A Crunchy Life - April 2023 Newsletter
Think of this as a letter from a friend with a deeper look into this month's post. I share more thoughts and resources for tapping into a simple, intentional life filled with Earth-based practices.
Hello friends!
The April blog post is up and it is all about memory and dreams. The other day my husband said to me, "Your memories are always with you." My dear friend used to say, "your mind is a steel trap," when I would bring up some long ago memory. I starting pondering this. Then I remembered what my best friend told me in the 1980's, "Don't look back at the past, the only way to get to the future is through the present." I work so hard at decluttering and letting go of "stuff," why is my past right here with me?
Let's be clear, I have a natural tendency to look back to inform the present. I majored in History, I am a genealogist, and I love stories, the older the better. I believe we can learn from the past and I believe reflecting on the past can provide insight into navigating today. I also live in the same city and the same house I grew up in. But that's not exactly what my husband and friend were referencing. It's about the mental clutter and the emotionality tied to it So, why is my past right here with me? The answer, as always, was more complicated then expected.
This blog post talks about how I am connecting with my hand, head, and heart to navigate letting go of the emotionality of memories and living in the present.
You can find the blog post at acrunchylife.com/2023/04/07/memories-and-dreams
Here is what I am exploring this month.
Hand…….
Earth Day is April 22nd. This day celebrates the beginning of the modern environmental movement in 1970. 1970 saw:
creation of the EPA,
passage of the National Environmental Education Act,
passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act,
passage of the Clean Air Act,
two years later, passage of the Clean Water Act,
one year later passage of the Endangered Species Act,
and then the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
I remember the Earth Day observance in Washington, DC for Earth Day 1995, the 25th anniversary. It was amazing. The weather was beautiful and there were so many people on the mall celebrating together. So many speakers, exhibits, vendors, and great music. So much hope and so much energy. The celebration can be viewed at Earth Day 25th Anniversary Rally.
My own understanding of what it means to support the Earth has evolved so much since then. It has shifted from humans as protectors and change agents to the need for attention and integration. On a regular basis humans make decisions that negatively impact the rest of our Earth community. And, then we act as though we are higher beings than all others and can "save" the Earth. Its not about taking action to make myself feel better about my impact. Its not about taking action to "save" something else. Its not about protecting resources so that we have them in the future. We fail to see our place in the web of life, that we are a part of an interconnected community. It is about paying attention to the details, nuances, messages, and teachings all around us. It is about respecting all living beings (other humans, plants, animals, insects, micro-organisms, etc.). And, it is about living in a way that is harmonious, loving, and in service to the Earth.
Gardening and working in the soil, growing my own vegetables and cutting flowers, restoring native plants to my little patch of the Earth are ways that I practice my expanded understanding of supporting the Earth. The air, water, soil, seeds, remind me that humans are a part of nature, to pay attention to the obvious and to what is underneath, and that how I live can be my own act of resistance and activism. So this Earth Day I will do the things I do - practice attention, integration, connection, respect, and love in the place where I live. And, as mentioned in this month's blog post, dive into each moment with the full breath and awareness it deserves.
Today more than a billion people around the world celebrate Earth Day, April 22nd, as a day of action. 52 ways to celebrate Earth Day every day can be found at https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-tips/
Head …….
As I shared in this month's blog post, in my effort to live in the present and launch myself on every wave, I have decided to delve into dream work. Not only to learn about dreams, but also welcome dreams back into my life. To notice the colors, images, sounds, smells, words, the details, in my dreams.
One step I am taking is to participate in a Dream Circle. My desire to explore dreams is coinciding with work I am doing in a year-long program with Sharon Blackie called Hagitude (for more information on Hagitude visit - https://hagitude.org - its a wonderful program). Katherine Donovan Kane is one of the moderators in Hagitude and is certified in Dreamwork. She will be holding a Dream Circle within the Hagitude community. A Dream Circle is a sacred space formed by a small group of people in which each person shares a dream and then the group follows a process to work with the dream. I am hoping to have a dream to work with and am looking forward to learning the process.
I am also taking my usual nighttime practices and fortifying them with additional practices. One thing I have done is to make a new eye pillow. I love making eye pillows because they can serve some many purposes fo relaxation, meditation, sleep, dreaming. Eye pillows are a great way to also turn favorite materials into something useful. Old flannel pajamas are great for this purpose because they are so soft. As promised, here are the details for making eye pillows.
4 tablespoons mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) leaves
1 tablespoons lavender (Lavandula spp.) blossoms
1 teaspoon rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) leaves
1-2 cups flax seeds
Cloth
Directions
Cut two rectangular pieces of cloth and and lay one on top of the other, inside out.
Sew three sides together.
Flip material right side out.
Combine herbs and seeds. Mix well.
Fill the bag 3/4 full.
Close the open edge of the bag and then fold it over 2-3 times, 1/2 inch or so for each fold so that there are no raw edges.
Sew the folds closed.
To Use:
Cover eyes with the bag while falling asleep.
Alternatively, place the bag under your pillow when you sleep.
Heart …….
My Kashubian ancestors believed in hawk water. “The most magical power is gained by the hawk water at midnight, and loses it at sunrise. This ritual took place either at midnight on Easter Saturday, or early morning on Easter itself, while maintaining complete silence and seriousness. This magic water, which was attributed to everlasting freshness, was also brought home, where it was used for women for cosmetic purposes. It happened that even horses and cattle were rushed to the water at night in Jastra (Easter) for alleged protection against diseases. “ - by L. Malicki "Ritual Year in Kashuby” Under the light of the Easter Saturday moon, before sunrise, they took a purifying bath in rivers and streams.
In the blog post I mentioned collecting new moon water. Moon water can be collected at any phase depending on the intention. For example, a new moon is good for transformations, a full moon is good for celebrations and release.
There are lots of directions that can be found on the internet about moon water and ways to use it if you want to take a deep dive into it. My process is to gather rain water (or fresh spring water, river water, sea water) in a mason jar (bottle, or bowl). Place the jar outside where the moonlight will be able to reach it. Yes, even on a cloudy night the moonlight will still be there. Bring the jar in by morning well before the sun rises. Sometimes I decant it into smaller jars and sometimes I save it in the mason jar. The moon water can then be used in rituals, baths, sainings, or spritzs. As mentioned in the blog post, I will be using some of it in the homemade bath salt blend I am using on the new moon this month.
Sometimes I add essential oils and/or herbs to my water before I place it outside. If I am including oils and herbs I include ones that support my intention. For example, rose to open my heart, rosemary for my memory, lavender to release tension, etc.
What I’m looking forward to…….
I am looking forward to May Day. May Day is the half-way point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Our celebrations begin on May Day Eve, April 30. May Day, also called Bealtaine/Bealtainn, is a day to celebrate the coming of the seasonal change as we come out of the darkness of winter, welcoming summer and renewed vitality.
According to Sharon Blackie, “the boundaries between our world and the Otherworld were temporarily erased; on May Eve fairy folk and other spirits were believed to roam freely, and measures had to be taken to protect against their enchantments. It was said that both witches and fairies would stay up all night on Bealtaine eve, taking the form of hares to take cattle produce from their neighbours.” When our girls were little, their school had a full day of May Day celebrations that included art. music, song, and the dancing of the May Pole. For our family, it is a time for our first outdoor fire since the winter began. We also place flowers on the windowsill and by the front door - wildflowers and primroses.
Beannacht (Blessing) by John O'Donohue
On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.
And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets into you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green
and azure blue,
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.
When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.
May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.
Love.
Karen
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