I love this woman! Writer, teacher, longtime meditator, woman who has traveled far and lived to tell her tale to lucky us.
I’ve been reading Sally Kempton’s latest book, Awakening Shakti, for the past couple months on and off (it’s a great book to dip into now and then), and I have to say it’s really helped me to cultivate goddess energies that I know are in there (within myself) but that I don’t often work with.
In my early dippings, I focused on the happy sunny goddesses – Saraswati, then Parvati, and of course Lakshmi. I skipped over Kali and Durga not to mention the headless crone whose name I don’t (ha ha!) even know yet. Then, I was so fortunate as to do a plant initiation with Maha Devi herself, Tulsi, who told me that there’s really no need to fear nor steer clear of the spicy intense seemingly messier goddesses (birth family training on my part). Instead, get to know them – they are aspects of yourself that you can learn about, understand more fully and rely on when needed. Durga has come in very handy for me now that I’ve gotten to know her. I hadn’t been aware of how much I needed her strength, grace under pressure and wisdom.
Last weekend my good buddy Bonita and I dipped into Sally’s workshop at Kripalu. It was delicious, and what can I say – I love this woman! Every sentence of her book Awakening Shakti is packed with turns and meaning.
Brava!
I also recommend Meditation for the Love of It – a great book for starting or deepening your meditation practice.
As I pull the down comforter out of storage, give it a fluff and feather our nest, I’m reminded of Robert Herrick’s beautiful poem…
My favorite stanza
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.
– Robert Herrick
Here’s the whole poem…it’s worth a read.
To the Virgins, to make much of Time
Flower are still out yet there’s a chill in the evening air. Not too late to gather and dry a few herbs and flowers to add to your bath thorough the cold winter months.
Last year I dried English mint and flowers, and this year I’m doubling my efforts – for those of you familiar with my spring explosion when my face peeled off (a cautionary tale to those with sensitive skin…I had a case of phytophotoreactive dermatitis…pretty disconcerting), dried flowers seem a very very safe bet. I am staying away from making oils and tinctures this year. Sticking with dried flowers and flower essences.
So, – gather, gather, gather. I find it a very relaxing and reconnect-with-Gaia experience, and hope you do too.
You might also enjoy:
Deepen Your Connection to Gaia
Morning Rituals
Herbal Waters
What are you gathering from nature now?
Saving the Environment One Meal at a Time! Our modern society is more aware of climate change, and ways to combat it, then ever before. How about taking your eco-friendly lifestyle to the next step by applying it to your diet? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) created this article that highlight’s information from their full Meat Eater’s Guide. The graphic uses several peer-reviewed or government sponsored studies that measure carbon footprint, or “foodprint,” of common foods. The studies show that four ounces of foods such as lentils, tomatoes and 2% milk have the equivalent carbon footprint of less than one half mile driven in a car. The worst choice for our environment? Lamb; four ounces is roughly equivalent to ten miles driven. Chicken is the best meat choice, coming in at almost 2 miles driven. So not only are you what you eat, but so is our environment.
EWG also has a great list of resources to learn more about clean & sustainable eating. Every bite counts!
Here’s a copy of short version of the EWG Meat Eater’s Guide
Stay up on practical ways to cultivate a life in balance by subscribing to Annie’s almost-monthly newsletter.
Just sent out my monthly newsletter. This month, I wrote about three talented healers I’ve recently encountered who are all offering creative ways of dealing with the environmental crisis. I’ll be posting about it all month, and hope to hear from you. It is a challenging issue, but it’s high time we all do what we can to show up for Gaia – mother earth.
Here are a few ways to deepen your connection to Gaia:
- As part of your morning ritual, say good morning to the trees, stones, grass and flowers outside.
- Do a breathing exchange with a tree or plant.Here how to do it:
- Head outside, and choose a tree or a plant to connect with. Trees are powerful choices!
- Take a few moments to find your breath, find your center.
- Then, take a few moments to appreciate the plant you have chosen. Notice how lovely it is!
- As you exhale, become aware of the tree or plant inhaling CO2.
- Become aware of the plant exhaling O2 as you inhale.
- Do this for a few minutes.Thank the plant for the experience.
- Have a conversation with a tree or plant. I found, once I got more connected with plants, that particularly with the trees, I spent a lot of time apologizing to them. That was helpful! I apologized for the times I was unaware, an the ways I did not stay connected to the world around me. That helped with my own grief at the impending extinction.
Springtime is here! What are you ready to let go of?
Dive into that question here, on my new post on Thrive, Kripalu’s blog.
A Deeper Detoxification Experience
Enjoy the day!
Annie
