Magic

Work can be magic . Applying clay plaster reinforces this idea.

You can red more here

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Gratitude

The sun light feels even brighter in contrast with the longer nights.  I stroll through my back yard embracing every corner and summer memory. My garden is falling asleep under a thick coat of cover crops and  the trees lost most of their leaves allowing for a beautiful view of the the mountain behind .

At the end of September I applied the last set of biodynamic preparations (#500, # 508 , #501) .

Yesterday I sprayed “ The Harmonizing Preparation” .

It is one of the ways I do Ceremony for the land and express my Gratitude for the nurturing, the love and the bounty provided to me and my family.

In the midst of a world in turmoil and change  I am too small and yet I know that if I continue my work and partnership with Nature I do my part for a brighter future .

The Bees work tireless all summer for a generation of brood they will never meet . It is a lesson I absorbed in my core. It gave me strength knowing that every action we take today will bloom later in life or next season or in the lifetime of our grandchildren .

Facing the darkest part of the year it is Gratitude that will keep our dreams alive .

I invite you all to keep this Inner Light alive by writing ten reasons you are grateful for , give thanks to ten people , leave an offering in your garden or in any public park as a token of appreciation for Nature’s support.

The offering can be anything.: a song, a heart felt note, a rock, some bird seeds or just a sip of water.

And just before the evening’s end remember those who crossed over by lighting a candle.

With Gratitude , Light, Love and Peace.

A Magical Feng Shui Story

Back in May I shared with you  in Messages in a wall and A simple reflection  how trying to replace a window led to a complete clean up of my Helpful People Gua.

Well , after I managed to close the wall I dove straight in the basement (the Past) to replace the window underneath the area affected. This took me a while because here nothing is easy.On the bright side I cleaned the Helpful People (in the Past ) Gua really good and sealed and painted the wall.

I was ready to resume work on the main floor ,only the house wanted me to consider few things: The clean up would extend in the Creativity and Relationships Guas and a new window was to be added in the bathroom( Relationships bordering Creativity). So I needed a plan since the experience with the first one left me exhausted. Now I was looking at replacing two windows and adding a third one.

Because we were going back and forth with the idea of tearing down the whole wall  I took some time to meditate.

One morning looking at hiking trails around here I stumbled upon an article about the Lenni Lenapes-TheWolf Clan   which lived in the area I live .I knew about them and being fond of their history always searched for more information.One year I even planted the “Three Sisters ” (corn , squash and beans) in their honor.

For one thing ,The Wolf is very dear to me. It has appeared many times in my life and it was revered in my ancestry as a sacred animal. The Dacians (my ancestors ) had a Wolf flag . The picture bellow is a beautiful detail of how the flag looked like . It was used to protect a space, often mounted on gates or at each corner of land boundaries and in battle was carried as a pole flag by brave riders to intimidate the enemy.

The Dacian Flag ( The Wolf) carved on a wood gate in Maramures/Romania

The article signaled their presence in my multidimensional world and I started to listen to my heart rather then my logical side.

I felt as if changing the basement window  opened a benevolent portal through which I could communicate with the Ancestors of the land ( The Lenni Lenape)

Every morning I thanked them for their presence ( which I felt strongly) asking for guidance and protection.

Within few days  I started to scan the local newspaper for carpenters. I needed someone who would help me and accept  that I was working with them literally.

After few disappointing interviews  I took the newspaper again and  this time I allowed my intuition to completely take over. That afternoon the gentleman came in time wearing a T-shirt with a beautiful printed Wolf . I knew it was a sign. And after few words I had a lot of confidence everything was going to be ok.

Since we were approaching 4th of July we made arrangements to start working on July 15.

On 4th of July  my husband and I peacefully went hiking being grateful for finally finding a person we could rely on. On the trail we met a couple who felt so familiar and close. In our conversation the article I have read was brought up again . This time the woman mentioned it and I smiled with my whole soul knowing it was a confirmation  of our tangent worlds.

On July 15th we opened the rest of the wall , replaced the plate because the termite damage was extended and carefully framed and installed the new windows .

The energy shifted powerfully when  we wrapped the wall in  Tyvek. In that moment Everything felt crispy clean and strong. New windows ( eyes into our homes soul) allowed us to look into the world with new confidence and clarity. And the world could look at us with perhaps more kindness.

Tyvek & Lath

Second Lime coat

Not as a surprise while all this was going on I met by chance a new friend , an amazing artist who helped  us tie some loose ends, put the lath and the scratch coat ( cement at the bottom and lime on top).  He also mended the two surfaces with lath and the scratch coat . That was a big push for me. The following days I worked ten hours straight for each lime coat  ( two coats) and about four hours to apply the lime paint. The lime shifted the energy further. I hope the pictures speak for themselves .

You probably understand my silence now. It was a lot to integrate alone , never mind trying to tell a story about it.

As I write this I am contemplating the changes  and feel refreshed and strengthened by the Light flowing  in sweetly and the hopeful new connections we have made.

Sometimes life is showing us a non linear path of resolving our reality. If we have the courage to follow it we can find ourselves in a magical world of possibilities and miracles at every turn.

Before (2008)

Today (2016)

A messy Paradise

It has been a while since my last post. So intense my labour and the magical happenings that I couldn’t take a moment to write.

I will elaborate in the following posts. For now I just want to share with you what gave me sustenance during this past month: My Garden.

Today I was going through some pictures and I stumbled upon how we started our journey in stewarding this piece of land. It is the first time in many years I stopped and took a moment to enjoy the transformation.

Then

Now

Every morning , early , I  start my day watering and playing hide and seek with the squashes. Sleepy Bees  coming in for nectar convinced me not to cut the grass for a while :  Clovers were in full bloom.

The Marjoram lavishly flowered reaching out to the neighboring beds .

Life present everywhere. Looking around me all I can feel is GRATITUDE.

Gratitude for Life, for the Water, for the Sun Light , for the Wind and the Earth.

On my way back to the house I walk slowly through a sea of blooming Plantain (Bees Love it) and stop in my favorite dreaming corner , where years ago we made a stone circle.

 

Here  I sit still for a moment and give my prayers to the Wind , Thanking the Garden for all the beauty surrounding.

And in the heavenly smell of Bee Balm and Mountain Mint I breath in all the Love and start my day.

Hope some of this sweetness will reach your Hearts too.

Inspiration Update

The Grass is growing.

I planted Moss, Creeping Thyme , Russian Sage , Bird’s Nest Spruce and have been tending them everyday for the last month. It has been very warm and dry . It looks like they are going to make it.

Next year I will look into more Alpine plants . For now I am just trying to get a sense of how does it want to look like.

Inspiration

Last September we went hiking at Peter’s Kill in Minewaska State Park ( NY) and I felt in love with Nature’s esthetic and ingenious way against erosion. Trees were wrapping their roots around massive rocks allowing smaller plants to spread in between and hold the dirt.

A mixture of moss and pebbles of all sizes were creating a mosaic of whimsical patterns .

I came back that day wishing I could bring the mountain and all the Faeries home with me.

For about nine and a half month I kept sketching the front of our home constantly referring to the hiking memory.

We found a very talented landscaper and stone mason who captured my wish in a blink and made a dream come true.(www.rocmason.com)

before

Now all we have to do is add moss and some plants.

There is nothing like using natural materials. The stone power speaks for itself.

 

A simple reflection

Since my last post it took a lot of will power and discipline to get through my work.

The day I replaced the rotten plate in my wall I was alone , with no one to ask for HELP and rain was approaching.

My hands were tired and the stress to close up the wall was high. I thought of what a loving community means in someone’s life . Nourishment is not just food but also helping each other , caring for each other. Except for my immediate family I have none of that in the village I live in.

The Termite medicine was showing me in reverse their wisdom.

Being a seed trusted to a foreign land I made friends with  Nature and its wild creatures but not with my fellow humans. A lot to ponder here.

 

I find it so interesting how my home nudges me to expand and evolve my heart and consciousness through  the practical experiences at hand.

My days are pretty much chop wood, carry water and send prayers into the wind.

My Garden is enfolding into its magic and if I could have more day light in a day to work , I would.

Are you surrounded by a loving , supporting community?

In the lack of, I made my version of the prayer flags to remind me support and love is everywhere in the Universe and the same elements scattered around me are within me .

Hence I am one with All .

Hope this post will inspire you to be kind to everyone including yourself.

Messages in a wall

It is raining again. Only today,since it is May 1st, it feels special as if the Water is meant to sooth and heal. In the background I hear OM DHARA chanted by Deva Premal.

“OM DHARA
om dhara dharayei namaha
om dharayei namaha
om bhu devyei namaha

Om and salutations to Divine Mother
who is the support of the earth.

Om and salutations to Divine Mother who is the Earth.
Honouring Mother Earth as the goddess she is”

I have been planting trees and working in the gardens in parallel with working on the house.

Interestingly I am tearing down a wall in the Helpful People and Travel Gua to replace a window.

And all would have been very easy if right on the day Mercury went retrograde I  did not find some old termite damage that has been just buried under drywall .

So now I will have to clean out and replace the wood plate. Lucky me it is not a load bearing wall.

Sometimes detours are blessings in disguise. I see all this as a metaphor : Cleaning out hidden obstacles for allowing authentic , loving and unconditional support into my life to build our dream Faerie Home . And it looks like my findings remind me of some important parts in my work.( check out Termite Totem )

As usual when I create chaos in my home I feel it at cellular level. The bees  the gardens and my husband’s hugs pull me through .

My plans are changing a bit. It is the house talking to me again , showing me the weaknesses the ugly and the hurt so I can bring in more Light, Healing and Hope.

At every step I found a lesson. Our home gives me a trail of wisdom crumbs to ponder for the journey.

The moral ? Tread lightly as there is a hidden meaning at every turn you take.

Dandelions

Joy!

Star magic and Faerie dust: the sky mirrors itself in the Dandelions blooms.

I am watching in wonder : A Bee in every flower.

Alchemy enfolding right in front of my eyes. 

When I was a child I believed these resilient Jupiter ruled perennials are stars and constellations trapped in the grass.

Little did I knew then how my fascination with  this amazing plant would perpetuate. Dandelion is a staple in biodynamic gardening and farming.

The roots are medicine for the liver and a powerful detox. Leafs can be added to salads or sautéed like spinach.  You can make wine with its blooms, substitute coffee with its roasted roots, and so much more.

It builds soil.

Bees LOVE them.

They are a living lesson in Sacred Geometry.

And blowing its seeds in the wind is the simplest moment of happiness anyone  of any age can experience .

Where they grow it feels like the entire cosmos concentrates in one tiny spot.

“The innocent yellow dandelion! In what ever district it grows, it is the greatest boon…It [BD #506] will give the soil the faculty to attract just as much silicic acid from the atmosphere and from the Cosmos as the plants need, to make them really sentient to all that is at work in their environment. For they of themselves will then attract what they need.” — Rudolf Steiner,  Agriculture, page 99 (Adams translation)

 

 Dandelions are powerful healers and teachers . Go outside and gaze at their sunny faces.

And celebrate tomorrow’s Full Moon , Earth Day and Buddha’s Birthday  (next day, on Friday April 22nd) by picking up a seeded Dandelion and making a wish .

Mine is to see a world with more compassion for all living beings and each other.

 Love, Peace and Bliss

 

From the Void

I have lost my words through my footsteps into the garden.

The preferred language in between the Bee Balm, Marjoram , Mints and all else is Silence.

For the last few weeks I have been cleaning  and caressing every blade of Sage , Rue , Lavender ,or Thyme  sticking their heads out of the winter.

I use the debris , wood and grasses to weave a fence at the far end of our property . A slice of left over woodland  we are working to restore . If we had to dig wholes for a wooden fence there  we would destroy the trees on the border.Instead we put up a wire fence and we piled up against it our weaving material. As a bonus for this labor of love we get some nice leaf compost at the bottom every year.

I also like to tuck in Mountain Mint cuttings for extra fragrance on humid days.

The Rabbits and the Foxes love to sneak in and rest. One Fox comes every year around this time to birth her litter in our back yard. They stay with us until the babies are three-four month old.

The reward for hosting them is we get to watch the cubs  running wild over the gardens in total delight.

Our dream is to create a forest like  wedge around our property. It is actually our food forest version of the very popular permaculture  feature. We planted every year  Birches, Persimmons , Hawthorns, Mountain Ashes, Walnuts, Maples , Elderberries, Viburnum  , Pines , Pussy Willows , Serviceberries and Nettle Trees .

And here I will stop and dream :what would it take instead of fences to have borders of espaliers and fruitful hedges? 

This year we are making room for more Serviceberries , Common Witch Hazel , Filberts , Currants and maybe some PawPaws

Almost everything we plant has to feed the Bees first, wildlife and then us.

The trees we choose are part of our allies , protectors and helpful plants community.

And of course I always like to look at the Tree Lore. Since i am learning to live in partnership with the land it makes total sense. I see the house and the garden as an extension of ourselves ; outer layers rooted in our subtle energy layers and helping us live a wholistic life.

I found out when I am drone to a particular tree or plant the meaning , healing powers and lore are a total fit for our situation.

Not coincidentally I am just reading Sacred Agriculture: The Alchemy of Biodynamics by Dennis Klocek.  A must read for all Earth lovers and gardeners alike, even if you do not practice biodynamic gardening or farming.

We live in times when we must remember how to tread on Earth in such ways that the next seven generations will thrive and take care of their next seven generations.

And it will be possible through reverence for everything surrounding and all our resources . We must bring our hearts in unity with our minds.

Many will say “but I do not have a garden” . Even if you have one potted plant on your windowsill will count. And every choice we make counts.