Hooked on Moxa

I got hooked on Moxa when I spent a summer at the Naturapaths getting NAET treatments. Every night they burned Moxa to cleanse their offices and the scent came to be associated with their offices but also it just smelled good to me.

Several years later I bought a small Moxa burner (called a Gu Pan Holder) and a package of smokeless Moxa from an Accupuncture supplier and I occasionally burn it in my office. I notice it really reduces my stress levels and while it's hard to describe why - it leaves me feeling very satisfied in a long term way. After I burn it the whole house is redolent with Moxa and, for me, it causes a recurring inward smile.


Moxa, made of the herb Mugwort, is used extensively in the traditional medical systems of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Tibet and Mongolia. It's ground up and then processed into a shape that looks like a fat, squat stick of incense which is then burned.

Chinese medicine uses mugwort to stimulate blood flow and to protect against dampness and cold. It's sometimes used with acupuncture or in a similar way as accupuncture, but without the needles. The Moxa burner is placed directly on the relevant meridian points. It is said to add new energy to the body.

Native American Indians consider mugwort a sacred plant of spiritual healing and sprigs of it can be found included in smudge sticks.

Old European lore records mugwort being place under pillows to provoke dreams.


I bought my burner and pack of 200 moxa sticks at Acu-Market for around $8.00.

Freedom, Liberty and Justice for all this Christmas

I want everyone to get along but I also want everyone to be against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I want them to be vegetarian, and to respect President Obama and despise Bush, McCain and Palin.

Or is that what I want?

I think what I really want is to live side by side with others who may not believe what I believe but who will accept there is reason behind my being against war and any kind of needless killing, whether it be human or animal. I believe the world needs idealists - and I certainly was created as one! If i try to run and hide from that - it just sneaks back and bites me in the ass. The older I get the harder it bites.

I understand there are arguments and that I don't have all the answers but I still have to be true to what's in my heart like all people do. Like everyone, the more I feel people understand where I'm coming from the "better" and more comfortable I feel, but lately I don't feel comfortable, I feel terrible. I feel the sharp line between "conservatives" and "liberals", "republicans" and "democrats" as a biting pain, it cuts my heart in a way very reminiscent of the heartbreaks I felt when I first fell in love and understood what true love really entails.

I can't believe 30,000 troops are being sent to Afghanistan and that we still can't wake up to how wrong it is to kill families: mothers, grandmas, children, fathers, brothers in other countries just because they practice a different religion or aren't American or because we want what they have. These are our fellow human beings and there is no logic, no fear, nothing anywhere that makes it OK for us to kill each other! But there I go again....

It's hard not to band together with those who share the same comfort zones and to feel that everyone else is an "alien." As an idealist I'm in the unfortunate position of not being able to just move on as if all of the hate and fear flying around doesn't effect us all. I believe in love and I believe every one of us is connected.

On that note, I don't usually get a Christmas tree because I don't like the idea of chopping down a perfectly good tree just to stick it in the house for a few weeks and then throw it into landfill a few weeks later .

I lived for several years in a Cottonwood grove and throughout my life have had very real relationships with living trees. So for me, not for you, for me....buying a live tree this year is meaningful and sums up what the holiday is all about. I've already picked where I will plant my Aleppo Pine in the backyard next year. For now, he is beautifully adorned and blessing our living room. Alot of the ornaments are handmade by my mom who is a Republican and supports war and who is the number one person who never let's me give up on those who are so very different than me in every way but who I love completely.

Love wins in the end every time but how much sweeter could it be if we gave each other freedom and liberty and justice too.

Aromatherapy for the skeptical

Yes , I know....it sounds a little flaky to some of you all - to think that a smell can change your mood. But I have to say you're not thinking too hard when you think that. You are triggered by your nose buds all day long.

Your nose is actually the gateway into some very fine and uplifting experiences you might be missing - even though you are probably more than aware of the smells you want to avoid for their adverse effects.

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Here are some good scents that work for me:

Feeling ungrounded?...a little spacey?... Try Eucalyptus Oil and Cedar Oil (5 drops each) on a cotton ball in the area where you are trying to get something done - I affirm that this works for at least some people, namely me! :)

Smelly smells from the outside world that don't dial your personal number - for me it's that indescribable toxin they currently add to laundry detergent and dryer sheets that then floats out and permeates the neighborhood or sometimes the more benign loved one's garlic laden epicurean concoction....if your nose is stressed, try 10 drops of lime and 5 drops of spearmint and filtered water to fill a 3oz. spray bottle to bring the nostril stress level down to peace and harmony in no time. What a relief!

We react like heck to our nose but also blow it off. Treat it to some fineness. You will be surprised how in touch your nose is with your moods.

I like Aura Cacia's scents and while some of them are very pricey, some are quite affordable and it's not necessarily qualitative. Less expensive does not mean less intoxicating.

Only the nose-dead diss Aromatherapy.

Geo-Vibes

There are places on Earth that have power to rejuvenate and revitalize people. Often these places underlie the decisions to place certain buildings where people gather.

Not that all such places attract every type of person - on the contrary - each person can find the places that rejuvenate them.

St. John's College in Santa Fe with Sun Mountain to the left and Moon Mountain to the right

I'm not sure when Alex and I first started spending time at St John's College in Santa Fe - probably 20 years ago. It's come to be a favorite place - a place we return to again and again because we always feel good when we are there. We sit by the Koi pond and listen to the waterfall. (I was surprised today the Koi were awake because there's already been snow and thawing in Santa Fe this year.)

We spend hours (and $) in the kick-ass book store and we hang out in the "lounge" which has humongous windows with an amazing view of the Santa Fe foothills.

Looking out windows of the student lounge

The vibe here in the land and at the school is a bit austere - relaxingly so for the likes of us. It's very peaceful and contemplative. One overhears the conversation of "bookish" folk and being of that sort ourselves we feel at home here - a haven of sorts where the vibe, for us, is a kind one.

Beckon

I am a bit of a word junkie. My dictionary is always close at hand and I especially love etymology - which is the science of where the word came from in the first place.

I woke up this morning beckoning. That's what my mind told me.... I woke up steeped in the thought that I was beckoning something towards me. I was beckoning what I want - good things, joyful things, creative things...love.

All this happened under the covers with eyes closed. It's Saturday morning and I lay there drifting in and out of Saturday morning sleep, awakening on and off to the "I don't have to get up" feeling. But as soon as I do get up - I head to the dictionary definition of "Beckon"

Just like it feels - it is a rich word - it means more than "seeking or asking" - it adds a gesture, an active summoning or signal.

Digging for Roots

One of the secret reasons I plant Dahlias is to dig up the roots in the fall and to safely stow them in sand for next year's garden. Growing Dahlias becomes an ongoing relationship with a plant - that beautiful flower lies dormant in the tuber. The root that I store buried in the sand over winter is the life force of that beautiful flower.

Crimson Clover

I didn't want it to end...but did it need to? No! I knew there were "Winter" crops but living in places like Santa Fe and Taos, NM - it seemed unrealistic to think I could grow those. Now I'm in Albuquerque and the Crimson Clover I planted in late October is turning into a lush green meadow. In Spring - I will turn it under to provide Nitrogen to the soil - or maybe I won't..... I'm thinking I could just dig areas out and plant things and leave the clover in as an on-going cover crop. Is that doable?