Dec 30, 2010

Settling In

An Herbal Tea Box to hold the tea blends I am selling in the office.




Pretty little plants...

Watching the world from the perspective of a snail. I actually thought these shells were empty so I collected them all and put them near our front door. A few minutes later they had all come out to see what was going on. I happily moved them back to their home (after a short photo shoot).

The darkest days seem to have passed with the Solstice Eclipse and we seemed to have really found a safe and happy spot here. This Winter is going to be full of reading, researching, planning the garden, ordering herbs and seeds, bunking down and saving money, celebrating life and hopefully bringing a new one into our family :)

Happy New Year and Many Blessings to everyone.

Oct 8, 2010

Women Rise Up



ecstatic surrender through art



lake eden in all her glory

Women gather. Magic Happens When We Do. When we share our deepest pain with one another. When we celebrate our dreams and goals. When we remember that we do not have to be the marketers of our own work, OUR SISTERS CAN DO THIS FOR US.

Women know. This goddess of empowerment, Alisa Starkweather, said something that I have never known before. There are more neurons firing in our bellies than in our brains. So when we feel sick to our stomachs it is not a lie. Our bodies do not lie to us. They tell us when we are in danger, when we are in situations that are not the best for us. When we remember to trust our gut we are honoring our bellies.

Women rise up. Alisa is a part of a Red Tent Movement and she is doing a conference call in October!!! Can you imagine? A place to gather together, to bleed together, to share our stories, our food, and our hearts?!

There is so much more to share from this weekend. 1000 women from all walks of life coming together to join in their connection to the plants, to our roots, and to our mother earth, leaves me filled up in every which way.

Sep 25, 2010

we are solitary

we are solitary. we may delude ourselves and act as though it were not so. but how much better it is to realize that we are so, yes, even to begin by assuming it. naturally, we will turn giddy.
rainer maria rilke, letters to a young poet



sleeping bear


sleeping lelu


such a tender time. so much to write about.
this fall is bringing so many lessons already.
with our growth must come release.
a letting go of something that no longer serves us at this time.
time to let what did not get accomplished this year fade into our memory, another cycle will be on it's way soon.

for us, this means a move. not a move in our town. our beloved Asheville. we met and fell in love here.
were married here. lived the last 3 years in a pretty blissful state of being.

we are headed to William's home. Arkansas. it's strange to think of myself farther from my Mom. farther from my girlfriends. it will be no longer a drive away, we'll have to fly. we'll have to be patient and plan wonderful visits when we can.

there have been signs. and we've been listening. we've been stating our intentions and now we've been called to live them.
it feels like we are at the top of a roller coaster.

it's a choice. like any other. but this time we are not choosing in our comfort zone. we are not pushing to get exactly what we think is best for us. we are in the flow and the universe is holding us up. my Mom's blessing for me solidified this change.

it's the five year plan. to make a baby. to have that baby be blessed to be brought up on land that is unspoiled and cared for. for a community of family members that is so large and full of love. to open our practice there. to expand what is currently just William's massage to include my botanical goodness. to stretch and fill up all the uncomfortable and unknown spaces. to grow into something that we've dreamed of.

the kicker is..i'm not finished with my herbal program here at ASHH. November 11th I graduate. 7 weeks. we will be driving our belongings to Arkansas this upcoming week, only I won't be staying. not just yet...

my intentions here in Asheville are to finish my schooling. i will be staying in a room at the school (a converted old house), studying for my final and finishing up a lovely pressed flower book project. i will be fully immersed in herbs. i will be alone. i will be scared. i write my fears here to address them. and over the period of the next 7 weeks i will take care to record the goings of myself here in Asheville. finishing up a chapter in my life while my husband and forever furry friend (lelu, our dog) are starting the new chapter. i will write. relax. work hard. dream. journal. be quiet. i will just be. i will be kind to myself. kind to my partner. and kind to all of you. change is scary.

(just sharing those fears i can feel a deeper breath coming)

Aug 31, 2010

Wild Women Rule

Today I give thanks. Thanks that I am able to get up and do my morning pages. Putting my pen to the paper feels like home.

Today I ponder being wild. Is it too wild to think that we can trust in the universe to carry us? Is it too wild to be without a home for a few months while we travel and visit and re-situate ourselves? When we let ourselves feel how much we crave a certain experience....and then we don't take the opportunity, aren't we then not being wild enough?

Life is change. Change is Wild. And I'm going to trust in the organic connection between what I want on the inside and what is wanted from me on a higher level. That when I leap into what I want for myself and those I love, that ultimately I am doing good for our planet.

Breaking through...to a whole new world

Jul 25, 2010

restored.recharged.and oh so thankful.


a sunday drive
picking berries on the blueridge parkway
sacred native land
showers
followed by rainbow delights
homemade whipped cream to top the berries with
cuddling and movies
makes for a perfect sunday :)