Category: Illuminations
Ancestral Herbalism
Once upon a time all of us were indigenous. At some point in the past we all had ancestors who came from a very particular place, a land where our stories lived, where we birthed our babies and buried our grannies, a place where we picked the herbs that healed the hurt and gave…
Let Your Passions Show You your Purpose
I’ve always been a bit of a school nerd. Waiting to find out my teacher or getting a course catalog in the mail felt just like receiving my Hogwarts letter. I wasn’t always so thrilled about the social aspects of school, but the promise of new and exciting studies was enough to make me…
Everything Is A Symptom Of Healing
Ever had one of those weeks where literally everything goes to pieces? I had one of those this past spring, and it was a doozey. I had just recovered from a respiratory infection when I got slammed with a UTI. A few days later, I woke up with an intense eczema flare-up on my…
The Secret to a Beautiful Garden
I love gardening, but that doesn’t mean it’s always been easy for me. Historically, I’ve been ever-so-enthusiastic about planting, and not nearly as attentive to that whole pruning and weeding bit. In the past it’s been hard for me to cull the herd, to make decisions about who stays and who goes, and to…
You Are Allowed To Cultivate Peace
Every day I hike up the shady ridge above my home. A welcome respite from the sun, halfway up the steep gravel, a small spring comes bubbling across the road. As we pass my pup usually drinks from its waving puddles and I bend down to touch this new water and anoint my brow….
Finding Your Unique Destiny
It’s in our DNA to wish to know our destiny. Just as we gaze up at the stars and wonder where they lead. Or stand on the edge of the ocean and wish we could swim down into the deep. We all want to know why we are here and what awaits us on…
Gift Yourself A Rainy Day
Normally, summertime in the mountains is marked by generous rainfall. With so much greenery, the earth here grows used to the daily drinks of thunderstorms. But recently we didn’t see a drop of rain for weeks on end. Every day was sunny, hot, and almost unbearably chipper. Each day of blue skies seemed to…
How Invasives Help Us to Love Ourselves
It’s become a green wonderland here in the mountains. The basil is bunching out in the garden, weeding is now a daily activity, and last year’s daylilies are starting to bloom. But for all the plants that are welcomed, prized, and cultivated, there are an equal amount of herbs in that dreaded category of…
