Author Archives: Fox Mountain Muse

Gifts from Broadleaf Plantain…

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Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is commonly found on disturbed soils. It is known as a “camp follower” brought to the North American continent by migrating peoples. The species is native to most of Europe and northern to central Asia. Our ancestors knew of the medicinal gifts of these plants. It’s kind of interesting that so many plants with highly versatile medicinal properties have naturalized and flourished in our country are now called “weeds” in disdain. I easily found it in the front yard of my daughter’s home. Lots of it. Although Broadleaf Plantain can be found where I live, the abundant numbers of them here in the City made my eyes pop. Wow! Look at all of them!

It is an interesting fact that Plantain is one of the most powerful, abundant and widely distributed medicinal plants in the world (Wikipedia). It is one of THE MOST studied medicinal plants in modern research literature. No kidding! Investigations into the healing compounds present in the plantain leaf and its seed have been published in 4400+ research articles. What is known about this plant is that it has been used widely since ancient times for its antibiotic, antiviral and anti-inflammatory gifts. The juice of the plant has been effective in treating everything from cancerous tumors to epileptic seizures and earache. Tea made from the plantain has been used as a wash for many eye diseases, as a gargle for toothache, mouth sores, loose teeth, gingivitis and tonsillitis. The tea was also used for asthma, tuberculosis, lung and plural lesions and was even burned as a healing incense. Other illnesses helped by eating the leaf extract or baking the leaves with salt and vinegar included upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding, dysentery, hemorrhoids, stomachache, intestinal ulcers. Constipation has been treated using the leaf extract in an enema.

Now, that’s just a few of its medicinal qualities … this plant seems to be a One-stop shop for most first aid needs. Current research studies of Broadleaf plantain has shown that hot water extracts can help to improve leukemia, carcinoma and viral infections. Some types of Plantain extracts were effective in the treatment of fungal, bacterial and viral infections. Anti-malarial and anti-Giardia effects of plant have been proven as well. What CAN’T THIS PLANT DO? It’s no wonder that our ancestors carried its seed with them on their migrations!

When harvesting the leaves of plantain, you will notice the strong, ropey veins on the back of the leaf. As a matter of fact, when you pull off a leaf, you will see that it is hard to tear off due to the strong thread-like filaments present in each vein. The purpose of these filaments is a mechanical one. They protect the leaf from physical stresses found in the environment. They give the leaves greater strength to reduce fracturing under pressure and resist against deformation.

When looking at the plant, I compare these filaments to the spiritual quality of Inner Strength, the source of which is located deep within the Soul. Everyone is born with the capacity for Inner Strength and it can be strengthened through our response to environmental stressors. Environmental stress can trigger us to feel fear, reveal our preconceived expectations of a situation, and even clarify our hope and Vision. Inner Strength is the ability to Stand in Courage when confronted with our own fears, our sense of failure, or even a perceived weakness due to lack if Self esteem. It is the Inner Support we give ourselves to believe in our capabilities and to develop Trust in our feelings and intuition in any given situation. Inner Strength is something we summon on a daily basis …. or perhaps moment by moment when under momentary or chronic duress.

Broadleaf Plantain’s gifts reminds me to be versatile. That I have the ability to bring healing into many situations and places. It teaches me to “hold on” when personal fears and doubts emerge from environmental stressors. It mirrors my own internal qualities of Inner Strength that I can call upon to approach situations that are sometimes out of my personal ability to control…..

Blessings abound from this plant, indeed!

Gifts of the Blackberry

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Musings from an Herb-wife in the City…

Yesterday I went out to peruse a metaphysical book store in Portland this afternoon (Moon Shadow) and was attracted to a Botanical 0racle card set. Needless to say, plants are my “thing” and I promptly purchased the box. I was attracted to the illustrated cards and was curious about the attributes the author assigned to the plants.

The author of this deck is not a botanist, nor a plant ecophysiologist. I found her written interpretation regarding the attributes of blackberry (which I wrote about the other day) to be a bit shallow to my liking. So I decided to delve a bit into my own knowledge of the shrub and flesh out my own understanding of what this plant offers to the World, both as Medicine and Teaching. So here goes….

…. Blackberry is a plant that can usually

be found on disturbed agricultural ground. One often sees it along the margins of or even within old pastures. It has a purpose in it’s ecology – it enters into environments that have been disturbed and by human activities. It is considered a “pioneer” species, whose purpose and function is to create appropriate conditions for other plants to establish themselves.

In fact, blackberry is known in Europe and parts of North America as “precursors of a forest”. They weaken the competitive ability of grasses and herbs, sometimes to the point of eradicating entire populations of native species. Blackberry does, however, offer benefits to marginal sites by offering their leaves as humus to rebuild the organic and nutrient layers of the soil. They are “nursery” plants, providing a protection for emerging young trees and shrubs from herbivores. When the trees grow tall, they shade out the blackberry which will then die back. While living, she is fruitful, providing abundant flowers to insects and luscious, juicy fruit for all forms of wildlife. She proves formidable to other living Beings, who must navigate her thorns to forage her fruit.

When introduced into foreign landscapes such as Australia, blackberry can prove to be formidable. She can inspire fear through being impressively capable and adaptable. Her Strengths lie in the fact that she is a relatively long-lived species with a voracious capacity for reproduction. She does not require a “mate” to reproduce. She generates new suckers and offspring without fertilization from another plant. Her offspring are genetically identical to each other which can be a very strong trait for evolutionary fitness. I guess one could look at her as being relatively self contained and self perpetuating. Quite the independent organism, no?

The blackberry always imposes change to a landscape… she can alter the ground and overland water flow, affect wind dispersion, cause fluctuations in temperatures, prevent soil erosion and can stabilize friable soils. Her Strength lies in “Adaptation”, in her ability to adapt to marginal environments. In time she offers her fragrance and fruit to the World. She is often prickly and difficult to coddle. She nourishes her Source, becoming well rooted in the Earth and Her lineage is Ever-bearing. In some environments her spines offer Hope and Protection to the emerging future of Life and its cycles. She is Strong, Formidable and Perpetuating … Blessed Be the Blackberry!

Blackberry Oracle card from the “Hedgewitch’s Botanical Oracle”. Siolo Thompson (2018). Llewellyn Publications.

Journey under ochre-colored skies…

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We live in a Time of Turning. A Time of Shadow where ecological trajectories we have depended upon and taken for granted in our encultured way of life are beginning to skew and fall. We have depended upon natural resources for everything from aluminum foil to our houses. Electricity, transportation of goods and services, medical advancements, even the salt which sits meekly on our kitchen tables.

We are beginning, just beginning to observe “wiggles” in the large planetary cycles that drive the sustainability of Life for all Beings in this miraculous World we live in. It seems like news of extinction rates and changes in the climate regime, and deteriorating ecosystems reach our eyes and ears readily from information services. As human beings, this news can hit ones solar plexus like a sucker punch… and our survival instincts can respond with a wave of emotions triggered by adrenaline. We begin to feel endangered, with imaginings of what we observe with declining populations of other creatures such as the whale, the orangutan, polar bears, sea turtles, even in local deer populations. We should feel anxious. It is a normal response to environmental changes we have little control over.

I spoke with a women friend the other day who was feeling overwhelmed by the recent research analysis put out by the United Nations scientists this past week. Choking tears came easily, followed by feelings of fear for her children. She spoke of doubt, of not knowing how effective we can be as a species to turn things around through effective action on a global scale…. “Are we even going to be here in 12 years?”

My answer to that question is “Yes”, humanity will still be here at that time. What is being projected with ocean waters rising, is that tidal cities and settlements will be flooded. More erratic weather such as hurricanes, typhoons, tornados, heavy rain and snow in winter and drought will become the norm. With these changes come shifts in insect populations, disease vectors (such as ticks and mosquitoes), changes in plant physiology that will affect bird and other wildlife population food sources and migration patterns, as well as our industrialized food crops. We will have to adapt, as well as every other living being on the planet.

Adaptation takes time. I teach folks how to cook with the Sun using solar cookers. The energy is free and the cost for a solar cooker is reasonable. The challenge lies in getting folks use to the different texture of food cooked by the sun. Flour products such as brownies do not “crisp” up in a solar oven. They come out fully cooked, but the texture is softer, more crumbly than a batch made in a conventional oven. Not as gooey. It’s kind of funny to hear folks mention the texture….. it looks like a brownie, smells and tastes like one too, but it’s CRUMBLY!

We have such fixed ideas of what we find acceptable for both enjoyment and basic needs. Buy used clothes from a thrift store? Never! They are dirty or have lice…recycled appliances? Worthless, they are going to break anyway…Learn to repair items I own? Why? I can just throw it out and buy a new one at Walmart….endless avenues for adaptive behavior.

It takes a 500 foot, 8000-ton ship over a third of a mile to turn around in the ocean. A large barge may take up to 5 miles to stop after the brake is applied. It will take years, decades perhaps, to get the human community to adapt to the required specifications to turn around the current trajectory of global climate change. It is not going to be a speedy process…. AND, we keep having babies that put more pressure on Mother to provide them with food, shelter, clothing and education.

Will we make these changes in time before multiple major planetary cycles shift and create cascading environmental trajectories to our demise? I don’t know…..Death comes to all things on this Planet. Close to 99.9% of all species created by Mother have gone extinct.

We have now entered the stage of the “sixth largest mass extinction” this Planet has experienced… largely due to our own hands. We purchase items that continue to deplete our natural resources: palm oil in cosmetics and food products; metal demands for cars, infrastructure needs, industrial and household goods; timber for paper products and lumber; etc. The list of wants is endless, and Mothers cupboards are becoming bare.

I now walk under “ochre-colored skies”, although they may appear blue above my head. Ochre is the color of iron oxide, one of the most common minerals found on earth. There is much evidence that yellow and red ochre pigment was used in prehistoric and ancient times by many different civilizations on different continents…all over the globe. In death, red ochre represented a return to the earth or possibly as a form of ritual rebirth, through the blood and the Great Goddess. Yellow ochre is associated with gold, considered to symbolize the eternal and indestructible…

So in short, I walk under ochre-colored skies for the Great Remembering of the indestructible rebirth of Life on our planet, of my connection to Her through my blood and bone and to my continued Honor and Respect to the greatest of all Goddesses, Gaea Herself.

Woodland Star

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Life’s lessons sometimes come as silent as a night sky and at other times as direct as a punch in the gut that sets me writhing on the ground. Yesterday was an experience of a hillside that spoke to me clearly as I was bending down to collect a slender woodland star flower for a friend.

A group of us women gathered last evening for a light potluck and to come into Circle for laughter and song. We arrived at the home of our hostess around 4 pm, greeting one another in tender embraces and welcoming smiles. I had watched for emerging wildflowers and other early Spring medicinal plants to forage on the drive over. I was excited to see the first buds of the mountain ash emerging, of waterleaf (Phacelia sp.), and clusters of woodland stars.

Upon arrival at our gathering place, I embarked upon a small walk to see what plants were growing in the landscape surrounding the house. I bent forward to pick a single woodland star at the base of a steep hill, when I distinctly felt the word “Climb!” in my Heart.

I know of intuition, and I really try to answer its directives when I receive them. Especially the strong ones, and this call was strong….I looked up the hill, noticing the steep 45 degree angle all the way to the top where a cap of volcanic boulders stood. I sized up my condition quickly. No water, shoes without socks, and a bad back condition that commonly limits my ability to walk…even on flat ground.

I have had my share of decades of severe pain, neurological nerve problems and uncontrollable spasms in my lower body. My physician calls my condition “post laminectomy syndrome” or “failed back syndrome” where a back surgery undertaken in 2010 has failed, creating worse cascading symptoms and conditions in my spine than what I had before the surgery. Two herniated disks, four additional collapsed flat as pancakes. Severe pinching of the spinal column to the thickness of a diaper pin, cascading scoliosis and arthritic changes. My low back teeters at a 40 degree angle…. NOT exactly a physical condition to allow for scrambling up a steep hillside into rocky outcrops.I did not flinch though, after such an Internal urging.

I am seeking “Healing” for my body in ways not recognized by western medicine. I have already endured one failed surgery, my body does not like them. Which makes me a poor candidate for yet another….. I am being forced to listen to my body, to trust in my higher self and intuition. I need to open to the possibility that healing can and will come from another direction. I need to believe in where Gaea leads me, trust that there are deeper meanings and energy exchanges, frequencies, in which to engage for my healing …. both physically and spiritually.

I leaned into the hillside step by step, sometimes falling to my knees to crawl another few feet uphill. I did not question what I was doing. About two-thirds up the hillside, I heard a shout below from a friend who said “Wait for me! I’m coming to help you!”. Dee appeared below me scrambling hard to catch up. When she arrived where I was resting, she looked me in the eye and said that she was there to help me complete what I had to do safely. Together we climbed, at times slipping a bit from the steepness of the slope. She became and extra arm, strong in support to pull me up when I faltered….

We entered the reef of boulders attentively. We knew the native peoples used this place. Although pine trees dominated the forested stands, I could see that oak woodlands use to exist there…long before white man set foot in the local region. Oak woodlands feed many Beings….humans, deer, elk, coyote, badger, squirrels and chipmunk, woodpeckers of all kinds from the mighty mast of acorns they produce. We spoke words of honor, gratitude, and respect to the rock reefs and trees. We Sang without words to the Spirits of this Place. We gathered a few red-tinged acorns, already sprouted in the soil, to plant at home. We visited boulders where women from many generations ground acorns and celebrated in ceremony for whatever their intentions.

Dee and I took a break to rest, back-to-back to support each other on a large boulder. When we rose from our rest, she excitedly pointed out a creature that was basking with us in the late afternoon sun. All I saw was a slender streak of a bright iridescent blue tail as it disappeared into some rocks and leaves. I was dumbfounded. I have never seen such a creature….not ever. What had Mother sent me to See or Experience on this sojourn? Why had I been urged to “Climb!”?

I think it was to receive the Medicine of both doing something against my own perceived limitations and this small creature….It turns out that we saw a Blue-tailed western skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus). I have learned that the gift of this little creature is to teach me to listen carefully to my own wisdom and guidance. To be still in order to observe my surroundings and to understand dreams….that Change is coming to my life, to remember to be adaptable. To “create my own reality, to grow into whatever I need to be.”…. The skink also symbolizes Power that is yet untapped….. That I have amazing potential & power, more than I can ever know.

The color Blue relates directly to my birth time in the Mayan Calendar. I was born under the auspices of the “electric blue night”. The dark night brings intuition and dreams. In dreams there is no shortage, there is abundance. Everything is perfect. The night dares to challenge to let go of the idea of shortage. Have courage! The night also signifies the dark inside of the temple of Self. Dare to go inside. In the dark, depend on other sensory systems and the information sources. Be surprised! Gifts wait for me in my inner temple. Become one with the stillness and intuition found there.Blue symbolizes vitality and strength which comes from calm and confidence. Soothing coolness brings with it great healing and renewal. It instills a sense of tranquility and grounded confidence, while giving rise to the ability to communicate needs and verbalize intuitive impressions….. so much information! Much to muse about….,.

Balsam poplar salve for arthritis and pain…

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I decided to “push” my recipe of cottonwood salve today and finish it up for my use. I took my quart of oil infused poplar buds and:1) Crushed the buds using a fruit mill. Do this over a large pot.
2) Place crushed buds and oil into the large pot. Add 3 cups of water.
3) Cook this at a high simmer for about 1/2 hour.
4) Strain through a cheesecloth into a bowl.
5) Place in the freezer for about 2 hours.
6) The oil floats on the water, separate the layers.
7) Place the hardened oil back in its original container.
8) Put 2 tablespoons of shaved bees wax per 1 cup of oil in the container.
9) Melt the beeswax into the oil using a double boiler (I used a solar oven).
10) Pour into small canning jars and let salve cool for 8 hours.Very labor intensive…..but the product is worth it!

From the humble dandelion….

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I could find only scant folklore about the history and use of Dandelion Wine on the internet….Although it has been reported to be of Celtic origin, I am not sure that is true. What I surmise is that there is a great probability that folks have been enjoying this drink for hundreds of years.

European settlers are said to have brought dandelions to the New World. Throughout most of the 19th and early 20th Centuries, Americans revered dandelions as a useful herb. The young leaves and flowers were collected and enjoyed in soups and salads. The roots were harvested and roasted, then ground to make a tasty coffee substitute. People collected the flowers to make delicious dandelion wine.
To make this simple beverage, pick dandelion flowers at midday when they are fully opened. Clean the flower heads to remove the base and green sepals. I pinch the flower heads to break the petals free, or you can split them in half and use your thumb to free the petals from the flower base. I am not a purist, so having a few speaks in the mix does not bother me one bit. It took me only 15 minutes to collect enough flowers for one quart of petals. Cleaning the flowers took a good hour of solid “petal pushing”, LOL! Here’s the recipe:

1 quart dandelion petals
1 gallon boiling water
3 cup sugar
Juice of 2 lemons and 2 oranges
1 medium ginger root, thinly sliced
1 cup of raisins
1 package of wine yeastPlace dandelion blossoms in the boiling water. Cover and allow to stand for 48 hours. Strain through cheese cloth and squeeze petals to remove water. Add the raisins, ginger root, the lemon and orange juices to the decoction in a large pan. Place the pan on a stove burner and heat until it boils. Add the sugar, stir to dissolve and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to 90 degrees F (32 degrees C). Strain again. Stir the yeast into 1/4 cup of very warm water.Let this “proof” for 10 minutes. Mix into the cooled decoction and then pour the whole thing into a sterilized 1 gallon crock or jar. Cover with a paper coffee filter, fastened in place with a rubber band. Let the wine ferment in a cool area for 10 to 14 days. Check fermentation after day 10. If ready, then strain through cheesecloth before bottling in quart-sized, sterilized canning jars with lids and rings. Age the wine at least 6 months to a year for best flavor.

For the Love of Cottonwood…

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I woke up early this morning, unsettled in Spirit. I decided to head out early (6am) in search of herbal medicine, poplar buds. I knew my window for gathering was very narrow. Daytime temps and soil temperatures are beginning to warm. I needed to catch the poplar buds before they burst into catkins and leaves. I was lucky…. I found some trees near the Pit River and a large Grandmother tree near the office at the local wildlife refuge. Bonanza! The Grandmother tree had dropped lots of small limbs with tightly clasped buds. I filled my pockets and then grabbed a container from the car. I ended up with a solid 2 cups of buds for my use.I have arthritis. Lots of it, but especially in my low back.

I could spend lots of money on over-the-counter rubs, but I prefer to make my own using both Balsam Poplar and Black Cottonwood buds. Poplar buds have been used for centuries by folk here in the United States and is easy to collect in early Spring, before the cottonwood develops its catkins. I can usually find an ample amount on the ground attached to limbs that have blown down in recent storms. This “balm” is known for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-rheumatic healing Medicine. The oil or salve helps to relieve the aches and pains of sore muscles, bruises, and arthritis. It’s also a mild sedative, and can be rubbed on your temples at night before retiring.I follow the guidance of Michael Moore, a well known herbalist who has written many books on the wild foraging for medicinal herbs. The summary of medicinal qualities listed below comes from his book “Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West” (1993, Red Crane Books, Santa Fe NM, 359 pg.) under the chapter of “Balsam Poplar. He also covers this subject briefly in the book “ Medicinal Plants of the Mountains West” (1979, Museum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe NM, 200 pgs.) under the chapter of “Poplar”.The buds contain a soft balsamic resin and a yellow volatile oil. It contains many medicinal properties including silicon, Gallic and malice acids, populism, mannitol, chrysin, tectochrysin, and trichocarpin to name a few. He recommends crushing the buds, adding 4 parts water by volume to 1 part of crushed plant (by weight). Simmer for about 1 hour. Add 1 part volume of vegetable oil, and let cool. The resins and oil are lighter than the water, and will float. Decant the oil off and discard the crushed buds.I prefer a less intensive approach myself… here is my simplified recipe:
1 part cottonwood buds
2 parts extra virgin olive oilFill a glass jar half full with cottonwood buds.
Pour olive oil over the buds and to within 1 inch of the top of the jar.
Cover with a napkin or coffee filter and a rubber band.
Allow to sit and steep for 6 weeks or up to a year or more. The richer the better!Make sure your buds are always covered with oil. This prevents them from molding. Stir or shake the jar every few days for the first few weeks.To use as an oil, strain through a cheesecloth and put the oil into a wide mouth jar. If you want to make a salve, add 2 tablespoons of beeswax to 1 cup of infused oil. You can add 2 capsules of Vitamins E to make it more emollient. Melt the beeswax into the oil on low heat. Watch carefully. You simply want to melt the beeswax. Stir well and pour into a small glass jar or tin… Do not cover with a lid until it is completely cool…… Happy foraging! Please note: People with aspirin sensitivities or tree allergies may not want to use this salve

Science Wednesday….Solar Cooking

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Wow…WOW, wow! Nothing like tackling the rocket fuel of solar cookers! I really had to hold onto everything, simply everything I have gathered as knowledge and experience in cooking with the sun to take on this puppy…. Wow! After some relatively simple steps and simple tools, this girl assembled the cooker. Yep, all by myself…(but then again, I like taking apart toasters and stuff). Kind of like putting together a bicycle, but no fast moving parts, LOL! It weighs a total of about 40 pounds so it is not necessarily “portable” as it stands. One can move it if you break it down into pieces.

\After assembling, I thought I would “test drive” this one with something simple, maybe quinoa or rice. I don’t eat grains anymore, so I couldn’t find anything in the cupboard. What I did have on hand though, was a partly frozen pork loin slowly defrosting in my kitchen. “Well, why not?” I thought to myself. So, I grabbed a metal pot, put in some olive oil and plopped in the pork loin, ice-cold and all. I put the pot, covered, onto the parabolic at 11:30 a.m. I eyeballed the adjustment of the reflectors and walked away.I came back to check on how things were cooking in 10 minutes, and I smelled strongly seared meat. OMG! I grabbed my hot pad, opened the lid and spattered oil all over the reflective face of the parabolic. Not good! I turned the meat over, closed the lid and went to get a bucket of suds and a rag. I washed off the reflectors (which are cool to the touch), making sure I stayed clear of the collective heating beam of light to protect my eyes and my hands.

I first covered the pot with a Pyrex tempered, clear lid with some kind of “heat proof” handle on the lid. WRONG! This product is oven proof for sure, but at temps higher than 500, it began to smoke and began to melt!Those were only the beginning of my many lessons today. Temperatures can get a scorching 660F (350C) or even higher. I have never experienced such a heat exchange from the sun! The 4 other models of solar ovens and cookers I own seem like dinosaurs in comparison. The light is so bright you can scorch your retinas…yep, I got “blinded” a couple of times by not being careful enough where I was looking…avert your eyes…yep, got that!I succeeded in making “pulled pork” from a half-frozen piece of meat in a little under 3 hours. A recipe which usually takes all day using electricity in a slow cooker…wow! My key lessons for today: Lesson #1 – wear protective eyeglasses at all times and use sleeved pot holders; Lesson #2 – the concentrated light can and will burn you; Lesson #3 – only use high quality metal pots and lids. No plastic handles or anything because they WILL melt off; Lesson #4 – take the pot OFF the cooker to add things to it or to stir; Lesson #5 – boiling temps will reach well above 500F and will scorch or burn you when you open the pot lid.What an experiment! I am such a sucker for punishment that I am going to use it again…tomorrow. Stay tuned!

A Woman’s Staff…

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I been thinking about the subject of walking sticks lately. As an ecologist, botanist and herb-wife, one can often find me outside wandering the local hills, drainages and wetlands. Prior to stepping out-of-doors, I always equip myself with basic field gear: a hat, jacket or vest, gloves, boots and a pocket knife. Yet the most essential tool I reach for and rely on is my walking stick. I “never leave home without it”, as they say…

The walking stick, or staff as I prefer to call it, has been used since ancient times as a weapon, record, and support for the tired feet and legs of the sojourner. Banned from owning conventional weapons, the poor of many countries traditionally turned to the staff for protection. Elite members of tribes would carry a staff as a symbol of authority and power. The Druids believed that a thicket of small trees had its own living spirit, and would apologize to a tree before cutting it for a staff. I prefer to look upon my own walking staff as a support, an equalizer and a guide into the understanding of simple truths.

My staff is handmade of chokecherry, a straight shoot I cut from a thicket of chokecherry suckers I discovered near an antique barn in town. The chokecherry is one of my favorite tree/shrubs. Chokecherry fruits are edible and I make scrumptious jams, syrups and occasionally a heady scented wine from its berries. In addition to foodstuffs, I have been given a great gift from the chokecherry. My walking staff is a powerful, transformative tool on my walk or sojourn in this wide World. It is the one item that consistently accompanies me when I dive into nature’s landscape regardless of my purpose. It’s with me when I watch a sunrise, feel the rain on my face, or when I turn my back to a strong wind. My staff is there to assist me when walking on uneven ground, crawling over boulders, or walking down the center of creeks when fishing. I instinctively depend on it to keep my Balance. It supports me through awkward maneuvers, pushes aside objects that impede my way, and is used as protection when followed by a mountain lion. A steady companion, indeed.

My staff has taught me how to pause, to be silent, to observe what is before my eyes with mindful attention. I easily lean my chin onto my hands, which are cupped lightly atop its leather covered handle. I always keep my eyes soft when viewing a landscape. It is the landform itself, its mountains or swales, erosional patterns, dendritic patterns indicating water flow. The deposition of rock, clay, granitic sand and surface salts, all demarcated by the presence or absence of specialized plant species. Together, these features show me the surface characteristics of Gaea’s skin….that fine, intricate, biogeochemical layer that creates the alchemy for Life on earth.

When I become aware of the wind as it eddies and pulls around my body and through the textures of vegetation, my eyes soften and close. I allow myself to drop deeply into my sense of hearing. Ears are delicate things, comprised of highly sensitized membranes, tiny bones and nerve endings. They can detect the slightest vibrations of sound carried through the ethers…like the lilting song of a meadowlark, or of water cascading over rocks. If a person listens deep enough, they will discover the cacophony, the hum and thrum of the very heart of Nature. One can hear it through the resonance of frogs, cicadas, and crickets. Through the plaintive call of coyotes in the pre-dawn hours, the hollow tones of the mourning dove, in the cries of tundra swans and Canada geese winging overhead. This heartbeat whispers through the sound of leaf fall in autumn, and in the gentle silence that follows a winter snowfall.

I have learned much while leaning on, and being lead by, my staff. Wisdom only acquired through the silence of my mind and through the simple act of being Present to the world around me. My staff steadies me as I enter, and then leave outdoor spaces. My ingress and egress, coming or going, living and dying. Simple actions we all do everyday. My staff assists and supports me through the uneven, and even dangerous trails of my journey through this Life. It has proven itself a strong ally when I traverse through unknown landscapes and protects me from predators….of all kinds.

Ancient Grove musings…

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I drove to an old orchard today to collect heritage apple, pear and plum shoots. It is located in a wildlife area managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The orchard was planted about 130 years ago when the area was first homesteaded. I have passed this Grove innumerable times on my way to view wildlife and migratory birds who come into the area… I have often stopped to sit under the shade of these grandmother trees and even pick their fruit on a hot Autumn day. I am committed to planting trees. My favorite venue is to plant trees for food and medicinal value to both wildlife and human beings. That impetus lead me to this Grove today. I plan to root and plant viable shoots from these Grandmother trees.

I am beginning to “age” in my own lifecycle now. I just turned 65 this month of March and am raising my eyes and my inner Vision to embrace this last quarter of my life. I am releasing objectives and ideas that no longer fit into my younger paradigm. Cultural norms that I no longer need to carry, dross paradigms of youth and beauty, social roles I no longer need to partake in. I entered the edge of the Grove in Song, with respect, honor and openness to their existence and their Medicine. I carried a pouch of tobacco, offering a good sized plug to the Grove at their perimeter. I spoke to them of my Intent, to harvest live twigs unadulterated by the fire blight which has hit our beloved Valley these last 2 years. I spoke of more children, their children, in the hope of sprouting roots to the twigs I collected…. I spoke of the Vision I have of growing food from their branches for other living Beings. The multitude of other Beings who may need their nourishment during migration in the surrounding Hills and Mountains long after even I am gone…

These “Women of the Grove” are some tough hombres, rooted to Stand as Witness to the changing times in which we live. They have Stood, neglected and un-tended for decades on end. Their bodies are torqued and twisted with branches that continue to reach up, throughout innumerable seasons, to the turning of the Sun and Moon and star studded skies. They have Watched and Witnessed thousands of birds winging overhead on their yearly migrations. They have talked and communed with the Eagle, Hawk, Wolf, Coyote, Badger, Bobcat, Mountain lion, Marmot and Skunk. Within their hollow trunks resounds the Sigh of all Living Things. Dead trunks embrace like thighs, bright strips of living cambium… Rising now in the colors of red and oranges which speak of Sunrises, Sunsets and Dragons…. They carry with them in their ancient age, the blood of Dragons.

I spoke to them of my own fears of aging… and then I wept. Uncertain of the future that stretches before me, of a World now Turning beneath my feet. I asked for their Blessings, their Medicine and Knowledge that will carry me into this next moment, and the next…They let me Sing to them, offer each one Sacred tobacco, and to caress their bodies. Gnarled boles with dead and dying tissues, hollowed centers used by small animals as nests…. They allowed me to touch the Fire that lay in shallow inclusions along their trunks, warmed by the Springtime sun and fed by the melting, receding snows. Sugars rushing from their deep roots to feed that which still lives…“You will also bend as we have,” they spoke to me, “used up by the Creative Vibration from which you were birthed. Bearing young, and Ripening from the force and heat that lies within your veins”. They added, “You Stand now, as Witness in a Time of great Shadow. Stand and Hold….Hold to what you find to be True. Stand and Hold….with all that is Good, All that Speaks of Balance and Wholeness. Do not fear the death that comes to Us all… rather, Rejoice. For your blood and your Life Force is of Dragons!”

Oh my….. Blessed Be Me, Blessed Be You, ….. Blessed Be …. Everything In Beauty.   March 30th, 2019