Sacred Feminine Tip 002

Doing healthy is good for business. The more female founders take into account the health of their clients, the better. Women have the unique advantage to really create companies that care about the entire process. We are “in it for the long haul” when we start companies, so building them right is part of staying sacred, even in your business practices. I want to highlight how you can do this, with whatever it is you are building. Remember, it is much easier to build something, if in your growth, you do not have to go back and fix things. Things that would have been much easier to build in from the start.

Intimacy Tip 001

I really love working with Tanya Griffin. I also love interacting with female founders who are on dancing intertwining the edges of sex, technology and health. Over the last two years I have had the pleasure of interacting with some really important female founders and today I would like to highlight some of them. There is an intimacy with yourself in being healthy, and being tuned into the world around you. So we have a lot of important companies here the dance around sex, technology, and healthcare - and of course my favorite topic - finance.

You already met Tanya on her episode this season but to start let’s recap her company oOYes and then dive into a few more that might spice up intimacy with yourself, your partner, and/or the world around you. A few groups are also included from the investment community as well. Sign up for news from these groups to learn more.

oOYes

Make Love, Not Porn

Amorus

The Sabi

Hormonally

Coyote Ventures

Botanical Wellness Tip 002

While I worked in private equity in the cannabis sector, I realized that people do cannabis all wrong. We noticed that the states that legalized recreational at the same time as medical, did not actually perform as well. This is because separating medical users from recreational users is important for the users. Most people use cannabinoids wrong. I had the pleasure of meeting a nurse, who I hope to get on the podcast, who educated me about how important her job is, to write prescriptions for using cannabis and teaching patients how to use it in the best way possible, especially so that it does not use the user, or worse have the opposite desired effect. Cannabis is unique for each person and it is important, if you use it for medicinal reasons, that you are getting a reliable dose each time that feels, acts, and times in, in a reliable way.

One other thing I noticed when in Europe is how fractured the medical system is there around cannabis. It feels on purpose that it is turly operated as a pharma play, so if you go to a dispensary and they are out of the exact script your doctor wrote for you, brand, type, and strain, that you then cannot get it.

One of the things I loved about House of Puff’s new product, the spritz, so much - is that they are somewhat helping women get a reliable and most importantly discreet and healthier access to cannabis.

Creativity Tip 001

Clean Dream 2025; A revised and inclusive vision for the 47th President of America

Here's what fascinates me about Trump: He has perfected the Art of Falling Upward. And his supernatural ability to fall upward, to transform controversy into triumph, is the thing we have to focus on now.

I should declare right here that I am an independent, who always has been one and likely always will be. I have never registered to either side and I aim to stay at an increasingly rare centralist position, so as to balance out the insanity of both sides. I come to the article, my work, and myself from a place of wholeness, honesty, rationality, and unity. I support a large community of Republican and Democrat women through the efforts on this blog and podcast, and in my day to day work for Permaculture Capital. Over the last week I have tried to figure out the best way to dive into this topic and to leave both sides feeling hope, new hope. Clean hope.

On the day of the election, which was two years to the date of losing a close female friend to suicide, I also found out that a female client of mine, who was working hard to help other humans heal and be protected in her work, passed away. She was around my age (41).

It has taken me a week to process this all at once, but I will say two things before I start with this vision. Life is a whole lot right now., for everyone. And even so, I choose light every day, as often as I humanly can. I will stay in hope, for all of us.

At this age, women especially ,but men too are dropping like flies, from life, from sanity, and from their peace. Brainwashed by technology, angered into battle instead of solutions, on the regular. And so this is a message of hope, a message to stay open to the magical and mystical unfolding of life. I don’t care who you voted for. I care about you as a person. I care about your dreams. I care about our country deeply. I love it here. I care deeply about the next steps for the Republican party. I care about them. I care about the pain the blues are blues-ing to right now. I care about the green party not being heard even though they made a lot of sense this time around. I care that our country is indivisible. I care about myself and my businesses. I care about friends and family and clients scattered around Earth. I care for my LGBTQ+ and highly diverse friend group. I also care that Red are now dominating the House, Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Presidency. We tread dangerous waters, poisoned waters, and so it is important we collectively dream big, for the sake of all in the US and for much of the planet who emulates every move we make here. This article requires you open up your mind and heart and listen. Listen with the idea that we are all, at our truest essence, One.

What if, and this is where hope meets pragmatism, Trump channeled this remarkable talent of falling upward, toward something truly revolutionary? Imagine the incredible shockwaves, if he turned the tables on everyone's expectations. If he did his work not through vengeance, but through vision. Not through division, but through a kind of unity no one expects of him. What if he provided the kind of disruption that makes both allies and enemies pause and reconsider everything they thought they knew, about him, about the other party, about the next 4 and 400 years, and America at large. Forget about “Wokeness” and the media, social media, friends and family and all the things they try to force you to believe. Let’s talk here about a Conscious Collective and a Spiritual Revolution from the next leader of the “Free” World.

The greatest plot twist in American political history wouldn't be another round of rhetoric and dogma. It would be seeing Trump champion the causes no one expects him to: putting women in positions of unprecedented power, not as tokens but as architects of change. Imagine Trump changing the voting laws around addresses for voters being public, so that the 41 million women who have been violated by domestic violence, rape, and/or stalking by an intimate partner could register and vote without fear of losing their lives for their vote. Imagine Trump tackling the foster care crisis that conservatives pretend doesn't exist, in their pro-life campaigning versus stripping more women of rights they have fought for millennia for and will find ways around regardless of law. Imagine if the Republican party got rid of this one issue, how long they could reign in their now dominant glory for. How beautiful would it be to see hundreds of thousands of children lost in a system across every country in America, a system that's bursting at the seams, to see adoption and caring for children unwanted to be advocated for through the 47th President of America. Truly sit with these images. Meditate on the kinds of shockwaves this would create in America and throughout the world.

Picture Trump walking through inner-city neighborhoods, not for photo ops and ratings, but with actual plans for renewal that don't involve displacing communities or drilling through sacred land, but instead sitting down with the people and listening to them. Trump LISTENING across all of America, to the people telling him what they need and him taking creative actions to problem solve for all of them.

Imagine Trump tackling his once highly potential fellow inmates’ endless crisis, throughout all American prisons, for the millions of people who need rehabilitation and genuine care versus metal bars and premature death in icy cells. Imagine Trump helping prisons creates systems to help the weakest of our society to access to mental health care, therapy, access to medication, free them from slave labor and making sure all receive fair trials.

Imagine Trump caring that high schoolers in public schools across America cannot read. That Autism is about 4 in 100 boys and 1 in 100 girls now because we are overly exposed to chemicals in every system we use in this country. That one in four now need help procreating.

And then. The real maverick move. Taking on the corporate giants who've turned our world into their laboratory and money printing machine. This is where the corruption runs deepest, where crony capitalism has poisoned not just our politics but our very existence, each other, our children, our homes, our minds. Imagine Trump not taxing billionaires but inspiring all business owners to not only thrive in their operations but really, deeply care for the country that makes their abundance possible. Don’t image in the tariffs he will put on Chinese imports, imagine the health of our land and the capital he could release for you to build a factory for a better way to do your business here at home.

Let's now talk about water‚ not the kind that flows through gold-plated faucets through RO systems in mansions, but the kind running through every American home. Our tap water isn't actually water anymore; it's a cocktail of industrial runoff, pharmaceutical residue, forever chemicals from cleaners and disinfectants and agricultural waste. It is filled with fluoride that purposely deactivates the pineal gland, which is the part of our brain that connects us to our God/Source. We're drinking poison for their profits and calling it progress, but in reality is is cancer causing, decalcification of the most sacred and important organs, and premature death for most. People on both sides don’t want to talk about this issue but THIS IS THE ISSUE. We are made of water. Almost 75% of our bodies for our whole lives. From 99% in vitro, to 50% if you make it to 100. The sooner we realize water should be clean and conscious, the sooner we can be a conscious country, one with a clean future, no matter how toxic our past. For those who don’t believe in mystic reasoning and don’t think the water we put into our bodies matters, it is like saying the moon does not affect us. The moon does affect us, especially women. The moon affects the tides of all oceans. The ocean is salt water. And so are we. We as a collective should pay attention to the deeper truths in life. And drinking poison in our homes is the most basic of all human rights Trump should fix first. It won’t be through fixing the broken infrastructure. It will be through the largest resource of naturally purified water that we have, the air.

The poison though, is in our “Progress.” We have to talk about it. But this isn't just about clean water‚ it's about clean everything. Our soil is dying, choked by chemical companies whose quarterly profits matter more than generational health. We as a country are a giant walking contradiction. I have neighbors in the countryside here who praise God every time we pass each other by, but 10 minutes later spray poison onto their crops. The two couldn’t’ be more diametrically opposed. Imagine Trump releasing a study on the neurotoxicity of glyphosate and urging farmers who are subsidized by our government to use natural solutions that we know work. Imagine Trump cleaning up our food source. Our food isn't food anymore; it's a scientific experiment we're allowing the FDA and private companies to conduct on ourselves, our loved ones, our children, our sick neighbors. America doesn’t just kill their own, we have now spread our top 5 US killers, to countries who emulate us and import our food. Countries who care about their people have realized our blight and banned our food imports on purpose to save their citizens. Does that act alone not tell our leaders something about how we make things here?

The same kind of corporations polluting our waterways are polluting our minds through social media. Scrolling serving outrage for breakfast and anxiety for dinner, dividing families built for decades on peace. Tech giants who have drained the energy source and now force utilities to ration energy on billboards across the energy center of America, in Houston. Imagine Trump funding Fusion. Quickly, easily. A technology of the cusp of success that doesn’t even try to seek government funding for the complications around funding important technology and innovation that can change the future the way light changed the future, the way discovering gravity changed science. No one talks about how Isaac Newton deeply studied Alchemy and the energetic force in all the elements that we need to invent. If we led in fusion, and achieved net and then commercialized energy by 2030 we would actually accomplish half of the SDGs with that one invention alone. America is a land of inventors, since it’s inception, a place people were free enough to dream and dream big, but we are so busy fighting and dominating and hoarding wealth, that we have forgotten what made us so great to begin with. It is our ability to turn dreams to reality. It is our skill level of innovation.

Imagine Trump pausing the public markets, for one quarter, so that all public companies can stop bottom line profit prioritization, and as a collective they could share and unite and focus on cleaning up their acts, literally, in major ways. Donating that quarter to all the incredible solutions that have come to the surface over the lsat 5 years to solve for systemic failures near and far, so we can meet goals to curb radical weather, hurricanes and fires that seem regular now, but are not, protect our coastal cities and forests, protect the most vulnerable around the world.

Big Pharma pushes pills while blocking access to natural medicines that could free half of America from chemical dependence. Cannabis remains scheduled alongside heroin while synthetic alternatives make billions for pharmaceutical shareholders. We have sat and waited for basic decency through two four year presidential terms, both Biden and Trump who have done next to nothing for a plant that was weaponized instead of celebrated. A plant which the human body was created perfectly with an endocannabinoid system in every single organ, to receive for healing purposes. A plant that continues, even with all the hate and violence around it, to create countless medical benefit for those who use it. Our corn fields, once the symbol of American abundance, have become killing fields for our waterways, sacrificed at the altar of Monsanto's greed. Our fields should grow hemp, which would be good for any animal internally when consumed, when used as a filler in just about every single product we use, which is a commodity that is naturally pest resistant, and a resource that can build amazing, clean and non-toxic materials for everything from home insulation to delivery mechanisms to food to products. But no, greed wins, for decades. And who pays the price? Americans. Imagine Trump explaining this all to the American people from the white house podium, not forcing, but teaching us how we can and will do better.

Now is where true conservative values should shine‚ conserving what matters most: the children's future, care for natural resources, our human dignity, and the ideals this country was founded on. No one is able to deny that this country was stolen from other races of people, not only to plant state flags on land we didn’t own when we landed here, but to literally build this country brick by brick. Instead, we've conserved only the right of corporations to treat our world like their personal profit center and for abuse to reign where certain “leaders” deem abuse worthy. The tragedy isn't just environmental; it's spiritual. We've allowed the pollution of our waters to mirror the pollution of our democratic ideals. Imagine Native Americans and African Americans finally feeling heard. Imagine sitting down the way women sit down to have tea. We talk things out. We work together to make sure we are both leaving that table in a win win. If we want to fight against the tyranny across the world that commits genocide and bans women from showing their faces in public and now even speaking to one another, we cannot do this work as a misogynist and racist country ourselves. If our aim is to rid the world of terror and evil, sadly we must see our own.

We need an American Revolution of Leadership. What we need isn't just policy change‚ it's a revolution in our thinking. Imagine Trump shocking everyone by taking on the real swamp: not just political bureaucrats but the corporate oligarchs who are now going to try to pressure him throughout his next four years. He doesn’t have to tax oligarchs and all of us know that will not work. Instead he should incentivize them to do as the ultra high net worth individuals did in the industrial revolution. The industrial giants built this country into what it is off their own American Dreams and profits. They built roads, hospitals, systems, supported the arts. The tech giants wealth hoard. Setting up $1M planet foudnations and VCs that don’t acttually deploy capital, The ultra wealthy today do not care for others the way the wealthy did in the past. Picture Trump championing early-stage funding for women entrepreneurs while simultaneously challenging the tech giants who've turned our personal lives into their data mines. Envision him proving that being pro-business doesn't mean being pro-pollution, that being pro-growth doesn't mean sacrificing our children's futures. Imagine all the people, praying and meditating on this vision of the future for the next few years, and then it becoming a reality.

The real "America First" agenda should put American health first, American water first, American soil first, American education and children first, ALL American people first. Not through isolationism, but through innovation. Not through a project 2025 but through free thinking with an inclusive circle around the Trump fire. Not through regulations, but through revolution. A revolution in how we grow our food, power our cities, and fuel our dreams, together and indivisible under God/Goddess/Source- whatever you believe in because we allow free faith here too. We need leaders willing to tell the chemical companies, the tech monopolies, and the pharmaceutical giants that enough is enough. Their profit margins are not more important than our children's futures and our life expectancy, as well as the quality of all of our lives.

This is where Trump's talent for disruption could create lasting change. His willingness to tell anyone to "f*ck off" could finally be directed at the corporate powers that have held America hostage for decades but through someone who knows how their businesses run and creates a win win solution for everyone. Imagine that energy channeled toward cleaning up our water supplies, breaking up tech monopolies, fixing the healthcare system once and for all, and giving women the tools they need to build businesses that serve communities instead of destroying them.

The ultimate redemption arc wouldn't be about making America great again‚ it would be about making America clean and safe again, for everyone who lives here and loves our beautiful country and country people. Healthy again. Whole again. It would be about recognizing that true strength isn't in division but in the courage to stand up to the real enemies of American prosperity: those who would sacrifice our future for their present gain.


On the eve of this next full moon night, in the raw aftermath of our 2025 Presidential Election, I break my silence. Not as a voice for the left or right, but as one of the few remaining centrists on this wounded planet we call home. I write not because I love politics‚ in truth, I've spent a lifetime avoiding political labels‚ but because sometimes silence becomes a luxury we can no longer afford.

The America I choose‚ and I say choose, having lived across the world from the UK to Germany to Israel to Cape Town to Bali‚ and across many Us states, I stands as a beacon of possibility in our faith of this country.

Here, as a woman, as an entrepreneur, as an American banker, as an inventor, and as someone who sees hope in often hopeless times, I breathe the air of freedom daily in this country. I love it here. Here, I can live alone, or build a family. I can build empires from ideas, speak truth without whispers, and chart my own course through life's waters. These aren't small freedoms. Ask the women of Afghanistan, forbidden even to speak to one another. Ask the refugees crossing oceans with nothing but hope in their pockets, seeking the very liberties we sometimes take for granted who are sent back home because there is not room at our inn anymore. The planet is buckling under the pressure of humans and the world still looks to us to lead them. This is no small time in the consciousness of man.

Beneath our freedom lies a paradox. We are a nation born of both dreams and nightmares‚ built on ideals that cost indigenous peoples their world, shaped by the hands of those we enslaved. This duality lives in our bones. We cannot deny it, but we can learn from it. We can grow beyond it. We can care for those we betrayed to fulfill our ideals and liberate them from the lingering mental shackles of their pain endured to live out the American ideal for the masses now living here.

The truth that few dare speak is this: most of Earth's 8.2 billion souls want the same things. Peace of mind and a place to plant gardens. Time to watch children grow. Roofs over their homes and decent health. The simple dignity of living in harmony with others and with nature. Look at the refugees risking everything for a taste of what we have. Yes, America is messy. Yes, Europe struggles. But people don't carry their babies across continents seeking perfect systems, they seek basic human dignity.

The system is broken, but the dream is most certainly not. Trump won on his dreams an his vision, and on the idea of CHANGE. Everyone wants change now, so let’s have it for real. Both sides of our democracy have divided and polarized and have lost their way, our common goal and the pursuit of prosperity and happiness for all who seek it. Most are pulled by puppet strings of unlimited campaign spending and corporate greed. I dream of something new. Not just another party, and a third party, ideally a women’s party, would be amazing, but no, I dream of a movement led by women, supported by men in power, who understand that life isn't red or blue‚ it's every shade of human experience and that we are only as strong as our weakest citizen.

When I speak to women across the political spectrum, from conservative family members to progressive activists to clients to mentors, I hear the same exhaustion. We are all tired. Our mothers were sold a dream of liberty that came with hidden costs. Now we juggle careers and families, isolated in suburban fortresses, far from the village it takes to raise a child or multiple children. We often only have one pathway to self-actualization and sanity, while our male equals get to have it all. We earn degrees that don't translate to equal pay, have caused Gen X to live without means for decades, we have started countless businesses that struggled for funding and left us in personal debt or worse, and yet we serve as the backbone of a workforce that often forgets we're human too. The more spiritual sex, those who have to have purpose in our lives and in our work.

But here's what gives me hope: our capacity for surprise and hope. Our ability to transcend expectations. Our power to shock the world not with division, but with unity. Imagine a future where we focus on cleaning our water instead of arguing about who polluted it or letting them continue to destroy the very thing that we are made of that we have to drink to survive. Where we fund dreams and build boards not based on gender but on merit and ideas. Where we protect both personal freedom and collective responsibility.

The path forward isn't through hatred or fear. It's through the middle ground where most Americans actually live‚ the space where we can disagree about policies while agreeing on principles and basic human rights and liberties this country was founded on. Where we can fight for women's rights while respecting diverse viewpoints. Where we can demand corporate accountability while celebrating entrepreneurship.

Technology has become both miracle and monster, connecting us globally while dividing us locally. Suicide among teenage girls has never been higher. Public schools have moved students all the way into high school who literally cannot read.  It's time to reclaim our digital town square, to turn down the volume on artificial outrage and amplify authentic human connection and care for one another. We need leaders who understand that social media should serve society, not destroy it or use it for their own unaddressed greed.

To the women scrolling through endless news feeds feeling hopeless: run for office. To the moderates sitting silently at family dinners: speak up. To the next generation watching us stumble: don't lose faith. To women who are confused; Harris got 48% of American votes on the shortest presidential campaign in history in 107 days and only 4 US VPs have every won a presidency. For the women celebrating Trump’s vicoty; check in on your neighbor or the friend who is hurting and scared about their future. America's strength has always been its ability to reinvent itself while holding onto its core truth‚ that all people deserve the chance to write their own story.

We stand at a crossroads, not between left and right, but between fear and hope. Not between right and wrong, but in Wholeness; in finding our balance. We are caught between silence and action. Between division and the harder path of finding common ground. But the future isn't about waiting for perfect candidates or perfect solutions. It's about rolling up our sleeves and doing the work of democracy and maybe giving democracy and upgrade if the time is now. While democracy is not perfect, it is one of the best tools used in the world, when used properly.

Tonight, I choose hope. Tomorrow I dance with blue and red, purple, yellow and green in my circle. I choose the harder path of building bridges instead of walls. And when I burn a bridge, it is conscious for it is surely going to light the way forward in colors I could only have dreamed of before lighting the match. I choose to believe that even in our differences, we can find common cause and ideas that will propel this country forward. In our diversity lies our strength and in our willingness to listen to each other, really listen, we might find our way forward as allies instead of enemies inside of our one home called America on our one planet of Earth.

This isn't just another election reflection. It's a call to remember who we are when we're not afraid. When we're not divided. And when we remember that the American experiment has always been about the audacity to believe we can do better. To do the impossible while we strive to be better. Not just for some, but for all of us. And to leave this place better than we found it.

The moon is now full, and with it comes a tide of change. For those who think I’m just a dreamer, I’m not the only one. I let the moon move me, like it moves the tides, into action. Into care for others and for myself. The question isn't whether change will come, change is here. The question is whether we'll shape the future together or let it tear us apart. Whether we will give someone who has hurt many in ideals, the chance to shock everyone and do that which is right for the collective of truly the greatest country I have ever lived in and choose to belong to. I choose living together. Let’s all try to cling to and choose hope. The America I am proud to be a part of can fulfill a highest aspiration, not our deepest fears. And if for some reason the next 4 years aren’t what we hoped for, what will you do to change the next 4?

What does Halloween really mean?

Image Copyright Mel Rose 2024

What a moon that was! I have been processing and integrating my experience this Hallow’s Eve because it went deep. Now Halloween is usually my favorite holiday. Inheerited by my mother who went all out my whole life on this holiday, for the entire month of October. Waking me up October 1st as Elvira, with blood and all painted on her face. I love Halloween because the creativity hidden in many, exposes itself and I love to see the way it expresses itself in places like NYC and London. I studied costuming in college and so this is a treat in and of itself for me. I love being in places where people take it very seriously, parties are intended for masked creatures to dance all night. This year it was warm in New York which created an extra layer of sadness to not be there. I am almost always a mermaid, and in a way I love this mask. But it is challenging in cold weather environments! Regardless, I love finding unique ways to be Mermaid and trying out new versions of Her. I have been a regular mermaid about 15 times, a french mermaid, a robot mermaid, a dead mermaid, a space, mermaid, a hippie mermaid and a psychic cowgirl mermaid. This year, living out in deep Nature, I decided I wanted at least one night as an internal Halloween. But I didn’t know why or how. But in the most spiritual year of my life, I was tapping into ancient, ancestral and sacred wisdom and this realization came right on time, for the universe opened up when I asked the question and I was delivered the information below. Information that made hosting private ceremony around this Halloween, my most important Halloween yet.

You see, the Halloween holiday that we've come to know and celebrate today is just the tip of the spiritual iceberg and celebration it prepares us to celebrate. Beneath the surface lies a deep well of esoteric significance that has been largely forgotten over time. As I've come to understand it, Halloween is actually rooted in ancient pagan traditions that viewed this time of year as a sacred threshold - a moment when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds grows thin, allowing for a deeper exploration of the self and the mysteries of existence.

At the heart of this understanding is the concept of the "fall of the soul" into the material realm. This isn't seen as a “sin” or a punishment, but rather a necessary part of the soul's evolutionary journey. You see, the soul originates from a state of unity with the divine source, but through a process of individuation, it descends into the physical world, taking on the mantle of the "animal self" - the instinctual, sensory aspects of human consciousness. A place where most people live, inside of complexity, versus simpleness or enlightenment, where we thrive and live in our birthright of peace and harmony with nature and each other.

This descent into the animal self/the wearing fully of our mask(s) is mirrored in the four cardinal holidays of the year - the solstices and equinoxes. Each of these markers represents a different stage of the soul's journey, from the initial immersion in sensations and emotions at the Fall Equinox, to the development of thought at the Winter Solstice, and ultimately, the attainment of spiritual understanding at the Spring Equinox.

Halloween, then, is a pivotal moment in this cyclical process, representing the soul's full engagement with the animal self. It's actually a beautiful time observe the masks we wear and to come to ceremony in order to shed the masks and illusions that often obscure our true nature. By reconnecting with the deeper currents of our being, we heal, and we can step into a year to follow of living in our authenticity. Ritual and ceremony are important for human beings. Sadly the only rituals we take place in around holidays are filing our bodies with too much food and poison, instead of clearing our space and making more room for grace, love, and peace. These opportunities for rituals and symbolism, especially the deshedding associated with this holiday, have started to become a priority in my life. One ritual, carving of the Jack-o'-Lantern revealed itself to me this year. The idea of carving out the hard parts of ourselves so that the light can shine through, rituals like this are meant to facilitate this shedding, allowing the "light of our Source" within us to shine forth and come to show the shape that our important shadows have spent sometimes decades and lifetimes creating.

The modern, secularized version of Halloween has largely lost touch with these profound esoteric meanings. Instead of using the holiday as a means of self-reflection and spiritual evolution and deep connection to others, we've reduced it to mere indulgence in the material and the sensory. But by reclaiming the deeper significance of Halloween and the other cardinal holidays, we can reconnect with the rhythms and cycles of the natural world, and deepen our bond with our own authentic consciousness and life purpose.

This is not just about honoring ancient traditions and tapping into Nature and in turn ourselves, but about cultivating a more holistic understanding of ourselves and our place within the grand cosmic order. It's about shedding the masks and illusions that so often obscure our true nature, authentic purpose and reasoning for being here, our place in the collective consciousness that we are here to evolve, and embracing the transformative power of these sacred thresholds.

So I encourage you, each day to explore the depths of what you know deep inside, to explore sacred knowledge, to practice rituals that connect you to your light, and to let it guide you on your own journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth. Given the state of the world, I chose to dive into the light this Halloween, for there is enough dark and fear all year long. Many believe we are at one of the lowest spiritual points for humanity. What I can affirm from my own journey is that when you hit rock bottom, you know where the foundation is to build up from. May this spiral of life show us that even in the darkest hours, light will find it’s way through if you let it.

Botanical Wellness Tip: 001

The Importance of Plant-Based Wellness and Clean Products

In today's world, where environmental concerns and health consciousness are at the forefront of many minds, the concepts of plant-based wellness and clean products have gained significant traction. This blog post explores why these ideas are crucial for our health and the environment, and why we should be paying close attention to ingredients like phenoxyethanol in our personal care products. Nothing in this blog is a recommendation; you must do your own research to know what is right for you.

The Power of Plant-Based Wellness

Plant-based wellness is more than just a trend; it's a lifestyle choice that can have profound effects on our health and the planet. Here's why it matters:

1. Nutrient-Rich Diet: Plant-based diets are typically rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are essential for optimal health.

2. Lower Environmental Impact: Plant-based lifestyles generally have a smaller carbon footprint compared to those heavily reliant on animal products.

3. Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases: Studies have shown that plant-based diets can lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

4. Longevity - While the small amounts in our products seem small per product and per purchase, over a lifetime, the exposure to these toxins can build up and cause dis-ease. If you want to live a long life, it is not enough to destress and live outside of big toxic cities, you also need to pay attention to what you put around, inside of, and onto your body.

5. Plants are the original medicine - The reason Pharma is what it is, is largely because of the power of plants. Pharma is often mimicking nature, but without the life force. Much of the medicines we are sold, stem from nature, and are synthesized in labs to serve the masses as well as generate a profit. Did you know that if you have a UTI, in the time it takes you to go to a doctor, fill a prescription and wait for that UTI to clear, you could go to the grocery store, buy parsley, boil it, drink the water, and feel immediate relief? Why don’t doctors tell us this? It’s because they either don’t know or they are over-educated ie. collegially trained in medical school to avoid the power of plants, and instead push synthetic solutions into and onto our bodies.

The Importance of Clean Products

Clean products, those made without harmful chemicals or synthetic ingredients, are becoming increasingly important in our daily lives. Here's why:

1. Reduced Exposure to Toxins: Clean products minimize our exposure to potentially harmful substances that can accumulate in our bodies over time.

2. Better for the Environment: Products made with natural, biodegradable ingredients are less likely to pollute our water systems and harm wildlife.

3. Skin Health: For personal care products, clean formulations can be gentler on the skin, reducing the risk of irritation and allergic reactions.

4. HSPs: If you are a highly sensitive person (15-20% of every organism has an HSP population), it serves you to do your research about the ingredients of food you eat, products you buy, and the way things around you and in your closet and home are brought into existence. If you get into your 30s and figure out that you have been gaslit your whole life by the people around you about your experiences being different than theirs, you are likely an HSP. Does this sound familiar? “No it doesn’t smell bad.” “No the light is not too bright in here.” “It’s not even that loud.” “Stop being too sensitive all the time.” “You’re so sensitive, stop!” “No it doesn’t, didn’t, hasn’t been that bad.” This is called gaslighting and you deserved better.

The Phenoxyethanol Problem

One ingredient that has come under scrutiny in recent years is phenoxyethanol. While it's used as a preservative in many personal care products, there are concerns about its safety:

1. Potential Skin Irritant: Some studies suggest that phenoxyethanol can cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals.

2. Neurotoxicity Concerns: At high concentrations, phenoxyethanol has been linked to nervous system issues, particularly in infants.

3. Environmental Impact: Like many synthetic chemicals, phenoxyethanol can persist in the environment and potentially harm aquatic life.

4. Reproductive Toxicity: Some animal studies have raised concerns about potential reproductive toxicity, particularly with very high doses. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has also pointed out potential risks but maintains that normal cosmetic use does not pose significant risks.

Moving Towards Cleaner Alternatives

As consumers become more aware of these issues, there's a growing demand for products that are both effective and free from potentially harmful ingredients like phenoxyethanol. Many companies are now exploring natural preservatives and developing innovative formulations that maintain product stability without relying on synthetic chemicals.

Conclusion

Embracing plant-based wellness and opting for clean products and packaging is not just a personal health choice – it's a step towards a more sustainable and healthier world for all. By being mindful of the products we use and the ingredients they contain, we can make a positive impact on our own wellbeing and the environment around us. In a future blog we will talk about HAA5 which is now in much of the water due to cleansers and detergents. HAA5 refers to a group of five haloacetic acids that can form as byproducts in drinking water when chlorine or chloramine is used for disinfection. These compounds are of concern because they have been associated with potential health risks. These are forever chemicals and we use them daily in our lives…but why? Why don’t we want better? So do your research! We are here to help but it is on you to care what you bring into your life, home and body.

Remember, every small change counts. Whether it's incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet or switching to clean, phenoxyethanol-free personal care products, you're contributing to a larger movement towards health and sustainability.

Another great article on Anti-Phenoxyethanol is here: www.elementapothec.com

Sacred Feminine Tip 001: You hold ancient wisdom inside you.

This is a book tip. But also the lesson of my whole life tip. If you haven’t listened to Sabrina Vedete’s episode on the podcast yet, you should. The feminine is a dire need for all humans to take seriously. A part of our nature that has lived in the shadow for far too long.

Today is a full moon. We LOVE full moons.

The Conscious Feminine: A Journey of Spiritual and Personal Growth

Welcome to Season 2 of our podcast! We're back, full of life force energy and ready to share. Our plan is to release content on the half moons, full moons, and new moons, allowing you to expand your knowledge of moon cycles while exploring sacred topics crucial for life's journey.

My Spiritual Journey

When I began my spiritual journey a decade ago, I couldn't have imagined how leaving NYC, pursuing my soul's work, and starting a podcast and blog would completely transform my life. Through this healing process, I've learned that life often requires great release to move forward. And that part of the great journey is to remember. Remember the sacred feminine in which I was robbed for almost 20 years, and let the wisdom come back, into my heart, through my bones and my ancestry as a female on Earth.

Jung and the Anima/Animus Theory

In my journey, I've become an amateur Jungian analyst, reading extensively about Carl Jung and his work. While I deeply respect Jung's contributions to psychology, I've always struggled with his Anima and Animus theory. Jung posited that men have a female soul expression (Anima) and women have a male one (Animus). However, as someone who has been highly masculinized while being projected in man's image of woman my entire life, I disagree.

I believe that all humans have a female soul. And that our battle is with the denying of the sacred and divine feminine. For that is truly where our peace and connection to nature come from, and create harmony in our lives.

As a woman living in a patriarchy, I find myself needing to recapture the divine and sacred feminine more than ever. This journey has led me to question the traditional "female" qualities often projected onto women by men, rather than embracing the traits of goddess myths that predated patriarchy.

To Be A Woman: Birth of the Conscious Feminine

Recently, I read "To Be A Woman: Birth of the Conscious Feminine," a book from 1991 that deeply resonated with me. It's made me wonder how this knowledge might have impacted my life had I encountered it in my 20s or 30s. The book is so good. It explores the conscious feminine birth in all of us through 6 powerful parts. Retracing our Common Evolution, Re-Mothering Ourselves, Re-fathering ourselves, Resacralizing the Female Body, Reawakening the Divine Feminine, and Renewing the World. It is powerful but in a way that teaches us to come back to love as our core manifesting birthright. As articulated by Marion Woodman: "Consciousness is trying to move from power to love." This text really has birthed a new way for me. And I hope if you are reading this, you will dive in as well.

I reached out to one of the authors, Connie Zweig, hoping to have her on the podcast. While she declined, citing a desire to retire peacefully, this interaction highlighted the cultural tendency to sideline older women, often them doing so to themselves, when they really should be celebrated, able to receive, and able to go for decades in sharing their wisdom and leading us, stronger than they did in their working years. I was reminded of trees and nature. Trees, as they die, give resources out, for decades. By the time human women reach their 70s and 80s, they have been stripped like the Giving Tree. In a time when society needs them most, they disappear. I've vowed to remain engaged and contributing well into my later years and even though I felt she wanted me to fight for it, in the way the authors of Carl Jung’s Man and His Symbols, really fought for him to write this book before he died, I am just done fighting. I am in a state of attraction and receiving and as a conscious female, I will not fight anymore for things that do not feel aligned with my mission.

The Conscious Feminine Era

I'm entering my Conscious Feminine era, which is incredibly liberating. It challenges me to confront core values and goals I may have abandoned in pursuit of male ideals. This journey has taken me from contentment in a simple life, through destruction in a complicated one, to a hopeful and enlightened path forward.

I believe we're entering an era of the feminine yang, where we must reclaim our female cravings and nature while letting go of male ideals. This involves reconnecting with our goddess nature and creation-ary dreams that were stripped away when the feminine was eradicated from our religion and society.

Stages of Identity and the Future

The book discusses stages of identity, from the 30,000-year rule of the matriarchy (feminine yin) to the current 2,000-year era of masculine yang. We're now entering the time of the great feminine yang, which presents both challenges and opportunities for evolution. The last phase of this powerful 4 part direction of humanity would be the masculine yin. I think we are about 500 years out from that era, and that humans might not get there, but if we do, it would surely be a time to be alive. I think the final chapter of the culmination of all the eras would be utopia. If there could be one, it would be a time when humans have finally embraced wholeness and polarity. I read a Robert A. Johnson book called Transformation. In it he sites that human have only seen the color blue for 2000 years. How bizarre. That at the coming of the patriarchy, that part of our sight expanded. Imagine if in each era we gained more of our senses. Right now we visually see only one millionth of the electromagnetic spectrum. Imagine if we were to see and sense it all? Would that not be the completion of the human species evolution? And what then would we be called? Intergalactic light being travelers? I find it all so fascinating. What did the word look like before blue? Why did the matriarchy not need blue??

To truly embody divine feminine power, we must move beyond passive gestation and embrace the birthing power of expulsion - pushing out what no longer serves us and birthing a new consciousness. This involves protecting and nurturing our bodies, species, environment, and spirit. It involves us discontinuing the disconnection of male domination of the sky (all modern major dogma) and relegating women to nature and Mother Gaia. If we can fuse female into the sky back into the deity and man back into the Earth, then can we as a species come to our senses and value all things, heaven and Earth, as sacred?

Personal Reflections and Future Plans

I've stepped away from city life to live closer to nature, focusing on my dream of manifesting family and letting my creative energies fly. I pray daily for balance and harmony among humans. I hope we can find our way as a species through the masculine yang into a time of less collective suffering. But it won’t affect the rest of my life, if we don’t. And that brings me some kind of peace. We can only try so hard. But we also must recognize where we are in time, how time-sickness affects us all, and that when we live in our true purpose and genuine authenticity that time is really only a tool; it really isn’t even real.

Living in the mountains has allowed me to connect with nature's wisdom. The timelessness of nature and the many many ways we can use biomimicry to evolve and learn in our own pursuits and lives. I am now a declared Shinto, and I love this lifestyle. It took me my whole life to figure it out. It took an ego death, so that I could enjoy the rest of my life. These old-growth forests teach lessons of homeostasis, balance, commitment, and community. I wish for everyone to have more time in nature, connecting with the great Mother Earth and Father Sky, observing how they weave together to create portals of wonder in daily life. Blues, greens, yellows, reds, and all the other colors we are lucky enough to be able to see today.

Moving Forward - To divinity and beyond.

I plan to start a book club based on "To Be A Woman: Birth of the Conscious Feminine." I invite you to join me as we explore each topic and section, modernizing the concepts for the 2020s. Let's embark on this journey of growth and self-discovery together.

Stay tuned for our next episode, and I look forward to Howling and Healing with some of you tonight! I’m off to a sound bath at our local yoga studio, which I am so grateful for. Somehow going back to my stretching and breathing always brings me right to where I am supposed to me. Safely inside of myself tucked next to my favorite forest.

I plan to start a little book club off the book and if you’d like to follow along, please order you copy so that you can dig in to expand while I discuss my thoughts on each topic and section of the book, modernized for the 2020s. See you on the next episode! I can’t wait to Howl and Heal with some of you tonight!

Nature Tip 008: Plant Based Materials & Non Toxic Processing

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

A few years ago I decided it was time to stop wearing plastic. Mainly because I had started to follow @plasticfreemermaid on Instagram and I really respected the book she wrote I Quit Plastics. I found quitting plastics in the US to be very challenging. They were everywhere. In my closet, bathroom, kitchen, car, house. I wanted to stop my exposure to so much plastics but little did I know that it was hidden too! In my salt, in my teabags, in my makeup, in my receipts (BPA filled - did you know people who have jobs that handle receipts have a reduced fertility?! WTF).

I had separately read that it was important especially for fertility for both sexes to not wear non-natural fiber clothing. Wearing plastic all day around your genitals (polyester, nylons, viscose, etc.), wearing anything processed in a toxic way, is dangerous for reproductive health and overall health. So I separated my closet into 3 piles. One of things I wanted to save because I loved their patterns, it was designer stuff I could never find again, or was something passed down to me or something I collected that I would like to pass onto my kids yet shockingly was made of poly blends and I wouldn’t wear them anymore. The few Alexander McQueen pieces from his last collection before he died broke my heart to put away! WTF, I thought. So much designer stuff in toxic textiles! Those all went into storage. I then separated everything else into a natural fiber: Cotton (ideally organic), linen, silk. The rest went to donation centers or to be sold online. If it was over 30% poly or some other non natural blend -it went into this last pile. This eliminated half of my wardrobe which was a blessing because I really needed to reduce the items in my closet. I started rebuilding the missing pieces in my closet slowly with silks and cashmere options. My online shopping dropped because it was hard to find natural items in a style that I really liked. I used sites like The Real Real to get lightly used or even just resold but never been worn items that were lux but not priced as such. I wanted to start making better choices with fashion.

After my closet felt “safe”, I faced the reality that this was going to be a life long process. The toxic materials are still surrounding me. I set an intention. No new items that are not natural fibers…but this was harder than I expected. Often the products I wanted or needed didn't exist in a normal price range. So I splurged on some things and broke my own new rule in others. It just was unavoidable. Plastics remain in my bathroom, as building materials, in my car. I had to take a deep breath. One section of my life at a time! I also noticed that we have opportunity when we look at life through a “more natural textiles” lens. We have niches we can fill when we are looking but cannot find what we want!

I bought non toxic bags to put groceries in next. Then I started looking for beauty products sold in glass with minimal plastics. I had already stopped buying products with phenoxyethanol and frangrace/perfum in it which drastically reduced my lifelong battle with eczema, but still I was surrounded by plastics. I chose better items each time I shopped. I stopped using amazon as much and went towards companies I paid for shipping from but had zero or harm reducing or actually environmental benefit actions in place.

I always thought a cool profession was to design textiles and fuse that with engineering. This profession exists and needs more women! I tried for a while to get my mom to buy organic (to avoid chemicals that are proven to cause a plethora of degeneration and disease) and to reduce her plastic and toxin exposure. This was always met with “Wow it’s a miracle I got this old.” And I always say the same thing under my breath and as I learned more with a conviction “Yes, but we live in a much more toxic environment than when you were growing up.” The truth is, we need to reduce this plastic monster - even though plastic producers are ramping up production. As consumers we have to demand better and we do that with our spending dollars. If we stop buying it, they will stop making it. Or at least we can hope.

Today I want to review processes and types of processes for textiles that come from plants. Please read the article below if plant textiles interest you and let’s start the conversation around how we can make things safer and with health and our future at the helm of this creation and consumption ship we find ourselves on in this modern culture.

Enjoy.

I am sharing a post today to give readers a great resource for all things plant materials. I found this article to be thorough and filled with knowledge. I included some of my favorite excerpts which you can see below this section. I want to get you to start thinking of plants as major sectors and how you can learn more and get involved. I would like each of us to think about plants as a resource and solution to many of our daily habits and dreams we look to build. As a Permaculturist I am draw to the sustainability and circular economy of using natural materials to build businesses, homes, and lifestyle. Now remember that many plants ARE toxic and that even if the things we build and create are made out of plants, the processing of those plants can be just as toxic as anything else. So it’s all about creating an economy once we understand the basics.

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This article can be viewed in it’s entirety onConservation Wiki.

“Plant materials are ubiquitous to the human experience; as such, they are found in a variety of forms--raw to heavily processed, utilitarian to decorative--within public and private collections around the world. In the fabrication of artifacts, plant materials have been used as architectural elements, furniture, basketry, cordage or lashings, textiles, substrate for written language, a variety of personal accessories, vehicles (i.e. boats, carts, airplanes, etc.), housing materials, musical instruments, religious icons, tools, and nearly every other aspect of human life (fig 1).

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Kingdom Plantae is one of the eukaryotic kingdoms and is comprised of some 300,000 species (Judd, et al. 2008). Within Plantae, there are three main botanical divisions, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, and Spermatophytes. Materials used to construct artifacts come from plants in all three divisions, though the majority are derived from spermatophytes.

Bryophytes, or non-vascular plants (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) have leaves and stems, but no true roots and limited vascular tissue. 

Pteridophytes (ferns and horsetails) have leaves, stems, root-like rhizomes, and well-developed vascular tissue, but no true flowers or seeds. Spermatophytes, (seed-bearing plants) have stems, leaves, and roots. They can be divided into two distinct groups: gymnosperms (non-flowering) and angiosperms (flowering). Gymnosperms include most coniferous trees and shrubs; angiosperms can be further divided into mangoliids, monocots, and dicots. Further information about plant taxonomy and anatomy can be found in most introductory biology textbooks and is abundantly available online. However, phylogenetic research has greatly changed the understanding of taxonomy both across and within domains and kingdoms in recent years; updated sources should be referenced. 

The morphology (physical form and external, macroscopic structure) of plants often dictates the way that they are used to create objects (Florian 1990). For example, stems have great longitudinal strength but readily split in the radial or tangential directions; this makes them well-suited as weavers for basketry items. Both reproductive structures (e.g. seeds, flowers) and somatic structures (roots, stems, leaves) are represented in artifact production; commonly encountered examples are listed below.

• Seed/Husk: cotton, kapok, coir, milkweed, corn husk, seed pods (legume), gourds

• Stems: flax, hemp, jute, ramie, sunn, kenaf, urena, nettle, rosella, bamboo, cornstalk, sugar cane, bagasse, esparto, cereal straws (wheat, barley, etc.), willow, oak, hazelnut

• Bark: cedar bark, paper mulberry tree inner bark, breadfruit tree inner bark, birch bark

• Leaf Fibers: sisal, manila hemp, agave, henequen, cantala, maguey, Mauritius hemp, caboga, pineapple, pita, bromeliad, banana, palm, New Zealand flax, yucca

• Roots: spruce root, willow root, cedar root

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The techniques for manufacture and construction of plant-based objects are as variable as the objects themselves. The general manufacture of basketry and textiles creates a woven structure with varying degrees of structural strength and flexibility. Weave patterns of the two reflect utility as fabrics, netting, storage containers, and aesthetic objects; knotting, linking, looping, wrapping, coiling, twining, and plaiting are allmanufacturing techniques related to the construction of either textiles or basketry. Basic descriptions are included below:

• Knotting: 2 active elements (nets)

• Looping: single active element creates a loop over itself or another passive element (bind edges, button holes)

• Wrapping: active element(s) wrap around passive ones, elements are often of differing size

• Coiling: fine active element secures a foundation element (wrapped coiling, looped coiling, linked coiling)

• Twining: a pair of active elements interlock between foundation elements (countered, regular, open)

• Weaving: many variations including plain weave, twill, etc.

• Plaiting: weaving at a 45 degree angle to the selvedge or rim.

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Collections care professionals should use caution when handling plant-based materials; many materials pose a significant health risk through inherent or acquired sources of toxic compounds. For example, it was common practice throughout the 19th and into the 20th century for natural history and anthropology collections to be treated with organic and heavy metal pesticides, antifungal agents, and tissue fixatives ([[#ref13|Pool 2005). The role of such compounds used by farmers, native peoples, and craftsmen prior to the object’s museum life should also not be overlooked (fig. 6) (Hawks 2001). These chemicals are often highly persistent and some are toxic to humans. To protect both the artifact and the handler, proper personal protective equipment should be utilized when handling plant materials that may have been treated with pesticides or stored in closed cabinets with materials that may have been treated (Hawks et al. 2004). Chemical spot testing and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy are two methods that have been used to confirm the presence of heavy metals (Odegaard,et al 2000; Shugar 2012). 

Non-powdered, nitrile gloves should be worn when handling plant materials. White cotton gloves are not as effective as barriers to potential toxic substances and also carry the potential to snag on components of the artifact. Handling trays and supports should be utilized whenever possible.

As with all objects, care should be taken to lift and/or manipulate the object by its most stable point.

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Contents

• 1 Materials and technology

  • 1.1 Materials

    • 1.1.1 Macroscopic level

    • 1.1.2 Molecular level

  • 1.2 Technology

    • 1.2.1 Processing

    • 1.2.2 Tools

    • 1.2.3 Manufacture and Construction

    • 1.2.4 Processing for Scientific Specimens / Herbaria

  • 1.3 Identification

  • 1.4 Deterioration

    • 1.4.1 Physical Deterioration

    • 1.4.2 Chemical Deterioration

    • 1.4.3 Biological Deterioration

    • 1.4.4 Mechanical Deterioration

• 2 Conservation and care

  • 2.1 Preventive conservation

    • 2.1.1 Handling

    • 2.1.2 Environmental recommendations for storage and display

    • 2.1.3 Integrated Pest Management

    • 2.1.4 Supports and Mounts

    • 2.1.5 Labeling

  • 2.2 Interventive treatments

    • 2.2.1 Surface Cleaning

    • 2.2.2 Consolidation

    • 2.2.3 Humidification and Reshaping

    • 2.2.4 Repair, Stabilization, and Aesthetic Reintegration

• 3 References

• 4 Further reading

Nature Tip 007: Plant Based Diet

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

About 4 years ago, I decided to try really committed to a plant based diet. I had tried being a vegetarian in college which lasted for 4 years, except for when I would visit my family in Michigan who refused to accept that meat was unnecessary for health. I would experience food FOMO like no other and I lost a ton of weight, replacing meat with carbs and with sugar for energy. I did “plant based” totally wrong. For 10 years while I modeled and worked in fashion and traveled, I had zero food rules. I never gained weight because I was hyper active and physically very active, but I was not healthy. I struggled with many health issues to which I had to stock up on pharmaceuticals I could get over the counter in other countries. Finally, a friend of mine suggested I take a probiotic. As soon as I did this my whole experience daily changed. I thought it was bizarre. Then I read that many cultures believe the brain is in the gut. And then I started reading. I read Genius Foods, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The China Factor, and I ordered Sakara’s cookbook. Then I ordered Sakara. I realized, I am a great chef and with some effort and paying attention to Sakara’s 9 pillars of nutrition, that I could try again to do plant based diet, but right this time.

Sakara taught me to aim to eat the color of the rainbow. That’s because certain color foods have specific nutritional value. So the more colors, the more nutrition I was getting. I learned that carbs are not a healthy substitute because corn and wheat are laced with chemicals. I learned that not eating organic was exposing me to poison and so I committed to paying more for my food but I saved money on not buying the meats and dairy and breads. I learned to not eat the same food within a 24 hour time period, no leftovers the next day. This is because the goal is to get DIVERSE nutrition into your body. I started adding their minerals to my water. I drank water with lemon. I started to do intermittent fasting. And I didn’t beat myself up if I failed. No doubling down on my pain! I decided to not be strict with myself. If I wanted to eat something I would eat it, especially when eating in restaurants in Naples, FL, which may as well be Michigan. But I didn’t feel great when I did that so I often did this less and less. But then I stopped eating in restaurants because menus there often had 1 vegetarian dish and they were usually pretty awful. After I didn’t let the food FOMO get to me, although after 1 year of only eating off my diet in restaurants which was not often, I could let it go and enjoy my process. I started really working out my favorite recipes and my mom would say to me “If I could make food taste like this, I would be plant based too!”

When I stopped craving the meat and cheeses, I started to be somewhat grossed out by them. I was always lactose intolerant but I would suffer through cheese and dairy treats because I thought I loved them. But when I learned about how evil the dairy industry is, I couldn’t even bring myself to buying 90% of dairy anymore even if I physically paid a price for it. If I was going to eat meat, I decided it had to be sourced from a small farm. I learned that any farm with over 50 animals has to carry insurance, because it is impossible to safe guard farms over that size from disease. I watched What the Health and didn’t eat meat for a year. If I wanted meat I would eat it about once a month from a good farm. But the less I ate animals, the less I wanted to. Now I will occasionally eat wild game since I live in the mountains but I usually have the same reaction which is not liking it in my mouth at all. If I wanted fish it had to be wild and sourced sustainably. I watched Seaspiracy and cried and was depressed for 2 days and ruined a vacation with my boyfriend at the time. I had been pescatarian for years after being vegetarian and the whole time, creature still suffered. I had no idea what the fish were going though! As a mermaid it cut me deep. I rarely eat fish anymore but if I do I source, like I do everything else. I know the restaurants I eat sushi in are sourcing sustainably, or I eat wild Sardines since they are sustainable. If I need cheese, I try to find cheese that is certified humane and is goats or sheep milk since that is lactose free and doesn’t bother me. These meats and seafood and dairy that I do occasionally eat, they actually are more like a condiment on my food. I never eat them as a large portion. And I’ve found that this works for me. The point is not to be so strict, it is to be healthy and have energy and care about our planet. I won’t eat fake food because it usually has a ton of soy which is not great for women apparently. I think it helps that I grew up Italian and know how to cook. Maybe one day I will add some recipes on here or make a cookbook for how to do this lifestyle well. For now, I just want you to start reading and watching and paying attention to this process, if you are looking for a change. I had one friend watch me grocery shop and clean and prepare my food, storing it in glass containers and treating it with respect. He said “If this is what you do for your food every day and week, I see now why it is such a big part of your life. I respect that.” I struggle with this in relationships because while it may be gross to say, I can smell meat on a heavy meat eaters - someone who eats meat daily - it comes through in their scent, which to me is disgusting. I think there is something to be said about that. When I stopped eating so much meat and cheese and grains, my own scent got a lot sweeter, and I even found it more pleasant than the scent I often felt before was mine but belonged to someone else. Now I say if you’re out every once in a while and want to just indulge, your body on a plant based diet is equipped to fight toxins so go for it. But don’t make it a habit. No one will ever eat perfectly and that is okay. Perfection, let us remember, is a disease in and of itself. The reality is, keeping our diet to 95% plants, eradicates many of modern day diseases AND inflammation which leads to disease, as well as protects us from exposure to the disease that lives inside of many of modern day farmed animals who are treated inhumanely. These animals live in awful conditions, conditions we would never let humans live in, and we don't eat humans. If we can only see one millionth of the electromagnetic spectrum, it is safe to say that it is likely some of that genocide ends up in our bodies when we eat genocidal meat. I for one do not want to participate in genocide. Do you? Even more intense - do you want to be eating it??

Before covid started up, I remember being horrified to reading that the pork stock in China had been eradicated by a disease. I remember seeing it quickly spread to Australia and destroyed large amounts of their pigs. Fortune magazine reported that “Experts estimate that since 2018 as many as 300 million pigs, the equivalent of 25% of the global hog population, have died or were culled in China owing to ASF outbreaks.” The reality is that while they said humans had nothing to fear with this outbreak, that the humans handling the infected pigs were wearing hazmat suits and months later covid broke out of China and has affected global life as we all know it. The truth to me is that the animals carry the disease and spread it to us. And it is unavoidable because they are the largest genocide the world has ever seen. We are eating animals that don’t have a life and are not healthy - for profit of greedy psychopaths. We did not evolve for thousands of years eating meat with every meal, and in fact it is killing us in multiple ways now. We are now chopping down football fields of rainforest every minute to pave way for cows to be treated awfully to feed us. When will the insanity stop? If covid doesn’t get us to each look at our meat intake, what will it take??

Einstein - yes the man who gave us the Theory of Relativity which defined our laws of physics and changed the face of our planet in infinite ways - said something about a vegetarian diet and with covid running around our species, it was a huge reason for my shift 4 years ago and I hope it will help you in your own journey to be more conscious about what you put into your temple. Albert Einstein said, “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

If he knew it and figured it out, and he was the smartest human to every live, we should listen to him. Don’t listen to me. Listen to Einstein. But do it right. Listen to the leaders.

Read Sakara’s 9 pillars of nutrition and get started treating yourself and this planet better. If you would like some recipes please reach out to me I’m happy to share a few of my own creations and in time will replace this section of this blog with a few of my own. If you don’t have time to cook healthy for yourself, use Sakara or any other organic plant based food delivery program you can find. I think they are the best but I am biased because I’ve known the girls since the start. I’d follow them on social media, I have learned so much from following them and people like them in different industries, over the years. Get inspired. The time is now to treat yourself right and to let that temple shine!

Nature Tip 006: Womb Regeneration, Nature Regeneration

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

You’re saying “Uhhh Mel, what do Wombs have to do with Nature?” Well, wombs are where [most] humans are created. And humans are affecting Nature deeply. But it’s weird because we are Nature and since we forgot that we are Nature, we also have forgotten about how to preserve and protect and care for our wombs. Might the two be related? (Yes I’m capitalizing Nature now since it is my religion. ;) Wombs can be regenerated just like Nature can be regenerated. In fact, it is imperative to our lives that we take time to regenerate our energy centers. The more we connect with ourselves, our wombs which are our life makers, the more we will connect to and identify with Nature and the Universe. I want to take this blog to utilize my Yoni Mentorship Certificate and do some Womb/Nature analysis and educating for readers to understand why it is so important to learn how to work with your energy center daily and respect your Yoni. This is intended for the female reader but can be beneficial for all genders to explore. When we learn how to re-harmonize with Nature, we also learn how to re-harmonize our selves. It is time to love Her. The feminine which has been torn from our society and put on a relatively impossible pedestal to reach. But it is time we reclaim our feminine body parts, our connection to nature, and how the two are related. Regardless of your age, or if your womb is still physically there or not, our Womb center and Nature, require daily attention, starting now. It is time.

After I got back from my plant medicine experience in Costa Rica, I was sitting in my bedroom wondering how to build an altar. I needed to go back to my journey and healing ceremony daily, so that I could integrate properly. I wanted a place to honor myself and my growth. I needed a place and practice that was devoted to only that process. I knew I was not supposed to put this altar and prayer pillow where I do my yoga, but that was about all I knew. I sat there and meditated on it. All of a sudden I got a text. “Hey sis. I feel a call to invite you to join this women’s Yoni Mentorship Program I am doing. You should come tonight and see if you’re interested. We are building altars tonight with my style from my Egyptian heritage.” The hair on the back of my neck stood up. How wild is that?! This was eerily similar to what happened to me just before Costa Rica. She taught us to set up 5 images from left to right. One of a fantasy heroine or goddess, one of an ancestor, one of ourselves as an innocent, one of a person in our support system, and one of a soul pod member. We had something to symbolize earth, fire, wind, and water. And lastly, we had them in a place that we could protect from other’s energy. I use a scarf to cover these images and symbols when I am not working with them. They sit on a windowsill just in front of a tree that I prayed facing, and connected to. And behind her I consciously worked with 6 other massive trees that represented my spirit guides. When I travel, I take these items with me and try to place them in front of a window where I can connect with the trees and my symbols.

Having Sabrina reach out to me was strange because just a month earlier I sat in the exact same place wondering how on Earth I was going to “heal all this sealing” I had been doing. About ten minutes later, a different seastar goddess reached out to me and invited me to do a plant medicine retreat in Costa Rica to which I accepted. Both of these Wombyn (as Sabrina calls our soul family sisters) had felt a calling and were a part of my process to reconnect with self and Nature.

Plants have a funny way of speaking to us and through us. I’ve found since doing extreme plant medicine that there is a knowing among us who dare to let plants teach us. And I love that about this magical planet we inhabit. The universe is trying to get us to participate in the wonder of it all. We just have to show up and dive in. Whether it is the awareness that the plants bring to us, or the remnants of the plants inside our veins connecting to their own selves through us, somehow strange things seem to happen once you open up to these experiences and this expansion. The Universe or that other millionth of the experience we cannot see, starts to work with our own energy and time and space become tools, instead of adversaries. What is most ironic is that the women whom I have met, who have also done deep plant medicine and deep womb work, seem connected beyond time and space. Our connections bond us in a deep way that feels older than time itself. This bond is one that I have never experienced in any other way. One I didn’t know I craved. One I realized was a birth right and part of the female experience that I had always longed for.

I wonder, if we have ignored our womb connection in the same way we have ignored using nature to heal. When we get to the point of needing plants to reconnect us through our sacred energy, we also realize how powerful of a vessel we live inside of. That we own a temple and that being alive and healthy today makes us richer than all the money in the world. I wonder if we are missing a sacred part of life, which is a sisterhood where we explore motherly and sisterly and feminine love. A safe place we can go to explore how to give and receive nurturing and learn how to help each other to heal and feel safe in this crazy world. Women used to go around the full moons to be alone with each other. To heal and howl together deep into nature. Might we need this still?

Sabrina taught so many valuable things in her Yoni Gem mentorship program. The first thing she taught our class was that the word Vagina means “sheath for a sword.” I for one do not want to think about how growing up in a society that told me my Vagina’s whole purpose was to hold a man’s sword has deeply affected my entire existence. I would like to imagine a world where future generations of women grow up knowing that they are the sacred temple holders and that they exist to experience pleasure and peace in their bodies and lives. That those who enter the temple must be vetted and invited in. Sabrina taught us the word Yoni. This word is a way of honoring our body and reclaiming our femininity and the power in that. Using a beautiful word to describe ourselves is a way of taking back control over our sacred body parts, over our lives and a process of giving ourselves a new way to channel energy into our bodies and subtle energy bodies. From her website section “What is a yoni?” She explains “Yoni means sacred place and is the Sanskrit word for vagina. Using the word yoni instead of vagina is a way that wombyn can reclaim our femininity by honoring our sacred place; our vessel to create life and birth joy, abundance, creativity and meaning into our world.” Yoni then can mean a sacred temple. That knowledge has changed how I view and treat myself. It has changed how I look at all words. I know that I am sacred now. At 38, I learned to stop using words that don’t value my body, my gender and my life, regardless of how overused these words are in society.

Sabrina taught us next a painful yet undeniable truth. She offered us techniques for discovering on our own, the important realities of our Yoni. The truth is that women we do not need to “dry up” OR lose control of our bladders. We do not need to struggle. I almost didn’t believe these truths until I saw it work for myself. We are meant to be deeply in touch with our wombs and female sacred anatomy and our bodies. In order to experience ourselves wholly and at full power, we need to pay attention to our wombs and female anatomy on a daily basis. The same way we pay attention to our physical activity, what we eat, and what thoughts we allow to move us. The same way we change our bodies, is the way we change our minds when we pay attention to Nature more regularly. We become Supernatural. After we go into Awe inspiring Nature regularly, our emotions flow through us freely, more clearly and we don’t lose control in our expressions. When we have daily Nature connection and self care in our lives, we live so much better. You see, the womb is the holder of our Ching. Nature also holds Ching. They go together - they are the same. We are all made of the same dark and light matter. In ancient eastern medicine, Ching is the life force and in humans, the Womb is the holder of sacred Ching. As modern women, most of our wombs are not only carrying a ton of trauma we have not dealt with, but we ignore the womb for decades and wonder why she isn’t listening when we try to activate her. We haven’t paid this area much attention to heal and to feel and to own our energy. This is the practice of Tantra. To fix your own energy before you connect to another person’s. This is all on purpose. This is part of the patriarchal divide and part of what we need to learn as individuals and collectively. It is your birth right to own your body and mind and soul, and it is now in your consciousness to do the work to reclaim this right. In Sabrina’s course, over 6 months of daily healing and daily attention to my womb, a practice emerged that has changed my life. I notice very quickly whenI am not doing the work now. It becomes like yoga and eating clean, undeniable for actually feeling good.

I had been studying Tantra books for over a year trying to work with my own trauma and get my energy corrected so that I could connect with a partner on a deep spiritual and physical level when the time arrived. But working with a guide and a community of other women was a blessing that paved way for a sort of health and success that I’m not sure I ever could have worked out on my own. I realized so many pent up dreams, so many stored experiences that were holding my Ching back from flowing freely through my body that needed to be released, and so much freedom in my own experience of my temple.

Try some womb healing practices by finding a comfortable place on the floor to sit or lay down. By squeezing your yoni, buttocks, and internal core for 10 -20 seconds and then practice full release for 10 seconds. Make sure to breathe while you do this while holding tight until you consciously release. Release all the way. We need to learn how to fully release, just as much as we need to make sure our muscles are in our control. Release is the great deserving that so many women never find in life, but it is imperative to understanding your power. Repeat this practice 10-20 times per session. Do it for a 30 minutes to an hour before bed or when you wake. I like to include it in my chakra cleansing/spinning, prayer & meditation practice. As modern working women, we forget that this is an important part of our daily exercise. It does more than just pleasure a man, it shows you your path to pleasure and your deepest tantric healing. The work is to learn how to own our female anatomy, honor our own pleasure, stay healthy through all phases of our cycles and learn how to pair this practice with our dreams and regeneration. This practice returns energy and feeling and control in a ten fold. This practice is medicine. The power is still working her way through my practice and my life, and I honor this teaching regularly.

The second part of this blog is about tools Sabrina taught me to use in my process. Yoni Eggs and Yoni Steams. Many articles have come out about yoni eggs being dangerous and yoni steams being dangerous so I want to address both since I now have experience with both. I don’t think either are dangerous if you practice with intelligence, understanding and care.

Yoni eggs, with proper sterilization and proper use, can really change your experience sexually. Being able to feel like you are 17 again, is a gift we deserve to know how to give to ourselves. And the crazy part is, you can do it. As I feel about most things, we need to stop running to the pharmaceutical companies for quick fixes. While a yoni egg practice to increase your wetness for sex and decrease your chances later in life for incontinence works, it does take time and dedication. All women deserve to take this time out of their busy lives though. And if you do not want to stick a gem into your yoni, just do the exercises without one. It still works and will get the Ching flowing, the wetness back, and the frequency for needing to run to the bathroom less.

As I learned how yoni steaming changed Sabrina’s health, I asked questions. She taught me that as modern women, we do not actually bleed properly. We do not embrace our cycles and fully shed. Makes sense. I complained about my cycle my whole life up until I learned to honor it and be grateful for it after this course. This was a huge accomplishment for me and something that if you had told me I would say, 20 years ago, I would have fallen over laughing at you. But it is true. And now they hurt me less too. I realize how important it is to have a good cycle. How important it is to release what we build up in our uterus. Often, after doctors let you try to procreate for a whole year with failure, they will offer to “scrape your uterus” with a sharp blade. An ablation. I’ve seen it work for several of my friends. But ouch! Yoni steaming is a way around that naturally, to at least try first, and before you waste a year trying. The egg cannot implant into a uterus that has built up. Steaming is a way to help us complete our shedding and to get our uterus back to it’s beautiful intended way of the world. Sabrina explains yoni steaming as the following:

“What is a yoni steam?

A yoni steam is the practice of sitting over a steaming pot of water infused with medicinal herbs. Yoni steaming uses the healing power of plants and vital heat to restore balance to our feminine cycles in all life stages. The herb infused steam supports our bodies in the natural release of that which does not serve our optimal health, while connecting us to our inner wombyn. Many different herbs are used to support and heal our feminine cycles and stages of life. 

What does a yoni steam feel like?

Imagine a personal sauna for your yoni. Have a seat and receive the relaxing and healing benefits of a facial with medicinal purpose.

How does a yoni steam work?

Physical body: As the herbs heat up in your covered pot of boiling water, they release volatile and aromatic oils, which infuse in the steam that builds up as you boil. The herbal steam relaxes your pelvic muscles, enters your vulva and is carried by the heat up into your womb.  The steam opens and releases, increasing circulation and blood flow to our uterus, bringing life-giving heat and warmth essential to detoxing and directing the medicinal oils of the herbs where they need to go. Always remember:  Heat is medicine for the feminine body. Good blood flow is essential to yoni health. Plants are our Healers and Teachers :)

Emotional body: Our womb is where we carry emotions around anger, resentment, inability to forgive and let go of past traumas. It is also where we carry our creativity, self-expression, ability to manifest abundance and most importantly, the magic of our life-giving, compassionate, feminine essence. When our womb is full of one, there is no room for the other. As science is now finding out, our emotional and physical bodies are connected - our emotional state determines our physical health. Yoni steaming supports the release of past trauma to welcome in the new seeds we wish to grow. We forgive others to set ourselves free! For more information on how to clear out the old and create loving space for the new, as well as meditation journeys to take while you steam, please visit the Sacred Lotus webpage and/or contact us directly.”

Go to her website for full details on this and all her programs and offerings. It is not always a good time to Yoni steam so learn about it before you decide to do it. I’m so grateful for this friend and teacher in my life. She really is a miracle worker and someone that I am honored to have worked with to receive my Yoni Mentorship certificate from. She did not ask me to write this article or pay for this blog. This is an expression of gratitude for all of her knowledge that she so kindly is sharing with the world. This information is intended to spread throughout the collective female energy body of our current time and help us focus on our healing so that we can improve the quality of life for everyone on this planet.

In closing, Wombs are like the Planet Earth, herself. In fact, they’re closely tied to each other and they need each other. Both need attention, regeneration, and dedication; actively, daily. The power held in our wombs is infinite and they are deserving of honoring, just like Nature. Living in a patriarchal world is scary. We need balance. This culture has done everything it can to eradicate the feminine energy, except for regarding it as some fantasy, soul projection for man and as a replacement for religion. So it is no wonder why it takes us so long to come to this knowledge and do our work. But once we have done it, we claim our birthright to it, and our power reflects the power of Nature. As we are Nature, Nature is us. Womb Regeneration, including those who no longer have their wombs, matters as much as Nature Regeneration. This center of our bodies and planet holds ancient wisdom that we can cultivate for additional power and life force to work with in this wild world we find ourselves in, if only we accept the destiny that awaits us. If you thought you were meant for more, and needed a sign, consider this it.

Plant Tip 005: Intro to Permaculture & Green Engineering

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

Last year, after I realized how important it was for me to connect deeper with nature, I decided to take a course to get certified as a Permaculture Designer. As an expert in fashion design, graphic design, finance and cooking, I decided it was time to take my knowledge deeper in how to really create things properly, with the planet in mind at all turns, to heart. Permaculture is a way of building out land sustainably. But it is so much more than that. Really it is Green Engineering. It is teaching us how to live sustainably across all sectors and in our own personal lives.

As someone who owned a consumer goods business, worked in fashion, hospitality, entertainment, real estate and finance, I saw a lot of destruction in these places. I didn't see a ton of solutions. But that's what great minds are for. This is a sector of its own now. I witnessed short life cycles for things being built and invested in, which seemed unproductive. After studying Permacutlure, I found that so many of the Permaculture Principles can apply to all of these industries. Green engineering should apply to all systems and sectors and we should work hard to impliment more green engineering in pre-existing companies and sectors. Now we know that ESG consciousness adds value for investors, but we have to push to get all our sectors to respond and adopt the way of a better future.

I want to share some valuable information today. I find the following article very clear, up to date, and beneficial for wrapping your head around green engineering and all the power it holds. The definition of Green engineering below is that it “involves the design of products, processes, and systems at manageable costs that minimize environmental impacts.” We all know by now the value of ESG, but how to actually apply it is power. If you’d like to dive deeper into permaculture, this book is worth the investment and the tool my teachers used to guide 300 of us, all on a mission to help the planet in our own small ways, using permaculture and green engineering.

This article is copied from AccessScience.com Link to website on the title.

Green engineering

Article by:

McGinnis, Sean Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. 

Last reviewed:April 2021

• Environmental issues

• Sustainability

• Systems engineering

• Extraction

• Manufacturing

• End of life

• Transportation

• Life-cycle assessment

• Outlook

• Related Primary Literature

• Additional Reading

Key Concepts

• Green engineering involves the design of products, processes, and systems at manageable costs that minimize environmental impacts.

• Unlike traditional engineering, green engineering uses metrics to quantify environmental impacts—such as resource depletion and pollution—over the entire product life cycle and to make sustainable design choices that benefit the environment, society, and economics.

• As a form of systems engineering, green engineering is most effectively used early in the design phase, because changes there can have cumulative benefits across all life-cycle phases, from extraction to disposal.

• Life-cycle assessment is a green engineering technique that quantifies a broad and detailed set of environmental impacts.

The design of products, processes, and systems with explicit consideration of potential environmental impacts. Green engineering does not set environmental objectives as higher priorities than other design requirements, but it does require them to be considered explicitly. Like traditional engineering, green engineering solutions must meet design constraints as well as optimize objectives. Unlike traditional engineering, this new approach looks beyond performance and costs and adds the objective of minimizing environmental impacts (see illustration). This design balance is difficult, and many environmentally focused products have failed in the marketplace because of poor performance, higher safety risks, or unreasonable costs.

Green roofs, also known as vegetated roofs or living roofs, at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC. Engineered green roofs reduce stormwater runoff, reduce energy use through cooling effects, and provide urban habitats for plants, insects, and birds. Green roofs are also aesthetically pleasing and are expected to last about twice as long as conventional roofs. (Credit: U.S. General Services Administration)

Engineering applies math and science to design products, processes, and systems. In its best forms, engineering improves the quality of life across society by providing clean water, healthy and abundant food, efficient transportation, comfortable housing, access to information, and advanced medical treatments. Engineering advances since the Industrial Revolution have led to tremendous increases in life expectancy, economic growth, and quality of life. This progress, however, has come with external costs in the form of increasing environmental damage and depletion of resources. See also: Wastewater reuse;  Water supply engineering

Environmental issues

Many of the environmental issues resulting from engineering practice are not obvious to citizens and consumers because they happen behind the factory doors, often in distant lands, and they may accumulate slowly over time. These issues include depletion of resources and the degradation of ecosystems, as well as increasing concentrations of hazardous substances in the air, soil, and water. As both populations and individual incomes increase globally, engineering plays a critical role in providing the products, processes, and systems demanded by consumers to improve their lives. However, as the scale of engineering grows around the world, so do the environmental impacts. Scientists continue to research and document problems such as deforestation, bleaching of coral reefs, ozone depletion, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, mineral and fossil-fuel depletion, soil loss and degradation, and water pollution. Given Earth’s finite supplies of fuels and materials, and the increasing consumption of resources, it is clear that we cannot continue on this path and sustain our lifestyles indefinitely. Green engineering offers one potential path to a more sustainable society. See also: Coral bleaching;  Deforestation;  Hazardous waste;  Hazardous waste engineering;  Soil degradation;  Stratospheric ozone;  Water pollution

Sustainability

No single definition captures all of the complexities of sustainability. At a minimum, sustainability must address the so‐called triple bottom line, which includes the environment, society, and economics. As ecosystems are damaged, human quality of life and the costs to maintain it are affected. While sustainability is an abstract concept, green engineering is more practical and tangible. It can be thought of as a set of technical concepts and skills that people can use to design products at manageable costs that are better for society and the environment.

Green engineering quantifies environmental impacts to help make more sustainable design choices. Without quantifiable metrics, it is difficult to determine which choices are best from an environmental perspective. For example, one can claim that electric vehicles have lower carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline vehicles, but a quantified comparison of gasoline vehicle emissions to the emissions from electricity‐generating power plants must be done to know which vehicle has less air emissions.

Furthermore, environmental impacts must be considered over the entire life cycle; otherwise, improvements in one part of the life cycle can lead to larger problems in another area. Nuclear fuel for electricity generation produces relatively low carbon emissions, but the trade-off is radioactive and toxic waste materials that must be managed for centuries in the disposal phase. In the past, engineers often made environmental decisions rather loosely, based on intuition rather than life-cycle assessments. This often led to poor decisions from an environmental perspective, because the complexity of the full life cycle cannot be judged accurately without detailed analysis. Green engineers minimize environmental damage by understanding the details of the different life-cycle phases and making choices that reduce environmental impacts without sacrificing other critical constraints. See also: Nuclear fuel cycle

Systems engineering

In this sense, green engineering is a form of systems engineering, because there are complex interactions among all the components in the life cycle. For example, while engineers have traditionally been trained to focus on performance when selecting a specific material for an application, it is important that they understand that this choice affects the entire system. Materials extraction and manufacturing varies by material, as do the options for their end of life. Systems engineering is inherently interdisciplinary, because expertise from different fields is required to understand and assess each phase of the life cycle. With this systems perspective in mind, it is easy to understand that green engineering is most effectively employed early in the design phase, because changes there can have cumulative benefits across all life-cycle phases. See also: Systems engineering

Extraction

Extraction is the start of the life cycle and is dictated by raw material and chemical selections. Minerals, metals, and fossil fuels are mined and then refined with various levels of environmental degradation. Supplies of these materials are finite, so society’s use depletes them. Other materials, including wood, plant fibers and chemicals, food, and other biomass, are renewable in the sense that they can be regenerated. However, these processes are sustainable only if we regenerate the resources faster than we remove them, and if we don’t damage the ecosystems that support them. Green engineers strive to select materials that are abundant and can be extracted with less energy and ecosystem damage. See also: Forest timber resources;  Mining;  Oil and gas well drilling; Renewable resources

Manufacturing

Manufacturing takes the extracted raw materials and transforms them into useful products with specific functions and advanced properties. Like extraction, manufacturing requires electricity, heat, and various indirect chemicals, such as solvents, which are emitted intentionally below federal limits or unintentionally by accidents. Regular events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, oil spills, chemical leaks, manufacturing accidents, or illegal emissions, continue to affect workers, the public, and the environment locally, regionally, and globally. Green engineers strive to select less toxic chemicals, develop processes that use less energy and materials, or design more safeguards into manufacturing processes that require the use of hazardous substances. See also: Green chemistry;  Sustainable materials and green chemistry

End of life

End of life or disposal is the last phase of the life cycle. All products must go somewhere at the end of their useful lives. The most common options are landfills, incineration, and recycling, and each has trade-offs. Landfills produce methane from anaerobic digestion of organic matter, but this strong greenhouse gas can be captured and used as a fuel. Incineration recovers some of the embodied energy from materials that would otherwise be landfilled, but the environmental trade-off is carbon dioxide and other atmospheric pollutants from combustion. Recycling saves large amounts of embodied energy and ecosystem disruption because the extraction phase is avoided completely, but energy is still required for the transportation and recycling processes. Green engineers strive to reduce all forms of waste and to develop closed‐loop recycling processes. See also: Air pollution;  Recycling technology;  Waste-to-energy

Transportation

Transportation is required to move raw materials, finished products, and waste through the entire system. Emerging electric vehicle systems are more energy efficient, but the emissions for these systems depend on the fuel sources that generate the electricity. Moreover, a transition to electric vehicles requires a major conversion of infrastructure for the electrical grid. See also: Electric vehicle;  Transportation engineering

Life-cycle assessment

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a quantitative technique to quantify the environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems. It is a key green engineering tool that allows quantitative comparison of products across the life cycle to help with sustainability decisions. There are other useful environmental assessment tools, but LCA covers the broadest set of environmental impacts and is the most detailed. Energy Star® rates products based only on energy use. Similarly, carbon and water footprints are one‐dimensional ratings based on carbon dioxide emissions and water use, respectively. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system measures a number of key environmental impacts for building design, construction, and operation. See also: Architectural engineering;  Buildings;  Civil engineering;  Life-cycle analysis of civil structures;  Resilient building design

Outlook

Engineering has the potential to either make the world more sustainable or to contribute to the growing environmental problems. Green engineering is a conscious design effort to analyze environmental impacts across the full life cycle to make products, processes, and systems that are better for all aspects of the triple bottom line. Adding environmental constraints makes the job of engineers more difficult, but also provides a path to sustainable quality of life for societies in the long run.

Sean McGinnis

Test Your Understanding

Hide

1. What are three environmental and economic benefits of green engineering?

2. What is a built environment? List three negative impacts of such an environment.

3. Describe the drawbacks of traditional concrete pavement. What are the benefits of using a green alternative to concreate? Provide an example.

4. What is greywater? How is greywater being incorporated into green engineering?

5. Critical Thinking: Which principle of green engineering do you think is most important? Explain your reasoning.

Related Primary Literature

• P. T. Anastas and J. B. Zimmerman, Design through the 12 principles of green engineering, Environ. Sci. Technol., 37(5):94A–101A, 2003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/es032373g

• F. J. Lozano et al., New perspectives for green and sustainable chemistry and engineering: Approaches from sustainable resource and energy use, management, and transformation, J. Cleaner Prod., 172:227–232, 2018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.145

• R. Malone et al., Toward systems engineering modeling standards: Proposed system architecture core model elements and composition, INCOSE International Symposium, 27:273–286, 2017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2334-5837.2017.00359.x

Additional Reading 

• R. Habash, Green Engineering: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Design, CRC Press, 2018

• A. Pampanelli et al., The Green Factory: Creating Lean and Sustainable Manufacturing, CRC Press, 2016

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Green Engineering

Nature Tip 004: Daily Nature Connection is Medicine - Free 28 Day Course

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

“Ropes to Nature, makes us happy.” Jon Young

If you feel like you are disconnected, it’s probably because you haven’t been immersed in nature lately. The thing about us BEING nature is that we need to go into nature so we can reconnect with our Awe. There is a free 28 day course online here https://www.jonyoung.online/forum. Just click on the titles of each day. This is truly a gift and I urge humans to reconnect. You can see Jon Young speak for ted here. Misty, our Nature School Seastar Goddess has helped create nature school for children. Listen to her podcast and reach out to learn from her to build your own nature school.

Nature Tip 003: Plant-repreneurs

Nothing in this post is a recommendation

Plants are big business. Look at corn. Read the book The Omnivore’s Dilemma and have your mind blown. Plants are smart. Corn is a king in this world…it is in EVERYTHING. Plants are such a key part to our lives and wellness. Look at Cannabis with $120B in illicit and legal use and growing. Plants are important. But who are the people investing and inventing in cool new ways to HELP the plants and to secure the oxygen for our planet? I found this article and thought it was worth a serious share. The business of planting trees is real, and it is here to stay. Thank Goddess! I’ve always been fascinated with ecosystem regeneration which will be another blog later on in the Nature Tips. But this is all about Business AND Plants by way of regeneration of trees, two things I am very passionate about and am stoked there is now a sector devoted to this! Read on and let us know your thoughts. Maybe you can be a plant-repreneur too?! What are your plant business ideas! Sounds like you need to chat to impact investors soon if you have an idea of your own! Build it and we will highlight you on the podcast!

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/these-14-businesses-are-growing-money-trees

These 14 businesses are growing money on trees

By Anya Khalamayzer 

Companies around the world are branching out into forest conservation, finding that restoring deforested and degraded land yields high returns for investors, entrepreneurs and the environment.

A new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Nature Conservancy (TNC) found that businesses across the technology, consumer products, project management and commercial forestry sectors are making money from planting trees, with sales growing up to 10 times per year.

"The restoration economy is at the take-off stage," wrote WRI President and CEO Andrew Steer and TNC President and CEO Mark Tercek in the report, "The Business of Planting Trees: A Growing Investment Opportunity (PDF)." The note: "New business models are emerging, technology is advancing and governments are showing political will."

Businesses such as BioCarbon Engineering, which uses specialized drone technology to reforest remote landscapes, literally are taking off, melding engineering advancements to restore age-old ecosystems; while search engine Ecosia (a B Corp) contributes its profits to plant trees.

The report profiles these and 12 other businesses successfully seeding growth opportunities in the restoration economy — including tech startups, smallholder finance and timber companies — to inspire venture capital, private equity and impact investors who know little about restoration opportunities.

The business of planting trees is going to be one of the biggest climate stories in the next 20 years.

The "restoration economy" is a network of businesses, investors and consumers that engage in economic activity related to restoring land — in this case either through reforestation (replanting a degraded area) to agroforestry (establishing tree-based agricultural systems). They may count among their end markets sustainable timber, livestock feed or consumer products on grocery shelves.

"The business of planting trees is going to be one of the biggest climate stories of the next 20 years," Justin Adams, managing director for global lands at TNC, told GreenBiz, likening it to the burgeoning renewables industry in the mid-'90s. "There is the opportunity to deliver value to society."

Besides serving the market, forest restoration improves water quality; produces sustainable timber, fuel and fiber; improves soil health; provides food and forest products; creates rural jobs; benefits biodiversity; improves air quality; helps mitigate climate change and creates recreational opportunities for communities.

This is essential for sustaining the human population, not just biodiversity. According to TNC, one-third of agricultural landscapes were degraded in 2010, and signs of degradation can be found in every ecosystem around the world.

Meanwhile, population growth and expanding consumer demands are pressuring natural ecosystems. The U.S. restoration economy alone generated $9.5 billion in annual economic output in 2015 and created an additional $15 billion in indirect and induced output, estimated the report, while the ecological restoration industry employed 126,000 Americans in 2014, exceeding jobs in coal mining by 59 percent. 

Protecting society's canopy

Forests provide valuable co-benefits to communities and companies. For example, New Englanders may lose an area of forest nearly twice the size of Rhode Island over the next 50 years. But forests offset more than 20 percent of the region's carbon dioxide emissions and provide about $500 million in health benefits annually by removing 760,000 tons of air pollution. They also contribute to the economic engine through timber management, tourism and outdoor sports businesses. 

In another illustration of how this activity can benefit communities, the practice of restoring North Carolina wetlands increased nearby home sale prices by $3,100 compared to properties with no wetlands nearby, according to Andrew Wu, a research analyst at WRI.

Nearly 5 billion acres of degraded and deforested land awaits restoration worldwide, and companies are cashing in.

Nearly 5 billion acres of degraded and deforested land awaits restoration worldwide, and companies are cashing in. Last year, Apple announced an expanded sustainable forestry strategy, aimed at creating enough responsibly managed forest to offset its packaging footprint. More recently, the Mondelez snack company announced a partnership to protect Ghana forests, contributing $5 million towards practices such as implementing cocoa practices that increase yields and sustainability — a win-win.

"We’re offering investors the opportunity to earn a return from urban green spaces," stated April Mendez, co-founder of Fresh Coast Capital, which finances urban revitalization in the United States. "Private investment can accelerate cutting-edge green infrastructure that improves air quality, health and community cohesion, while providing cost-effective stormwater management for cities."

Money from trees

The WRI and TNC report targets long-term investors who make direct investments between $500,000 and $10 million in private companies, such as venture capital, private equity and impact investors; national and multilateral development banks; and grant-making organizations.

They analyzed 140 businesses against five criteria: Is it profitable? Is it scalable? Is it replicable by other regions or businesses? Is it environmentally beneficial? Is it socially beneficial?

The 14 companies profiled hail from eight countries, including the United States, Brazil and Kenya, and range from pre-revenue businesses to those with more than $50 million in sales. Some are old-growth businesses that have been around since the 1970s, and some are years-old sapling startups. Their customers range from consumers to large financial institutions.

"The business of planting trees is an opportunity for investors; it's not a conservation story on its own," said Adams. For better or worse, it's essential to prove the business case to investors, because, he said, "When a forest has value, it remains a forest. When it has no value is when developers come along." 

Each business showcases that there's no time like today to invest in trees that will give back decades into the future. Technology allows faster, cheaper, more efficient land restoration; while demand for environmentally beneficial products differentiates companies in the consumer market.

1. BioCarbon Engineering uses drones to plant trees. Sensors aboard a fixed-wing drown observe ground topography, biodiversity and obstructions to create an optimized planting pattern. A planting drone that can cover 1 hectare in 18 minutes deployes 300 biodegradable seedpods, then monitors growth. 

2. Brinkman and Associates manages large government projects in Canada and tropical plantations in Latin America. They offer forestry management services to land manager, land licensees and government clients. The company has planted more than a billion trees across Canada since 1970. 

3. EcoPlanet Bamboo establishes bamboo plantations as alternative timber and fiber sources. Its aim is to provide sustainable, certified bamboo timber to global markets. EcoPlanet Bamboo operates in Central America and Southern and West Africa.

4. Ecosia uses ad revenue to plant trees while people search the web. The free browser extension works just like any other search engine. With more than 7 million active users, it has invested more than $7 million to plant more than 20 million trees. 

5. F3 Life enables access to credit for smallholder farmers in Kenya. It was honored by the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance and won the United Nations Development Program and Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Prize for Climate Change Finance Innovation.

6. Fresh Coast Capital coordinates large-scale urban revitalization in U.S. cities. Comprising a team of community organizers, engineers, environmental scientists and finance professionals, the B Corporation develops projects such as green infrastructure for stormwater management. 

7. Guayaki sells beverages made from yerba mate grown in restored Atlantic rainforest. The company was founded in 1996 to provide an alternative to coffee while restoring and protecting the South American rainforests and the communities that depend on them.

8. Komaza, Kenya's largest commercial tree planter, works with smallholder farmers to plant and process trees for timber. Africa's industrial wood demand will grow 500 percent in the next two decades, leading to more imports. Komaza aims to unlock the potential of sustainable small-scale wood farming. 

9. Land Life Company, founded by an ex-Shell engineer, patented a product that enables trees to grow in dry and degraded land. Its COCOON planting technology offers a low-cost and scalable way to plant trees even in arid areas. 

10. Lyme Timber is a private timberland investment management organization that focuses on sustainable land management. It acquires and manages working lands under working forest easements (agreements between a landowner and land trust or government that conserves land).

11. New Forests, founded in 2005, is a sustainable assets investment manager for forestry, land management and conservation. Specifically, it manages sustainable timber plantations and conservation investments. It also offers market insight into the maturing forestry sector. 

12. Symbiosis Investimentos is a Brazilian privately owned investment company that transforms degraded areas into productive forests by restoring Atlantic rainforest with native species.

13. Tentree is a B Corporation apparel company that designs and sells shirts, pants, hats and accessories. It plants 10 trees for every piece of apparel sold with the goal of planting 1 billion trees by 2030.

14. TerViva plants pongamia, a non-GMO tree crop that needs little irrigation and produces biofuel, on distressed agricultural lands. Forbes featured TerViva on a list of Top 25 Most Innovative Ag-Tech Startups in 2017.

Forestry restoration is increasingly backed by governments, which may till the soil for investment opportunities.

"The opportunity to manage lands and soils to sequester carbon has the potential to deliver more than one-third of near-term solutions to climate change," said Adams.

The Paris Climate Agreement, which counts most global governments and many influential U.S. corporations as signatories, requires action to conserve and enhance natural ecosystems. The Bonn Challenge aims to restore 350 million hectares of deforested land by 2030, while Initiative 20x20 (supports the Bonn Challenge in Latin America and Caribbean) and AFR100 (supports the Bonn Challenge by restoring forests in Africa) are powerful calls for public-private partnership and a source of long-term demand for investment.

And check this link out. Some really incredible progress here.

https://earthshotprize.org/roadmap-to-regeneration/

Nature Tip 002: Grocery Store Herbalism 101

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

I once had a UTI and it was AWFUL.. Like terrifying and painful and I thought I was going to die, Awful. I had experienced them before and they are THE WORST. Then you add the torture of going to a doctor or the ER just to be told to wait out the medicine working for 3 days.. Bye, Felicia. I always though “There has to be more that they can do for these things! That pain is like no other.” And there was. There is more we can do, but not that they can do. THEY don’t have the tools for quick individual healing, that’s not how western medicine works. We are brainwashed from the time our mother’s give birth to us until we die - that doctors are God and that we NEED doctors. That they hold “all” the answers. But doctors are actually just PRACTICING medicine on us and they usually only know one very specific niche thing and that is still learned from with mass data studies and trials. They’re gathering data for the big Pharma companies and for their own practice. They’re not healing and caring about us. They are not plant experts. Those people are the keepers of THE secrets. Those are the people I ask for help before I pop something with unknown side effects into my body that mask instead of cure.

Plants have been on this planet for about 700 million years. I think I’d rather first get my information from someone who studies our plant counterparts - the species that have been here way longer than we have - over someone who can hardly muster up som bedside manner for a 7 figure salary while I feel like I am about to die. These people makes $300 for talking to me for 3 minutes and writing their signature on a big Pharma prescription. Something is very wrong with that system and I don’t really want to support it anymore. It is very obvious when a doctor genuinely cares about your individual problems….it is very very rare. How bizarre is that?!

So while I thought of running to a doctor at first sign of this pain, because of the brainwash I was raised on, the thing was, it was a Friday afternoon. And I didn’t want to go to the emergency room for this because all that did was rack up a huge bill for nothing but a prescription that would take days to work. I mean even if you have insurance you STILL pay up the a$$ for an ER visit. What is the point of the insurance again? So lame. Sorry, I digress. But at this point I was over trying with the “system” to get me out of this hell, quickly. I needed a wizard. So I phoned someone who I knew cared about me and has ancient wisdom, our Seastar Goddess Yoni Mentor – Sabrina Vedete. 

It’s interesting how we call people who use a mass solution/data for treating individual’s pain; doctors. And how we cannot call people who actually look at our being as complex multi dimensional individuals to treat us, as qualified health practitioners. I don’t really care what we call them, and neither do they. Yet whoever they are, that is who I am going to first when I am sick. Often we call them witches, or woo woos, or healers, or homeopathic medicine partitioners. The irony is, they’ve always cured me, while doctors have masked my issues for years sometimes and just wracked up medical debt. In fact, most of my medical issues stemmed from other unresolved medical issues previous doctors didn't catch or even caused. So I wanted to use plants and when Sabrina helped me heal myself faster than I could have gotten to a doctor and gotten a prescription filled, something in me changed for good. I realized when she shared this parsley secret with me, that a true healer puts healing within your own control, they give you tools to continue your healing without them. That, to me, is a real doctor.

She told me to go to the store and buy fresh parsley. Boil it. Strain it. Drink the liquid. As much of it as I could. And I did. And I was better within hours. I was shocked. And annoyed. What is up with our healthcare system? I get it, we need surgery and doctors for acute pain, but for the rest of it, we need plants. I felt like I got Doctored. Isn’t it ironic that the verb of doctor means “to change the content or appearance of (a document or picture) in order to deceive; falsify.” The more I try to use the western healthcare system, the more I realize how much of a façade it is. A deceiving and complicated and expensive process that causes lingering suffering instead of quick healing. Warning, I also did drink the parsley water after the infection cleared and it was not healthy - I could feel that it was hurting me instead of helping me after the pain subsided. You’re welcome to DM me for more details about that. I realized that the parsley truly had a purpose to heal me. I wondered, what else can I buy at the grocery store that can heal me in half the time as Pharma with none of the side effects.

Why have we lost touch with the true healers of humans – plants?  What we breathe in they breathe out and vice versa. Why wouldn’t there be a plethora of other benefits to our symbiosis?? There are. Why don’t we know them all? Well we do, but we have to search it out and find those who know. Why didn’t I know that boiling parsley could cure me that quickly until I was 37 years old? The real reason (besides living in a patriarchal system that has decimated anything feminine) is because plants take time to grow. And that takes up space and costs money. And to have medicine just waiting for people in plant form – wouldn’t be scalable, sellable, highly profitable. So we synthesize the plants, fungi, bacteria, water. We fill them with filler and then we give those out to people based on group studies that is often more heavily tested on men. That is why, as women and men, we should all learn to be our own healers, know all our options for healing, and know the basics of plants at a minimum. Let us study and learn plant medicine, starting with grocery store bought herbs. Let us read books like The China Study, which teach us that plant-based diets eradicate a plethora of modern-day diseases. Let’s have our own gardens and live with medicine that can cure most of our ailments, right next to our homes.

Today, I’m brining to you lessons in herbs and what you can use them for. Herbs you can buy at just about any grocery store to try to heal yourself before you jump to strong antibiotics and medicines that have lasting side effects. Now I am not a “doctor” I do not hold a doctorate nor am I a “qualified” practitioner of medicine, so this is NOT medical advice. This is spiritual guidance for living a cleaner and more powerful life. This is a message to people to wake up and literally use your roses and noses. If you’re sick, then yes you should call a doctor or someone trained in homeopathic medicine, as I cannot be trusted to provide perfect information for your individual healing on this blog. Always you should go to someone who will care about you personally, like Sabrina or her herbalist sister Arielle. This blog is a form of entertainment. It is also a way for you to open your mind and heart. Before you use herbs, you should take an allergy AND food sensitivity test to make sure you won’t hurt yourself in your healing journey. These are both beneficial for you to have anyways in your life. Because repeatedly consuming foods you are even just sensitive to, not necessarily allergic to, will cause inflammation and inflammation is the surefire path to disease and discomfort. This knowledge is power.

Now, for those ready to learn about plants, here is some grocery store herbalism for you. This article is from joybileefarm.com.

First I’m going to share a bit about my favorite plant – Lavender. Not only is it my favorite color but this plant is a natural anti-septic. I use it in my Dr. Bronner’s Lavender soap, my EO Natural Deodorant spray – French Lavender, and in my laundry detergent. While I use Lavender and Geranium essential oils instead of perfume (frangrance can have over 40K dangerous chemicals in it – listen to the podcast with Cassandra). I use a diluted essential oil for my own scent, I love Geranium too for smell but I think the health benefits of using Lavender are like no other.  In long, I love Lavender, and Lavender loves us!

A few tips before we begin - 1. Tea bags are made of plastic. If you want to make teas with any herbs, buy them loose leaf and make sure they’re organic so you do not get pesticides on your healing plants power. 2. Do not use essential oils direct on your skin. You can use coconut or jojoba oil to cut them.

Taken from https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet/what-are-possible-benefits-lavender-must-know-facts-about-therapeutic-plant/

May Help Improve Sleep

Insomnia is a nagging problem that keeps you tossing and turning throughout the night. Cutting out caffeine and getting more exercise might help induce sleep. But sometimes these efforts and others remedies don’t work. As a result, you end up a groggy mess in the daytime.

If you’re willing to try anything for a restful night’s sleep, a study published in March 2017 in the British Association of Critical Nurses found lavender essential oil to be an effective remedy in improving the sleep quality of intensive care unit (ICU) patients who had difficulty sleeping. (2)

So if you’ve tried other sleep remedies to no avail, place a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow before going to sleep tonight. Just be sure not to ingest it, or any other essential oil, for that matter, as doing so may pose health harms.

Could Help Treat Skin Blemishes

A variety of essential oils are also excellent for dermatology use, including lavender. In fact, if you have acne, eczema, or skin inflammation, applying lavender oil to affected areas may play a role in treating blemishes and ease inflammation, according to a paper published in May 2017 in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (3) For those with sensitive skin, dilute the essential oil in water or a carrier oil.

The antioxidant activity of lavender may also contribute to wound healing. (3)

Just be sure to check with your dermatologist before adding lavender to your skincare regimen, to ensure it won’t interact with any of the medication you’re currently taking.

May Offer a Natural Remedy for Pain

Some people reach for over-the-counter pain relievers when dealing with acute or chronic pain. And depending on the severity of pain, you might seek a prescription from your doctor.

Before going the traditional route to help ease pain, try aromatherapy with 2 percent lavender essential oil that is diluted in water. One study found lavender to be an effective remedy for postoperative pain. It can function as a pain reliever because the oil contains linalyl acetate and linalool — anti-inflammatory components that are found in many essential oils. (4,5)

Lavender also contains polysaccharides. Another study published in the journalPhytotherapy Research stated that plants containing these molecules are “the most potent in curing inflammatory diseases,” which includes arthritis and rheumatism. (6)

Meanwhile, other research suggests lavender aromatherapy may be used during labor to reduce the intensity, though not the duration of, pain. (7)

Reduce Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

Chronic high blood pressure puts added stress on the heart, increasing the risk of health complications like stroke and heart attack. But a small study published in 2017 in the Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research found that when 40 people inhaled lavender essential oil after open-heart surgery, they reduced their blood pressure and heart rate, suggesting the oil had a positive effect on their vital signs. (8) Yet the authors note more research is needed on this possible benefit — namely, a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard for medical research, with a larger sample size.

Could Relieve Asthma Symptoms

Because of the anti-inflammatory effects of lavender, it may also improve bronchial asthma. A study on mice published in July 2014 in the journal Life Sciences found that lavender essential oil had a positive impact on respiratory health, relieving allergic inflammation and mucus hyperplasia. Whether the same effect would be seen in humans remains unclear. (9)

Lessens Menopausal Hot Flashes

Hot flashes (or hot flushes) are a common menopause symptom that affects many women. It causes a sudden feeling of heat over the body, and it can make the face flushed and trigger perspiration.

But lavender aromatherapy for 20 minutes twice a day may help reduce menopause flashing and improve quality of life, according to a study published in September 2016 in the Journal of Chinese Medical Association. (10)

Help Combat Fungus Growth

There are also a number of studies highlighting the potential antifungal activity of lavender. Studies suggest lavender essential oil may be effective in inhibiting the growth of certain types of fungus, such as C. albicans. The oil could also act as remedy for treating athlete’s foot and ringworm, which are also caused by fungus, according to previous research. (11,12)

Potentially Promotes Hair Growth

In yet another study, lavender essential oil applied to the backs of mice once a day, five times a week, for four weeks, resulted in an increase in their number of hair follicles and a thicker dermal layer. This leads researchers to believe that lavender could potentially be used as a hair growth promoting agent, though more research is needed. After all, you aren’t a mouse. (13)

What Is Lavender’s Effect on Stress Levels?

Everyday stresses can take a toll on your mental health. The greater your anxiety level, the higher the risk for headaches, depression, and low energy.

The good news is that lavender may help lift the black cloud hanging over your head and give your mental outlook a much-needed pick-me-up. There’s plenty of research that suggests lavender has positive effects on mood, stress, anxiety, and depression.

For example, a randomized controlled trial published in February 2018 in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that premenstrual syndrome symptoms improved in women who inhaled lavender essential oil. (14) They experienced lower anxiety, depression, and nervousness. Likewise, another randomized controlled trial, published in October 2017 in the International Journal of Nursing Practices, found that reflexology massage treatments with lavender essential oil offered psychological benefits, decreasing both anxiety and depression. (15)

What Are Some of the Different Forms of Lavender?

Lavender is available in different forms. For example:

Lavender Oil Nectar extracted from the flowering plant is used to create a fragrant oil. The oil can be massaged into the skin, placed in a diffuser, or applied to a pillow or cotton swab and inhaled for aromatherapy.

Lavender Plant This is a sweetly scented perennial plant. It adds color to a garden and gives off a sweet aroma. (1)

Lavender Capsules or Supplements You can also purchase lavender as a supplement in capsule form. Take as directed for medicinal benefits — just be sure to work with your healthcare provider to ensure the supplement won’t have negative interactions with any medication you’re taking. Also, know that supplements aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Lavender Tea This form of lavender can offer a calming beverage that helps ease anxiety and promotes sleep. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate guidelines lists lavender tea as a healthy additional to your meal plan. You can purchase lavender tea, or make your own by steeping fresh lavender buds in boiling water for about 15 to 20 minutes. (16,17)

https://chestnutherbs.com/lavenders-medicinal-and-aromatherapy-uses-and-lavender-truffles/Another great article for Lavender uses.

Geranium information https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/geranium.html

NOW for the Grocery Store list of herbs and what they can do for you!

1.  Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Ginger root is found in the produce sections of many grocery stores and Asian markets.  It is a tropical plant that can be grown in a pot in temperate climates and brought indoors in winter.  It needs a long growing season to multiply its roots.  It is a spice used in Asian cooking and for gingerbread, predominantly for its carminative qualities.  Ginger aids digestion quells nausea and relieves stomach spasms.  It is an effective treatment for travel sickness and can also be used effectively for morning sickness during pregnancy.

You are probably aware that ginger is helpful for digestion, but did you know it is also useful in other complaints.  It is also a stimulant for the cardiovascular system, encouraging circulation.  It is also an antiseptic that can help in ailments of the respiratory system.

Ginger is a stimulant, carminative, rubefacient, diaphoretic, aromatic, emmenagogue and sialagogue.

Ginger tea is effective in relieving sore throat, sinus congestion and coughing during the flu or a cold.  You can increase its effectiveness by combining ginger with lemon juice, flax jelly, and honey in the treatment of colds and flu.

Ginger is effective in increasing circulation when used externally.  Make a massage oil by combining ginger oil, beeswax, olive oil, and cocoa butter to a thick paste.  Keep it in a sealed jar and use it for cold muscles, cramping, or combine it with cayenne pepper, rosemary, and balm of gilead for arthritis relief.

2.  Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Another medicinal herb, Turmeric can be found in the produce section of Asian markets and health food stores.  It looks similar to the ginger root and can usually be found near ginger.

Turmeric has a long history in herbal medicine and has been used to fight inflammation.  According to a paper from the University of Maryland, it lowers two enzymes in the body responsible for inflammation.  It has also been used in the treatment of cancer for its superior antioxidant abilities.  It stimulates bile secretions and improves digestion.  It is used in Europe for stomach complaints.  It is antibacterial and antiseptic, as well.

You can use the fresh root, by grating it and adding it to food or in tea.  Turmeric powder (#ad) is also used in herbal medicine.  The powder comes from the root that has been boiled and dried.  If you don’t like the spicy taste of turmeric, you can put it in capsules and take it in pill form, or use the tincture.

It has a bright yellow colour and is the colouring agent in American mustard.  It is used extensively as a textile dye in Asia for its bright yellow colour.

3. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum)

 

Cinnamon is well known for its spicy warmth, which combines well with tree fruits and bland grains, like oatmeal. It is a digestive aid and an appetite stimulant. Clinical studies have shown that using up to 6 grams of Cinnamon a day can help diabetics control blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol in the blood. (Khan A, Khattak K, Sadfar M, Anderson R, Khan M. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003;26:3215-3218.)  Read more  Cinnamon has also been shown to help with weight loss.

4. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Mint (Mentha x Piperita)

Mint has a long list of maladies that it is the recommended treatment:  indigestion, colic, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, depressed appetite, menstrual cramps, abdominal and gall bladder pain, sinus congestion.  Peppermint is strongly antibacterial and helps in reducing inflammation of the gums and mouth.  It is cooling.  Use it dried in tea, or in steam to clear sinus passages and relieve chest congestion during a cold.

While you can find mint in the herbal tea or spice section of your grocery store, it is very easy to grow in zone 3 and higher and 4 plants will give you an abundance of mint for year-round use.  When looking for varieties to grow, true peppermint is stronger than spearmint.  You will want to begin with root cuttings or plants, as it doesn’t grow true from seed.

Peppermint essential oil is an inexpensive essential oil to have on hand for making organic cleaning products.  It fills the room with the heady, cheerful, stimulating aroma of peppermint and is antibacterial, too.

Peppermint, along with Rosemary and balm of Gilead makes a good massage oil for the relief of arthritis in the feet, and hands. Keep it away from your eyes.

 

5. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum 

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Sold in the spice section of the grocery store, cayenne is the dried and ground fruit of the hot pepper.  Several varieties are effective.  Cayenne is one of the hotter specimens.  Any hot pepper that you grow in your garden can be used.  Cayenne is stimulant, carminative, tonic, sialagogue, rubefacient, anti-catarrhal, anti-emetic, anti-microbial, and diaphoretic. The capsaicin helps reduce pain.

Cayenne helps to ward off coughs, helps in the treatment of cancer for its antioxidant properties and helps in stomach complaints.  It promotes sweating and so helps in the treatment of fevers.  It regulates blood flow, equalizing and strengthening the heart, arteries, capillaries, and nerves.  It is a general tonic.  When added to an ointment and used externally, it helps increase circulation to hands and feet and works to reduce the inflammation of arthritis. One of the cayenne’s active ingredients is “capsaicin”.

Capsaicin has very powerful pain-relieving properties when applied to the skin. It reduces the amount of substance P, a chemical that carries pain messages to the brain, in your body. When there is less substance P, the pain messages no longer reach the brain, and you feel relief. Capsaicin is often recommended for topical application for the following conditions:

·       Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as joint or muscle pain from fibromyalgia or other causes

·       Nerve pain from shingles and other painful skin conditions (post-herpetic neuralgia) that happens even after the skin blisters have gone away. Research is mixed, and it may be that it works for some people and not others. Check with your doctor to see if trying this topical treatment is right for you.

·       Pain after surgery, such as a mastectomy (breast removal for breast cancer) or an amputation

·       Pain from nerve damage in the feet or legs from diabetes, called diabetic peripheral neuropathy. However, capsaicin doesn’ t seem to work for peripheral neuropathy from HIV.

·       Low back pain. Several studies suggest capsaicin cream can reduce lower back pain. However, homeopaths may not prescribe a capsaicin gel as the first treatment, because other homeopathic remedies have fewer side effects.   (University of Maryland)

Get my recipe for Cayenne-Ginger Salve for mild to moderate pain relief.

Pepper Spray Recipe

To make 100mL of pepper spray, follow the directions below.  Always wear gloves when handling cayenne.  Avoid contact with eyes and mucus membranes.  Do this in a well-ventilated spot or even in an outdoor kitchen, as the fumes can cause breathing difficulties for pets, and small children that are in the room with the simmering spices.

1.    Get 100g hot chilli powder and 200mL vodka.

2.   Mix the two in a 2 cup container.

3.   Run the mixture through a sieve to make sure there’s no solid chilli powder left, and then put it in a stove-burner-safe container.

4.   Put your container on the burner until the ethanol boils and evaporates. You’ll have an orange solution of wax consistency left.

5.   Now add 20mL of mineral oil, or enough to give you a viscous liquid.

6.   Now you can put it in a bottle. You can buy spray bottles at the dollar store, or pressurized bottles online   (for more on homemade pepper spray)  For bear spray you will want to use a pressurized bottle.  Test the bottle before you plan to rely on it in a life-threatening situation.

6. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

Side note from me- I love this fact - 80% of people can fall asleep within 10 minutes of drinking chamomile! Skip the sleep meds (now directly linked to Alzheimers and dementia) and opt for plants and nightly rituals (kundalini breathwork) before bed!

Chamomile is found in the section of your grocery store where you find herbal teas.  It is useful for its relaxing, calming properties as well as its ability to ease stomach pain and colic.  It is gentle enough to be used with children.

Chamomile is good for calming the nerves, inducing sleep, and relieving an upset stomach.  It is anti-spasmodic, carminative, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic, vulnerary, aromatic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, nervine, sedative, and tonic.  When used externally it reduces inflammation, and swelling and speeds wound healing.    Use the cold tea as a mouth wash in mouth inflammation, a gargle for sore throats, or an eye-bath for sore eyes.  Use it as a hair rinse with fair hair to accentuate blond highlights.

This is another natural dye that gives a sunny yellow to textiles when used with an alum mordant.

7. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)

A powerful antiseptic, a mild anesthetic, and digestive stimulant, clove oil and clove spice have been used for centuries.  It is the spice that is used by your dentist to deaden the pain in your gums before he inserts the needle.  It is a useful antiseptic for toothache, both deadening the pain of toothache while dealing effectively with the bacterial infection.   Clove essential oil is available in the pharmacy section of your grocery store.  The dried flower buds are sold in the spice section.  Cloves are stimulating to the digestive system, and reduce nausea.

8. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Thyme has strong antibacterial and antiviral properties while strengthening the immune system to fight disease.  It is found in the spice section of the grocery store as dried, crushed leaves, or as a ground powder.  The dried leaves retain their strength longer than the dried powder, when in storage.

Thyme helps sluggish digestion.  It can be used externally to help heal wounds, and internally for respiratory and digestive infections.  When used as a gargle, it soothes sore throats and irritating coughs.  It is an expectorant and reduces coughing and unnecessary spasm.  It is used medicinally in the treatment of whooping cough, bronchitis, and asthma.

Easy to grow in your own garden in temperate zones.

9. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Oregano (origanum vulgare)

Oregano — the spice that you can buy in the grocery store, is used in Italian cooking.  But did you know that it is also useful for coughs and colds?  It’s an immune booster and cough remedy.  Put a tsp. of dried oregano, along with some thyme in a tea ball and make an infusion the next time you feel a cold coming on.  I learned this from some WWOOFers from France that stayed at the farm.  This is the oregano that the essential oil is steam distilled from.

Oil of Oregano, on the other hand,  is mountain oregano, or wild marjoram,  containing the same herbal benefits as Thyme but on a more subdued note.  It is easy to grow, but also available fresh or dried at your local grocer.  It is antibacterial, antiviral, and carminative.  It is useful for the treatment of respiratory complaints and wound healing.  Oil of oregano is also recommended for the treatment of warts, mouth ulcers, and toothache.  While using it leaves the taste of pizza in your mouth, a strong tea made with the leaves can be made more palatable with honey.

10. Medicinal herbs from the grocery store – Sea Salt

While salt isn’t an herb, per se, it is an important adjunct to your home medicine chest.  It is antiseptic and useful in the treatment of sore throats, sinus congestion, tonsillitis, and toothache.  A mouth wash and gargle are made with 1 tsp. of sea salt in 1 cup of warm water.   Sea salt contains several trace minerals, not available in table salt, and these minerals add to salts effectiveness for minor complaints.  I use Celtic sea salt, but any sea salt made from the evaporation of water from natural sea flats will have adequate amounts of trace minerals including magnesium.

This just scratches the surface of the medicinal benefits that can be found in your grocery store and your kitchen cupboards.  Every homesteader should become familiar with the healing benefits of herbs both from the garden and the kitchen cupboard, for those times when immediate relief from pain or discomfort is necessary.  Many times herbal remedies can save you money and are more effective than prescription medicines.  For serious complaints please see your doctor.

More Herbal ideas from commonwealthherbs.com

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Holistic Herbalism Podcast, episode 1: I’ll Have What They’re Having + Apples & Oranges – (discussion of orange peel starts around 20:00)

• The Holistic Herbalism Podcast, episode 142: 4 Medicinal Mushrooms: Shiitake, Maitake, Reishi, Lion’s Mane

• Herbal Community Care Toolkit – Chock-full of grocery store herbs & common “weeds”, this course is about making herbalism accessible for everyone.

Herbs discussed include: basil, ginger, orange peel, blueberry, shiitake.

Not sure what to do with your herbs once you’ve got them home? Our Herbal Medicine-Making course has dozens of methods for you to explore! Learn to make teas, tinctures, poultices, salves, liniments, spice blends, and much more. This self-paced online video course includes access to twice-weekly live Q&A sessions so you can connect with us directly!

Below is a copy/paste from https://thehomesteadinghippy.com/herbal-medicine-chest-beginners/

Also Rosemary Gladstar offers an incredible course here. She also writes amazing books that I use regularly.

Vodka, brandy or nonalcohol menstruums. You can use food grade glycerine or apple cider vinegar. These are a must for making herbal tinctures, as they “pull” the medicinal qualities from the herb. Normally, for alcohol, you would use 5 mL of liquid for every gram of dried herb.

Since it’s medicinal, you NEED to measure by weight. For glycerine and apple cider vinegar, you would use 3mL of that liquid PLUS 2 mL of water for each gram of herb.

Garlic-most households will already have fresh garlic in their kitchen for culinary uses. Garlic also has medicinal qualities to it that make this a MUST have on hand. Garlic infused olive oil is great for ear aches, or even used on warts.

You can also assist the body in shortening the life of a cold or flu by liberally adding this to your food. Again, letting “food be your medicine” is a great choice. My mother in love used to feed my hubby raw garlic on buttered bread when he was sick. It wasn’t his favorite, but he felt it worked at getting him over being sick sooner.

Chamomile

Chamomile is considered a cure-all by many homesteaders! It is often used as a calmative and sedative, as it can ease anxiety and promote relaxation. In Europe, it is also used to heal wounds and reduce swelling. You can use chamomile in a tea or as a compress, but it may increase drowsiness in some cases.

Feverfew

Feverfew, as the name might indicate, is often used to treat fevers. In many cases, it is effective against migraines and arthritis, but you need to be careful about taking to much as it can cause digestive upset.

Ginger

Ginger is very beneficial when it is used for nausea, motion sickness, and other digestive problems. It can relieve pregnancy-related nausea, too.

Gingko

Gingko leaf extract has been used for centuries to treat bronchitis, tinnitus, and asthma. It can also improve memory. Why exactly gingko works isn’t exactly clear to scientists, but the general recommendation is that you should only use extract from the leaves> The seeds contain a toxin that can cause seizures.

Ginseng

Both a tonic and an aphrodisiac, ginseng is a common homestead treatment. You can’t use it with certain medications, though, like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines.

Goldenseal

This root is used to treat eye and skin irritations as well as diarrhea. It is a powerful antiseptic that can also be used to prevent colds. Be careful taking too much as it can cause gastric irritation.

Milk thistle

This herb is often used to treat liver problems and high cholesterol. There is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that it may reduce the growth of cancer cells, too.

Saint John’s Wort

This natural antidepressant that can be found on many homesteads. It does cause some sensitivity to light in high doses, so if you are already prone to sunburn, you might want to stay away from this one.

Valerian  - Be warned for a certain amount of the population Valerian causes nightmares - myself and my mom both had this experience.

Valerian root is often used to treat sleeplessness and relieve anxiety. There is some research to back this up, so it’s a good option fi you are looking for a way to get some better sleep.

Yarrow

Yarrow is a popular medicinal herb. It is used as a tonic and an astringent. It also smells great, so it’s one of those herbs you won’t mind having on hand.

Black cohosh

This herb is often used to treat arthritis and related muscle pain, but it’s actually a good herb to have on hand if you are a woman, too. Black cohosh is said to treat some of the symptoms of menopause and even menstruation, too.

Celery

Celery seed is often used as a diuretic. You can of course consume the other parts of the plant, too, but the seeds are the most effective.

Burdock

If you’ve got burdock hanging around, you’re in luck. Often viewed as a weed, burdock is actually an awesome herb to have in your medicine cabinet. It can address low blood sugar and is also a way to lower blood sugar. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used as a treatment for symptoms of the common cold, like sore throat.

Borage

Borage is a great herb for treating a variety of issues. It can help with respiratory and cardiovascular issues but can also help heal some gastrointestinal upset. 

Calendula

Who doesn’t love the beautiful calendula plant? Also known as marigold, this plant is a good one to have around to decorate your home as well as to keep in your medicine cabinet. It can help soothe your skin and even treat wounds.

Cayenne

Cayenne pepper is made out of the chili pepper. It’s a common ingredient in many foods and is also an effective medicine. It contains tons of Vitamin C, so it can help reduce cholesterol levels while at the same time combat viruses and bacteria. It can also reduce pain and swelling with its heat. The same theory applies to capsaicin, also derived from the chili pepper.

Lemon

Not technically an herb, lemon is a fantastic ingredient to have in your medicine cabinet. You can use the whole lemon or the essential oil of the lemon. It has a long history in Chinese and Indian medicines and it is commonly used to treat sore throat and coughs.

Hawthorn

Hawthorn berries have been used for centuries to fight heart disease. Some studies have suggested that they can be used to relieve kidney and digestive issues.

Turmeric

This spice probably isn’t one you’ll be able to grow at home, but it still is a good option for using in your traditional medicine cabinet. It can help heal arthritis pain and regulate menstruation and it’s a common ingredient in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicines.

Horsetail

Commonly viewed as a weed, this plant has been used since ancient Greek and Roman times, when it was used to heal ulcers and stop bleeding. It can also treat tuberculosis and kidney issues.

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is tough to grow at home, but if you’re able to grow eucalyptus indoors or even outside (especially if you live in a warm growing zone), take advantage of this. Its oil is a great treatment for coughs and colds – it’s actually used in a variety of over-the-counter products, like cough drops.

Licorice Root

Licorice root is extremely helpful in treating issues like sore throat, infections caused by viruses, ulcers, bronchitis, and more.

Hyssop

Hyssop has some pretty powerful gastrointestinal benefits. You can use the leaves or the seeds and it will help heal colds, sore throat, asthma, respiratory problems, and even digestive issues like gas.

Jasmine

This beautiful, sweetly-scented flower offers many benefits to herbalists. It is an excellent skin remedy, used as both an anti-inflammatory and anti-septic agent.

Bay Laurel

Bay leaves, or bay laurel, can be used as astringents or as salves for open wounds. It’s also a great ingredient to keep on hand if you like a regular massage – the essential oil can relieve rheumatism. If you inhale the essential oil, it may be helpful in treating earaches, too.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is often used as a laxative. You can use the seeds or the oil – it will also help with arthritis pain.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a great crop to grow if you have livestock you need to feed – like chickens or rabbits – but it’s also a great ingredient to have hanging out in your medicine cabinet, too. Alfalfa can help lower cholesterol and treat a variety of kidney and other urinary tract problems.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has been used for centuries all over the world. It is an effective antibacterial and antifungal agent. I keep some in the house specifically for cleaning, but it can also be used topically.

Lemon Balm

This plant – not related to the citrus fruit lemon, which I mentioned above – has some pretty potent powers when used as a digestive aid or a sleep aid.

Holy Basil

I used to think that holy basil was the same thing as regular basil -not the case! This variety of basil, also known as tulsi, is used for a variety of conditions. It can be used as an ingredient in cosmetics but it can also be consumed in a tea or mixed with ghee. It has potent anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Oregano

Oregano is another good herb to have on hand. It is commonly used in folk medicine to cure respiratory and stomach problems. It’s a good cleaning agent and can also relieve a sore throat.

Rosemary

Plain rosemary, as well as rosemary essential oil, also is a powerful antibacterial and antifungal agent. This herb has been used medicinally since ancient times, and while it’s most effective when inhaled, it is also useful when used orally or topically, too. 

White Willow

White willow is one of the best plant-based sources of salicylic acid. It can relieve pain just as well as aspirin – it has the same active ingredient! However, you need to exercise caution when consuming white willow. Just as salicylic acid in aspiring, it can cause some destruction of the stomach lining if consumed to excess.

Sage

Sage has been shown to improve cognitive functioning. It can also help boost your immune system.

Purslane

Commonly considered a weed, purslane actually has powerful anticandidal, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. So the next time you see it in your garden, don’t toss it out! Save it.

Comfrey

Another common garden “weed,” comfrey has some pretty powerful benefits when it comes to using it to reduce inflammation. Be careful about how much you consume – it can be toxic in high doses.

Dandelion

Dandelion root is often used to treat liver diseases, spleen problems, and kidney diseases. It tastes fantastic when served in a salad, or you can make your own wine! Although that may negate some of the medicinal benefits, I suppose.

Clove

Cloves aren’t just useful for scenting the house during the holidays, using in baking, or repelling garden pests – they also have some medicinal benefits. You can take cloves for an upset stomach or use them as an expectorant. Clove oil is also often used to treat toothache.

Thyme

Thyme is an expectorant and antispasmodic agent. It can treat heavy coughing and also bronchitis. It also is an effective cleaning agent!

Stinging Nettle

Stinging nettle can be taken internally, via tea or just consumption of the fresh leaves, to treat issues related to the urinary tract and kidneys. It can also help heal issues related to cardiovascular health and the flu.

Blueberries and Cranberries

Yes, blueberries, and cranberries too! If you have a blueberry patch on your homestead, you’re in luck. This tasty fruit is a powerful antioxidant and is also believed to relive urinary tract problems. Many people use cranberries to treat urinary tract problems, but it can also treat diarrhea, stomach ailments, and other issues.

Mullein

Mullein is effective at fighting bacteria, as it has glycyrrhizin compounds. These are concentrated in the flowers, so you should keep some of these on hand. 

Continued reading and ideas fom The Root Circle.com

At our most recent Utica Herbal Study Group we discussed the ways in which herbal medicine can be low-cost and accessible. One of the primary offerings of plant-based remedies is that they provide supreme healing to common folks regardless of socio-economic status. Plants grow wild everywhere, even in cities, and many herbs are also considered foods and can be bought right in the grocery store. Many grocery store herbs are inexpensive and can even be purchased with food stamps. 

Another, often overlooked, source of herbal medicine happens right in most of our spice cupboards. Cooking herbs and spices can usually be found bottle up and forgotten in our corner shelves and wall racks. There is hardly a household or, at very least, a neighbor or family members household where one can't find a few basic herbal jars of magic already waiting for us in the kitchen. Cooking with herbs is one of humanities oldest traditional methods of supporting health and immunity. These remedies can be added to soups and stews or simply made into teas, compresses, rinses.

Below is a list of herbs that can be found in the grocery store, some of the medicinal properties of common cooking herbs, and the recipes that were included in the hand-out at Herbal Study Group. Although it is ideal that we find herbs, spices, and foods that are organic or locally grown, it is just that; an ideal and not always possible. During this discussion I highly encouraged our group to consider that the potential stress and anxiety that can be caused by the need for ONLY organic or locally grown is not necessarily healing and that, in any discussion of medicine that is accessible, our capacity to adapt and innovate is also central. Working class folks may not always have the resources of privilege, time, or money to chase or seek the perfect products. Sometimes whatever is available is just perfect! 

 :: From the Shopping List ::

Ginger

Garlic

Burdock Root

Parsley

Basil

Apple Cider Vinegar

Lemon

Honey

Molasses-iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium.

:: From the Spice Cupboard ::

Parsley (Petroselinum sativum)

- source of vitamin C, B vitamins, iron, beta-carotene, chlorophyll

- slightly bitter, crispy and salty taste that indicates the presence of minerals and sodium.

-Carminative and diuretic

Basil (Ocimum basilicum)- high in vit A and C

-is pungent, removes heat and toxins from the bloodstream, liver and intestines

-relieves melancholy, anti-spasmodic,nervine,  nervous indigestion, anti-gas, alleviates nausea,antiseptic, lowers fevers

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

-most powerful, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory herb

-reduces inflammation in irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, chrons disease, sinus infection, arthritis, excema, asthma

-is a natural antibiotic, has moderate cholesterol lowering action and is antioxidant

-helps improve intestinal flora and aids in the digestion of protein

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

- pungent,warming, decongestant, warms the stomach to improve digestion, increase bile secretion, improves fat digestion and movement of food through the tract, reducing stagnation, irritation and gas

-normalizes blood sugar

-when cooked with meat it helps the body better digest and assimilate the meat, thus detoxifiying it

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.)

-antibacterial,antifungal, carminative(dispels gas), antihemorrhagic, normalizes blood sugar

-used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, vomiting and nausea

-influence over the microorgaisms associated with botulism, staph infections, alfatoxin, e. coli, and candida.

Anise (Pimpinella anisum)

--carminative(gas-expelling), moistening, nourishing, emollient(softening), warming, and anodyne(pain-relieving)

-calms and builds the nervous system

Garlic (Allium sativum)

--lowers cholesterol and blood pressure

-stimulates immune system

-antibacterial antiviral

-treats ulcers, bacterial diarrhea, sinus infection, ear infection

- effective for antibiotic-resistant pneumonia

-more than 220 studies have correlated ingestion of garlic with lower rates of stomach, intestinal and other cancers

Kelp

-10 to 20 times the minerals of land-based plants

-Eating 3-5 grams(1 gram=.035of an oz.) of most dried, unrinsed seaweeds will provide the RDA of 100-150 micrograms.of iron

-high in iodine and potassium, increases underactive thyroid function and alkalinizes blood

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) ***thymo= Greek for strength

-antibacterial, atimspasmodic, antifungal, antiviral,carminative, diaphoretic, expectorant

-currently used for spasmodic coughs associated with bronchitis, pertussis, asthma, copd, and emphysema

Cumin (Nigella sativa)

-seeds help us absorb and use nutrients

-is carminative and helps increase elimination of metabolic waste via the liver, large intestine, lungs, lymphatic system, skin and kidneys.

Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens, Capsicum annuum)

-increases circulation to the extremeties

-improves digestion and sluggish bowels

-restores health to blood vessels and normalizes bp

-shown inhibitory activity against Helicobacter pylori, and studies show that people who regularly consume hot peppers have a lower incidence of duodenal and peptic ulcers than 

those who do not

**Contra-indicated for peptic ulcers, acid indigestion, esophageal reflux

Rosemary(Rosmarinus officinalis)

-antioxidant, circulatory tonic(mild), cerebral tonic and stimulatory to the brain, improves memory, enhances the cellular uptake of oxygen

--Liver/gallbladder tonic for impaired fat digestion. Rosemary enhanced the activity of two liver enzymes(GSH-transferased, NAD(P)H-quinone reductase) when included at very low levels in the diet of rats.

Sage (Salvia officinalis)

-bitter, astringent, slightly heating, pungent

-diaphoretic, expectorant, nervine, astringent, alterative, diuretic, carminative, antispasmodic

-antiseptic, clears congestion, lowers cholesterol

Oregano (origanum vulagare)

-antispasmodic, calms nervousness, irritability and insomnia

Black pepper

- warming, energizing and stimulating,

-sinus infections, colds

Cloves (Eugenia caryophyllum)

-pungent and aromatic

-stimulates circulation, raises body temperature, improves sluggish digestion and nausea

-stimulant, expectorant, carminative, analgesic, aphrodisiac

-heating and energizing

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)~cilantro seed

-bitter, pungent, cooling,carminative, aromatic, warming(leaf is cooling)

-antispasmodic, eases diarrhea and chronic indigestion

-helps eliminate toxic chemicals and wastes through kidneys

Cardamom (Elattaria cardamomum)- pungent, bitter, sweet, aromatic, warm, dry

-relieves bloating, nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, loss of appetite and flatulence, poor absorption, asthma, loss of taste

-helpful for food allergies and hypersensitivities

-expectorant

-antidotes poison, neutralizes mucus forming properties of milk and detoxifies caffeine in coffee.

Mustard Seed (Brassica Alba and Brassica Nigra)- irritant, stimulant, diuretic

-stimulates circulation and if rubbed on skin will help alleviate joint and muscle pain

-diaphoretic so used for fever, colds and influenza the same way as ginger and cayenne pepper

:: Recipes ::

Hot Ginger Compress

******For strains, sprains, and muscle and joint injuries. Do not use if there is an active infection or excessive inflammation.

-Make a tea with ½ a cup of chopped fresh ginger or 2 tbsp. of dried powder to a quart of water. If using fresh ginger simmer for 20 minutes. If using powder simmer for 5 minutes

- Use  a dish towel large enough to cover the painful area, dip in tea and place hot compress on area

-Keep the tea hot, and dip a second towel as soon as you apply the first so that there is a constant source of heat on the affected area at all times

-do this until the area becomes red

Garlic Oil

*** A wonder for ear infections and pain as well as for regularly lubricating sinus passages. Do not use if there is any sign of blood or a burst ear drum. Also, do not use if the child has tubes in their ears. I highly recommend purchasing an otoscope so that you can look for yourself.

Mince or chop fresh garlic and put in appropriate sized pan or oven safe dish. If using stove top use a double boiler or heat diffuser.

Cover garlic with olive oil.

Heat gently…do not boil for up to 24 hours.

Strain through cheese cloth.

Use 4 to 5 drops per ear of warm oil. Be sure to check temperature on the inside of your wrist before putting in ear.

Herbal Tea for Colds

-1/4 juice of a lemon

-1/4 tsp. powdered Ginger

-1/4 tsp. Anise seed

-1/4 tsp. Fenugreek seed(for sinus infection)

-1/8 tsp. Thyme(especially for coughs)

-1/2 tsp. minced fresh garlic

-dash of cayenne pepper

-raw honey

*you can add 1 tsp. of White Pine Needles if you have some

*Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the herbs and steep for 10 minutes

*Drink 3 cups per day

Hot Ginger Foot Bath

***Do not use for children under 4 years old or if there is a fever.

Grate or chop fresh ginger or use dried ginger powder. Begin with 1-2 Tablespoons of ginger to a tub of hot water. Water should be as hot as you can stand but DON’T BURN YOURSELF!

Soak feet until water begins to cool. Remove your feet before it gets too cool. Have a towel ready to dry your feet and put on a pair of warm socks. I warm them by my woodstove.

Fire Cider

1 part Garlic

1 part Horseradish

1 part Onions

½ part Fresh ginger

Cayenne to taste (just a few grains will do)

Honey to taste

Apple Cider Vinegar.

Chop fresh garlic, onions, and horseradish into small pieces. Grate fresh ginger. The amounts and proportions vary according to your particular taste.. If unsure, start with equal amounts of the first three ingredients and roughly half part ginger the first time you make this; you can always adjust the flavors in future batches. Chop enough of the first four ingredients to fill a quart jar approximately half full. Put in wide mouth quart jar and cover with Apple Cider vinegar (keep vinegar about two to three inches above the herbs). Add cayenne to taste (just a small amount or will be too hot!). Let sit two to three weeks. Strain and discard spent herbs. Add honey to taste (add the honey after you strain the rest of the herbs).

Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy and sweet. Great as a winter time tonic and/or as a remedy for colds and coughs. I loved to take little shot glasses as a tonic and often people use it as salad dressing and/or on rice or steamed vegetables. It’s quite tasty!

Nature Tip 001: We are made of 70%-90% water. We ARE Nature.

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

Plants. They were here before us and they will be here after us. If we would just listen to them, we might hear them laughing at us… but then we would hear them telling us what we need to do about…everything. First of all with changing how we see ourselves. It would tell us to reconnect to nature. This disconnection from “nature” is the source of most of our problems and it is obvious why.

We are made of 70% water. We as 90% water. Humans are nature. The sooner we accept we are the solution, not just the problem, the better. The sooner we stop living by a agricultural calendar the better. We have phases, like the moon. The moon controls the tides. Which means, yep you guessed it, the moon also pulls at us. When will we start to change our ways and our consciousness around this fact that we and nature are one. Plants are our counter-parts. We breath it out, they breath it in. They let it out, we suck it in. We cannot chop down all the rainforests and damage our oceans without repercussions, because essentially, we are killing ourselves in these acts.

We are so quick to pop pharmaceuticals into our bodies when there’s a plant to heal just about any pain we humans have, often in half the time and with ZERO side effects. In fact, you realize that pharmaceuticals are just mass produced synthetic plant, bacterias and fungi compounds right? Read this. Why not go straight to the sources for our healing - so we can not have the side affects?

Can’t sleep? 80% of people can fall asleep within 10 minutes of drinking chamomile. UTI? Just boil parsley from the grocer. Drink the water. You’ll be better before the doctor can write you a prescription. Why don’t we know this stuff?! It’s our birthright to partner with plants and live in peace. If you have a pain or a problem, why not try to treat yourself with something that has grown in the sun and had a life. The plants are great healers, and great teachers.

When I did extreme plant medicine I came out of it in Awe. Mostly in Awe of Nature. Also in Awe that I had lived so long outside of daily nature interactions. Maybe that’s why I felt dead for so long. The first thing I said after my plant medicine journey was “Why isn’t nature a religion?”😳😹 But Nature WAS/IS a religion. It was stripped of natives. So much wisdom is now being lost alongside their spoken language. Yet the people who lived in Americas long before Europeans came, understood nature, because they listened. I found in my Awe, how quickly Nature could heal my suffering, in many ways. I wondered why Nature wasn’t a religion. But it was. It’s just been forgotten that we are the answer to our own problems. Nature was the original religion, before dogma served to enslave people for the benefit of a few masters and to harness people in a grip of “be good" or else instead of “be whole”. We must learn to fuse the things we have learned in our scientific revolution with the ancient truths that we have long forgotten. I side with this blatant Truth: Nature is the answer: Watch. Partner. Heal. Grow.

The wisdom & uses of plants are infinite, like us, like our universe. We chop down 1 football field of rainforest every minute… for cows. 🤯 We can each do little things every day to support Earth and Nature. Our nature. We can do things as individuals to help our environment.

Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Help Protect the Earth

• Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cut down on what you throw away. Follow the three "R's" to conserve natural resources and landfill space.

• Volunteer. Volunteer for cleanups in your community. You can get involved in protecting your watershed, too.

• Educate. When you further your own education, you can help others understand the importance and value of our natural resources.

• Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater that eventually end up in the ocean.

• Choose sustainable. Learn how to make smart seafood choices at www.fishwatch.gov.

• Shop wisely. Buy less plastic and bring a reusable shopping bag.

• Use long-lasting light bulbs. Energy efficient light bulbs reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also flip the light switch off when you leave the room!

• Plant a tree. Trees provide food and oxygen. They help save energy, clean the air, and help combat climate change.

• Don't send chemicals into our waterways. Choose non-toxic chemicals in the home and office.

• Bike more. Drive less.

Everyday we are losing keys to our survival as a species daily. We need to change and we need to make this important in our own lives and in our careers. Permaculture, ecosystem regeneration & envionmental preservation and education should be mass “industry” by now. What’s the ish?

Clean plants & pure living waters are our birthright. I stand for both. Immediately.

Plant plants. Eat plants. Plant Medicine. Let’s stop pouring chemicals onto the plants we eat. Use plants. Let’s plant 5 for every 1 we chop down. Let’s create systems that mimic the life cycle of plants. Let’s be allies of the plants.🖖🏼🌱 today. Let’s start now, together, healing and caring about nature…and by that I mean ourselves. Because as I will continue to say over and over. WE ARE NATURE. LISTEN.

Career Tip 010: Genuine Interest in Others, Kindness, & Vulnerability are Superpowers

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

If you’ve read any Brene Brown, you’ll understand that vulnerability is a modern day superpower. Brene Brown is the queen of Vulnerability in the modern corporate workplace. Watch her ted talk here ASAP.

Gone are the days of “Chin up” and toxic positivity. Actually, those days were never really serving us. Instead of just being nice and smiley all the time, take some time to get to know the people around you. The best book I ever read that helped me with relationships was How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It helps us realize that it isn’t about how you treat people, but in actually genuinely being interest in them and by cultivating a passion for having an interest in others. "Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him." Dale says. I once watched a video of a monk talking about his experience as a newcomer to a monastery. He took a journal and wrote each monks name who he would live who on a page of their own. Then he would keep notes about what he admired in them. He wrote down good qualities. He kept track of the good stuff. And when he faced adversity with them, he would go to them and ask them to give him advice on how they did “the thing he admired” that he had taken note of. This helped him turn the person he may have not gotten along with, into a teacher and a friend. I love the idea of doing this for family, work family, friends, and all sorts of community. This is a great idea for us to learn how to look for the good in people.

To me, the phrase work/life balance makes no sense. We are embodied in our work, especially if we are living in our purpose, and even if we are not, it is a major part of our life. The balance should be to enjoy it. Why live in a constant state of stress or among strangers in the workplace?

Brene offers an amazing tool in her book Dare to Lead that I would like to share here today at the end of this blog and that has helped me so much in the workplace and in my personal relationships; her value’s worksheet. It really changed the way that I communicate with people. Brene teaches that it is hard to have conversations about important things unless you know where the person you are talking to is coming from. In her book she explains a few things that helped me really process this idea. The first is a story. She kept butting heads with her CFO about things she was looking to do in the business. It felt like he was trying to limit her. But once she found out that financial stability was one of his values, she felt like crying. He was just trying to stay true to one of the two things that are his most authentic values. Also this is why she hired him! This can help us change the way we see people for the better, especially when butting heads.

The way it works is that you pick 2 values from the list below. I would also include public opinion to this list, given the affects of social media and how much of our lives if this takes up. Be honest if this is one of your values…it’s a sticky one to accept if it is but helps to see it on this list as well, because sometimes I think we unnaturally value this trait more than others. You only pick 2 because if you pick more than that they become just a list of things you appreciate. You pick 2 values. Hers were Courage and Faith. She felt guilty for not picking Family but then she realized that actually her 2 values help her show up as her most authentic self to her priorities - which are Work and Family. When I did this project I realized that mine are Growth and Love. And my priorities are Freedom, Creativity and Connection. I think over time the priorities change. The values are pretty close to your core, but of course, as I experienced profound Growth, I did actually experience my values change. And I think that is an amazing thing. I took a few days to do this. I circled the first words that popped out to me. Then I highlighted with different colors the list down until I got to 2. Some people know immediately. Take as much time as you need on this. It matters to know this about ourselves. It also helps to know this about others.

In the workplace, kindness can feel rare. So can vulnerability. But these things are superpowers. And if you are really living in your value system and in your truth, they come pretty naturally. I love the following quote because I think we do more damage to ourselves and others when we “try” to be what other people want us to be and care and prioritize things that don’t feel so natural and good for us. “It may seem that living for rapture is a selfish act reserved for the elite, or that is it a fancy phrase for hedonism. But it isn’t. Rapture is not a selfish emotion. It is pure gratitude, flowing freely through the body, heart, and soul. Gratitude for what? For breath, for colors, for music, for friendship, humor, weather, sleep, awareness. It is a willing engagement with the whole messy miracle of life. The world suffers more from unhappy, stifled people trying to do good than it does from those who are simply content within themselves.” Elizabeth Lesser 

The reality is, we need to take care of ourselves, first and foremost. In mind, body, spirit and soul but also in fun and in our values and our priorities. We need to be kind to ourselves and do what we want with our lives. We need to have a daily practice of self care, and do the work to love ourselves and understand what makes us tick, so that we can bring a state of well being to our careers. This will allow us to live in purpose and to bond with our work families in a way that can provide compassion and health to the workplace. If you want to get the most out of your career, you will realize that every place you work, has a family that you can carry through life with you. These are people that will support you and help you grow and to be honest, you need them from the start. You don’t want to go into work thinking “this is temporary” even though everything is temporary about work. The reality is that the people aren’t. And life is hard. They need your kindness and you need theirs. And they will care for you and it will be because you were kind. And life will be better because you took the higher road that actually felt good - and not familiar or easy. With kindness our work has a safe space to flourish and if it doesn’t work out, at least they speak highly of you. If you meet someone and you struggle with them, ask about their values and priorities. It might help your communication more than you think. If you still can’t figure out common ground, ask them about their life. Turn them into a person. Maintain boundaries, but care. Kindness is the key.

Career Tip 009: Turn that Trauma into Gold.

This is a living blog. It will grow and change over time. Come back for new articles and ideas on this topic. Please share with us how you’re doing your poop to gold work. ;)

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

This topic is going to be continuously discussed and focused on, not only on this blog but on the podcast. Also in my personal and professional work, as it is quickly becoming part of my purpose as an information provider on this website. It is so important we figure out the gold hidden in our shadows and do not let the trauma dictate our wellness and our lives.

The lows serve us if we let them. Not only do they help us identify the highs, they can give us a way to serve others or a way to reveal our authenticity once we get passed parts of ourselves that were meant to teach us, even the most audacious of crimes. The yin and yang are a great symbols of balance and how to rebalance and accept how things are and were. Over the course of life we realize dark and light balance each other out. We need both. Without their bad experiences, we wouldn’t have had some really incredible human beings on this planet, and we would have not had so much art in infinite forms.

Yes, it is hard to hear it but the adversity helps define us, even make us in some phases of life. What if we stopped trauma bonding with people and instead we spent that time healing ourselves. Could we connect after we figure out that we don’t need to constantly protect ourselves, continue on a path of personal development that results with a nice life and quality interactions with our closest relationships and community? Processing and transforming from caterpillars to butterflies is a birth right. But our culture seems confused. We damage our children and then we wonder why there are so many confused adults. We love our babies but we step over the homeless on the street…who was at one time an innocent defenseless baby. The change starts with each person, to stop passing on trauma and start healing from within.

So many people wouldn’t have done “impossible” things if their lives had been perfect. I know I wouldn’t have lived in 15 amazing places and gathered stellar friends worldwide without some of my trauma. I know I wouldn’t be able to go deep with people and empathize, if I didn’t go through what I have. You see, trauma can be a great cultivator, creator, motivator and a great eye opener - to our purpose, to our path back to our truest essence. It can be a connector but it is better used as a fine-tuner. Yes trauma can break us down and deter our lives in many ways, but there is a link to getting ourselves back to our authenticity and our wholeness. Trauma may rob us of our authentic nature for some time - decades even - but if you work at understanding and hugging the traumas you have had as a child, inherited, absorbed from the environment, culture and religion you were raised in, and expreinced, you are going to succeed at growth. Think of your shadow like a little 2 year old kid who has been pulling at your shirt for decades. You’ve ignored them this whole time. All they’re asking is that you listen to them. Once you do listen to them, there is gold down in there, because you can hug them, and take them out of the drivers seat when you unconsciously let them drive - which you have done many, many times. The gold is in reclaiming your self, from a person you were forced to become to protect yourself and to survive. You deserve a free life, one free of the vices or the pain and suffering. One filled with creation and ideas and accomplishing anything you desire to do whether it be career, exploration, discovery, relationships, creation, and so on and on. I think each person has their own alchemist’s journey to transmuting or transforming their trauma. But the journey only works if you’re willing to stop ignoring the child pulling on your shirt who is trying to talk to you about what happened. Whatever happened to you, that is causing you harm, was not your fault. And it is okay, more than okay, to let go of it.

There are so many great articles on this topic. I for one believe that the true alchemist’s in life are the people taking their own $hit and poopy experiences and turning them into gold, or lead or whatever it is they need. Shadow work can result with bursts of light and endless healing and epiphany, positive relationships, art, or purpose driven work. There is a great joy that people find in helping others to not live out the same fate they had forced upon them. I think the people who don’t get stuck in their trauma, and moved past it, simply had better tools and advice and community and awareness. That is all available to all of us, right now, here, today. Given this beautiful invention of social media and internet, it is a blessing these words have met your eyes at this moment. So let’s get on with it already!

I have had a lot of trauma in my life. I wish I hadn’t, but it’s undeniable. Because of it, I have had 3 experiences with depression. But still today, I don’t consider myself a depressed person. I like this quote about depression. I think we need to de-stigmatize situational health issues and stop downplaying what happens to us. “Some people say depression is a disease. Some people say depression is genetic. Some say it is due to a chemical imbalance. And there is something to be said about each of those. But what if depression was not a disease, but a normal response to abnormal life experiences.” Once was in high school after I was attacked by 6 peers at a party, once was after I got off of top model, and once after my dad died. I got a dog two of the times (I think Chloe reincarnated into Mucci - so I believe that I have one animal spirit guide in life ;). The middle time, after top model, I struggled for 10 years with feeling right inside. I just ignored it. Today I call the dogs my living Prozac. They are a replacement for a pharmaceutical because I am anti pharmaceuticals for my own treatment and to be honest for most people. I come from addictive parents and never wanted to be dependent on a medicine for my mental health.The years with the dogs have been stable and loving and filled with growth and more comfort than I ever knew without them. Times were not always easy, but there was a constant support there from my companion and that helped me tremendously. The years without the dogs…were tough. Very tough and often scary. That’s because I lived in constant motion, self judgment and vices. Running from my own behavior and my own fears to face what happened to me. Clearly I believe in animal therapy more than distracting myself. I believe in having something that needs you to take care of it to get you out of bed and give you purpose. But I also think animals can be a distraction. I believe most in facing the abnormal experiences that cause us to feel bad about ourselves and putting a compassionate pair of arms around the experiences so that we can transform them. However we can do that, I believe that is the answer. But wow, it was all so hard to figure out. We all live in a world full of distractions from the work we need to do on ourselves. The work to heal from adversity we experienced in life and early on in life. They say “the beginning is often our end.” How cruel. But it’s true so often more than not, yet it doesn’t have to be the way it is.

We can learn to change our circumstances and our stories. We can change how we talk about ourselves and how we treat ourselves and others. It just takes time and effort. It’s the most valuable thing you can do for yourself, your family and your career. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been working on later in the year on this topic. I’m still in the process of life. I think knowing the balancing of my dark and light is lifelong journey makes it that much more of a lifestyle versus a burden. It makes it a choice I am able to get excited about instead of dreading anymore. I chose to work with shadow work for 3 years and then do plant medicine to do my process. Now I am working on creating and doing more shadow work to get deeper into my authenticy. I tried traveling, writing, talk therapy, vices, disappearing, you name it. The best way for me was just to face it and get rid of what I could and transform the rest. Daily. We have to feed our soul good things daily the way we feed our body. This self care is constant and it is the most important work we can do. There are lots of ways you can get started and work this all out for yourself. Feel free to reach out to me anytime for help finding the best way for you to process your ACEs in a safe and healthy way themelrosepodcast@gmail.com.

I’d love to hear your stories too. I want to hear what you are looking for to help you in your growth and what you’re all finding in words, inspirations, and ideas to help our community do this work. I’m still in the process of weaving my story into gold, so until that story is ready, please enjoy a few articles I found helpful on this topic.

I love the books How to Change Your Mind and You are a Badass. I will recommend lots of books in this blog.

This first article has some good ideas. But before you talk to someone about your ACEs score, make sure you do so with someone you trust. Oversharing is a symptom of trauma and you deserve to be held in a safe space while healing. Also, know that when you tell a story about what has happened to you, your body can believe it is going through the experiences all over again. Please make the sharing of your story ceremony and release. Use the energy around it to create and express.

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Excerpt from ACESTOOHIGH.com

8 ways to People Recover from Post Childhood Adversity Syndrome

8 ways people recover from post childhood adversity syndrome

There can be no better time than now to begin your own awakening, to proactively help yourself and those you love, embrace resilience, and move forward toward growth, even transformation.

Here are eight steps to try:

1. Take the ACE questionnaire.

The single most important step you can take toward healing and transformation is to fill out the ACE questionnaire for yourself and share your results with your health-care practitioner. For many people, taking the 10-question survey “helps to normalize the conversation about adverse childhood experiences and their impact on our lives,” says Vincent Felitti, co-founder of the CDC-Kaiser Permanente ACE Study. “When we make it okay to talk about what happened, it removes the power that secrecy so often has.”

You’re not asking your healthcare practitioner to act as your therapist, or to change your prescriptions; you’re simply acknowledging that there might be a link between your past and your present. Ideally, given the recent discoveries in the field of ACEs research, your doctor should acknowledge that this link is plausible, and add some of the following modalities to your healing protocol.

2. Begin writing to heal.

Think about writing down your story of childhood adversity, using a technique psychologists call “writing to heal.” James Pennebaker, professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, developed this assignment, which demonstrates the effects of writing as a healing modality. He suggests: “Over the next four days, write down your deepest emotions and thoughts about the emotional upheaval that has been influencing your life the most. In your writing, really let go and explore the event and how it has affected you. You might tie this experience to your childhood, your relationship with your parents, people you have loved or love now…Write continuously for twenty minutes a day.”

When Pennebaker had students complete this assignment, their grades went up. When adults wrote to heal, they made fewer doctors’ visits and demonstrated changes in their immune function. The exercise of writing about your secrets, even if you destroy what you’ve written afterward, has been shown to have positive health effects.

3. Practice mindfulness meditation. 

A growing body of research indicates that individuals who’ve practiced mindfulness meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) show an increase in gray matter in the same parts of the brain that are damaged by adverse childhood experiences and shifts in genes that regulate their physiological stress response. According to Trish Magyari, LCPC, a mindfulness-based psychotherapist and researcher who specializes in trauma and illness, adults suffering from PTSDdue to childhood sexual abuse who took part in a “trauma-sensitive” MBSR program, had less anxiety and depression, and demonstrated fewer PTSD symptoms, even two years after taking the course.

Many meditation centers offer MBSR classes and retreats, but you can practice anytime in your own home. Choose a time and place to focus on your breath as it enters and leaves your nostrils; the rise and fall of your chest; the sensations in your hands or through the whole body; or sounds within or around you. If you get distracted, just come back to your anchor. Here are some tips from Tara Brach, psychologist and meditation teacher, to get you started on your mindfulness journey.

There are many medications you can take that dampen the sympathetic nervous system (which ramps up your stress response when you come into contact with a stressor), but there aren’t any medications that boost the parasympathetic nervous system (which helps to calm your body down after the stressor has passed). Your breath is the best natural calming treatment—and it has no side effects.

4. Yoga

When children face ACEs, they often store decades of physical tension from a fight, flight, or freeze state of mind in their bodies. PET scans show that yoga decreases blood flow to the amygdala, the brain’s alarm center, and increases blood flow to the frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex, which help us to react to stressors with a greater sense of equanimity. Yoga has also be found to increase levels of GABA—or gamma-aminobutyric acid—a chemical that improves brain function, promotes calm, and helps to protect us against depression and anxiety.

5. Therapy SIDE NOTE FROM MELROSE - I TRIED TALK THERAPY AND FOUND THAT TALKING ABOUT MY TRAUMA OVER AND OVER WAS NOT HELPFUL AT ALL FOR ME - SO I AM NOT TOTALLY SOLD BY TALK THERAPY OR BY RELIVING TRAUMA AND CONSTANTLY TELLING A DAMAGING STORY OVER AND OVER TO STRANGERS WHO ARE PAID TO “CARE” BUT DON’T AND ARE DESENSITIZED TO TRAUMA. ALSO ADVISED NOT TO TRAUMA BOND TO OTHER PEOPLE EITHER. THIS IS ALSO NOT PRODUCTIVE.

Sometimes, the long-lasting effects of childhood trauma are just too great to tackle on our own. In these cases, says Jack Kornfield, psychologist and meditation teacher, “meditation is not always enough.” We need to bring unresolved issues into a therapeutic relationship, and get back-up in unpacking the past. When we partner with a skilled therapist to address the adversity we may have faced decades ago, those negative memories become paired with the positive experience of being seen by someone who accepts us as we are—and a new window to healing opens.

Part of the power of therapy lies in allowing ourselves, finally, to form an attachment to a safe person. A therapist’s unconditional acceptance helps us to modify the circuits in our brain that tell us that we can’t trust anyone, and grow new, healthier neural connections. It can also help us to heal the underlying, cellular damage of traumatic stress, down to our DNA. In one study, patients who underwent therapy showed changes in the integrity of their genome—even a year after their regular sessions ended.

6. EEG neurofeedback

Electroencephalographic (EEG) neurofeedback is a clinical approach to healing childhood trauma in which patients learn to influence their thoughts and feelings by watching their brain’s electrical activity in real-time, on a laptop screen. Someone hooked up to the computer via electrodes on his scalp might see an image of a field; when his brain is under-activated in a key area, the field, which changes in response to neural activity, may appear to be muddy and gray, the flowers wilted; but when that area of the brain reactivates, it triggers the flowers to burst into color and birds to sing. With practice, the patient learns to initiate certain thought patterns that lead to neural activity associated with pleasant images and sounds.

You might think of a licensed EEG neurofeedback therapist as a musical conductor, who’s trying to get different parts of the orchestra to play a little more softly in some cases, and a little louder in others, in order to achieve harmony. After just one EEG neurofeedback session, patients showed greater neural connectivity and improved emotional resilience, making it a compelling option for those who’ve suffered the long-lasting effects of chronic, unpredictable stress in childhood.

7. EMDR therapy

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a potent form of psychotherapy that helps individuals to remember difficult experiences safely and relate those memories in ways that no longer cause pain in the present. Here’s how it works: EMDR-certified therapists help patients to trigger painful emotions. As these emotions lead the patients to recall specific difficult experiences, they are asked to shift their gaze back and forth rapidly, often by following a pattern of lights or a wand that moves from right to left, right to left, in a movement that simulates the healing action of REM sleep.

The repetitive directing of attention in EMDR induces a neurobiological state that helps the brain to re-integrate neural connections that have been dysregulated by chronic, unpredictable stress and past experiences. This re-integration can, in turn, lead to a reduction in the episodic, traumatic memories we store in the hippocampus, and downshift the amygdala’s activity. Other studies have shown that EMDR increases the volume of the hippocampus.

EMDR therapy has been endorsed by the World Health Organization as one of only two forms of psychotherapy for children and adults in natural disasters and war settings.

8. Rally community healing

Often, ACEs stem from bad relationships—neglectful relatives, schoolyard bullies, abusive partners—but the right kinds of relationships can help to make us whole again. When we find people who support us, when we feel “tended and befriended,” our bodies and brains have a better shot at healing. Research has found that having strong social ties improves outcomes for women with breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases. In part, that’s because positive interactions with others boost our production of oxytocin, a “feel-good” hormone that dials down the inflammatory stress response. If you’re at a loss for ways to connect, try a mindfulness meditation community or an MBSR class, or pass along the ACE questionnaire or even my newest book, Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal, to family and friends to spark important, meaningful conversations.

You’re not alone

Whichever modalities you and your physician choose to implement, it’s important to keep in mind that you’re not alone. When you begin to understand that your feelings of loss, shame, guilt, anxiety, or grief are shared by so many others, you can lend support and swap ideas for healing.

When you embrace the process of healing despite your adverse childhood experiences, you don’t just become who you might have been if you hadn’t encountered childhood suffering in the first place. You gain something better—the hard-earned gift of life wisdom, which you bring forward into every arena of your life. The recognition that you have lived through hard times drives you to develop deeper empathy, seek more intimacy, value life’s sweeter moments, and treasure your connectedness to others and to the world at large. This is the hard-won benefit of having known suffering.

Best of all, you can find ways to start right where you are, no matter where you find yourself.

The interesting thing about the following article is that this study followed judges. Not one of them had an ace score of 0. So it makes us all feel better that no one really gets out of childhood unscathed, and that the people making the judgments might have some understanding of those with higher scores? Or at least we can hope!

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The Repressed Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Addiction, Disease, and Premature Death: In My Beginning Is My End 

Vincent J. Felitti, MD - Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California San Diego

April 3, 2019

If you want to watch a training video on ACEs as it relates to mainly obesity please go here. If you can see why we use some of the coping mechanisms and how they feel like they are protecting us, we can realize that the sooner we shift our mindsets, the sooner we can start spinning new story and new processes for growing our lives into more wellness, and then success we desire.

The Above Training Description

Have you ever considered how we get from there to here? How do we go from a newborn with its extraordinary potential to the person lying on the street whom we overlook? The answer relates directly and in unexpected ways to difficult problems of social functioning, judicial institutionalization, addiction, medical practice, and public health. This training will look at The ACE Study and you will learn how researchers explored the origins of these problems, and how they came to see that the perceived problem is often someone’s attempted solution to problems about which they keep themselves unaware. The training focuses on the analysis and observations of several people who had experienced tremendous health and emotional challenges.

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From PACES CONNECTION

Turning Gold into Lead: Understanding the Role of ACEs to Our Work as Judges

LYNN TEPPER 11/6/18. 4:27 PM

Judge Lynn Tepper and a courtroom therapy dog.
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[Editor's note: Judge Lynn Tepper, 6th Judicial Circuit, Florida, wrote this for a newsletter published by the Florida Office of the State Courts Administrator, Office of Court Improvement, and kindly agreed to cross-post it to ACEs Connection. ]

"How do we go from a newborn with its extraordinary potential to the man lying on the street whom we overlook? The answer relates directly and in unexpected ways to difficult problems of medical practice, social functioning, institutionalization, addiction, and public health. The ACE Study is about what we learned exploring the ORIGINS of those problems, and how we came to see that the perceived problem is often someone’s attempted solution to problems about which we keep ourselves unaware."

So began Dr. Vincent Felitti’s plenary presentation at the Annual Education Program of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges: “The Repressed Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Addiction, Disease, and Premature Death: Turning gold into lead." (Click here  to see his presentation and his PowerPoint.) Those “problems” and “attempted solutions” fill the divisions of courts and inter-related systems. The original 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study, of which Dr. Felitti, was co-principal investigator with Dr. Robert Anda, of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), revealed an extraordinary, unexpected relationship between our emotional experiences as children and our physical and mental health as adults. The ACE Study revealed that humans figuratively turn the "gold” of the potential of a newborn into "lead” by converting the childhood traumatic emotional experiences into disease later in life.

During his presentation, Dr. Felitti explained, “Adverse childhood experiences are the main cause of health risk behaviors, and hence of disease, disability, premature death, and healthcare costs. People with an ACE score 6 or higher have a life expectancy almost 20 years shorter than an ACE Score 0.”

What we learned from this presentation as individuals may be revealing to us. In fact, each judge in attendance had the opportunity to complete the 10- question ACE questionnaire electronically and anonymously. As you can see in the table below, none of the responding judges had an ACE Score of 0, and in three of the categories, the judges had higher scores than the respondents from the original study.

CATEGORIES OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES

Abuse, by Category

Original Study

Judges

    Psychological (by parents)

11%

15%

    Physical (by parents)

28%

17%

    Sexual (anyone)

22%

12%

Neglect, by Category

Original Study

Judges

    Emotional

15%

12%

    Physical

10%

6%

Household Dysfunction, by Category

Original Study

Judges

     Alcoholism or drug use in home

27%

22%

     Loss of biological parent
     <18         

23%

32%

     Depression or mental illness
     in home

17%

24%

     Mother treated violently

13%

9%

     Imprisoned household member

5%

3%

These scores and the reality that the professional lives of the judges reflect extraordinary accomplishment certainly would be “gold” and not “lead”, despite the childhood traumatic emotional experiences. Key to understanding that outcome are the responses to the two “buffering relationships” questions, which were not part of the original ACE Study, but were administered to circuit judges prior to them attending the conference. One of the insights from the ACE Study was a “primary prevention” approach. Having “buffering relationships" is one of those “primary prevention” approaches that builds resiliency so that the “extraordinary potential” of a newborn is realized, not lost. As the table below illustrates, most of the judges who responded to these questions had strong buffering relationships that mitigated the impact of their ACEs.

Question

Definitely True

Probably  True

Not Sure

Probably Not True

Definitely Not True

When I was a child I had a supportive home environment.

70% or 162

18% or 41

4% or 9

4% or 10

4% or 9

When I was a child I had stable, responsive, supportive & caring relationships with adults & caregivers.

75% or 166

18% or 41

2% or 4

2% or 5

3% or 6

 
As judges, what we learned might lead us to an understanding of what lies beneath the behaviors we see in court by litigants, and the risky behaviors that lead parties and defendants into our courts, our jails, our detention centers, and our local mental health and substance abuse facilities. Our take-away? The health risk behaviors linked to ACEs may be viewed by the public and health field as a problem, but may be viewed by a patient, defendant, delinquent, dependent party, and litigant as a solution. That view has a lot to do with why certain problems are so difficult to treat. As Dr. Felitti pointed out, “We’re not treating the problem; we’re attempting to treat someone’s solution.” This has major relevance to treating all addictions and the vast disruptive, chronic, seemingly unresponsive behaviors that cross our thresholds every day. Summarized succinctly by my colleague in the 6thcircuit, Judge Linda Babb, “We have been treating the symptoms” and not looking at the adversity in which that individual spent their childhood.

(l to r) Judge Lynn Tepper, Dr. Vincent Felitti, Dr. Mimi Graham, director of the Florida State University Center for Prevention and Policy.

At the conference, Judge Scott Bernstein (11thcircuit), Chief Judge Jonathan Sjostrom (2ndcircuit), Judge Alicia Latimore (9thcircuit), and I briefly shared our experiences regarding individuals impacted by ACEs in virtually every division of the court and the benefits of being trauma-informed and developing a trauma-informed courthouse and community partners.

Over 75% of the judges who responded to the post-test that was administered believed they may have missed telltale signs of ACEs or trauma in the past; 75% think they might handle “disruptive” parties more effectively moving forward; and 77% think there are things they can change in their courthouse or courtroom as a result of what they learned from Dr. Felitti’s presentation. Ideally, our judicial response will include:

• how we handle and respond to litigants, defendants, and all who appear before us;

• what sentences and dispositions we may impose;

• what types of assessments we may order;

• which bench guides and tools we may utilize to determine “What happened to this person?” instead of “What did this person do wrong?”; and

• embracing the “Big Ten” found within the Family Court Tool Kit: Trauma and Child Development and the constantly updated array of resources and interactive materials on the Florida Courts website.
  
  
  

Dr. Felitti studied the connection between ACEs and health. Unexpectedly, he uncovered for the courts and our community partners a path past our litigants’ “past.” By applying science to what we do every day and responding appropriately to ACEs, we have a chance to change the trajectory of each life we touch. We have an opportunity to change the world if we see it through a trauma lens.

https://www.pacesconnection.com/blog/turning-gold-into-lead-understanding-the-role-of-aces-to-our-work

https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/file/HealthCare/reserve_alchemy.pdf

CDC violence prevention article

http://centervideo.forest.usf.edu/video/center/acestudy/start.html

Start with this book.

Buy Used Books or use Overdrive to read for free with a library card - YOU ARE A BADASS

Career Tip 008: Know Your ACEs Score & Gain Control.

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

“You are not a victim of your past, but the sooner you acknowledge it, the sooner you can be in control of your future.”

Have you heard about ACEs? If not, you need to know about them. ACEs are important. This is an acronym that stands for Adverse­ Childhood Experiences. The science is in. We now know that highly adverse childhoods result with a slew of physical manifestations in adult life. It is time to acknowledge just how badly are our childhood experiences affecting us. They affect every part of our adult life, most certainly our willpower and our ability to have stable relationships and quality careers.

There are 10 categories of Adverse Childhood Experiences.  These are not the only categories but they are the most prevalent. We also need to remember that the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for will power, is developing until we are 25 years old. So Adverse Childhood Experiences might actually extend past we are 18 and likely do. We have made up the number 18 to rid ourselves as responsible parties for our children, but the truth is, we are damaging children by letting them think they are all grown up at 18 when it could not be further from the truth - 6 years too soon. Abused people tend to perpetuate abuse into our middle life. This is because if we leave home at 16,17,18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, without knowing that what happened to us is not right and knowing what homeostasis feels like, we then often perpetuate the abuse we had at home or in our immediate environments. We are drawn toward that which feel familiar, not good. Good actually feels awkward and we reject it in all forms. All of this happens while our brains are still forming. It’s a recipe for disaster both personally and professionally.

The three categories of these 10 types of experiences are Abuse, Neglect, and Household Dysfunction. Categories of Abuse include Physical, Emotional, and Sexual. Categories of Neglect includes Physical and Emotional. Category of Household Dysfunction includes Mental Illness, Incarcerated Relative, Mother treated Violently, Substance Abuse, and Divorce.  I’m not sure why a father being abused isn’t included, as that surely can be something that affects us negatively as well and should be included. I have found out that these are only the most common perpetuations of the psyche and not the only ones. But there are many more, so if you have on that is not included, you should add it to your score. These experiences don’t necessarily have to happen in your own home either, they could happen in your peer groups, places of worship, at school, at camp, in foster care, at non-immediate family homes, in college, etc. 

I think the repetitiveness of it being in a household might make the physical expression in adulthood “worse”, but even one traumatic experience can have lasting effects on how we treat ourselves moving forward. These experiences become trapped energy stored inside of us, and since we don’t know what to do with that energy, it comes out in physical manifestations and behavior. Some people call this our shadow. There is gold in all of our shadow, but first we must realize and acknowledge what happened to us so we can work past it.

ACEs do not only apply to lower income homes. For example, often in higher income homes, neglect is rewarded and seen often as a badge of honor, and substance abuse is normalized and seen as “part of the job/community/etc.” ACEs happen everywhere, in every part of our society, which is why it is imperative this information circulates quickly so we can affect some change, not only in our careers and productivity, but in our overall wellness. 

The following chart is how these kinds of behaviors can express themselves in us as adults. 

I think the worst data I found out about ACEs was that people with a 6 or higher ACE score, live on average 20 years less than people with a 2 or less. The reality is very few people have zero- next to none. But it’s still a huge advantage that any part of the population lives longer than others based on circumstances that were crucial and yet out of their control.  *2. A person with 4 ACEs is 5 time as likely to suffer from depression, 2.42 times as likely to have a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 2.93 times as likely to smoke and 3.23 times as likely to binge drink, 12.2 times as likely to attempt suicide, 10.3 times as likely to use injection drugs, 7.4 times as likely to be an actual alcoholic, 2.4 times as likely to have a stroke, 1.9 times as likely to have cancer and 1.6 times as likely to have diabetes. *2-2. BUT, the most important information is that this is not a death sentence. THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL.

This information should be considered a public health crisis. It is exactly that. With these numbers, we should be shouting this out from our rooftops and demanding change to nuclear family and reform to our protective child services. I know the day I realized how high my ACE score was, was the day I started to change my life around. I hope this information will help you. 

ACEs matters, A LOT, because the things that happened to you as a child, all of which you had little or no control over, will actually shorten your life and increase all sorts of behavioral and physical conditions that will impair your existence in this life if you do not pay attention and make conscious changes to extend your life expectancy and personal health. 

How insane is this?! It makes a lot of sense to me though. For me, my ACEs score needed to be addressed. It took me until 30 to face reality around my childhood. I needed to process, write it all out, forget about it, come back to it, process it some more, transmute it, and transform it into extreme self care, knowledge and compassion to help others. Once I accepted it, it stopped having control of me. It took a lot of work for me to get to where I am at now, but today I can see myself as an old woman. Something I am sad to say that I struggled with in my adolescence, 20s and early 30s. It is easy to understand now why that was so difficult for me.

In the next blog, we will talk about how you can address, correct, transmute, and transform your ACEs score into wellness, life purpose, and/or liberation from shackles that it is time you take off. 

Do not be a victim of your childhood or past. It doesn’t and shouldn’t own you. Only you can own you. But we need to get back to who you really are, and the innocence you deserved to have and keep in life.

Resources

https://www.acesconnection.com

https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/prefrontal-cortex/

https://sensitivethemovie.com

Career Tip 007: Women Working in Male-Dominated Fields are The Trail Blazers for Future Generations.

Nothing in this post is a recommendation.

When I was a little girl, I wondered why legos were not pink and purple. It bothered me. I also wondered why the special edition were always camouflage or the theme of some kind of male superhero. I loved to play with them and build, but my loyalty to the pastel rainbow and girlie things over primary colors and weapons did not serve me. I outgrew the more STEM directed toys of my childhood, which was a shame. If those legos were pink and purple, I never would have let them go. Today, female directed STEM toys are the focus for a few brands like GoldieBlox, STEM Girls Books, and The Pinxies. I’m happy to report that Lego now has a set devoted to Women of Nasa. Wow! We have come a long way. But have we reeeeally? These brands are nice but you still have to really search hard for them and they are still few and far between. Kind of like roles within male dominated fields..for women. Maybe that’s because instead of trying to focus on selling ideas to girls, we should focus on the opportunities growing for young women to partake in the world as we know it. Maybe as women we need to be exploring all the things in the world, no matter how they are packaged, including professions.

When we look at data reported on women in the workplace, and there sure is a lot of that data to sort though, it is clear that we are divided into a patriarchal system and we are still at the beginning of trying to bend that matrix. Even the very word we use to describe our female anatomy is designed around a man. Vagina means a sheath to which you put your sword into. What the literal F*ck. Stop using that word. Right now. We are not here to hold a man’s sword. We are here to flourish and create. Here in the goddess culture, seeking to balance the patriarchal systems with some feminine energy infused in common language, we choose to call our sacred anatomy a: Yoni. Yoni means sacred temple. Wewh. Much better, I already like myself so much more after just changing this word in my vocabulary… to empower myself. Sorry, I digressed. But this matters. Words and data matter! When we work in male dominated fields like banking, technology, mathematics, and sciences, we are starting out on an up male dominated fields, I wonder, how far have we actually come since women won the right to vote in the US (1920). Well we are now 2 years past the 100 years of liberation to be a voting part of this culture and yet women have slowed down on investing and creating and taking a stride in the patriarchy… I wonder why.

If you don’t think your ideas matter, just think about the fact that we are the majority of the economy and over half of the college degrees. Women do most of the spending, caretaking, cooking, consuming of brands, and raising the next generation.

Women matter. We should act like it and build what we need to thrive.

Women drive 83% of all U.S. consumption, through both buying power and influence, African Americans spend $1.2 trillion annually in the U.S. , Latinx consumers’ buying power is expected to reach , $1.7 trillion by 2020 

For women, we lag in inventing in general. This PDF is incredible and will make you want to go back to the drawing boards for your ideas like ASAP.

We need to know what we don’t know. It’s in our own belief system that we aren’t good enough or educated enough to create. The real issue besides our belief in ourselves is that we just don’t do it. In this incredible survey - Progress and Potential; A profile of women inventors on US Patents, surveys show that “between 1978 and 1997, the share of patents with at least one female inventor nearly tripled from 5% to 14%. Such a rapid increase is reasonable considering the share was quite low in the mid-1970s, making it easier to achieve high growth rates. Likewise, women’s opportunities to invent expanded rapidly as more women entered the labor force over the period. Since 1998, however, the share of patents with at least one female inventor has only increased from 15% to 21%, suggesting the pace of entry into patenting by women has slowed.”

“Second, even though more patent inventor teams include women, the gender composition among all inventors has
not changed significantly. As shown by the women inventor rate (middle line in Figure 1), through the mid-1980s women comprised less than 5% of all patent inventors. The women inventor rate only reached 10% in 2000. And in 2016, more than a decade and a half later, only 12% of patent inventors were women.” It is widely recognized that many factors shape the opportunities for women to become patent inventors. Educational and occupational choices are two important influences. Historically, science and engineering fields produce the most patentable inventions (Marco et al., 2015). Naturally, when fewer women pursue careers in science and engineering fields, they will make up a smaller share of patent inventors.”

“ In 2015, women made up about 28% of the total science and engineering work-force but only 12% of inventors on granted patents. Across nearly all science occupations, women participate at a much higher rate than they invent patented technology. It is only in engineering that women’s workforce participation rate resembles the overall women inventor rate.”

“Observed gender differences among patent inventors reflect a wide variety of influences that ultimately shape the opportunities for men and women to become inventors. One such factor is educational background. Women make up 31% of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM) college graduates, even though they account for 60% of graduates across all degree fields (Munoz-Boudet, 2017). Within STEM fields, women comprise 18% of graduates in computer science and engineering versus 40% in life science.”

 This matters because women are smart enough to be inventors, scientists, engineers, supply chain officers, CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, etc. But we aren’t penetrating these industries for some reason. Could it be that the demand of being a mother and career person is too much for us. Or could it be that these jobs are not branded right to us in our adolescences. Regardless of the reason, we need to work harder at helping women get into STEM field and C-Suites and boards sooner in their life path.

In an excerpt from Forbes 2021 article Women’s Status And Pay in the C-Suite; New Study, they quote

“In the highest ranks of corporate America, there are seven times as many male executive officers as female executive officers; and, at the CEO level, men outnumber women by almost 17 to one, according to a new report from Morningstar authored by Jackie Cook. More than half of companies studied did not have even a single female named executive officer, according to Morningstar, which drew on its Executive Insight Database*. Cook noted that, as of 2020, Amazon did not have any women  on its list of top-paid executives. (In Amazon’s 2020 proxy statement, its five named executive officers are men.)

The report suggests there may be two reasons for the gap in pay and the gap in representation. First, women are less likely to be promoted than men. Indeed, reports from McKinsey/Lean In document how the management pipeline is broken: for every 100 men who are promoted to the position of manager, only 85 women are promoted, and the gap is even more pronounced for African-American women and Latinas. So, women held 38% of entry-level management positions in 2020, while men held the remaining 62%. 

Cathy Hwang, a law professor who teaches corporate law at the University of Virginia, explained that the “report just underscores how under-represented women (and people of color) continue to be in corporate America. Many companies have focused on hiring a diverse workforce, but there’s still a ton of work to be in retention and promotion.” Second, the Morningstar report notes that “women and men advance upward through different channels,” with women more likely to “occupy support roles like human resources and administration compared with the higher-paid roles that engender a fast track to the top, with higher pay—typically operations, profit and loss, and R&D roles.” This is the “glass wall” phenomenon, in which women are boxed into certain roles. According to another study (reported in the Wall Street Journal), women were one-third as likely as men “to have been encouraged to consider a P&L role,” and men were “twice as likely to have been promoted or selected for leadership training in the past two years. Nearly half the men reported getting detailed advice at work on how to chart their path to a P&L job, compared with 15% of women surveyed.”

So when we read these articles and understand that the way we work, the fields we work in, how we are promoted, and how we are brainwashed all plays a part in how we get paid, then we have to ask the question: At what age do we have to start the dialog. I would say at the very beginning. The issue is that when women enter into “male-dominated industry and occupations” to try to affect change, it sometimes really does feel pointless. But it’s not. As I always say, we must just be more knowledgable than the rest to effect change.

In an global study reported in an article on Catalyst.org, they discuss this sector of Male Dominated Industry and the issues we still face because of keeping the sexes segregated with professions.

“Male-Dominated Occupations Are Those Comprised of 25% or Fewer Women1

Male-dominated industries and occupations are particularly vulnerable to reinforcing harmful stereotypes and creating unfavorable environments that make it even more difficult for women to excel.2

In the United States, only 6.5% of women worked full-time in male-dominated occupations in 2020.3

Between 2016 and 2018, women’s employment increased by 5.0% in industries consisting of two-thirds men.5

Despite growth in information and communications technology, since 2010 women’s share of jobs in the sector in the European Union dropped to only 18% in 2019.7”

The reasons women maybe don’t want to be in those industries is also explained:

“Women Face Challenges Working in Male-Dominated Workplace Cultures9

Women working in male-dominated industries face a variety of challenges, including:

• Societal expectations and beliefs about women’s leadership abilities.10

• Pervasive stereotypes, such as that of the “caring mother”11 or office housekeeper.12

• Higher stress and anxiety compared to women working in other fields.13

• Lack of mentoring and career development opportunities.14

• Sexual harassment.15”

One interesting graph was the following:

When we look at these numbers, to be honest, it’s depressing. Not because we want and need those jobs. But because those jobs need us. These industries need us and our ideas.

In the article called Research-Based Advice for Women Working in Male-Dominated Fields by Harvard, we are given some advice from all the science around this topic.

“ Highly skilled women succumb to stereotype-driven expectations. It begins early when girls as young as six stop believing that girls are the smart ones, while boys continue to believe their gender is gifted. As women get older, these stereotypes discourage them from pursuing careers thought to be typically reserved for men. And, with fewer women in a field, subsequent generations  of women are deterred from pursuing them.

It’s a vicious cycle, but it can be broken.

Certainly, employers can take steps to encourage women to overcome anxiety and self-doubt in the workplace. For example, research shows that when women are exposed to powerful female role models, they are more likely to endorse the notion that women are well suited for leadership roles. So regular meetings — say monthly check-ins or weekly lunches — between less experienced and more senior women give younger women the opportunity to not only develop professionally but also understand that women have what it takes to succeed in an organization’s most prestigious roles. And when mentorship programs are de rigueur, those who face feelings of otherness will not feel deficient for having to proactively seek out career guidance.”

She goes on to suggest journaling, resetting, and reframing. I think when we are lost in our jobs because of a lack of female energy around us, it’s important to know that we are the Trail Blazers for the next generation as well.

We not only can do this, but we are doing it. And slowly, but surely, we will win a centuries long race to balance out the male and female energy in the workplace, and this alone can make this world a better place with way less problems than we see today. I’m hopeful. Are you?

We have to see and use our feminine energy as a super power in the workplace. I urge you to build up allies, and to stay strong in this path. The work we are doing in these fields, matters. And I for one know that if it isn’t working where you are at, there are other companies that you can go to in the same field that have more supportive female energy to align with. If you’re at a company that abuses you for being female, you can be sure that those companies, no matter what their size, are not sustainable in the long run. Diversity is proven to increase value, and women in an equal amount of roles, is part of that. Don’t give up on your dreams, but don't be afraid to search for safer spaces to grow. You got this! Stay true to your female traits and know that all male dominated industries needs your nature, your heart and your mind, to become the best versions of themselves possible.

https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Progress-and-Potential.pdf

https://www.forbes.com/sites/naomicahn/2021/02/19/womens-status-and-pay-in-the-c-suite--new-study/?sh=c1953ae37621

https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-male-dominated-industries-and-occupations/

https://hbr.org/2019/02/research-based-advice-for-women-working-in-male-dominated-fields