Health, Health And Wellness, Journal

Spiritual Healthcare

Last year, I learned about a cancer diagnosis of an online friend. We (our little group) prayed and intended for her. After all of her treatments, she let us know she was cancer free. That was the extent of the information I was privy to. This year, I received my own scare. I had her email address ready for me to pick her brain. A week after I received my benign diagnosis, Ivy Bromius released, free for all (you do not even have to give her your email address), “The Cancer Grimoire – Magic on the Poison Path.”

Ivy’s Grimoire is beautifully written and she didn’t hold back, fearing her descriptions of what she went through would scare people away. I love, too, that no matter what your spirituality is, you can take the basic framework of her method and mold it into your spiritual path. After reading this grimoire, I realized this magical/spiritual journey could be applied to so many more maladies. Especially when you really look at what cancer is: it is you. Cancer is not some foreign invader that needs to be destroyed. Cancer is your body destroying itself. As much as I want to continue writing about Ivy’s process, my words will never do justice to hers. Here’s her first interview after the release of “The Cancer Grimoire“:

https://runesoup.com/2021/09/talking-health-crises-as-initiations-with-ivy-bromius/

And here is the link for Ivy Bromius’ “The Cancer Grimoire – Magic on the Poison Path.”

I encourage everyone to download this and read it.

Health And Wellness, Journal

Perpetual Outrage

This post stems from a “I have had enough” post on Facebook. I have a wide variety of friends (or those I follow) on social media. There will always be topics I do not care about and I usually just scroll past those posts. The outrage that began before the last Presidential election meant I was scrolling more than actually reading most days. Lately, though, I have noticed the constant state of outrage is spreading from political topics to just about everything. From politics to sexual harassment to even herbal medicine and knitting (I am serious), it seems an opinion cannot be made unless there is outrage behind it. I am so tired of it.

I am curious about those who are perpetually outraged: how is your home life? How is your relationship with those who share your joys and sorrows? Do you care this much about the plight of your family, friends or neighbors? How does “that” (whatever is happening on the world stage, whether it’s words said or Tweeted by the President or “equal pay” for actors or …) directly affect you and those you love? I know for most, the knee-jerk reaction will be to say it affects us all but it doesn’t and you would realize this if you took a step back. I understand how difficult that can be when you are in the thick of it but living in a state of outrage all the time will only lead to illness and unhappiness (not only for you but those around you). I am not advocating sticking your head in the sand and pretending nothing is going on in the world. Being aware can be good as long as that awareness consumes (and ultimately) ruins your life. Before I emotionally leap into an issue, I ask myself: how does this directly affect me right now? If it doesn’t, and never will, then I let it go. If it might have a direct affect on my life some time, I keep an eye on it.

This month marks 8 years since my body, after years of being perpetually outraged, extended its middle finger and said, “I’m done.” It took me quite a while to realize I must come first. I must care about (and love) myself before all others or I will end up alone and dead way too young. I am, now, the happiest (and healthiest) I have ever been.

Health And Wellness, Medicinal

Basic Liver Tonic

Well, today is day 4 of my parsley tea and it’s working!  I feel much better (and think it may be a small kidney stone … sure hurts and moves like one).  So, I can’t do much moving around.  I’ve decided to finally finish cleaning up my website and found this little tidbit hiding amongst the huge numbers of text files I have stored on my server.  I do not know who originally shared it nor who wrote it (if you do, please let me know).

Liver Tonic

* 2 T Wild Yam root
* 2 T Milk Thistle Globes
* 2 T Oregon Grape root
* 2 T Dandelion root
* 2 T Chicory root
* 2 T Goldenseal Root (optional)

Simmer in water 20 min, Golden seal may lower blood sugar and may be deleted from this remedy.

Food Storage, Garden, Health And Wellness, Supplies

Have a Small Space? Grow Vertical!

A friend mentioned that she has a tiny little area to grow any food, so I suggested she grow vertically. I don’t really do this now but may have to since I will be using raised beds this year. I’ve seen so many neat ideas over the past few months that I’m trying to find all the links to share with you (and her). Well, I was going to find a single picture to post here but when I did my Google search (“vertical gardening”) and clicked images I was in awe! There are so many creative ideas out there that I just can’t list them all (so check out the photos yourself here).

This is pretty much what I did when I was growing in containers (I posted pictures of my truck garden in 2011).

This one demonstrates how to build a growing “wall” (I love links with pictures or video) AND it’s Popular Mechanics!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to-start-a-vertical-garden#slide-1

Here are two ways to reuse soda bottles:

DIY Vertical Gardening

Here is one made with shoe hangers:

VERTICAL VEGETABLES: “Grow up” in a small garden and confound the cats!

And one with pallets:

diy project: recycled pallet vertical garden

This one has a lot of different ideas (and if you look at the bottom of the second link, she has a few more articles about vertical gardening:

How to Design Creative Vertical Gardens Part 1

How to Design Creative Vertical Gardens Part 2

There are several projects on the DIY Network’s website but this one I particularly like, since you can change it around easier:

How to Grow a Vertical Vegetable Garden

Food Storage, Garden, Health And Wellness, Supplies

Water Storage

I can’t believe I never made a post about water storage (unless I did and just can’t find it).  I will include several links from various sources describing the various methods of water storage and how to ensure the safety of the water.   Of everything we think we “need” to survive in the event of some sort of event, too many do not include water as their number 1 priority.  It’s always food, shelter, clothing, etc. but with all of that, if we do not have access to water (either already clean or have the ability to clean it) we will not survive long enough to enjoy that food and the other supplies we have stored.

The first link I will share is to a water filter that looks like it is by far the best one out there.  It’s to a forum (disclosure here) that I am a moderator/administrator for (you can view this post without being a member) and my dear friend has researched the heck out of this filter. It’s for the water filters made by www.justwater.me.

And here’s how to make a *Home Made Berkey Water Filter* which is helpful for those people like me (if there are any others out there because California is so whacky) who are unable to purchase the Big Berkeys due to state regulations. I don’t see why, if you account for flow rate, this setup can’t be used for other brands of large water filters.

Here’s an article from the CDC:

Personal Preparation and Storage of Safe Water

And here’s an even more basic article from the LDS church:

Drinking Water Guidelines

Now, for cisterns, which I think is ultimately be best way to go, if you have the space for them:

This first article is from the University of Florida extension (there’s a link to a .pdf of this article on the upper left side of their web page):

Cisterns To Collect Non-Potable Water For Domestic Use

And this one, by far, is my favorite, since I truly love Mother Earth News:

The Homestead Cistern

So, if you haven’t already begun you water storage project, you have some reading to do. It’s never too late to get started, even if the positive results may not be seen this year (since I do not expect California to get anywhere near the rain that is needed this year).

Health And Wellness, personal

Core Motivation

I am posting this on both blogs because I think this is one of the most profound videos I have seen.  Frank Kern gave this address back in 2008(?) at an Internet Marketing seminar.  It’s roughly 2 hours long (that’s my disclosure, there) but the first hour and a half is spent on you and how you can learn who you truly want to be (what you truly want out of life).  Well, at least that’s how I saw it.

So, you want to lose weight?  Why?  Do you think you’ll be happy once you lose the weight?  That’s what a lot of people think: I’ll be happy if or when.  Those are the people who, once they reach their goal and find out they are still the same person, just in a skinny body, end up putting on not only the weight they had originally lost but more!  Those are the people who win the lottery (literally) yet wind up penniless and miserable, with no friends or family.

Before we begin any journey in life, we need to really take a look at who we really are and what we truly want out of life.  The exercise that Frank walks them (us) through is: What would be your perfect average day?  Not a day when you are doing something special (like taking a trip) but your perfect normal average day.  What time would you wake up?  Who would you be with?  What would you have for breakfast?  That sort of thing.

Think about it.  If your dream is to never have to work again, what would you do to occupy your time?  If your dream is to lose 100 pounds, what would you do next?  How would that change your life?  Let’s say you want to run marathons.  O.k.  So, how would you spend your day if you were snowed in?

Once you do this exercise per Frank’s description, take a good honest look at it.  You need to take action now to become happy with your life.  After watching this video, I realized that I’ve been doing this for a number of years without consciously realizing it.  I have let friends go (some of my oldest friends) because they were not conducive with my happiness.  I’ve done the same thing with family members.  My attitude about life and circumstances has changed dramatically, all for the better.  I used to be angry and ready for a fight.  I was very active in the political arena with my primary focus on the injustices of this or that.  While that is alright, I never truly focused on how I could turn that around to make my (or anyone else’s) life better.  I was extremely negative, spending the majority of my time just bitching, ranting, and buying more ammunition (it’s like food or money or air … or happiness.  You can never have enough). 🙂

Now, I’m doing my best to improve my life and sharing it with you along the way, in the hope that it may help you, too.  I haven’t sat down and officially done the exercise mentioned above yet (I will in a little bit) but I have been thinking about it a lot.  My perfect, average day would pretty much be my life now (just in a location where I can smell pine trees when I open the front door and not hear sirens and police helicopters for hours at a time, like this morning … 4 hours!).  I would have the strength to split wood or hand-turn soil all day long if need be.  I wouldn’t have neighbors that I can hear cough (it’s not that bad but you know what I mean) and I can raise any animal I damn well please!

So, what about you?

Health And Wellness

Homemade Healing & Antibacterial Cream: Like Homemade Neosporin®

Although this one calls for more ingredients, this one I’m “drawn to”. Due to my slightly impaired immune system (type 2 diabetes), EVERYTHING gets infected if I don’t immediately clean/treat it. It’s irritating! Well, I have just discovered what I’ve done wrong with ointments. It is lack of stirring. I’ve been sitting here for 30 minutes, stirring continuously, and it’s finally looking like ointment. My patience is limited, so I’ll have to choose wisely and not make too many of these! 🙂

http://livesimply.me/2014/01/20/homemade-neosporin-four-simple-steps-healing-salve-recipe/

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup dried lavender (where to buy)
1/3 cup dried calendula (where to buy)
4 TB beeswax (where to buy) equals 2-3 oz. if using bars
1 TB raw honey
10 drops tea tree oil (where to buy)
5 drops lavender essential oil (where to buy)
glass jars (I use these)

Health And Wellness

How to Make an Herbal Raw Honey Ointment: For the Treatment of Burns and Wounds

I have come to realize that I truly hate blogs that just post links to other blogs and that’s what I’ve turned into! LOL! I just find so much out there that is cool and from people who are much more knowledgeable (and creative) than me. The recipes I’ve been sharing on my Atkins/Keto blog, I include the link with list of ingredients, so at least you can see by the ingredients if you are even interested or not prior to clicking on the link. I’ll try to do that here, either including pictures or ingredients with the link. You will have to go to the blog post or website for instructions. I will tell you this: I have not had good luck at making ointments/anything thick like this. I was thinking that it might be due to lack of stirring, so I’m going to re-melt one and sit here, at my desk, and continuously stir to see if that is what I did wrong.

http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/06/how-to-make-an-herbal-raw-honey-ointment-for-the-treatment-of-burns-and-wounds/

“we use it for the treatment of:

-1st or 2nd degree skin burns
-Rashes
-Sunburns
-Minor wounds
-Chapped skin and lips

The Recipe

Ingredients

-1/4 ounce of each dried comfrey, marshmallow root, wormwood, and witch hazel bark*
-1 1/4 cup olive oil
-4 ounces raw honey*
-1-2 ounces beeswax*
*All measurements are by weight and use of a simple kitchen scale.”

Health And Wellness, personal

Domestic Violence and Tragedy

I don’t know how to put into words the depth of my sadness after hearing the news that an online friend and her 14-year old son were beaten, then murdered by her estranged husband yesterday.  Some of you may know her (Chris Keith).  She ran Adventures of a Thrifty Mama:  http://adventuresofathriftymama.blogspot.com/

This brought up so many mixed emotions.  I’m half the country away from being able to help her mother in any way.  I desperately want to.  I’m desperately sad, not only for the loss of this precious soul and her son but for the future she was just embarking on.  I’m desperately sad for her surviving children, who are so young (all three are under 10 years old).  And I’m desperately sad for her mom, who not only had to cope with the loss of her daughter and grandson but is now raising three young children.

This brought up some memories that I haven’t quite buried but kept at bay.  I used those memories to make me a stronger person.  I don’t speak often about that time in my life because it is the past and I don’t like being seen as a victim.  I’m not.  I got out.  But that could have easily been me.  I fled, with my two young boys and literally the clothes on my back but even though I was a state away, for about a year I was armed and ready to see his face waiting for me every time I left the house or returned home.

One time, Chris mentioned being scared.  Now, we all know why.  If, for any reason, you get that feeling in your gut that the person standing in front of you could truly harm you, don’t ignore it.  Look at all the reasons why that fear is there, then hold onto it.  Prepare for it.  Never forget it so you won’t be caught off guard if/when it happens.  Too many have passed those feelings off as “crazy” or excused abuse away because of various reasons I won’t list.  Pay attention and prepare.  Keep this from happening again.

Health And Wellness, Medicinal

Salves

All-Purpose Salve

These reciepts are Rosemary Gladstar’s work:

All Purpose Salve:

* 1 part Golden Seal
* 1 part Myrrh
* 1 part Echinacea
* Olive oil
* Beeswax.

Excellent for wounds, cuts, burns and rashes.

Please if using Golden seal, obtain it from a source that grows and harvests it ethically and with respect, as it is an endangered species in the wild.

As always,
Ela

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Burn Salve

From: Ela Younger
Date: Sun Jan 16, 2000 0:56pm

This reciept is Rosemary Gladstar’s work:

Burn salve:

* 1 part St. John’s Wort
* 1 part Calendula Flowers
* 1 part Comfrey
* Olive oil
* Beeswax
* *optional: 10,000 I.U. Vitamin E per cup of salve
* 1/8 part Aloe Vera Powder (not fresh aloe)

Prepare as directed for basic salve recipe. Pour in glass jars and store in shaded area. Excellent for all first and second degree burns, sunburns, diaper rash, cuts, and wounds.

(When I make the above I do not use the Aloe vera powder because it is not an easily gotten ingredient for me and I also use a bit of the Essential Oil of Lavender in it as well).

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Chickweed Salve

Leda,

I use chickweed infused olive oil to make a nice salve and also to make a hand cream for my hands when they are badly chapped. No real measurements,though.

I drop a tablespoon of beeswax in a pan and let it warm on a medium stove setting until melted, then I lower the heat or turn it off and pop in a spoon full of shea butter, a few drops of lavendar or tea tree oil if it’s for wounds. Let that all melt, remove from heat and add the strained infused oil a bit at a time as it cools. When it is nearly cooled completely, I check the consistency, adding more oil if needed.

If you want a stronger more medicinal salve, then you’d want to measure carefully and add the maximum amount of eo per ounce of salve, I suppose. The hand cream is a bit more complicated because it has water added.. LOL did that help at all?

Nigella

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Throw In The Kitchen Sink Salve

Having received a good amount of very nasty blackfly bites this weekend I set out to make a ‘ Throw in the kitchen sink salve’ last night.

In a double boiler, I put a handful of plantain, comfrey (wilted and chopped), dried calendula blossoms, and on very low heat kept it on the stove for about 3 hours. Than added some SAW oils, EOM’s of helichrysum, chamomile, lavender and tea tree.

It took the swelling down right away and curbs the urge to itch. But the itch returns regardless find it amazing how easy we forget every year how nasty those buggers are and darn it, every year I get zapped before I learn to put stuff on myself before I go out, so I won’t have to deal with it afterwards.

I keep a pot with wormwood right by my back door and when going out, pick a few leaves, rub them with my hands and swish them over the exposed parts of my body and hair, but only learn that lesson after I had a few good bites.

Also make a 4 thieves vinegar that works pretty well, when misting on every so often while in the woods. Best on my bursitis.

On Lake MIchigan in summer we get very nasty flies, that look like houseflies and bite our ankles.They bite right through the shoelace holes of your sneakers and have on my body an affinity for the top of my hands, ankles and top of my head. They like to live close to the beach and if you see someone beachcombing wearing a goofy hat, leather gloves and plastic breadbags over their ankles, that’s me! Good thing is that when applying the 4 thieves vinegar the bites about vanish in their itching capacity.

Bugs, they need to be there to become food for the birds…but they surely are a nuisance.

C-M

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Healing Herb Salve

* 1 oz dried comfrey leaves
* 1 oz dried calendula flowers
* 2 cups olive oil
* 1 oz pure beeswax
* 4 drops tea tree
* 4 drops lavender essential oils
* 1 400 vit E

Heat herbs in olive oil over low heat for about 5 hours. Do not let the oil boil or bubble. A Crock-Pot or the lowest temperature setting on a range should be suitable for heating this mixture. (If the lowest setting is too hot, turn off the heat once it has warmed the oil…it should keep warm for at least and hour….then repeat the process twice.) After cooking, strain out the herbs while oil is still warm. Place 1 1/4 cups of the herb oil in a pan, add beeswax and heat just enough to melt the wax. Add essential oil and stir. Finally, pour the salve into wide mouthed jars. Store at room temperature. Use for minor scrapes and cuts, to protect and promote healing.

Betty
NvwodiWaya

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Roxanne’s Salve

* 1/2 oz beeswax
* 1/2 oz emu oil
* 3 oz double infused comfrey oil
* 1 oz calendula oil
* 1 oz plantain oil (I used sunflower for the three above)
* 10 d vitamin E oil
* 20 d vitamin C serum
* 2 Tbl honey
* 10 d lavender eo
* 1 tsp tea tree eo
* 5 CoQ10 caps squeezed out.

The vitamin C and CoQ10 are optional.