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POST 11/17/04: Our Mother's bounty is hers to keep now, at least in the
Northern Hemisphere. If you haven't yet mulched your garden space, the
next week or two will probably hold the best window of opportunity to
complete the chore with maximum benefit for the plants. Remember to
distribute any remaining compost/manure reserves around the root crowns of
established colonies. It may be worth getting a little extra manure for your
rosebushes as well.
Bring in all of your fragile lawn ornaments but try to leave a few things outside
(durable windchimes are always appreciated, or double sided mirror discs) for
the winter earth spirits. They will continue to guard your growing space and
guide its co-creative learning curve. Make plans to leave special offerings of
thanks for these spirts sometime between now and the winter solstice ...
PLEASE NOTE ALL PREVIOUS POSTINGS FOLLOW IN THEIR
CONSECUTIVE ORDER.
These last days of summer can be very hectic for professional
or survivalist gardeners. When I work at my own harvest
chores I send such gardeners prayers for peaceful moments
in the midst of their necessary frenzy.
The Sparkling Lotus garden beds are primarily a learning laboratory. This is
the time of the year when my teachings revolve around seed collecting and
uncomplicated therapeutic infusions. Time tested northeast corridor
favorites will be appearing on this page over the next few weeks. Please
check back frequently and feel free to contact
Acey with your questions.
VERY EASY & BEAUTIFUL SORE MUSCLE RELIEF
Here in the northeast Goldenrod is coming into flower. Gather a generous
bowl or basket full of the flower heads. Place them in an enamel pan or crock
pot and crush them very gently. You can use a small bowl as a tool to get the
blossoms carefully but thoroughly bruised. Cover the flowers with a good
grade of olive oil. Simmer on lowest possible stove heat for several (7-12)
hours or in a 100 degree crockpot for 2-4 hours (until flower material is
BECOMING crispy - but not yet that way in defining consistency)
Cool and let sit for a few days then drain-off the water and plant sediment.
This is an excellent restorative oil for sore muscles. Add an appropriate
therapeutic essential oil. I like to use spearmint because it is strongly
hydrating and thus nourishing as well as soothing for most patterns of
fibromyalgia. Lavender oil is another solid choice. You can also try rose
absolut. If possible bottle the oil with the company of a few fresh sunflower
petals.
EASY 'SPARKLE' VINEGAR
This is so simple to prepare and yields so much benefit throughout the late fall
and winter that I advise all my students to prepare the brew and share it
generously within their First Circles.
Have on hand a wide mouthed glass jar and enough ORGANIC red cider
vinegar to fill it.
NOTE: The jar should have a plastic lid or you need to insert wax paper or
plastic wrap
between the metal lid and the vinegar in the jar.
Gather a generous handful of fresh plantain leaves and an
equal-to-slightly-greater amount of fresh mugwort leaves. Add these to the jar
with a pint of fresh raspberries. If fresh leaves of raspberry are available add
them as well.
Infuse for six weeks with daily agitations of the bottle. I advise students to
make the task of bottle-shaking a meditative and utterly mindful prayer of
healing. This is as important to practical medicine making as the eventual
return of the plant materials to Our Mother.
Let this infusion 'set' for six-eight weeks. Decant and store in brown or cobalt
dropper bottles. Try 3-12 drops in drinking water at bedtime for maximum
cellular absorption
ORGANIZE NOW FOR THE COMING HARVEST. Make sure you have
enough bottles and brandy/vodka for the root medicines you're planning to
collect. Make sure you are in a strong established communication with those
roots. Strive to hear the plant's medicine song as a kind of mantra during
Dreamtime.
NOTE: If Hyssop is still blooming for you, make a small tincture from the
flowers and freshest leaves This wil be much appreciated during cold, flu
and bronchitis season
FURTHER NOTE: Some of my students love the plantain medicine spirit so
much that they create very thick pastes of the mashed or shredded leaves
and apricot or olive oil. This keeps well in a refrigerator, with some careful
attendance. The very primitive salve is much appreciated for Winter Splinters
and stubborn patches of dry skin. This simple remedy makes a solid practical
alternative to a springtime chickweed-plantain oil infusion.
FENNEL SEEDS can be collected before they're completely ripe. Gather the
seedheads in a large shallow basket that will serve as a drying bowl. As the
seeds dry and shake themselves free remove the seedhead skeletons and
place the seeds in a clean glass jar. Reserve enough to make a few ounces
of fennel seed tincture. This is a great simple remedy to keep on hand when
travelling or otherwise eating in an unfamiliar Way. Grind the freshly dried
seeds in a blender with enough vodka to cover the seeds and fill a small glass
container. Let the infusion sit for 6-10 weeks, shaking the bottle frequently.
NOTE: When employing fennel seed as an ally in sickness or for symptoms
of chronic complaint let 1-2 cups of the infusion brew overnight and
administer in scant third-cups throughout the next day.
Harvest seeds of all kind in dry sunny weather. You can put partially unriped
seedpods in pasta bowls or other slightly protective dishes to continue their
development process while 'safe' in your collection scheme of the day.
Earth Medicine students now have a very finite number of days to finish
manifesting their harvesting intentions. We're following the practice that is
echoed throughout indigenous cultures - Once All Saint's Eve/Day of the
Dead/Pagan New Year arrives, the gifts of our mother are Hers to keep. The
only exception we make in Sparkling Lotus-land relates to roses that come
into bloom any later than Thanksgiving. These are brought into the house
with strong blessings from the changing nature guardians.
This close to the cross-quarter day I generally advise a diligent but relaxed
harvest of everything that your growing space or gathering fields offer. NOTE
that this may differ from previous plans based on lunar phases and signs. It
may also differ from our planned practical intentions. Sometimes, the
opportunity to harvest something from our intentional/wish gathering list just
never seems to materialize. I have students who have shared my experience
of an energetic discharge from plants that wished to be left in their own
service rather than ours. We may start out intent to fill our wildcrafting bag
and wind up distributing an entire season's worth of sacred offering material!
TIP: If you're making root tinctures pick a root that is particularly significant to
your personal healing and process the plant matter by hand rather than a
blender or food processor. If possible work with a root that is new or relatively
untested at a personal level. Whenever you have space, keep your tincture
bottles on your altar. Consider creating an altar with-in another more
'practical' space where you may keep your medicine bottles in progress.
Whenever possible mulch with compost before applying leaf matter, straw or
salt hay. Some of my students like to dig small pits at side-areas of their
gardening space. These can be filled with green compost layered with hay or
leaf matter. Add well rotted manure to the layers as available and in
discretionary proportion to other ingredients on hand. Cover with topsoil and
straw mulch. Excavate and redistribute near the end of May.
Everyone has favorite harvest rituals. Some of my students love the pruning
and distribution chores involved with many mints, veronica and other fast
growing ground cover. My family loves the process of digging roots for
medicinal tinctures. I like stretching out on the ground in the main bed's
passageway soaking in the warmed grounding energy as much as I can
before the earth moves closer to freezing.
Students ask if salt hay is worth the extra cost. Yes -- at least in a first few
years of your garden's development. Application is the same as with any
straw mulch. Protect perennial crowns by nestling the straw around the
base of the leaves rather than covering the top of the plant. Remember to
mulch your roses with well rotted manure. The optimum height is one foot
above ground, further wrapped with wiring and perhaps burlap to protect the
canes.
In Sparkling Lotus-land we use a combination two layer mulch of composted
plant matter and fresh sterile hay. Combinations of larkspur and poppy
seeds are sown both on top of and under the mulch. This produces annual
seedlings in two age brackets and, thus, a longer blooming season for both
species.
Begin cutting back fragrant and culinary herbs like rosemary, tarragon,
scented geraniums and lemon verbena. If lavender buds are well dried from
early harvest, this is a good time to grind some in a blender with vodka. Put
this up in a glass jar and agitate the bottle several times a week. After 6-10
weeks, decant and strain. This will make an absolutely beautiful tincture that
aids in the relief many kinds of head and sinus pain, nausea, low-level
diarrhea, and free-floating anxiety/insomnia distress.
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