Loving Without Control
~Adapted from The Path to Love, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 1997).

The key stances of letting go of control are all forms of allowing: Acceptance, tolerance, non-resistance. When control is ready to loosen its grip, a definite relaxation takes place. The façade of the demanding, critical partner who is so quick to blame begins to melt. You start to feel love once more, not as an idea but as a sensation in your heart. And at last you find it possible to allow.

When this stage is reached with the beloved, the healing process begins to branch out into other aspects of your life. The following changes will often be in evidence:

* You stop measuring people by whether they live up to your expectations. You begin to resist the urge to correct their mistakes and give unwanted advice.
* You lessen your habit of taking care of others without really caring for them.
* You become tired of trying to keep track of every detail of your life and bored with people who have always given in to you.
* You begin to listen to objections and disagreements instead of using them to trigger your own opinion.
* Unexpected emotions come to the surface. This usually arouses self-criticism because you can’t control your feelings anymore as you once did. At another level, however, this eruption of emotions comes as a great relief.
* Your impatience begins to lessen.
* You take stress seriously, no longer believing that you thrive on it.
* You begin to listen to your body, which has all along been giving you signals of tightness, fatigue, etc.
* Your mind gives up calculating every move in advance.
* You stop holding grudges and remembering slights. Resentment begins to be replaced by tolerance.
* You quit setting external goals for yourself and believing that achieving these goals faster, better, and more tirelessly makes you a good person.

How can you love without need? Know the difference between ego and spirit.

The snake is the symbol of kundalini rising. Here is a cool video that illustrates it:
LINK TO VIDEO

Snake represents TRANSMUTATION in the Medicine Cards
Snake medicine people are very rare. Their initiation involves experiencing and living through multiple snake bites, which allows them to transmute all poisons, be they mental, physical, spiritual or emotional. The power of snake medicine is the power of creation, for it embodies sexuality, psychic energy, alchemy, reproduction and ascension (or immortality).

The transmutation fo the life -death-rebirth cycle is exemplified by the shredding of Snake’s skin. It is the energy of wholeness, cosmic consciousness, and the ability toe experience anything willingly and wihtout resistance.

NO WONDER I SCREAM!
Enjoy Summer’s Surprises!

Wendy

A few posts back I mentioned a Native American Healing Circle that I attended in which one of the Elders said this:

“Grandmother Earth has much more power than we could ever imagine. To think that its our job to heal her is presumptuous. Its our job to heal ourSelves. If we heal ourSelves, we are healing Grandmother Earth. We always think we are improving when we are fixing something outside of ourselves, when She wants us to heal ourSelves which is the same as healing her.”

I was struck with an even deeper following of this thought vein, and I saw our reflection in the Earth. When herbs spring up in the spring, they are the earth healing herself. NOT US. Mamma Earth herself is reflecting the very sayings about - she is healing HERSELF as we heal OURSELVES, not one harming or healing the other. Its all inside of us, healing is not external.

Look at these photos:

ILLUSTRATION 1

This apple tree was backed over or plowed over by something before we moved in. Here the tree sits half out of the ground. Look at what is growing all around the base of the tree - Self Heal (Heal All). You can read more about Self Heal in the store

ILLUSTRATION 2:
Don’t try to cover me up, I’m under here! Rock was laid here as a water drainage, her skin was ‘cut by rock’. Here comes Dandelion to push up what has been covered up, to remove poisons, to clear toxins, and to be boistrous. This is why we see Dandelions in sidewalk cracks and driveways, it is earth trying to remove those toxins from her skin, which is the same healing component of dandelion when we take it as medicine, a liver detoxifier.

More about dandelion, and its ability to remove toxins here.

ILLUSTRATION 3
Now You’ve Really Pissed Me Off and I’m Sicking Thorns on You
(but because I love all beings and anger doesn’t really become me, please enjoy these berries while they protect me from more chainsaws).

The lesson I learned in this Nature Teaching, is that when we heal OurSelves, the side benefits are enormous. As earth heals herSelf, I can harvest these herbs and foods she is producing, just like my kids can harvest the good vibes from me when I take care of mySelf. Past generations have called spending time or money on ourselves “SELFISH”. I believe its absolutely essential to be selfish and take good care of OurSelves.

02/21/08
Dear Wendy:

“I have to say that I am not usually one for follow ups but I felt it necessary to convey my appreciation and thanks for your help and patience. I received all three of the essences you had recommended (Cherry Plum, Red Chestnut,and Star of Bethlehem) and though I admit I was skeptical the results have been tremendous.

Whether it was the opening of my mind itself under duress or simply the inherent nature of herbal science, either way thank you for your time and consideration.”

Sincerely,

Ron

Did you know if you drop just a few drops of Rose Geranium Essential Oil on your dogs collar, it will repel ticks all summer long? Keep re-applying every week or so if the scent becomes too faint. Ticks HATE Geranium.

Did you also know that FRONTLINE and other tick repellent medicines are PESTICIDES?!?!?!?! Don’t poison your doggie this summer, try this natural altenrative that is harmless to your dog and to the environment. (You may have noticed your dog become lethargic after applying these pesticide based medicines in past summers).

This oil is only $13.95 for 10ml - it will last years and years. Get it now >>

Wendy

Well I did the thing that you never think yourself careless enough to do.

I stepped on the rusty old nail. When it happened, it didn’t hurt at all, my brain just said “you just stepped on a nail”. I was carried over the threshold into the house, with blood gushing out, my sock quickly turning from white to red.

My shoe, still standing on the nail, was able to tell me that the nail went 2″ in. GOD! The plank was under leaves and the nail was maliciously sticking itself up just waiting and waiting… like a spindle on a wheel or a poison apple…

Cleared the kitchen counter and threw myself up there, hefting my foot over the sink - first reach was Goldenseal tincture right into the wound, then right into the mouth. Didn’t mind the taste at all when usually it makes me flail and flince like a flounder. Next I am furiously reading through
Matthew Wood’s Book of Herbal Wisdom - tetanus, tetanus, tetanus (I have not
had my tetanus shot) - and its in the index… Plantago Major. Good for blood poisons. OK! Plantain tincture, directly into the puncture, then down the hatch. The tincture burned into my foot, “JESUS!”, well at least I know I’m not in shock anymore and now I am beginning to feel the pain. The stinging told me it went all the way into the wound, sometimes the things that hurt the most are the best for us… After that, we couldn’t find the Hydrogen Peroxide, so straight vodka over the whole wound.

Next comes bandaging issues. I used Carolyn Kelley’s First Aid Powder to make that “herbal skin” in order to close the puncture wound as infection free as
possible. I know her powder has Goldenseal in it so used that each time I
changed the band-aid.

Now the hole is just a scab and the inside of my foot is still tender, I
have no red lines indicative of tetanus. I am definitely staying alkalized
with teas and green foods right along to ensure nothing starts inside.

I did confirm later that Michael Moore recommends Hydrastasis as a standard for puncture wounds (Goldenseal).

I am still watching it and nursing the foot. It slowed me down for sure
which may have been what I needed, something worse could have happened.

That’s the LONG version!

Adventures in Herbalism and Life… affirming my bodily existence in many ways!

This recipe is from OfTheField.com, written by Linda Runyon.

Lamb’s Quarters Fat
Hen Soup
1 lb. lamb’s quarters leaves &
seeds (6-8 cups), washed
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt (optional)
¼ tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. whole-wheat flour
½ cup milk (or water)
½ cup sour cream (or water)
2 tsp. pine kernels

She notes when harvesting the Lamb’s Quarters (a.k.a. goosefoot), not to pick any red stemmed as they usually contain nitrates, only the green stemmed. Its an amazing amount of vitamins and nutrients in this wildharvested recipe.

For the full cooking instructions, visit her web site. Linda teaches all about eating wild foods (as simple as pine needle), and how to harvest, clean and prepare these free edible foods.

Hops, the main ingredient in Beer, bears this latin name:

“Humulus lupulus“

If you say this five times fast, it will induce a drunken state. Thanks for the tickle, you silly Latins (am I one of those?).

Wendy

Foods and Herbs High in Magnesium
Alfalfa, Apples, Apricots, Avocados, Bananas, Black-eyed Peas, Blackstrap molasses, Brown Rice, Cantaloupe, Catnip, Capsicum, Chamomile, Chickweed, Dandelion, Dulse, Eyebright, Figs, Garlic, Grapefruit, Green leafy veggies, Hops, Horsetail, Kelp, Lemons, Licorice, Lima Beans, Mullein, Nuts, Parsley, Peaches, Soybeans, Tofu, Whole Grains

Possible Signs of Magnesium Deficiency
Angina, Asthma, Cardiac Arrhythmia, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain Syndrome, Constipation, Depression, Dizziness, Digestive Problems, Heart Attacks (without magnesium, arteries tense up) High Blood Pressure, High LDL Cholesterol Levels, Hypertension, Insomnia, Irritability, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Kidney Stones, Lack of Concentration, Migraines, Muscle Weakness, Nervousness, PMS Symptoms, Pulmonary Disorders, Rapid Heartbeat, Seizures, Spasmodic Pains (especially during women’s monthly cycle), Sugar Cravings, Tantrums, Teeth Grinding, Twitching, Schizophrenia

Things That Increase the Body’s Need for Magnesium
Alcohol, Antibiotics, Diuretics, Diarrhea, Fluoride, Excess Levels of Zinc and Vitamin D

Things That Deplete Magnesium
Large amounts of protein, fats, cod liver oil, calcium,and/or vitamin D. Foods high is oxalic acid, such as almonds, chard, cocoa, rhubarb, spinach, and tea. Stress, refined flour and sugar, chemotherapy.

Oakhurst Dairy, a leading non-hormone milk provider in Portland Maine, announced that they have turned their facility into a solar powered facility! AND they have turned their delivery trucks into bio-diesel trucks!

This is so fantastic, I hope all corporations begin to convert to alternative fuel sources and stop emitting pollution. Oakhurst noted in their report that they will save 5,000 gallons of oil per year(used to heat their facility), in addition to the pollution that burning this oil would create. This is the largest solar installation in New England to date.
Full Story

Whats in my fridge? You bet… (big smile)

Wendy