Voluptous Mother of Nature

She is drowning us in love, raining down her affection, covering us with weedy kisses, shielding us from UV rays with cloud, blowing away vestiges of past sowings. Don't mess with her, she can be such a bitch. Tough love, earthlings.

Masterpiece of a Thinker

(Today's guest blogger is my Grandaughter*)

"Today I made a piece of art with my grandma.  It was very fun. We used glitter, crayon wax, tissue paper, pictures and beeswax."

by Dejah*

Have and Have Not

Skills. I have so many but have trouble focusing. Ideas. I have so many but don't get them mainifested. Dreams. I have so many to realize. Resources. I have so many but neglect to access them. Time. I have so little to waste but I do. Thoughts. I have such fleeting quick ones they are gone before I record them. Common sense. I have a big dose but still wonder at my silly mistakes. Cash. I have none. And thats that!

Navajo Wind Chant

 Listening to the news and seeing tornado destruction in the American midwest is unbelievable and so sad. Heart full prayers to all and I hope hope hope that no one else is lost. Please let the tornados blow thru where there are no homes or towns. This year weather is just wild.

hedgerow gnome
"remember what you have seen, because everything forgotten returns to the circling winds"

The wind began to rock the grass
With threatening tunes and low -
He flung a menace at the earth,
A menace at the sky.
The leaves unhooked themselves from the trees
And started all aboard;
The dust did scoop itself like hands
And throw away the road.
Emily Dickinson

Ivy Has an Ephiphany

unable to feign interest any longer, she decided after night fell she would leave forever

People can come to many decisions while working with their hands.

(note: no actual decisions were made for this blog entry)

Lady's Mantle

 "..a member of the Rose family native to Europe and Asia, but widely cultivated as an ornamental. The peculiar thing about this plant is that the leaves are "waterproof." Dew and rain bead up on them like little pearls."
 "The leaves are the part used in medicine. They contain bitters, tannins and salicin. The taste is moderately bitter and astringent, with a warm undertone. The combined bitter/astringent taste reminds one of the aspirin-like salicin compounds which it contains. This component is often found in plants that grow in wet places or expel water. The leaves are water-repellent. These properties point to the use of Lady's Mantle to dry up and expel water from the tissues, hence its use in stopping hemorrhage, diarrhea, excessive menstruation, leucorrhea and infection."
Matthew Wood
  I have had "The Book of Herbal Wisdom" by Matthew Wood for quite some time but never took it off the shelf and sat and read it much. One of my favorite things with books like this is to just open them randomly and know that I will be guided to the right pages at the right time. This chapter on Alchemilla vulgaris is a perfect example of that kind of delicious synchronicity that I live for. It tied in many current things in my life and lead me on to new discoveries. The chapter goes on to talk of the "Dew of the Philosophers."
 "The fact that dew drops bead up on the leaves is unusual.. and maintains these droplets for many hours after the dew has burned off other plants. Lady's Mantle may encourage the subtle chemical bonding which makes the surface of a drop of water more cohesive and less capable of evaporation. ...why alchemists found so much interest in Alchemilla. ...they saw a plant which was able to generate and preserve one of the most precious substances of all, the mercurius."
  "According to alchemical doctrine, mercurius is one of three primal substances which stand at the foundation of the universe. It corresponds to the essence, the archtypal/genetic/cellular matrix which gives rise to different individuals and species. It gives a person a sense of identity and direction. Sulphur stands for the combustible portion, which corresponds to the life force that burns like a candle, from cradle to grave. On the psychological level it stands for the soul and psychological passions that animate life. Salis or salt corresponds to the body, not just the physical vehicle, but the principle of embodiment on any level - thus with the spiritual body as well as the physical. It stands for the principle of integrity or character."
 I was going thru some of my old clippings from years of gleaning and realized one of my favorite prints was "the little alchemist," Alchemilla, Lady's Mantle. Also I was reading "The Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness which is concerned with alchemy among other things. And after finishing that and "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostovo, it has reignited my love of scholarship and research. Then googling Matthew Wood and discovering his website and further readings, especially the doctrine of signatures. So very interesting and magical. I thank my muse for leading down this path and with honor look forward to more intellectual journeys. Yay!

Here We Go A Maying, On The Beach