Pink Coyote

Once Upon a Nettle

If you are my Facebook "friend" you may be right tired of hearing the word nettles. I have become an absolute fanatic about them, considering that they are growing wild all over our back property and in full season right now. There has been many a lively discussion about what to do with them and how to endure their prickly, welty stings in order to come to know the one known as the little Grandmother with a broom who comes in and gets to work moving things along.

Today I collected her leaves three times for three cups of tea, for the sinus infection I'm suffering. I just picked the leaves and some of the tops and stuffed them into a mug about half-way to the top, and then poured boiling water over them. I picked them fresh each time to make sure that the life and energy of the plant was at it's peak. The first cup was very clearing and satisfying, and I used a neti pot afterward with great success. I chomped her wilty leaves from the bottom of my cup. The sting leaves the plant after about 3 minutes after being picked when the acid in the needles loses it's mojo.

Nettles contain more protein than any other native green, her claim to fame being breaking down uric acid lickity split, having a curative effect on kidney conditions, mucus in the intestines, and gout. She attacks mucus like a crimefighting ninja superhero and I've had better luck with her than with any other herb. She loves to grow around junk heaps, where the soil is unfavorable, making gold out of the worst conditions. I consider her an alchemist. The possibilities of her use are endless. Matthew Wood tells a story of a man with no feeling in his legs flogging them with nettles and regaining feeling, allowing him to walk again. Isn't that wild?

When I harvested tonite, under the starlit sky, I was alone and in no hurry, so I took my time talking to her, listening, I sang her a native song, peed nearby as an offering, and thanked her, promising to bury some crystals and medicine near her roots with the children tomorrow.

I love how the kids are learning to respect her, though her sinister needles have impaled them mercilessly. They seem to be appreciative of the gifts that plants give us, and Miles has noticed that she springs up for free, with no effort at all, every Spring. As he prepares to plant his vegetable garden, I see him lingering near the wild dandelions, lying in the flowering clover, inspecting the weeds. I wonder if he is curious about cultivated plants versus wild ones. I hope he asks me why they're both important. I think he'll figure it out on his own...

Springtime Goodness

There are still a few spots open in my Friday Muse as Mask class at Squam AND the Medicine Shawl class. Jump on board and return from the northeast forever inspired.

Loving this Cherry Blossom Essence offering from my friend MaryBeth and Three Sister's Alchemy. It's the perfect, Keep Me Present and Grateful in This Moment elixir. Thank you, Goddesses, for your magic and your positive energies.

Absolutely flipping over the relaxing power of chocolate. Yes, I did say relaxing. Lisa Reinhardt, of Wei of Chocolate, sent me a tube of passionflower and bird of paradise-infused organic RELAXED chocolate and the kids and I are HOOKED. I'm also over the moon about JOYFUL. Thank you, Lisa, for your generosity and for creating chocolate that heals, when I seriously thought chocolate couldn't get any better.

When women honor their ability to make magic, my heart soars. It seems Springtime is bursting open all around with mystical, intuitive healers popping up like fresh daisies.

 

Medicine Bundle Bender

I made a record number of bundles for the shop this weekend, because they seem to go so fast, and it requires a lot of set up just to make a few.  It was a bit crazy in this studio with so many creatures running wild at once. My hope is that you'll find what you're looking for in and amongst the herd. There are only a couple of them that didn't make it into this batch.

I'm also making lots of custom bundles behind the scenes, and it is keeping me as busy as a springtime Bee. I can't yet explain how fulfilling it is to work with some of you personally. As you entrust me to discover combinations of allies to help bring in the energies and changes you're seeking, I can't help but feel totally overwhelmed with gratitude for what I do.

Sending out a grateful hug to the world today. You are beautiful as you journey this winding road, gathering your tools, opening up to your deeper Self.

Hunger

It was hunger sent the young bird into the palm tree
I saw his too-large shadowed figure and klee-klee'd,
Metallic, in my best mother Kestrel
He fell for it, inexperienced fellow,
Flew out and perched atop the pole, studying down at me.
I lectured him on the ethics of egg-stealing,
Invited him to hunt my pasture for mice as the others do,
Work up to ground squirrels, even.
A nobler pursuit than thieving to survive
Why not flourish!
I left him there after a long while,
Wondering the same for me.

for Quick and Dirty Poetry, Maya Stein's most excellent Feral Writing e-class.

As I've been receiving the prompts for Quick and Dirty each day, I've had to circle above and dive down on them, not even having the thirty minutes each to spend on a poem. Sometimes I have only five or ten minutes.

This is good, it's unruly and raw, and it gives me the opportunity to trust what comes forth. I realized this week, in responding to Maya's e-prompts, that when it comes to creativity, I no longer want to know structure. Wild is all I know. Coming to this work as a Recovering Domestic, I know that I could follow the rules, but have rewired myself in order to sink deeply into my own bones of expression, which has made all the difference. I appreciate this process much more.

Rhythm without rhyme.

Feral.

Hummingbird

I have been inundated with custom work since opening myself up to doing it. It takes so much time, but oh my goddess...it's so fulfilling. Each one is a crash course in doing a reading for someone, and making relationships between allied plants, stones, animals and energies to create a little healing companion, basically-one who manifests movement and change, in addition to acting as salve on the wounds that prevent us from going forward.

I want to share this one with you, because it really has opened my heart.

HUMMINGBIRD

*The medicine of this bundle is about the patient healing of the heart, releasing negative energy, and the art of gentle and focused movement. It teaches how to appreciate the beauty in every moment.


It contains:

A pinch of organic tobacco, a traditional offering to the Spirits.

A chunk of sweetgrass is for purification of negative opinions, sweet positive vibrations, a pleasant relationship with the Self, and as a prayer for healing. Sweetgrass serves as a reminder of the eternal and spiritual beauty within us all.

St. Johns Wort is for chronic conditions of pain, nervous exhaustion, emotional depression, stress, anxiety and fear. In cases of nerve trauma and myalgias, it calms the cycle that creates persistent dis-ease.

Milk Thistle is primal and detoxifying nourishment. It self-seeds with it's light, fluffy seedheads, spreading healing everywhere it goes. Milk thistle is a medicinal food. It breaks down bile, decongests the liver, and clears out obstructions. It is used for melancholy and despondency, targeting emotions of the spleen, which is commonly associated with anger and frustration. It lingers in the 3^rd chakra, or power center to help with eliminative functions and processing of toxins. It is a herb which is indicated in serious cases where a patient is seriously ill or facing death. It's claim to fame is curing various types of poisonings.

Raw emerald is for infinite patience and protection. The Crystal Bible says that emerald is the stone of successful love, that it is life-affirming, keeps a partnership in balance, and brings about domestic bliss and loyalty. This could mean with a literal partner or within. It opens the heart chakra, calms the emotions, eliminates negativity, enhances psychic abilities, and opens us to clairvoyance. It is a protective stone which strengthens the character to overcome the misfortunes of life. It is helpful in cases of claustrophobia and enhances the ability to live life to the fullest.

Hummingbird has flown into this bundle to demonstrate his brilliant technique of hovering above a situation to observe the beauty of it. He drinks the nectar of life from every possible flower, never missing an opportunity to experience the sweet beauty of his world. His flight, though rapid in wing movement, is gentle and fairy-like, bringing magic to the bird kingdom with his uniqueness. He comes to remind us in times of hardship that we can always see beauty, we just have to look a bit harder than when we are literally surrounded by it at all times. His movement is energized, focused, and calculated. He promises to be with us when it is most difficult to appreciate the NOW. While forward movement is guaranteed, Hummingbird specializes in the beauty of the present moment.

 

 

Serendipity Retreats at the Outer Banks

I'm so pleased to be teaching in October at this retreat, in the amazing company of three women who I greatly admire. The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a place I've always wanted to visit- the magical lure of the folklore captivates me. Explore the website to meet the guides and see if it speaks to you...

Serendipity Retreats is the creation of wildchild Michelle Madden Smith, of Blissful Thinking. What I love about her vision is that the time spent there will leave plenty of room to explore your wild soul and ask the important questions which will lead you to unexpected and wondrous answers...

Join us!

 

She Hangs Brightly

It's been quite a weekend with this amazing moon, Ivy's second birthday and the Equinox all falling together beautifully. Here's a little photo journal of our adventures together.

First to UCLA to catch Dan Zanes, the kids favorite band ever.

Wearing her Bellawish birthday necklace that reads, "angelfish".

Miles and his favorite drummer, Colin.

I thought I had a cake mix at home, but I bought two boxes of frosting mix instead, so cake from scratch it was. I modified the apple cake from the Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook, added strawberries, used oat flour instead of all-purpose, cut the grated apples by two thirds, left out the nutmeg, added extra cinnamon...

...voila! Strawberry cake with pink glaze and berries, just as the wee goddess requested. It was super moist, so much better than I expected it to be. I never use regular cake pans any more. Cast iron is where it's at.

Out to sit by the campfire and throw herbs on it. Myrrh (for the rebirth of Spring) and lavender (for a calm transition back into the active season) made my dreads smell so yummy. Can you see death taking wing in there and getting ready to be born again?

And there she rose. Peeking up over one of the clouds that would not thwart her appearance.

And seconds of singing and cake the next day, of course.

Have a wonderful Monday, and a beautiful first day of Spring!

One Sweet Cat

Thank you, Cat, for this tribute. I feel honored.

Vlog Sacred Tools: Gratitude

 

I've made another video, this time while daytripping at my favorite beach here in California, Rincon Point. It's a local's beach where the surf is good and tide pools abundant with sea life for the kids to poke around in and discover the magic of tide pools.

I'm demonstrating how easy it is to set out into nature with the tiniest of sacred tools, in order to give thanks to the directions, the Ocean and the sacred planet for all that they give and inspire in us. When we go for outings, my kids often like to bring home treasures. It is fitting to leave behind a blessing. My children participated in thanksgiving offscreen today, because they were having too much fun playing to be part of mama's production. The wee pouch didn't take much preparation to fill, nor did it take up too much room among the baskets and bags to schlep down to the sand. Some rites can be brief and compact, while being very effective.

I don't have a photo of my pouch handy, but I wanted to share one with you. This one, called Palomino, was made by Karen Prado. There are all kinds of pouches, bags and beautiful ways to carry the sacred medicine, some of which are more American Indian in appearance and tradition, and some which have obvious Celtic details, and plenty more others still beyond that. Receiving one as a gift or making one with your own hands makes it extra special.

I packed the pouch with:

lavender buds

a rose quartz bear fetish

pieces of blue kyanite

If you hang in until the end of this short vlog, you will see a panicked me bolting off to save my children from a runaway horse, who dumped it's rider and took off down the shoreline toward the area where they were playing with a friend of mine and her baby. Brandon and I  laughed MIGHTILY, because it's like watching a Funniest Home Video. Thank goodness no one was hurt! Interesting that even a spooked and stampeding horse can use selective judgment in a crisis, eh?

My first thought was to trim the video just after I said final thanks, but Coyote insisted I leave it in for laugh therapy.

Bless the Ocean & Earth, Japan, frightened horses, and each of us on this global ride. After the events of the week, perhaps a hearty laugh will be a good release for all.

 

Earthquake Relief Print

Strength Fine Art Print. $12 from each print sold will be donated to Direct Relief International.

Elephants are the ancient, wise ones. They are associated with great physical and emotional strength, resulting in the establishment of deep familial relationships and support around them. They are known for toppling obstacles and never giving up on the journey to act in accordance with one's highest self. Their perseverence distinguishes them from other beings, indicating longevity and endurance when the task ahead is heavy or daunting. Elephant finds her power within her own mighty strength, and enjoys the reinforcement of an empathetic community dedicated to seeking higher wisdom.*

Earthquake Relief comes in so many forms. If you are having a special or fundraising to help Japan, NZ or any region recently hit by disaster, please let me know and I'll add it to this thread if it's a good fit here. Thank you for all that you do, but especially for the amazing spirit that you ARE.

Doorways

Wherever I roam, I find that I come home with photos of doors. The older and more weathered, the better. The attraction must have something to do with my willingness to walk into something new, risky. It takes trust, and I'm big on that right now.

This may be one reason why I love Lisa Field-Elliot's website...it reads and feels like an invitation to trust the process of this adventure-filled life.

When I went to a poetry evening with Maya Stein last year, she spoke frequently of, "the way in." As creators, we are searching for a way in. Access. Travel from the outside to the inner rooms, realms, secret closets, attics and pantries. Where the fertile soil lies hidden.

Not knowing what is on the other side, we've all found ourselves standing outside the proverbial doorway (to more information, if not the answer) wondering whether we want to know what lies beyond the click of the knob.

What I'm imagining, more now than before, is not to gain understanding or to comprehend my experiences, which are of the past as soon as they've happened. I've hopefully given up that fruitless pursuit. But to find a way to thrive amidst whatever lies behind the threshold I choose to walk through. I seek acceptance that can be discovered, received, without an intellectual bludgeoning needing to take place. To *move with fluidity* beckons through these days of young babes, new work, different levels of energy, than I had ten years ago. It feels particularly feminine to trust this and to let go the analytics.

I carry with me to my bed-nest tonight hope not to repeat the mistakes that initiated me into this complicated adulthood-and when I do, to softly thread myself back into the weft of thriving life without seamripping myself in the process.

Each road I travel, there is a doorway at every turn.

That's a bounty of metaphor for one post.

 

All You Need

I love this boy, his wide open heart and sponge of a mind, his love of the natural ways of the earth and wind, his free spirit and compassion for living things.

I love waking up to intense sunshine streaming through the front window, even when she cries, "Too briiiight!"

I love growing-slowly, painfully, crooked at times, as a fool for love, and poetry.

I love my gloriously gifted friends and artists near to my heart, for their thoughts, their brilliant locomotion and originality.

I love giving someone a chance that could save their lives.

I love this giveaway.

I love releasing again and again, as there is always something to give back to the earth for transformation.

I love this book, by Sandra Ingerman.

I love hating something about myself and finding a way to be kind and love it instead.

I love our new tax accountant! A thousand blessings on Blake!

I love the promise of Spring, the gentle and light gift it brings on the breeze, mornings warm enough to open all the windows.

I love that love is enough, in so many instances. All of them, actually. If words and actions are done with love, from a place of love for humankind and this planet, everything would be possible. Everything is possible. Right now.

Quietly Creating

It was a quiet week with no warning here, I apologize. My to-do list had gotten out of control and needed some love. So I put my hands to work and here's what I have to show for it.

A countertop covered in patchwork squares in prep for tiny curtains.

 

Another surface covered in tax receipts from my adventures in 2010.

 

A cabinet makeover which included a bit of sanding, a slap of paint, a bit more sanding and some new pulls.

 

A new cover for a very old chair, made with a heavy vintage Danish fabric I found for a steal.

Some special request and custom bundles that filled my heart up.

And a new medicine bundle, Moose: Returning to Spirit Roots which covers so much rich territory, was inspired by one amazing woman reclaiming her connection to the Earth, and a group of brave, spirited women in my world.

It's good to be back in this beloved space!