tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5815871402950788662024-03-13T11:10:27.454-04:00The Essence of BloggingHerbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-44983435306278732722014-09-18T00:27:00.001-04:002014-09-18T00:27:59.466-04:00Trapeze and Elderberry JellyGoodness, what a couple of days can bring. Yesterday, I began the day with an aerial class that a good friend is offering at her studio. I was enchanted to learn silks and trapeze not only for the beauty of the art form, but also for the fun... and to build some core strength. <br /><br />I was not sure of what to expect or how I would do, but after getting up on that trapeze, I felt my confidence grow. It reminded me of when I used to do gymnastics, and my years of martial arts training also helped me with balance and coordination. When I STOOD UP on that bar, I felt my soul soar!! I cannot wait until next week; I found that I was actually much stronger than I had anticipated, and my muscles didn't even ache later in the day. In fact, my abs felt so great today, a good kind of sore. Yippee.<br />
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The rest of the afternoon I was happy to spend with one of my best friends, a big sister type who really gets me and offers so much wisdom and humor. I love that she calls me on my shit in a fun and friendly way. Her motivation is always fully fixated on helping me to grow by seeing my reality as well as the perspectives of others ever so clearly. She's incredibly perceptive. I love that woman.<br />
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Today I finally made the elderberry jelly! It came out AWESOME!! Guess what everyone's getting for holiday gifts this year? Yup. Elderjelly. nom. Here's a tip: I used Pomona's Universal Natural Pectin for my jelly. Great stuff! <br />
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{{I utterly failed at the beach plum jam using the regular pectin from the
grocery store... it just wouldn't gel, plus I was really unhappy about
the other ingredients in that stuff. I don't want to imagine those
lovely plums are ruined. I suppose that sweet, saucy stuff will have to
become mead or something.}}<br />
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I had a short-lived snafu when my food mill became gooped up with the sticky, snot-like residue that squished elderberries leave behind, but it seems that a small amount of Citra-solve cleaner on a sponge will take care of that in short order. So, there's another tip.<br />
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This evening I attended a town meeting where citizens were invited to give their opinions about a proposed zone change for a gorgeous piece of land from residential to industrial. Hundreds showed up! The land in question includes the top of the gorge known as "Satan's Kingdom" and has rare geological features, offers a corridor for wildlife between two refuge hubs, several rare plant species and unique diversity. The developer wants to take the top of the ledge off and the rest of his plans are vague at best. People were passionate, intelligent and eloquent. I was really proud of my community. It doesn't look good for the developer and I am happy about that. Maybe some jelly will cheer him up and sweeten that nature-hating disposition.<br />
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<br />Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-49751662243528456772014-09-15T19:27:00.000-04:002014-09-15T19:27:50.561-04:00Crocky!As the day winds down, I realize that I didn't get nearly as much accomplished as I wanted to, but it was a good day nonetheless. My belly is full of homemade soup and grilled cheese with garden tomatoes and my spicy fermented dilly beans. My gods, the dilly beans are BEYOND.<br />
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My friend Margaret harvested elderberries for me this year and put them in her freezer, so today I took the hour drive out to her to pick them up. Such treasure!! She had not only a bumper crop from this year, but also from last year, as well as juice the she had put up. It took me a while to clean the stems out of the frozen berries, but I now have a very full pot of elderberries on the stove awaiting my further attention. I'm thinking jam. I'm thinking tomorrow.<br />
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Margaret also had a 5 gallon Crown crock that I took off her hands for a reasonable price. It's in good shape and that gives me a total of five crocks to work with: 10, 8 and 5 gallon Crowns as well as a fancy 7.5 litre German crock and a cast off 1 gallon crock from a broken slow cooker. Currently all but the 8 gal and the new one are in use. I'm making white wine in the largest crock, and as for the smaller ones, I'm infusing my friend Siro's red wine vinegar with beach plums in one and black raspberries in another.<br />
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With all the driving around, scrubbing the new crock and cleaning frozen elderberries, I never got out into the woods today... or all the other things on my list for that matter. Feeling pretty done though. whew.<br />
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At the end of the month I'll be teaching a workshop that I outrageously titled, "The Gestalt of Chinese Energetic Systems: Two Polarities, Three Burners and Five Phases." Tonight I'm going to work on that presentation. Honestly though, I really just want to create a platform for discussion so that we can all share ideas and I can guide the conversation. I feel it's important for us to get a sense of where we are oriented in time/space in order to manage and balance our individual constitutions with diet, herbs and lifestyle. It should be interesting to see how it fleshes out.<br />
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On that note... <br />
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<br />Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-28552097755599854322014-09-15T10:06:00.001-04:002014-09-15T10:07:29.160-04:00Seasonal ShiftIt seems far too soon for the nip of Autumn to be in the air, but here it is. There's suddenly so much to do and it's rattling my cage after months of lazy summertime energy that every year feels as though it will last forever. One day I will learn.<br />
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The most pertinent thing on my mind, of course, is securing my fire wood for the winter. Someone at the farmer's market told me yesterday that there's a shortage and I'd better get right on that. I look out at trees everywhere and wonder how that can be true, but I gathered a few phone numbers and today I will begin making calls. I have about a cord of seasoned, yet unsplit wood taking up space where I'd like another 5 cords delivered, so that needs to be dealt with first and foremost. I am fortunate that I have a couple of great friends willing to come up with a splitter and take care of that for me, but it won't be for another week. I reckon it would be best to put those thoughts on the shelf for now.<br />
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The sound of the dehydrator running is bothering me too... it's a beautiful morning: dry, sunny and moderately cool, yet the rosehips just weren't drying out there; I am disappointed, but I think that may be a bust. Wondering if there's anything I can do to salvage the situation.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CCVPfEdjqQ/VBbwqyjsReI/AAAAAAAACKU/WxmtknTw85U/s1600/birch%2Bpolypore%2Bunder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CCVPfEdjqQ/VBbwqyjsReI/AAAAAAAACKU/WxmtknTw85U/s1600/birch%2Bpolypore%2Bunder.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Yesterday I was fairly productive, after the farmer's market, I made a beautiful chicken and root soup, did a little housework and got in a good walk in the woods. I was gifted with a perfect birch polypore that must have just hatched; it was perfectly white underneath with nary a single bug. (that's right, I said nary.)<br />
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The white wine I'm attempting to make from Ruth's prized grapes is foaming far too slowly and I wonder if it will come out alright. I just keep pushing down the mash and hoping for the best. It smells fantastic, but still tastes like juice. Siro suggested that I go pick up some grapes from the vendor that he and his father use for their wine production, and although this week is a bit too crazy to take that on, I'm relieved to know that they will be offering them for another month.<br />
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Today, I'm off to Enfield to pick up some elderberries that a lovely woman picked and stored in her freezer for me. I am not entirely sure what they will be used for because I've already done infused vinegar (delicious), an elixir and some syrup... well, what's wrong with more syrup? I could do wine, but meh. I think I'll reserve that project for the grapes.<br />
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Alrighty then. Time to fix myself some breakfast and get motivated. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9GKOmfv7t0A/VBbxyrRtgQI/AAAAAAAACKs/2ElaZ5TLU1M/s1600/soup3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9GKOmfv7t0A/VBbxyrRtgQI/AAAAAAAACKs/2ElaZ5TLU1M/s1600/soup3.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Soup of the morning, beautiful soup!"</i></td></tr>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-9169960721822110002011-08-15T20:02:00.000-04:002014-07-24T09:41:13.103-04:00Aggressive Tendencies In Beavers?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's this secluded little swimming hole that I discovered about a ten minute drive from my house. A small pull off on the side of the road and a short hike will take you to a large pond used as a nature conservation area. <br />
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I have rarely seen anyone there, even on the fourth of July when it was 90+ degrees, although there is evidence that kids come and hang out around a bonfire at night. I feel very comfortable skinny dipping there, it is so completely private.<br />
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The surface is always warm from the sun and about three feet below it becomes refreshingly cool... almost cold in spots. After a swim there, my hair feels so clean and wonderful that I won't wash it again for days.<br />
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One hot afternoon, I made my way out there for a pleasant and relaxing day of laps in the spring fed water. I dove in and swam out to the middle and began to scan around the shore. A fair distance away I saw a brown head poking out of the water, obviously looking at me. As I observed the observer observing me, I realized that this creature was getting larger and the distance between us was getting smaller.<br />
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It occurred to me then that this critter was far more adept at moving through the water than I was, in spite of the fact that I am a fair swimmer. Wild animals have teeth and claws, and I understood at once that this was likely to be a beaver making a direct bee-line for me. Beavers have big teeth.<br />
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I swam as efficiently as I could for shore, in a little bit of a hurried panic. The head matched my trajectory and the gap closed further. I pulled myself out of the water and watched as the beaver arrived at my previous locale, changed its heading and swam to the opposite shore.<br />
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This pond is narrow and long, so the opposite shore was not far enough away for me to feel entirely comfortable with resuming my swim. I guess I don't need to mention that I was feeling a little less relaxed at this point. Several minutes went by and my furry friend remained on the other side, diving and hunting, so I finally grew a set and jumped back in. <br />
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Not a minute after I had, Ms. Beev turned her attention back toward me and began to rapidly approach. Once again I raced to my rock and leaped out of the water. This was getting ridiculous, I thought beavers were friendly, but this one clearly had decided that she didn't want me in her pond (at least this was my perception).<br />
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I resigned myself to simply enjoying the peace and tranquility from dry land and decided to take out my camera and photograph the beautiful scenery. After snapping several shots and attempting to set up the self timer for a few personal portraits, I heard a loud snort behind me. I turned to see the large mama right next to my rock checking me out!<br />
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Camera in hand, I started capturing the moment. She paced back and forth in front of my stone landing, snorting, splashing and well, laughing. She got the better of me for sure. This lady beaver was at least 3 and a half feet from stem to stern, and easily 50 pounds. If she wanted to, she could have taught me a lesson I would never forget.<br />
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I chose not to swim again there that day, and returned home to google "aggressive tendencies in beavers." I learned that they are quite gregarious and only tend to be territorial when their yearlings are ready to leave the lodge... in late summer. Aha.<br />
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-69670005602851442922011-06-07T15:11:00.001-04:002012-09-19T15:00:46.281-04:00Worm's Turmoil<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">This morning I awoke and decided that instead of rushing around juicing carrots, making homemade broth and miso for my mother who was still recovering from surgery in the nursing home, I would take some time for me. I lolled in bed leisurely, trying to ignore that guilt-inspired need to hurry. After checking email and goofing around on Facebook for a while, I laced up my trainers and went out for my 5 mile loop. After 2 days of rain and being shut up visiting Mom, I was ready to enjoy the warm, clear spring morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I didn’t make it very far before I started to notice several worms on the wet pavement beginning to writhe in the warm sun. I picked them up, one at a time and tossed them into the grass; however, this didn’t seem sufficient to save their little lives. As I continued along, stooping every couple of feet to pick up another suffering worm, I began to notice that their numbers were increasing. In the shade of a wet leaf I would find thirty or more huddled together trying to maintain moisture. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I scooped up handful after handful of wriggling earthworms and laid them carefully in shallow trenches I scraped out with a stone, covering them with clods of cool moist soil. Some struggled to escape from my cupped palm, while others were very reluctant to have me pick them up at all, despite the fact that they were facing certain death. A few worms actually began to move toward me after I had liberated their compatriots from the rapidly warming tarmac; I felt that they sensed on a psychic level that I was there to help. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My walk had to be abbreviated to a mere 2 miles that day, rescuing worms took precedence over working off last night’s pizza. The sun was high by the time I made my way back along the road where the worms had been; their dried up dead bodies littered the pavement. It made me sad to see the clumps -mass graves of worms- that I hadn’t reached in time. Next time the sun comes up after a long, soaking rain, I intend to get out earlier and collect as many as I can rescue and relocate them to my garden or compost pile.</span><br />
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-80504019014986475332011-01-05T04:36:00.000-05:002014-07-28T21:53:12.043-04:00Hawaiian Soul-Journ part VII: Navigating the Path<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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On my second day at the sacred beach called Polihale, I made another pilgrimage to the enormous pali’s at the end of the earth. I so much desired to be free of my pain, my heartache, my confusion, and all of my baggage. (Yes. All of it. At once. Let’s get this done already!) I located a good writing stick and began a personal ceremony to “name it,” “claim it,” and then purge it.</div>
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I started by drawing Reiki symbols in the sand and meditating, then I got up and began to write in the sand all that I wished to let go of, one at a time. I consciously felt into each item on the list before I inscribed the word upon the sand: my former fiancé who had so deeply wounded my heart this year, my former business partner and best friend whose path and mine had so recently separated, my ex-husband who was with me at this very spot the last time I visited more than a decade earlier… and that was just the beginning of the people I needed to release! </div>
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After I cleansed my psyche of the names and their immediate emotional associations, I got to work on taking ownership of my own personally perceived flaws. I pulled up everything I could, resonating with every dark thought, every bullying internal voice, every insecurity; one by one I allowed the ocean to erase the words while again and again I forgave myself for not being perfect. This took a long time.</div>
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Once I felt fairly emptied out, I sent my psychic roots out of my soles and deep into Mother Earth, receiving love and offering gratitude, filling myself with light. I felt a lot of weight come off that morning, but knew that there was still more work to do. I went to sleep that night anticipating the powerful ceremonies yet to come; the solstice was in two days, followed by a full lunar eclipse. </div>
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The rain began to fall that night while I slept, and I knew that the dirt road to this remote spot would quickly become impassible. I awoke to light drizzle and decided to explore the other end of the long beach anyway; I walked for a couple of hours, scanning for special shells and feeling the rain clouds thickening. The waves were getting bigger and soon there was quite a population of surfers arriving on the beach in their monster trucks, then the rain came in earnest.</div>
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It was not going to be clearing up, this much was now evident; I had only enough food and water for about 3 more days, and the ice in my cooler was all but completely melted. My Honda Accord was no “Grave Digger” and it wasn’t SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!! So needless to say, I had a decision to make: either stay, biding my time in the tent until the way out was drivable again (but I had no idea how long that might be), or take my chances on the already flooded roads -that would only continue to get worse- in order to git while the gittin’ was good.</div>
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Frustrated, I broke camp in the rain, cursing loudly; I wanted so much to be at this place for a powerful solstice ceremony, I had been planning it for months. I felt like the spirits of Polihale were kicking me out and it made me feel like a failure, but I could see no other way; I would not have made it another week. I finally got my wet, sandy tent packed up and all my gear stowed back in the car; bedraggled and dejected, I started the car and headed out toward the access road.</div>
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This five mile, heavily rutted and uneven thoroughfare is really just a farm road that runs along the edge of a sugar cane plantation; even under the most ideal, dry conditions it takes more than 20 minutes to get from one end to the other. When I got to the dirt road, my jaw dropped; it was much worse than I had imagined it would be. The road was almost completely washed out; enormous stretches of deep muddy puddles sprawled over the entire width of the road, some several car lengths long. There was no telling just how deep they were, or where the best place to drive through would be; I was screwed.</div>
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Picking my way carefully around the edge of the first “pond” I saw a souped-up Toyota Tacoma coming up on my rear. “I’d better let him pass,” I thought. “He doesn’t want to get stuck behind me!” I navigated the puddle and pulled way over to give him room to get around me and my little Honda. To my surprise, this mini-monster truck –with a chassis 3 feet high and big dirt-eating tires- didn’t go blasting through the mucky playground leaving me to eat his mud-pies. Instead, this Ambassador of Aloha carefully navigated the shallowest aspect of each wet trench and waited for me to follow suit.</div>
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White-knuckled, I followed the Toyota through every slippery mud-hole, navigated flooded trenches and rejoiced every time I made it. I was remembering the last time I had been on this road in similar conditions and all the abandoned, stranded vehicles that littered the road. With each soggy ditch I left behind however, my confidence grew and I began to shout “YEE HAW!” My tires sprayed sticky sludge in my wake and I spun the wheel and did hole-shots like a true country hick. When the furrows were especially long and deep, my rescuer drove fast right down the center and telepathically I knew to get right up on his bumper and ride in his wake where his truck had displaced the water. </div>
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Filth splashed all over my little car, and the windshield was getting very difficult to see out of, but I knew better than to run the wipers while the path ahead was still so treacherous; it would only make a bigger mess. Finally, there was a decent stretch of road without a puddle for about 50 yards, so I hit the washer/wipers and prayed that there was enough fluid in the reservoir to do the job before I got to the next grimy gully ahead. Did I mention that the windshield wipers have a trick to shut them off? It requires a Zen-like patience to get the lever into just the right spot while the wiper arms are positioned correctly. I nailed it on the first try; I was in the zone.</div>
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Eventually, I saw the end of the road approaching and was filled with ecstatic joy at what I had just accomplished. I woot-wooted a few times, nailed it and oversteered for one last thrill. My champion in the Tacoma celebrated by taking an even more off-road route parallel to the path I was on and racing me to the end, then he detoured for a little more fun. I got to the end, pulled over and ran my wipers again while waiting for his truck to emerge. When the Toyota appeared, I enthusiastically gave him a “hang loose” and beeped my horn; I got a merry high sign in return. </div>
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My car was filthy, (and my driver-side window was down the whole time), I was shaking from adrenaline and realized that my diminished feelings of failure had been banished by the wonderful adventure made possible by the angel in the truck that had been sent to guide me to safety. The phone rang and on the other end of the line was my new friend asking me if I wanted to take a break from camping and crash out on his fold out couch. “Hell YES!” I replied; Kauai was letting me know that I was still in divine flow and I was so grateful for the message.</div>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-32799960016876349352010-12-25T04:46:00.000-05:002014-07-28T21:47:56.805-04:00Hawaiian Soul-Journ part VI: Spirit Elder & Whale<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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I headed out the next day to camp at the most sacred place in the world to me: Polihale. This place dredges something up in even the stoniest heart; it literally feels like the end of the world. In fact, in Hawaiian legend, this is the place where the spirits of the dead leave the island. Since I came here in 1998 and 1999, I have retreated here in my heart and mind; I have visualized this place when going on shamanic journeys to the lower world; I have met many spirit guides here when I have soul traveled. To me, this is one of the Earth’s power centers and I intended to do ceremony here for the solstice and the full lunar eclipse, something I had been planning for months.</div>
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My first night was sublime. The nearly full moon illuminated the beach in shades of platinum and the rumble of the waves was deep resonant backdrop to the more than majestic mountains that framed the beach. I slept peacefully feeling embraced by the cliffs behind me and the ocean in front of me, warm and dry. I awoke before dawn and strolled the length of the shoreline all the way to the base of the pali’s where the sea, the lava rocks and the mountains all merge. I sat down to meditate, feeling overcome by the slenderness of the veil between worlds.</div>
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I was distracted by a young man I had just passed on way to this spot; he wore his long dark hair in a topknot and was clearly also doing ceremony only a few hundred yards from where I was. He was a beautiful person, not simply on a physical plane; his energy exuded outward in peaceful waves and I wondered if he was a Kahuna. I have been wanting so much to connect with a Kahuna to help me heal, that I was sure he was someone I needed to meet, however I was far too overcome to approach him so I asked my guides to tell him if I was someone he needed to speak to, then I let go.</div>
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I could feel that he knew I wanted to talk to him, but that the time was not yet right, so again I attempted to quiet my mind and meditate. This time I slipped right over to the other realm, so thin was the curtain that separated the lower and middle kingdoms. Immediately I became aware of the Council of Elders, a group of wizened, ascended shamans that always seem to be gathered here at the Spirit-plane Polihale. I asked for guidance and felt the immediate presence of my main guide: one I call simply “Grandfather.”</div>
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“Grandfather” seemed rather disinterested in my questions, my confusion and my desire for guidance and enlightenment. Every time I asked him for advice, I’d hear in my head “Relax.” I was really in my head, trying to understand my lessons, release what I needed to let go of and to figure out how best to proceed on my path of personal healing. Intellectually, I knew I had to let go of trying to mentally process it, and was amused by the irony of that. ARGH! </div>
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At that moment, I felt Grandfather tap me on one shoulder from behind and the he pointed out to the ocean over my other shoulder. “Open your eyes,” he said. “Look.” Obediently, I did as instructed and saw two boats near where he had directed my gaze. “Two boats,” I said. “One is coming in, the other is going out. What does that mean?” “Shh. Keep looking.” At that moment a whale breached completely out of the water and came down with a huge splash right where he had indicated. I leapt to my feet, shouting and cheering!!</div>
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I was so thrilled, I couldn’t contain myself; Whale Spirit had been a big part of my last shamanic journey by taking me to my guides. Seeing this whale as it had been pointed out to me by my Spirit Guide validated to me that I really am in contact with something outside of myself, that is to say if anything really is outside ourselves… that includes all of us and all of everything. What a great sign! My inner child came out and I really understood that I could really relax and play, not try to figure it all out.</div>
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As I made my way back toward my campsite, I felt elated, but my turmoil still existed beneath it all. I had to walk past the young Kahuna who was now facing inland toward the cliffs, deep in prayer. I didn’t want him to feel my sticky energy, so I opened my heart to love and grace as widely as I could, knowing that some shadows remained. As I approached his field, I felt a beautiful reverence, innocence and joy vibrating all around him. It added to my whale-happy feelings of bliss and I simply began to run, not like a racer, nor a therapeutic jog; I ran like a 10 year old: for fun without a reason. Just because.</div>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-68162323719926148922010-12-24T04:20:00.003-05:002014-07-28T21:42:21.772-04:00Hawaiian Soul-Journ part V: Not Separate<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Still noticing the couples all around me and feeling a little isolated, last week up on the North shore, I took myself out on a date for sushi at a fantastic place in Hanalei. I asked the sushi chef (the first woman sushi chef I ever did see) if there was a good place to hear some live music nearby, and she suggested a local bar call the Tahiti Nui. I remembered that Mike’s roommate Lyza had told me that it was THE local hangout for hook ups. Well, I was more interested in seeing live music, the thought of a hook up actually turned my stomach, but it might be fun to meet some people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The place was not terribly crowded when I arrived, so I perched on a barstool toward the back of the place where I could take in the entire scene and ordered a Kauai brewed beer. The music was sad, and I wondered what possessed me to come here at all. I struck up a short conversation with an old uncle next to me, and within a moment another guy arrived -clearly on the prowl- and had Uncle introduce us. (They were in cahoots, apparently) I’ll call this guy Rupert the corn and soy farmer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Rupert began to pontificate about pesticides and go on about GMO’s; he displayed his Miller Light (?) and proudly exclaimed that it was made from all GMO corn and that none of it has ever done him any harm. Looking at him, I would have to disagree; energetically, there was a lot going on there, and none of it was healthy. In any case, he was the only person I had to talk to, and rather than try to convert his thinking about organics (although I made a few half-hearted attempts), I decided to seek some common ground.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> In a less than open-hearted space I joined Rupert in making comments about the single’s scene before us. I noticed one guy who really looked like he ought to be in a beer commercial and his somewhat sleazy attempts to hook up. With nothing else to talk about, Rupert and I discussed his moves in a play by play and admittedly, I was not conducting myself from a compassionate place in regards to “Budweiser’s” own loneliness. I was about to get reminded of who I really am.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In a short while a man wearing a T-shirt with the Impulse logo (a great jazz record label) sat down on the other side of Rupert. We caught him up to speed on the characters we had nicknamed: Budweiser, Wing Man, Guinevere and others and then Rupert began his spiel defending GMO corn and pesticides. Tim patiently listened for a while before laughing good-naturedly and casually debating Rupert’s diatribe. It wasn’t long before he saw the futility in that tack, but he quickly impressed me as someone I would naturally be friends with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The next time Rupert went to the men’s room, I scootched over a seat to talk with Tim some more; he was open and friendly and clearly very bright. After a few minutes of chit chat, I began to once again make comments about the mating rituals of the twenty-somethings at the bar in front of us. That’s when Tim brought me up short on my lame behavior. “Why do you think you’re separate from this? Everyone just wants to make a connection; that’s why we’re all here isn’t it? Every one of these people has a heart and is probably very interesting to get to know. Do you really think they are doing something wrong?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I had gotten so caught up in my story and my loneliness that I had hardened my heart, was becoming bitter and isolating myself further. I had a flash of a <a href="http://theessenceofblogging.blogspot.com/2010/07/dream-that-started-it-all.html">prophetic dream</a> I had earlier in the year where I attempted to escape a terrible storm by seeking shelter in an all –glass house. In a rush of revelation, I stopped that trajectory and from my heart thanked Tim for calling me out on my bullshit. “Just bar talk,” he said, “no big deal.” It was to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Mahalo Tim.</span></div>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-65253942010771079462010-12-20T16:41:00.001-05:002014-07-28T21:27:00.617-04:00Hawaiian Soul-Journ part IV: The Peeps<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been blessed on this journey to encounter so many kind and helpful folks; at every camp, there is a good neighbor, on every beach there is a friendly encounter, and at any random location there is a new friend to be made. At my first campsite, Anini Beach, I met a super nice couple from California who run a wilderness school. In the middle of the hellacious storm, they escaped the misery to get some grinds (that’s food to those of us on the mainland). They were kind enough to bring me back a half a pizza because they knew I was reluctant to go out and leave my tent in the middle of the storm, and they were always ready with a morning cup of coffee if I wanted it. Before I left a few days later, I found a cast off grass beach mat and left it for them as a thank you; I have found those things to be indispensable for sandy seaside camping… it keeps the majority of the beach out of your tent.</div>
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I don’t even need to go into further detail on just what an awesome friend Mike has been to me on this journey, but I will anyway. Aside from the cooler, the beach chair, the towels, the pillows, the fantastic meals, the leftovers, the warm showers, and the laundry facilities, Mike is a great source of endless information about the plants, birds, trees, beaches and island lore. Seriously, the guy obviously reads a lot and listens carefully to what people tell him when they “talk story.” At this point in my trip, I have been dealing with a LOT of rain, and when I called to check in with him he told me that he’s been looking into hotels and condos that are going cheap right now due to last minute holiday cancellations. The level of thoughtfulness that it takes to even have that sort of thing occur to someone is a rare quality indeed. Mahalo Mike.</div>
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Mike’s friend and roommate Lyza is a vivacious and gregarious woman; one afternoon we went to check out some of the North Shore beaches and she gave me the low-down on the best surf spots and the local names for them: Tunnels, Cannons, Koko, Middles, Chicken Wing, Dump Truck, West Reef and The Killing Floor to name but a few. We had a fun afternoon ogling tight bodied surfer boys as they passed in front of us coming off of Cannons, broken surfboards in hand. I found out that that’s a good thing, to break a board; that means that it was gnarly, dude.</div>
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One morning I was walking on Haena Beach, doing my usual AM shell picking; I was totally zoned out on the meditative task of eyeballing Puka and kahelelani shells. Being so completely myopic, and seeing only two or three feet directly in front of me, I was alerted abruptly by the shrill sound of someone yelling and whistling. I glanced up, but it didn’t appear that anyone was looking at me. I kept going a few more feet when into my field of vision appears the tail of a monk seal. Right there. In front of me. It was attached, naturally, to a full grown, lazily napping <i>Monachus schauinslandi </i>weighing approximately 300+ pounds. It is illegal to harass or otherwise annoy one of these endangered animals, so the fact that I was only a couple of feet from it concerned me greatly. I went into the water to give it as wide a berth as possible and quickly hustled away. I looked up the beach at a couple of tourists with mouths agape and said, “Oh my god. Do you have a cell phone? Can you call someone? That needs to be roped off, I almost tripped over him!!” They didn’t speak English.<br />
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I scanned the beach further and saw that over by the emergency lifeguard equipment (strategically placed every few hundred yards along all the beaches here) a guy was hurriedly gathering the signs and yellow rope to cordon off the seal. I ran over to help and apologized profusely for being so engrossed in beach combing that I didn’t see it. He was generously non-chalant about my bone-headed move and accepted my assistance.</div>
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Apparently this old-school surfer, Billy volunteers with protecting these nearly prehistoric mammals and knows most of them individually. This particular seal was new to him and lacked the usual defining scars that most of the resident seals are tattooed with; there are scars from fishing nets that get caught around their necks, deep marks from injuries sustained by encounters with boat rudders and a telltale round wound that they get on their underbellies from bites taken out of them by the “cookie-cutter” sharks. Between that and the constant increase in tourism on their preferred napping areas, the monk seals endure a lot on a regular basis; all they want to do when they beach themselves is to get a solid rest before going back out into the daily challenges of their watery terrain. He sure was cute… the seal, that is.</div>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-321413906974304592010-12-18T19:19:00.001-05:002014-07-28T21:07:51.871-04:00Hawaiian Soul-Journ part III: After the Storm...The FOOD!!!!<div class="MsoNormal">
After the storm, I started to get my Kauai groove on and found that unhooking and relaxing was not as natural to me as it was the last time I was here, eleven years ago. I went about doing the things that I had so enjoyed as a couple when I was here with my ex-husband, and found some peace while combing the beaches for shells. The early parts of my days were enjoyable because Mike had the mornings off from work and he is a great host and knowledgeable tour guide. It seemed that no matter what I asked him about the island, ‘What type of plant is this?’ ‘What kind of bird is that?’ and ‘Tell me the name of that tree,’ he was ready with an answer and a fair amount of lore to go along with it. It was astonishing.</div>
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In the afternoons I amused myself with hours of shell picking and beach walking, the weather improved considerably and the scenery is beyond compare. My heart was beginning to ask questions like, “When are we going to do our work?” and I would notice all the couples holding hands, children playing in the sand, and seldom anyone like me, alone. My heart had been holding this heaviness for some time now, this trip to Hawaii was for my heart specifically… custom designed for emoting and healing the wounds of the past year or ten. I keep finding distractions peppered with intermittent bouts of tears; like the weather now: sunny with intermittent showers. Some distractions are worth sharing here and I know that having fun is also a big part of the healing process; it can’t be all ceremony, tears and meditation.</div>
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I took myself out one night for dinner and decided to just order a couple of appetizers. Here’s what I got: Local mushroom cassoulet with white beans and bitter greens, as well as locally raised organic lamb ribs with a green chili glaze. It was delicious and generously portioned; I had to take half of it back to the camp to cook with eggs in the morning! Campside, I also prepared a lovely dinner with an slab of Ahi (the local tuna) rubbed with a chili powder (prepared before I left) and encrusted with macadamia nuts then seared on my camp stove… delicious. I served that with some cut up apple bananas and an avocado that a shopkeeper gave me because she had so many that fell off her tree in the storm; plus I had a salad with fresh key lime juice and olive oil. That was all amazing, especially as I was eating it on a picnic table a few feet from the mighty Pacific. </div>
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My first Sunday on the island, Mike and I went to the Princeville St. Regis for brunch; this was no ordinary buffet, let me tell you. The fact that my buddy has company perks and we got to enjoy this incredible spread for half price didn’t hurt at all either. We consumed vast amounts of delicacies that were locally sourced and spectacular; we were both so obscenely stuffed, that even the light Thai soup that Mike prepared for our dinner hours later was almost too much.</div>
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I was also clued in on the local bakery in Kilauea, about five minutes from my campsite at Anini Beach where I stayed for 4 nights. What a haven that was!! One morning I went with Mike there for our morning Joe and heard someone call my name; it confused me obviously, who did I know on Kauai? There was Jamie, the sweet guy who picked me up at the airport. It is a small island (in fact I ran into him again at the Hanalei Farmer’s Market). The Kilauea Bakery has the BEST cup of Kona coffee to be found and pastries that would make you cry. I had a sticky bun there one morning that was so good, that I could hear angels singing when I bit into it. This became my morning pilgrimage, coffee, pastry and internet service. Aloha.</div>
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The farmer’s market in Hanalei was remarkable; by far the largest on the island, this Saturday market features all things local: organic produce, baked goods and crafts. The fruit was the best I had ever seen: apple bananas are so sweet and tangy and bear little resemblance to the starchy yellow-skinned fruit we have on the mainland. Papayas are so sweet and juicy that the ripe ones get snatched up fast. A rainbow of citrus is available at nearly every stand including “killer limes” (they were), sugary tangerines, ruby grapefruits (only 50 cents each!), and kaffir limes. Pineapples are always perfectly ripe and fragrant here and the avocados were available in great abundance.<br />
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Shopping at the market with Mike was a blast because he is a professional chef at a five star hotel and really knows his shit. He sniffed, squeezed and tasted at every booth and gave me a play by play of which prices were too high, who had the best offerings and who we should come back to visit at the next market. There was a loaf of bread that we absolutely had to pay the full price for, especially when we saw a man and his daughter leave the table with 6 loaves. Called “Hawaiian Christmas bread,” the purveyor boasted that it was a “stolen recipe.” On closer inspection, we saw that the soft, glazed pastry was stuffed with tropical fruit and several veins of marzipan. Oh dear Lord. </div>
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This particular market was where Mike introduced me to a fruit I had only read about but never eaten personally: the mangosteen. Popular with some new age health marketing geniuses, the mangosteen is a cute, round purple orb festooned with a cap of chunky green leaves on the stem and a star at the blossom end that looked like it was from the set of “The Dating Game”. To get to the fruit, this purple husk must be scored with a knife and removed; inside is a small, white center divided into sections, one larger than the rest that contains a seed. The taste of this tiny morsel is worth the buck and a quarter apiece; creamy and lightly musky with a bit of tang at the finish; the mangosteen tastes like nothing I have ever eaten. What’s even more wonderful about this delicacy is the way it makes you feel instantly; it’s like your heart does a little cartwheel and the inner child comes out to play. This is truly the fruit for me, boy howdy.<br />
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The reason Mike did such careful shopping at the market was for a special dinner he was planning: a divine curry with fresh shrimp and fish as well as many local vegetables including a sweet potato, long beans, coconut, and local mushrooms seasoned with wild tangerines and kaffir lime leaves and fruit that we foraged near the Hula Heiau, (but that’s another story). It was amazing!! I even got to eat the leftovers at my camp a couple of times, much to the envy of fellow campers I can imagine, for the fragrance alone was swoon-worthy. Okay, so if I haven’t made it clear by now, the food on Kauai is marvelous! Despite the fact that I have been gorging myself with delectable treats daily, I have lost a lot of weight in the short time I’ve been here; walking, breathing clean air and eating light, clean foods (even if in abundance) has given me renewed energy and a feeling of all around well-being.</div>
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I have met some fascinating characters here, but that is something for me to “talk story” about in my next installment. Aloha, my friends.</div>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-57147250986372928732010-12-18T18:14:00.000-05:002014-07-28T21:03:59.899-04:00Hawaiian Soul-Journ part II: The Storm<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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The waves were crashing so fiercely and I knew that I was a bit too close to the shore break for comfort, or perhaps even safety, but since I had only just arrived, I really didn’t know for sure. I woke up every few minutes to look outside the tent to see if the surf was really still 10 feet from the flap and noticed the folks in the tent next to me doing the same thing. Their flashlight was more powerful than mine, so I could see clearly that we were still safe, but even still, we were all pretty uneasy. Finally at about 3:30 AM I began to debate whether I aught to move the tent straight away or if I could wait until daylight and race the imminent rain. Finally I decided that I would be better off moving the whole thing in the dark while it was still dry rather than take the chance on beating the rain. Despite jetlag and the semi-conscious state I was in, I was surprisingly efficient at moving back about 20 feet and once I was settled in my new spot, I felt much more relaxed and fell immediately asleep.</div>
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In the morning I noticed that sometime after I had moved my tent, the other campers around me opted to do the same. We all agreed that it was a bit of a rough night, but were glad that we didn’t wait, the rain began in earnest well before dawn. Soggy and fatigued, we all settled in for the thirty hours of heavy, soaking rainfall that would ensue. I did a few errands to make my vinyl home as accommodating as possible, including a grass mat for a front “porch” that would effectively keep me from tracking in a lot of sand… little did I know.<br />
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By evening, the rain was picking up a bit and I figured that I might as well snuggle down for the night, even if it was only 7:30 PM. I was grooving on my digs, Facebooking with friends and generally having a nice time until I realized that I was getting rather wet. The rain was coming down so hard that a puddle had formed on one side of my tent and the rain was actually splashing UP from the ground and getting wet, dirty sand into the tent through the fine mesh. I hurriedly moved all my bedding to the center of the tent, the driest spot I had. I silently thanked myself for not going out for the evening to escape the rain; all my bedding had been piled up on the side of the tent that was filthy and soaked. I laid a towel down to absorb it and squeezed myself into the rapidly shrinking semi-damp part of the tent to keep from getting drenched.</div>
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A couple of hours later I heard the rumble of thunder; my friend Mike told me that thunderstorms are pretty uncommon here on Kauai, with perhaps only two storms a year. I was excited that I was going to witness this rare event from such an intimate vantage point; my enthusiasm was literally dampened as the storm got closer and it became evident that I was in a dangerous situation. Smart phone in hand, I started checking the local weather; this was in fact a very dangerous storm. The weather advisory insisted that people seek shelter in a strong building due to ground to cloud lightening and 60 mph gusts of wind. I looked around my dirty, wet tent and realized that if I left it, it could very possibly blow away to the sea. The time frame for the most severe part of the storm would only last for another 15 minutes, so I decided to stick it out. The wind picked up and one of my tent poles collapsed; I frantically began to repair my shelter from the inside and hold onto the supports while the storm raged and the wind howled on the other side of a millimeter of material. <br />
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I prayed loudly and began to meditate, I felt surprisingly calm; it was like part of me was observing the predicament I was in, but simply going through the motions of survival, no time to panic. I linked up to Facebook again to ask for some helpful energy and protection, and immediately felt much safer. The tempest raged on for what seemed like an eternity, but in fact was only another 20 minutes. The pleasant thing about all the wind was that it almost completely dried up the wet puddles of sand that has worked their way into my synthetic home and left me with only the soaked, sandy towel and a clammy tent. It continued to shower for part of the next day, and the forecast called for much more rain, but it miraculously cleared up.</div>
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I felt that I had been washed and initiated; I had passed a test. In many ways it felt quite metaphoric: I had been in survival mode since my world flipped upside down in May. I had to keep going, head down, nose to the grindstone to try to make a living, find a means to stay in my home and look for answers. My body, mind and spirit had been totally focused on survival in order to get to Hawaii so that I could finally UNHOOK. So, here I was, literally faced with a survival situation and having gotten to the other side of it, it truly delineated for me that I could finally relax. I am here. It’s time to surrender.</div>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-76870058989547402142010-12-14T13:54:00.001-05:002014-07-28T20:15:42.441-04:00Hawaiian Soul-Journ part I<div class="MsoNormal">
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The flight seemed to last an eternity; I had forgotten how remote Hawaii really is… another world in all senses. In a dream-like state I drifted through airports, making flight connections and eating whenever the opportunity presented. BAD food. Awful, chemically-laden, airport food. My stomach felt bloated and I was in a constant cloud of my own horrible gas. I expected that by contrast, the plumeria-scented Hawaiian air would be sublime.</div>
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I finally arrived in Honolulu and needed to book a flight to Kauai, the woman at the counter suggested that I plug in my laptop and make a reservation online, thereby saving myself about $50 or so; the Aloha spirit had welcomed me straight away. I contacted my good friend’s former boyfriend to let him know I would be arriving soon and he enthusiastically greeted me with a warm invitation to see a rare intimate performance of Krishna Das. I was in a quandary; bone-tired, bloated and farting to beat the band, all I wanted was to find a clean hotel room, fall into a deep slumber and then regroup in the morning. This warm and amiable fellow was presenting an opportunity to start exploring one of the many reasons I had come to Hawaii: to move outside my comfort zone, to stretch my boundaries and have new experiences. </div>
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At that moment, I got a Facebook message from another acquaintance that I met in an online class: I simply MUST see Krishna Das!! Did I know that he would be doing kirtan in Lihue that night when I arrived?? The venue was only 5 minutes from the airport and I felt myself leaning first one way then the next, should I go to the concert or should I go to bed?</div>
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After claiming my luggage at the Lihue airport, I perched myself on a bench to wait for Jamie to pick me up. A truly handsome man sat next to me and we began to chat about our long and grueling flights. His flight was even longer than mine, and he was telling me that he has been working with third world nations installing solar and sustainable energy systems since the 1970’s. I wanted to learn more about him and his good works, but at that moment Jamie arrived with arms outstretched to embrace me like his oldest, dearest friend. “It’s so great to meet you!” We both declared. I thanked Pete (the man on the bench) for his contributions to humanity and was whisked off. My energy was suddenly revived and I decided, what the hey… a little spiritual uplifting before bed never hurt anyone.</div>
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Krishna Das was wonderful. Children danced and ran around the perimeter of the auditorium, young women wearing flowing outfits bounced and chanted and floated about the room, devotees swayed in their seats, unabashedly ecstatic. I stayed for a while when my fatigue finally over whelmed me; Jamie handed me the car keys, gave me a hug and I was on my own.</div>
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The first snag I hit happened in the parking lot leaving the show. The windshield was filthy, so I turned on the wipers to clean them up a bit before driving in unfamiliar territory. It helped only slightly, but then the bloody things wouldn’t shut off! I turned around, parked, shut the car off and tried to restart it; the key wouldn’t turn. With a sigh of resignation I returned to the auditorium to tell Jamie that the car didn’t like me and I needed some help. Naturally, the car started right up for him (there’s a trick) and he shut off the wipers (another trick). I used some Windex and paper towels; (oh look! Sitting right there on the floor of the passenger side!!) Hawaiian magic had begun.</div>
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In the dark, I thought it best that I use my GPS to find the hotel, but that didn’t work out. Eventually, I saw my oasis and booked a nice clean and reasonably priced room. A cute little cockroach greeted me in the bathroom; I was on their turf now, so I had better get used to it. No worries, I thought, they clean up our refuse and that’s important. I slept deeply.</div>
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The morning sun was bright and I was ready for my adventures to begin. I called my old friend Mike who lives here on Kauai and he was enthusiastic about reconnecting. We had a fantastic breakfast at a restaurant I remembered from the last time I visited and then he drove me down to the government offices to get my camping permits. This was very helpful, because I was able to see the streets in the daylight and get my bearings. I also needed to buy a pair of sunglasses, as I left mine back in CT.</div>
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Mike loaned me a towel, beach chair and a cooler –all the comforts- and I went off to set up my first campsite. This is where the adventure I was seeking truly began, but that is the next chapter. In the meantime, here’s a little diary entry from that first blissful night:</div>
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<i>I have arrived. Kauai. I love this place, I can’t believe I’m here… finally. I am sitting at a picnic table at Anini Beach in Kilauea, camped under a Kaimani tree with the only sound is distant fellow campers mostly drowned out by the surf that is crashing about 20 feet from my front door… er check that… front flap. I had some local lettuces, goat cheese and avocado for dinner and I’m still waiting on the red rice… it seems to be taking forever.</i></div>
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<i>Whew. That was a close wave… we are protected here by a reef, people enjoy some of the safest swimming and about the best snorkeling on the island here. I heard today on a local community radio station the reefs are dying here on Kauai. Pesticides, Chemicals and fertilizers are doing such damage it seems like a race for us to finally awaken those that still slumber in their unsustainable reverie. Perhaps the land of coffee is the best place to wake people up…. Which reminds me that there is a serious infestation of coffee borer worms on the Big Island that is putting all the Kona coffee in jeopardy!</i></div>
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<i>Oh Humanity!!!!</i></div>
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<i>Time to check the rice… OH HAPPY DAY! It’s done. Food is especially delicious right now. My appetite is stimulated by the air, the surf, the wildness… and my solitude. I am not entirely alone here. I am so grateful that my old friend Mike still lives here. He came to have breakfast with me today and to pick up my camping permits. It’s been over ten years since we saw each other and yet, apart from our hair being greyer now, it seems like no time has passed at all. What a good friend! He’s given me a beach chair, a cooler, water bottle and the luxury of a hot shower from time to time. He even managed to find me a sweet deal on a night at the Westin with his employee perks! Damn, this is good rice.</i></div>
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<i>Tomorrow a large front is supposed to moving in; it’s par for the course when I set up a tent here! The exciting thing is, we may get thunder storms, which is a rare occurrence here. I hope that my Kaimani tree and tent hold their own. Well, I think I am going to start settling in for the night. I need to get an early bedtime in, the sunrise will be my alarm tomorrow.</i></div>
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<i>Aloha.</i><br />
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-51929106292557297622010-11-07T20:01:00.002-05:002010-11-07T21:10:27.093-05:00Autumn is About Letting Go...<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TNdbH5bqYeI/AAAAAAAAA-w/9vWIm4OZSoA/s1600/fall+header2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TNdbH5bqYeI/AAAAAAAAA-w/9vWIm4OZSoA/s400/fall+header2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>For nature-based spiritual traditions, Samhain marks the close of one cycle and the year then begins anew. According to <a href="http://thepowerpath.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=298:november-forecast-2010&catid=17:monthly-forecasts&Itemid=65" style="color: blue ! important; text-decoration: underline ! important;">Lena Stevens™ Power Path Forecast</a>, this month is all about Resolution and Healing. Hallowe’en was particularly poignant for me resolution-wise, because after 5 months of continued cohabitation with my ex-fiancé, that was the day he moved out. I wasn’t quite prepared for the depth of grief that washed over me, and instead of trying to put on a mask of cheerfulness, I retreated to my personal safe asylum for a couple of days until I had recovered. With the loss of so much this past year, I feel that part of me has died, but the Bat, the Snake, and the Butterfly that have been coming to me in Dreamtime are significant indicators of the rebirth that I am also powerfully experiencing.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TNdJ1ziD7iI/AAAAAAAAA-c/mF_9Rqhz_s8/s1600/chrysalis2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TNdJ1ziD7iI/AAAAAAAAA-c/mF_9Rqhz_s8/s320/chrysalis2.JPG" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">©Lisl Meredith 2010</td></tr>
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</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">What a rebirth!! So many blessings have filled the vacant spaces in my soul that despite the sadness, I am grateful for the spiritual housecleaning! I have been stretching my limits lately, doing things I haven never been courageous enough to do on my own before. Now I am getting ready for my Healing “Souljourn” to Hawaii by myself for 6 weeks, and a for a good portion of that time I will be on a solo mission, staying in a small tent while exploring the beauty of paradise, and meditating. I am going to be teaching the aromatherapy certification course on the Big Island in January and am very excited about that too.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I am leaving in a few weeks and have been extremely busy booking appointments. If you want to get in to see me before I leave on December 7<sup>th</sup>, please call to schedule as soon as you can, my calendar is filling up rapidly! Rest assured, even though I will be "roughing it" for the first part of my personal retreat in December, I will have technology with me and can refill your prescriptions and take your oil orders. I am going to try to get Paypal up on my website in the next 4 weeks to make things more efficient, but in any case, make note of my <a href="http://www.herbalisl.com/">cell number and my email address!!</a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption">©Lisl Meredith 2008</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Several women have told me that through my disclosure of the trials I have had to face this year, they have felt inspired with courage to make difficult changes in their own lives. I applaud them and everyone who does what they must do for the highest and best good, even when it is hard. In the end all that we end up sacrificing is really what no longer fits, and although it still is painful, it clears a space for great blessings. A friend said to me yesterday, “You’re doing so WELL!” and I have to agree, but please know that we all have our bad days and it’s necessary to honor our sadness too, that is how we come to Resolution and Healing. Never, ever, ever beat yourself up for what you are feeling. Love yourself, always.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Warm Autumn Blessings,</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Lisl</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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<tr align="right"><td class="tr-caption">©Lisl Meredith 2008</td></tr>
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</div>Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-66133068954699703082010-11-07T18:54:00.001-05:002013-10-22T17:24:31.000-04:00Clearing Meditation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Now, imagine roots emerging from the soles of your feet and the base of your spine. Feel those roots penetrate the Earth, seeking the moist, comforting depths that Gaia offers. Deeper still, your roots nudging aside small pebbles, pushing through the dense soil… Deeper still, your roots slide past the worms and burrowing insects… Deeper still, your roots slip past tunneling creatures hidden away in their underground warrens… Deeper still, you feel the pull of the Mother’s Heart as your roots graze the crystals and precious stones hidden within Her flesh. Now draw in a breath from the depths of your subterranean roots and feel that breath of life swirl up your roots like a vortex of energy. Feel that breath as it spins throughout your body, moving up, up, up to your crown and explodes in brilliant light just above your head. Exhale that breath now infused with your Light, your Energy and your Love back down through your body, whirling down your legs, down your roots, back to the Heart of Gaia. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Do this several times, each inhalation infusing you with more Light, more Brilliance, and more Love. Take note of any areas of your body, mind or spirit that feel dense or heavy, gently observe any spaces that the Light may not be penetrating. Now call in your Guides, your Angels or your God and ask that they help you to release this heaviness. Offer it to them, be willing to release it and know that this is the will of the Divine. Say aloud to yourself with conviction that you are now willing and ready to release this block, this dense energy and have it escorted to Source, to Heaven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Visualize this unwanted energy as a thick mass of dark matter that is now free from your body and being collected by your Spirit Guide. Watch as your Guide or Angel seals this matter in a sphere of golden light and once again give your blessing to its clearance. Observe your Archangel as s/he carries this gossamer globe to God/Source and bear witness to God’s Love as it expands the Golden Ball and it becomes brighter. Behold The Ethereal Orb as it finally bursts open, its contents now transformed by Divine Love. A pink and golden luminescence saturates your field of vision and a shower of pink rose petals lightly falls upon you. All that you have released has been healed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bring your awareness back to your roots and once again breathe in from the depths of Mother Earth. Feel the Light now engulf every part of you until you can literally feel yourself vibrating from the radiance of your Creation. You are a part of Gaia and a part of God. Within you lies the Sacred Marriage. Within you resides the Light of the Divine.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Practice this meditation every day to clear away old stories and patterns, and soon you will carry this Light nearly always. You will become acutely aware of any unwanted or heavy energy as soon as it takes up residence and be able to clear it before it becomes a story that will drag you down or dampen your Flame. Your glow will ignite others and this Light will spread out farther and wider… as it is spreading even now.</span></span><br />
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-49428676823884957382010-09-13T15:01:00.000-04:002010-09-13T15:01:51.672-04:00Complementary Cancer care<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5ya1e6QKI/AAAAAAAAA7c/AZNJMGgFVgE/s1600/cancer+collage2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5ya1e6QKI/AAAAAAAAA7c/AZNJMGgFVgE/s400/cancer+collage2.jpg" width="242" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> When it comes to cancer treatment, the best strategy is specifically customized to the individual, not a blanket approach.</span><span> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lisl Meredith Huebner, Dipl.CH</span><span> uses a combination of protocols gathered from her 15 years of experience in clinical practice as a Chinese and Western Herbalist. Amazing results come from blending the proper diet, supplements, herbs and lifestyle; the</span><span> </span><span>benefits of which are invaluable particularly when confronted with a powerful adversary like cancer.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Ms. Huebner stays up-to-date on current analysis and research in order to provide the best care for her patients. She frequently writes articles for various publications and offers her clients free detailed educational material to ensure that they understand their process completely. She takes all the time necessary during each patient’s appointment to answer all questions, provide a compassionate sounding board and to offer wisdom and guidance throughout the course of their healing.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div id="RadEditorStyleKeeper4" style="display: none;"> </div><div id="RadEditorStyleKeeper6" style="display: none;"> </div><style>
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</style> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5yqrny94I/AAAAAAAAA7k/e2DX8gFklJo/s1600/herbalisl+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5yqrny94I/AAAAAAAAA7k/e2DX8gFklJo/s320/herbalisl+collage.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoBodyText3" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Chinese or Western herbal formulas in convenient tablet, tincture, capsule or powdered form address both the underlying cause of the imbalance, as well as providing superior immune support and anti-cancer properties. All herbs come from reputable sources and are tested and safe.</span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText3" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div id="RadEditorStyleKeeper7" style="display: none;"> </div><div id="RadEditorStyleKeeper9" style="display: none;"> </div><style>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Essential to diagnosis is the methods of pulse taking and the examination of the tongue.<span> </span>Both are ancient techniques that give an abundance of valuable information to the practitioner regarding the conditions of the vital organs, the blood, the Qi and other key pieces of information necessary for a complete and accurate picture of the client’s state of health. </span><span>Lisl also carefully observes the client’s facial tone and color, the condition of their nails and flesh, their ease of movement, the brightness of their eyes as well as listen to the tone of their voice, what they say and how they say it. She asks comprehensive questions surrounding not only the nature of the problem, but also regarding routine functions of the body such as diet, rest, exercise, menses, elimination and more.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
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</style> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5zQkf9dQI/AAAAAAAAA7s/zzIYeRjvdAs/s1600/homemade-chicken-broth-11-ghv-325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5zQkf9dQI/AAAAAAAAA7s/zzIYeRjvdAs/s200/homemade-chicken-broth-11-ghv-325.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 1pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Lisl understands the common tendency for nausea, reduced appetite and heightened sensitivity to flavors that accompanies chemotherapy, so she also offers her own homemade nutritious chicken and beef stock infused with healing herbs and mushrooms precisely chosen for each client. The ingredients that go into making these mild-tasting healing broths are all natural and organic; frequently purchased directly from local sustainable farms. The potent nourishment in these stocks makes them a perfect base for cooking grains or soups. Efficiently utilize even the smallest appetite to support the adage:</span></span><span style="color: #306335;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"></span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-bottom: 1pt;"><span style="color: #306335;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;"><br />
</span></span></div><div align="center" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="color: #306335; font-size: 16px;"><i><span style="font-size: 16px;">"Make your food your medicine,<br />
and your medicine your food."</span></i></span></b><b><br />
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</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5zjZgRJxI/AAAAAAAAA70/LVu-nBTz11U/s1600/carrotjuice.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TI5zjZgRJxI/AAAAAAAAA70/LVu-nBTz11U/s200/carrotjuice.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">Juicing fresh, organic vegetables and fruit is another way for patients to maximize the sustenance they are able to receive and Lisl has vast experience with combining the best ingredients to meet her patients’ specific needs. Various combinations can be created to support digestion, reduce nausea, help to improve blood levels, and gently detoxify harsh chemotherapeutic agents; all of the juices are pleasant tasting and bursting with concentrated nutrition. By supporting the body’s systems to function at optimal levels, the immune system will have more energy available for repair and healing.</span></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“HerbaLisl” is Lisl Meredith Huebner, Dipl.CH (NCCAOM), RH (AHG), a nationally board certified Chinese Herbalist, and a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. Lisl is also a certified Medicinal Aromatherapist, a Reiki Master an Acupressurist, an Auriculotherapist, a photographer, a renowned diagnostician, a teacher and a published writer who has enjoyed a successful private practice for fifteen years. </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Please call 860-480-0115 or email <a href="mailto:lislmeredith@hotmail.com">lislmeredith@hotmail.com</a><span> </span>if you have any questions, would like to schedule an appointment or are interested in participating in classes or retreats.</i></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span> <br />
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</div>Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-79170611865310242522010-07-07T00:09:00.003-04:002010-07-07T13:05:12.733-04:00The Dream That Started It All<i></i><br />
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It was a long narrow room, like three rooms attached to each other-the center open at either end. A long fold-out conference table was the centerpiece. A group of 12 people mingled about, speaking in low pleasant voices; these were the upper echelon of lightworkers, the top brass. Herbalists, Healers of all stripes, these were the Ascended Masters, but I was not yet aware of the magnitude of their influence and authority. It would not be long before I became educated.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP92Gw2AtI/AAAAAAAAAzY/wp5-UbPDyu4/s1600/nada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP92Gw2AtI/AAAAAAAAAzY/wp5-UbPDyu4/s200/nada.jpg" width="155" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>My best friend and business partner John was not far from my left side when I caught the eye of one member of this great committee, but I could not identify his/her gender. “So,” I said rather brazenly, “How do I sign up to be on the board?”</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I wasn’t expecting an answer, because as soon I said it, I felt embarrassed at my arrogance. Nonetheless, a response came. “Do you think you’re ready?” He/She asked. I mustered up every drop of my self worth, and with my bravest voice replied, “Yes, I am.” At that moment, it became imperative that we evacuate the meeting hall, a big storm was coming. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>As we emerged from the building, it was evident that this was no ordinary storm. Deep bulging clouds the color of wet slate seemed to boil as they skimmed the treetops getting ever closer. Ominous rumblings of thunder registered with such a low vibration that I felt it in my bones and under my feet. Directly to my left I noticed a tiny greenhouse made entirely of clear glass, including the floor. “What an ideal place to watch the storm,” I thought; “I’ll be entirely safe while I observe the storm from this perfect vantage point! Nothing could hurt me in there!!” (Cue the doom music)</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The group of Masters was walking away from me, John with them. I called out to him to watch the storm with me from the glass house, but he couldn’t hear me. Along the tarmac, the procession was striding past my old elementary school toward a distant mountain that bore a striking resemblance to Mt. Shasta. I shouted louder for John, thinking he would be as excited as I was about the discovery of this observation platform, but he was even farther away and the storm was getting louder. Fat drops began to fall and with one last glance toward the departing assembly, I ducked into the shelter of the translucent conservatory.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP7AtoNrRI/AAAAAAAAAzI/CDbQgDQdWWQ/s1600/GlassHouse3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP7AtoNrRI/AAAAAAAAAzI/CDbQgDQdWWQ/s320/GlassHouse3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Everything was constructed of sheer glass, including the floor. “It’s very slippery!” I heard in my head. The voice was loud and booming with an odd quality, as though it were being announced over the radio. “It’s very slippery!” the voice repeated. I grew concerned for the people outside of my refuge. “I hope those people are driving carefully,” I worried inwardly, “it’s very slippery out there.”</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>That’s when the floor tipped up under my feet and like Alice in Wonderland, I went sliding out of the back of the hothouse and landed at the bottom of a steep river embankment. I stood on the narrow sandy strip of earth and noticed the swollen river beside me; its rage was reflecting the brutality of the storm directly above. I turned to the riverbank towering 30 feet above me and attempted to scale the slightly broken left side of the wet, sandy wall. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>After much effort I scrabbled up a few feet and oozed right back down. I turned to the right and made a second attempt but could find no purchase on the damp sand and slid down once again. The sheer sandy face in front of me would be futile to attempt, there was no place to even get a handhold. It’s was useless to keep trying to scramble up this impossible bank. I was down at the bottom and there was only one way out. Giving in to surrender, I pushed off the embankment and thrust myself backward into the rushing torrent.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP7mh0HPxI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/jOzUujMJKqU/s1600/river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP7mh0HPxI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/jOzUujMJKqU/s400/river.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The force of the violent flood immediately swept me downstream and I turned to see where I was being carried. There it was. In the middle of the maelstrom was an enormous boulder that metaphorically had my name on it. “Oh, it’s you,” was barely formed in my mind as a complete void overtook me. I was alone. Lost. Emptied. Poured out. Too vacant to even resonate with grief, yet the emotion was there, detached as though I were observing someone else’s experience. This is the culmination of emotion I experienced in a flash as I watched the rock grow larger and the surge of white water crashing over it. I was heaving right for it; my catalyst.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP3N-25AJI/AAAAAAAAAzA/hHoo_eS0-Gg/s1600/SmBindiPk3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TDP3N-25AJI/AAAAAAAAAzA/hHoo_eS0-Gg/s200/SmBindiPk3.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>I am back in the board room; John is at my left elbow and the Masters have formed a semi-circle around me. In my hands is a round metal box they have presented me with. The lid has a clear plastic window and I see that the squat canister is fluffed with cotton supporting several brightly colored bits of metal bejeweled with rhinestones and glitter. It appears that I am cradling a box of dime-store bindis. “These are your tools,” I am told. “It’s a complete set.”</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>The grief and emptiness take hold of me and I begin to sob. All I have left is this: my tools. I was being prepared for the journey I had agreed to, and I had all the tools I needed to get through it. I woke myself up with the sound of my own soft weeping.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This was one week before my world changed. I was grateful for the forewarning and when the time came, I knew that what I needed to do was surrender, surrender and surrender some more. This I know: the grief I felt in the premonition was no match for the waves of devastation I would experience in the world we call reality for weeks and weeks to come. I have been watching in stunned fascination as I lose everything I love and yet am strongly compelled to simply let it go and surrender to the tide. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">One must be emptied in order to be filled.</div>Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-6985852130474302462010-06-18T11:45:00.001-04:002011-09-11T12:18:31.432-04:00Winds of Change...Here at the Essence of Being, our world has turned inside out. My fiancé, Steve and I have met a critical junction in our relationship and we suddenly find ourselves in the midst of a breakup…It's funny how fast life can change. Fortunately, there are no hard feelings between Steve and I... our relationship had just run its course.<br />
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Winds of change are upon us all......<br />
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We, and many others are being guided to take the next step... we may not be entirely clear on what that is yet, but we'll keep our hearts open to the signs from The Spirit That Moves Through All Things. <br />
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We don’t know at this point if we are meant to remain here on the mountain, explore the many opportunities that have “coincidentally” come up recently, or to somehow manage to do it all. We are staying open to all possibilities because “I don’t know” is a magical place of creation where anything is possible.<br />
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If you have been guided in the past to come visit this beautiful and magical space on the mountain, don’t hesitate to do so, because we are not scheduling anything after September until we know what our next step will be. <br />
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The value of all the love and support that my friends (and even people I barely know on Facebook) have given to me during this storm is beyond measure. I am so totally in awe of it and in gratitude... All the kindness is truly a balm for my heart.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TBuSSDHLv6I/AAAAAAAAAs8/U6g3FtigAQg/s1600/valentine+crossing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/TBuSSDHLv6I/AAAAAAAAAs8/U6g3FtigAQg/s200/valentine+crossing.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Thank you all so much for reaching out and offering your love, heart, ears and hands... There are so many others going through major transitions right now that your generosity and compassion is needed and welcomed far and wide.<br />
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I am moving through my emotions with grace, even though it hurts... sometimes more than others... I have surprised myself by how much I have grown as a person... you don't know what tools you have until you need to use them.... so I'm feeling okay about where we'll end up when the dust settles.<br />
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I'm generally okay, sad, but hopeful... trusting that this is all for the best and highest good... and surrendering to it.<br />
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I have always been taken care of, so faith is not too difficult. I know in my heart that there is a brighter future for all of us, even if it feels uncomfortable and scary right now. I am in the process of allowing myself to feel all this yucky stuff and letting it flow through me. I know that the signs telling me what to do next will come when it's time to act. <br />
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A long time ago, I gave my life to The Divine to use as a tool to help heal others and lead them back to themselves and our Earth... Having released control in that sense, it does make it a little easier; since I know I will be put exactly where I'm supposed to be. My Guides have already proved that they will support me, so my experience tells me that it's ok to trust and just BE until it's time to DO... (I do get antsy to DO SOMETHING though!)<br />
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Trust inner guidance... your heart won't mislead you, but your brain can and frequently does. We at The Essence of Being will be sure to keep everyone abreast of our plans.<br />
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Love to you all on your Path.Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-87745367809743811282010-05-12T15:20:00.007-04:002010-10-13T18:15:47.938-04:00Essence Meditation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/S-r_J6JmhNI/AAAAAAAAAqk/_GN_cPVtoC8/s1600/meditation+trish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ghDNcS1Nm1Q/S-r_J6JmhNI/AAAAAAAAAqk/_GN_cPVtoC8/s400/meditation+trish.JPG" width="395" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
This wonderful guided meditation/journey aided by pure plant and tree essences will help you access profound Inner Wisdom and integrate that knowledge in order to create a more fulfilling life. Therapeutic-grade essences carry the sacred message of the Plant and Tree kingdoms. The combination of scent, energy and consciousness of these pure essential oils is a great aid in helping us remember our interconnectedness with all of Nature. Reclaiming your relationship with Nature through the Wisdom of the Plants and Trees is the most direct route back to yourself and the manifestation of your Personal Destiny. <br />
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During the meditation, several essences are applied to each participant and energy work is done on the individuals as well as the group. The hour-long meditation is often guided and accompanied by carefully selected music or tones; occasionally, I will guide the group simply with the steady beat of our Mother drum. While guests gather in a circle, head-in toward the center, the meditation is further enhanced by a central grid/altar of crystals and precious stones that add their healing energy to the group.<br />
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It is always a beautiful experience, and always very well-attended, so your RSVP is appreciated!<br />
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<a href="http://herbalisl.com/Calendar.html">CLICK HERE FOR DATES:</a><br />
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1:00 -3:00 PM<br />
$15.00Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-91890109194392200132010-05-05T23:09:00.009-04:002022-07-15T21:24:05.831-04:00Herbalisl's Frequently Asked Questions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;">“Herbalisl” FAQ’s </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I’m new to this; what type of herbal practice do you have?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I offer in-depth Chinese medical and clinical Western herbal consultations in person or via phone, Zoom, or Skype. Lifelong devotion to Nature and Herbal Medicine, extensive training along with over 20 years of professional practice has made me an expert in diagnosing patterns of imbalance according to a Traditional Chinese medical paradigm. Ancient techniques such as Pulse and Tongue Diagnosis along with thorough consultation give each patient confidence that their herbal protocol and dietary recommendations will be precise and safe. A comprehensive explanation of the nature of the imbalances and what to expect during the healing process empowers my patients with personal knowledge and understanding.</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What is Traditional Chinese Medicine?</b></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a comprehensive medical system practiced for more than five thousand years that goes beyond prevention and treatment of disease. This backbone of many eastern practices deeply integrates the philosophy of nature; by understanding of the laws and patterns of the natural world and applying them to the human body, we achieve internal balance. As a standard of care throughout Asia, it views every facet of the individual - physical, mental, emotional and spiritual - as part of the whole, not simply isolated parts to be treated separately. The core philosophy in TCM is that the root cause of illnesses must be treated, not just the symptoms. My treatments include the use of herbal and nutritional/diet therapy, meditation, restorative physical exercises and massage, medicinal aromatherapy, and auriculotherapy. I also offer Reiki and acupressure treatments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What types of ailments does Traditional Chinese Medicine treat?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">TCM can treat any number of imbalances; in my private practice, I see such a variety of issues that I can only refer to it as a general practice. I have frequently treated everything from the common cold to the side effects of chemotherapy; most often I see pain issues (chronic or traumatic), menstrual difficulties, auto-immune imbalances, skin problems and anxiety/depression, but I specialize in treating </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">people diagnosed with Lyme Disease, fibromyalgia and m</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">igraines. I suppose the short answer would be that in my opinion, there are very few limitations to the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Should I contact you to ask what I should be taking?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As a professional herbalist in clinical practice, it is unwise and unethical for me to dispense herbs to people without doing an intake on them first. I am available for consultation and can determine if a particular herb is appropriate for your constitution. Sometimes I am able to determine what you may need with an extensive phone interview, of which I am happy to offer 10 minutes for free, but you may need a personal assessment if the situation is more complex. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you are unable to visit my office, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am now available on Skype, and will be glad to assess your situation free of charge in the first ten minutes of our conversation to determine whether or not I can help you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Do I have to cook the herbs myself?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No, For the convenience of the modern consumer, herbs are prescribed in a variety of easy-to -take forms such as tincture, capsule or tablets. However, I do have an extensive apothecary on the premises of both the highest quality Chinese herbs available, and premier Western Herbs obtained by responsible wildcrafting and from reputable farms. If clients are interested in having a more intimate experience with their herbs, I can custom-formulate herbal preparations for clients to infuse or decoct at home; instructions included! I also provide herbs to fortify hearty home-made soup stocks with concentrated nourishment, a helpful option when it comes to making your food your medicine and your medicine your food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Can I just go out and purchase the right herbs for my condition?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Unfortunately, there are a lot of inferior products on the market, including “patent” Chinese formulas that contain pharmaceutical agents not listed on the label, and many mass-market brands offer cheap, but low-quality herbs. You can find a great deal of information about herbs in books, in magazines and online, but remember that herbs are strong medicine and prescribed inappropriately can create more problems than they solve. Too often people with an interest in herbs will self-prescribe and when they don't get the results they desire, will assume that herbs don't work. Herbology is a science, an art and a skill that is acquired after years of practice, and even practitioners rarely self-prescribe because of the lack of perspective that exists when looking at one's own health. I hope that if you have been lead here, you will consider getting a professional evaluation; it is likely to be the most efficient route back to health.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>A friend of mine was diagnosed with the same problem as I was, can she just take the same herbs?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Probably not; although in allopathic medicine, diseases are classified and named, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the methods of diagnosis are quite different. It is rather likely that ten people with the exact same “disease” would receive ten different individualized treatments. It is easy to understand this if you look at a few of your friends who have the same diagnosis, some are heavier and more robust, while others may appear frail, one may look pale and another may have a flushed complexion; these are indications that each person is an individual and should be treated as such.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What about drug interactions or side effects?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Most interactions for any/all drugs and herbs are the level of effectiveness that the drugs will have when used with certain herbs. There's a lot of alarmist propaganda out there against herb use... in reality, the herbs often mitigate the toxicities of the drugs (inhibit their level of effectiveness), or assist their effects (like with antibiotics). The exception is with Cumadin. That is a dangerous drug that has all kinds of interactions with herbs, food and other drugs. Chemotherapeutic agents are also tricky because their purpose is to toxify the body and herbs generally will work against that. (When I use herbs for my chemo patients, we generally wait 48 hours after their chemo to administer the herbs).</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I often refer to the book, Clinical Pharmacology when researching drug/herb interactions. The data for the interactions is listed as Level 1 through Level 5 evidence. The level 1 evidence is systematic review of random controlled trials, whereas level 5 is conjecture, expert opinion without clinical appraisal (from a medical-not herbal-experts), or animal/bench research. Most (almost ALL) research and reports of herb/drug interactions fall under the Level 5 category.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Personally, I am much more wary about pharmaceuticals than I am about herbs. Herbs are intelligent and adaptable. Drugs are comparatively stupid and brutish. However, if you are uncomfortable about using herbs and drugs simultaneously, I strongly urge you to sink into your heart and follow your inner guidance. Only <b><i>you </i></b>can make this choice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I have some herbs leftover from a practitioner I saw a few years ago, can I still take them?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The herbs that are prescribed for you are specific to your condition at the time you were examined. If too much time passes after specific herbal preparations are recommended for you, their appropriateness will be in question and the Rx will need to be adjusted. Herbs will also lose their potency after a while; if a formula is still suitable for your condition after several months have passed, be sure to check the bottle for an expiration date. Herbs, unlike drugs, do not become dangerous if they are expired, but they will be less potent.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TiY3fPsrjCM/UjxRHMwCzvI/AAAAAAAABp0/h3Yw3bXQKNk/s1600/herbalisl+collage+5.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TiY3fPsrjCM/UjxRHMwCzvI/AAAAAAAABp0/h3Yw3bXQKNk/s320/herbalisl+collage+5.jpg" width="319" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What can I expect when I see a Chinese Herbalist? </b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In TCM the practitioner will observe the client’s facial tone and color, the condition of their nails and flesh, their ease of movement, the brightness of their eyes as well as listen to the tone of their voice, what they say and how they say it. A practitioner of TCM will ask many questions surrounding not only the nature of the problem, but also regarding routine functions of the body such as diet, rest, exercise, menses, elimination and more. Essential to the diagnosis is the methods of pulse taking and the examination of the tongue. Both are ancient techniques that give an abundance of valuable information to the practitioner regarding the conditions of the vital organs, the blood, the Qi and other key pieces of information necessary for a complete and accurate picture of the client’s state of health. The goal of the treatment is to bring the body to a state of balance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How many treatments do I need before I’m “cured”?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The word “cure” is one that gets tossed around a bit too liberally; there are a lot of factors that go into one’s healing process and most of them are the responsibility of the patient. Factors such as proper dietary choices, plenty of rest, fresh air, exercise and healthy relationships are the foundations of good health, however there are times when we need more support than even that can provide. That being said, in general, the rule of thumb for chronic conditions is that for every year a person has been out of balance, it will take at least a month of regular treatment to restore harmony. For acute problems, results are seen much faster: weeks, days or even hours or minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>My doctor says that my disease is incurable, and that I will have to take my medication for the rest of my life. Is there any hope for me?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Although there may not be a “cure” in the traditional sense of the word, it may be that within the paradigm of modern medicine there is little information for your physician to work with. This happens all too frequently. Generally speaking, the difference is that allopathic medicine attempts to target the “disease” and suppress or eradicate it, while Traditional Chinese Medicine seeks the root cause of the problem and prescribes a treatment plan designed to bring balance to the body and deal with the problem at its source. I have personally treated numerous imbalances -using TCM practices- that were diagnosed by a medical doctor as “an incurable auto-immune disease” with remarkable success. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How long do the appointments take?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first appointment is always a long one. I usually take at least an hour and a half to get to know all the nuances of my new clients. Often hearing all the details of a person’s health history is very time-consuming, but I feel it’s not only important in order to make a good diagnosis, but it gives the client a rare opportunity to be fully heard without time constraints. It also helps to build a good foundation for our working relationship which I take very seriously. The follow-up visits usually take an hour in the beginning, but as the client begins to become more balanced in their health, less time is required. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How much do you charge?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For the first appointment I offer a choice, if it is not a terribly complicated case, one hour should be sufficient, and that would be $111. For more complex, chronic and difficult cases, I charge a flat rate of $222, no matter how long it takes. Thereafter, appointments are $111 per hour and the frequency of follow-ups is entirely dependent upon the type and severity of the ailment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Auriculotherapy by itself costs $55, but packages are available. I also provide acupressure and Reiki in the form of a Taoist Balancing Technique applying pressure and the highest quality essential oils to points on the wrists and ankles. This treatment is amazing! It is extremely relaxing and centering and each session takes well over an hour. A two-plus hour session is also available; the prices are $122 and $222, respectively. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>That sounds like it would get expensive!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At first it can be, but most people are able to see the value in their improved health. I do understand the financial limitations of a lot of people, so I have created options for those that are really in need of treatment, but don’t have the money. I am willing to discuss a sliding scale with anyone struggling with a fixed income because <i>I feel that quality healthcare is a right and not a privilege</i>. Many clients who have done the initial visits have continued to see me seasonally so that I may literally keep my finger on their pulse and make adjustments to their formulas, give guidance or use auriculotherapy to nudge them back toward balance.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia";">Do you take insurance?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";">While the current system is not open to various helpful complementary healing practices, some personal health insurance providers offer an option that allows you to keep track of your preventative and alternative healthcare expenses for credit. Ask your provider for more information about their version of this program.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKXWusLXF1A/UjxRG6hRcsI/AAAAAAAABqE/WRg97D6CCTM/s1600/ear+collage+web.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKXWusLXF1A/UjxRG6hRcsI/AAAAAAAABqE/WRg97D6CCTM/s320/ear+collage+web.jpg" width="215" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What is Auriculotherapy?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Auricular therapy is a tool that I employ on many cases. It is a method of energy work similar to acupuncture that requires no needles and uses several points on the outside surface of the ear. Applying small spheres measuring 1-2 mm in diameter with special adhesive to the outer surface of the ear sends endorphins to the corresponding site on the body, thereby achieving almost instantaneous pain relief. Auriculotherapy provides substantial relief within moments and lasts for days. It does not simply mask pain; it has long-term benefits and actually promotes healing. This treatment is not limited to pain relief; it can help with anxiety, insomnia or the symptomatic treatment of nearly any problem. The “ear seeds” can be left on the ear for several days, ensuring continued effectiveness. The results are remarkable! </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JQXTccf9FNc/UjxR8xemumI/AAAAAAAABqQ/MaIL-Nr1N3A/s1600/element+collage.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JQXTccf9FNc/UjxR8xemumI/AAAAAAAABqQ/MaIL-Nr1N3A/s200/element+collage.jpg" width="154" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What exactly is the “Taoist Balancing Technique”?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Each session begins with a twenty minute Chinese Medical evaluation that will illuminate the areas that require harmonizing. An hour long acupressure session using the Elements to guide a natural progression of key acupressure points brings the body and spirit to harmonized peace. This blissful session is enhanced with Reiki and medicinal-grade aromatherapy essences chosen specifically for the individual. The beautiful precious stones that are placed upon the body to align the chakras as well as the Pure Medicinal Grade essential oils by Wisdom of the Earth make this an exceptionally powerful therapeutic session.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How does Medicinal Aromatherapy fit into your practice?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For Medicinal Aromatherapy Consultations I offer insightful wisdom to my patients for their personal growth and attunement. Aromatherapy can be used to treat not just physical imbalances, but emotional and spiritual dis-harmonies as well. Results are often dramatic as clients reconnect to their highest self, Nature and their Life's Purpose. I use only 100% Pure Medicinal Grade essential oils by Wisdom of the Earth in creating a wonderfully transformative experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>How can I insure that my herbalist has adequate credentials?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a good question. There are voluntary governing boards for herbalists in the US and the most well known is the American Herbalists Guild (AHG). They have a careful screening process and only herbalists with plenty of experience and professional referrals are considered for the title of Registered Herbalist. Not having this accreditation does not necessarily mean that your herbalist isn’t a competent practitioner; one of the most famous and gifted herbalists of our current era, Rosemary Gladstar does not boast any letters after her name to signify her importance. Your best bet is to ask a lot of questions about their practice, experience, education and so forth; most times you’ll find out a common truth: everyone likes to talk about themselves! Your intuition is also one thing you really want to rely upon; if the practitioner doesn’t feel right to you, keep looking until you find someone who does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>What are your credentials?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am Nationally Board Certified in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). This is the governing body for all practitioners of </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Acupuncture </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Chinese medicine in the US and boasts a powerful lobby for natural healthcare. For an herbalist that practices Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is the highest credential one can receive. I am also a Registered Professional Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild, a voluntary board with strict standards for admission and a strong code of ethics. I have been certified as an Advanced Medicinal Aromatherapist, an Acu-Detox Facilitator, an Auriculotherapist and I am a Reiki Master. I have been trained in various healing techniques such as </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cranio-Sacral Therapy, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the Taoist Healing Sounds, Crystal and Gemstone Therapy, Therapeutic Systematic Realignment and Quantum Touch. I teach a variety of classes for many different modalities including Herbology, Medicinal Aromatherapy and Auriculotherapy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Lisl Meredith Huebner, Dipl.CH, RH</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Diplomate Chinese Herbology (NCCAOM), Registered Herbalist (AHG)</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"</span>Herbalisl” is a nationally board certified Chinese Herbalist with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. Lisl is also a certified Medicinal Aromatherapist, a Reiki Master, an Acupressurist, an Auriculotherapist, a plant photographer, a renowned diagnostician, a teacher of Herbal Medicine and Medicinal Aromatherapy and a published writer in private practice for over twenty years. She is available by appointment.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.herbalisl.com/">http://www.herbalisl.com/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Visit her blog:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://herbalisl.blogspot.com/">http://herbalisl.blogspot.com/</a> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please call 860 - 480 - 0115; email at LislMeredith @ hotmail . com and Skype me at Lisl.Meredith if you have any questions, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">would like to schedule an appointment, attend meditations, weed walks, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">or are interested in taking classes.<br /><br />I am now offering Zoom, Skype and Phone consultations, and your first ten minutes are free of charge. I love your questions because it means more people are seeking natural alternatives!!</span>Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-73128788070668665852010-05-05T22:29:00.013-04:002020-03-23T10:34:33.087-04:00WOTE Aromatherapy Course Description<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The class begins </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> in earnest on Saturday morning </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">with a “tribe building” exercise that includes intention setting, a discussion of hydrosols, review of the materials to be covered in the information packet and a libation of an essential oil and its corresponding hydrolat. After the libation, I lead the class on a guided meditation that solidifies our intention with Spirit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After our meditation, we begin to cover the vast amounts of material provided in the packets.. The curriculum includes how essences are made, an introduction to some of the farmers in our family, comparative qualities of various brands of essential oils, as well as variables in availability and cost due to climatic and political fluctuations. Other activities that break up the academia may include the Chakra Dance, anointed with oils. a Medicine Wheel Ceremony and/or the “Standing Tree” meditation that allows students to experience what it feels like to be a plant or a tree. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After a full day, students are then sent home with a short reading assignment from the reference guide.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sunday morning is by far my students’ favorite part of the course: a shamanic journey aided by the accompaniment of indigenous chants and sacred music that has been passed down for thousands of years via oral tradition. I respectfully lead this meditation by creating a Sacred Space, preparing the Altar (where students place their sacred objects for blessing) and inviting our Guides to witness. This is a profound experience for my students and for me each and every time. After a short break, the class resumes with the vast amounts of material we somehow manage to cover before the end of the day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The class ends with a hands-on practical experience, where students become more personally acquainted with the essences by working with a partner and applying the oils that “call out” to them intuitively. Invariably, the students are drawn to such appropriate choices for their partner that they are instilled with respect for the plants’ power and confidence in their ability to connect with the wisdom of the plants and trees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In order to receive their certification, students are required to submit a five page paper within three months of the class that explores one of the essences that has personally “called out” to them. As they learn about that essence and experience their individual relationship to it, they develop a kinship and make profound personal discoveries. Benefits of certification include wholesale pricing on all of the essences, the ability to continue to audit any level I class throughout the country for free (forever) and the unconditional support of their instructor whenever they require assistance or advice about the use of the essences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a truly life-changing course that forever alters one’s perception of the Earth and the Self in an incredibly positive and empowering way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Course fee: $575.00 ~ Includes 2 Textbooks</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>(early registration 4 weeks prior $550.00)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">50% non-refundable deposit required. If you cancel up to 5 days before the class, you may apply the deposit to a future course; less than 5 days, you forfeit the deposit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Cash, Check, Mastercard, Visa & American Express accepted.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Bring lunch both days * 20% off on all essences during the course </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">* no tape recorders allowed </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">*Paper Required for certification *Certification fee <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">required</span> </span></i></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: large;">UPCOMING DATES:</span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">May 15-17, 2020</span></span></i><b style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Friday, </span></i></b><i style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">from 7:00-9:00 PM </span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Saturday & Sunday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM</span></i></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_692702117"><b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: x-small;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></i></b></a><br />
<a href="http://theessenceofblogging.blogspot.com/2010/05/wisdom-of-earth-medicinal-aromatherapy.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Click Here for Testimonials from some of my Past Students...</b></i></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://theessenceofblogging.blogspot.com/2010/05/wisdom-of-earth-medicinal-aromatherapy.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>...and New Friends! </b></i></span></a></div>
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Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-581587140295078866.post-77823432393786311442010-05-05T22:24:00.007-04:002019-09-04T10:06:30.023-04:00Wisdom of the Earth: Medicinal Aromatherapy Certification Course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thank you for your curiosity about the joys of working with our Plant and Tree Allies. I love to teach The Wisdom of the Earth medicinal aromatherapy certification course and am happy to welcome anyone interested in taking part in this amazing class. <br />
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The course leans heavily on plant spirit communication, and includes guided meditations, journeys and incredible recordings. On the physical plane, I discuss the treatment of numerous common ailments and the properties and uses of an enormous variety of “starter” essential oils; I have over 200 single note essences for students to experience. Each student receives a thick packet filled with a vast amount of information, much of which is covered in the class, as well as more information to be read at one’s own pace, after the course is completed. Two textbooks are included with the course: Wisdom of the Earth Essential Essence Reference Guide and Wisdom of the Earth Speaks the Truth About Medicinal Aromatherapy.<br />
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Repeatedly I hear wonderful feedback from my students; this is a life-changing course that forever alters one’s perception of themselves and the world in a deeply positive way. By reconnecting to nature through the wisdom of the essences, students are also able to reconnect to their highest self and walk their path with confidence and a strong sense of support from the Plants and Trees.<br />
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I really am looking forward to meeting you; it is such a delight to connect with others who share such love for the Earth. It is an honor to be teaching this class, I am incredibly blessed to be helping my brothers and sisters reawaken to the limitless amount of love that the Earth has for her children. Wishing you Peace, Health and Prosperity,<br />
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Lisl Meredith Huebner <br />
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Here's some feedback from some of my past students! <br />
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<span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 30pt;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b><i><span style="color: #002060;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-size: x-large;">TESTIMONIALS FOR LISL'S </span></span></span></i></b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 30pt;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><b><i><span style="color: #002060;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #00b050; font-size: x-large;">WOTE CLASS: </span></span></span></i></b></span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "monotype corsiva" , "apple chancery" , cursive; font-size: 16px;">There were many single things that happened over the weekend that by themselves would have changed my life (like any one of the three meditations, for instance), but together were hugely transformative! I truly feel that in becoming connected to the essences I have found something that was missing in my life. There are simply no words to express the depth of gratitude to you and the magnitude of the effect that you, the place and the class have had. Thank you, thank you, thank you!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "monotype corsiva" , "apple chancery" , cursive; font-size: 16px;">With deep love & much light,</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "monotype corsiva" , "apple chancery" , cursive; font-size: 16px;">Jorie</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: green; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><b>I would like to, once again, thank you for such a wonderful and very informative weekend. You have opened my eyes and my heart to the wonderful world of Plants, Trees and Flowers. The gifts that they give and give and give is truly a lesson in unconditional love. The energetic and healing properties that lie within the life blood of these wonderful ancestors are a lost secret that we have to re-introduce to mankind. I felt and experienced the love you have for Plants, Trees and Flowers as well as the souls that made the connection this weekend. </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: green; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><b>With Love and Awe I welcome you to my circle of friends.<br />
Peace and Happiness<br />
Dave P.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d1530b; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>First of all, let me thank you for a most glorious class. I only use the word class 'cause I'm not sure what word fits the experience best. You are a huge blessing in my life!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d1530b; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>Judi C.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d369d2; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: 16px;">Hi Lisl, Thanks again for a great weekend!!!! I am eager to keep learning.</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d369d2; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: 16px;">Randy Lee P.</span></b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><b>Good Morning Lisl,</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><b>Thank you again for one of the most important and life altering experiences. I don't articulate well in group settings....and the knowledge that you and the plants shared brings tears to my eyes. I am so honored for the attunement. I can't wait to go for a walk in the woods this morning.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><b>With Love and Gratitude, Linda</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">Hi Lisl,</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">I had a great weekend with you, the essences and the students. Thank you for allowing me the chance to come up!!!<br />
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You're the Bomb!<br />
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Love,<br />
Carol S.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></b></span> </div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>hi lisl! </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>i'm still wandering in amazement at the wonder of this weekend! in the night i kept dreaming that my husband needed violet and when i woke up he said oh i smell lavender it smells so good and i said no, it's violet your smelling! this is sooo cool!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>THANK you once again so so much! everyone thinks i've even further lost my mind, ha ha, because i cannot stop talking about the weekend.. it was truly transformative and i do not say that lightly.. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>it was so wonderful to meet everyone and i hope that we stay in touch. it is , indeed , wonderful to meet other members of our tribe. </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>xxx</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>all my love</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Iva P.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #df2b44; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><i>"Lisl - Thank You for the most exquisite workshop this weekend on the essences of plants. It was the place I NEEDED to be this weekend and I loved every minute of it."</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #df2b44; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><i>THANK YOU!!!! I loved every minute of the workshop - well maybe not "in" every moment but in hind sight, every one was a pound of rose essence :)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #df2b44; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><i>Roberta W.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><b>What an honor it was to be a part of this class and meet all of you!! Thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart (the top part too!). Hope we can all stay in touch. I have you to thank for helping me to get more in tune with ALL of mother nature. You're very special and wise people and my life is enriched for having met you. Thanks again for everything. Hope to see you again soon.</b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><b>Love & light –Judi</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #d369d2; font-size: 13px;"><b>Hi Everyone! Our Level I class was by far the most enjoyable workshop I have had the pleasure to take -- EVER! We plowed through a tremendous amount of information, managed the heat and still had so much fun. Thanks Lisl, for your frequent moments of irreverent humor and for sharing your beautiful self so completely. And thanks to my magnificent AromatheraSisters. Not long ago, I had stated to the Universe an intention to learn through joy rather than through pain, and the amazing experience we all shared this weekend was a beautiful demonstration of what is possible when we open our hearts. I love you all!<br />
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Lisa K.</b></span> </div>
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<span style="color: green; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><b>Hi my fellow TRIBE members,</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: green; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><b>I am so very grateful to have met you all and shared in this transformative experience. It's so very interesting...I have been asking spirit....where is my tribe....I need to find them.... and here you are. Thank you!!!</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: green; font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><b>Peace and Love, Linda M.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d1530b;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">I want to thank you all for opening your hearts and thoughts to me. Lisl you have given me tools and experiences and a Journey that I'll never forget. Thank you all again-<br />
Love& Light<br />
Kathy</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">Dear Fellow Aromatherapy Tribe Members and Facilitators and Auditors--</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">It has been said that the most dynamic energy comes from the commingled energy of a group. We had a fantastic two and a half days filled with strong, positive, joyful, blessed energy.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">I am still integrating all the information we learned and the loving support and wisdom the trees and plants offer us when we are ready to meet them and let them work their magic.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">The colorful threads of the tapestry has now interwoven all of us on our individual and collective journeys. We bring our shared experience out into the world and we make it a better place one by one each time we use the essences.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">The group meditation on Sunday morning was beyond words. It healed us and helped us ascend to higher realms. The indigenous peoples of the world have a knowingness and reverence for the earth that we all may choose to embrace. </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">Thank you Lisl, for sharing your hilarious stories, helpful hints, and pure love and laughter. The world is a better place for your leading us back to our Divine Mother!</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">Thank you, everyone, for a life-changing shared experience.</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">Love,</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><i><span style="color: purple;">Heather</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 13px;">.<span style="font-size: 13px;"><i><b>...still walking a few feet above the ground, not quite willing to 'touch down' yet. So blessed for the sharing and learning so much from each and everyone of you! I am aware of a huge personal shift and transformation still downloading. I carry in my heart the feeling of home that comes of sitting in a blessed circle with brothers and sisters from a distant tribe. I am blessed to sit in many such circles of familiar old souls. And yet, this one feels different somehow just not sure why... i will go so far as to say that if i was to characterize a shared lifetime inclusive of our group, (and yes, I do believe there is one) it was absolutely beautiful... one of joy, love, peace, perfect individual expression of soul work, strength and safety, support and sharing of great gifts with the world... and what a feeling that is as I sat there, and here remembering. Thank you each for what you brought to the table ... yourselves ?? xxx</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-size: 13px;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 13px;">Sherrie Anne</span></b></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #e38f1e; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><b>Thank you! <br />
I've been playing all night and getting to know the Devas. I'm so inspired to use the essences in my practice and educate people to the power of the plants and trees. <br />
My life has truly taken a turn since taking your class. I feel so honored to share my knowledge with others and I'm so grateful to have a strong connection with the earth. <br />
I thank you so much for touching my life in such a positive way. You supported me even before we met when my friend passed and continue to support me. I am so blessed to have you in my life. Thanks again! <br />
Colleen P.; West Hartford, CT</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #d348dd;"><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">Dear Lisl,</span></b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d348dd;"><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">I can't say enough how absolutely wonderful your workshop was and how much it completes the healing basket I am building for myself. You are light and love!</span></b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d348dd;"><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">Thank you again from the deepest part of my heart for helping me to awake to my gifts and abilities. You are such a special light worker.<br />
Peace and blessings,</span></b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #d348dd;"><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">-Laurel V.</span>; Groton, CT</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #297d40; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><b>“Lisl provides an oasis and the Essential Essences are the purest of healing tools.. "Pure" is one of the words I'd use to describe the work Lisl promotes and practices. She is truly a beautiful human being... humble, innocent and full of humor, she walks lightly and joyfully on this planet, offering her deep, sweet wisdom and vast experience. I love Lisl and consider her to be one of our area's most blessed, sacred healers and teachers. I talk about her all the time, so grateful for all she has to give.”<br />
-Karen Sevenoff ; Hartford, CT</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">“I have the utmost respect and gratitude for Lisl. Her sincerity for what she does in an Earth Honoring way is the walk she lives. No matter what she does it is amazing because her spirit is in it. She brings expertise and great energy to a wonderful and inviting space. She is a master at working with and teaching about the plant essences of Wisdom of the Earth.”</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 14px;">-Audrey B.; Terryville, CT</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>“Lisl provides a warm, loving place where you can learn to believe in yourself. From the minute you walk through the door you feel like you have finally come home to the loving arms of family. Her relationship with the plant and tree kingdom through the use of the essences is magical and once you experience it you'll never be the same.” </b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="font-family: "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>-Barb P.; Torrington, CT</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: green; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>“The setting of HerbaLisl's Nest mirrors its magic: high above the daily grind you will find new breath, space, support, and inspiration. Lisl brings her powerful wisdom and gifts into this setting to guide you to a new way of finding your best self. You will come away feeling blessed, renewed, and at peace.” </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: green; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><b>-Kalia K.; Collinsville, CT</b></span></div>
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<i><b>For more information about the class, </b></i><a href="http://theessenceofblogging.blogspot.com/2010/05/wote-aromatherapy-course-description.html" target="_blank"><i><b>Click Here</b></i></a>Herbalislhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02310642467819954787noreply@blogger.com0