relationship

"As you start to go for something deeper in relationship, you start to meet another human being in truth. And truth is scary. Truth has bad breath at times, truth is boring. Truth burns the food, truth is all the stuff. Truth has hanger truth as has all of it. And you stay in it and you keep working with it and you keep opening to it and you keep deepening it."

"The most important aspect of love is not in giving or the receiving its in the being. When I need love from others or need to give love to others I'm caught in an unstable situation. Being in love rather than giving or receiving love is the only thing that provides stability. Being IN love means seeing the Beloved all around me"

" I think in relationships you create an environment with your own work on yourself, which you offer to another to use to grow. You keep working-you become the soil-moist and soft and receptive so the person can grow the way they need to grow. Because how do you know how they should grow?" -Ram Dass

notes on early summer foraging

by ANA

If you’ve been on a nature trail or hike in the last month, you’ve likely seen splashes of yellow and purple. Actually, you’ve probably seen them out of your car window. It’s like a Renoit painting out here.

Have you stopped to wonder what these over-abundant plant friends are? As you may have guessed, I’m going to tell you.

The yellow blooms are wild mustard and they spiky purple flowers are milk thistle, and they’re both great and powerful detoxifiers. This means take with caution

Most people just see them as invasive weeds, I see them as nature’s fresh and wild apothecary.

Wild mustard is a great source of Vitamins A , C + K and she’s full of antioxidants like betacarotene — it’s what gives her the yellow color.

She opens up blood vessels and allows the blood system to draw out toxins and increase blood flow, reducing swelling and pain. She can also help reduce headaches. She’s also known to support eye and brain health

You can forage wild mustard and throw her in a salad, smoothie or stew. You can even stir fry her with garlic. And of course, you can make a warm infusion with her.

Milk thistle is a very distinctive thistle, with white marbling on green leaves. Her flowerheads are bright magenta or purple. Leaves, stems and flowers are all armed with stiff, sharp spines which make her look menacing, but guess what?! She’s a cousin of the daisy!

Along with dandelion, milk thistle is one of the best herbs to support liver function. She is also very supportive of the gall bladder, which works closely with the liver. Some diabetics also use her to help regulate blood sugar. She also helps balance cholesterol.

Keep in mind that she’s very powerful! Never overdo her! If you want to work with MT, start low and slow. This should really be the case with any herb

If I were you, I’d take a backpack out the next time you go on a hike and take advantage of the plethora of medicine that’s out there right now. Don’t forget gloves and scissors. And always ask for permission before foraging, and thank the plants for their medicine