evolving sanctuary/roughly 7 a.m. yesterday. Everything is growing quite quickly.
I love this young poplar tree - encouraged and sworn protection by me upon arrival following closing - despite its inappropriate location from a homeowner's point of view. I have lifelong associations with the poplar medicine spirit but this past decade is the first time I've lived with one.
am grateful the landscape remains vibrant and lush. We've been short on rain of late but today's changing that in a deeply appreciated way. On any given day since my last post I've been 'slow' gardening and micro-harvesting healing & restorative herbs. Day to day my activity level (and general internalized reaction/response narrative) unfolds in slow increments. Between one thing and another I'm glad it's happening at all. Extremely grateful as well. To have such a strong and actively healing counter-balance to so much else that's beyond difficult to parse let alone consistently integrate.
(usually the smiling elemental has a far more public location. think the switch up is its own meditation on fostering quiet and purely personal forms of sustainable joy and happiness.)
for daily restoration and psychic nourishment I've been infusing fresh picked red clover and tulsi with one of the remaining dried anise hyssop flowers from last year's harvest. Still being at least two thirds wordless given the way our demented destiny continues to unravel - I cannot adequately describe how much this specific combination is helping me stay both focused and ever so gently de-toxified. The combined phytochemistry is glorious: Red clover cleanses the blood which in turn nourishes the liver. All of which brightens the skin and lowers inflammation. Tulsi soothes and sharpens the mind in equal measure. Plus it's a solidly effective - yet very gentle - digestive tonic. Tulsi's phytochemistry lends strong support for elevating the tone and scope of individual consciousness. Anise hyssop comforts the central nervous system and very gently restores it to balance. Also helps with anxiety and re-settling into gentle rest after waking from a nightmare.
the beautiful volunteer foxglove is a goddess of immense presence and beauty.
(morning inspection tours remain a highlight for all involved.)
was both charmed and delighted to spy a flower head developing on the most prominent part of the sequestered echinacea. I love that something's happening here that I can't begin to understand but do comprehend it's deeply known between these two species.
Peering into the co-creative matrix I see the two fully supporting each other's life flow.
(and sometimes I feel a strong connection between the foxglove's energetic imprint and my grandmother Pearl)
a newly developing full-sun area. love how it includes plant stock from my former garden (red bee balm, one of two remaining A. archangelica descendants), volunteers from the original plantings (lamb's ears and blue centaurea). I've also planted joe pye weed, blue vervain and a very showy violet flowered centaurea. One of the three thymes. Plus a datura I meant to plant close to our bedroom window. But horrid flying insects heretofore unknown to me made it clear my intended effect would come to disappointment.
Added neem oil to our health food store order this week in case the succubi return. and because there are bound to be other insect battalions in need of discouragement as summer arrives.