Old Man Winter--Bye Felicia
Chapter One
“Because we housewives of today have tools to reach it, we dig every day after the dust that grandmother left to her spring cataclysm. If few of us have nine children for a weekly bath, we now only have two or three for a daily immersion. If our consciences don’t pick us over vacant pie shelves or empty cookie jars, they do over meals in which a vitamin may be omitted or a calorie lacking.” A paragraph from an article in a 1930’s *Ladies Home Journal* magazine.
You’ll find chapter one here- When Women Ruled the World
Native American Medicine Wheel-Circa. 1914
Chapter Two
The aroma of spring
Just imagining standing out on the deck with the first cup of coffee of the day, breathing in the aroma of renewal. The fragrance of earth carried on a light breeze. Any lingering sleep from hibernation melting away by the warm rays of the sun. Birds renew the human soul with their cheerful song of; “come mate with me, I’m cool.” A fresh canvas in which to paint a new season. How glad is the heart!
Within the Indian medicine wheel Spring is represented by the color yellow, its power is east, coming from the Eagle spirit. It is the light and the newness of life and the promise of new beginnings. Spring chases away the darkness and dormancy of Old Man winter icy hold. It is a time of awakening symbolized by a rising sun in the east, a time to seek enlightenment. Now is the time to plant seeds and plan new projects.
Spring is a good time to;
Eat light- raw foods such as greens, sprouts, fruits, nuts, seeds and celery.
Add lemon to your drinking water to help detoxify the liver. Herbal tonics are excellent for this time of year.
Develop an exercise program to further detoxifying the liver.
Make plans for your future to capitalize on the springs association with being awake and alter, and to have a plan for summer. The season of activity.
In the Native culture spring-time is dedicated to the spiritual Mother, (mother-nature) and the moon of many gifts. The moon of Naa-yu, the ruling ancestor of the Anasazi. Anasazi was an ancient elder who was the spiritual mother of the people.
Springs influence on human physiology;
The bright side of the physiology is *Energetic* during this season. Inner strength and a will to fight physical ills. Naa-yus bright side gifted humans with an increase in healing power. The first signs of and emerging green landscape stirs the emotions of renewed optimism. Animals and humans alike shake off their sleep to emerge from their stuffy environment to face the warmth of a new day.
The dark side of of springs return is due to some whose emotional states are highly volatile, which leaves the bodys’ immune system vulnerable. When evaluating these people, address emotional stress first. The damaging effects of stress and negativity are generally internalized, showing up as an illness. The discomfort of having been sealed into a cave or dwelling is slow to be shaken off. Illness may continue for a while longer.
Ancient Chinese believed that humans are microcosms of the larger surrounding universe, and are interconnected with nature and subject to its forces. Balance between health and disease is a key concept. TCM treatment seeks to restore this balance through treatment specific to the individual. Emotions effect correlating body organs.
The Liver is associated with anger and frustration.
The Heart is associated with joy and happiness.
The Spleen is associated with overthinking and worry.
The Lungs are associated with sadness and grief.
The Kidneys are associated with fear and insecurity.
Spring then, is a time of purification, healing and rejuvenation allowing each individual time to make the waking process at his own speed. Its a perfect time for cleansing and fasting. Moving the sludge from the lymph nodes with clean greens and lots of movement. The addition of sprouted seeds and beans lends vital nutrients to leafy green salads.
On a personal level spring is a season do an honest revaluation of whatever changes that need to be made, cleaning and throwing out that which is no longer necessary.
Tonics to get the sludge out
Fresh spring tonics and cleanses are ancient remedies. From Europe to the colonies, (the US) grandmothers whipped up the internal spring cleansing bitters to “get the blood moving.” Even traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is the time of cleansing the liver, and classic western herbal spring cleansing also include “liver tonic” herbs. Dandelion root is a common example.
It is recommended to drink a bitter tonic twice daily for one week every spring.To make your own spring liver tonic/cleanse try this bitter drink;
Use 1/4 teaspoons each of the following herbal tinctures-
Dandelion root
Burdock root
Artichoke
Sarsaparilla root
ginger root
Mix the tinctures into plain water or carbonated water with a little lemon for taste. Take 1 to 2 cups daily for a week. This mixture can be used as a digestive aid after meals on a regular basis.
Clover tea;
2 cups red clover blossoms
2 thin sticks of cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated, dried orange peel.
Chop and grate, place all ingredients into a glass jar or plastic bag and shake. Take 1 heaping teaspoon and put into a cup. Pour boiling water over the herb mixture, steep for 5 minutes and then strain. Sweeten with honey.
Morning detox water
Drink upon rising in the morning, even before coffee. This detox water is rejuvenating, refreshing and delicious.
2 liters of clean, pure water
1 medium cucumber, sliced
1 washed whole lemon, sliced with seeds removed
10 to 12 fresh whole mint leaves, chopped.
Wash and slice cucumbers, deseed lemon and slice into thin rounds. Put cucumber and lemon slices into a 2 liter pitcher and pour cold water over them, add mint leaves. Set in the refrigerator over night.
Drink a refreshing cool glass every morning to detox and rehydrate the body. It will promote a glow to your skin.
Spring time beverages
Rhubarb Rose Syrup
1 pound fresh picked rhubarb, chopped
1 cup sugar, honey or maple syrup
1 cup fresh picked rose petals, washed and sorted.
Simmer rhubarb in 2 cups of water until soft. Strain off the liquid and set aside. Wild roses work best because they are strongly scented. Combine rhubarb juice, sugar or honey and the rose petals in a sauce pan.Simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Watch closely. Don’t let it boil, the flavor of the roses will evaporate.
Strain the syrup and refrigerate the syrup. Stir 2 or 3 tablespoons into a glass of icy cold water and enjoy.
Hint; rhubarb juice can be used as a substitute for lemon juice.
Uncooked berry juice, a treat for kids
1 to 2 cups very ripe berries- your choice, sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste.
Crush or mash the berries in a little water and let them sit for 3 hours or so. Next, strain the juice from the berries through a cheese cloth, squeezing to remove all the juice. Sweeten a little more if needed and keep refrigerated. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons to a glass of ice water for an awesome refreshing drink.
Large batches if berry syrup can be canned for later use or frozen. You can also, pour into ice trays with tooth picks as Popsicles.
Things to do in the spring
Great grandmothers would throw open the windows especially on a breezy afternoon. Let the sun come in and sterilize the floor and furniture. She next would hang bedding outside, blankets, pillows and floor rugs. Somehow she knew the suns ultraviolet rays would chase away stale orders from over-wintered or sick room bedding and furniture cushions.
Our ancestors knew this was a good time to begin foraging for the first signs of edible greens and roots. They looked for dandelions, nettles, lambs-quarters, burdock root, violets, chickweed, cinquefoil root and marshmallow root to use in salads and soups.
After 4 or 5 months of heavy, overly processed or dried foods the body is thirsty for fresh, nutrient dense foods. In late spring, begin looking for tiny strawberry like fruit, Alpine strawberries. They are tough little plants, and prettier than our beefy cultivated strawberries. You will generally find them growing in dry, gravel-like areas. They are a powerhouse of teeny, tiny flavor.
Be sure to take 10 minutes from your busy-ness every morning to give thanks to the warmth of father sun and our feathered brothers and sisters for their joyful songs. Learn appreciation for mother nature giving birth to another new season and a chance for us to paint on a new canvas of experience. Give thanks on the Solstice by lighting a candle and saying a prayer;
Face east— I ask the spirit of the eagle to be with me. To sharpen my eyes and ears to heat his direction and contemplate on them, and that I will be able to recognize and honor the tremendous power and vitality that is. Thank you for all the beauty and all that you have given us. We ask for blessings for this years crops in anticipation of a bountiful harvest as we will most certainly share with others. Amen
Ancient Egyptian pregnancy test
As the story goes, ancient Egyptians figured out that if a woman put raw, fresh wheat seed and raw, fresh barley seed into a cup and urinated on them it would tell her if she was going to have a child. She covered the seeds with a cloth and left them for a couple of days. When she checked in on her seeds and the seeds had sprouted, she was pregnant. It was that simple. They were even able to tell whether it was a boy or a girl depending on the majority of barely or wheat seeds sprouted.
Researchers decided to test this method back in the 1960s to see if this pregnancy test really worked. They discovered, to their astonishment, this sprouting seed test was 70% accurate for the gender test. The pregnancy test was far higher because the test works on the same principle as modern pregnancy test from the drug store. It looks for chemical changes only found in pregnant women.
“The deeper we attempt to understand these processes using scientific tools, the more enchanting and miraculous this process reveals itself to be, and the appreciation of this ungraspable phenomenon only deepens our amazement and humility.”
Professor Rafi Malach
Caraway Julep for Infants
1-2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 cup cold water
Bruise or crush seeds and let them stand in the water overnight. Give infants 1 to 3 teaspoons a day, 1 teaspoon at a time. Greatly helps digestion.
Quiet Child tea
Mix equal parts (usually about a ¼ cup each) of the following;
Raspberry leaf
Calendula flowers
Catnip leaf
Chamomile flowers
Spearmint leaf
pinch of stevia
Put herbs into a quart jar with tight fitting lids, shake until herbs are mixed. Make tea from the jar by taking 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture and put it into a cup. Let steep for about 5 minutes or not too hot for the child. Serve warm, sweeten with molasses or maple syrup.
You should find your child beginning to relax within a half an hour. Best used before nap or bedtime.
This works great for us older folks too.
Tonic/Elixir for Bronchitis and Whooping Cough
(Caution; Do not use honey for children under one year of age, substitute real maple syrup or other sweetener)
½ cup violet flowers
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 ½ cups distilled water
¼ cup marshmallow root (dried)
¼ licorice root (dried)
Soak violet flowers in ACV for several hours, then strain and set aside the liquid.
Now put the flowers in ½ cup of distilled water, set aside.
In a pot on the stove add 2 cup distilled water and marshmallow root and licorice root, heat on medium low for about 20 minutes, more time if needed to reduce down to one cup of liquid. Remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour.
Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Pour herbs and all the liquids and herbs into the cheesecloth strainer to strain. Squeeze the cheesecloth to almost dry. Discard the herbs.
Next mix the honey or syrup into the liquid this makes your tonic/elixir taste great. Mix well. Bottle and label.
Take as needed. Generally, about a teaspoon two or three times a day when there is a hacking cough.
May add ½ cup vodka as a preservative for adults and children over the age of 12.
Ticks- be-gone
Essential oils to repel ticks and chiggers.
Basil Bay
Citronella Eucalyptus
Tea Tree Lavender
Rosemary Thyme
Dilute essential oils in alcohol or olive oil in a spray bottle. For a temporary, short term repellent, dilute in a little water in a spray bottle and spray on socks and shoes when out-doors.
Cuts and scrapes
Making an antibacterial paste
( I prefer this one over those store bought)
1 tablespoon Tea tree essential oil or Oregano oil
1 oz. olive oil or other carrier oil
4 capsules of goldenseal root (broken open and poured into the mixture)
1 teaspoon slippery elm powder ( arrowroot will work too as a thickener)
Mix the oils and powdered herbs together until smooth to form a paste. Use on abrasions, cuts, or infections of the skin, where you would use any commercial antibacterial. Cover with a bandage.
Black Drawing Salve ( great for slivers and bee stingers)
1 Tbs. Activated charcoal
1 Tbs. Bentonite clay
½ cup carrier oil (Olive, sweet almond, etc)
2 tea. Beeswax
25 drops lavender essential oil
Melt oil and beeswax together, let cool to room temperature. Add clay, charcoal and essential oil. Blend until consistency of Vaseline.
Chapter two— Summer Magic and the Wee Folk link here
Chapter three- Love is in the Air link here
Chapter four—Keep Your Backside Covered link here
Chapter five— Grandmothers Supply Cupboard link here
Please like, share and subscribe.