Samhain Altar: Offering to our Ancestors.

The moon is waxing
The air is hanging in a Samhain suspense.
The wind is quickening
all energies condensing invisibly,
palpably,
electric.

An eerie glow twinkles from the last golden leaves,
decending like a flock of lifeless butterflies.
The trees brace themselves,
sinking down into gravity,
Humming with flexible resin.

There is a hurricane headed.

A real one in the air, from the ocean,
and one inside many of our souls.

The days of the dead,
with a full moon,
seems perfect.
Our ancestors are pissed. We have ravaged the land
and each other
Without much care.
We have ignored ancient laws and common decency.

And when the veil thins, they can speak to us again.
Throwing branches, flooding our plains,
thrashing with bolts of lightning.

If I were an ancestor I'd be ready
to yell too. I'd call down to Earth daughters
and sons
and all hearts:

"LISTEN"

Our storms are the same.
We cry in tears of grief and loss
We sob - flooded and drenched
with longing
for wholeness and reclamation
dying to bring back our limbs, our roots,
our loved ones.
Our lovers and our bees,
our waters and our wombs,
our milk and our breasts wrought with poisons

We are dying to be one again, or separately together.

What are our ancestors asking of us?
What, by their massive tantrum,
are we asked to mother.

Have we let ourselves be the storm, enough?
Grief is a turbulent, cold river
winding and leading to forever
but different in temperature as it flows.

Tears, our human tears,
are filled with hormones and pain relief
Just as the sea is filled with kelp and stingers and teeth
and magnificent depth.

My ancestors are asking me to be both gentle and fierce
To ask the plants for help at the same time I give seeds and tears to the soil.
They are asking me to share my gifts of healing and sensuality and connection,
and to ask others the hard questions, too.
To be a role model for a new/old way.
They ask me to be a devoted mother,
and to prepare bone broths and root brews and oil medicines.
And pray to the trees.

What would your ancestors ask of you today,
sweet one,
if he or she,
were sipping mugwort and sweet fern tea
over candlelight,
with you.
?

Offering gratitude for my beloveds today, in honor of the coming storm, the coming sacred day of the dead. To my teachers, mentors, changemakers, mothers, cross dressers, beauty-dancers. 
I offer sage, osha, copal, cedar, lavender to you. 

Grandfather, you made sweet wine and a family of hearts.
Grandmother, your fingers danced with music and you asked nothing less than excellence
Grandfather, you were trapped in a bad time to be such a feeling man, when you could have better served as a Shakespeare actor.
Grandmother, you raised powerful women from your caring. You passed down your golden heart. 
Grandmother, you danced a wild edge of wellness and crazy, and with your flagrant beauty, you taught us, too.
Ancestors before my Grandparents, I hear your pulse in my blood, I see your glory in the land. 

Blessed be your wisdom and gifts, newly understood, newly ignited, newly creative in this precarious, auspicious world. 

A-ho.

Offerings for honoring our lineage....

herbs;
Mugwort
Bloodroot
Balm of Gilead
Osha
Copal
Palo Santo
Juniper
Acorns
Roses
Ferns
Redwood
Ginkgo
Amber
Seeds

feathers;
Owl
Raven
Vulture
Chicken
Turkey
Pheasant

bones;
Cow
Salmon
Turkey
Whale
Antlers
Snake skin
Frog skin
Deer skin

mineral;
Salt
Crystals
Seaweed
Shells
Family Jewelry
Diamonds
Amber
Prehnite
Rose Quartz
Hematite

liquid;
tears
ocean or river water
wine
mead
herbal brew
cider
herbal beer
cream
honey
herbal elixir
herbal tincture
herbal oil

herbs for grief/heart:
Rose
Lavender
Tulsi
Valerian
Kava
Poppy
Hawthorn
Rose of Sharon
Motherwort
Mugwort

essential oils for grief/heart
Vetiver
Sandalwood
Rose
Cinnamon
Basil
Lavender
Ylang Ylang
Clary Sage
Cedar
Palo Santo
Violet
Oakmoss

~~~~~
May you know peace in your heart, may you know wholeness underneath grief, may you know love as the center. 
~~~~~

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Enrollment for Lady's Slipper Ring Ends October 31. 

Come home to yourself on a journey of sacred self care and pleasure medicine.

Enroll HERE 

~Blessed Be~

Natural Executive Check-up (ARDK)

In the Philippines when you say executive check-up, it is composed of a comprehensive medical , physical, laboratory and diagnostic procedures or work-up, which prices range from P25,000-P150,000 depend on the program packages, room types and doctors, in order to have a full assessment of health status of a client or patient.

Did you know there is such a thing as natural executive check up without undergoing complex procedures, painful examinations and with a fast results!

The machine is called ARDK (Automatic Reflective Diagnostic Kinetic), It is an equipment that measure the pulse, energy levels of meridian points in arms and legs and the corresponding  measurements sent online in Taiwan and gives an interpretation and graphical illustrations of one's health status, organ conditions and pre-dispositions to certain diseases. It is very traditional in such a way that our ancestors, folk healers are also doing that in diagnosing diseases, we called it "namumulso or pulso", I think it is the way to describe it, the difference is that it applies a modern technology like a computer in the measurements. I guess it was called "natural" because of the traditional concepts involved  and "executive" because it is comprehensive.

I had tried this kind of diagnostic procedure because I trusted and believed Dr. Viloria so much,  It is very inexpensive and informative when it comes to assessment of my health status and I am amazed by this procedure, It even revealed my pre-existing conditions and it correlates with my medical and laboratory work-ups,  It even explained some conditions that can not be explained in some medical findings. I have noticed that in other patients as well, as I was observing how the little machine works and do wonders in most patients, and to the patients I reffered to him. This way, he can address the condition better and prescribe the proper nutrients, supplements and detox programs and it works! well.. I don't want to sound bias here, It is for you to discover and find out.-Tien Cho( RCB)

Natural Executive Check-up (NEC):

The first online comprehensive health check service now in the Philippines

Natural Executive Check-up (NEC) is primarily used by Biovitale Holistic Center in patient assesments, in such a way the root cause of one's illness is identified immediately and not merely the symptoms. Hence, the treatment will be more efficient and economical.

NEC is most useful for:

• Undetermined or hard to diagnose health problems
• Prevention, It tells what are the weak internal organs, or those with ongoing disease process and yet still without any external manifestation.
• Identifying the "root cause" of certain illness like hypertension, asthma/allergies, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, cancer and many of the so-called chronic diseases
• Maintenance of general well being for it gives the person the true picture of his/her current health status.

All Natural Executive Check-up (NEC) results at BIOVITALE HOLISTIC CENTER are evaluated and analyzed by no less than DR. SONNY VILORIA.

BIOVITALE HOLISTIC CENTER uses the Natural executive Check-up or Automatic Reflective Diagnostic Kinetic (ARDK) . A combined technology from Russia and Taiwan. Imagine! In just 5 minutes the root cause of the diseases can easily be identified, without pain, without complicated preparations, all at a very inexpensive cost.

Also Available@ Integrated Laser and Complementary Medicne Clinic

Herbs for Our Elders ~ Returning Nourishment, Reclaiming Lineage

Caring for our elders is a reciprocity of life. It is a return and a gratitude of nourishment, compassion, listening, and love.

It is also a way for us to grow our hearts and become more whole as humans.

I say this as a novice really. My experience of helping those in difficulty or challenging health are not as many as a lot of people. But they are meaningful and thought provoking. And challenging as an herbalist.

I am learning as I go.

What I am noticing so far is that loved ones in a health crisis want powerful help - but deeply need comfort.

This can prove challenging for us who are bringing drastically different foods or teas to the table and expecting results and palatable joy.

Just as working with anyone who desires health and wholeness and is seeking change to get there, we have to meet the runner at the starting line, and offer compassion at each step. This can mean starting with the very simple basics - which should also be the top priorities.

One important priority for elders is that in a state of depletion, we cannot ask the body to detoxify. This is my philosophy all the way around, actually, but it's critical to remember this for our elders because making the mistake of detoxing without deep nourishment can be extremely harmful. Their bodies simply do not have the resources to support detoxification. Their bodies can decide on their own volition when to let go of old, when it is nourished deeply enough with the good stuff. Nourishment will enable natural rejuvenation.

So, my tactic is to go deep, and go simple.

My husband left this morning with a jar of bone broth and the herbs to add to a pot of simmering water.

The idea is to nourish at the deepest level: the cells. The blood and bones. And to do that we need something that is essential to the body's most native structures and delivered in a way that will be assimilated in earnest by all digestive functions (that may still be working)

This means minerals and water and it must be cooked and it must be both plant and animal.

Thus, bone broth (happy grass fed organic and local marrow bones), and herbal infusion.

No, I'm not a scientist (maybe your cringing and busting my chops for not having scientific footnotes. Please go somewhere else if that is what you want.) I'm someone who has used herbs her entire life and has never been on prescription or OTC drugs. I've never taken antibiotics. I'm 37 and comparatively I'm damn healthy, and so are my kids. I'm someone who believes in the food and medicine traditions of our lineage and puts them to good use.

This past couple generation of elders has been robbed. They've been sold wonder bread and told their homemade pickles are a nuisance. They've been given student loans from their kids that rob them of time with their family. They've been fed kool-aid instead of afternoon tea and their health is suffering for it.

This pains me. Our most valuable community members, our mentors, our wise women and wise men are stripped of their initiation rites and mentoring roles, and instead shoved into ticky tacky little boxes.
Alone, and without their food and medicine heritage. Without their gardens, without their heirs, without their health and dignity, and often times without their purpose.

Maybe offering a bowl of bone broth, a hug, and a mug of reishi-astragalus decoction won't change the world, but it might reconnect our elders with a sense of belonging, a feeling of solace, and a remembering of how the world was meant to be. It just might change their life, no matter how much of it is left.

I'm grateful for the wisdom and commitment of our teachers and elders. They know cool stuff about life if we just stop our phones and listen.
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Seasoned Mineral Bone Stock {from Lady's Slipper Ring Moon 8}

Into a stock pot or crock pot, add:

~ 10 ish chicken bones, or 4-5 beef bones with marrow (approximately) or use the whole carcass of a roast chicken, skin & gelatin & giblets and all
~ 6-8 cloves fresh garlic
~ 2 Tbsp vinegar or ½ of a fresh lemon with peel
~ 2 Tbsp salt (you may desire more later)
~ 1 Tbsp black peppercorns, whole
~ 3 bay leaves
~ ½ of an onion
~ Chunks of celery & carrots as desired
~ 1 tsp each: dried thyme, basil, oregano
~ 6-10 mushrooms
~ 1 inch chunk ginger root, fresh, sliced
~ 3 slices of dried astragalus root
~ 1 Tbsp of seaweed
~ 1 beet, in chunks
~ Water, filtered or well, to fill pot ¾ way full, leaving room for later additions.

Water should be filtered or good clean well water. Gently, at barely a simmer and covered, let your bone stock cook for at least 18-24 hours.

When rich and ready, you can choose to simply add the vegetables you wish, and fish out bones/skin as you enjoy your meal (usually very easy), or you may choose to ladle it out and pour through a strainer and then make your desired soup with the strained stock, or freeze it for later use (excellent gift for an expecting mother!)

You may also wish to simply leave it as is, scooping out bowls as desired and enjoying the simplicity of it. Any which way, it’s versatile, easy, delicious, and intensely nutritive. *If you’re friendly with a farmer or butcher and you can also get chicken feet – this is traditionally used in the making of a densely nutritious stock. The gelatin rendered from the feet nourishes tendons, ligaments, nails, hair, skin, and other vital functions and structures of the body. It is also something remiss from most modern diets. You’ll also notice that the gelatin will coagulate on the top of the liquid when cooled, and help preserve the stock for longer by keeping air out. Bones and veggie scraps can easily be collected from suppers and stored in the freezer until ready to use.

Bone Deep Decoction

For a decoction, add the following herbs to a crock pot or stove pot and let cook, just below a simmer, for at least 30 minutes. Water can be added for three rounds with the same herbs within a 36 hour period.

For an infusion, add the following herbs to a half-gallon mason jar, cover with boiled water, add a lid, and let sit overnight. Strain & sip the entire contents over the course of two days, make again.

~Astragalus - 2 long strips or 4 short of dried root.
~Licorice - 2-4 medium strips
~Red Clover Blossom - 1/2 cup
~Oatstraw - 1/2 cup
~Nettle leaf - 1/2 cup
~Reishi mushroom - 4 1-2 inch chunks
~Mugwort - 1-2 Tblsp
~Linden - 1/2 cup

Since this infusion is relatively bland, you can also add it to soups and foods instead of water. You can also do that with the above bone broth.

~~
If we can offer our sweet elders just these two bone deep offerings, we will be giving them great gifts. Simplicity, comfort, ease, and the ability to make and replicate the healthy blood cells they need.

And while you're at it ... everyone in the room should have a bowl and mug too - you can't take care of others if you're not taking care of you.

Love,

Ananda

Cancer Cure They Don't Want You To Know

Cancers, one of the greatest enemies of our time, also a great teacher, that we should go back to nature and re-examine our lifestyle. We are all aware that malnutrition (poor nutrition) and pollution is the leading cause of cancers. It is saddening that many victims are people close to our hearts and I can not just imagine the money, quality time  and life being wasted. I have written and shared some articles from other sources regarding cancers and how to prevent it, in this section I will talk about some simple things that can be of use in support to prevent or even a cure base on the book by Kevin Trudeau "Cancer cures they don't want you to know", I hate cancer, It took so many lives of friends and love ones, I hope and pray It does not exist anymore.

Photodynamic Therapy + IV Laser Blood Irradiation: A new protocol for cancer using Russian Technology and now available in the Philippines.

The Sun can cure diseases

The sun does not cause skin cancer. The sun is needed for life. If you don't spend time in the sun you will be sick. The sun is vital for health, longevity and to be disease free. If you are sick, one of the things that you must do is get out in the sun. Every living thing on the planet, with rare exception, cannot live without solar energy from the sun. Without sunlight, a whole host of physical abnormalities and diseases become prevalent, without sunlight you develop diseases, including depression, lack of energy, poor sleep, poor digestion, weight gain,, arthritis, constipation, bad breath, body odor, cancer, HBP, diabetes, attention deficit disorder,, stress, headaches, susceptibility to colds, flues and viral infections, PMS, male erectile dysfunction, infertility, anxiety and more. The sun can potentially cure you of all these diseases. This is an example of natural cures that they don't want you to know about. Why would a drug company want you to know that the natural cure for depression is simply getting some sunlight?  All they want to do is sell you drugs. Drug companies do not want to cure or prevent diseases, If they did, they would be out of business.

Does the sun cause the skin to wrinkle and look old? No. One of the thing the sun does is to draw out from the body toxins to the skin. it also stimulates cell re-growth, which actually makes you look younger and keeps your skin wrinkle free. Why is it then that people who spend more hours in the sun have a tendency to have a dried-up skin and wrinkled skin and look older than they are? The reason is because they are so toxic. When your body is so toxic, the sun will draw out from that body and bring those toxins to the surface. This is a good thing. It helps you cleans and detoxify your system, keeping you young, beautiful and healthy.

However if you are nutrient deficient, specifically in the good oils and fats that you need in your diet, excessive or prolonged exposure to sun can cause these problems. The solution? very simple, that you are toxic free, that you do not have nutritional deficiency, that your stress levels have reduced, Therefore you can spend much time in the sun as much as you want and it will benefit you. There is a caveat to this, every person's pigment is different and will burn at a different level. Obviously use common sense. If you are pale white and haven't been out in the sun in years, don't go out in the sun in the  middle of the day for four hours. You will get sunburned and it is not a good thing, build up the time in the sun.

Get rid of your silver fillings:

You must also address the devastation of toxic dental metals, root canals, and mercury amalgams. This information is still being ignored by by the majority of mainstream dentistry and medicine. metal simply should not be in your mouth. researches in Europe have estimated that perhaps up to half of all chronic degenerative diseases and illness can be linked to the toxic dental metals in your mouth.

Vitamin E cures cancer!

This should be a the headline but you will probably not see it. Why? because all-natural Vitamin E is such a powerful health enhancing supplement that the drug companies are trying to discredit it every way they can.

In the article by Dr. Jeff McCombs, the author of book Lifeforce. It describe the most recent study and report on Vitamin E. This explains and exposes how "studies" are really nothing more than fraudulent reports brought and paid for by the pharmaceutical industry to either falsely make you believe that their drugs are effective and safe, or falsely make you believe that all natural remedies are ineffective and dangerous.

please take time to read the link on Dr. Jeff  McCombs:

Vitamin C for Cancer Treatment:

In this article Dr. Saputo discuss how an IV Vitamin can be use for cancer treatment as being shown by Dr. Linus Pauling, also known as the father of Vitamin C, for his research, studies and pioneering revolution on the use of vitamin C.

Intravenous vitamin C for treatment of cancer was pioneered by Linus Pauling in the early 1970s and now, finally, there is mainstream literature having a second look at IV vitamin C in people with lymphomas. IV vitamin C is converted in to hydrogen peroxide by cancer cells and it kills them.

Allicin a Miracle product:

Allicin comes from raw garlic. It is antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and stimulates and boosts the immune system. There are many products on the market that contains high amount of Allicin. In my opinion this is "Natural Cure" that they don't want you to know about. Why? As with natural cures, this is better than virtually any drugs or surgery. You should have some Allicin in your home at all times. In the Philippines most natural healers are using garlic for healing specially of cancers, I know one who extracted the potent allicin to cure his patients. There are also dried powdered capsulized native garlic available in the market. In my case I used to soak chopped fresh garlic in honey and apple cider and store it for weeks at room temperature and use it as a tonic drink.

There are many tips and herbs I shared in this post that talk about cancers and how to prevent it using proper diet, nutrition, herbs, fruits and vegetables, but in this topic I will talk about a simple remedy or may be a cure to cancer using cheap materials and supplements instead of the expensive chemotherapy, like did you know that a simple household or kitchen materials can simple be of use in fighting cancers, how many of us here know that a simple vitamin E is good for treating cancer? A sunlight? DMSO, Baking Soda and Hydrogen peroxide? etc.

DMSO

Here are links on DMSO as an anti-cancer, there are some controversies but a lot of people/naturopaths are using it anyway: http://www.dmso.org/

 

Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)

Who would think an ordinary food grade hydrogen peroxide can be use for cancers? The principle is that cancers can not survived oxygen and that the oxygen in H2O2 does the job. I know of many practitioners even here in the Philippines using H2O2 for cancer patients.:

 

Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
The Video explain the mechanics of baking soda for Cancer:

Urotherapy

Want the cheapest (actually free), readily available, the most specific and naturally manufactured/ occuring cancer remedy? Try drinking your own urine, It has the perfect antibodies specific to your needs. I would say it so, for I did try it for general health and I witness the effectivity to some friends I had given advice and followed it. Read my blog on Urotherapy.

DCA
The 2007 News Of The Year that did not make most of your TV Channels. Check out why:

"Cancer is finally cured in Canada but Big Pharma has no interest. The fact that the international drug & medical industry have no interest is because the cure is really cheaper than a chocolate bar and it won't get them to gain any profits at all. Besides, if people had the cure so easily, how will these medical and pharmaceutical companies make money out of that?"

Can you imagine how much life-saving information has been kept away from you by the very people you pay your taxes to, obey and call or help... A 2007 Cancer Cure, it's so inexpensive that it had to become illegal. Learn more on DCA.

DCA potential cancer drug tested in early trials

You may also check links below to guide you about the nature of cancers:

Cancer is not a disease, it is a survival mechanism, read the book excerpt:

 Any chance the body would otherwise have at recovery from cancer is all but eliminated as a result of chemotherapy, as the treatment literally destroys the body's own innate, cancer-targeting immune factors. 

Watch the video: Cancer Defeated

Gaia's Cold Shoulder: Coping With Winter, Nourishing for SADness (a mini-anthology of remedies)

It's that time again

I'm sure you've noticed.

When the leaves flutter from the bark 

and the skies lilt. 

Do you have a sit spot to visit? 

Have you claimed a favorite tree to befriend for the cold season? 

Are you making steamy hot soup? 

Do you have a support system?

If you are anything like me (or how I was for most of my life) you might be crankily bracing yourself for the worst. Once you are forced to put your wool socks on (while everyone is talking about how stinkin' "cozy" they are and what sweater they'll knit next) you are grumbling in agony and despair. The coming of winter feels like a loss - of half your year, of your sanity, of your enjoyment of life, all the green and flowering friends you have frolicked with all summer. Dammit. *just* when you finally got that glowing olive tan, you've got to put on a long sleeved shirt! Hmph.

It's like a dark curtain descending upon you and all you want to do is sleep until spring.

Right? I know. It sucks.

I know deep inside you wish you could be all cheery and gleeful and excited about going out to pick apples on a crisp day or planning a holiday meal with your family.

But if even the mere thought of skiing or Christmas or snow makes you want to hurl, I feel ya. You're not crazy or dark or disturbed. You're a perfectly beautiful, normal, feeling human. And not alone.

If you're bundled up and warm enough to hang out with me a little longer here at this keyboard (grab the fingerless gloves and some tea, ok?) I'd love to share with you a mini-anthology of winter highlights that have helped me bond more deeply with my New England land and make deeper peace with the Seasons.

By sharing, I simply offer up any of these as possibles for you to try - as warming distractions, challenging initiatives, invitations to deeper Earth Intimacy, fun explorations ...... but most of all, to offer a glimmer of possible peace with the "w" word.

I'm not entirely there .... but there are more things in winter that now I actually look forward to. One of my first winter allies was the Cottonwood Tree:

COTTONWOOD TREE ALLY

Scaling down on Holiday Expectations was a biggie:

THE UNDERBELLY OF YULE

And an Article I wrote for Plant Healer Magazine

GAIA'S COLD SHOULDER - The Betrayal and Loyalty of Winter

Using Art to transform pain to ease, ugly to beautiful .... with my camera!

PHOTOGRAPHING ASPEN TREES

May your seasonal toolbag be full, dear one.

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Please note: All writing is copyright Ananda Wilson and may be circulated online in it's original link carrier (Plant Journeys.com) or linked to from another website with credit and captions or quotes, but may otherwise not be copied, reproduced, distributed or reprinted in any manner without express written permission of the author. Thank you for respecting my writing and intellectual property. May it serve you well.
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Love Plant Journeys? Love Artisan Herbals & Aromatics? 

Forget to take good care of yourself sometimes? 

COME
join a remarkable and inspiring year long journey of Sacred Self Care and Pleasure Medicine!! 
(Early enrollment free welcome gifts for those who register before October 14)

Lady's Slipper Ring

Devotional Sacred Self Care 

Artisan Apothecary Membership

Pleasure Medicine Home Study Course

Your Body is a Temple

Remember to Attend

~~~~

Sacred Earth & Plant Medicine Apprenticeship with Darcey Blue

Sacred Earth & Plant Medicine Apprenticeship
9 months ~ 200 hrs
Tucson, Arizona and Greater SW
Join Herbalist Darcey Blue to learn about botanical medicines, wildcrafting, medicine making, nature awareness and skills, sacred earth connection and ceremony. Deepen, reinforce, reconnect, and sanctify your work with the plants and the earth. This apprenticeship is appropriate for beginners to herbal
medicine, and will cover the basics of medicine making, plant identification, wildcrafting, & herbal energetics. This apprenticeship is also for those looking to deepen their connection with the plant medicines in a sacred and heart centered way. We will be grounded in love and respect for Gaia, the Earth- using nature awareness, nature skills, ceremony, shamanic awareness, seasonal lore, inner heart based wisdom and more. This apprenticeship will take you beyond "this herb for that condition" and set you on the path of sacred relationship with your plant medicines, with the Earth, and your own spirit. Apprentices meet one weekend per month for lessons, wildcrafting, ceremony and time in nature on camping trips to natural areas in the Southwest. In addition, we will meet on one evening per month for Ceremony and Check-In as a group. As an apprentice in the Sacred Earth & Herbal Medicine Program, you will work one on one with Darcey Blue, to create your own healing and health transformation and journey. Each apprentice will meet with Darcey for four personal sessions- which include herbal medicine, nutrition, and shamanic guidance. 

Begins in Feb 2013! Space is limited. Apply to Darcey Blue with a letter of intent/purpose by Jan 15, 2013.
shamana.flora@gmail.com

LOCAVORE (Natural Living)

Go Local, Go Locavore! grow your own food as much as you can and possible. Many foods available are not produced organically, some are GMO's, and highly processed. Basically this idea of Localvore is also one of the foundation of the Macrobiotic teachings. I have written in this blog many articles why you should grow and cook you own food or support your local farmers that way, support local economy, also it will lessen the carbon impact ( good for the environment) by lessening use of transportation system and keeping food  fresh and longer life span( iwas lamog) here are some reason why we should grow our own food:

Supermarket shelf poisons:

Secret Ingredients found in your food:

Meriam and Webster define Locavore as : one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible, origin: local+-vore (as in carnivore), first known use in 2005.

Wiki describe it as: a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market. The Locavore movement in the United States and elsewhere was spawned as interest in sustainability and eco-consciousness became more prevalent.

here are example of Locavore food in the Philippines, utilizing homegrown vegetables, fresh as it can be, not necessarily vegetarian, just make sure your fish, chickens, meats are organic and naturally raised and fed:

Steamed Okra

Banana hearts salad

"Laing", Taro leaves cooked with coconut milk

Free-range, native, organic Chicken Adobo

Tanglad (lemongrass) and Camote tops (sweet yam) Juice

I love the Idea of Locavore for its practical and economic reasons, eco-friendly and people learn to cultivate plants which is also very therapeutic, for those who do not have vast land or space and no time may buy the locally produced crops and organic markets that is a fad today even in the Philippines, were home-made and home-grown still exist. This way food spoilage is minimize, developed sense of bonding and community  and lessen the carbon impact which is good for the environment and climate change.

In the Philippines, Nipa Hut is a common example of a house made of  indigenous materials (Locavore house)

I am actually a fan of Locavore and trying to start a movement in the Philippines. It is the natural living way for Filipinos in the provinces which is beginning to fade due to changing times, fast-paced lifestyle and development happening, but I wish people try to bring back this old lifestyle and still embrace it and be more appreciative of our local culture. Before the West discover Locavore that is our lifestyle already and Filipino folks during those times and in the provinces are healthier and live longer.   

Natural fish pond with free- flowing water from a trail way spring, the fishes are fed with azola (mosquito fern) and duck weeds.

Photo Credits: All pictures used are from the author

To know more about the Locavore I just found this links: 

10 steps to be a Locavore by Jennifer Maiser

10 Reasons to Eat Local Food by Jennifer Maiser

Locavore in local news ( GMA Network)

What is Locavore?

  

What Nourishes You Most Deeply? Are You Listening? (Four keys and four herbs for October transitions)

I Know The Way You Can Get 

I know the way you can get 

When you have not had a drink of Love: 

 Your face hardens, Your sweet muscles cramp. 

Children become concerned 

About a strange look that appears in your eyes 

Which even begins to worry your own mirror 

And nose. 

Squirrels and birds sense your sadness

And call an important conference in a tall tree. 

They decide which secret code to chant 

To help your mind and soul. 

 --Hafiz, excerpt

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

Did your heat come on this morning? Did you feed the wood stove?

Mine came on for the first time of the season. I smelled the metallic air when I woke, and I knew to grab socks and a sweater.

There was a misty haze of cold dew along the fields, and a quietness of busy people slightly more withdrawn.

The poetry of the horizon speaks of geese pushing time and of leaves blushing red and setting sail.

There is much work of medicine and magic to be done, still.
I feel the stirring of our ancestors asking more of us, and the longing of the Earth for more response-ability.

I watch the squirrel heed these laws every time he digs to bury a nut.

Nature calls us to heed rhythms.

Are you listening? What do you hear?

Four Keys and Four Herbs for October Transitions:

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Temperature:
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How is the temperature in your body? Do you wake feeling cold, hot, or uncomfortably mixed? What do you do support your comfort?


Ginger
Ginger root helps to warm our circulation and regulate our 'triple heater', making temperature adaptation easier for our bodies. Instead of hot cocoa, try a cup of gently simmered fresh ginger root, with a little bit of honey. Or, make ginger root hot cocoa :)


Daylight and Moonlight:
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How is your rest & activity feeling? Are you sleepier or more energized than you were in the summer?

Seaweed
Seaweed is mineral rich giving our bodies the ability to be fully awake, and fully asleep, at the appropriate times. Seaweed is also brimming with both lunar and solar energies .... as it is fed by the sun and nourished by the moon and her watery tides. As perhaps the fastest growing vegetation in the world, seaweed feeds our wholeness and ability to be strong during periods of growth and change.


Your muse:
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How is your creative self? Engaged, disowned, tired, longing or restless? Your sense of divine connectedness to your life and your daily expressions of self? Your time for self care and reflection, meditation, or nourishing touch?

Cardamom
Cardamom is just sensual. It's sweet and spicy, gentle and strong, loving and clear. Cardamom in my warm milk, on my warm apple compote, or in a spicy soup, cardamom just makes me feel inspired. I often combine it with my other favorite muse herbs like Damiana and Kava Kava, but on her own she can re-awaken the imagination and playful self. When our senses and our mind are both playing, we can experience intense creative satiation.


Your footing:
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Do you feel steady, sure footed, and solid? Or frail and precarious? Are you the river, or are you the glass bottle floating down the river, headed for rapids? What is the message in your glass bottle, waiting to be freed, so that you may flow?

Burdock
Burdock to me is a water root. Dug from the wet earth and cooked in soups we are centered deeply in our water-bone humanness. We become grounded, centered, yet not stagnant. Burdock root nourishes our ability to be stable in our bodies, in our truth-speaking, and in our hearts.

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Perhaps you open my newsletter or blog expecting to be more formally taught about herbs.

By now you've probably realized that isn't entirely how I roll.

I could teach you about just herbs, but if you don't have the willingness to listen to your body, herbs aren't going to do much.


I don't teach answers, I teach questions.

I give possibility and options and resources and catalysts .... the answers belong to you. Answers can change over time.

And our bodies are part of nature. In listening to nature, we hear our bodies. In listening to our bodies, we hear nature.

In being honest about our senses, intuitions, impulses, and callings, we access a deep and perhaps ancestral strength that can empower our lives in profound and meaningful ways.

My wish for you is to continually have access to, and connection with, your true source.

May you have a blessed day, dear one.

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

Ready to embark on an intentional journey of self discovery and pleasure medicine?

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Healing wounds and transforming habits does not have to be painful. There are better ways to claim our wholeness and connect to our inner knowing. 

Join us - a small, select group of magical women - on a year long spiral journey of enchanted, sensual, intuitive joy! 

You deserve it.

To learn more, go HERE  

Not sure what it might feel like? Find out what graduating members are saying:

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Testimonials:

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~ The Unburdened Basket ~

"The Lady’s Slipper Ring entered my life during a time of loss and much change.  As an older woman, I was confident in my beliefs and values though occasionally struggled with aligning them in all aspects of my life.  I have always been a frugal person and seldom indulged in things that I considered unnecessary.  And I am a craft-woman’s nightmare: I am the consumer who appreciates the product but then goes home and makes it myself.

I seemed an unlikely candidate for the LSR but with so much change in my life, I felt a bit untethered and felt that I needed to nourish, to care for myself during this difficult time. So I signed up and almost immediately started regretting my indulgence (where do we learn such thinking?)

Until I received the first month’s materials and herbal goodies… The content is thoughtful and challenging; each month I was asked to consider just how empowered I am on the inside.  Are my beliefs and actions aligned? What do I truly know to be true about myself? How do I perceive my place in this complex world?    How much do I trust myself, my values, my intuition?  In addition, multiple resources are offered for future pondering.  Working through each month’s topic was just that – work. Some topics were easier than others; all of them contributed to a deeper appreciation of my gifts and me.

My reward each month came in a small box that fit perfectly into my mailbox. Even in my best DIY attempts, I doubt that I could replicate the unique creams, balms, oils, elixirs and perfumes. Ananda’s unique approach to scents and taste delighted me each month.  She truly offers an artisan approach to her creations, and I quickly developed a ritual of sitting, sniffing, tasting, and massaging the products immediately upon their arrival.

Ananda’s wisdom and love are expressed throughout the LSR program.  I am moving forward with renewed energy and know that I will continue to return to the content on those days when defeat seems to be looming.  During this past year of incredible change in my life, the LSR proved to be a very wise investment in myself.  A luxury for so many women…self-care is seldom on our To-Do list.  

The Lady's Slipper Ring is a wonderful reminder of why it needs to be at the top of our lists.

Thanks,

Sue"

The Withered Herb 

Enroll in the Lady's Slipper Ring HERE!

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The Power of Choice, the Power of Decision

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"I am not the type to "splurge" on self-care but somehow I just knew from the second I heard about it that Ananda's Lady's Slipper Ring would be a powerful investment for me. 

By taking this year long course I have transformed a lot of my self-care habits and shifted my priorities to taking better care of myself. I love the new relationship I have formed with nourishment and self-care and I love the end result of being less stressed and finding more joy in my every day life. 

Plus, just getting that incredible package of treasures each month was a beautiful experience within itself. Ananda makes some of the best herbal products I've ever experienced! Self-care and nourishment are some of our most powerful tools for health and longevity, I am really grateful that I prioritized these qualities in my life through the Lady's Slipper Ring."

~Rosalee de la Forȇt

Methow Valley Herbs 

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Beauty Blessings,

Ananda

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Plant Journeys

Amrita Apothecary

Shop On PoppySwap 

Pili Oil for Health and Beauty

The Pili Nut: enclosed in a hard shell like walnut (photo courtesy of Mr. Arnel Belenzo)

Pili tree is  indigenous  to the Philippines, It is a regional tree which grows in the Southern part of Luzon, The Philippines which is Bicol (Bicolandia), I don't know why, but we don't have it anywhere except Bicol region. It is one of  most prized possession of the region, for the many amazing benefits and the delicious taste of the nut, it is a delicacy of the region and my favorite as well. Western countries and beauty products manufacturers are going crazy about the oil from Pili for its natural health and beauty benefits. I would like to share some studies done by a friend, an Ethonomedicine specialist (very few scientist/researcher have this kind of title or specialty),  Mr. Jesus Arnel Belenzo, MSAHP ( Master of Science in Asian Health Practices), A professor and practitioner of Alternative Medicine. I believed he has more authority on the subject, since he is from the Bicol region, grew up with Pili as part of their culture and heritage and done an extensive studies and research on Pili.

The Pili fruit (Photo by Mr. Arnel Belenzo, during oil extraction)

His research is actually all about the "exocarp" or the flesh of the fruit, the outer one which is color black/dark violet. It is where he got the oil through extraction. I won't go further about the details of these because his study is under the DOST-PCHRD Scholarship grant.

The Tree of Life: Pili Tree (Photo by Mr. Arnel Belenzo)

This is the by product of the newly produced organic pili oil. The oil is edible and can be put on salad as a dressing. It can also be a "herbal medicine" as well. It prevent inflammation. Just apply a little amount of pili oil in affected area of the skin like pimples, acne, scabies, boils and even hemorrhoid.

The Organic Pili Oil: extracted in traditional method, unadulterated and raw

(photo courtesy of Mr. Arnel Belenzo)

ABSTRACT:
Belenzo, J.A.B. MSAHP (2010), University of the East, Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center, Inc. "Validation of the Ethnomedicinal Properties of Canarium ovatum Englr. (Pili) oil against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. 

The oil from Canarium ovatum Englr. (Pili) was observed and documented on its ethnomedicinal properties as food and as herbal remedy. Experimental uses of pili oil were also determined using disc diffusion method to prove pili's anti-microbial effect on both gram positive bacteria, S. aureus and S. pyogenes. The results as food were significant because of pili oil's nutritional value. Findings in the in vitro showed no inhibition. possibly due to the presence of water in the solution. It is concluded that many actions of herbal plants cannot be directly explained by a single mechanism exemplified by the anti-oxidant property of pili oil which acted as immune response that allowed the body to heal itself. The knowledge in botanical medicine and taxonomic character should be expanded with the example of pili to relate the constituents of plants as group into either herbal topical, herbal preparation that is taken orally, and as Nutraceutical supplements.

Please support the small scale farmers and producers of this wonderful products:

The Organic Pili Oil, and Molasses are now available at The Earth Green Shop Enterprises at Unit 22, Cubao Expo Araneta Center, Gen. Romulo St. Cubao, Quezon City. See u there!!! tel# 4384243 cp: 0919-2223556 c/o Ms. Ofel.

Mr. Belenzo's Pili Oil is also available @ Biovitale Holistic Center: www.biovitaleholistic.blogspot.com

Other health sites talks about Pili:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/497445-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-pili/
http://www.bcarrd.com/the-wonders-of-pili-oil

Power Juice

Sugar beets juice, very rich in live enzymes and flavonoids, this is one of my favorite, I usually add carrot and pineapple or orange to make the taste more palatable.

Juicing is one of the best way of eating vegetables minus the bulk and longer chewing time that some people are not used to uncomfortable and bitter taste that some of it may have. It is also a form of live foods or Raw food diet  with all the live enzymes, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients intact, juicing also yields more concentrated essences of the fruits or vegetables that makes it powerful, you can eat 1-2 kilos of vegetables by juicing it and extract all the nutrients, some juice makes a powerful cleanser, detoxifier and nourishment. It is also good for those on diet, losing weight without depriving yourself of nutrition. Juicing is a form of alkaline diet as well, so get rid of the acids and start an alkaline foods now , get your power juices.

Some of my favorite and healthy juice combination:
1. Ampalunggay- Ampalaya+ Malunggay + Orange/apple or pineapple
2. Sugarbeets+ Carrots +Orange/apple or pineapple
3. Wheatgrass + apple

Wheat grass juice is very rich in chlorophyll which is the lifeblood of a plant, it is a super food loaded with nutrients and enzymes. Many cancer patients are taking the juice for healing and medicinal properties. My first experience in drinking wheat grass juice is the most toxifying physically, It is very strong that I feel a purging sensation all over, vomiting and my stomach really throwing up non stop but I got used to it, my TIP to avoid this is to drink it very slowly sip by sip, let it stay in my mouth for a few minutes to give time for salivary enzymes to digest it before swallowing it little by little.

Noni juice is a very alkaline juice, but it is a very bitter fruit. It is abound in the Philippines, it grows very well in a beach area near the sea, It is called "apatot" in local terms, I used to see and get the real fresh Noni in a beach resort in Batangas, PH. I tried to juice it when ripe but the taste is so bitter that you need to add some fruit juice to make it tolerable. Leaves are also can be made as tea and very medicinal.

Guide in choosing good vegetable or fruit juicer

Orange juice is my favorite additive to many of my fruits and vegetable juices

Enjoy your Juices! next I will share a juice diet plan/program of a friend..- RCB

Note: At first there my be discomfort since your body is not yet well adjusted in the new food or lifestyle but it will adapt eventually just keep going, also healing crises may develop, it means your juice is working, to know more about the healing crises check my blog on "Healing Crises".

From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health. - Catalan Proverb

http://www.juicingsaturdaystrategy.com/o/satstratthanks.html 

Massage Therapy and The Pinoy Hilot

Massage Therapy is an ancient art of healing, stimulating the reflex or meridian points of our body that could enhance and improved the functions of the corresponding organs or system. There are many ways to do it, Acupressure  reflexology, shiatsu or deep tissue massage, Thai massage or lazy man's yoga or our very own Philippine Hilot. The beauty of Hilot is that it is a combination of all these things, applying acupressure  reflexology, deep tissue and some stretching and "pulso" pulse meridian diagnosis. It is very effective and an old ways of treating many diseases not only "pilay" (injury). Pinoy Hilot is a one stop shop of all these form of massages. It is very unique to the country also and should be promoted as one of the best wellness modalities and contribution in the field of well-being. I am a fan of Therapeutic massages specially the Pinoy hilot, wherever I go I try their massage services (Thailand, China)  and I wish I could do it regularly since I love pampering myself and in this time of stressful environment we deserved a good one. I am so happy that the Philippines is bringing back this lost healing arts that our old folks used to practice. -RCB

Back rub

Swedish Massage is a form of deep tissue massage by rubbing and loosening the tight muscles and due to stress and improve blood circulation.

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Swedish massage

Reflexology apply pressure to meridian points, same principle with acupuncture but using pressure instead of needles to stimulate the functions of  corresponding organs connected to the meridian points.

Reflexology meridian points usually focus on foot reflex

Foot reflex

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilot

http://www.choosephils.com/read_post.php?cat=products&id=49

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080119-113484/Taking-hilot-or-touch-therapy-into-the-21st-century