Check out some of our beautiful pictures from the grounds at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors. On August 4, we got to meet Chris Dyer, graffiti artist extraordinaire after his live graffiti demo and workshop.
His finished graffiti piece is below…
The last fairy mandala I made inspired me to create a dragonfly mandala. Dragonflies are so beautiful and very special to me… and seeing one is a good omen. Because they start their life on the water and then go through a metamorphosis, and become air dwellers, they combine the emotions of water element and the mind of air. They represent transformation, grace, ease of movement and, because they reflect the sun, they also relate to light and colorful transformation.
Here are some photos I have taken of dragonflies:
June 20-June 21 marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and simultaneously heralds the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere. In 2012, the summer solstice occurs and summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20, at 7:09 p.m. EDT.
Whenever I think of the Summer solstice, I cannot forget this same time, in my late hippie teen days when I decided to hitchhike around England with my friend Robin. One day, for no apparent reason, we decided that this would be a nice day to hike to see Stonehenge. We had no idea that it was the summer solstice!
It was amazing and even eerie as the Druids and other Pagans began to arrive. They started to rope off areas as it got later in the day. Druids witness the sunrise on the longest day of the year at the prehistoric site marking the event with religious ceremonies. We just intuitively were in the right place at the right time. Maybe we had cellular memories, but it was a remarkable day.
Today at 7:20 I will be with friends drumming in celebration of the longest day of the year and I am grateful. Grateful for the fullness of my life and grateful for the blossoms and bounty in my garden. You can see in my photos below how my butterfly bush has grown through the years into more of a tree than a bush. My flowers blossom alongside my tomato, pepper, eggplant, string bean, and dill plants. The birds share along with us the delicious blueberries on our small bush in various stages of ripeness and a few cherries are still left for the Robins, Cardinals, Mockingbirds and other birds of this area.
Rose’s fragrant and full adorn the bushes….all this in such a tiny space of a garden. We get so much pleasure in such an array of color and fragrance. All around we see Fibonacci’s magical sequence in the spirals of daisies and Echinacea plants. lettuce and snail shells. Thank you for this moment.
The flowers must first grow through dark soil before they blossom fully. The butterfly must first evolve within a dark cocoon before it can flutter around the garden. So now like the butterfly and flowers, may we shed what ever may have been constricting us and emerge at this powerful time strong, creative and free to blossom fully. Set a positive intention for the rest of the year for transformation and self growth.
Sending love to all of you for a wonderful Summer solstice and may you enjoy the fullness of life.
“How did the rose open it’s heart
and give to this world all of it’s beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light against it’s being,
otherwise we all remain too frightened.”
– Hafiz
It is a beautiful day today, and despite the many chemtrails overhead, I am at peace and planting flowers in my garden. My garden is a mixture of wild and store bought plants. Ella Wheeler Wilcox once said, “A weed is but an unloved flower.” I personally love them all. Here are a few pictures I just took from my garden.
Red Clover makes a great tea for purifying blood
The wild spearmint is great added to tea for digestion and for some minty flavor to your lemonade.
I often think, who decided what is a weed and what is a throw-away plant? In the dictionary a weed is defined as a wild plant that is growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants. Well, they do tend to compete with the other plants so I can understand needing some control, but the complete removal of weeds from a garden is not for me. I can’t image spraying chemicals on my lawn like so many of my neighbors to keep weeds away! Even my lawn is a diversified mixture of a variety of grasses, clover, dandelions, and so many so called weeds. It is so hardy that it rarely needs watering and never needs reseeding.
So many weeds have healing qualities for a variety of needs. My beloved dandelions, that most frown upon in the garden are rich in vitamin-A, C, iron and calcium and detoxifiers which explains its use in medicines.
Dandelion root is a most popular herbal remedy. The specific name, officinale, means that It’s used medicinally. The decoction is a traditional tonic. It’s supposed to strengthen the entire body, especially the liver and gallbladder, where it promotes the flow of bile, reduces inflammation of the bile duct, and helps get rid of gall stones. This is due to its taraxacin. It’s good for chronic hepatitis, it reduces liver swelling and jaundice, and it helps indigestion caused by insufficient bile. Don’t use it with irritable stomach or bowel, or if you have an acute inflammation.
For more benefits of weeds, check out this site: http://agriinfo.in/default.aspx?page=topic&superid=1&topicid=351
I was once taught to make dandelion wine by Susanne weed. Here is her recipe http://www.ashtreepublishing.com/Book_Healing_Wise_Recipe_Dandywine.htm
FantasticFarms.com.au states that “Weeds are nature’s band-aids, placed by the wisdom of creation to heal and restore damaged soils. When farmers husband the life of the soil, as they do in organic agriculture, the improved conditions dissuade many weeds and favor their crops. The crops, being healthier, are also better able to compete with those weeds that are present.”
Gold Thread is a common wildflower. How many of you have ever looked closely at one? Look at how magnificent it is:
Goldthread
Goldthread photograph
by Jennifer-Schlick
I’m not saying to leave every weed in your garden, I’m not saying let that poison ivy spread or let the weeds choke out your crops, but do give them their space, and honor all of your plants as sacred and living and they may reveal to you their healing gifts.
Enjoy this YouTube:
Wildflowers” – Tom Petty
“You belong among the wildflowers,
You belong somewhere close to me.
Far away from your trouble and worries
You belong somewhere you feel free”.
– Tom Petty, Wildflowers
Namaste’ ~ May your day be filled with beauty and joy!”
Last night marked the beginning of Fall – the Autumnal Equinox.
It is a time of harvesting and giving thanks for our bounties while preparing for the winter ahead. It is also a time to think about planning what you want to create… As Spring is a time of birth and new beginnings, Autumn is a time when things begin to shed. The leaves change colors and animals prepare for the coming cold.
This is a time of becoming aware of ones fragility and with the increasing hours of night, a time to go within – not just physically, but to go within our minds as well, reflecting on life’s meaning. As this is also a time associated with the dead, it is a good time to remember those we loved that have passed, remembering the gifts they left with us.
As we put the dying leaves in our gardens for mulch, we can also get rid of old thought forms that may have taught us good lessons but that we no longer need to hold on to. This includes things that made us angry, sad, or jealous. Burn them away, transmuting them into the fertilizer for your new garden in the Spring.
Enjoy the last blast of color from the trees and may you have a wonderful, peaceful, healthy season.
Love and blessings to all.
My giant hibiscus is still blossoming. So big and beautiful, the bees are loving it.
