on a good day

stones 

tree agate- fill

azurite- manifest

rose quartz- soften + heal

flourite-flush

fuchsite-behold

Bean Salad

Mung Beans-Release (from paul pitchford: "one of the most important beans therapeutically, they are particularly useful because of their capacity to cleanse the heart and vascular system and reduce toxicity.")

Small red beans- Expel 

pinto beans- Settle

fall

<< >>

FOR WOMEN WHO ARE TIED TO THE MOON, LOVE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH. WE INSIST EACH DAY WRAP IT’S KNUCKLES THROUGH OUR HEART STRINGS AND PULL. THE LOWS. THE JOY. THE POETRY. WE DANCE AT THE EDGE OF A CLIFF, YOU HAVE FALLEN OFF. SO IT GOES. YOU WILL CLIMB UP AGAIN.

YOU RARE GIRL, ONCE AGAIN, YOU HAVE A BODY THAT BELONGS TO NO LOVER, TO NO FATHER, BELONGS TO NO ONE BUT YOU. WEAR YOUR SORROW LIKE THE LINES ON YOUR PALM. LIKE A SHAWL TO KEEP YOU WARM AT NIGHT. DON’T MOURN THE LOVE THAT IS LOST TO YOU NOW. IT IS A BOOK OF POEMS WHOSE METERS WORKED THEIR WAY INTO YOUR PULSE. EVEN IF IT HAS SLIPPED FROM YOUR HANDS, IT WILL STAY IN YOUR BODY.

YOU LOVED A MAN WHO TREATED YOU LIKE ABSINTHE, HALF POISON AND HALF GOD. HE TRIED TO SWEETEN YOU, TO WATER YOU DOWN. SO YOU LEFT. AND NOW YOU HAVE YOUR HEART ALL TO YOURSELF AGAIN. A HEART LIKE A STONE COTTAGE. HEART LIKE A LOVER’S DIARY. HOPE LIKE AN OCEAN.

~   LETTER FROM ANAIS NIN TO CLEMENTINE VON RADICS (After Marty McConnel)

and then there was you

springs late, and so am i says miss faye

Gardening in the rain is great. Dang hard roots come out with soft earth ease. 

hopefully by monday i'll have the seeds all in and my inventory stocked. getting ready for market is much more than just product, i'm understanding. down to tracking miles and waiting around for backorders. not to mention replanting seeds that didn't grow, or sprouts the cat ate; and dissecting rocks from the garden.

so in comes steeping in spring II... anticipation, preparation, strength.

{strength}

^

will to "stay in one's integrity"

so in comes helichrysum: easy Helichrysum italicum. integrating bruising of the subtle body into a more usable medium for understanding. and isn't clear understanding breeding ground for strength? now isn't that a daisy.

reference: The Subtle Energies of Essential Oils, West Coast Institute of Aromatherapy E-Book

Laurel (Bay) Leaf; Laurus nobilis

From William Woodville, Medical Botany

When I tell people the ingredients of my body cream, I often get the response, "Hmm, bay leaf, I thought that was for cooking..." 

While it definitely is a common kitchen spice, it does also have vast medicinal and folk use. (So good news for you bay leaf-in-my-stew folks!)

Laurel Leaf is a heating carminative, stimulant, and expectorant. It has pungent taste. Its action aids in stoking agni, the digestive fire, and burning away heavy mucus that blocks tissue channels; specifically in assimilating nervous conditions, as vata (nerves, anxiety, movement) reigns over the small intestine, stomach, and colon. 

Laurel leaf is commonly used in combination with cardamon and cinnamon, creating a trio of aromatics, The Three Aromatics, using strengthened digestion to enhance the body's ability and sensitivity to react positively, with grace, to other subtle medicines.

In folklore, Laurel Leaf has been used to promote positivity and purification, especially regarding self-worth and self-appreciation.  

In short, laurel leaf is has a strong personality for helping people find peace of mind and peace within the body. It rallies for the self to heal, to get rid of its excesses, and to be ok with the result, and then, as with the baccaLAUReates, are commended for that high achievement.

Not to mention, laurel has a remarkable aroma! A true gift from the natural world. 

Resource: The Yoga of Herbs; Dr. Vasant Lad, and Dr. David Frawley

in the belly of the whale

after the long walk in the rain, she took out her umbrella. 

How Refreshing

to sit beneath a thousand hummingbirds.

                                                                   Mural by Kayla Olson