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The Artwork of Ragen Mendenhall

The Artwork of Ragen Mendenhall

Ragen Mendenhall creates beautiful and ethereal visionary artworks

Her soulful paintings reflect vibrant interpretations of the human experience. Often they feature beautiful women merging with nature, animals and elaborate decoration, incorporating elements of the Art Nouveau style as well as traditional realism.

Surrealistic and dreamlike, The primary focus within Ragen's artwork emphasizes dynamic human emotion and celebrates the connection of soul to body, alluding to the presence of an unseen spirit beyond the shell of the physical world.

Visit her website to learn more and view more of her works: http://www.ragensart.com/

Featured Website ~ Happy Within

Happy Within

experience a joyful, soulful pregnancy and birth

Hello,

my name is Nora Amala Bugdoll. Call me Nora, thats easier.

I love to help you experiencing a really joyful, fullfilling, uplifting, soulful pregnancy and birth. I normally do this work online and live in Germany – but I decided that I would love to share this to anyone who feels called.

Consciously experiencing your pregnancy brings you so much benefits:

• you can easily bond to your baby in pregnancy and enjoy this deep love and real  relationship
• you help your baby growing and being happy – and laying the basis of trust and love for its live
• you can react to stressful or fearful situations more easily and with more freedom
• you will experience personal growth
• you will probably love your pregnancy and birth as you do consciously and lovingly your best – it will nourish your soul

I am offering coachings via skype or google chat, courses and meditations and tons of love and ideas.

Visit the website at: http://happywithin.wordpress.com/

Old Witches and Crones—not derogatory terms after all

Old Witches and Crones—not derogatory terms after all

Valerie Hadden

 Boston Pagan Examiner

Why are “witches” often depicted as old and ugly, with large noses and chins, and warts on their noses? And what about the word “crone”? Is it always derogatory? The answers are tied in with paganism, Witchcraft, and the veneration of age, femininity, and wisdom.

Jenny, a pagan living in Massachusetts, writes, “Over the years I heard the old decrepit witch with a wart explained to me as the village wise woman. She is now old, has seen the years go by, has helped people with herbs, healed the sick, delivered babies, etc. As we age our nose and ears grow bigger, more wrinkles, etc. I thought it was a nice way to think of her.”....

Read the rest of Valerie's article here: http://www.examiner.com/pagan-in-boston/old-witches-and-crones-not-derogatory-terms-after-all

How to Use the Seven Rivers of Healing

How to Use the Seven Rivers of Healing
Excerpt from Seven Rivers of Healing
© 2008 Susun S Weed

Art by Josephine Wall

 

To insure the greatest benefit and the least harm from our pursuit of a healing, we begin in the First River and move on deeper and deeper into the Rivers (from the First to the Second, and so on) until we achieve our envisioned state of well being or transformation. We gauge when to move on to the next step by setting time frames. When we investigate the options (River Two), reasonable time frames for working with our individual problem are part of the information we gather.

Setting time frames helps us feel in control of our transformation/healing (even when we've agreed to be out of control). We are neither condemned to hold out until the time frame is up nor forced to go on to the next River when the time frame has expired. We can abandon the time frame and move more quickly to the next River or Rivers; we can renew it or lengthen it for a set amount of time.

Having a time frame literally gives us a frame for our healing, a way to know when to be patient and when to move on, a way to avoid denial while giving ourselves every opportunity to heal with the least invasive methods.

You may move from River to River, prompted by your time frames or inner urgings. One by one, each River, each water, can be tested to see if it is the elixir you seek. When you are done exploring energetic connections in the Third River, for instance, you move on to the Fourth River.

Or you may add on one River at a time. You continue to embrace emptiness, continue to investigate options, and continue to explore energetic connections even as you move into the Fourth River.

Or you may jump into the ocean and use all of the Rivers of Healing at once. This oceanic or global approach to the Seven Rivers is especially helpful in emergencies when time frames for the first four Rivers may be measured in minutes, and it may be absolutely imperative to quickly make use of the last two Rivers (drugs and surgery).

 

Not All Rivers Are Equal

The Seven Rivers of Healing may be broken into two groups: the first four and the last three. The first four steps build health. They are subtle and may be slow in action. The last three make big, quick changes to health, but may erode it as well as improve it. Because they are powerful and rapid in their effects, the last three Rivers of Healing are used more often than the first four, and given more respect.

When we take the time to use the first four Rivers of Healing, instead of rushing immediately into the use of drugs and surgery (the last two Rivers), we reap many benefits. The First River of Healing--Embrace Emptiness--prepares us for our healing journey, allowing us to move into the Second River from a place of calm, instead of fear. Meditation and relaxation practices are well known for increasing general health and improving the outcome of surgery.

The Second River of Healing--Investigate Options--provides us with a map and the navigational tools we need to safely move into deeper waters of healing. And it helps us focus on ourselves with a keen and discerning eye, making us more likely to notice deviations while they are easy to correct.

The Third River of Healing--Explore Energetic Connections--reminds us that we are all part of everything, and that everything has an effect on us. Regular use of prayer, affirmation, visualization, creative imagination, and group support are recognized as profoundly important allies to all other modes of healing.

The Fourth River of Healing--Strengthen and Increase Health--grounds us in our day-to-day needs for optimum nutrition and vigorous mental and physical activities and gives us the stamina and flexibility to make the best use of the faster, deeper Rivers.

In short, the first four Rivers benefit overall health, improve overall functioning, and magnify your body's innate ability to heal.

 

These Rivers Flow Both Ways

When we feel our healing is complete, there is a temptation to stop taking care of ourselves, to put down the weight of attention we have created. But these Rivers don't to move in one direction only. They are meant to carry us back home before our journey is done.

Should we find healing in the Seventh River, we don't want to stay there. Its waters are too turbulent to dwell in for long. So we move back to the Sixth River. As our health improves we let go of our need for drugs and move to the Fifth River. Then to the Fourth and Third.

We may set time limits for moving back through the Rivers, or allow our intuition to guide us. Eventually we return to the Second River, which is now called Share Information. And from there it is an easy trip to the First River, the waters of the source, the spring, where we drink in once more the peace of All and Nothing.

Instead of seeing injury and illness as a problem, the Wise Woman Tradition sees them as gateways for transformation, as ways to focus on, and magnify, health and wholeness. By retracing our path back along the Seven Rivers of Healing, we avoid reliance on short term solutions, and not only heal our injury or illness, but revitalize ourselves in the process.

When we go back through each step, we encounter multiple levels of our well being, magnify the richness of our experiences, promote self understanding, increase our sense of fitting into the universe, and allow ourselves to connect with peace and laughter, no matter how serious the health problem we've dealt with.

Seven Rivers of Healing

A 46 week self study course with Susun Weed

SEVEN RIVERS OF HEALING Have you ever felt amazed and overwhelmed by all the different approaches to healing available to you?  Susun Weed's Seven Rivers of Healing provides a clear path through the maze of health care choices.

Relieve your anxiety, enlighten your mind, and empower yourself through the personal delivery of easy-to-access knowledge.  Rediscover your inner wisdom with this 46 week self-study course brought right to your email inbox each week once you join.

Register here

DEPRESSED? WISE WOMAN WAYS OFFER A HELPING HAND

DEPRESSED?

WISE WOMAN WAYS OFFER A HELPING HAND

2002, Susun S. Weed

Winter time is depression time for many women. Perhaps it is harder to look at the bright side when days are short, perhaps the holidays and family demands take their toll on us. Of course, depression can also be triggered by lack of thyroid hormone and by use of steroids, high blood pressure drugs, and ERT/HRT.

But most often the cause of depression is the belief (valid or not) that nothing you do makes any difference. Victimization and poverty lock women into depression. More than one-third of all American women have been victims of sexual or physical abuse; and women make up more than two-thirds of all Americans who live below poverty level. Yet our culture frowns on women who express their anger. No wonder depression is a woman's issue.

“Look here,” Grandmother Growth motions to you as she spreads her story blanket at your feet. “See how depression is deeply woven with anger and grief. When our need for reliable, joyous intimacy is frustrated, and expression of our frustration would endanger us, depression comes and protects us. When there is no way to deal effectively with situations that enrage us, depression comes and helps us quiet our violent impulses.

“Depression is not an easy companion on your journey, but she knows much about life. In her bundle, she carries the anger you have carefully frozen with frigid blasts of fear and kept nourished with your pain. She carries your wholeness. She carries your ability to go beyond the pain, your ability to allow your rage to move you into health. She carries your wholeness. Will you let her teach you?"

Wise Woman remedies don’t seek to eliminate our feelings, or turn “negative” ones into “positive” ones, but to help us incorporate all of our feelings into our wholeness/health/holiness.

Welcome the dark. Cherish the deepness. Give yourself over to a day or two of doing nothing. Then, get up, no matter how bad you feel. Set a goal for the day and meet it. Smile - it releases brain chemicals that make you feel good. Smile no matter what. Do it as an exercise. Hate it while you do it. But SMILE!

Homeopathic remedies include Arum metallicum, for women with frequent thoughts of suicide who feel cut off from love and joy; and Sepia, for women who are disinterested in everything, angry at family and friends, and just want to be left alone.

It’s more than idle chatter that depression comes with gray skies and happiness with sunny ones. For emotional health (and strong bones) get 15 minutes of sunlight on your uncovered eyelids (outside, no glasses, no contacts) daily. If you can’t get out (or if the sun doesn’t cooperate), wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual. (You can stay in bed, but keep those eyes open.)

Sing the blues; dance ‘em too. Women have depended on songs and dances to carry them out of depression for centuries. Dance therapy is more effective than talk therapy for reaching and healing traumatic experiences. Even a single session may have a dramatic effect.

Find your rage and write it down. Get a massage and let the anger move out of the muscles. Volunteer to help change something you are upset about, even a small thing.

St. Joan’s/John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) lives in very sunny locations and blooms at summer solstice. I call it bottled sunshine. A dropperful of the bright red tincture taken 1-3 times daily has helped many women relieve SAD (seasonal affective disorder), move through grief, ease the physical pain of depression, and walk on the sunny side! CAUTION: Hypericum in capsules is not as effective and can cause unwanted side effects.

Oatstraw infusion (not tea, tincture, or capsules) has been an ally for depressed women since earliest times. Gentle Avena nourishes the nerves and helps you remember why life is worth living. To make an infusion: Brew one ounce by weight of dried herb (that's a cup by volume) in a quart jar filled to the top with boiling water. Steep for at least four hours, then strain and refrigerate your infusion. Drink as many cups a day as you wish. Or make an oatstraw bath by adding two quarts of infusion to your bath water.

Garden sage (Salvia) is an ancient ally for emotionally-distressed women. In some societies, only crones were allowed to drink the brew made from the nubbly leaves (at least partly because it delays menses and dries up breast milk). Make an infusion (see oatstraw); drink by mixing a few spoonfuls of the dense brew into hot water or warm milk; add honey to taste. The undiluted infusion keeps for weeks refrigerated.

Behavioral and interpersonal therapies are as effective as drugs in relieving depression. Not only that, two-thirds of those who simply read about therapy improve significantly.

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, especially soon after awakening, has been shown to help women whose depression is resistant to all treatments, including drugs.

Sleep less. If you are a woman who overproduces a normal depression-causing substance which accompanies sleep you will feel depressed and often find it difficult to wake up. Sleeping more will only compound the problem. Instead, stay up all night once a week. If you can’t cope with no sleep, even mild sleep deprivation (such as sleeping five hours or less for two nights in a row) dramatically decreases depressive symptoms in some people.

Low levels of calcium, zinc, and B vitamins are associated with depression. Get more by eating more cheese and yogurt, more garlic and mushrooms, more whole grains and beans.

Lack of vitamin B12 doubles the risk of severe depression for older women. This critical nutrient, found only in animal products, is destroyed by tofu and soy beverage. Drink real milk, eat real cheese, eat meat at least occasionally and watch your mood improve :)

1600 mg of SAM-e (A-adenosylmethionine) relieved the symptoms of moderate depression as well as imipramine, but no better than Hypericum (St. J's wort). CAUTION: Of the brands tested by Consumer Reports, only Natrol, Nature Made, TwinLab, and GNC passed all tests.

Avoid hormone replacement - ERT/HRT - if you're depressed; it's strongly associated with an increase in suicide attempts.

Women who used to take lithium say they have gradually switched over to skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). A dose of infusion is one cup/250 ml or more per day; of fresh plant tincture is 5-8 drops twice a day; of the dried plant tincture is a dropperful/1 ml several times a day. CAUTION: Skullcap can make you sleepy.

For women whose depression resists all other therapies, electro-convulsive treatments (ECT), previously known as shock treatments, have been updated with special care taken to minimize harm. The women I spoke with who were using ECT told me it was incredibly effective, and the side-effects, including severe memory loss, acceptable to them.

From doing nothing, to ECT, the range of remedies available to depressed women is enormous. To help you choose wisely, these effective, simple Wise Woman remedies are in order of safety: the safest remedies first, and the most dangerous ones last. This Excerpt is a shortened version of the depression section in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, available at www.wisewomanbookshop.com or through your favorite bookseller.

The Art of Sue Miller

The Art of Sue Miller

Sue Miller was raised Susan Pacheco in South Dartmouth Massachusetts. She began painting at a young age and was inspired by her artist father Tony Pacheco. She graduated from Dartmouth High School and attended South Eastern Massachusetts University (now called University of Massachusetts), where she studied fine arts. Sue also had private art lessons with legendary painters Milton Healey and Rachel Farrington and Margret La-shoot.

Sue enjoyed a career of 20 years as a professional graphic artist. She worked in advertising agencies, art departments, newspaper art departments, department store art departments etc. During these years as a graphic artist, Sue was able to express her creativity on the job. She considers herself lucky to have been able to draw and design daily for so many years.

Today Sue runs her own business called The Magic Palette Art Studio where she has taught thousands of students to draw and paint for the past 15 years. In addition to art lessons that she teaches out of her home studio, Sue is almost always involving her creativity to paint in some capacity every day. For Sue this can mean the preparation involved in beginning a new project or putting a brush to canvas. She has been known to be working on two paintings at one time. A day without painting in some faculty is like a day without water for Sue.

Sue’s work has been published in countless magazines and E-zines. She has also been blessed to with Authors to provide the cover art for their children’s books. A visit to Sue’s home or online gallery will have you immediately drawn to the diversity of her art. Her paintings include a variety of subjects from angels, fairies, elves, nature, wildlife, children and pets. You will also notice that Sue especially enjoys painting the seasons. There is a vast collection of art to cover every Holiday of the year. Sue’s models of her paintings are often her art students and her nieces that help bring about the humanistic qualities that adorn her art.

She resides in Northwestern New Jersey with her husband of 25 years, musician Vern Miller and their “baby” autumn their golden retriever. Their home has been quoted by many people and popular newspapers as “The house of art and music” Sue’s art has been features in the following magazines Faerie magazine, Moon Shadows, The Aquarius,  Skyline Arts and Entertainment Magazine, Mystic Pop, Pathways Magazine, The Writer’s Post Journal, Inner Realm, Dream Weaver, Angels Magazine, Angel Times Magazine. Angel Yellow Pages, The Papoose, Celestopea Times E-zine, Susan Weed’s Wise woman E-zine, Fantasy is Love E-zine, Empowerment for Women E-zine, Painters for Human Rights E-zine and more.

Visit Sue's website here: http://www.suemillerart.com/

Whirling Wisdom Creations

“Whirling Wisdom Creations unfolds the soul medicine journeys of Biljana Banchotova. Artwork that inspire vision, find collective light and planetary healing!

Biljana Banchotova’s dream land in birth is South Africa. From this place her journeys awakened with the beat of the Mother Drum….Her bloodline lineage evolved into the Ancient Macedonian, which is her family today and in which land she spends her early years of life.

Tailored by the Macedonian community she received endless gifts of communing with nature, the people and traditions, little houses, stone roads and big flowing
rivers. Since young age, she showed the gift of weaving and expressive arts; her ambitions were intuitively embodied into her sacred work.

The longing of evolutionary movement, opened the Door and it was when she began her travels throughout Mother Earth. Graced many nations and cities: from Greece and the islands; neighbouring countries; Budapest and into the sands of Egypt; were her initiations began for the ancient knowledge and the 
mysteries of Life, time, the beauty and wisdom of Earth. The sacred path of self realization for Divine Planetary Opening & collective light has been her guide.

From her conscious earth walks and practices of diverse transformational modalities; storytelling; ceremonial work; dance and other like intuitive work steers endless imagery that whirl themselves upon the face of her artworks.  At her Whirling Wisdom Home page she invites:

… may you explore the ART of weaving into the wells of colour, of wisdom may you flow and seek the Creator within….while we tell the story, of our very own
ascension, light, love, consciousness….

You may read words of wisdom at the Newsletter; here are the offering workshops, intuitive work, channelling and counselling. Poetry is on the go!” Be sure to visit her Healing Art Project page and the Online Store, featuring unique transformational tools; reproductions  and blessings that will further deepen your journeys within”

http://www.biljanaart.com/

hair2help ~ Making a Difference in the Lives of Those Affected by Cancer

James Corbett, well known NYC celebrity hair stylist, announced the launch of his new charity,

www.hair2help.org

Video courtesy of http://www.paltalk.com/

 Through hair2help, the James Corbett Studio in Manhattan, will provide free services to cancer patients and their caregivers to help them feel better about themselves as they go through treatment.  They will be able to get the full spa treatment: Hair, nails, massage, reflexology, massage all for free

While there is nothing fun or glamorous about cancer, everyone deserves to look and feel fabulous - especially the courageous women struggling with such a life-altering disease.  That is why James Corbett, whose regular clientele includes models, celebrities, and beauty insiders, founded Hair2Help. Corbett started Hair2Help in October 2010 when he realized there was a need to help women affected by cancer.  His spa days for cancer patients and their caregivers invite women who are suffering, in to be pampered, beautified, and receive alternative treatments if they so choose.

“A day in the spa that uses all organic, non-toxic treatments and is tailored to their needs and wishes can help them regain their dignity and self-esteem,”

With the support of the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge, his fellow colleagues and beauty industry peers, Corbett has helped ten women currently undergoing outpatient treatment for cancer and their primary caregivers on each spa day. Many women say the spa day has completely changed their outlook.  One who struggled with treatment for stage 3 ovarian cancer and deep depression smiles when she recalls how good she felt.

Please visit this non-profit at http://hair2help.org/

Video and information courtesy of www.paltalk.com

 

 

 

The Hows on Flower Essences for Anxiety Disorder

The Hows on Flower Essences for Anxiety Disorder

Flower essence therapy is a simple but very interesting way of managing contrasting emotions, stress, and anxiety. It is often mistaken for aroma therapy; however, it is more in lined with homeopathic remedies. Given its simple process, it is quite hard to believe that it has the capacity to transmute the negative into the positive, especially in people with anxiety disorder. But it is known to effectively work in restoring equilibrium and balance.

In Europe, it is widely believed among alternative medicine specialists that flower essences can redirect unfocused energy.  It helps stabilize the flow of energy, making it effective in alleviating emotional confusion, stress and frustration. Although some doubt its ability to provide any significant healing because the preparation of the essence is too diluted compared with its counterparts, most people who tried it have definitely attested to its cleansing and calming ability.

Trying out this therapy can be interestingly easy. Here, we will walk you through a simple and comprehensive way of preparing homemade flower essences. You can readily use them whenever anxiety seeps in.

 

How to Prepare

You would need a clear glass bowl, bottles that have approximately 30 ml of volume, a funnel, a strainer (preferably the coffee filter that is unbleached), brandy, spring water and droppers.

The first step is to prepare the flowers to be used. Now, this is important as it is the heart of the process. It is in the picking of the flowers that the energy cycle starts. It is most preferable that you pick flowers that represent vitality and energy.  The perfect season would be spring, just as the flowers are blooming. Early morning would be the best time to start picking your flowers. Morning dew keeps the energy. When the sun is all out, flowers tend to dissipate under the heat.

Have you heard that talking soothingly to a plant can diminish stress for both of you? Well, that actually works. It is advised that before you pick the flower, you must soothe it and ask for permission. Some would use a pendulum if possible, but your intuition can tell you that the flower would want to be picked. In that way, the intent of healing can potentiate. As you breathe slowly, you get to achieve relaxation even prior to the intake of the essence.

While picking the flowers, it is best to use cotton gloves or directly drop them in the clear glass bowl filled with spring water. You need to cover the surface of the water with whole flowers. After the flower picking, the next crucial step in the energy cycle is to put them under direct sunlight for three hours. Make sure that nothing is going to shadow the bowl. After three hours, the flower essence is produced. Remove the flowers from the essence.  Fill half of each bottle with brandy. You can also use vodka or 151 rum. Filter the essence into the bottles. This is what we now call the Mother Essence. Close the bottle and label it with the flower used.  Store and keep these bottles in cool, clean dark places and away from any electro-magnetic device.

How to Use

There are a lot of ways that the Mother Essence can be used.  To begin with, drop two to seven drops of Mother Essence into a solution composed of equal parts of water and glycerine or vinegar. Put them in stock bottles. Use the essence by adding a few drops to your drinking water. You can also add some drops to water in a spray bottle and spray on to your hair. Putting four drops under the tongue also works.

Remember that the principle of this whole flower essence therapy is that the more diluted the solution is, the more power it can give off. The more you use it, the more energy you can get.

Now that you know how to make your very own flower essence, you do not have to look for them in stores. You can start redirecting your negativity using essences you prepared personally. The experience in making them would definitely add to the stress-reducing procedure.  You even get to be one with nature.

Note that this particular anxiety treatment works on a vibration level. It is unlike biochemical treatments. It takes a varied amount of time. It can be more or less before effects are noticeable. But as soon as you start, the transformation would be like a ripple effect.  It would start minutely and eventually result in a shift to positivity. You would then see subtle changes in eating, sleeping, moods and thinking. A sense of calmness would finally be an everyday thing. A good night’s sleep would be something to look forward to.

 

Ryan Rivera used to struggle with anxiety. He took control of the situation and won the battle. He now talks about his journey and shares tips and techniques on how to survive anxiety and panic attack at www.calmclinic.com.

The Green Woman - Part 3

The Green Woman - Part 3

by Chloe Pringle

Part One can be found here

Part Two can be found here

Pulling her boots on and avoiding looking at the card and pouch she stepped outside. Don’t take em too seriously eh? I need to walk, just an average stroll at auntie Clarys.

The day was cloudy but warm as she stepped out, the familiarity of the garden calmed her, no hemlock here, all, parsley n dill. A nice stroll she thought, yep Ill pick me some greens. Handily a basket, complete with scissors in it was sitting, on the deck.  Chickweeds looking happy she smiled. Clary’s garden was one where weeds were encouraged, being full of wild food goodness, they had beds to themselves to flourish merrily without fear of pulling or pesticides. She crouched down and began to snip, the rhythm soothing her, as she cut nettle, lettuce leaves, baby silverbeet, dandelion tips and parsley. Fresh salad greens ready and I’m going to go visit the neighbours, find out some more about you n your surprises Clary....

The folks next door, some way in these parts, were a young family with that glow that slightly bemused Sam, being beyond her range of experiences. Friendly, simply living their lives. Clary spoke of them kindly and mutual visitations for the odd cuppa had kept them in neighbourly touch...

“We haven’t heard from her since she went to visit her friend. That was almost 2 months ago, she left raging against regulations and destroying traditions, like she was fired up for another book, or a court case. You know how she was, some big wigs shut Edna down cos she was teaching people how to use the medicines that Clary helped to make. Misinformation or something, trained chemist should know better than to meddle with herbs.

“Can we do anything for you?”

“No, that’s ok, I think I just need time. Time, and some contact details, you wouldn’t have Edna’s number?”

“Let me have a look, I’ll ask Fred if he knows anything else and if he does I’ll let you know straight up. At least you’re here, and that’s something, you can keep the place ticking over. She must have got real fired up this time, she always was one for a mission.”

Sam wandered bleary eyed and in a state of shock back to the house, the old place was her headquarters, as the garden and the vines encroached. She didn’t know where or what to do, but collapsed on the sofa and slept. No nightmares, no visions, just sleep for a weary traveler.....

The date on the discarded parcel wrapping was 2 months ago....

**********************************************************************************

When Sam awoke at least she felt rested, but as her eyes scanned the house she saw it in a new light. This was Clary’s life’s work scattered around her now, piles and lack of filing and all, it was an act of devotion from a woman who adored things green and growing. What was she meant to do now? Why had no one called her? Who was there? Clary hadn’t been a blood relation but she was a friend of the family going way back. There was no landline here, and Sam had happily left her mobile back at her flat.

She unconsciously sat and fiddled with the leather pouch, soft and warm. Her hand delved in and shuffled away, she pulled another card. A woman, a green woman, with nettles in her hair and bushflowers all around her. A blend of the two realms. Thank goddess she sighed, no ominous forces here, natures soft side. Not despite, but because of her sting though, nettle taught awareness. Green awareness. The card eased her but also brought tears.

Through the eons shamans voyaged to discover from the plants themselves, in a less Linnaeus based format, what medicines they carried. Passed down what they learnt orally, sometimes only to apprentices. Is that what I was for you Clary? An apprentice? Did you expect me to translate all these piles as only you could? I don’t know enough, I barely know a handful of plants and I’m no shaman, although my fishy friend imposed some faith in me. Her dream flooded back, how could  anyone expect her to save the ol ways from anybody, when she didn’t have them in her comprehension? This was Clary’s work, I’m just a sometime gardener and artist. What of Clary’s affairs, she thought as she looked towards the door and noticed a bunch of semidried plant matter bound to the architrave.

Getting up somewhat nervously she picked it up and saw the speckled stems. She turned and began to see the space as it truly was, a frenzy of activity had gone on here, a driven focus with an emphasis on finishing and ‘organising’ research. Hemlock was bound protectively in other places too.... above the kitchen window, on the bookshelves. This was Clary’s legacy, but where was she herself?

Sam made her way into the study and there on the desk was the closest thing to organisation she’d seen, apart from the medicines. A document on beautiful sepia paper, “A Post Apocalyptic Herbal”. Not in the scribble of the parcels note but a calligraphy like lettering designed with intention. She turned the page, apocalypse, jesus I thought I was getting away from that....

"The Green Woman" is a taster of a herbal tale. If you enjoy this portion you can read more at http://opalplantways.blogspot.com/