Keeping the silence of the world
I weave my dreams and yours
with strands of Light
and cherry blossoms ;
so when the moon is dipped in gold
deeds fill with ores
rich in delight
and all things awesome.
Transient between dimensions
I stretch my breath
into Lapis blue Heavens ,
growing roots in dreamy depths
and Love rich humus
where learning to surrender
becomes the vision
which seeds tomorrow’s splendor.
Happy Spring
from my heart to yours.
Just around the corner the Nettle patch is looking up with new ,young leaves . I reach down and grab few with bear hands allowing the prickly contact to awaken me into a new day.
In Gratitude I fill my basket feeling so loved and so abundant . Earth , The Mother is gifting us with her first bounty , in turn I give her my Soul’s songs and dreams .
I dry some of the fresh Nettle and the rest I rinse and start preparing for a simple meal I have learned from Grandma . It used to be our Spring feast and to this day I crave its taste. Besides , when we come out the winter and we feel weak , Nettle comes to the rescue . Its health benefits made this humble plant into a superstar .
The recipe is simple . Boil water with a pinch of salt and throw the rinsed nettles in for two three minutes . Drain and chop but save the broth. You will use some later in the recipe and the rest you can drink , rinse your hair or dye your favorite scarf with .
Saute’ one onion and few cloves of garlic in two -three tablespoons of olive oil. When the onion looks soft and shiny throw the chopped nettle in and mix gently . Let it simmer for five to ten minutes and add some broth ( a ladle or two ) . Let it simmer at medium heat for another ten minutes and is ready .
You can pair it with some golden polenta or just bread and sunny side up eggs . I like it either way with some extra fresh garlic and without eggs .
My Bees did not make it through the winter. I had them for about three years .They arrived as a swarm and they were tough as nails . The sorrow froze my heart and when I opened them up I found out they never got to cluster back on one of those days that went from 60 Fahrenheit to well bellow freezing. They left stores of honey waiting in the empty hive.
In despair I bought three packages and although I was told they will arrive April 1st my broken heart did not want to hear it . I was still mourning my hive.
I think it was around the 29th my house started to smell like a hive. I know it sounds strange but it is true. The first time I have bought Bees same thing happened to me. So I knew I will hear something soon. On March 31st I had a phone call my Bees were ready to meet me . I had exactly an hour to drive there . It was very exciting and scary because it was raining and freezing cold . When I picked them up I was told I could keep them for few days inside .
Bee Packages freshly picked up
I drove back home singing to them and telling them about the gardens and about my plans .
After they stayed inside the house with me for few days I took them out on April 2nd, the first warm, sunny day in a very long time . They were so happy to be out of the wire cage they did not fuss about a thing and everything went smooth .
I stood there in awe and gratitude watching them cover my hands and flying everywhere Love was in the air and I felt a shift.
One week later I opened them to retrieve the queen cages and they already had drawn comb and stored pollen . They were diving full force into their work .
I start them with just a sliver of wax foundation at the top of the frames so they get a chance to build in their own natural measurement and they love it.
I also feed them for the first three-four weeks Bee Tea. ( Cane sugar syrup or honey mixed with herbal tea and essential oils like Lemongrass , Eucalyptus , Thyme and Spearmint) . The tea strengthens their immune system and gives them confidence in the first days of making comb and getting adjusted to a new place .
Tomorrow on Easter Sunday they are three weeks into entraining me in their frequency. Since their arrival Trees flowered, Dandelions emerged, the Weather is tamed , everyday is Paradise again and I barely touch the ground .
While they are busy bringing loads of pollen I am cleaning the garden around the hives . Although I could give them individual names they told me many years ago their name is Andromeda . They also taught me to listen with my heart , never treat them and never assume I know better .
Bees have very high frequency and if you are open they will telepathically inform you of their needs and also teach you some zen wisdom.
One of the first lessons I have received was Bliss. They actually make me feel it in their presence . Meditating with them daily helped me understand our natural state as Bliss , Oneness and unconditional Love . It is those moments that reminded me why seven years ago in the biodynamic beekeeping class I sobbed watching the movie Tales from the Hive . It is deep ingrained into our hearts to live in these states , yet we are drawn in separation and we fight with life .
Tomorrow we celebrate Easter. To me the celebration goes beyond its religious connotation . I celebrate Nature’s resurrection and my own from sleep walking into being present , allowing my Soul to shine and striving to embody my Spirit .
A lot more about Bees , Andromeda and Love soon.
Until then I wish to radiate all they filled my heart with into yours .
Peace
I looked outside and the sun shines bright. No traces of clouds.
Only the last two days we have been sandwiched between freezing temperatures ( 27 F in day time and 10F at night)
Encouraged by the light i took a stroll in the garden.
I close my eyes and the cold air bites into my hands while the birds are telling me something more hopeful : 15 more days until Spring arrives.
The trees, the birds and your heart always tell the truth.
Standing on frozen ground I reach the Cherry branches with my gaze. Buds are cracking open. Life can not be contained anymore.
From in between two seasons I experience the weight of my winter thoughts and the adrenaline rush of Spring’s actions .
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.
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.
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
I woke up this morning to a surreal landscape: Two seasons wanting to exist in the same moment.
I choked looking outside because all the promising flowers will bear no pollen and fruit will be compromised. Bees will look for food (if they survive the bellow freezing temperatures of the next few days ) with no hope for their future.
In the past few weeks the word GMO was constantly in my face. And to add more heaviness to my heart news of a river in China filled with antibiotics and glyphosate present even in the organic wine in California just brought me to the edge of my calm.
But this is not all. My sorrow watching the sky reminds me Geo-engineering is not a joke. And in addition to the chem trails we also add our own emotional pollution.
What is one to do? As always when crisis hits I drum and journey. I go back to my Shamanic roots and find solace in the teachings that brought me here.
As the wind is hauling outside at over 40 mph I washed all fear away. What I hear is : “ Power. Power. Take back your Power. “
In Weather Shamanism (really worth reading) by Nan Moss and David Corbin all things are connected and the lesson is we must bridge our hearts back to Nature, to the Elements and each other if we want to step into the future.
What if the weather mirrors our collective emotional state ? And what if all this GMO and RoundUp affair shows us the destructive level of disconnect we have reached as humanity?
If i look at the signs and connect the dots I see a pattern that needs change quickly because the canvas is about to unravel.
We are at the edge of our own awakening. We are invited to open our eyes and decide.
Life has to be all inclusive.Everything is Sacred and it starts with Ourselves.
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.
I first heard of Nettle as a toddler when my Grandma used to tell us stories with enchanted Faeries weaving magical garments out of nettle’s fibers. She also used to feed us Nettle soup in Spring and rinsed our hair with a Nettle infusion .
To this day Nettle is one of my favorite companions and teachers. When the first tender leafs appear I collect some and make soup. It is the greatest thing one can do after winter. This unassuming plant is rich in minerals and iron.
Late spring I collect more for tea and make some tincture too. Also it makes a great tea for other plants in need . I leave handfuls of nettle in fresh water , covered for few days. It will stink but the result is an amazing picker upper for veggies and flowers alike .
As a biodynamic gardener I use various preparations of nettle for the compost or the Barrel Compost , a mixture of eggshells, cow manure , nettle and crushed basalt , which later I dilute in water and use when I transplant or for young trees , or in any place nurturing is needed.
When I first started to garden seven and a half years ago , my first thought was to invite powerful allies for healing, protection and soul nourishment.
I grew Nettle from seeds purchased from Turtle Tree Seed . And then every fall and spring I replanted the roots around the perimeter of our back yard and in the center of my veggie garden. It took off spreading fast and healing the clay dirt beneath.
Rheumatism , anyone? Try some fresh nettle : brush it with your hands or let your knees touch it. The formic acid contained within it is a great cure although it will give some a skin rush.
At first i thought she could be invasive . Gently she taught me otherwise. All plants do great in her vicinity. Competition into cooperation. This is what I have learned. A Mars influenced plant acts like a true worrier but with a very compassionate heart.
And the fresh leaves make a green dye for natural fibers ,the stems harvested , softened and carded will give a beautiful , strong fiber which can be weaved into a very fine fabric or twisted in a rope.
So next time you meet some in a garden or out in the wild befriend it and honor it for its humbleness and the awesome gifts.
cobgoddess 