Prevent the Flu! Naturally!

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Prevent the Flu! Naturally!

language as a transmuter and transmitter of mysteries, secrets and time (namely magic)

We are moving ever closer to the Winter's Solstice 2012. It's true, there is a lot of energy flying around out there (and inside).  

It seems ever more important to connect into ourselves and to Mother Earth, her wildness and her beauty.  Perhaps creating small rituals, as simple as placing a stone on your windowsill to remind you of her solidity, the way she holds you. Or perhaps a walk each evening as the night rises up and wraps around the city, so early, to remind yourself who you are between things.

Honoring these places of ceremony, of our own wilderness and discovering a way into the moments that connect us to the myriad around us, can be a powerful practice.

I recently did a co-interview with a fellow writer, j/j Hastain published by Angel House Press that touches into these very topics and what they mean to us as writers. Writing is one of the ways I touch and make sense of the world and to me is a ceremonial act.

Angel House Press 2012 Interview j/j Hastain and Lark Fox

May your solstice be filled with light and your own bright beauty!

Plant Speak: Deepening Our Connection to the Natural World

Wild Nettles

Happy Spring everyone!


Winter seemed to last forever.... but I am happy to report that our green friends have come out to play once again!

Cleavers

There are so many herbal allies that are growing strong all around us.  It's hard not to notice.

You may even feel like some of them are 'asking' for your attention.  

Perhaps you find yourself slowing down to look and touch and interact in some way.

I recently wrote an article for Common Ground Magazine on this very topic!

The article outlines a few simple steps that help us tune in and connect to the amazing natural world around us (and plants in particular)!

Here is the article: 

Plant Speak: Deepening Our Connection To The Natural World

Yellow Dock

May your spring be filled with the joyous riot of the green!

Organic Apple-Ginger Juice

I adore this combination!

It is sweet and spicy and keeps your taste buds dancing.

                               I go heavy on the ginger, I like its lusty zip.

I made this in a Vita Mixer:

-2 granny smith apples

-knuckle sized piece of ginger

-1 cup water

blend until blended :)...strain....drink.   

feel warm and energized like the healthy warrior you are!
                      happy

happy         happy!

Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." ~Robert Byrne

I have to admit.  
                          I've been hibernating.


It's no secret to those who know me best, that winter is not my favorite season. 

There are many reasons:
It's cold and snowy,stalactites of icicles hang from the eaves, my stairs are icy, the car is constantly covered in frost and I am inside wrapped in three blankets, a hat, a scarf and slippers.  

(okay maybe i am exaggerating about the number of blankets)

This:

really, winter?!

More reasons:
I have to pry the dog away from her permanent location next to the space heater, dress her up in a fleece jacket and endure her looks.

oh, it gets dark early and the wind is crazy and the produce in the store starts to look wilty and lackluster..... not to mention all the grumbly introspection I am 'forced' to do.


See, I love the warmer months, spring, summer and fall, with their fiesty liveliness, the warmth, the greenery, the light.  

The green is what I miss most.......

  There is something so sublime about warm sunlight dripping through verdant boughs, while 

puppies and kittens chase flitting butterflies. 

but i digress...

While we all await the arrival of spring, (wait is it just me?) here is a winter recipe for some soothing, comforting, warm breakfast cereal, that is chock full of goodness. 


This came from my partner Jacqueline, who got it from some guy named John who she worked with at a circus community on the Big Island of Hawaii.  She added the coconut oil later, and the sea salt and sweet, were inspired by her childhood oatmeal. 

Winter Hot Cereal
1/4 c. amaranth
1/4 c. quinoa
1/4 c. steel cut oats
1 tsp. coconut oil (or to taste)
sea salt (to taste)
water
cinnamon
maple syrup, agave, honey (to taste)
optional: goji berries


Mix the amaranth, quinoa and oats together and cover with water.  Let soak overnight. In the morning, drain the water and cover the cereal with water  aprox. 2 inches above the grains. Bring to a boil and cover with a lid. Immediately turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer, and check it every 5-8 minutes. Add more water and stir as needed until the grains are cooked.  Approximately 30-40 minutes.


Spoon the cereal into a dish and add coconut oil, sea salt and your choice of sweet.  
Add goji berries and enjoy!


Amaranth (Amaranth cruentus): sacred grain of the Aztecs, energizing, protein rich, wonderful source of magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and calcium.

Amaranth
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa): revered by the Inca as their mother grain, warming, supports heart and kidney functions, easily digested, highest protein of any grain and a complete protein. Excellent source of calcium, lysine, iron phosphorus, B vitamins and vitamin E.

Quinoa

Oats (Avena satvia): imparts stamina and warmth, improves resistance to stress, stabilizes blood sugar, regulates the thyroid, soothes the nervous and digestive system, reduces cigarette cravings and cholesterol, high in protein and amino acids.

Oats

Goji Berries (Lycium barbarum): a 'super food', antioxidant, protects against cancer and cardiovascular diseases, good for eyesight. 

Goji Berries

Oh add a little cinnamon for a bowl full of SUPER yum! 

SO GOOD!

Thrive into Autumn!

The wheel is turning in the plant kingdom. 

There are little hints all around that the seasons are changing, cooler nights, darker mornings, and the leaves on the trees have begun to turn the colors of the sunset. 

Temperature fluctuations become noticeable, with summer-like heat one day and cold and rain the next. 

Plants once vibrant and green, or flowering are "going to seed" and casting their hearty offspring into the warm earth. 

In preparation for the coming cold, energy the plants use for growing moves into the roots.

  

As the seasons change, if we tune into the plant kingdom, its signal is for us humans to follow by nourishing and caring for our bodies.

How many of us begin to feel the shift in our bones only to end up with a cold or flu? 


We may feel run down,"under the weather" or simply tired.   

via herb companion

Maybe our digestive system gets sluggish or we wake with puffy eyes and stiff joints.

The reality is, we are connected to our natural world and the more we are able to care for ourselves in a way that is interwoven within the rhythm of this vibrant world, the better and healthier we will feel during the change.

We can do this by taking a few extra steps and raising our awareness just a bit, during the transition. 

Here is an offering of ideas and hints to thrive into the slower, changing days of Autumn.

REST:

Get in bed earlier. This sends a signal to your body that it is time to slow down from the fast pace and long days of summer. You may naturally feel the shift inside your body, and feel your eyes drooping earlier than you are used to. Try to listen to your body and give it the rest it needs.
Crawling into bed even 15 minutes earlier will help with the change and 1 hour earlier is ideal. I even recommend spending a few nights outside (in your tent) sleeping close to the earth.  If this is not possible, take your blanket out under the golden falling leaves and have a little autumnal nap.

via whidbeycamanoisislands.com

NOURISH:
Eat foods that are in season now. You can find lists online or if you have a farmers market in your area, check into what plants, vegetables and fruits are available in the Fall months.The shift into Fall calls for heartier foods and warming spices, soups, roasted root vegetables, warm teas, healthy oils, freshly cooked warm foods, good protein, and stewed apples. These are just a few examples. 
Eating healthy, fresh, seasonal foods is an everyday essential not just during the seasonal change.
Don't forget to drink lots of fresh water!

via Firefly Yoga

EXERCISE:

Give yourself lots of permission to slow down. Take time to cultivate a sense of gentleness within the body. Stretch. Take a walk outside and drink in the color of the sky, the trees, the plants. Move with your breath. Tune in and ask your body how it would like to be active.Don't pressure yourself to do as much or push as hard as you do in the bright summer months.
Balancing and detoxifiying yoga poses are especially helpful this time of year.Try these suggestions: Yoga Journal Balance Sequence and Yoga Poses for Detoxing the Body

TONIFY:
Make a High Mineral Tea (nettles, oatstraw, red clover, alfalfa, red raspberry,rose hips) and sip it throughout your day. There are many lovely Fall plants such as yellow dock root, elderberry, burdock root, horseradish root, and spinach, that can be eaten or made into medicines such as yellow dock tonic, elderberry syrup, or a "last" greens pesto. 
These will help support your immune system while giving your body a little extra umph.

RITUAL:
Set intentions. Play with your intuition. Make time for Self Care. Practice simple ceremonies. Light a candle or watch the sun rise. Connect to and talk to the plants or a special tree, ask them for a healing or some fall wisdom. Drum. Create art. Write. Cultivate a sense of inner awareness. Listen. Meditate. Attune to the changes in weather.Ask for a healing dream before bed. 


Many spiritual traditions have their New Year during the Fall. It is an excellent time to contemplate the letting go of anything no longer serving your highest good and making room for the new.

LAY ON THE EARTH:
Spend 20 minutes everyday outside on the earth. It will help with much that ails you!

Thank you for this most amazing day

for the leaping greenly spirits of the trees

and a blue true dream of a sky 

                        and for everything 

which is natural

       




which is infinite

which is you.

-e.e. cummings