above my property (rectangular here :) or a violet bubble - check in & see if any images come!

Any time you feel vulnerable, are concerned about weather or safety, take a few moments to do this process. You can check in to see how often to tune your land - I strive for several times a week, and uusually walk pour my back door, do the invocation, and within a few moments, feel a frisson.

It helps to have quick name for the process - you may simply invite 'Devas, Angels & guides of this place, please CLEANSE, CLEAR, RE-BALANCE & ILLUMINATE this land!' And when you feel the process is complete, thank them.

* Besides clearing my own land, I often invite the Devas/guides of the city where I live (or someplace I'm visiting) to CLEANSE, CLEAR, RE-BALANCE & ILLUMINATE  that place, as appropriate.

I reason that any place humans can toss litter, I can invite the guides to help clear! I especially see the 'green areas' being cleared, parks, the planting strips & flower pots in the downtown, etc. Molly invites us to listen to our guidance, & network with the devas, guides & elementals on this! 

My friend Gwynne Warner practices Feng Shui, and writes, "this is the 10th Lunar month, the "kindly moon" in Chinese tradition," she invite us to "go outside beneath the luminous night sky, and make an offering of gratitude to the moon herself. A prostration or a bow. A song or a dance. A cup of tea poured into the earth. A fresh flows blossom laid on the earth. Then speak your blessing: 

'Beauteous moon, I know you are here! I am so deeply happy and grateful for your presence in my life.' 

I am making Land Tuning my daily practice for this 10th lunar month - the Elementals ask me to invite you to join us, "it will be of the highest service, and prepares the way for the next shifts and integration! Your help is needed - Thank you." 

Healing and MAP

In the early 90s, I began making flower essences  shortly after joining the Healing Arts Team at Breitenbush Hot Springs. One of my source books was Machaelle Small Wright's. I'd been gardening co-creatively with Nature since reading about Findhorn in the 80s, and later with Machaelle's Garden Workbook. When she published her Medical Assistance Program (MAP), I got her initial handouts, then the book.

Petunia - creative visionary

With this program (developed from her work with Devas and nature spirits, Machaelle began to work with a "team" for personal health - both physical and mental/emotional. It dovetails beautifully with energy work including Reiki, tuning forks and lightweaving, and during sessions with other healers.

The team includes:

1. PAN (the CEO of nature) 
2. Great White Brotherhood (Ascended Masters, including Motherr Mary and Christos)
3. Deva of Healing (and possibly the Deva for the land you're on)
4. Your Higher Self

Set up in a comfortable place, often lying down, and invite your Team to work with you (on your own, or in conjunction with other healers) generally for a set period of around an hour. Test for flower essences before and after the session (and during if so guided) At the end of the time, thank them and release the "coning'"

You can Ask for the name of your team for future sessions. For an acute issue, you can leave the coning open for a longer time. You can visualize journeying to a Temple of Healing for your sessions. Keep a journal nearby to record notes after your session. 

You can also do group work work within a coning, with each person including their own higher self. Invite the Deva overlighting the land you're on (or each person's land, if you're on a conference call.) A friend who lived near Findhorn for a year taught our Reiki Circle to use a similar method for group meetings. 

I had begun working with MAP when I slipped on wet stairs, and likely cracked a few ribs!! Even though I had insurance, and several of our private (retreat center) medical team were my Reiki students .. I worked with poultices, flower essences and my MAP team ...(clay cut the pain immediately, and I had homeopathic Arnica)

A psychic later told me she noticed me gimping along, not moving with my usual dancer Grace and lightness ... Juliet wondered about offering healing (she was initiated in Reiki by Takata!) - but saw my house surrounded by angels, and received the message I "didn't want" other help at the moment! (A couple of my Reiki students did give me sessions, and I invited the support of my MAP Team.) ... 💖🌹💜

Healing Temple

A practioneer who took the DVD workshop on using MAP wrote, "Use your MAP session as an exploration of  what you are feeling and experiencing around an issue. The MAP team can only "work" with what one is conscious of, and the exploration can help us become more aware of what's going on around an issue - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. ... Using essences (with the session) can be helpful in gaining and maintaining balance."

She commented she found using a MAP-based conning while giving Reiki treatment supports and deepens the Reiki practice. When using MAP with others, invite their Higher self, not your own, for the 4th component of your coning, and remember to thank your team and release the coning at the end of the session. 

- Shortly after beginning to use MAP personally, I began using it professionally, and had several clients who were also familiar with the practice. We were excited to include MAP  in their sessions, and compare notes afterwards.

If you are a practitioner, or work with clients in any capacity, you can use Professional MAP! After you've used your personal team for awhile, and are comfortable with the process, open a conning with your own Higher Self and your Professional Team. Request a name for your Professional MAP Team, and use a journal for your notes. You can request information and insights on how to best include MAP on your practice.

Gratitude and blessings

I have been enjoying watching interviews and film clips from Findhorn, many filmed this year during the the time we are connecting in-person less often.

Today this Interview by Thomas Miller with Sandra Ingerman, a modern day shaman, came through, and​​ is fantastic! Sandra survived a near death experience, which is often the precursor to shamanic awareness and training. Sandra comments that shamanic ideas and philosophies transcend individual cultures and traditions, and are part of our earthly birthright. 

Sanctuary at Breitenbush 1983-2020

If we would like to see more harmony in the world, and a healthy environment, Sandra  invites us to set our intention, to affirm the vision, and to:

• Express gratitude daily: get up and give thanks to the elements: earth, air, fire and water. 
• Give thanks for food and drink
• Appreciate moments of beauty.
• Shine your light - as we see ourselves as radiant beings, we become them
• Do your personal practices, and release the outcome - Tai chi, yoga, meditation, kindness, pay-it forward, ...
• Connect with like minded community 
• Invite children to ceremony - release fear by breaking a stick, beam rainbows into their water, dance their light. 
• Children are closer to the unseen realms, trust the power of ceremony, and can help us remember how to tap co-creative power
• At Color of Woman graduation, my Apache friend Carmen told me the drumming the day before had been so powerful because, "the ancestors are so happy for you all, and so glad you are doing your work! Won't you be glad when your grandchildren do theirs?"

A number of studies have shown gratitude practices enhance our personal well being and mood, and even reduce pain! This ripples out, and has a harmonious effect on the world around us. 

We each have gifts to share, and power to bring positive change and harmony in the world around us. 

Let us choose love and joy, and positive action.

 

Self Heal for health

I love Self heal as a flower essence, and this simple, easy to find and identify Tonic herb in the mint family has a long history of herbal use in Native, Western and traditional Chinese medicine. Its gentle healing properties and general safety are backed up by current research. 

This YouTube clip by Herbal Jedi gives a great overview on how to identify, harvest and use this mint relative, Prunella vulgaris, (Western native variety: lanceolata)

* antioxidant and adaptogen

* soothes and aids digestion

* stabilizes blood sugar

* skin: cuts, wounds (staunches blood), bruises, inflammation, sunburn

* mouth sores, sore throat

* calms allergy response - use with nettles in spring pesto or tea (with Reishi, skullcap, etc)

* supports lymphatic health

* reduces arteriosclerosis

* liver and kidney support and detoxification

*enhances protein metabolism

* antiviral - biofilm disrupter like elderberry

* immune support in cancer treatment (natural or medical model)

Self heal's flowers are popular with a wide variety of insects, butterflies, skippers, bumble bees, native bees, and their low growth makes them audible for inclusion in an eco lawn that is occasionally mowed.

August Planting - through the Lions Gate

 Last summer I picked up a couple of damaged wading pools from Hopscotch toy store (for a donation) with the thought of making a couple of beds. While my soil is good clay, our dry summers and the shade in my overgrown yard make it challenging for some pants ... And my daughter has a BIG garden!

This spring while Kayleen and I cut back blackberries on one side, I noticed that area receives good sun, and moved one of the pools into place in June! I have been enjoying no-dig and container gardening videos, and used ideas from both. The soil is a mix from other areas, my compost, and from various pots. 

I got a Taro and Chinese yam from my friend Melissa Van Hevlingen, and had two tomatoes and a garden marigold from the Farmers Market, which I put in back of the empty pots.

Seeds included red Orach, spicy lettuce, Asian greens and Mesculin mixes, Okra, New Zealand spinach, chiogga beet, Kuroda carrot, and Pattypan squash. Borage, tomatillos and purslane volunteered in the surrounding soil and in the pots. ... And an avocado sprouted (from the compost!) The purple tulle provides a bit of shade for the Taro

I began working on the second pool this week, (note Percy kitty, enjoying the shade!) I cleared the brush, tied back the spearmint and vitex - which the bees love! 

I filled the bottom of this pool with the dried blackberry brambles, and the same soil and compost combo, topped with a bit of potting soul, and planted many of the same veggies, with the addition of lemon cukes, a round zucchini, endive and radiccio, sets from my topset leek, and a mix of flower seeds in the center for the pollinators.

I put a plant cage in for the peas that are soaking, and will plant beans as well ... Added a clump of garlic chives and baby Mullein, and covered the lot with tulle to deter the kitties! 

I sprinkled fresh seed from my Good King Henry, and hope some sprout to share. My plant is over a decade old, and going strong! 

Anne Shirley Cordial

This weekend a friend posted a photo of her lovely daughter holding a glass of Red Current cordial they just made, and I asked for the recipe! My own daughter has several bushes of both red and white currents, and had recently mentioned she wanted to do something with them...

I picked a couple of cups of currents, and simmered them 10 minutes in 3 cups of water, strained, added 1/3 C plus a Tbsp OG beet sugar, 4 sprigs of lavender and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Diluted a bit more and served over ice - it was a big hit!! My 9 year old grandkids liked it so well they helped pick a second batch of currents and lavender! 

Current cordial is popular in Sweden. With a taste similar to lavender lemonade, the addition of lavender gives it a NW twist, and it makes a refreshing drink for a summer afternoon.

*Anne Shirley*

I was reminded of the episode in Anne of Green Gables and a scene in the recent Anne with an E series, "Diana is Invited to Tea With Tragic Results." Anne is allowed to invite her bosom friend Diana Berry for Tea, and her guardian Marilla, headed off to an Aid society meeting, tells Anne she may serve Diana the Raspberry Cordial left over from the church social as a special treat. 

Anne is bubbling when she shares the menu with her friend, especially that their drink "begins with an R and a C and is bright red color. I love bright red drinks, don't you? They taste twice as good as any other color." - Anne of Green Gables, Chapter XVI

Anne presents the bottle to Diana with a tumbler, but doesn't taste the 'cordial' herself, "I don't feel as if I wanted any after all those apples." ... Diana pronounces the cordial, "ever so much nicer than Mrs Lynde's, though she brags of hers so much. It doesn't taste a bit like hers!" And with Anne's urging, goes on to drink several glasses of the bright red elixir.

... The reason it tastes different, of course, is that Anne mistook the bottle of Red Current Wine (also bright red!) for the cordial, and Diana becomes hopelessly drunk - to her mother's fury and Anne's consternation! 

My grandkids love the occasional 'Shirley Temple,' so it seemed 'Anne Shirley' would be a fitting name for this bright red NW lavender and Red Current cordial. 

Blogger Tori Avey has written a lovely post about her own memories of reading Anne of Green Gables (finally!!), her exploration of recipes for non-alcoholic fruit "squashes," and directions for making raspberry cordial.

My mama, born in 1912, read the Anne books as a girl, and passed on her love of them to me. I am always impressed on rereading how well they are written. My 15 year old granddaughter and I recently watched seasons 2 and 3 of Anne With an E - and the "cordial" scene was a delight!

Enjoy this summer treat! 

Garden Goodness

This year during our time at home, my daughter and son-in love planted a big garden, and I've enjoyed the benefits! They have a large lot, and a lot of familiar crops. 

Last summer, I got a damaged wading pool from our local Toy Store, planning to use it for a raised bed garden ... I found a sunny spot between my garage and apple tree, planted some simple containers in it in June. I also moved in a couple of tomatoes and a Taro. 

I'm enjoying watching seedlings emerge Orach, okra, spicy greens and salad mix, carrots, purslane ...

I recently harvested seed from my perennial spinach and quinoa relative, Good King Henry - Blitum Bonus-henricus, and simmered some with quinoa for a tasty and naturally gluten free porridge. I've had my patch for over a decade, and appreciate it's carefree nature! 

It is in a corner that rarely gets extras water, is one of the first spring greens, and I'm still harvesting leaves to eat like spinach. I found the idea for porridge on a British blog. 

 Good King Henry

Pollen from GKH has been found in sites back to the bronze age in Britain and Western Europe. The author Alison also enjoys perennial herbs - which with their established root systems, are often more nutrient dense than their annual counterparts. 

She offered a recipe for Khoubiza, a Moroccan warm "salad" - or pesto - made with common mallow and purslane! I loved the idea, and those plants both volunteer freely in my daughter's garden! My younger grandson loves purslane, so I had him keep me gather the leaves. I used coconut oil, and gathered fresh Thai basil and parsley to add to a colander of the wild greens - yum!! 

 I sometimes forget how much flavor pesto adds to a dish - the small dark seeds in the quinoa are Good King Henry, and I added coconut milk yogurt and Khoubiza for a delightful lunch! What's growing in your garden?

Tea Season

It's tea season, and a couple of days ago I harvested a batch of Sochi Camellia sinensis, and processed a batch of tea. It is such a satisfying process, and I'm always struck by the fragrance of the leaves as they dry. As this Camellia association article notes, few people realize that whenever they sit down with a cup of green, black or white tea, the brew comes from Camellia leaves! 

Last year, my friend Nikki invited me over for a tea party, both teaching me the process, and sharing cups of her beautiful tea. She sent me home with a basket of fresh leaves we harvested from her bushes, which I augmented with leaves from my own for a second batch. 

Camellia sinensis Sochi

Nikki and I both grow the variety from Sochi Russia, which is on the Black Sea, and the "most Northern tea," very aromatic and frost Hardy. While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower) It's leaves are about the size of my ornamental Camellia. The flowers can also be used for a light and fragrant tea.

High in antioxidants, especially catechins, green tea is preventative for cancers, lowers the risk of stroke, and helps control blood sugar. In Okinawa Japan, one of the "Blue Zones" for longevity, drinking several cups of green tea daily was common. They often added jasmine flowers and a bit of turmeric for shan-pien, "tea with a bit of scent."

Harvest - 24 hour rest

It's been rainy, so I needed to await a break in the weather to pick the tip 2-3 leaves into a basket. These leaves are still soft, and rest in the basket for 24 hours, with an occasional toss.

In the wok

The next step is done in the wok, I used round salad fork and spoon to gently stir and keep the leaves from browning in a "stir-fry green" process.

Turned out onto a well washed cotton kitchen cloth, the leaves are tossed till kool, then bundled into a ball and kneaded to lightly crush and oxygenate. Meantime, the oven is heating to 400°

Ready to knead

After kneading

When the oven reaches 400°, the leaves are spread on a baking sheet or pan, and baked for 3 minutes, removed from the oven and spread on the cloth. This is repeated for 2 minutes, then 1 minute, and the leaves gently tossed between each round in the oven. 

After first round in the oven

Third round

With each round of the process, the leaves get drier and change color, retaining a green tint. The fragrance is a lovely light floral, rather like Jasmine. 

Drying on the rack

Now the leaves are drying on a rack, and I toss them occasionally. When they reach the crispy dry state, I'll store them in a wide mouthed jar, with parchment paper under the lid, in a dark cupboard. This time, I separated some of the stem pieces, and baked a bit longer for kukicha or twig tea. 

#greentea #permaculture #longevity