Dry a palmful of catnip leaves and allow them to steep in a cup of boiling water for five minutes, then strain as you would any loose tea. Honey helps even more, and a cup or two of catnip tea per day will have you in fine fettle, relaxed, and ready. This herb is not just for kitties! We humans can also benefit from it as a remedy for upset tummies as well as a way to diminish worry, anxiety, and nervous tension.
Boil one cup of water and pour over two teaspoons of calendula petals. Steep this for eight to ten minutes and strain. Once it has cooled enough, you can drink it as a tea, use it as a mouthwash, or gargle with it to reduce any swelling of the mouth or throat. If you make an ointment with calendula, apply it to your skin three times during the day and it will calm irritation.
This commonly used herbal aid is popular for relief of gastrointestinal issues including oral and throat inflammation. It can also be made into a salve to heal the skin and soothe rashes, itching, irritation, and wounds. Remember that any herb can be made into a salve following the Calming Balm: Bay Leaf recipe. Your family will probably request the comfort of the calendula salve often, so keep it handy.
Make a tincture or use the flower essence method and take twenty to forty drops three times a day to relieve menstrual cramps and arthritic pain. Black cohosh can also help perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.
Gently simmer one tablespoon of dried and minced ashwagandha root in one cup of water for eight to ten minutes. Strain and sip once or twice a day as a rejuvenating pick-me-up, anti-inflammatory, anxiety reducer, and immunity tonic.
On woodland walks, my Aunt Edie pointed out nettles, wild mint, Queen Anne’s Lace, and other herbs which grew by creek beds near my home. We picked, steeped, and sipped concoctions we made together as she imparted her homely wisdom. Little did I know at the time I was being gently schooled as an apprentice kitchen witch. Lately, I have been called upon to craft spells for peace of mind; so many of us are overwhelmed due to the fragmented lifestyles requiring long hours at work, zillions of emails, texts, tweets, and all the demands that don’t stop coming.
How often do you see a panicky pagan or stressed out herbalist? Rarely, I assure you.
We all have to keep pace with the modern world, but our connection to the earth and the cycles of nature help maintain balance and harmony, despite the hurly-burly of these tech-driven times. This chapter is aimed at conjuring wellness so you can stay centered, grounded, and healthy. When our grandmothers and elders who came before us tended cuts, bruises, colds, flus, fevers, and other illnesses their family suffered, they didn’t have a corner drugstore. Instead, these wise women relied on simple wisdom, common sense, and pantries well-stocked with herbal remedies. These preparations were made from plants that grew in the kitchen garden or wild weeds gathered in the fields and woods surrounding their homes. This stash of kitchen cupboard cures combines the wisdom of our elders with a modern sensibility. Yes, you will save money, but more importantly, you will begin to learn what works for you and master the art of self-care as you bring much comfort to your loved ones.
As such, moldavite is widely believed to be one of the stones that will help humans evolve. I have heard miraculous stories about moldavite that, quite frankly, I didn’t believe until my friend Bill Cocke loaned me the book Moldavite: Starborn Stone of Transformation, by a couple, Robert Simmons and Kathy Warner. Upon reading this book, I grew so curious; I felt I had to get some moldavite. Kathy Warner wrote of her immediate spiritual connection and growth from the stone, and how it helped her to trust the universe enough to open a crystal shop, Heaven and Earth, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with no money, no plan, a few rocks, and a lot of faith. I was also struck by the episodes in which the authors told of customers that came in, browsed around their shop, and often had incredible encounters with the bottle-green tektite. Kathy even named the physical reaction to moldavite flush. People sweated, turned red, and either laughed or cried. But what really made me curious was Robert’s story of how he had had no reaction at all to the moldavite for many months and then, after patient meditation, he had a magnificent spiritual awakening. Robert’s story appealed to the skeptic in me. What if I got some moldavite and it had no effect on me? Well, just in case, I could take comfort in Robert’s long-delayed epiphany.
So, the same friend who alerted me to the moldavite went to the Psychic Eye in San Francisco, got a lovely green silver, and brought it back to me while I was at work on this very book. I took it out of the bag and touched it, noticing how it felt rather like a piece of textured plastic. Bill looked at me with that charming grin of his and a twinkle in his eye and told me that he had gotten some moldavite for several of our friends. He seemed excited. Bill was a moldavite initiate, and just having it around had already made him happier. For himself, he had gotten a moldavite pendant, and he showed me how he could also wear it as a headband. I noticed that the moldavite rested on the exact spot of Bill’s third eye. I didn’t really feel anything except that it did rapidly pick up the heat from my hand, and seemed to hold it. Anyway, I felt rather disappointed that I didn’t have a reaction like those I had read about in the book Moldavite. I was, after all, hoping to feel exhilarated and ecstatic. Who wouldn’t?
The next day, I was to go to my own birthday party at a place in San Francisco’s Chinatown called Li Po, named for the great drunken Chinese poet. Apart from being a bit grimy, the bar is a re-creation of a Buddhist shrine set in a cave with lanterns, incense, and many sacred icons, including some fabulous Buddhas. I was looking forward to my party but was also worried about the deadline on this book, feeling stressed, and, as always, more concerned about my friends’ happiness than my own.
That morning, I woke up feeling a bit odd and couldn’t go to the office to write. For four months, I had worked seven days a week; I had assigned myself a strict per-day word count, and if I didn’t make my word minimum, I would beat myself up and increase the already considerable pressure on myself. I had planned to work all day and then go to the party. By mid afternoon, I felt hot and uncomfortable. I tried to read but I couldn’t concentrate on anything. By the evening, I was in the midst of a full-fledged fever and was nearly delirious for two days straight. I missed several days of work and gave up any idea that I could work on this book. I simply had to give in to my body and let it all go. I heard the party was fun and everybody got along great. For me, and almost compulsively social person and over-giver, not attending my own birthday party was unthinkable. Interestingly, it happened, and there was no catastrophe. But, the big news was that I had put my health and myself first.
Afterward, I felt clear, and somehow lighter. Even though I was tragically far behind on all my various projects and duties, I wasn’t worried. I knew they would get done in good time. A thought had flickered through my feverish mind as I lay in bed unable to even lift the remote control to adjust the TV—could that have been the moldavite? It seemed like a silly idea, and I figured I had just caught a flu that came on very suddenly. I had left Robert and Kathy’s book on my writing desk at my office and figured I would reread the moldavite encounters section to see if anyone had had similar reactions. Here is what I found as I paged through their book: “Also for many people, there seems to be a cleansing process involved. Here the moldavite energies go first where there are blockages. When these have been released, there usually follows a pleasant lightness of emotion.”
I have gone on to read many stories of people who at first felt ill or felt like they opened a door into a new reality. Others quit jobs that made them miserable, got out of toxic relationships, moved across the country, and made many other fairly drastic changes. Whatever the change may be, moldavite transforms with no turning back and absolutely no doubt.
I have kept my moldavite crystal on my writing desk to accompany me during the transformative journey of writing this book, I plan to further explore the outer reaches of my moldavite revolution through meditation. I am ready to shed a lot of old habits, old consciousness and cleanse my “doors of perception.”
I urge you to do the same!
Sodalite is a truth-teller’s stone. When wearing it, you have no choice but to express what is in your heart and what you know to be real and right. It is a stone of sincerity. This blue crystal splendor is a relatively rare rock. There are only four known deposits of sodalite in the world: the town of Bancroft, Ontario, where it was first discovered in 1892, two other spots in Canada, and Maine. Sodalite, named for its high sodium content, is the result of volcanic activity in which nepheline rocks were flooded by sodium chlorine, giving this stone the unmatched royal blue color that makes for fine gems when cut. This may well be the reason sodalite is an environmental cleanser, reducing radioactive pollution.
Sodalite is also a balancer and aura cleanser. It is a simplifier, too, showing you how to reorganize your life and reduce stress and wasted time and energy. With this crystal, you will achieve the goals that are right for you on a spiritual level. It is a mental crystal that helps the synapses to fire smoothly and helps you retain wisdom. Sodalite impacts both hemispheres of the brain: the rational, linear half and the imaginative, intuitional side. This rare rock has the rare ability to give you great ideas as well as the impetus and planning ability to make them happen. Sodalite is good for people who are indecisive and easily confused. If you have to make an important decision, meditate with sodalite and you will arrive at exactly the right solution. Tremendous for communication, this stone is good for anyone doing public presentations. It provides the confidence and creativity to express yourself more freely and more honestly.
A popular carving stone, sodalite is coming into vogue as jewelry. Healers use it for digestive issues and to work with diabetes. It is quite good as a massage tool in wand form or as a ball or egg that can be run over the body lightly. As an elixir, it gives confidence, helps lymphoma, and reduces inflammation. If you feel you’re over-busy and that your life is just a little too complicated, wear sodalite at work. Clarity will come!
