Hello First name / dear one,
I hope you enjoyed last Saturday's Spring Equinox (both the mark of the new season & of longer days ahead).
Transitioning from Winter to Spring has been many things for me so far including turbulent, exciting, inspiring, anxiety-inducing, expansive, relieving, creative, & irritating. This ushering in of new energy, up & outward movement, & brightness poses a good bit of contrast from my recent Winter taurean, hermit mode. The ongoing pandemic that requires social distancing & recent talks of opening up & “going back to normal” post-vaccination adds another layer to this transit.
So we've got all this new action, fire energy from Aries season, & seeds sprouting everywhere. How do we go with the flow & release feelings of pressure to bloom & come out of our shells? What is happening in nature that can serve as a mirror & guide for how we may best walk, or dance, through Spring this year?
“The dance of renewal, the dance that made the world, was always danced here at the edge of things, on the brink, on the foggy coast.”
-Ursula K. Le Guin
To celebrate the return of light, we can wake up our bodies with some movement. Insert intuitive & sensual movement, walks, massage, qigong, stretching, dancing, whatever feels accessible here. Nourishing our bodies with movement helps us connect to our flow. From a biological pov, manual body movement is also how we encourage lymphatic flow. In short, the lymph carries cellular waste out of the body & can cause stress & illness when stagnant.
This dance of presence & spending time in our bodies is a lovely way to transition out of winter's slower pace & stillness.
Enjoy this playlist, Sensual Herbalism, next time you stretch or dance & feel authorized to intuitively move, guided by what your body tells you it needs.
A Spring herb to pair with this playlist & movement is, Violet, a purple-ish flower that is nutrient rich & a gentle lymphagogue. When our lymph is able to flow & move, build up of both biological waste & emotions that no longer serve us is escorted out & prevented. This relieves pressure from our immune system & spirit, allowing what we take in, to pass as the weather.
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Spring cleaning of the home, body, spirit, & space-
Create space for what you have been dreaming up all winter, you deserve it! I know you been dreamin'! What are you ready to call in, birth, & receive? A part of the preparation & manifestation process is releasing what no longer serves us. Further, sweeping out the cobwebs of our minds & closets can bring clarity as we leave the darker months behind.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the organs associated with Spring are the liver & gallbladder. These organs are integral to digestion & regulating the terrain of the blood. To bring some Spring Cleaning to our bodies, we can look to bitter herbs that support liver & gallbladder function.
Hot emotions like anger, irritability, over stimulation, & anxiety can also be cooled by supporting the liver with bitters.
Here's a line up of my fave spring bitters: Blue Vervain, Burdock, Chicory, Dandelion, & Yellow Dock. A couple of these are featured in the Jam Haw blend Process.
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Making peace in liminal space / striking a balance between Winter & Summer-
grounding while expanding
It's warmer, but also windy! take good care of your skin with Plantain infused salves, exfoliation, hydration, & liver loving herbs for that glow from within. This season is rather exhilarating & some of us may be more sensitive to stimulants at this time. consider grounding adaptogens (herbs that help us adapt in the face of stress & change) like Holy Basil & Ashwaganda. Consider laying off stimulants like coffee if you're hyper sensitive like me! This dandylbend is a long time fave herbal alternative.It's additionally helpful to minimize stimulants & support your liver if you suffer from seasonal allergies.
Another liminal musing: we'll still want to eat some warm cooked meals like we focused on in Winter, but we'll also want to mix in more fresh, whole foods & juices!
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Spring greens, juices, sprouts-
…the nutrients & minerals we need to nourish our growth (some growing pains ouch!) & expansion.
For the herb forager enthusiast, Chickweed & Cleavers pop up in Springtime and can be added to salads & green juices fresh.
Infusions (long steeped teas) of Nettles, Alfalfa, & Dandelion Leaf are a solid way to consume an abundance of minerals & nutrients too.
Spinach, parsley, radish, arugula, bean & seed sprouts, are energizing, provide nutrients & a lil' pep in our step. When in doubt, go with what's in season wherever you are in the world!
May you feel nourished this season to ritualize the expansion & extension of your most creative self
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Intentional, clarifying mornings & sex magic
Being that this is a season of clarity, discernment, vision renewal, & nurturing seedlings, how we start our days can enhance our creativity.
Warm lemon water upon waking, a squirt of Process, half a grapefruit, meditation, & journaling are all tools I experiment with to clarify my intentions for the day (& lunar year) ahead.
Remember, creative energy is sexual energy & this is nature's birthing season! Can you bring some ritual to your sex life or commit to making art just because to enhance your creative & manifestation powers this Spring?
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Lastly, remember to love on your immune system. Changes in weather & season are general stressors to the body. Fortify your resiliency with some Immunity Builder & immune conscious lifestyle habits.
