silver moon

                                                                                                                                       silver moon          

It is believed that the veins of precious metals in the Earth are pathways for energy -- or, you could say, the acupuncture meridians of the Earth. Certain areas of the planet seem to hold the bulk of each of the precious metals, while the metals in turn each resonate with a particular heavenly body. Silver, found mostly in North & South America, is energetically connected to the moon. It makes sense when you think about silver being the most light-sensitive metal and the moon being all about reflecting light. More descriptive words for moon energy are -- femininity, emotion, receptive, magnetic, subconscious, intuitive, gentle, encouraging, and sensitive.

I like that when I touch a beautiful silver bowl or wear a piece of silver jewelry, there is moon energy in it. I like that a silver platter emulates the moon's ever-changing reflective light. I love that my mother's silver flatware reminds me that she used it only once in a blue moon and for women-friends exclusively. In the photo, you'll see my silver crescent necklace -- about a moon or so ago, I decided to wear it. Always. Except when I took it off for the photo. You know how sometimes you latch onto something for a while?  Like I said a while back, my ruling planet is the moon and Luna has her way with me.

On this beautiful, bright and sunny moonday, we have a waxing crescent moon in the sign of Aries. The waxing moon is a time of growth, strengthening, and building. The seeds of possibilities envisioned on the new moon are now newly-sprouted realities beginning to root themselves and need our continued attention. Efforts are easily showing results and projects are progressing toward completion.

Aries is a dry, warm sign and influences our heads, the eyes, nose and brain. Conditions of those areas are well-treated now -- if you suffer from migraines, this is an ideal time to begin taking a natural preventative, like the herbal treatment of feverfew. Or if you are prone to tension headaches, these Aries days are also more likely to produce a headache so try to keep yourself out of stressful situations. Because of Aries' dryness, you may find that you are thirstier than usual and need to drink a little more water. Running a humidifier is also something to keep in mind, especially if you find yourself with a dry, stuffy nose at night.

At the first sign of cold or flu, there may be greater success now with the use of 3% hydrogen peroxide in the ear canal -- 3 drops for 5-10 minutes in each ear -- to eliminate infection-causing germs.  Dr. Susan Lark and Dr. Joseph Mercola both recommend this treatment as some, if not most, colds are caused by infection entering the ear canal and spreading from there. I've personally had success with this method several times -- oh, if I'd only known this remedy when I had small children!

Do you notice your moon seeds sprouting and taking root?

                                                                                                                      moonflowers 2010

puttering

Finding myself wanting to do a little of this, a little of that . . . puttering, I guess. The first two photos speak for themselves, the last two are something I'm working on for next week -- a line here and a line there.

            bedside         

                                           sofaside                                           

                                                                                           

                                                tableside                                               

                             a line here and a line there                                   

ready to rip

Stash building -- velvet, silver, wool.  

                                                                                                                                      on a silver platter

                                                                                                    

I had dreamt the night before of stitching small white shapes on a very old white tea cloth that had some words already stitched on it -- something like what will you serve to keep people together longer? -- it was a good dream. So I was sure I'd find something white at Goodwill. Instead it was this threesome I love of black, brown, and gray plaid. And a silver platter. The velvet jackets are for stash, the wool skirt to make this hood for which I still need to figure out the lining.

And the silver platter for holding scissorspinsthreads. They should be one word, don't you think?

                                                                                             on a silver platter too

A successful shop, yes? Deconstruction time now. The seam ripper is out and ready to rip.

Anyone else in stash building mode this weekend?

  

ice flower dyeing

About a month ago, I tried out "ice flower dyeing" -- described in Eco Colour by India Flint as a way to draw better color from fragile flower petals.  Earlier in the fall I had collected various flower petals from the garden, placed them in freezer bags by type and color, and then into the freezer. Red geranium (pelargonium) flower petals were first up. The good thing about using geraniums is their flower petals can be collected even now if you're overwintering a plant in the house.

cloth to be dyed: cotton, silk & linen

            bag of frozen red geranium petals

 quickly place the flower petals into a muslin bag with drawstring top

 bag of flower petals, quart glass jar of lukewarm water with 1/2 t. alum for mordant, cloth

 immerse the bag all at once into the warm water . . .

 after a few seconds . . . breathtaking!

mash the bag with a wooden spoon to release even more color . . .

immerse cloth into jar of dye-bath, then let steep for however long you'd like.

this is the plant the flowers are from. 

the black dog is daisy and the brown dog is talula. 

daisy likes to sit "at table" on the window seat but not at mealtimes!

At this point the cloth is still in the dye-bath and it looks pink.
My next step is to heat the dye-bath, then iron the cloth, and lastly place in vinegar water.

All to see what will happen!

good vibes coming your way

                                                                                New Moon in Capricorn, 12:00 p.m. MST                          

     good intentions stitched together

                                                                        New Moon in Capricorn 1:00 p.m. MST

good vibes coming your way -- can you feel them yet?

Simply named and so beautiful . . .



this is herbal infusion

                                 this is herbal infusion                        

When I first became interested in herbal medicine, I was attracted to the idea of herbal infusions but it all seemed so complicated. There were so very many different herbs in one formula, the herbs themselves almost aways needed to be mail-ordered, and they needed to be weighed, no less. On top of it all, they tasted bad. There seemed to be so many reasons to avoid that aspect of herbal medicine. But I luckily found and learned from teachers who simplified the process and here I am, an avid herbal-infusion-drinking woman. Every day, just about. Yup. For years and years now.

So I thought I'd explain infusion-making. What I make are simple tonic infusions, using a single dried tonic herb at a time, that are mild but very supportive taken over a period of time, inexpensive, safe to drink regularly, and taste good. Made on an alternating basis, the tonic herbs I use most often are oatstraw, Avena sativa; nettles, Urtica dioica; and red clover, Trifolium pratense. To figure out if these are good tonic herbs for you, check out some of the books listed at the end of this post. As an aside, I see all these authors as my teachers in one way or another, but my structured study and apprenticeship was done under the watch of Tammi Hartung who wrote Growing 101 Herbs that Heal and is about to become a second-time author with Homegrown Herbs (to be released in February 2011).

Back to infusions. Here's a little step-by-step and it's really easy!

You'll need a quart canning jar, lid & screw top, 1 cup of dried herb,

 and a kettle to boil the water. This is dried red clover.

Fill the jar to the very top with the boiling water. Then cap and
screw the lid on. After a little while you'll hear the lid pop when it seals, but that
doesn't mean it's sealed-sealed!

Leave on the counter to infuse for at least 4 hours. I make it sometimes in the morning to drink in the afternoon. You can also make it at night before you go to bed and it'll be ready in the morning.

Now it's time to strain the herbal material from the liquid.

You'll need a strainer and a quart measuring cup or another jar or a

bowl -- just something to rest the strainer on and pour the liquid into.

 Press down on the herbs to squeeze out all the goodness. Rinse out your jar.
Compost the herbs.

Pour the strained infusion back into the jar. Sip directly from the jar right now, or chill in the refrigerator, or heat on the stove to drink hot. You'll find that you like different herbs at different temperatures. I love oatstraw cold, but think nettles is better hot. Store in refrigerator for a day or two. After that, water your houseplants with it. They will love it as much as you will.

Makes a little over 3 cups.

You can see how easy it is to drink this amount in one day if you simply replace

some of your daily water with nutritious and tasty herbal infusion.

Most herbalists have dozens of herbals and I'm no exception. Here are a few well-used herbals that have good, solid information for all levels.

Growing 101 Herbs that Heal by Tammi Hartung

Healing Wise by Susun Weed

The Herbal Home Remedy Book by Joyce A. Wardwell

Opening our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs by Gail Faith Edwards

The New Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman

On this day of the first new moon in 2011, I raise my quart jar to you. Cheers.

Also posted at Food Renegade.

dark moon day

Today is the first dark moon of the year, the first moonday of the year and the first time a 2011 moon is in Capricorn. We can't see the face of the moon now because it's directly between us and the sun. Even so, these remaining hours before the birth of the new moon tomorrow are powerful indeed. To begin with, a dark moon (balsamic moon) is an intuitive time. It's when to evaluate and complete projects, to tie up loose ends. It's when to plan and research future endeavors keeping in mind the wisdom gained from the past. It's a time of release, to write and/or stitch in a stream-of-consciousness manner.

Some dark moon attributes for me today:

                                                           ~dark moon sun weaving~ "tie up loose ends"

                                                                                         ~dark moon prayer flags~ "complete projects"

                                           ~dark moon lucia cloth~ "stream-of-consciousness stitching"

The physical effects of this moon parallel the metaphysical. The key word is release. If you've been fasting or detoxifying, hang in there one more day, toxins may be more easily released. And if you are working on an addiction or a bad habit, this day may get you through to the other side. Stress and tension and even excess water can be more efficiently released. It could be a good day to fill a bag or box for Goodwill. Or pack up some of the holiday decorations -- if you're not celebrating 12 days, that is!

Capricorn days are the time to focus on the skin, bones, and joints, especially the knees. It is the best sign under which to have chiropractic treatment and also the best time for dental work, something to keep in mind when scheduling those appointments. Cutting toenails and fingernails is well done now, too. By the way, the waning moon is usually the best time to cut both nails and hair to discourage fast regrowth. But if you want your hair to grow back fast, have it trimmed during a waxing moon. I just had a haircut a few days ago and am keeping tabs on how long before I really need my next one.

Another helpful bit to know is that Capricorn days have the quality of being cool. Temperatures always feel just a little bit cooler than the thermometer shows. In the Northern Hemisphere we may need to dress warmer today, and in the Southern Hemisphere the heat will be easier to bear.

I'm not an astrologer or a lunar expert, just someone who watches the moon -- a lunarian, maybe? See you tomorrow.