Stillness at the center - a concept I have come to love

In this time of year,  I am always called towards stillness.  I'm preparing for the harshness of winter but also allowing myself the time to reflect and receive the nurturing love that is found in stillness.  For me, that stillness most often resonates with the womb of the Mother.  Outdoors, I am experiencing the core of Mother Earth; regenerative, restorative, vibrant but still, and alive with potential.  Even though we are entering the dormancy of most plants and trees in this climate, we know that spring and emergence will follow.  In my spiritual path, I am quite literally meditating on time in the womb; gestating, nurturing, love - when all things are possible.  There is great power in allowing yourself to be still and listen.  There is no better time for this than winter.

I very much appreciate the fact that the first principle of Permaculture (Pc) aligns with this so well. 

"Observe and Interact" (Principle #1 from co-originators of Pc - Mollison and Holmgren)
David Holmgren says in his book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability that

Good design depends on a free and harmonious relationship to nature and people, in which careful observation and thoughtful interaction provide the design inspiration, repertoire and patterns.  It is not something that is generated in isolation, but through continuous and reciprocal interaction with the subject.

Rocognising the flow of nature is a tremendous gift.  Observing how She reacts to the approach of winter, interacting with Her quietly and pausing often for insights and inspiration is an amazing experience.  I am learning more about my home and the land I tend right now, than I have in all the years prior combined. 

I've learned which microclimates on my land react first to the coming winter and which ones hang on until the hardest freeze.  I am seeing how the flow of water on and through my land is changing as the ground gets colder and begins to tighten up.  My house is speaking to me in creaks and pops as we move from mild, humid air moving through open windows to warmed and dried air of a gas furnace.  I am noting which rooms have seen the most significant change in atmosphere (layers of energy, heat/cold, moist/dry, light/dark, inviting/opposing).  Two rooms in particular have already seen a huge change.  One was previously (summer and fall) a room I rarely went into.  Now that winter is upon us, I love it in there.  Conversely, a room I loved in Spring and Summer, I have rarely used this fall and early winter.  Is it the view, degrees of sunlight, temperature, energy flow, or a combination of those and other factors?  I've got more observation to do yet, it seems.

Some other things I am observing intently:

How do I feel about entering/exiting the different exterior doors in our house? 
We are considering blocking up a door in the kitchen (which is a matter of feet from another door on the east side of the house) and opening up a new door to the south which currently has no access.  I'm looking at how I feel about using the other east facing door exclusively (should we wall up the kitchen door for more counter space?) and how I might feel about having south facing access/light.
I also have a few design elements that could go several places on our land which would be highly used in colder months.  I am observing how I feel about moving in and out of doors to access these things (like a wood shed for the hearth and woodburning stove as well as a cold-frame/greenhouse) during the winter and specifically, inclement weather.

What is the best flow for our (soon to be remodeled) kitchen?
How do I use my current kitchen?  Could it be improved on by making a few additions but not relocating the major appliances?  What would I like more room to do and what could get by with less?  How often would we go outdoors from the kitchen/hearth room a day and is there a clear path?  What is the best location for a processing area coming in from the garden?

In these cold months when we are indoors more than out, to what degree can we unplug ourselves from computers and tv's?  It's not hard in the summer, we're busy outside and doing other things.  But in the winter, we tend to rely on these 'babysitters' more often.  How much can we cut them out?  What other things can we train ourselves to do in place of mind-numbing channel or web surfing?

So, I'm sitting back and observing - allowing things the time they need to move front and center of my attention.  And I'm (we're) interacting with the environment in new ways to encourage those gems to present themselves.  It really is amazing what you'll learn about your house, landscape and even the objects in your environment when you slow down enough to really observe.

Course complete; Course correct

I really had no idea to what degree the Permaculture Design Course would shift the course of my life.  I'm shedding outworn versions of myself at every turn it seems.  A true paradigm shift has happened and in no small part owed to the amazing souls with whom I had the great fortune to share this deep and transformative journey.

One way that I could sum up this change is this: I've gone from thinking "oooh, I might get chickens!" to "Holy shit! We Need chickens!".  My whole understanding of sustainability has been turned on its head - in a very good way.  I was only in the shallow end of that subject before, but now feel like I have a real working knowledge of True Sustainability - the impermanence of Permanent Culture.

I'm excited and renewed from this course and we (hubby and I) are motivated to ferret out the things we need to change first.  Small Steps - Big Impact.  That's what we're looking for.

I'll be writing as things unfold, posting pictures of the journey along the way and sharing resources as I come to them.

On that note, I'd like to share a couple of titles with you.
First is one written by one of the course teachers - Peter Bane - The Permaculture Handbook.  His book is currently still in pre-sale, due out in February.

The second is a book by David Holmgren - the co-originator of the Permaculture concept.  It is titled Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. 

You can order both books (and many others) here.

I own the second and it is a wonderful resource.  I know the former will be as well.  Peter has a HUGE wealth of knowledge and I am excited to see what he has in store for us in his book.

Permaculture...shifting my paradigm - beginning a blog series

A wonderful friend and sister ( +Rhonda Baird ) first introduced me to the term "Permaculture" a few years ago.  With a brief explanation, I deduced it was some sort of practice that supported sustainability.  I knew she was involved in teaching this practice, usually once a year, in a residential 2-3 week course.  For me, that wasn't going to fit into my life any time soon.

I was interested, but tucked it away for the distant future when my life might afford that much time away from home.

Then, I received a facebook invite to a weekend version of the course to take place this fall over the course of 5 weekends (skipping one in between each for homework and integration).  One of the weekends, I had a pretty important event, but at the last minute, it was rescheduled and I was able to sneak into the course!

The format has been: Friday evenings, Saturday (All day) and Sunday afternoons totalling roughly 15 hours per weekend of class and lab.  There are 3 wonderful people facilitating/teaching the material and each have their own set of valuable wisdoms to impart.
The student base is an awesome mix of people with a variety of backgrounds and goals for the course and their personal practice of the principles we are learning.  It's a great group that meshes very well.

So...  What IS Permaculture?

It seems that there is no set, or concrete answer to this.  The practice is so organic and is comprised of so many layers and facets that it is difficult to sum it up in a one-size-fits-all definition.  From my limited understanding of it at this point, I'd explain it something like this.

The practice of Permaculture allows you to provide for your own needs in a self-sustaining way through the nurturance of a healthy home-centered ecosystem.  This ecosystem would work WITH natural flows and patterns and would Decrease your dependence on consumerism.

Permaculture Design is the thoughtful practice of observing natural occurances and designing landscapes, buildings, homes, farms, villages, communities, etc. to be self-sustaining while also providing an opportunity for everyone's involvement in their own livelihood.

Both of these things are done with the greatest care of the Earth (All living creations of Gaia), People and Community.  They are all done with the understanding that peak oil is past and we must begin living within our means (From our paychecks to our natural resources) by not only conserving energy but in producing it and also by not only reducing our consumption of 'products' but by supplying our own needs as much as possible.

This is only a small piece (And a novice's understanding) of a huge concept from only a few days' exposure.  But it's more than I understood a week ago and maybe you understand a bit more than you did before reading this!

I plan on blogging about this process in a series.  Stay tuned for more to come!

For more information about available courses and Permatulture in general, check out
The Permaculture Activist

Also, you can check out what Rhonda is doing here at:
Sheltering Hills Design
and
Vital Connection Blog

Creative women



One of the walls in my studio.

 I have been so blessed to be surrounded by highly creative women all my life.  Grandma, aunts, mom, sisters, neice, daughter, friends and even neighbors have added such beauty and inspiration to my work and my life in general.  Up until a few weeks ago, I thought I was in some sort of vast network of creative women and was patting myself on the back for building a facebook page and etsy shop to market my creative wares.  (Oooo watch me go!  lol)  That network turned out to be but a dot.. a mere blip on the epicenter of creative women that is Google+.

I am by no means diminishing the amazing relationships I already have with these super creative friends and family of mine - they are the life force in my creative veins.  But the access I now have to all sorts of highly creative women of all walks of life is too much to measure.  Even at the slighted percentages, the fact that 10% of google+ is women is encouraging.  Through one of my Circles on Google+, I found this website Women of Google+.  It targets women who are on the frontlines of the Google+ test drive.  There are some truly amazing women there.  And I'm not talking just the techy chicks either (who totally amaze me with their talent as well!), there are artists, writers, college students, homeschoolers and everything in between.  A whole wide range of women who are on the cutting edge of social networking in a whole new way - and many, many of them are incredibly creative.

The flood gates have opened wide.

At this point, I am still really just processing how I will utilize Google+ and all it's wonderful bells and whistles, but the diversity of creative women is what's on my mind today.  And today, I will add at least ten of them into one or more of my many Circles.  Oh yeah, did I mention that I get to be creative there too??  Mmmhmmmm  Lovin it!

Women of Google+ is not owned nor managed by me and I make no claims on any content therein.

In the stillness of center

It amazes me sometimes just how much energy is held in the stillness of center.  Here, on the dark moon, I am focusing my intent on the gestation of a dream.  I'm holding it is the safety of the darkness of the Great Mother's womb.  The energy there-contained is ready to burst forth in its beauty and unbridled passion.  Even though I have already set this course; the bulk of the energy which will manifest it fully, is still gestating.  That raw, fearless, authentic passion is like water behind a dam...ready... ever-ready to flood forth at the releasing of the gates - the full recognition and birthing of my dream.

And here I pause, in the stillness of center, to honor all that has been, all that is, and all that is becoming.

And the day came...

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

Anais Nin

And so blossom, I shall.

I'm embarking on a new venture and would love to share that with you.  I've been searching for a way to Live my Bliss for quite some time now.  I believe it's found me after all.

I've found that I absolutely love all things fiber.  I could quite literally spend my entire day and evening working with fiber arts.  I get so much enjoyment out of all the facets of this art that it became obvious that this is the Bliss I wish to Live.  I couldn't be happier about it and I am thrilled to shout it to the world!

I'm only in the beginning stages of making this a way of life, but I welcome you to see what I've got going so far.  I'd love it if you would 'like' my facebook page Shores of Avalon and be on the lookout for my Etsy shop to go live soon.

Some of the things I'll be offering for sale include:

• Handspun yarns of wool, alpaca, mohair, cotton, etc.
• Handwoven textiles like shawls, scarves, placemats, bath mats, rugs, blankets, dish towels, etc.
• Handmade quilted items such as wall-hangings, bags, and blankets.
• Commissioned work will also be considered.
• Eventually I plan on offering classes and workshops in various things!

I'm very excited and so very, very blessed to have the opportunity to realize this dream!

Getting back to my yoga practice

Wow... I've been a slacker for the last few weeks.  At first, I slacked just a little bit.  Then I got out of the routine of eating breakfast... and just getting right into the tasks of the day.  Somehow in there, yoga dissappeared entirely.  (slaps hand)

So I'm thinking to myself "why am I tired all the time?  Why do I feel like shit?  Why am I in a bad mood?"  Duh.
Yoga - gone.
Breakfast - gone.
Daily spiritual practice - slim.

Sometimes my blissful ignorance amazes me.

So... back to breakfast.
back to daily gratitude practice.
back to yoga.

Almost instantaneously, I feel better.  (rolls eyes at self)

I'll get it one of these days.

Women's health, Planned Parenthood and Abortions

I stand with Planned Parenthood.

The agenda is now clear.  It's not about fighting abortions, it's about relocating women to their 'rightful place' as second class citizens.  There is no taxpayer money going towards abortions.  This money is solely for health and wellness - mostly of women.  And of those, mostly low-income women who have no other alternatives.

For all the pro-life people out there, I respect that you have an opinion, but really that's all it is.  It's yours.  So... you can feel comfortable in knowing that abortion is not an option for you.  And that is perfectly fine.  Well, that is, until you, your wife, daughter or mother become pregnant from something that allows you to challenge that moral ground... rape... consented sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol or whatever may make it 'ok' for you at that point.

However, my body, my daughters bodies, my sisters bodies are not yours.  They are mine and theirs.  And our understanding of life, death and the divine will shape our decisions about it.  Not yours.

I say this in a very definitive way.  That these things WILL shape our decisions, not the government or your personal moral beliefs.  Why do I say this as though nothing the government does will change it?  Because it won't.

Guess what... women have been terminating pregnancies since women have been able to conceive.  This will not change.  How do you think women did it before the invention of modern medicine?  Yeah, the wheels are turning, aren't they?  Any good herbalist knows.  Any good pharmacist knows.  Any woman in a line of healers knows.  No party agenda, No religious body, No crazy, in-everyone's-business-when-they-should-mind-their-own idiot is going to stop that. 

What the attack and shut down of Planned Parenthood WILL do is make healthcare for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of women unattainable.  Period.  It will deny testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.  It will keep birth control out of women's hands so that more unwanted pregnancies will result.  It will let cervical and breast cancer go undetected for thousands of women.

I won't stand for it.  Will you?

Signed,
Bobbi...  herbalist.

Healing Fear

It seems as though the winter would never end.

As I moved through my work towards becoming healthy, the winter lingered.  Goddess and the universe knew that My inner work wasn't complete.  I needed to pass another spiritual test before my spring could come.  That test came in the form of the scare of breast cancer. 

Before I go any further in this blog, I will let you know that all tests came back as benign. I am cancer free.  Blessed.

The tests for me here were all about fear.  Would I be able to let go of the fear that this disease had found a home in me?  Would I be able to release the hold that this fear had on me?  When things start to line up; like you hear of 3 people who've been diagnosed with breast cancer in less than a month, you tend to start thinking the worst.  You think that the universe has been preparing you for this news.  You start to think that it's all connected in some way.  In essence, you (I) start to take on the disease by association.

I am so blessed to have a true treasure of a friend who worked on me after my biopsy with energy work and reiki healing.  This friend gave me the best advice.  It was "stop taking it on".  I knew exactly what she meant and I took that advice to heart.  I let it all go.  Right then and there.  I knew I had to.  I went home and prepared a releasing ritual in which I Released All That Does Not Serve Me.  Cancer doesn't serve me.  Dis-ease doesn't serve me.  Fear (in this case) doesn't serve me.  I released it all back to the Mother so she could transform that into something balanced and healthy as only She can.  The Mother, Earth, Gaia, She heals all. 

Several days later, I received the results letting me know that it was not cancer.  This news came only hours after hearing that a friend had lost her long battle with cancer that very morning.  Bittersweet news putting it all in perspective.

Perspective.  There's a word for you.  Going through something like this has a tendency to change your perspective on things for sure.  You start playing out scenarios of having a life-threatening disease.  What are the things that rise to the surface as being most important in your life?  What things do you see as not so important anymore?  I did a lot of reflecting in the weeks that this process was ongoing.  I have changed my perspective on some things and  I can feel that others will change still.  The thing is - I don't even have the disease... or any life-threatening disease for that matter.  I can not imagine the profound impact of being faced with the opposite news would have.  My heart goes out to all who are faced with this right now and will be in the future.

As I end this entry, I am thankful to be full of life for another day on this beautiful planet and I personally send healing, love and support to all of those who are not.  May Goddess Bless our journeys here today and through the end of our days until we are with Her once again.

photo by author

Finding an activity or sport that works for you

As you know, I've been doing a 30 day yoga challenge.  To recap briefly, I committed to doing 1 hour of yoga every day for 30 days.  I programmed in 2 off-days within that 30 days as well.  Well, I am coming off of 2 days of rest and I have to say that I really missed my yoga workouts during those 2 days.  I didn't plan to take either of them off, but my schedule just demanded it... so now they're spent and I am set to go the next two weeks straight with no days off.  And actually, I am pretty happy about that. 

Here's a good question.  How do you know when you've found the Right exercise/activity/sport?  Well, my best guess would be when you get to a point that you are bummed out when something keeps you from it.  Or when you actually look forward to doing it every day (or however often that particular activity warrants).  Honestly, if you would have asked me 3 months ago if I thought there was ANY activity or exercise program that I would enjoy that much - I would have said No Way.  Did I believe there were things out there that I could tolerate?  Sure.  Did I think there might be one I'd like well enough to stick with it fairly consistently?  Yeah, probably.  But one that I would love this much?  Nope... not a chance.  I have very happily surprised myself.

Have you found something you like that much?  If so, please share what it is!  If not, maybe we can sort it out together...

Here are some things I did at first to think of different activities that would provide some physical activity, working with my personal limitations (knee, back and neck stuff) while still being enough to at least tone and keep my body moving.  Any weight loss would be a bonus but was also a desire for the short term.  Once I get to a comfortable weight (for me - not based on some doctor's chart), then I want a program that I can maintain for a long time.

I got my pen and paper, because I like that tactile way of doing things (but you could certainly do it on your ipad, laptop, computer or whatever), and starting listing things as possibilities.  Now, I did mine in list form, but recently, I was introduced to Mind Mapping which would be an awesome tool for this as well.  You can find information on that HERE. 

Some of the things I had on my personal list were yoga (obviously), walking, hiking, elliptical, dance, bellydance, irish dance, kickboxing (always wanted to try this) and circuit training.  After I had this initial list, I made columns to the side for checkmarks and notes.  Some of these columns were:
1. Does it depend on the weather?  (hiking would get a check mark)
2. Could it stress my injuries too much?  (kickboxing and irish dance)
3. Do I dread this? (circuit training got a big X on this one)
4. Is it something I can see myself doing several times a week?
5. Is it something that I can do as I age?

Once I'd laid that all out, it was easy to see that there were a few that stood out as good possibilities.  The top choices were:
Elliptical, Walking, Dance and Yoga. 
So with that, I tried a week's worth of each to see how I felt doing them consistently.  Voila, the cream rose to the top.  Yoga is definitely my preferred method of activity.  I also found that I liked the elliptical for getting some good cardio in 3 times a week and I dance and walk when the mood strikes.  :)

What I've found is, that I had to find something I really liked - if I wanted to make it a part of my daily life.  Activity, along with good, healthful food, sound sleep and taking relaxing time for yourself is crucial to well-being.  If you aren't active, you probably aren't as healthy as you could be - even if you're doing all the other things 'right'.  Finding something you love goes a long way to ensuring that you'll actually Do it. 

If you haven't found that thing you love yet, try mind-mapping, or just listing out some options.  And be sure to think outside the box!  There are lots of things out there - especially if you include group classes as well!  Be creative and find what works for you!  I did - and I couldn't be happier about it!

Best Wishes of Wellness!

Expand my garden or buy from a CSA...

I have been thinking about expanding my edible garden area this year.  In fact, I've been thinking about it so much that I already have a plan of how to lay it out and when to plant what.  (big surprise, right?)

But then I picked up a copy of Natural Awakenings magazine and found an article on buying locally.  I had NO IDEA that there was a farm offering the CSA program literally down the road from me!  I'm reading about this farm and what they offer and the thought hit me that I could get my local produce - farmed from less than 10 miles away - and free up my own time (that would have been spent in the garden) for other things.

For those of you reading this who live in Hendricks County, the farm is called Seldom Seen Farm and you can find them online if you click HERE. 

I also really like the idea of risk-sharing with a farm like this.  Hmmm, sounds like I've already made up my mind, doesn't it?

Now I guess I just have to decide what things I DO want to grow myself in my nice little 4 ft by 4 ft raised bed garden.  I used it as a Square Foot Garden last year, but could have optimized the space a little better.  I can also see what things Seldom Seen Farm is NOT going to produce that we really like to eat and let that be my guide. 
Wheels are turning...

Day 5 of my 30 day Yoga Challenge

I can't believe that I waited this long to start a yoga practice.  I absolutely love it! 

So far, I am enjoying a program called Beginners AM PM by YogaWorks.  This program has really detailed instructions on each move and incorporates a nice balance of poses.  I also like that we hold poses for a breath.  After I'd done it a few times, and had most of the moves and the sequence down, I've been able to do more reps of the poses as I am not waiting for her to explain each one.  So that also adds to the workout.  Additionally, I do a few more (I think they are called Restorative) poses at the end of the program - making it a full hour.
 
I watched another 'beginners' program (wish I could remember the name...) but Good Grief!  She never stops moving.  And some of the poses were way beyond my ability level yet.  I was glad that I just *watched* it and wasn't attempting to keep up at the same time.  Not only do I think I probably would have injured myself (lol), but I know I would have gotten frustrated and possibly fell into that negative self talk again - "Maybe yoga just isn't for me..."
So for now, I will stick with the YogaWorks program... if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

How's everyone else doing so far?  I know many of you have set your own challenges - I'd love to hear your feedback!  We're in this together!!

Namaste!

30 day yoga challenge

I'm giving myself a little challenge.  It's not too rough because it's sort of what I've already been doing for a few days.  Here's the challenge:

30 days of yoga
Goal:  One hour of yoga every day for 30 consecutive days.
Latitude: can be done in 2 sessions in one day if necessary  Get 2 'off days' within the 30.
Pay off:  1.  Knowing that I did it, which is huge; and 2. Seeing how my health, flexibility, stamina and body shape changes from this mode of movement.

Anyone want to take this challenge with me?  I will be tracking on Daily Mile, but am also willing to track another way if others want to join! 

honoring a plan while honoring your need to change it.

I've always got a plan.  If I don't have a plan for it yet, I've got a plan to make a plan.  But what I am learning is how to be gentle with myself when my plan gets stagnant, altered or thrown out the window.

When I embarked on a committed journey to my wellness, you guessed it, I made a plan.  With the help of a wonderful friend, that plan got further organized.  It was beautiful to see my plan on paper.  I could visualize the changes I was making and felt like I had a great vehicle to get me where I wanted to go.  I still believe all that - nothing has changed.  However, I have recognized that the organizational process - for me - can become a shadow.

An example of this would be when I hit a road block in the *plan*.  Let's say for instance, that I have a plan to exercise X amount of times per week.  If I am not motivated to do it and ignore that goal - or even if something happens that makes me unable to exercise (injury, other commitments, etc), the shadow side of my organizing queen will show up.  This shadow manifests in the Going Back to the Drawing Board syndrome.  If I reach a hiccup, roadblock, etc., instead of picking up where I left off, or working my way around it, I'll take that opportunity to stall out and tell myself that the plan wasn't right.  Then time and energy (that could have gone towards exercising) goes towards more planning and organizing...making a better plan this time that anticipates all potential road blocks.  (riiiight!)

So here I am, about 2 1/2 months into my wellness plan and 2 weeks ago, I began to find those escape hatches.  Cause, you know... exercising isn't much fun anyway... and it takes time.... and it's a lot of work, and I have an injury on my foot, blah, blah, motherfuckingblah. 
*Now... in my defense, I will say that in that time period - it was a time of major inner work regarding shadow and confronting it... so no wonder this issue reared it's ugly head at that time!  At this point - emerging into the light - I can see it for what it is ~ Clearly.

So, I allowed myself those excuses and basically stopped exercising completely.  This time, I just ignored the fact that I had a plan in place at all.  Then, a few days back, I decided to review what goals I had made and the plans for getting there.  When I re-read the goal (and subsequent projects and action steps) of exercising regularly, my shadow kicked in.  I told myself "Well, this plan obviously didn't work!  Guess it's back to the drawing board to create a new plan that will fix everything."  Uh huh.

Almost literally as soon as that thought entered my head, I had the clarity of what was going on.  I was about to tie up all that energy and time into re-organizing a plan which was already exactly what it needed to be... I just needed to pick it back up and get moving again. 

I took another look at what I'd set out for myself (the original plan), got focused on it and closed the laptop. 

So...now I am back to another stall-out point for me which is What to do?  I can get caught up in this too and tell myself that I don't like any of the options, so I'll just go meditate, or journal or do laundry ... or anything but exercise.  This limiting belief is getting on my nerves.  So, I summoned the fire in myself and asked what was one thing that I had been telling myself that I couldn't do.  Yoga!  I've told myself for years that it's just not something I can do.  Here's some of the limiting beliefs I have around this.

1. I'm not flexible enough to do the poses.
2. I'm too tall or more importantly, my legs are too long.  (for instance, I can't properly do the sun salute series because I can't get my foot back up between my hands after plank... too much leg, not enough arm space)
3. I don't have enough upper body strength.
4. There's not enough space between my ribs and my hips for some of the bend moves.

When I write these down, they're ridiculous... but for years, this is what I've told myself.  Yoga is just not for me.  But all along, I've been drawn to it.  I've envied all the amazing women I know who practice it regularly.  I have a friend in her 60's who teaches it and looks like she's freakin 40.  Who doesn't want that?  Seriously!

With that thought, I got out the mat, found a blanket, my block and a strap and settled down in front of the tv.  I found a great beginnners yoga program on Exercise On Demand and went for it!  Guess what?  I got through it!  Did I look as graceful as all the people on the screen?  Helllll to the NO, but who cares!  Who was watching me?  The cats... that's who... and they encouraged me all the way.  LOL

Take THAT(!) limiting beliefs~!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What I've learned

I've recognized another way in which I set expectations on myself to follow the plan or throw it out the window.
I've seen how my limiting beliefs can stall me out, allowing me to sabbotage my work.
I've gained clarity about my process and how I need to be gentle with myself when the plan needs a little altering - even if only for a day or so.

And now, I'm off to do some yoga. Namaste!

photo: Free Stock Photos

A conversation with Dandelion

Yesterday, I drew the "H" rune in my daily blessing.  The H being Herbal Allies, I did a short meditation to see what herb had a message for me.  Almost instantly, the Dandelion appeared.  I received a few insights about liver health and general wellness, but had the feeling that I needed to go a bit deeper to see how this herb would support my health.  I decided to employ the tool of the Doorway meditation (which can be found in Avalon Within by Jhenah Telyndru) to see what other info Dandelion had for me.

Within this meditation, I was shown the entire plant, but then focused on the leaves.  I kept hearing the word "sharp" and kept seeing the pointed (toothed) leaves of the dandelion.  I received the message that there was healing in the sharpness.  I also saw (within the doorway work) 2 books which I currently have.  One was Greens Glorious Greens! by Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers and the other was Healing Wise by Susun Weed. With these two books coming to me in meditation, I knew that there was healing through cooking the greens and also that the plant itself had much to tell me!

I pulled them both off the shelves and went to work.  Both books have great information on Dandelion; each from a different perspective, but equally valuable.  In the Greens book, I found many ways to cook Dandelion greens for the maximum benefit and taste.  I believe strongly that the best way we can get the healing properties from our herbal and plant allies is through diet, so finding these was wonderful!  Then I picked up Susun Weed's book and learned all about Dandelion (dent de leon - teeth of the lion) with all it's magical properties of opposition!  Oh what an amazing plant it is!

In her book, Susun actually describes dandelion's leaves as 'sharp' (it's so great when you get that little affirmation on your intuition!)  When I read this, I knew that part of what I was to learn from Dandelion was in the sharpness of it's taste and disposition. 

Dandelion leaves assist with circulation, lymph, kidneys, digestion and absorption of minerals and vitamins that the body needs.  These all contribute (or lack thereof) to Restless Leg Syndrome in my particular case.  I have a theory about what is causing the dis-ease in me, but I won't go into that here.  The positive thing is that I believe I've found my first ally to getting my body to move the vitamins, minerals and hormones required for healthy rest to the appropriate places. I have a lot more to learn about Dandelion, and I intend to have one-on-one conversations with it in the near future!

For the first time since I became a home-owner, I am eagerly waiting the spring shoots of this sunny weed to peek above the soil line!  I may even set aside a bed in the garden just for Dent de leon!  So before you go toting the round-up or grabbing the weeder, do a little research on this wonder-plant - you may need it too! 

Resources:  Avalon Within, Jhenah Telyndru; Greens Glorious Greens, Johnna Albi & Catherine Walthers; Healing Wise, Susun Weed - follow links for additional information.

Herbal Allies

One of the things I focus on in a daily meditation is Herbal Allies.  I will spend at least 5 minutes in meditation on what herb has particular wisdom for me/my health.  Sometimes, I immediately get an impression of a specific herb and other times, I am drawn to other sources to see which one wishes to speak to me.  Today, I was drawn to a board game I have called Wildcraft: An Herbal Adventure Game. 
I pulled out the deck of herb cards and shuffled them until I felt the right card was on top.  The card that presented itself was Cattail; typha latifolia. 

I know N.O.T.H.I.N.G. about typha latifolia.  From the game, I gather that it can stop bleeding and has something to do with hunger... but nothing else on my cursory flip through the info.  So, I pick up a few books (well, maybe a lot more than a few) and start looking for info.

(Do you remember the beginning of this post when I talked about Meditating on my herbal ally?  Yeah, well, that thought escaped me for a while) 

I found about Zero on this herb in the (probably) 8 herbal books I looked through and was thinking "what the hell is this card doing in that game?  It's a game for helpful herbs!"  Then I picked up one of my favorite books on herbs in Wales called Flowers and fables; A Welsh Herbal by Jocelyne Lawton.  It's actually IN There!  So...ok, this is an 'herb' that the Welsh apparently found useful, so I'll investigate. 

There wasn't much in medicinal usage, but there was quite a bit of folklore - which although interesting, didn't really have anything to do with my health.  The 'other uses' listed were of things like using the down as stuffing for mattresses and using the leaves as fillers in between boards to make a vessel leakproof.  In addition, the herb is planted in wetlands management to restabalize marshes and increase the diversity of species. 

"Ok...whatever... what does this have to do with me?  I am going to have to meditate on this to see what I get."
OOHHHH.... yeah..... that's what I was supposed to do all along....  DUH.

As it turns out, Cattails, being aligned as water of earth, hold water in.  In medicinal use, it is used to stop bleeding... duh... holding liquid (water) in the body (earth).  In the marshes, it's used to stabalize the land (earth) to hold water. 
What does this tell me?  Upon meditating on this question, I realized that I am still dehydrated.  I am not getting enough water.  Cattail medicine tells me that my body (earth) needs to contain more water.  I need to hydrate; with Water as well as green tea and juices.  When my body is HYDRATED, I only FEEL hungry when I actually AM hungry!  Oh....there's the tie to hunger!

In this particular case, I don't need to make a tea or tincture or anything else out of cattail, it's enough to understand how she works energetically with my health.  But I will look into the herb a little more closely - because who knows... there's always more to learn~

Feeding my soul

Well, since the weather outside is awful, it's the perfect opportunity to warp up a couple of looms... maybe 3.  :)

Project #1
Lap blanket
Black/chocolate 2ply handspun alpaca for the warp and Black 2ply handspun alpaca for the weft.  I may use some of the solid black to do a couple of outside stripes too. 
This will go on the big girl (Gilmore)

Project #2
Colts scarves
Yeah, I got two packets of blue and white yarn to make a couple of donated scarves for the superbowl next year.  I was going to knit them, but I did some calcs and I think I have enough yarn (if I do a plaid) to get two done by weaving.
This one will go on the 27" rigid heddle

Project #3 (possible)
Shawl
I have a few stockpiled yarns that I thought I would crochet, but now I am thinking I'll weave them up for Shawls for Sisters.  There's yellow and cream... I'm leading towards yellow...maybe it will coax out the sun...
If I can get one of the LeClercs cleaned up and moved into the house, I'll start one of these projects on it. 

In between, I'm going to do some spinning...  it's the perfect weather for it, after all!  I've got two different yarns started.  One's a beautiful merino/silk/alpaca combo in gorgeous pink/peach/silver hues.  The other is a hand-painted merino blend in green/teal colors.  Or... I may start on the wheel with another one of the beautiful rovings I have.

At any rate, it's going to be a fiber arts festival in my house O'r the next couple of days and I am Way excited about it!

Out with the old; in with the new!

I've been cleaning and organizing.

  A. Lot.  

The target of the most recent purges has been the kitchen.  What with all the dietary changes, eating whole, green foods, etc.  I really wanted to get rid of all the crap that had accumulated in my pantry and refrigerator.  I am embarrassed to tell you what some of the expiration dates of things in the fridge were... um...  suffice it to say that some condiments had been in there since Bush was in office.  The pantry... even though the dates were far older, I don't feel so bad about.  I mean, really, the shelf life of a twinky is like 30 years or some shit... so a can of soup couldn't be THAT out of date.  Yeah.  Found some stuff with exp dates of 1998.  For real.  LOL  Scary thing is that it was a giant bag of white flour.  I guess it's a good thing that I didn't have any need to use white flour in all those years... at least not a giant bag worth.  We won't even talk about the crisco I found lurking in the back of one of the shelves....  yuck!

I found crap that I can't imagine why I bought in the first place.  I think I had 2 boxes of white minute rice... both opened and partially used.  Of course, one of them had been shoved into the blind corner of the pantry (in my defense), but still.  Obviously, this pantry has been sorely neglected for well over 10 years.  How sad is that? 

It's sort of a walk-in situation and it's been full of all sorts of stuff ever since we moved in.  All the plastic bags that came from the market with the intent of taking them back in for recycling (which I just did... and for the record, I've used reusable shopping bags for quite a long time now.. lol) were all over the place.  All the small appliances that didn't fit on our limited counter space or small cabinets were there.  Serving dishes, crock pots, bread maker, rice cooker, blenders, food processor - you get the picture.  The trash is also in there along with brooms, mops, dust pans, etc. and all of our dry goods.  OH, and all 3 of our recycling bins were stacked up in there... just adding to the mess.  Now, this is only a 4 foot long area that is 3 feet wide at the *widest* part (the door is on an angle).  It was a veritable clusterf*ck of a space.  You could barely get in there to reach the things that we regularly use (which were conveniently placed at the front of the easily reached shelves).  No one ventured past that.

I finally have enough of the rest of my life in order that I guess I thought I could tackle the dreaded Pantry.  And tackle it, I did.

Now, not only is all the food in my pantry edible, it's also good for you.  Everything else went in the trash (as it was expired).  I eliminated several small appliances that we never use and some serving dishes and other misc. stuff that just needed to go.  (Goodwill cheers when I drive up!)  And the recycle bins found a new home in the garage.  Now it's nice and clean and you can actually walk in it!  Whoo hoo!

Since I was on a roll, I organized 7 of my cabinets too.  More things for the kids if they want them... or off to goodwill with it too.  The only 2 things left are the cabinet with our glasses and the awful tupperware cabinet ( a blind corner cabinet from hell).  I've found a nice organizer for it and will tackle it as soon as the organizer is installed.  (YAY!)

With all this done, I actually have space for the juicer and my tea pot and our fresh veggies and fruits out where we can see them...   Ahhhhh  It feels wonderful to be clean and organized.

Freeing up this stagnant energy feels Soooo good.  I can feel that things have shifted and we are open to better things coming in!  Bring it on!!

Priorities in balance

As I've been working on my dreams, I have realized that I really have to move some things around in my day - and even set a few things aside for right now - as I create time and energy to accomplish the things I've set out to accomplish.

At first, I thought "oh, I'll be fine.  I can squeek out the extra time!"  But when I put pencil to paper on all of the things I am working on right now, it was close to 3 hours a day of extra things.  Some of them I had been doing already, but not the the extent that I wish to do them.  Others are completely new.  The time alotted here is really just for exercise, meal planning, spiritual practice, seminary studies and other misc things.  When I also sat down to think of the extra time needed for meal PREP, I realized... Ok...something's got to give.  I'm the kind of person who needs a Minimum of 8 hours in bed... I function best with 9 or 10.  Trying to squeek those hours out of my rest time is not an option.
 
Now that I am eating healthier (and want to continue that trend), I am avoiding most convenience foods.  Even the organic frozen ones that I would reach for - are being left in the freezer case in lieu of fresher, more vibrant fruits and vegetables.  Of course, this means more labor in the kitchen - which I love - but still, it adds time to my daily tasks.

At this point, I am at 3 + hours of time accounted for - in addition to the things I am already doing and commited to (already 'full' days) every day.  I've already surrendered TV.  There are a couple of nights a week that I will sit down to watch a  movie with my awesome hubby.  Oh...and Sunday night HBO - not giving that up.  lol  But other than that - even on the weekends, I'm staying away from the idiot box.

Another thing I am drastically cutting back on is time spent on facebook.  As much as love staying up to date with all of my friends there, I HAVE to cut that to a minimum.  I'm cutting off the notifications to my cell phone and cutting back to a morning check in and an evening check in via my cell because I have limited access that way.  I'm removing the temptation to stay on there and read/comment on every little thing.  My posts will be limited to sharing links to my blog and the occasional 'mental break' that I may need.

In the past, these changes would have left me feeling deprived in some way.  But with this scenario, I actually welcome them.  I am tired of listening to mindless crap on the tv (and refuse to listen to the negativity on the 'news') - so that's not so hard.  And as far as FB goes, that's more of a habit than anything.  And most of that boils down to me being nosey... if truth be told.  :-P

So... dear facebook friends... if you need me, send me a message.  Otherwise, I probably will not know what's going on in your life for a while.

Change is good.  Transformation is Better.

Meditation Runes and Blessing Cairns

This is a short video about making meditation runes and blessing cairns.  The video is of good quality when I play it back on my laptop, but for some reason - imbedded into the blog, there is a time delay between picture and sound.  Please give me any feedback you have on this (or if possible - a solution!) as well as any feedback about content!  :)

Blessings!

Taking the next step

Radiant Health.  That's one of my main dreams for this year - to achieve Radiant Health.  If you follow me here or on facebook, you probably have figured that out.  ;-)

I've made some really nice progress already and I'm just over the 3 week mark.  Here are some highlights of what's been accomplished, or at least movement on, so far:

• Incorporated several healthy alternatives into the diet - replacing less-healthy counterparts
• Started planning meals instead of flying by the seat of my pants
• Followed an approach to shopping found in a whole foods eating book I have
• Incorporated exercise into my day at least 4 days a week (at this point)
• Better maintaining daily practice/thankfulness/balancing meditations
• Had a physical with blood work (all came back in the 'norm')
• Found a DO (Osteopathic Dr) to work with for neck and lower back issues
• Began research on causes of RLS and natural corrective treatments that work
• Enlisted the help of a wonderful friend and spiritual sister to be an accountability buddy to keep me on track with 'the plan'
• Several other organizational things that support this dream (putting exercise on the calendar for instance)

I really think that I am doing well and moving along at the right pace.  But when another wonderful friend offered a 6 week course on Empowering your Dreams, I felt like I could really benefit from taking it to the next level.  So... I've signed up for the course, introduced myself in the forum and anxiously await the start of the class on Sunday evening/Monday morning.

Sometimes, it's when we think we have things well in hand when we actually benefit the most from added support.  I feel this is one of those times and I am blessed that the Divine is supporting me in this way!

The freedom to Be.

I am really loving the new outlook I have on dreaming and manifesting transformation.  I've known that you must invision yourself as the person you wish to fully be for a long time.  So why was it so hard to apply that idea, which I put to practice in my spiritual life on a daily basis, to mundane efforts?  Who knows... maybe it was an issue of timing and alignment.  Whatever it was, I'm glad that I am NOW seeing that the concept reaches much further than my spiritual practice.

I realized today that I've been walking this path of dreaming and visioning transformation for almost 3 weeks now.  This may not be signficant to some, but to me, it is.  3 is a very powerful number.  And in this case, it is a milestone of great significance.  Usually, by 3 weeks in to any sort of change, I have lost interest, started to fizzle or have begun to really put pressure on myself to *see results* (be perfectly following my goals to the "T") - and if I don't see those results, I give up. This time, things are markedly different. 

I gain momentum and excitement with each passing day/week.  I'm learning new things about myself and putting new ideas to action every day.  I'm not bored.  I'm not fizzling out.  And most importantly, I am not putting unrealistic pressure on myself for 'instant gratification'.

Since I did not make wholesale changes at day one, I've given myself room for serendipity. 

Instead of following some fad diet, every week I incorporate something new and healthier to my 'normal' diet.  With each week, I move towards a healthier overall diet - but one food group, recipe or meal plan at a time.  I don't feel overwhelmed and I am not bored either.

With regards to exercise, I am going with the flow on that front too.  If I don't feel moved to get on the elliptical, I look at the *why* of that.  I listen to my body and adjust accordingly.  If I am just being un-motivated, I find a way to motivate myself by changing up the exercise I do.  I could go walk around the mall, do some yoga, follow a circuit workout on fit tv or exercise on demand, pop in a dvd on stretching or belly dancing or just pick up the free weights and do some strength training.  If none of that appeals to me, then I can clean or organize something in the house - that always needs done.  And if, after a check-in with my body, I feel like I need rest more than exercise that day - then I rest.  Guilt-free.  As long as I am listening to my body, then I am making the right choices.

In my daily spiritual practice and class work, I am being flexible with myself and trying different things, ways of approach and keeping things interesting.  That is making a HUGE difference in being excited to carve out that time.

Some of the other dreams for this year are just in the beginning stages of organization and setting to action - and that's ok too.  They will initiate when they are meant to and I am ok with that.

Right now - today - I am in just the right place.

Does a dream tug at your heart and won’t let go?

Does a dream tug at your heart and won’t let go?

Follow the link above for a great program to get you started!

Transitioning to healthier lifestyles without body rejection



Now is the time of year when many, many people make those Resolutions I was talking about in my previous blog.  Lots of those resolutions have some change to a healthier lifestyle at their core.  And for most people, we start off Gung-Ho by making wholesale, sweeping and radical changes at the get-go.

We set our goals and make the changes.  We jump in with both feet and go from zero to Mach 3 at Jan 1 (or whatever other magical day you chose).

Let's take diet as an example.
You've got a person who never eats breakfast, or stops at a fast food restaurant to get a fat-laden breakfast biscuit and a giant coffee or soda.  This person eats fast food or junk at lunch and boxed, quick or frozen food for dinner.  They drink no water, only coffee and/or sodas.

This person decides to make a change to a healthier diet and begins their day with juice, oatmeal and a couple of pieces of turkey bacon.

For lunch, they eat a salad with grilled chicken and no dressing with water.

For dinner, they eat a salad with grilled chicken and no dressing with water.

By noon, the lack-of-caffeine headache has come in full-force.  By dinner, your stomach is grumbling and wanting to know where the 'real food' is.  By day 3 you are completely miserable and pretty certain that your body is furious with you and starting a revolt.  You've already returned to the coffee and/or sodas (to get rid of the pounding headache) deciding that those are just something you aren't going to give up.  You've also 'fallen off the wagon' and ate fast food for lunch once.  This is just three days in.  Sound familiar?

Your body is used to the diet you've been following - however horrible it may be - and has been working hard to pull out the nutrients it can from the sources it receives.  Now you've gone and changed everything.  Your body has no idea what to do with this stuff.  It's used to getting energy from caffeine, not nutrients.  It's used to regulating processes with fat and processed sugars, not fruits and vegetables.  And we aren't even discussing the fact that the "new and improved" diet ALSO doesn't hold what the body needs to function at optimum levels. 

This may be 'better' than the previous diet, but if it is rejected by your body because your body is in a state of shock - what good did it really do?

Another example is exercise.  When a person has led a sedentary lifestyle, and abruptly changes to exercising 6 days a week, the body will reject that.  There are all sorts of escape hatches that your body will develop because it is Confused and In Shock.  They may range from cramping legs to full-blown injuries.  Your energy level may go from medium to completely drained.  Your body may reduce its energy to the level that you couldn't work out if you had a gun to your head.

Please don't misunderstand - I am NOT suggesting we stay in an unhealthy lifestyle, I'm simply suggesting that it seems more logical to take a different approach.

We've heard the phrase "Weaning Off".  I think it is a valuable approach to changing your lifestyle.  Unless, of course, you have medical reasons to make quick and wholesale changes.

If we ease into the changes, it gives our bodies time to assimilate the changes we make without freaking out.  In a way, we are sneaking them in right under our own nose.  The body doesn't go into shock and it is a seamless transition from unhealthy lifestyle to healthy lifestyle.

The hardest part of this is that we are an instant gratification society.  We want to think that we can make these huge changes instantly and see the benefits immediately.  Adopting this other approach requires patience and being gentle with ourselves while knowing that the changes we make will have a better opportunity to last than those made in a rush.  We've got to change our mindset.  We've got to see the bigger, long-term picture and respect that it is a process.

By taking 'baby steps' towards health, we also give ourselves the opportunity to research options, try different exercise plans, take a healthier cooking class, find a support group for fitness or healthy recipe sharing while making the initial changes.

A sample plan might look like this:

Week One
I am reducing my caffeine - going from 3 large cokes per day to 1-2.
I am going to eat a healthy breakfast - researching and implementing new recipes, grains, ideas, etc as I find them.
I am going to walk or do other cardio at least one time this week (going from no exercise at all)

Week Two
Continuing with 1 coke a day, I am setting a goal of drinking 4 8 oz glasses of water plus juice or other non-(or reduced, like green tea)caffeine drinks.
I am getting creative with breakfast options and cooking one dinner per week that is whole, raw, organic food.
I will walk or do other cardio 2 x this week.

Week Three
I will go every other day with No coke, coffee or black teas, will drink 6 8oz glasses of water plus other non(reduced) caffeine drinks.
I've got the healthy breakfast down and have been researching healthy dinner recipes.  I will cook 3 lunch or dinner meals this week that are healthy, whole foods.
I am continuing with at least 2 but could be 3 cardio days per week and incorporating another option (possibly yoga, strength training, kickboxing, etc).
I have started to research vitamins and supplements to add to my diet.

You can see how this progresses.  It gives your body the opportunity to succeed in the transition.  It gives your mind the opportunity to wrap around the changes without being overwhelmed.  It gives your spirit time to assimilate the improvements and work towards a holistic change.

I've been down the Fast and Immediate change road a few times.  None of them worked.  I have tried this approach and it worked for me until I self-sabotaged by wanting quicker results and put impossible expectations upon myself.  Lesson learned. 

In this case, I truly believe that Slow and Steady wins the race.

Journey Wisely and Be Well, my friends.

Disclaimer:
You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise, supplementation or medication program.  If you have a health concern of any kind consult with your health care professional. 

Dreaming and Visioning my year!

A Huge Thanks! goes out to Joanna Powell Colbert for her wonderful workbook (available here) on this topic.  It has been immensely helpful in developing a plan with goals, projects and action steps.  Check out her link, it's not too late to get started!

I've been working with this for several days now and love the whole process.  It's so organic and makes so much more sense to me than making resolutions.  Resolutions (to me), feel like they are rooted in the negative.  They speak to me of things I shouldn't be doing but am... or things I should be doing but am not.  Both feel like a scorn or scolding to myself. 

Dreams and Visions however, are powerfully positive words and ideas.  I feel like I am approaching these changes to my life from a place of positive energy and emotion.  They feel like welcome changes instead of things I just simply "should do" or "need to do". 

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that wellness/good health is a high priority of mine.  It's one of my Big 3 visions of 2011.  This vision has several goals associated with it (Healthy diet, exercise, daily spiritual practice, etc) and each goal has several projects and action steps.  For each one, there is an action step that calls me to put these things on the calendar (meal planning for Healthy Diet, exercise plans and buddy accountability check-ins for Exercise, morning devotions and meditation for Spiritual Practice, etc). 

Today, I am working on those action steps.  I'm setting appointments in my phone calendar and synchronizing with Outlook on my laptop as well as my paper planner.  Wherever I look, the appointments will be there. 

Along with this is regular blogging for the accountability portion of this plan.  I've added a widget to log exercise (not sure yet if this will work the way want it to, but I am giving it a try) and plan to add a text widget for meal planning as well.  If I can find one, I'll log meditations too.

After a good breakfast:
organic, gluten free whole rolled oats with dried blueberries and cranberries, almonds and a bit of brown sugar.
Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls tea by teavana

Morning Devotions

Yoga stretches

And a mid-morning snack:
Hard boiled organic, cage-free brown egg
more jasmine green tea

I am on a roll...  ;-)

Nutritious and Delicious Kale Chips

These are so awesome that you won't want a potato chip again!  They are super easy to make and are a healthy alternative to traditional chips.
For a large serving of these, you are looking at about 60 calories, less than 3g of fat (check you olive oil for specifics) and Zero cholest!  Want to know what else is great about kale?  Check this link out! Nutritional value of Kale

Prep time on these is about 10 minutes.  Baking time (with my oven) is 13 minutes.  They cool immediately.

1 large or extra large bunch of kale - rinsed and dried
Olive Oil (as desired - around 1 T)
Seasonings desired (Endless possibilities here!)
I used McCormick's Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt blend which has Garlic, Oregano and Basil on one batch and Artisan Sea Salt, garlic powder and parmsan cheese on the second batch. 

You'll need a large bowl, cutting board and sharp knife (unless you prefer to tear the leaves), cookie sheet and parchment paper.

Prep work

Preheat oven to 350 farenheit.  Use this temp for the first batch and adjust from there.  I ended up with 325 working best in my oven.

Cut or tear leaves from the center rib and then create smaller pieces.  I like bite-sized pieces myself.



Place pieces in large bowl and drizzle on the olive oil.  Toss well until all pieces are evenly coated with a very thin layer of oil.  You don't want them dripping, just nice and glossy.

mmm looks yummy just like this!

Arrange pieces on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice.



Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt



 

Parmesan, Garlic and Sea Salt



Pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes (mine was 13 minutes at 325) and you've got Kale Chips!

Better get you some - they won't last long!!!

Enjoy!

Returning to Glastonbury

I am so very fortunate to be able to return to Glastonbury this year.

When I was there in 2009, I vowed to return in 2011, but didn't really know if it would be feasible or not.  I am so very thrilled that we can make it happen!  My wonderful husband is so supportive of me in this way and I am very, very thankful for him!!! 

We will once again be staying at Little St. Michael's on the Chalice Well Grounds.

We'll have 24 hour access to the grounds, garden and well.  It's such an amazing place, and I'll be there for 7 whole days!  There are so many things I want to do while I am there.  I want to spend time at the Holy Thorn sending healing and love for it to flourish once again.  There will be much time spent at the Sacred Wells and hills of this wonderful landscape.

I am most excited to return to Glastonbury Abbey.

  I felt such an amazing connection there last time, but only had a small bit of time to spend there.  This time, I plan to pack a lunch and spend all day there at least once - if not twice while we are in town. 

I may rent a car and go to Wales for a day as well.  In fact, I am pondering the idea of going over 4 or 5 days early and spending those in Wales at Trigonos in Snowdon.  From there, I can visit Llyn Tegid, Tomen Y Mur, Dinas Dinlle, Bedd Branwen and Anglesey.  During the packaged trip, I can take a day and go to Preselli Hills and Dyfed.

This all brings me full-circle around to a healthier lifestyle.  I better get my butt in shape if I want to walk the Tor Labyrinth or hike to the Lake of the Maidens and Tomen Y Mur! 

The best part of this is that some of my closest friends will be there with me.  Time with my spiritual sisters is priceless to me.  To be able to share space with them in Glastonbury just makes it all the better! 

I am motivated.  I am energized.  I am Blessed.