Russian Tea for Cold and Flu Season

It was our first truly cold and snowy evening this season and I had made plans several days ago to visit my dear friend and neighbor.  I bundled up in my new sweater that I had just finished knitting, knowing that my friend, being an avid knitter herself would enjoy seeing my sweater.  A big part of me didn't feel like getting in my cold car, away from my family and the warmth of our wood stove, but it had been way too long that I had seen my friend and shared an evening of catching up.

So off I went, down the road, and I could tell she was waiting for me because her outdoor lights were on and they looked so beautiful with the snow falling down.  My friend lives in a magical home built of straw surrounded by gardens of herbs, flowers and vegetables.  I always love visiting her. It's one of those homes that nourishes the soul.  So I ran inside, careful not to step in the puddles of slush and she greeted me at the door and immediately took me over to her stove where she had a big pot of Russian tea brewing.

I had never had Russian tea, but it smelled wonderful and I couldn't wait to try it.  We settled into her cozy living room with our mugs of Russian tea.  My first sip just warmed my insides to my core.  It tasted so yummy and with a perfect blend of spices, just instantly relaxed me and I felt so deeply nourished.  We were so busy catching up for the rest of the evening that I left without asking for the recipe.  But VOILA!  The next morning, DIY Natural, had a recipe for Russian tea.  So I thought I'd share it with all of you.  I included the story of my visit with my neighbor because sometimes there's a warm drink or a delicious dessert that is part of a whole experience and the two just can't be separated.  Such was the case with my first experience of Russian Tea!  Enjoy!

Homemade Russian Tea Recipe

Ingredients

A note about ingredients: It can be difficult to find organic varieties of some of these juices. You’re likely to have better luck at a natural grocery store.

• 1 gallon + 2 cups of filtered water
• ½ tsp organic whole cloves
• ½ tsp organic ground cinnamon
• 4 bags of organic black tea
• 6 cups of organic orange juice
• 6 cups of organic pineapple juice, or one 46 oz can
• 4 cups of organic apple juice
• ½ cup of organic lemon juice
• Optional: ½ to 1 cup of organic cane sugar or other natural sweetener of your choice

Directions

1. Get out two pots – a large stock pot to start your water mixture, and a small one in which to brew your tea.
2. In the large pot, pour one gallon of water. Bring to a boil on high heat.
3. In the small pot, pour two cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the four tea bags and reduce heat to low. Let the tea bags steep as you wait for the large pot of water to boil.
4. When the large pot of water has come to a boil, add the ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and the ½ teaspoon of whole cloves. If you know for sure that you want to add sugar, this is a good time to add it. Once all of these ingredients are combined, pour in the tea that has been brewing.
5. Next, you’re going to start adding juices. It doesn’t matter what order in which you pour them – just get them all in and stir them well.
6. If you didn’t add sugar before, now you’ll need to taste the tea and make sure you’re happy with that decision. It’s good without sugar, but a little sour, and my family prefers it with half a cup of sugar added. If you do add sugar, stir well.
7. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the tea to simmer for a few more minutes to make sure everything is fully combined. This also concentrates the taste more.

Storage

Keep in mind that this recipe will make just over two gallons of Russian tea. You’ll need to have a few large containers to hold it all. Store it in the refrigerator and reheat by the cup. The ingredients have a tendency to settle, so shake or stir well before serving.

Time for ROOTS!

I love collecting roots in the fall.  I typically collect burdock, dandelion, chicory, and yellow dock roots for making bitters.  But this year, seeing that my backyard was full of yellow dock, I decided to explore this plant a little more.  I like to see what's growing in my backyard because it often gives me a clue to what plant medicine I'm needing.  I believe that the plants you need most, grow the most prolifically right in arms reach.

So in researching yellow dock, I found it to be an excellent blood cleanser.  I've also experienced it being great at pulling toxins out of your intestines.  The other thing I learned is that it's very high in iron and if you tend to have heavy menstrual bleeding, it helps to make your flow more manageable.

Besides taking yellow dock internally, it's also great for external ailments.  This summer one of our chickens had a wound on its foot.  We first used lavender to fight bacteria and then we used comfrey to reduce the swelling.  It seemed to be working okay, but our friend Nicole who came to visit, mentioned that soaking the chicken's foot in an infusion of yellow dock might help.  I had never used it this way, but we thought we'd give it a try.  She had said that she experienced it helping someone with severe gangrene.  And sure enough, Nicole and Nora soaked the chicken's foot in an infusion of yellow dock root and the swelling reduced considerably.

I've collected several yellow dock roots this fall, washed them, chopped them and boiled them in water.  The infusion is almost black, full of iron.  I keep it in a mason jar in the refrigerator and drink about a half a cup a day.  It's funny when our bodies need something like an herbal infusion, it tastes good to us even though it's not necessarily a pleasant taste.  Enjoy the fall everyone!

HELLO to everyone who reads my blog!  I'm almost at the 11,000 mark and I just want to say a big THANK YOU for visiting my blog.  I would love to hear from you and find out what it is you are most interested in.  Do you want to see more herbal remedies?  Do you want to see more writings about the mystical side of things?  Or did you just stumble upon my blog by accident?  Whoops!  What are your interests? What would you like to learn more about?  Feel free to comment below.  I'd love to hear from you!

Ridding Your Home of Pantry Moths

If you buy organic flours and grains, chances are you've had to deal with pesky pantry moths.  We started having a problem a few years ago so began keeping most of our grains in the freezer.  But still there was often not room in the freezer so something would inevitably get put in the pantry.  Last year, when I was getting my certification in aromatherapy, one of my homework assignments was to write a paper on Mugwort.  I was familiar with this herb since we have a huge Mugwort plant that grows right near our barn each year.  I also knew that it was a plant that the native people used to help promote dreaming.  But what I found out as I researched this plant for my paper, is that it helps to rid your home of pantry moths.  So I gathered bunches of it and placed one bunch in my pantry and the other bunch I hung right next to one of my kitchen cupboards.  It really helped.  There was a noticeable difference in our home.  This is a great time of year to pick it and I personally love the smell of mugwort, but not everyone cares for it.  But if it helps get rid of pantry moths, it's well worth tolerating the smell!

Making Herbal Wine

Wine making is easy and you don't need all the fancy equipment to make a really yummy home-made wine.  If I'm making a big batch of wine, I use a 5 gallon crock and if I'm making smaller batches then sometimes I'll use a really big mason jar.  You can pretty much use any fruit of your choice.  Traditionally, I make elderberry wine every fall and dandelion wine with oranges and grapefruit in the spring.

But this year, I thought I would try something different and make an herbal wine with grapes.  I had spent all winter reading a book comprised herbal lore and remedies of Hildegard of Bingen.  Most of her herbal remedies were added to wine and administered as a drink.  So I thought I would try this only instead of adding the herbs to the already made wine, I 've added them to the wine right from the beginning so they are actually part of the fermenting process.

I took the grapes off their vine and placed them in a pot filled with water to just barely covering the grapes.  I then let them boil while I helped to mash them and break their skins.  After they cooked for awhile, I strained out the grapes and measured the remaining juice.  I added about the same amount, maybe a bit less, of honey and stirred til it was dissolved.  Then while it was still hot, I added yarrow and echinacea flower petals and leaves, stirred and let cool a bit.  While it was still warm, but not hot, I added some wine maker's yeast.  (you don't want to add the yeast when it's still really hot or it will kill the yeast.)  I've been stirring it every day and it's a very alive culture of goodness!  The fermenting process will last for weeks before it's ready for a second straining and bottling.  Usually when I put it in wine bottles, I cover the tops with balloons and let sit for a bit longer.  This way I can tell if it's still fermenting, because it will make the balloons stand on end.  And trust me, you don't want to bottle and cork your wine before it's done fermenting. 

So get creative this fall, and make some wine with your favorite fruit, herbs and even roots!

The Mother Matrix

I'm super excited to be offering a new online retreat this spring for the whole month of May.  It's called the Mother Matrix, Raising our Children from the INSIDE OUT.  I'll be sharing with you information that I have been using with my own family for years as well as our small community here at Hawk Circle.  It is information that can help you to heal relationships, transform self-limiting patterns and support yourself and your family with having authentic and long lasting bonds.  And if you have a child that is struggling, this will help and provide you with tangible results.

So what is the Mother Matrix?

It's a field of resonance that we can learn to align with that will support us in bringing healing and transformation for ourselves and our families.  I can imagine almost all moms have had the experience of seeing one of their children struggle; maybe with a health issue, or maybe with an issue at school.  And I'm sure you received a number of suggestions and reasons for their struggle, all very rational, perhaps reasonable and sensible, and maybe even information based on statistics.  And as a mother you felt something else tugging at your heart but didn't have the words for it.  So what do you do?  We tend to go with what is known, what the person of authority is saying, what the norm is.  To go against the grain of what everyone else is saying, particularly the doctors or the therapists, takes quite a leap of faith and you often have to do it alone.

Well I can assure you, what you feel in your heart, what tugs at you in the face of reason, is something very real, very powerful and very ancient.  And it has the power to heal and transform your family.

I've spent the past 20 years traveling to sacred sites all over the world.  I would purposefully set aside any reading in regards to what each temple was about so I could experience the temple first hand.  I'm so glad  I did this, because it allowed me to freely experience the temples with out any conflicting rational thoughts or beliefs.  It allowed me to fully tune into the field of energy at the temples that had more to do with the language of emotion, feeling and symbols that the ancient people knew so well. 

This is what I refer to as the Mother Matrix and am so excited to introduce this ancient knowledge to all of you.

This retreat will open your eyes to your true power as a mother and how beneficial and necessary that power is for our growing families.

I've been a mother for the past 25 years and have applied what I learned at the ancient sacred sites to help both my family and our small community here at Hawk Circle.  After spending many years 'testing' this, I'm so excited to be sharing this with  you.  Although I'll be focusing on moms and working with our children, everyone can benefit from this knowledge and help you with your relationships and/or clients.

If you are looking to discover a whole new way to work with your family, then CLICK HERE to register for the Mother Matrix, Raising Our Children from the INSIDE OUT.

Fire Cider, an anti-flu and anti-infection remedy

This is the original Fire cider recipe from Rosemary Gladstar.  It's a great remedy for warding off both cold and flu.  I made a similar recipe this fall and used many of the same ingredients but added a handful of fresh basil, rose hips and hawthorn berries for their high vitamin C content.  Anytime I feel a cold coming on, I take a teaspoon of the vinegar.  I've even sprinkled it on freshly grated cabbage and carrots where it adds a great spicy flavor that really enhances the taste of the vegetables. 

• 8 oz. chopped ginger
• 8 oz. garlic cloves
• 2 red onions
• 6 oz. fresh horseradish root
• Three Chimayo or Jalapeno Chilies
• A bunch of fresh rosemary
• A bunch of fresh oregano or bergamot(bee balm) or 1/4 c. dried
• One organic orage or lemon with the peel
• Enough apple cider vinegar to cover the herbs twice

Place all these ingredients in a mason jar, add a few extra ingredients if you like, pour in the apple cider vinegar and let sit for a few weeks.  Strain into a mason jar for storage.  I keep mine right on my kitchen counter so it's always handy when I need it.

I found Rosemary's recipe on Karen Vaughn's blog and wanted to share it.  Rosemary, along with so many other herbalists share their wisdom and pass along great recipes from one generation to the next.  It's such a blessing that there is such valuable information freely shared.

Healing Pain

Every pain we have, whether it's physical body pain or emotional heartache, has a story that involves our past.  Our bodies are like a library of stories, some really wonderful and some not so wonderful.  It's the not so wonderful stories in our lives that get our attention by creating pain in our bodies or in our hearts so that we can heal these stories, perhaps write a final chapter to the story, or maybe even see the story with new eyes and completely change our perspective of the story.

Often times, when I'm working with my clients, whether it's over the phone or in person, I hear the stories, beliefs or feelings that are being held in a particular area of their bodies.  When I share the story or words I hear with my clients it brings it to their consciousness so it can be looked at.  And sometimes just talking about the story or feeling seems to loosen it from a client's body and energetic field and it begins to move and become free and the pain disappears.

I was working with a man who had a fair amount of back pain.  It had suddenly gotten much worse and was pretty debilitating.  I worked with him over the phone and instantly felt a tremendous amount of fear in the area of his body where it was most painful.  I asked him if there was anything particular going on in his life where he was experiencing fear.  He shared with me the many books and news reports that he was reading and watching that were all fear based.  He also was able to express everything he was really afraid of.  We came up with a plan with a list of other books that were more uplifting and hopeful and a plan to limit the amount of time he spent watching the news.  We also looked at his fears and categorized them as to which ones he had no control over and which ones he could actually alleviate by taking certain actions.  Within a couple of weeks, his pain was gone.

We can actually feel quite paralyzed in our lives by pain, no matter what type of pain it is.  And we don't often realize that there are actions that we are making through out our day that is generating the emotion or feeling attached to this pain.  So it's not enough, in my opinion, to release pain, but we also need to become conscious of our actions related to this pain so we don't recreate the story over and over again.  So how do we do this?

Working on healing yourself really requires opening up to your right brain.  Unfortunately, our culture acknowledges rational thought much more than intuitive insight.  So here's the thing, when we try to heal ourselves through our left brain, we have access to ONLY the information that we have learned.  But what about all the information that we don't know?  There's so much we don't know and accessing your right brain may offer you insight or information that you would have never thought of.  When it comes to healing pain, it's such an individual experience and using the information we have gathered from statistics or research doesn't mean it is true for your situation. 

I worked with a child once who was encountering paralyzing fear in her life and it was resulting in so much struggle and heartache.  I was aware of her story and that it most likely originated from a past life, but didn't feel it would be helpful to share it with her at such a young age.  I encouraged her to write a story and she ended up writing a historically accurate play but completely changed the ending to what was "her story".  She changed the ending from what was a horrific outcome to a beautiful ending.  Her fears dissolved and has gone on to create a beautiful life.  This is an incredible example of working with the creative and intuitive mind to heal past trauma.

So while it may be difficult for some of you to access your right brain through writing, doing what I call intuitive art is another great tool.  It's a lot like being in the same mindset you're in when you're mindlessly doodling while talking on the phone.  Whatever it is you draw, tells your story and gives insight to your unconscious world.  I was working with a young man who had a difficult time and he drew a picture of a troll in a cave, hidden from the world.  After looking at his drawing, he realized that the troll was a part of himself that he kept hidden away.  I suggested he draw another picture and consciously take the troll out of its cave.  He did, and this time the troll was standing out in the sunshine holding an ice cream cone.  It really helped him to recognize how he was keeping his little boy self locked away.  So whether it's drawing your story, or writing your story, you can find what you need to heal your pain.

The Heart of Faith

What is faith?  The dictionary describes it as an unwavering confidence or trust in something or someone.  I read an article recently, and I apologize that I don't remember the details, but it was talking about the phrase, "faith can move mountains".  The story was about a village that didn't have access to a hospital because a mountain stood in their way.  There was a man who had a wife that had an ongoing illness and he knew that he needed to be able to get a certain kind of medicine for her and that it was on the other side of the mountain.  So he set off to make a road going over the mountain and eventually other people in the village began to help.  Some might think this is a story of perseverance or a strong will, but what the story talked about was this man's faith.  He had such a deep faith that making a road over the mountain was possible and that he was going to be able to do it.  I think that it took many years, but it was his faith alone that inspired the help of other people in the village to help and to persevere.

I found this story to be really important.  There are so many changes going on and many people struggling and it's an old illusion that having faith is to believe that someone or something is going to come along and save you.  I don't believe this is faith.  Faith is believing that change will come and that you will know what to do to create this change.  Believing that you have the tools to create the change you need.  Trusting that you are enough and that the universe is here to support you.  Having faith that you are a part of something much larger that supports truth, justice, abundance and joy.

I actually have never thought about my faith until lately.  I'm actually just discovering what an unwavering faith I have when it comes to trusting that goodness will prevail.  I know it sounds cliche, but my faith in the universe and standing in one's own truth and the power of love has been the underlying current, the river or stream so to speak that has directed the flow of my life.  It has moved metaphorical mountains in my life and helped me get to where I wanted to go.  It may have taken years, just like with the man from the village, but my life is closer to being what I've dreamed of then ever before.  So here's to faith, an irreconcilable power that can move mountains
!

The Dark Mother

As an archetypal figure, the Dark Mother is one of the more powerful ones, in my opinion.  I stumbled upon her 18 years ago during my first trip to France.  Referred to as the Black  Madonna, she is found as a Madonna statue made of dark wood and highly revered by many seeking healing at the old temples and cathedrals.

I was raised Christian and the archetype of  Mother Mary, the way she was depicted by the Christian religion, had a powerful impact on me growing up.  Her gentleness, purity and obscure power conveyed to me as a young girl, that that was what a woman should be.  Not being exposed to many other kinds of archetypes as a child, this image of Mother Mary was the only image I had.

I have a much deeper understanding of the Mother Mary archetype than I did then and I love her power.  But all I can say is, I'm so thankful for having found the Dark Mother or the Black Madonna.  She helped to balance out my ways of being feminine.  She helped me to be okay, well more than okay, with the other side of me that was earthy, passionate and ferocious at times.  I had denied this part of myself thinking it must not be acceptable, but my search for sinking my roots deep in the earth and creating a passionate life and having a powerful voice brought me right to the feet of the Dark Mother.

It was one of the most powerful initiations that I ever encountered.  Her fierceness worked its way through me and helped me to change my life from the inside out.  She helped me to break old family patterns that inhibited my power as a woman and she helped me to mother my children from a very deep and intuitive place.  She helped me to face fear and to trust in the power of truth.

I've since helped guide many women and men through this initiation and it's been a joy to see each person find their voice, a deeper truth, and a creative life.  It's not an easy initiation because it challenges every belief system you have.  It forces you to let go and to get turned inside out.  But it's so well worth it.  While the Dark Mother is fierce, she's also a powerful earth mother that will nourish you to the very core. 

So if change is knocking on your door and you're having a hard time letting go and perhaps feeling a lot of resistance or fear, call on the Dark Mother.  If you're stuck in a situation that is difficult, hurtful, or seems too big for you to handle, call on the Dark Mother.  She will provide you with the strength and fierceness you need to overcome any obstacle and bring change to your life.  Blessings!

Spices as Medicine

I've always loved cinnamon and ginger.  When fall comes, I traditionally bake my grandmother's favorite molasses cookie recipe that's filled with cinnamon and ginger.  I usually add about twice as much of the spices as the recipe actually calls for.  They're so yummy and so very warming.  The perfect remedy for colder weather.  But there are a lot of other ways that I use cinnamon and ginger.

I use the essential oil of cinnamon in my foot salves.  It's anti-fungal properties helps to keep my feet free of fungus and really helps to soothe and heal any cracks that I may have.  It's considered a "hot" oil, so using directly on your skin, without a carrier oil, could really irritate your skin.

I also use cinnamon when I'm feeling a cold come on.  I take a generous teaspoon of cinnamon and add it to some plain yogurt and eat it.  Cinnamon is anti-bacterial and anti-viral, so it makes great medicine to ward off colds and flu.  I also use a generous amount of it in warm milk before I go to bed at night.  It helps with digestion after a heavy meal and its warming quality helps me to fall asleep at night.  It also is a great agent for regulating blood sugar.  So if you have problems with fluctuating blood sugar, taking a teaspoon of cinnamon every day can really help.

Ginger is my other favorite.  Ginger candies got me through my early months of my pregnancies.  It was the only thing that would help me through morning sickness.  Just sucking on a small piece of crystallized ginger whenever I would feel nauseous was a life saver.  Those days are long past, and now I use ginger primarily because of it's such a great digestive aid.  It has a real warming quality to it and can kick start a lousy appetite, help relieve a bloated stomach, and help improve absorption of vital nutrients.  Used as a tea with a bit of lemon is great for sore throats and helping to clear your sinuses.  I added powdered ginger to my warm milk at night along with cinnamon and it really helps to improve my digestion so I'm not going to bed still trying to digest my dinner.

Ginger is also great for the kidneys.  This time of year, it's so important to give your kidneys what they need.  And that is warmth, darkness and pressure.  Winter is the time to slow down, stay warm and nourish your kidneys so they are well prepared for the burst of spring energy.  Kidney wraps are very common in many cultures.  Using an old scarf that you can wrap around your waist provides the subtle pressure that kidneys like.  Infusing fresh ginger and adding ginger essential oil to your favorite massage oil makes a great, warming oil to rub on your lower back where your kidneys are.

Anthroposophical doctors say that when children get ear infections that it's their kidneys that need tending to.  They recommend making ginger packs by grading up fresh ginger, placing it on the kidney area, applying a heating pad or hot water bottle and wrapping the area with a scarf or anything to hold it into place.  I've never tried this since my kids were never prone to ear infections, but I've heard it works really well.

Have a healthy winter!

The Healing Magic of Essential Oils continued.......

A couple of years ago I posted an article on the healing magic of essential oils.  Well, since then, I've become certified in aromatherapy and have continued to be amazed with essential oils and their healing capabilities.  When I first started using essential oils, it was primarily in my herbal salves to promote healing of all sorts of skin ailments.  Then I began using essential oils neet, or directly on wounds without being blended with a carrier oil.  And if you haven't read my previous blog entry on "The Healing Magic of Essential Oils", I encourage you to do so.  It's a great story about healing my husband's deep cut with lavender.

Lately, I've begun integrating the oils into my healing practice and have been using a variety of different oils on clients' feet.  One thing that I instantly notice is that they become more relaxed, their whole system.  The other thing that I notice is how the oils interact with opening up a person's meridians.  They seem to magically open up our energetic channels.  It's as if the body knows how pure the medicine of essential oils is and responds to it with such a beautiful openness.  I've seen people's chakras begin to open as well and respond as if in a lovely and intimate dance together. 

The oils are such wonderful facilitators for our systems to go into a deep relaxation where its innate wisdom of being able to heal itself can then take place.  I use them on my children, even though 2 are adults now, to help them to relax and to let go of their busy lives. 

On another note, I think this is worth mentioning this time of year.  During the winter months when our whole family is indoors more than other times of the year, the energy of our home can feel clogged at times and it can easily create stress for me.  I've found when I add a really uplifting oil like lemon, peppermint, or spearmint to a bucket or sink full of water and wash my floors with it, any stuck energy seems to dissipate.  The air is cleared just as if it was spring and I was opening all the windows and doors.  Aaaaahh, a welcome relief!

Have a magical and healthy winter everyone!