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The Color Bubble Practice for Energetic Protection
A simple practice to protect your energy
Here's a super quick practice for energetic protection.
This is a great one for times when you need a little extra "cushioning"—maybe you're about to go to a crowded place, for example—and a great daily practice. Try this each morning for a week and see what happens!
Quickie Practice for Energetic Protection
First, breath into your heart and notice the light there. See this light grow and fill up your entire body, and then go beyond your body, creating a bubble of white light around you.
Most of you have probably done something similar to this before—and it works! Your energy, intention, focus, and partnership with spirit will create an effective orb of protection around you.
But if you want to go further, experiment with filling your bubble with different colors! Every color has a different vibration, and therefore different protective and healing qualities.
Visualize the bubble filling with green, blue, violet, red...
How does each color feel? Over time, you'll learn your own unique color language and know exactly what color to use when 🙂
Discernment on the Spiritual Path: How to Protect Yourself in Unknown Territory
How do you navigate all the information, teachers, and experiences we find in the spiritual realms? How do you know who to trust or what to believe? What does it mean when spiritual teachings conflict with each other? Discover how to activate your inner knowing, protect yourself from outside influences, and deepen your personal spiritual practice.
There's an interesting phenomenon at play these days...
In much of our lives, we've learned to discern truths from untruths, to question new information and check it against our trusted guideposts -- be those scientific findings, published books, educational institutions, non-profit research groups, church leaders and religious texts, or other authorities.
Everyone will have different guideposts, which can clearly lead to conflicting information and cultural clashes. But still, people do tend to have their own ways of knowing what to believe.
But in one area, I've seen perfectly thoughtful and sane, people become completely bamboozled.
Spirituality. Especially any spirituality that might have a "woo-ish" leaning.
It's only been in the last 50 years or less that we've seen a mass exodus from organized religious institutions, in the West at least. And people simply haven't figured out their guideposts.
It's almost as if, when someone says they have a direct channel to spiritual wisdom, people simply believe it. They have no existing guideposts to check this new information against.
What's especially fascinating to witness is how people will struggle to integrate every new spiritual teaching into their personal cosmologies. If it got published, it must be valid. And if it's channeled information from spiritual beings, then surely it's true!
Oh the existential crises this approach to spirituality leads to! It breaks my heart.
But it's not all that difficult to shift our relationship with incoming spiritual teachings, new teachers, different approaches...
Let's begin by remembering that everyone is working with their own set of human filters, and whatever teachings they offer have arrived through those filters. (And of course, some people are just liars.)
You have filters too. The more conscious you become of your own filters, the better able you’ll be to identify the filters in others. Question yourself. Look at your shadow. Celebrate your wisdom. Then extend the same grace to other teachers you feel drawn to. (And disentangle from those you’re not drawn to—you don’t need to listen to everyone.)
You can also learn to identify and trust our own inner guideposts with greater clarity. For me, this is often a somatic experience—while the brain can argue for the validity or falsity of just about anything, the body will tell you what actually resonates with truth.
As we travel deeper into spiritual territory, this phenomenon—the task of filtering spiritual truths from the messy soup of information out there—takes on an even more challenging dimension: direct experience with "spiritual" beings.
When we open our intuition and are able to communicate with the spirit world more clearly, we still need to remember that not everything we encounter is pure love and light.
Many people have the tendency to assume that because an entity or being is not embodied, because it resides in the spirit worlds, it knows more than they do.
And even more bizarrely, there's a tendency to assume that these beings always tell the truth.
I remember a woman telling me once that her friend talked with Jesus. Of course, I know this is possible. Jesus is a powerful and loving energy that appears to many people.
But in this case, "Jesus" was telling her friend to hurt himself. To make decisions that he never would have chosen for himself.
I was shocked to hear that they were confused about this--they were actually questioning how to follow Jesus's guidance even though it didn't feel right.
Hopefully you're tracking here and realize that this entity was not Jesus.
Yes, disembodied beings might seem super spiritual at first simply because their existence is so different from ours. But there are all types of beings out there, and they're perfectly capable of lying in order to fulfill their own agendas.
So how do you know if a being is a loving guide or just someone pretending ?
There are a few tips I offer my students:
Let your body be your guide. Cultivate an unshakable faith in your own body's ability to tell you what is right for you. (Yes, this takes practice, but everyone can learn to do it.)
Start with a trusted ally. This is a spirit helper that you trust beyond any doubt. It may be a power animal, well ancestor, or other deity. To help alleviate any confusion, I recommend meeting this ally in the presence of skilled teacher or healer. This might be during a healing session, a personal mentorship session, or a group class. Once you have your ally, you ask them to check out anyone new you might want to communicate with.
Learn more about the types of beings you might be encountering. We co-exist with land spirits, nature beings, spirit guides, ancestors, ghosts, angels, demons, and more. The more you learn about the non-ordinary realities around us, the more potential you have to see the truth when encountering new entities.
Develop highly attuned psychic protection skills. You can prevent and eliminate so many unwanted encounters simply by maintaining a good energy hygiene, spiritual sovereignty, and a vibrational state that does not invite them to communicate with you. Again, we can all learn how to do this work.
Though the spirit worlds are as full of diverse energies and intentions as our ordinary reality is, we can all learn to navigate them with greater skill and ease.
Stepping outside of mainstream or established religious belief systems isn't easy. Most of us will encounter confusion, dark nights, and more on our paths. But being able to cultivate a personal cosmology and inner guideposts to support your journey is such a gift. May you be blessed upon your path.
Are Your Thoughts Your Own? Claiming Mental Sovereignty
If you've ever really looked under the surface of your thinking mind, you've probably already realized that so much of what we think, believe, and even feel is heavily influenced by outside sources.
How many of your thoughts are your own?
If you've ever really looked under the surface of your thinking mind, you've probably already realized that so much of what we think, believe, and even feel is heavily influenced by outside sources.
Our family patterning. Our education systems. Our work environments. Our social groups. Religious organizations. The news or entertainment we give our attention to. And now more than ever, our social media feeds.
Yet beyond these clear pulls on our consciousness, there are even more subtle and potentially dangerous threads involved...
These are energetic threads created from magnetic thought forms, mass hysteria and hypnosis, collective trauma, and more.
Most of these threads are natural occurrences with no hidden agendas behind them. They simply arise, and we can learn skills to disentangle from them so we can return to sovereign wellness.
But some of these threads are absolutely intentionally created. As creepy as that might sound, we can 100% learn to unhook from them as well.
Curious as to what all this means? What kinds of "threads" I might be referring to? And most importantly, how you can protect yourself?
Good! Our world needs us to unhook from the chaos out there and come back into our hearts, our truth, and our power.
This is why I'm teaching a six-week course all about psychic protection. We begin February 1, and classes will be recorded in case you need to miss one.
There are a few spots left. If you feel even the slightest pull, it means you're ready to claim new levels of spiritual sovereignty. Join us.
Is Possession Real? (Spoiler...yes)
Around winter solstice, I got a possession…
Sometime around winter solstice, I got a possession.
A what? Like in The Poltergeist? Yeah...kind of. There really are disembodied spirits that can influence us to varying degrees. But I promise, I've never seen this actually look like The Poltergeist.
What typically happens is that someone starts feeling low energy or mildly depressed/anxious, but there's not really a reason why.
Over time, if the possession isn't taken care of, it can lead to a host of harmful effects—anger issues, addictions, chronic illness.
The problem is, these are all normal human things, so we don't realize that there's a foreign energy involved. Even people who live and breathe this work, like myself, can be influenced without realizing it.
I'm extremely grateful that years of training have taught me to recognize the subtle signs that a foreign entity is attaching to me early on.
For me, it's a very physical sensation. I know that when my back has a certain type of tingle, someone is with me who shouldn't be.
I've actually had bouts with this tingling for years, but I'd always chalked it up to my own anxiety. Thankfully, I have a better understanding of the layers involved now, and I know to take action right away.
With this possession, I tried to clear it myself. Well, I actually reached out to three friends who are gifted in this area first, but with the holidays and everyone traveling, no one had time.
So I tried and tried to clear this being. I went to nature to partner with the strength of the earth. I smudged all over the place. I tried to compassionately help the being move into the light.
While I felt a little better with the earth and smudging, nothing worked.
Sometimes, when a really big entity attaches to us, we become so depleted so fast that we simply aren't able to heal ourselves. This is why we need each other so much when it comes to healing!
Fortunately, one of my favorite magical energy healing women got back to me after the holidays and we were able to have a session. She confirmed what I felt and was able to do the work to clear the being (though it sounded like a heavy lift this time even for her!).
My heart's deepest wish is to illuminate this phenomenon to others. So many are suffering and don't need to be!
The first step is awareness. If this is new or interesting to you at all, please come to my free class on January 12th. I'll be talking about a lot of surprising influences on our wellbeing, including this one.
The next step is protection. Obviously, if my experience tells us anything, it's that sometimes shit just happens. Actually, if the past few years have taught all of us anything, it's that shit happens that we can't control, and there's no good reason for it.
That said, there are plenty of things we can do to lessen our chances of picking up foreign energy. Just like eating well and exercising can support our physical immune system, good energy hygiene can support our spiritual immunity.
If this sounds interesting, definitely sign up for Energy Hygiene and Psychic Protection! This is a live, virtual six-week class where I'll be teaching you how to identify foreign energy, protect yourself, and cleanse yourself from the basic subtle energies we all pick up on. This way, you'll be able to both keep yourself as healthy as possible and recognize the signs for when you need more support.
Then, for those who really feel called to this work, learning how to do extractions and psychopomp suffering beings would be a good next step. I only share these teachings within advanced trainings. If there's enough interest, I'll set some up this year—let me know!
May you navigate the wild worlds of spiritual beings with safety and ease.
Spiritual Sovereignty: Can You Heal Yourself?
Can you heal yourself, or is it best to see a practitioner? Why do declarations of sovereignty fail to bring about the results you want? How does your health relate to that of the collective?
One of the first things many people are taught when they step onto a spiritual path is this:
“Nothing can harm you without your permission.”
Followed by this:
“You have access to all the divine guidance you need within. You just need to learn to listen.”
And now, with sovereignty becoming such a buzzword, this line of thinking comes next:
“Your sovereignty is your birthright. No one can attach to you energetically without your permission. You can declare old contracts be broken.”
In my experience, all of these beliefs are both true and more complicated than they seem at first glance, and the implications of believing the most simplistic interpretations of these ideas are not without consequence…
Let's start with the idea that nothing can harm us―spiritually and energetically at least―without our permission. Take a moment to think about the implications of this teaching...
First, this can be a comforting thought. As you begin to realize how many hidden influences are at play in your life―including what we might call negative energies―you might start to feel overwhelmingly vulnerable. Returning to the belief that no "invisible monsters" can hurt you without your permission is incredibly reassuring.
Unfortunately, if we take this belief to its natural conclusion, what does it say about those who struggle with the spiritual and energetic dimensions of health? The implication is that if someone has a spiritual/energetic ailment―such as cording with another person, an energetic attachment, or even possession by a foreign entity―then they must have, on some level or in some lifetime, agreed to it.
This agreement isn't conscious of course, but subconscious. Nevertheless, you agreed. So it's up to you to "break your contracts" and "claim your sovereignty".
Oh, did you try and things were still difficult or stuck? Well then, this line of thinking goes, on some level you must feel as if you're benefiting and not really want to get better.
This way of thinking about sovereignty is what happens when a spiritual truth gets hijacked by a capitalist narrative.
Sound familiar? This was certainly the party line in my three-year shamanic practitioner training, and I've heard versions of this repeated in yoga, reiki, and energy classes often...
Personally, I absolutely DO NOT believe things are this simple, and I do not endorse victim blaming in this way.
This way of thinking about sovereignty is what happens when a spiritual truth gets hijacked by a capitalist narrative.
When I come across thought patterns that take individual empowerment and personal responsibility to the extreme, I feel grateful for having spent so much of my life overseas. Not all cultures are as individualistic as the American one is. There are other ways of being in the world and relating to spirit.
Yes we are powerful. Yes we can heal ourselves. And yes, there are times when we resist healing because of some perceived benefit, usually unconscious. But true spiritual healing is a much more complicated soup of karma, randomness, soul growth, and mystery than a simple declaration of sovereignty.
True spiritual healing is a complicated soup of karma, randomness, soul growth, and mystery.
When we remember that we are all connected, and that we were born into an ecosystem with layers of interconnection that reach far beyond our physical dimension, we also begin to recognize that healing happens in community.
Most of us need support at some point in our lives. Even with decades of training and practice under my belt, I still turn to beloved friends, teachers, and healers for help when I can’t see the whole picture or need a healing boost.
Healing also happens over time. Spiritual healing isn’t like taking a pill—more often it involves navigating layers of connections and contracts, lifetimes of karma and energetic patterning, and deep psychological integration and initiations. When we embark on this kind of healing journey, being held in community and supported by a healer are essential foundations for the path before us.
And let's be real here—when you're suffering, connecting with your true inner power is hard! How are you supposed to clear and recharge your energy field when you've been knocked flat?
This brings me back to the other common belief that is both true and more complicated than it first appears…the idea that we should be able to access our own intuition and not rely on others for guidance.
Well, yeah. I agree. And I'd say most people tend to overly rely on others to be their conduits to spirit—getting divinations, seeking out gurus, asking for advice, drawing endless oracle cards…many people fearfully avoid the personal responsibility that comes with committing to their own decisions.
But this doesn't mean that we should never turn to others for guidance and support, ask for help interpreting our dreams, or receive divinatory readings. Again, in our layered ecosystem of connection, we often are meant to have insights and wisdom reflected back to us by others.
As we walk the path toward true spiritual health and sovereignty, it’s both important to develop skills to empower yourself and to turn to others when you need support.
Healing is a delicate dance between personal responsibility and partnership with trustworthy healers who can support our journey. We are vulnerable and we are powerful. We are individuals and we are all connected. We are human and we are divine.
If you’re interested in learning more about the unseen forces that influence your health and well-being—and how you can learn to better work with these energies—be sure to sign up for my upcoming FREE workshop:
Healing Pumpkin Soup with Cozy Autumn Spices
An easy, healthy soup to warm your body and boost your immune system this season.
This year, Mike and I had a pretty epic harvest of various winter squashes—lunga di napoli (scroll down to see crazy pics here), red kuri, spaghetti, cinderella, blue hokkaido, pumpkin pie, delicata, and a few mystery hybrids all graced our little backyard in the city.
Now, as temperatures fall and pumpkin spice fills the air, I find myself experimenting with endless plays on basic pumpkin soup. This particular version, which I'll share with you now, has to be one of my favorites so far. It's rich and creamy, full of medicinal herbs and warming spices, and so easy. Plus vegan and paleo so you can serve it to all your friends.
A few notes on the recipe:
I used some of my giant lunga di napoli for this recipe, but any kind of winter squash would work well—I think butternut or Cinderella pumpkin would be especially good.
I'm pretty loose with my spices, dumping whatever I feel like into the pot like a mad scientist. Take the following as suggestions, but keep tasting and adjusting to your liking. Also, this might look like a lot of garlic, and it is! Hehe. I loooove garlic and add a ton to everything. Feel free to start with less.
If you have the time and want even more flavor in this soup, feel free to roast the squash while you prepare the other ingredients. I needed an easy one-pot meal so mine went raw straight into the soup and was still delicious.
I used Elmhurst cashew milk for this recipe. It's my absolute favorite nutmilk—creamy and the only ingredients are cashews and water. Cashew milk was my choice because I really wanted the flavors to stand out without coconut undertones, but I think coconut milk would also work perfectly well.
The lemon juice really brightens this soup up. If you don't have fresh lemon on hand, you can substitute apple cider vinegar (fire cider would be even better!).
Why this soup works:
The garlic, onion, sage, and astragalus offer healing, anti-viral benefits
The winter squash and nettle are full of essential nutrients
The warming spices bring balance to your constitution throughout the fall and winter seasons
Healing Pumpkin Soup with Cozy Autumn Spices
Serves 6-8 as sides and 4 as mains.
Ingredients:
1 small-medium white or yellow onion, chopped
1 head garlic, minced and let to rest at least 10 min
1 tablespoon oil (avocado, olive, and coconut all work)
4 cups peeled and cubed winter squash or pumpkin
6-8 sticks astragalus
1/2 cup dried nettle
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
4 bay leaves
lemon juice to taste (I used the juice of about 1/2 lemon)
4 cups broth or water
salt and pepper to taste
Plus...a bunch of spices totaling to about 2 tablespoons:
cinnamon
turmeric
nutmeg
mace
cardamom
powdered ginger
star anise
allspice
cloves
red pepper flakes
I also added a big pinch of finely ground rose petals, lavender, and orris root because I have them and I'm fancy. I'm not sure you could even taste them, but now you know 😛
Directions:
Sauté the onion in oil over medium heat until just turning translucent. Add the squash and garlic and continue to cook for another couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
Next, add all the spices, fresh sage, and salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until the squash/pumpkin begins to soften and most liquid from the vegetables has been absorbed.
Add the broth or water, bay leaves, astragalus, and nettle. Bring to simmer and continue to cook until the squash is completely done (about 20-30m). You can tie the bay and astragalus in twine to make them easier to remove, but I didn’t bother.
Stir in the nutmilk and lemon juice. Continue to cook for about 10m to let the flavors merge. Remove bay leaves and astragalus sticks.
Turn off the heat and puree the soup to your preferred consistency (I like mostly smooth but still a little chunky). You can use a handheld immersion blender, or you can carefully transfer the soup to a blender. If going the blender route, be sure to allow the soup to cool a bit first. You may need to blend in batches.
Serve warm and top with fried sage leaves and a sprinkle of paprika if you're feeling fancy. Tastes even better the next day.
Wild Mushroom Pate
Wild and organic mixed mushrooms make the perfect vegan pate. Seasonal, celebratory, and easy!
Wild Mushroom Pâté
Fall is for foraging mushrooms. The cool temperatures have laid most of our natural harvest to rest, but the moist earth continues to support the hidden treasures of the fungi kingdom.
Maybe someday I’ll actually gain confidence in mushroom identification, but as of now, I’m sticking to what I know and purchasing from local shops for as long as the season lets me ;)
If fresh wild mushrooms are difficult to come by, look for dried ones. They’re a great way to add that wild mushroom goodness when all you have is a pack of Costco creminis. That said, this recipe works beautifully even without any dried mushrooms at all. Simply omit that ingredient and you’ll be fine.
I’m addicted to mushrooms and always looking for fun ways to incorporate them into our diets. This paté has become one of my go-to recipes in recent years. Filled with the best umami and healthiest ingredients, it comes together quickly in a food processor and is another crowdpleaser.
Rich, vegan, and gluten-free—who can say no? Plus, the earthy flavor here is perfect for autumn and winter feasts. I’ll be serving this one at our Thanksgiving and Christmas tables!
Ingredients
About 4 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mixed fresh mushrooms, chopped (cremini, maitake, oyster, enoki, chanterelle, trumpet, porcini , cinnamon cap…whatever you can find!)
1/2 ounce dried mixed wild mushrooms (optional)
1 cup water
1/2 cup walnuts (or more if you’d like, because really, I measure nothing)
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped (sage, rosemary, and thyme)
⅓ cup red wine
1-2 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Truffle oil (optional)
Fresh parsley (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 and set water to boil.
Soak dried mushrooms in one cup boiling water for 25 minutes. Once rehydrated, strain, roughly chop, and reserve the liquid for later.
Roast the walnuts on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes. Check often - you’re looking for a nice toasty golden color. (Also, make extras - these warm walnuts fresh from the oven are so satisfying to snack on while you cook!
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a couple minutes.
Add the fresh mushrooms and a pinch or two of salt and cook over medium low heat for another 10 minutes or so. You’re looking for the onion and mushrooms to become slightly caramelized.
Add the herbs, pepper, salt to taste, and cook for another two to three minutes.
Add about ¼ cup reserved soaking liquid and cook for another five minutes.
Stir the walnuts and two more tablespoons olive oil into the mixture. Transfer to a food processor or Vitamix. Add the optional truffle oil and process until the mixture's texture is to your liking—smooth or chunky :) You can add more olive oil or reserved mushroom water if needed.
Serve at room temperature with crackers, flatbread, veggie sticks, or whatever else you feel like. Top with fresh parsley.
The Best Wild Rice Salad
My all-time favorite wild rice salad, filled with seasonal ingredients that honor the Americas and will wow guests at your holiday tables.
Here it is—one of my all-time favorite recipes for the holidays (and anytime, really). This wild rice salad uses seasonal ingredients like winter squash, leeks, and cranberries, but add a surprising twist with fresh basil and rosemary. I found the original recipe for this salad from the talented chef at the HeartBeet Kitchen years ago, and I’ve been making versions of it ever since. Here is my favorite :)
Wild Rice & Winter Squash Salad with Cranberries and Maple Balsamic Vinaigarette
Serves 4 as a main, more as a side.
Ingredients
Dressing:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salad:
2 ½ cups peeled and finely chopped winter squash (butternut, pumpkin, etc)
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
2 bunches very thinly sliced kale (lightly massaged)
1 thinly sliced leek, both white and green parts (or any onion works — add to taste)
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
3 cups cooked wild rice
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, stirring once, until fork tender.
Prepare dressing by pureeing all ingredients with an immersion blender or by vigorously whisking.
In a large bowl, combine kale, leeks, cranberries and basil. Stir in warm rice and squash so that spinach wilts slightly from the heat. Stir dressing into salad; taste and adjust salt level if needed. Serve at room temperature.
Magical Bread Rolls with Pumpkin & Buckwheat
Vegan, gluten-free bread rolls - endlessly customizable and so good for you!
The bread rolls are magical. Really—they are endlessly customizable, filled with fiber and protein, the perfect way to use up veggies, and absolutely delicious. Plus they’re no-rise, gluten-free, vegan, and still have a wonderful texture.
The secret? Psyllium husk. Yup—this fiber-rich plant provides the perfect binder for the buns. Whip in lots of air bubbles while the psyllium-liquid mix is setting, and you’ll end up with fabulous balls of goodness.
Since these are no-rise and the psyllium husk is such a great binder, you have a lot of room to experiment with flours in this recipe. I always use at least some buckwheat flour, as it gives these buns an extra rich flavor, but I go crazy with the full mix—almond, chickpea, rice, coconut, cashew, sorghum, quinoa, cassava, oat, and amaranth have all made the mix at some point.
When selecting flours, I like to go for a good mix of high-fiber (like oat and sorghum) and high-protein (like chickpea and quinoa), with at least one nut (usually almond). But really, you could use a single flour, a gluten-free flour blend, wheat flour if you’re not gluten-free, or a little bit of everything*. These just work!
*I only make adjustments for coconut flour. It’s so absorptive that an extra fourth cup liquid can help.
Beyond the flour, the rest of this recipe is pretty flexible as well. Mix in wild greens (I made these with nettle puree in the spring), add spices (they’re amazing with sundried tomatoes, chopped olives, and red onions), stir in a cup of quick oats or nutritional yeast, or even swap out the squash puree with another veggie or fruit -- shredded zucchini, apple puree, mashed bananas...as long as the end texture is similar, you can get wildly creative with the “magical” buns.
Magical Bread Rolls
Makes about 18 rolls
Ingredients
3 tbsp psyllium seed husks
1 cup lukewarm water or plant milk
1.5 cups pumpkin or winter squash puree
4 tbsp olive oil (divided)
1 tsp sea salt
4 cups mixed flour
Directions
Set the oven to 375°F.
Add psyllium, water/plant milk, and squash puree in a large bowl. Stir to combine and leave for about 15 minutes to thicken. Then beat the psyllium gel vigorously—your hand and a wooden spoon is fine—to get as much air as possible into the gel.
Add salt and 2T oil and whisk for another minute or until all is combined.
Fold in the flour. I find that I need to use my hands and get messy to work the flour into a dough.
Roll the dough into 18 or more equal pieces (or 12 big ones, 24 little guys…whatever!) Dip your hands in warm water to avoid the dough sticking to them.
Brush with the remaining olive oil (optional but tasty) and bake for about 45-60 minutes (depending on the size of the buns and your oven). They are ready when the crust is just turning golden and firm and the inside sounds hollow when you knock on the bread. If they have a soft crust, they need more time.
Important—let these cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing them open—they’ll continue to cook inside, and if you open them too soon they could be a bit mushy.
Enjoy!
Me with my harvest of the giant lunga di napoli squash toddlers.
Slicing open the smallest of the bunch — still got enough to fill 8 gallon-size freezer bags!
Want to grow your own giant squash? I’ll include a few seeds with any purchase from my shop — just send me a note a checkout! (While supplies last, of course.)
Why Healing Isn't Personal: Diet, Control, and Our Collective
Food, control, and health. Why do we focus on diet to the exclusion of so many other causes when it comes to chronic illness?
I find it interesting that when any health challenge appears in someone's life, or in our own, the health-conscious, mindbodyspirit crowd has a tendency to immediately blame food. I’ve certainly been guilty of this myself.
Whether we encounter issues with our immune systems, chronic illness, joint paint, skin disease, depression, weight loss, or even cancer, the response is almost uniformly similar: Change your diet.
Go vegan and plant-based. This wouldn't have happened if you weren't eating junk food. Keto/paleo is life-changing. Processed oils, refined sugar, too many carbs, too much dairy, nightshades, mycotoxins, non-organic produce, meat, unsprouted nuts and grains...the list is endless.
Looking at our diets makes sense. We've been struggling with a conventional medical system that has completely ignored lifestyle and dietary changes while over-medicating us for decades. The food industry has bombarded us with fast foods and artificial ingredients for just as long. Most of us know the FDA is rife with problems and not a reliable source of protection.
But as helpful as dietary changes can be, our collective tendency to look to our diets for the pinacle answer to any health concern is problematic.
Deep down we know this. We know that stress is a massive killer. We know our environment is full of poisons. We know our air quality can be harmful and that we're surrounded with toxins in everything from our mattresses to our office carpets and more. Those of us who haven't been brainwashed by amazingly effective marketing campaigns for five-gee know that it's yet another assault on our health. We know that past trauma can influence our present health and all sorts of preconditioning exists in our DNA. On some level, we even sense the karmic and spiritual components that might be at play with any illness.
Despite all of this, so many people still focus on diet to the exclusion of all other contributing factors to our health. Why?
It comes down to control.
We can control our diets much more easily than any of the other widespread assaults on our health we face. Because every other contributing factor to our chronic illnesses requires change on collective levels.
The collective stress we're under needs collective solutions—our individual lifestyle changes will only go so far. We can try to avoid buying products with known toxins and living too close to cell towers, but this is a drop in the bucket compared to what we're exposed to on large-scale levels.
So we retreat to the comfort of what we can change—our food, feeling superior to those who sadly poison themselves with poor diets.
One danger in this way of thinking is that it can lead us to miss catching serious illnesses sooner. I can't tell you how many people have kept endlessly changing their diets in hopes of easing stomach issues or joint pain, only to realize that they had cancer, parasites, a genetic condition, or something else that required far more intervention than a new diet.
Of course, it should be noted here that dietary changes are actually not easy. Not just because of our emotional attachments to food, but because healthy food is still inaccessible to huge portions of our population.
Thinking that we can stay healthy because we have healthy diets, and healthy lifestyles in general, is a symptom of our individualist, easy-fix American culture.
“We're in charge of our own health. When people suffer, it's their fault.”
This is a myth. Every bit of our health is tied to the health of the collective. We exist in an ecosystem, not a bubble.
So yes. Eat healthy (doing so can actually help the ecosystem, too). Take care of yourself and your loved ones. But also have compassion for others—and yourself—when you're faced with illness, whether a cold or cancer. Even those who "do everything right" are never guaranteed endless health.
And do not ignore our collective struggles. All of us need to keep the conversations around our environmental and shared challenges at the forefront of any discussions on individual health. When enough of us put our shared needs forward often enough, the consciousness of our collective changes. And then the policies and products in our life change. And then we can all enjoy thriving together just a little more. At least that’s the hope.
Pumpkin White Bean Dip
A deliciously festive seasonal appetizer using long-lasting produce and pantry staples. Vegan, gluten free.
Pumpkin White Bean Dip
Last year, when trips to the store were few in between and shelves were bordering on bare, I got really creative with my cooking—using every little thing in our pantry, paired with wild greens and garden produce to avoid any unnecessary trip to the store.
I’ll admit, I do have a very well-stocked pantry. The kitchen is my happy place and enjoying the flavors of the world is one of my favorite ways to take pleasure in this human body.
So, with pumpkin from our garden, white beans from the pantry, and my plethora of spices, this recipe was born. It’s absolutely delicious—celebratory, seasonal spices meet with sweet pumpkin puree and tender white beans to create an autumn dip more than worthy of your Thanksgiving tables.
Ingredients*
*I’m not much for measuring or following recipes, so please adjust these guestimates to taste!
About 2 cups cooked white beans (or a can, rinsed)
2/3 cup pureed pumpkin or another winter squash
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice to taste
2 Tbsp tahini
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 big pinch nutmeg
1 big pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions
Rinse and drain white beans. Add everything to a food processor and purée until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
Serve with veggie sticks and crackers. Top with fresh cilantro for a festive touch.
Adapted from Minimalist Baker’s White Bean Pumpkin Hummus
Rooted: A Seasonal Grounding Practice
Autumn is a season for roots and rooting. We must sink our energetic roots into the earth before winter’s freezes arrive. You’re invited to try the following practice any time you’d like to ground and root into the earth.
Autumn is a season for roots and rooting.
Those of us who forage and wildcraft know that this is the time to harvest our wild roots—dandelion, chicory, salsify, osha (if you're lucky and it’s sustainable where you are), solomon’s seal, and so many more earthy medicines await. The gardeners among us might celebrate the carrots, daikon, sunchokes, beets, and other root veggies that will continue to nourish us through the winter months.
This is also a time of year for us to turn to our ancestral roots, as we celebrate Halloween, Samhain, and Dia de los Muertos with the thin veils of the season. For some, this rooting comes in the form of ancestral altars that are alight with photographs, candles, and offerings. For some, it’s as simple as tuning into ancestral rhythms -- preparing seasonal soups and herbal medicines to carry us through the cooling weather.
I find that this time of year lays the perfect ground for rooting into the Earth, as well—grounding ourselves, energetically as well as physically, to carry us through the holiday festivities to come. We tune into our root chakra and the land we live upon, sending energetic roots into the Earth while the ground is still welcoming and soft, before winter’s freezes come.
You’re invited to try the following practice any time you’d like to ground and root into the earth.
Root Chakra Grounding Practice
Find a comfortable seat. Take a few deep breaths and make any movements to get just a bit more comfortable.
Bring awareness to your root chakra. Feel the energy begin to grow. You might even see the color red become brighter as you energize this chakra with your attention.
Feel a cord of light begin to extend down from your root into the earth. You may see this as a glowing cord or the roots of a tree..
Feel this energetic cord extend downward until it meets the energetic core of the earth.
Feel your rooting cord sink into the core of the earth and begin to breathe this earth energy back up through the cord into your body.
Continue to breathe and feel the beautiful energy from the Earth’s core rise to meet your energy field and root chakra. Notice how this energy feels grounding, nurturing, and abundant.
Enjoy this feeling for several breaths, knowing you can return to this practice anytime you need grounding.
If you’d like more grounding support this season, check out my Rooted Magical Bitters, which are newly available in the apothecary. These bitters taste like a bitter, spicy root beer and contain herbs and flower essences to help you stay grounded throughout the winter.
Did you enjoy this practice? Please share on your favorite social accounts :)
Celebrating Samhain: Modern Rituals and Festivities for Connection and Protection
Twelve ways to celebrate Samhain and Halloween with modern rituals, crafts, and recipes. Plus protect yourself and learn to communicate with the spirit world.
Blessed Samhain and Happy Halloween! Samhain (pronounced sowen) marks the end of autumn harvests and the beginning of our descent into the dark quiet of winter. It’s a time when the veils are thin and our ancestors beckon (it’s no coincidence that Dia de los Muertos is right around the corner!).
Samhain also marks the arrival of the new year in the Celtic calendar. Originally celebrated midway between the autumn equinox (Mabon) and winter solstice (Yule), we now celebrate Samhain in conjunction with Halloween.
Among my witchy and non-witchy friends alike, Samhain is an eternal favorite on the holiday scale. From the epic indulgence of a good Halloween party to the subtle thrill of thinning veils, this is a time of year for celebration, connection . . . and protection.
Here are a few ideas for your own connection, protection, and celebration this Samhain…
Connect
Samhain is a wonderful time to connect with those who are not in physical bodies—this includes both our ancestors and those in the non-human realms (the fae, the elven folk, and other spirits). I also find that the combination of thin veils and the Celtic New Year make this a wonderful time for significant card readings.
Honor Your Ancestors
With the veils thin, our benevolent ancestors are often more accessible. There are myriad ways to honor and connect with them, so these are just a few ideas:
Create an altar to honor your ancestors
Take a shamanic journey to meet a benevolent ancestor that would like to teach you about your lineage and family gifts
Perform ancestral healing work on behalf of your family, in whatever traditions you feel comfortable with
Learn more about your own ancestors' traditions and see if you can incorporate some of their dress, food, and ritual into your celebrations
Create a piece of art, poem, song, or write a letter to honor a deceased loved one
Have a ceremony to honor those who have come before
Celebrate a positive ancestral mythology—who among your ancestors do you admire, and why?
Connect with the Spirit World
Many people have an easier time connecting with the spirit world at this time of year, as the density that often stands between us melts away. What is your favorite way to connect with spirit? Try some of your regular practices, and see what happens! Here are few more ideas:
Leave offerings for the fae, your house elf, or other local beings—they tend to appreciate special foods and treats.
Do a guided meditation to connect with your spirit guides (I’ve created one to help you meet a spirit animal ally here!).
Journey to meet with a benevolent representative of the fae in your area. Most neighborhoods have a fae council, though few of us are aware of them. See if a representative would be willing to meet with you during a shamanic journey and ask how you might build a good relationship with them.
If you already have a practice in these arts, this is a good time of year to perform psychopomp or host a Wild Hunt (in other words, help lost and suffering beings cross into the light).
Do a New Years Reading
Grab your favorite deck of Tarot or oracle cards, a set of Runes, or perhaps the I Ching, and see what’s in store for your Celtic year. The Tree of Life and Wheel of the Year are great card spreads to do at this time. Or make up your own!
Protect
Thinning veils aren’t all fun and games…keep yourself, your loved ones, and your space safe this season! While spiritual protection is a big topic—one I have a whole class on—there are a few things you can do to maintain your spiritual sovereignty right now.
White Light
So common it’s almost cliche, White Light works. And it’s the easiest, most accessible thing you can use for protection. How? Simply visualize whatever you want to protect surrounded by white light. Feel the protection in your body and energy field, and affirm that it is so.
Perimeter Protection
This is a practice that I’ve been doing for decades to protect my home and all inside it. Every night before I sleep, I walk my consciousness around the perimeter of our property. I go slowly, visualizing a powerful boundary of white light glowing all along the border. I then ask angels and spirits of the land to help me maintain the light-filled protection around my home.
That’s it! Simple, but I swear it must work. When I lived in Denver, my neighborhood was plagued with porch pirates (our next door neighbors had multiple packages, bicycles, and a car stolen while I lived there!). Not only did we never have a package stolen, a psychic friend commented on the protection around my home during a reading, without any knowledge of the work I’d done.
To go the extra mile here, you can infuse stones or crystals with your intentions and place one in each corner of your property. Just check back and recharge them often.
Botanical Allies
Plants have long been used for space clearing and protection—especially through their smoke. Burning incense, resins, and dried bundles purifies the air and the energies in your home. When you combine your intentions for clearing and protection with the natural gifts of the plants, you’ll enjoy a powerful experience.
I offer sustainable and potent smoke bundles for clearing and protection in the apothecary. I make these bundles by hand and include a wide variety of plant allies—sages, mugwort, herbs, and high altitude flowers all contribute their unique medicines. These bundles make a nice alternative to the white sage bundles that are so popular today—white sage is vastly over-harvested, and there are local plants everywhere that are just as powerful for cleansing negative entities from your home.
Discernment
The most useful tool in your kit this season is that of discernment. I’ve often seen people get so excited or thrilled by being able to contact the other worlds, that they take any spirit’s word as gospel, assuming that the spirit knows more because of their view from the other side.
Here’s the thing: Not all spirits have your back. Some are tricksters, some are confused, and some are downright mean. If you’re going to intentionally engage with the spirit world on a regular basis, it’s worth developing skills to protect yourself and discern who you’re dealing with. (I have a really fun workshop on this coming soon!)
For now, as you engage with your connection practices this Samhain, just remember to fill and surround yourself with white light. Affirm that you will only allow benevolent spirits into your space and awareness, and keep the perimeter protected. If something doesn’t feel right, call on your angels to help clear it.
With this protection in place, it’s time to celebrate!
Celebrate!
This time of year asks us to shed the guise of normalcy and embrace our dark sides in the funnest, most gluttonous ways possible. Watch that scary movie, dress as your alter ego, and delight your senses with delectable goodies!
Dress up
Back in the day, the Celts would don costumes and wear masks to blend in with the spirits around them. Today, dressing up lets us freely play with self-expression in ways we rarely see throughout the rest of the year.
One of my favorite costumes was my dark forest nymph outfit, an ode to my longstanding relationship with the great goddess Diana. I made an antler head band embellished with bones and roses and decorated a black corset with more dark imagery.
Make some spooky treats
There are a million fun ways to make Halloween-themed treats. This year, I’m playing with black tahini. Yup—black. Made with black sesame seeds, it tastes almost like regular tahini but a little richer and definitely unroasted. But be forewarned--eating this will make your mouth black! (wipe the corners often…)
Wondering what to do with black tahini?
Bake some vegan black tahini cookies or swap regular tahini for black in these healthy honey cookies
Goth Hummus (the author uses black beans, but you can actually find black chickpeas here!)
Make a spooky orange and black hummus duo with my favorite pumpkin hummus
All the Halloween TV
I’ll admit it—I’m a sucker for a night in with spiced wine and Halloween movies on repeat. And my favorites? Really old Disney movies…silly, but yes. Escape to Witch Mountain, Donald Duck’s Trick-or-Treat, and The Watcher in the Woods to name a few.
Also, I haven’t missed a Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror since Bart and I were the same age…gulp!
Craft party
Bejewel that shit.
A group of girlfriends, a couple bottles of wine or giant pot of mulled cider, and a massive amount of craft supplies. This is one of my favorite ways to celebrate any holiday.
Pre-covid days, I hosted a sugar skull painting party in honor of the Dia de los Muertos aspect of this season. Everyone made amazing skulls…and I got carried away with gold and sparkes. As usual.
Carve a Jack O’Lantern
Years ago, I used to teach in English in Japan, and one of my favorite parts was putting together English history lessons of well-known American holidays. (I think I managed to stretch our Halloween lesson over 3 days, ha!) One fun tidbit—the Irish didn’t have pumpkins, so they carved turnips, adding a candle to ward off trickster spirits.
I love keeping this tradition alive. Carve a pumpkin, or even a turnip! I save and roast the seeds, and let the squirrels and deer devour the rest in the days after Halloween (a gruesome sight indeed…poor disappearing pumpkin faces!).
Are You Scared of an Animal? Here's What Spirit Has to Say...
What does it mean if you're scared of, or don't like, your power animal? Is there a hidden meaning when you have a fear of a particular animal in general? Here’s how to look at animal phobias from a spiritual perspective.
What does it mean if you're scared of, or don't like, your power animal? Is there a hidden meaning when you have a fear of a particular animal in general?
In every intro to shamanism class I've taught, at least one student has received a power animal that made them uncomfortable. And I view this as an excellent opportunity...
Our power animals offer us just what the name suggests—POWER. True spiritual power that helps us decondition from false constructs and remember that we have far more ability to steer the direction of our lives than we may realizing.
When you connect with your spiritual power, your soul takes the lead and you enter unknown territory. And you know what doesn't like this? What wants to keep you small and safe and in the realm of the known? Your ego.
And what better way to keep you separate from your power than to make you afraid of it?
I remember years ago, at least a decade now, I dreamed that I was eaten by a crocodile. This dream was so insanely impactful that I developed a fear of crocodiles and alligators that lasted for years. On one level, I loved and appreciated them as part of the animal kingdom, but on a more subtle, embodied level, I felt fear whenever I saw them.
And I even saw one in the wild—only six feet from me! While kayaking in Queensland, I pulled up onto a beach and looked over only to see a baby crocodile calmly watching me.
This was both scary and exhilarating. And something shifted.
I now realize, through years of shamanic experience and study, that the crocodile that appeared in my dream so long ago was initiating me into its medicine through a dismemberment—one of the most traditional and time-honored forms of initiation.
When I understood crocodile’s true relationship with me, I began to work more intentionally with crocodile as a spirit guide. And wow. Talk about a powerhouse ally! So much power had been cut off from me when I resisted its medicine.
Now whenever I see a crocodile, my heart swells with love. All I see is beauty and all I feel is gratitude. The shift in my response has been a full-bodied transformation.
If you receive a power animal that you're scared of, take time to learn about its gifts and lifestyle. The more we know and understand our animals, the more we can appreciate and eventually learn to love them.
And, if you have an unexplained phobia or dislike of a particular animal, perhaps this is a signpost—where might you be afraid or resistant to your own gifts and power?
For help exploring these important questions, take a look at the Spirit Animal Workshop. It will guide you step-by-step through everything you need to know about claiming your power through your power animal relationships.
Wildcrafting with Fireweed
Every late July and through August, the mountain meadows are dotted with neon pink blossoms. It's fireweed season ❤️ Both medicinal and edible, fireweed is one of the first plants to come back after wildfires. I've heard that the young shoots can be eaten like asparagus, though I've never tried. I do decorate summer salads with the blossoms, though…
Every late July and through August, the mountain meadows are dotted with neon pink blossoms. It's fireweed season.
Both medicinal and edible, fireweed is one of the first plants to come back after wildfires. I've heard that the young shoots can be eaten like asparagus, though I've never tried. I do decorate summer salads with the blossoms, however.
Fireweed is also an excellent tonic for the digestive system and has massive amounts of Vitamin C. When the blossoms are peaking, I like to either tincture or make a vinegar infusion with all the aerial parts to create a natural dose of Vitamin C throughout the year.
Fireweed also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which make it wonderful to infuse in oils for healing salves (I made a limited amount of fireweed oil to use in my newest batch of healing salves this year—be sure to grab them while they’re in stock!)
One of my personal favorite ways to work with fireweed is with fireweed flower essence. The flower essence is one of my favorites for encouraging resilience, energy, and passion.
Fireweed is also a fairly common smoking herb, often used in herbal blends. Personally, I enjoy adding it to my wild smoke bundles for joyful wishes, to help carry our enthusiasm for all we wish to create up to spirit.
Fireweed grows abundantly almost all over North America, so it’s a great flower for foraging. Go out and see if you can find some!
Bear Medicine
Meeting my first bear in the wild, understanding spirit animals, and knowing that we are not alone
We are not alone...
I saw this marking just two days before a huge brown bear sauntered right by me, maybe 20 feet away.
My eyes must have looked like a cartoon character's—I've waited my entire life to see a bear in the wild and I couldn't believe it had finally happened. For better or worse, pure ecstatic joy overrode any fear.
If you look up Bear as a spirit animal online, you'll find everything from bear signifying a cycle of hibernation coming, being courageous, motherhood, appreciating the sweetness in life, protection, and so much more.
When I encountered Bear, I knew the appearance was significant. I knew Bear was coming as a messenger from spirit—but I also knew that online animal references could not tell me the personal meaning of my experience. I believe that we must cultivate the ability to work with spirit without a middleman, the ability to find our own answers.
I felt that this bear's appearance was less about Bear medicine specifically, and more about me opening up to a new era of power.
I've just been through—well, I'm still in it really—an extremely challenging period of major transformation and initiation. Everything, in every part of life, has felt stuck, blocked , grief-ridden, unnecessarily difficult, and bizarrely bad for so long, despite my best efforts. But I've been making my way through, trusting in spirit and doing the work, and have finally felt a shift and a bit of levity enter back into my life.
The day before I saw this bear, I commented to my partner that a bear was the one animal I hadn't yet seen in these mountains that I wished I would someday, even though seeing one in the wild might feel a bit scary.
The timing of all of this feels like a pure gift from spirit, a sign of encouragement and confirmation that I am in touch with spirit and on my path. A confirmation that indeed, I have reached a turning point.
As I enter this new era, I feel Bear blessing me with power, protection, maturity, sweetness, rest, and so much more.
Many of these qualities of course overlap with what you might read online, and yet the major lesson and confirmation from my bear sighting had to come from my personal reflections about this encounter, my own intuitive perceptions.
Have you ever encountered an animal and wondered if it carried a message of some sort?
Animal sightings are one of the most common ways spirit communicates with us, and learning how to understand the omens and messages coming to you is an absolutely invaluable skill. If you’d like to learn more about how to interpret the animal messengers in your own life, be sure to take a look at The Spirit Animal Workshop.
This self-paced mini-class will teach you how to differentiate between animal messengers and power animals, and how to understand what animals mean without having to look them up in a book or online glossary. If you have any interest in spirit animals at all, then this is for you!
Great Northern Bedstraw: A Beloved and Underrated Wild Plant
One of my favorite fragrances as I hike through the mountains is that of Great Northern Bedstraw. It smells of honey and fresh hay, and was often used as bedding because of of it's sweet scent.
One of my favorite fragrances as I hike through the mountains is that of Great Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale). It smells of honey and fresh hay, and was often used as bedding because of of it's sweet scent. Some native tribes would even add it to perfumes.
Though it's not commonly used in modern day herbalism, northern bedstraw has a few important internal uses. It was traditionally made into a tea for intestinal issues and internal bleeding. It's also very mineral rich, so I like to infuse it into wild greens vinegar so I can have a wild nutrient boost throughout the year.
But before you consume―some literature suggests that great northern bedstraw was taken by indigenous people to prevent pregnancy. Though I haven't found much evidence on this, if you're trying to conceive, it's probably best to be safer than sorry!
Externally, great northern bedstraw can be used to soothe a variety of skin conditions—rashes, burns, cuts, eczema, and more. And, its roots make a beautiful red dye!
Energetically, great northern bedstraw helps bring about sweet dreams and deep rest. It can help cultivate feelings of love between partners, as well, and I recommend misting your bed with the flower essence before sleeping…or participating in other bedroom activities ;)
Carefully separating the delicate flowers of great northern bedstraw for perfuming tinctures.
During my most recent foraging adventures, great northern bedstraw gifted me with much medicine to share.
First, I carefully removed the delicate white blossoms from the green stems to make a tincture in organic alcohol. The scent is of fresh hay and delicate florals, a beautiful sweet green note that I can’t wait to share through new perfumes. Combining my own wildcrafted aromas with rare oils from around the world allows to me to create fragrances that you just can’t find anywhere else. They are beautiful and love making them and wearing them.
I also infused the entire areal plant into organic sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is a long-lasting carrier oil with a lovely texture, and infusing it with bedstraw gives the oil the same lovely scent as the tincture―with benefits! The potent nutrients fill this oil with healing benefits for your skin, joints, and muscles, so I’ve included it in this year’s healing salves.
You can also find this year’s harvest of great northern bedstraw in the psychic dreams smoke bundles, as well as in a flower essence.
Have you ever worked with this lovely plant? Send me note and let me know. :)
Ethical Wildcrafting and Making Mountain Medicine
Every summer, I head to the mountains at about 10,000ft for my annual botanical medicine making retreat. I hike for hours each day, communing with the plants and making wild medicines. This medicine making trip is by far my favorite time of the year, in my favorite place in the world.
Every summer, I head to the mountains at about 10,000ft for my annual botanical medicine making retreat. I hike for hours each day, communing with the plants and making wild medicines. This medicine making trip is by far my favorite time of the year, in my favorite place in the world.
I've been cultivating my relationship with the plants and nature spirits at this sacred spot for nearly a decade now. My understanding of the unique gifts each plant offers, my ability to discern what is actually being offered and what wishes to remain untouched, has grown deep with time and intention.
There’s something about being at such a high elevation when I collect and commune with these plants. I know it’s silly, as spirit is within and around us always, but I do feel just a bit closer, as if the veils thin with the atmosphere. Plus, the resilience in these high-altitude plants is astounding―to survive the alpine winds and winters and then the scorching summer sun...they have so much to teach us.
As I've nurtured my relationship with the plant spirits over the years, I've refined the “mountain medicines” I'm able to share, as I call them. This year, I'll be adding new flower essences, teas, smoke bundles, elixirs, healing salves, and maybe a few tinctures to the apothecary, all full of wild botanicals.
All geared up and on the trail for some legit mountain foraging!
In order to gather the plants I work with, I hike for miles and miles everyday. This is in part because the plants I work with are spread throughout various micro-climates. But it’s also to support sustainability: When I make my smoke bundles, I clip only one or two sprigs from each Great Western Sagebrush. When I gather my resins, I take only what falls from a tree easily, so as not to hurt its defenses. Gathering this way might be a slow, laborious process, but it’s an enjoyable one. And the sustainability of the forest always comes first.
As interest in wildcrafting and foraging grows, attention to the sustainability of our wild places becomes ever more important. During my most recent stay in the mountains, I encountered another woman gathering rose petals. I must have come at the end of her harvest, because when I arrived almost no roses were left at all.
Part of me wants to give her the benefit of the doubt―it was the end of a bumper rose season and many hips had formed already, so perhaps there weren't many blossoms left to begin with.
Still…I have an especially protective instinct when it comes to wild roses. When I harvest rose petals, I do so very judiciously. The bees and pollinators need the flowers more than I do, so I want to make sure they have plenty to enjoy during the rose's short season. Plus, roses also turn into rose hips―one of the most important food sources for many animals during the winter months.
This is why when I harvest rose petals, I ask myself, "Could 10 people come to this same spot and harvest the same amount without making a visible dent in the blossoms?" The answer must be yes.
These sacred offerings are true gifts from the spirits of nature and provide us with a deeply wild healing—a healing so many of us could use these days. In a world where we’ve become overly domesticated, it’s critical that we remember to rewild a bit. When we touch into our innate wild natures, we tap into a well of resilience, sovereignty, and inner knowing.
Preparing a basket of mountain medicine ❤️
Whether or not you have the desire or the ability to escape into the natural world, I hope the wild offerings in my apothecary will bring the healing wisdom of nature to you. Each carries the energetic imprint of the wilderness, an imprint which is passed onto you when you use the products. Plus, wild plants are especially potent healers on the physical level. I really can’t say enough about how much these products have changed my own life.
As for those roses…
I have a longstanding love of rose medicine, which you can read about here. But what did I make with the petals I carefully gathered?
Wild rose elixirs! They are my favorites. Sweet and floral, these elixirs open and protect our hearts. To make the elixirs, I use wild rose honey with organic wild rose-infused grape vodka and wild rose flower essence. If you happen to grab one before they sell out, take one dropper full three times a day to bring more love and sweetness into your body and energy field. (Rose elixir is also delicious added to sparkling water!)
A strawberry cupcake? Nope! Wild rose-infused honey in the making :)
And, if this looks like way too many petals for such a small jar of honey…it is! I hike with only a small jar, cover the petals to preserve them, and transfer this to bigger batch of honey when I return home. But it is quite the image :)
The Magic and Medicine of Elephant's Head Flower
Elephant's Head, or Pedicularis groenlandica, is one of my favorite mountain friends. I adore the magical little purple flowers and the "elephant trunks" they display. The beauty of this plant alone is enough to celebrate—but it also has awesome healing powers…
Elephant's Head, or Pedicularis groenlandica, is one of my favorite mountain friends. I adore the magical little purple flowers and the "elephant trunks" they display. While the beauty of this plant alone is enough to celebrate, its healing gifts bring even more blessings.
The tiny flowers look like elephant trucks!
The Many Benefits of Elephant’s Head Flower
Native to the alpine regions of North America, the Elephants Head flower has a long-standing history of medicinal use. You can tincture the entire areal plant, infuse it in oil for healing salves, or make a tea with just the flowers — a rare delight when I'm on my annual mountain medicine making personal retreat.
I love elephant’s head because it's so beautifully relaxing for mind, body, and spirit. Its calming and sedative properties have been utilized to alleviate anxiety, nervous tension, and promote restful sleep; while its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties make it a valuable ally for releasing tension from the body and managing pain naturally. (It’s a key ingredient in my Tension Tonic tincture, which I created using organic grape alcohol and only wild mountain plants and those grown in my own organic gardens, all gathered by hand with reverence. There are a few bottles left at the time of this writing.)
One of my favorite uses for elephant's head is for smoke, and many people add this plant to smoking blends, as did Native tribes. I prefer to add it to my Dreamtime smoke bundles — burned before bed, they clear stagnant energy and welcome a peaceful night’s sleep. It's even said that elephant's head has almost hallucinogenic properties and can enhance lucid dreaming (I’ve added some to my magical Blue Moon Lucid Dreams tea if you want to try any!).
Elephant's head has so many uses that I'd love to harvest heaps of it. But I don't, and neither should you if you come across any. While it's not a threatened or endangered plant, it's not overly abundant either. And, elephant's head can draw poisonous components from other nearby plants into its roots, so you really want to know what you're doing in the plant world if you plan on using it internally.
I gather my elephant's head from a particular patch in a secret location, a place I've been visiting for years. I took the time to develop a strong relationship with elephant's head before ever asking it to share its medicine with me. Now, as I go back each year, I'm able to see that more elephant's head is growing than the year before, letting me know that my collections are sustainable.
Which brings us to the most sustainable and magical way to work with elephant’s head — the flower essence. I created a batch of essences on site in an elephant’s head grove, at over 10,000ft in the Rocky Mountains. This essence carries vibrational attunements to enhance clairvoyant gifts, astral travel, and intuition.
Have you ever worked with magic and medicine of elephant’s head flower? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.
A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance
Understand major causes of illness from a shamanic perspective. What does shamanism say about illness, health, and healing? How is illness diagnosed, and what techniques are used? Discover the five main types of illness.
Being human means we suffer (yes, I took that little gem from the Buddhists). Our bodies are susceptible to injury and illness, and our minds struggle with emotional difficulties, addiction, and more.
You probably have a pretty good idea of what’s behind your challenges—from viruses and bacteria, to brain chemistry and the microbiome, to emotional trauma and straight up injury.
While these factors are important to understand and work with, from a shamanic perspective they paint an incomplete picture.
Shamanism holds that everything originates in the unseen world before it manifests physically—and that includes illness and disease. By tending to the spiritual and energetic roots of illness in addition to whatever physical, mental, and emotional support is needed, we can heal more fully.
Causes of Illness from a Shamanic Perspective
On a basic level, shamanism views illness as an energetic imbalance of some sort—either something is there that shouldn’t be, or something should be there that isn’t.
That said, there are a few areas of imbalance that are helpful to understand:
1. Power Loss
In shamanic terminology, the idea of “power” could be likened to life force, vitality, or chi. The late shamanic teacher and physicist Claude Poncelet also defined it as “the ability to transform energy,” which makes sense—when you are fully empowered, you are more capable of creating the changes you want to see.
There are many reasons we lose our power—it seems to be part of the human condition. A few things that appear to be connected to power loss are: having our boundaries violated, sacrificing our own integrity to get certain needs met, internalizing limiting beliefs about ourselves, and anything that disconnects us from our true divine nature. In some traditions, there’s even the act of stealing power.
How do you know if you have power loss? This often shows up as a lack of vitality or zest for life. If you seem unable to make positive changes or take action on your dreams, power loss could be at play. Other common symptoms of power loss include chronic illness, depression, fatigue, low self-esteem, poor boundaries, suicidal feelings, or ongoing misfortunes.
2. Soul Loss
This might sound scary, but it’s actually very common from a shamanic perspective. Soul loss is when a part of your soul’s essence leaves, usually due to some sort of emotional or physical trauma. This can be from a sudden shock, such as a car accident, or an ongoing difficulty, such as an unhealthy relationship.
When part of your soul essence leaves, it does so to protect itself—soul loss is a survival mechanism. And not to worry, your soul essence is never fully gone and is usually comfortably waiting in the unseen world for an opportunity to return.
How do you know if you have soul loss? If you’ve ever experienced an injury or trauma and never quite felt the same again—even after your physical symptoms healed—there could be soul loss. Other symptoms include addiction, PTSD, depression, a weakened immune system, dissociation, grief, or, in extreme cases, coma.
3. Entanglement
Entanglement is often the result of power or soul loss. It occurs when we take on energy that isn't our own—this may come in the form of intrusions, attachments, cords, or even possessions. I’ll go into more detail about what all these terms mean in future posts. For now, just know that this is all totally natural, even common, and very fixable with shamanic healing.
Symptoms of entanglement vary widely. You might have localized pain with an intrusion or enmeshed relationships that are sustained with energetic cords between you and another person.
Now, I know “possession” sounds intimidating, and it kind of is. Yet, in my own healing journey, working with possessions has been one of the most powerful practices I’ve experienced. Basically, some sort of spirit becomes enmeshed in your field with varying degrees of influence on your personality and life. It is an amazingly healing process to decouple from this outside influence and reclaim your sovereignty through shamanic healing.
4. Lineage Patterns
Much of what we experience has actually been passed down through our lineages. This is a complicated subject, but in short, I work with three main types of lineage healing:
Blood lines—this is the lineage held in your DNA, your genetic makeup
Milk lines—similar to blood lineages, milk lines incorporate other influential relationships, such as adoptive or step parents and important caretakers
Light lines—this is your own spiritual lineage, comprised of the many lives you've lived and all the vows, beliefs, influences, and experiences you carry from them
Shamanic work can help you uncover not only unhealthy patterns and curses, but also the hidden gifts within your lineages. It can also help you heal ancestral trauma in ways that serve generations to come.
5. Disconnection from the Natural World
For most of human history, our daily survival depended upon being in right relationship with the natural world. We recognized the spirit in birds and trees and rocks and rivers—in Mother Earth herself. We honored the sun, stars, and moon.
This need for intimacy with the natural world runs deep in our blood, yet we’ve largely forgotten how to nurture this relationship. As a result, we’re collectively becoming more and more out of balance with our environment.
The effects of this on our planet are clear—I won’t go into a laundry list of environmental destruction here. But what does this mean for us? What soul-level illness might be occurring because we’re missing out on some of the most important relationships in our lives?
Shamanism doesn’t ask that we all go live off the grid (and I’m in no hurry to give up my Netflix subscription!). But it does recognize that healing our relationship with nature is essential to the survival of our species and the planet. As above, so below; as within, so without.
Final Thoughts
So, are you worried you might have soul loss and intrusions and—gulp—even a possession?
I can't emphasize enough how common and normal all of this is. Shamanic healing has been around for thousands of years, and as my own teachers say, it wouldn’t have lasted this long if it didn’t work. The reason we’re discussing these causes of illnesses is so that we can tend to them and heal.
Also, please note that this information is not intended to define or diagnose anything you're experiencing. Your “symptoms” could be related to something that would completely surprise your human mind. And in truth, these areas overlap quite a bit (since when has the spirit world been a fan of categories anyway?).
Ready to experience shamanic healing for yourself? Learn more about my one-on-one offerings.
