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Category: Most Beloved
Illuminations, Most Beloved, Words For Hard Times April 7, 2020February 11, 2021

Who I Talk To When Things are Hard

  I still vividly remember the first time I spoke out loud to the moon. I was twenty years old and dealing with life-altering chronic pain.

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Illuminations, Most Beloved, Winter March 14, 2019February 11, 2021

Lightning Storms In Late Winter

  A few weeks ago, we had a lightning storm here in the mountains. It was still February, but an eerie warm front had swept through, melting

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Most Beloved, Seasonal Celebration, Winter February 11, 2014February 11, 2021

Beloved: Dreams + Medicine

  February is the only month in our calendar year when we are encouraged to not only celebrate, but explore love. It is a time of both

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[wool-gath-er-ing] v.

daydreaming, the gathering of thoughts and dreams as one might collect fallen tufts of wool

[wild-craft-ing] v.

the harvesting of herb, root, flower or inspiration from the wilds



Asia Suler is a writer, teacher, medicine maker and seeker who lives in the blue folds of the southern Appalachian mountains. Woolgathering and Wildcrafting is her grass-stained journal from the hillsides of the living world. It’s full of recipes, musings, plant monographs and poetics. So grab a cup of tea and come on in for a spell. Open up to a page in this shared tome to find a hand-pressed flower, words of comfort, or a small glen of inspiration for your day. Visit Asia’s online classes for more.

Paths through the Wood

  • Illuminations
  • Plant Stories
  • Words for Hard Times
  • Nourishment
  • The Otherworld
  • Mineral Medicine
  • Sacred Entrepreneurship 
  • Travelogues
  • Seasonal Celebration
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall


Further streams

I remember hearing once about a Chinese medicine p I remember hearing once about a Chinese medicine practitioner who specialized in working with cancer patients. Instead of talking about shrinking or vanquishing the tumor, he asked his patients to imagine the possibility that it could simply dissolve. Like ice in a warm bath. That we could create landscapes of such love, acceptance and allowance inside of ourselves that the tumor would want to let go of its boundaries and melt. Gentling itself into nothing, after all. As the first flowers of spring arrive (the snowdrops are here!) I find myself returning to this belief. Repeating, as if it were a mantra, the origin words of spring: Shift, Dissolve, Embrace. What is hard can dissolve. Winter always becomes thaw. And your body, like the good soil of this earth, knows how to bloom again.
Sometimes, when I feel at a loss, I just gaze at t Sometimes, when I feel at a loss, I just gaze at the earth. I watch the trees the way a child observes an elder move about their life. I sit by the creek and quietly imprint myself with the way things are done. When I’m panicked or worried I let the world empty my mind and re-teach me the truth. There is no hurry. There is always hope. There is no end, only beginnings. Every catastrophe is an opportunity to grow.
So many of us worry that if we let something be li So many of us worry that if we let something be light (anything!) we’ll somehow fall off the bandwagon of our responsibility to reality. But what if our ability to respond to the world is intricately tied to our capacity to find, and ultimately embody, the light? To let something be light is to recognize the full spectrum of its identity, its essence and personhood. To let something be light is to allow the source behind all things to shine through. To allow the nature of nature to make itself known. To notice possibilities, to be open to the divinity that wants to glimmer up from within the deep.
What our bodies need to hear. I once read an arti What our bodies need to hear. I once read an article where Tom Hanks talked about implementing one of Mr. Rogers’ teachings while babysitting his granddaughter. The little girl often got upset when parted from her mother. But this time, when the little girl woke up and asked where her mom was, Hanks simply said, “She has gone off to see some friends and she’s left you with me to take care of. So I am going to keep you safe until she comes back. Wanna help me make some pancakes?” To Hank’s amazement, his granddaughter was as placid as a pond for the rest of the day. Mr. Rogers often talks about how children need to feel safe. When kids act out, he explains, it is often because they feel insecure about whether or not they will be taken care of. Our bodies are exactly the same— that maelstrom of anxiety we feel inside of us is our body's way of asking if they are safe. Of course, just like parents, we cannot control every factor in life. But we can say to our bodies, to our hearts, to the scared child within us— I love you and I will protect you until the end of time. Because sometimes all our body needs to hear is that we have not forgotten about them. When I say this to myself, I can feel a physical cascade of relaxation and stress-relief in my whole nervous system. It also changes how I act towards my body. When I move from a place of being a parent, a protector, a spirit guide for my body, I push myself less. I honor myself more. I remember to do things that comfort her. I feel less burdened by things like having to rest when I’m sick and can access a deep reservoir of gratitude for the privilege of having a body in the first place.
It’s normal, when we feel unsafe, to leave our b It’s normal, when we feel unsafe, to leave our body. But the amazing thing is, the moment we come home again, we begin to heal. Many people are dealing with a lot of very real worries right now— about viral illness, clean water, heat, vulnerable loved ones. All of this worry is valid. And, you can do so much to help your body today by simply saying— I’m here dear one. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. If you find yourself having done all that can realistically be done for the time, and are feeling disconnected from yourself, try these simple grounding exercises to let your body know you are here: Take ten deep breaths. Bring your attention to neutral parts of your body— like your elbow or the tip of your nose. Cuddle your dog. Sit down and drink a whole cup of water without doing anything else. Massage your feet. The world may be complex, but the way we come home can be simple. Take care of yourselves and each other dear ones. 💓
The heart is not just a mindless muscle. Nor is it The heart is not just a mindless muscle. Nor is it the simple stuff of greeting cards or blockbuster movies or even cardiology exams. In truth, the heart is a gate. And what lies beyond, and within, is the ability to access real magic.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Many different medicine systems around the world have long recognized what western science is now only beginning to discover— that our hearts are not just an anatomical function of our body, they are the enchanted center from which we were meant to think, interact and live.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thinking with the heart means becoming indigenous to your own body once again. It means returning home to yourself and your belonging. When you come into coherence with your heart, you can recognize the truth, your truth, in any situation.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Living from the heartspace allows you to experience the full-textured rainbow of existence— including that which normally lies below your brain's field of perception. When we tune into our heart's frequency, we invite the possibility of a divine and daily harmony.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Ready to become your own gatekeeper (and meet the herbs who are masters at tending the thresholds)? Check out my online class: Herbs for the Heartgate (link in profile) 🌸
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