ELIXIR GIVEAWAY Contest!

So last year I entered one elixir into the elixir bar contest at the Women's Herbal Conference. My Black Birch elixir. And to my sheer delight, it won! Well, the elixir category, anyway..... there are lots of categories and lots of winners :)

This year I'm entering six ... and YOU have a chance to win a TWO OUNCE bottle *with any order from my shop*. A handmade herbal worth over $25, for free! 

Here's HOW:

1) GUESS which one will win:
      Black Cherry Fruit, Peach Tree, Bee Balm, Honeysuckle, White Fir, or Hawthorn leaf & flower.  
     According to my children, these were the best ones to enter! 

2) ORDER your choice of Handcrafted Herbal Collections from my PoppySwap Shop between Today and 11:59pm of Thursday (8/16 - 8/18 2011) and write your guess in the note section of your order, or email me:
PlantJourneys AT gmail DOT com.

3) Cross your fingers! I will announce who guessed the winning elixir correctly on Monday, 8/22/11, and mail it with the collection ordered by Tuesday, the next morning, with no extra shipping charge.
(Don't worry, if you don't win, you still get a free yummy lip balm with every order!)

Good Luck!

Fine Print:

If I don't win at all, I will draw a winning name randomly.

If multiple people enter the correctly winning elixir, I will award up to two people the free elixir, chosen randomly by name drawing if more than two have entered correctly.

Play on!

Come and gone: the reverberations of another WHC

The Women's Herbal Conference of 2008 has come and gone. The bliss of the weekend fills one up full of wonder, hope and strength. Herbal knowledge flows and community thrives. Under the guise of learning herbal healing, what really happens here often has little to do with the collecting of facts - that's just the lacy edge. What really happens is that the soul begins to sew together the torn seams of spirit, of joy, sisterhood and self identity. Missing threads re-appear, often in the most unsuspecting moments. They jump out from women you are destined to meet, a song that unlocks the tears you forgot to cry, or in the moment you loose yourself to the rhythm of the dragonflies. Sometimes it pounds you back to your center when the drums begin to thunder, or unearths while walking blindfolded, hand in hand through the forest; a scale of a snake made of thirty wild women; and the world's constriction dissolves.
Half Moon lake holds the prayers of the women, girls and children who attend each year. The plants grow wild and unencumbered here. The wild blueberries ripe and sweet, the elder drips with copious amounts of fruit, the goldenrod scents the air with honey, and skullcap sneaks into the moist and shady pockets.
And yet the return to life brings the deepest sorrow imaginable. Despite the comparatively 'fine' life I have, fine seems unacceptable. Fine seems more like doom. Filled with bills and deadlines and obligations and 'shoulds', injected with laws and societal expectations, and self inflicted limitations, I spend this in between day to both grieve and to effort myself back to alleged reality. While home is an essential foundation for me - the deeper sense of home meaning rooted in one's being always and often through connection to land or place - 'home' in the modern sense of house laundry mortgage and work is truly the dessication of my spirit. Perhaps this is what happens when the 'home' you arrange, is not aligned with the inner home that your soul is; not aligned with your purpose, needs, and venues of gifts and expressions. Perhaps it is through this misalignment that we become trapped in a vicious cycle of obligatory gratitude and deep despondency. Life traps life in unforgiving ways. Life allows room for only a couple passions at a time.

This phase now holds lessons and mysteries yet to be revealed. I will teach, learn, organize, and sequence. And like a vulture I'll tout the others who reflect most truthfully what I believe, what I do even when you can't see that I'm doing it, when my hands don't hold clay, when I don't have a stage or platform or mic for y'all to hear me, it's what I do, if nothing but vicariously for now. It's political, it's ferocious, it's excruciatingly odd and beautiful. I'll push and bark the women doing it in visible and sonic forms so that it happens. It's got to continue.

So I'll say that the most powerful experience this weekend indeed had little to do with plants (because we know that plants can be the messengers) but had everything to do with art, sound, expression, authenticity, and powerful craft. I'll do what I can to get it to you, too. Do yourself a big favor and book yourself for a show, book a show at your own conference or gathering, and pick up their cd's ......... Rising Appalachia, Leah and Chloe: sisters of Alchemy:

While being anointed with the astonishing sounds of these Appalachian soul sisters, I grew roots. I may have even gotten drunk on the intoxicating rhythms, caramelized harmonies and side splitting humor. My feet pressed closer to the earth and my wings flew me across each mountain and valley of lyrical habitats and cultural diversity. My breath rounded and my latent artist heart began to beat again. Partaking in their 'singing out your soul' workshop we danced, sculpted layered sounds, learned celebratory songs from around the globe, and opened our creative lungs together. I'll be singing these tunes forever. Leah and Chloe if only you knew the vast ripples your droplets make.

So I leave you with an order and a warning: Don't go without travelling on their song journeys, but beware of their resuscitating power.

Rising Appalachia - main website

Rising Appalachia on MySpace

Womens Herbal Conference 2008

And...... we're off! Tomorrow is the first of three days at the Women's Herbal Conference. This will be the first time my daughter, 11, will be joining us. The first of many, I hope. These are the moments that nudge me. When a ripple of knowing reveals itself to me, whispering reminders of why I am here, of purpose and trust in the mystery, in the process, and that all this 'following my path' isn't just a made up story.
When we drummed in the ancestors at the Daughters of the Earth Gathering, I expected to meet my long lost fore mothers. I thought they would finally come to me, let me know where I came from, inform me of a great lineage. But no one showed up. I still don't know my lineage, really. At the tail end of ruckus heartbeat drumming with forty other women and a Voodoo Priestess? I realized the one who showed up

was me.

I am the ancestor.

I will be the past someday.

It's me, my Mom, my daughter, and my husband and son, that carry this moment into something special. You too. The future is the same thing as the now.

See?

I'll see you all back here in the now on Monday. Or maybe Tuesday.

Apothecary Sale

Dear Friends.....

In an effort to raise a little money for this year's Women's Herbal Conference, which my Mom and I go to every year, I am posting a few apothecary items for sale. This is an especially vital year, since it will be the first time my 11 year old daughter will be attending with us. Three generations of herbal wisdom!

You'll notice that I am putting up large sizes of extracts, and have paired the skin care. If I sold little $5 dollar things, it just wouldn't be worth my time, or worth your shipping fee. Pay pal will automatically add the shipping costs when you check out.

Also, please note there are only two of each item available. The pay pal buttons are located at the very end of the post, please pardon the annoying space between buttons, it's not a dramatic pause, just an html thing I can't fix :)


Green Blessings!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gentle, all purpose herbal salves. Triple Goddess heals with White sage, Elder flowers, and Lavender leaf. Weed Witch heals with Comfrey Leaf, Lavender blossoms, and Mugwort. Set of two salves (one ounce of each come together), for $10 plus s&h

Omnipotent Herbal Extracts, 4oz size. Goldenrod Blossom, Yarrow Blossom and Leaf, Red Rose blossom, or Cleavers fresh flowering tops. Vodka or brandy depending. Each label is simple and handwritten, and each item sold with the understanding that you hold the responsibility for using it wisely and properly. Each: $30.00 plus s&h.

An exquisite herbal facial set, classic Amrita style. A pink and white clay mix for a perfect mask - self mix with avocado, honey, yogurt, or your favorite hydrosol. A rich facial cream whipped with fragrant Goldenrod blossom infused oil, unrefined beeswax, jasmine flower wax, aloe, and hydrosol. Delicious. Duet: $30.00 plus s&h

Salves:

Herbal Extracts:

Which Plant?

GoldenrodYarrowRed RoseCleavers

Facial Care:

Filled to the Brim

The Women's Herbal Conference is kind of like eating a humongous feast after starving. And after three days of it you are so full that you just check out for a while. I've been in a daze all day, happy, stuffed, and of course wondering how I can change the world.

Returning to reality with new perspectives is wonderful - an agent of change - but also very hard. At least for me. Returning to the guzzling cars and obnoxious facades that people wear is hardening to the spirit and saddening to my body of hope. Retreating and being slow on this beautiful August day, tinkering through the Lemon balm and Rue, is exactly what I need before embarking on the new year.

One of the most remarkable things about the WHC is the fact that my Mom and I go together. I think this was our fifth time. It's truly a blessing to strengthen our bond and to carry the lineage of herbal wisdom. Not to mention - we have a blast. Next year, we will be a clan of three generations, when my daughter joins us for the adventure!

Of the nine workshops I took, I realized that only two of them were herbal. Ha! But hey - a good herbalist is an empowered one, right? Yeah! Plus, in previous years I have taken many of the herb classes already. So I took the really juicy ones from my most favorite teachers.

I took two with the incredible, transformational ALisa Starkweather, on 'Becoming Butterfly Woman' and 'Feeding the Fire to Move Mountains'. YES they are as powerful as they sound and incredibly meaningful. GO to any of her workshops if you ever have the chance.

Susan Grimaldi, Shaman and Native Elder, taught a class on Trance-Dancing (where I had the honor of merging with frog) and a beautiful class on The art of seduction - which was very deep and reverent (not a come hither class) and included a shamanic journey where we created our true vision of ecstatic union. Absolutely empowering and luscious. And applicable!

I also shook and shimmied myself sore in two classes with Ann Marie Licari {I can't find a website for her, sorry! She's out of Vermont} who totally rocks. I'm usually disappointed when I go to a belly dancing class because I just can't seem to find the range of motion I need for it. But I think I got some good basics of it down and my wag started to look a bit more sparkly. Yay for me! I might be able to belly dance after all! I can't wait until I can ripple my stomach like a deep see jellyfish. ooohhhhhh.

Now the Mead Making Workshop given by Desiree Cohen was really a hoot. The mead's just seemed to keep coming around ... blueberry, rose petal, dandelion, pear, cranberry wine, and anything after that I can't remember! I know there was a lot of laughing, ye-hawing about Cowboys, (which turned out to be carboys but you see Desiree has a Boston accent) and long syphoning contraptions with delicious liquid flowing from it. It's a really good thing the class came with a detailed instruction booklet. Now I just need to check my hive again to see if the honey flow is ready!

And what two herbal medicine classes did I take, you ask? Ahhhh, yes.

Well, one was a tincture making class with Jill Frink Thompson (scroll down) who now practices out of Vermont not Asheville - and I loved her class. It cleared up a few simple things that I had been confused on. Jill is an exceptional teacher - articulate, high spirited, relaxed and down to earth, ready with fantastic knowledge and understanding of plants and people. I will definitely take more classes with her in the future. (And Jill if you happen upon this blog - let me know how I can update your web link! XO)

And I ended it with a BANG - a Triple Goddess Herbs class with the One, the Only, the Green Goddess herself, Susun Weed. My favorite Teacher of all, full of sharp insight, hilarious animation, deep rooted wisdom, and thorough, rich, applicable herbal knowledge. She starts and ends her classes in a chant which we all participate in joyfully, a tradition I'm thinking about taking on for my own classes. We learned about Cronewort, Motherwort, and Maidenwort, and about ourselves at the same time. These are three plants I love and use regularly, so it was nice to go deeper into them. And I got to thank her in person for her empowering work, and I got to slather her gorgeous Maidenwort oil (chickweed; Stellaria Media) oil all over my hands, which has to be the most erotic, slippery oil I've ever tried. Ohhh, yes, waiting for the fall flush of fresh Chickweed to arrive ..... pounce!

I also got to acknowledge some of my other favorite teachers .... like Kate Gilday, Tina Marie Wilcox, Rosemary Gladstar, Rocio Alarcon, and the Omnipotent Mz. Imani.

Now ...... given I can get over my grimacing reactions to biblical references, topics, or vocabulary, I need to go and Read the RED TENT. But really ..... I need to START A RED TENT.

Anyone else???????

Off to the Conference!

Oh Joy! My annual Mother-Daughter trip to the Women's Herbal Conference is finally here! My time to recharge, relearn, grow, and sink into my element. I'll be back Sunday night, all aglow.

I can't say what I look forward to the most. Spending time with my Mom, being in the presence of my Wise mentors like Susun Weed, Rosemary Gladstar, Rocio Alarcon, and ALisa Starkweather. Writing and thinking and learning. It's ALL good.