Herbal Trees and Shrubs of the Plains and Prairies

By Katherine Schlosser

From place to place, season to season, and year to year,

the colorful mixtures and combinations of flowering herbs

are influenced by permutations of weather, grazing,

competition with grasses, and seed abundance.

~David S. Costello

Since childhood the words “For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties, Above the fruited plain” colored my impression of the landscape of the western part of our country. Visits to grandparents, aunts and uncles, and masses of cousins didn’t disappoint my vision. It wasn’t until adulthood that I fully understood that those words were essentially a drone fly-over.

For some of us, it takes paying attention not only to the larger landscape, but to the details as well to appreciate the enormous botanical diversity of our country. From the tallest coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) to the tiny littleleaf pyxie moss (Pyxidanthera brevifolia)and its 1/4-inch flowers peering…

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The Practice of Deep Gratitude

The Druid's Garden

At the heart of the challenges, we face in transitioning from a life-destroying culture to a life-honoring one is to disentangle the many underlying myths and narratives that subconsciously or consciously drive our behaviors. These myths include the myth of progress, the myth of infinite growth, the lure of materialism, and the assumption that nature is there only to serve our needs. These myths have, in part, been the underlying forces that have driven us to the present challenges of our age. I believe many of these myths are rooted in colonialism, and if we are ever to end this awful practice and its centuries-old impacts, we must address them. They drive both larger systems at play as well as each of us. And while we can look to broader

A nature mandala offered in thanks for our land that provides so much to us.

systems of power and privilege…

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Human Touch

secretsoftheserpent

As we open the world up most people have been sitting in their homes away from the world for about a year. I see people have forgotten how to connect in a human to human way. Everyone has been on their phones or computers communicating and we have forgotten that human touch. To me everyone seems robotic out in public. I am out in the world everyday. I love meeting people. I love working with people. As the world ends lockdowns most can’t connect in person. This post will help you connect with others and remember that we are all humans who need that human connection.

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Full Blessing Moon | Making Your Own Blessing Oil

Full Blessing Moon Ritual Blessing Oil DIY Spirit de la Lune

This full moon in Capricorn is a very optimistic and positive one! It will feel like a breath of fresh air after some of the heavier astrological influences of June.

This full moon is sextile Jupiter which adds to the cheerful nature. Mercury went direct and the Sun shifted into Cancer. The sun is high in the sky and this full moon week supports playfulness, pleasure and soaking in the good times of life.

Don’t forget to take time to smell the flowers this full moon week!

The keyword for this card is “contentment” which is a powerful word. Contentment represents being in a place of peaceful satisfaction.

Satisfaction, gratitude, appreciation, and contentment are powerful emotions that bring us right into the present moment where all of our power is.

However, sometimes when we struggle in life, it can be difficult to feel gratitude or appreciation even when we know it will help. That is why contentment is so important.

Read full article at: Spirit de la Lune ~ Full Blessing Moon | Making Your Own Blessing Oil

Wildcrafting Your Druidry: A Local Materia Medica and Herbalism Practice

The Druid's Garden

As we continue to explore the concept of wildcrafting druidry and sacred action that is, developing a spiritual practice and daily life that is fully localized and aligned with nature right outside your door, it is a useful time to consider the role of herbalism and developing a local materia medica. In herbalism terms, a materia medica is a body of herbal and plant knowledge for the curing of diseases and the promotion of good health. For example, any book on herbalism that includes entries on herbs and their healing properties is a materia medica. By starting to develop a local materia medica for your area, you can learn more about the incredible healing properties of plants in your area and develop a sacred connection with them. You can start entering into a mutually beneficial, reciprocal relationship with the land and support your own health–this is because not only are…

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Poison Hemlock — The Plant We Love To Hate

Poison hemlock gets an incredibly bad rap these days.

It’s weedy. It’s aggressive. And it’s lethally toxic.

Here in the United States, poison hemlock grows in almost every single state. Because many of us will inevitably encounter a naturalized population of poison hemlock, it’s important that we learn its key features and its effects on the human body.

The trend these days is to write scathing articles about poison hemlock where personal feelings eclipse objective information. Today, however, I’ll offer something different.

In a new video, I don’t get too angry talking about poison hemlock, but I instead try to remain fairly neutral when discussing its attributes.

If you’re interested in learning more about one of the most toxic plants in the world, check out the brand new video!

Last year, I stumbled upon a pileated woodpecker nest for the first time. Exactly one year later, I encountered a second site in a different location. To read about my recent experience, and to view more photographs of the nest, check out the latest Instagram post!Click to view post

Thanks for reading and watching, and thanks for your continued support!

-Adam Haritan

Where has the Goddess Gone?

secretsoftheserpent

Because of Ignorance humans have struggled. One conflict after another throughout history. Through conflict humans have found certain answers that stopped the conflicts, but sooner or later the conflicts come back. In history conflicts were isolated to certain countries or regions. Now the world is in conflict. Because of the world wide web and transportation no one place in the world is isolated. The world is connected, so now everyone feels the conflicts in one way or another. Can we figure this out or will we keep going till we finally destroy ourselves?

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Who are You?

secretsoftheserpent

Some people want to know where their individuality comes from, but most do not care. They just mechanically go thru life. They do not want to know the meaning of life. To most life is just accepted. My readers are a little different. They want to know. In this post we will try to learn about the relationship between ourselves and the outer world. See if we can learn about who is inside our bodies.

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Sacred Trees in the Americas: Juneberry Tree (Amelanchier spp., Serviceberry, Shadbush, Sasakatoon) Medicine, Magic, and Divination — The Druid’s Garden

Juneberry Tree in Abundance We are now at the time when it is at peak throughout the Eastern US and thus,it is a great time to learn about this wonderful tree. Juneberry, also known as Amelanchier, Serviceberry, Saskatoon, or Shadbush is a grouping of 20 deciduous small trees or large shrubs. Juneberry is a delightful understory […]
Sacred Trees in the Americas: Juneberry Tree (Amelanchier spp., Serviceberry, Shadbush, Sasakatoon) Medicine, Magic, and Divination — The Druid’s Garden

HOW TO RECLAIM POWER FROM YOUR SHADOW SELF

I often make mention of the shadow self here on my blog, and it’s the basis of a full module of training in my Pro Crystal Healer program, due to the immensely painful effect it has on our lives.

That being said, the shadow can be misunderstood or misrepresented as our inner villain, but it’s more closely defined as our wounded self, or wounded warrior.

It is a keeper of all the darker aspects and archetypes of our humanity.

It’s also a big part of what makes us human.

You could think of your shadow as your lower frequency or “lower vibe” self.

It’s the pain, the doubts, the sorrows, the fears, the regrets, the shames, the violence, the hatred, the envy, and the resentments we carry with us through life, and it’s largely formed in our childhood (though we continue to add to it as adults).

Some people in the spiritual community try to inauthentically bypass their shadow selves, through forced positivity, spiritual superiority, or an imposed “love and light” sentimentality.

But the honest truth is that most human beings seek to bypass the shadow. That’s actually a part of the shadow self’s defense system – it wants to be in control, but it does not want to be exposed.

Read complete article at: Krista Mitchell ~ How To Reclaim Power From Your Shadow Self