In nature, there are some seeds that cannot germinate unless they go through extreme freezing temps, scarification, or even fire. For some of us, the seed of our genius and the medicine we carry for the world must go through a challenge before we can unfold and begin to take root. Through the telling of our stories we get to discover what lies inside the seed and allow it to begin to emerge into the world and grow into the fullest expression possible of ourselves.
Read MoreWriting has always been my refuge, my creative sanctuary, my sanity. But for the past year—actually for the past 15 months or so—I have not been able to get to the page. This is where death has taken me.
Read MoreHOW TO MAKE A WILD FORAGED COUGH & COLD SYRUP ~ Did you know that all of the medicines you need for soothing and healing inflamed throats and lungs grow right from the land in this Front Range area? Here’s my recipe for how to make a wild foraged medicine for coughs and colds.
Read MoreTREES AS MEDICINE ~ Mid-June is linden tree time. Besides being a super handsome and amazingly scented tree, linden flowers are medicinal and powerfully healing energetically as well. Quite often (and very popular in Europe) folks make linden tea with the dried flowers. But you can also make the best honey ever with their flowers. Learn how to harvest and make this insanely good treat for yourself.
Read MoreHEALTH, RELATIONSHIOP & RECIPROCITY ~ One of my favorite ways to slow down and reconnect is to do a little thing I call “tree breathing”. It just takes about 5 minutes to do. And the practice does wonders for your health and, I believe, for the health of the land too.
Read MoreHOW GETTING LOST ISN’T THE WORST THING THAT’S EVER HAPPENED ~ We get lost. It is a given. You are not a total failure to feel lost. In a way, perhaps you are even right on track to be questioning and questing. Sometimes getting lost is the exact medicine we need in order to truly find ourselves.
Read MoreREFLECTIONS FROM THAT WILD HEARTED FULL MOON ~ Though my brain and my old patterns want me to make a plan, getting ready for the new year ahead, my heart knows something different. The animal nature of my body calls for something different entirely.
Read MoreHOW 20 MINUTES IN NATURE CAN HELP ~ What happens when we see or read something traumatic is not all that different in our bodies from when we experience something traumatic. Our brains don’t really track the difference between what they think about, what they see, and what they experience. Find out how 20 minutes in nature can help balance, regulate and recharge your body and mind.
Read MoreHOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN TEA FOR NERVOUS SYSTEM HEALTH ~ Learn how to create a powerful tea blend that helps calm, sooth and rebuild the nervous system so that you can help yourself through these days of mental and emotional stress.
Read MoreEVEN WHEN OUR WORLD IS FALLING APART ~ We simply cannot get into a creative state or shift into the person we want to be in the world without learning to cultivate our resilience. Take this Self-Care Self Assessment Quiz to get an idea of how you’re doing with the 4 different areas of self-care, and to gain some ideas for ways you might cultivate your own resilience.
Read MoreAs the ground of our country shakes and seems to break open, I am called to pause and listen. To acknowledge and try to truly hear the voices and the painful reality that my Black brothers and sisters have experienced and are continuing to experience in my community and around the country. This is my commitment to listening more, to educating myself, and to taking action where I can—and a sharing of some anti-racist resources that I’ve found helpful.
Read MoreFINDING & CREATING TEMPORARY STRUCTURES ~ One thing that can help significantly when our regular lives have become suddenly irregular is to create new structures in our day to find a sense of normalcy and regularity. Here are some ideas for how you might create some structure as you adjust to your new norms.
Read More8 THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW TO KEEP YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM STRONG ~ There are some amazing and truly powerful things you can do right from your very own backyard to boost your immune system and help keep you healthy and strong. Read more to learn 8 ways.
Read MoreSPRUCE TIP & ROSE HIP TEA ~ While most of the land sleeps or gestates deep underground, the conifers maintain providing food and medicine for us year round. And they provide JUST the exact medicine our bodies need most during this time of year—loads of vitamin C. Learn how to harvest and make your own Spruce Tip & Rose Hip tea to brighten up this time of year.
Read MoreHOW TO TWINE CORDAGE TO MAKE A CORNHUSK BRACELET ~ During these shortest of days, I like to make cordage with the corn husks, remember the Mayan story about the people of corn, and let this Corn Lady come to life and hang on my wrist as a good reminder of the old ways.
Read MoreHOW TO CREATE AN EVERYDAY PRACTICE that you actually stick to ~ To really step into the changes we want to see in ourselves and in our lives, we have got to practice every day for long enough that it just becomes our everyday practice. Learn how to break the code to truly create an everyday practice that you will actually stick to.
Read MoreAN ANTIDOTE TO POISON IVY ~ Grindelia (or gumweed) is indigenous to the Americas and has been used throughout the ages to treat afflictions of the lungs including bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma, and to relieve skin irritations of all kinds. Learn more about this often overlooked plant and how you can use her medicine on the spot, especially as a remedy for poison ivy.
Read MoreWALKING THE EDGE BETWEEN FEAR & TRUTH ~ The truth is we have but moments in this fragile life. And within each one is the potential for us to share love, connection and create beauty with each other if we recognize it. This is part of what I learned six years ago on that hospital bed.
WILDCRAFTING A SIMPLE COUGH SYRUP ~ Monarda Fistulosa (also known as bee balm, wild oregano, oregano de la sierra, wild bergamot, oswego tea, and purple wizard head) is highly antibacterial, anti fungal, antiseptic and anesthetic. Learn more about this ancient herb including how to harvest and make a simple wildcrafted cough syrup to store away for those sicky days ahead.
Read MoreTHE ETERNAL QUESTION ~ I go through the world, as maybe you do too, motivated by and driven to be the person I want to be in this world. Gently holding the question in my hand, “Who am I and how do I want to be?” At times in my life I’ve chased after that question. Desperately actually. Kneeled down and pleaded for an answer to show itself to me.
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