Blue Moon Herbals

Just got back from the orthopedic surgeon and he gave a green light on my vacation plans. Also gave me cortisone shot in my knee and, goddess, did that hurt. I have had many a shot and plenty of surgeries but that pain was the absolute worst. Doctor N. says in a day or 2 I will feel great.  So now I’m definitely seeing more clearly. You should have seen me last night though. Nervous about today, I planted myself in my cozy living room drinking wine and sinking into a state of melancholia. Too bad wine doesn’t trigger a switch that allows euphoria to take over.  “They” say everything happens for a reason…I guess in my case the hardest lesson will be figuring out how this knee injury is supposed to be beneficial to me.

Now, that it’s a go, I will go for the Nook at Barnes & Noble that my son purchased for me this Yule. I have fought against these since they came out. I love books! I love the smell and feel of the glue that binds them. I can spend all day in a library or in one of my favorite bookstores, the Strand in NYC. But my oldest son, practical to the core, estimated that for the time I would be away, I would need half a suitcase just for books. Oh, well….technology wins today.

I just mixed up a batch of bug repellant to take-enough for both Keith & I. Even though it is not monsoon season there are still lots of mosquitoes & other bugs in India. Making up a special tincture tonight just for the trip. Using some Skullcap which nourishes the nervous system & some ginseng which is an adaptogen. Of course, I am packing my oils & a small bottle of Rescue Remedy, just in case. I did fill the malaria pill prescription but am undecided about taking them-too many side effects.

“I work in ways deep
ever present, always moving
I work in ways dramatic
with thunder & lightning, sweeping & uprooting
I work in ways subtle
pushing & prodding, wearing & tearing
I swirl you & twirl you
I splatter you & scatter you
I shock you & rock you
I clear the way for what is to come
I can be slight or studpendous
brief or long lasting
uproaring or uprising
What I can’t be is ignored”~unknown

Each year my office donates many toys, food and new clothing to those in need. My job has always been getting the toys. So last week, on a rainy Thursday, I wheeled my cart out of Toys R’ Us and stepped into a hole disguised as a puddle. As I am still limping & cannot walk without a cane, the doc is not so sure it is just a sprain.   Having an MRI this week to access the damage. “They” say everything happens for a reason. If so, the hardest part must be figuring out how things are beneficial to us. This, for me, and for a lot of people I know, has been a year of spiritual  health and rebuilding…maybe this accident was meant to slow me down. Ya think?

But…I can sit and blend!! And on today’s list is incense. Not the stick knind, but the gooey, lovely, lumpy type for my electric incense burner/warmer. I’ve got lovage root, patchouli leaves, frankincense & myrrh resins, copal, ambrette seeds, arabic gum resin, jezebel root, sandalwood shreds & powder, cinnamon chips,  berries, star anise and so much more .. fun!!!

Where to begin…My godmother/aunt has steadily declined in health this fall and has been in and out of hospitals, followed by extended stays in 3 different rehab centers. This crisis did not just affect her-it affected those of us needing to care for her also. Our daily schedules needed to be revised, work was disrupted and finding a balance has been hard. Needless to say, I have the utmost respect for all the caregivers that attended my aunt in each center. The patience and care they showed was incredible. And my aunt was one tough cookie! She lost the one thing she always had-authority and the ability to make her own decisions. It was not easy for her to give them up, and she became quite angry and lashed out angrily and constantly at each of us.  And what was worse her normal drug regimens were interrupted causing her to descend into confusion. She developed a real sense of paranoia and distrust as regards money and the doctors caring for her. The hardest part, for me has been the knowledge that we will always have to make decisions that she may not like, but that will be for her own good.

Things are looking up now. We have a live in caregiver in place that is there with her 24/7. Most importantly she doles out her meds according to schedule, something my aunt can never do again.

I am still not sure I was any good at reaching or helping her. All I know is that for now and the foreseeable future; I will just keep letting her know I love her.

Yes you read it right, there are 2 winners. Thanks to everyone who commented here and also sent in e-mails. They were all so wonderful we decided to add an extra winner. This is also the first time I used a randam generator instead of just picking from a hat. Drumroll……

LuAnn Block from PA  &  Julie Winkelman from MI

Enjoy!!!

According to numerologists, the number 11 is associated with feminine energy as well as the #2. Its’ attributes include compassion, sensitivity, intuition, emotion,  passion, peace & harmony. For me November 11, 2011 is a reminder that the earth is entering into the last year of a cycle of 26,000 years culminating on December 21, 2012. (Period in the Mayan calendar). As one cycle ends another begins in the enlightened Age of Aquarius. 

Many of us have been shifting into an awakened state of consciousness for some time now, reflecting on what does not work ,what we can trim  from  our lives & how we can live in harmony with our Mother Earth. You can feel the energies shift from east to west, north to south &, as noted above, from the masculine to the feminine-a return to the Goddess/Priestess. Change is occurring everywhere. So what are you shifting into…and away from? Where are you going and how are you going to use this next year & two months? It is crucial now to come together in happiness & peace. It is time to imagine a new reality-of hope, divine love & connection with all beings…a reality of love and care for our home, Gaia. I think we sometimes forget our dreams and who we are. Circumstances, people and just plain living constantly alter our plans and before we know it we are on a course we may not particularly like. Good or bad, it is time for change… it is time to shine brightly and create our own reality.

In 2004, British researchers found traces of parabens in tissue taken from women with breast cancer. While there is no actual evidence that these chemicals do cause breast cancer, it is a fact that synthetic deodorant chemicals were found in 18 out of 20 analyzed breast tumors according to the study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology.

With evidence such as this, the possibility of a link between synthetics and breast cancer should not be ignored. I personally stopped using antiperspirants years ago because our bodies are meant to sweat. Using chemicals to block sweating interferes with one of the functions of the lymphatic system-moving waste & toxins from our body. It has always been a theory (?) that toxins trapped in the armpit, fester & cause tumors to grow. Whether this is true or not, there is enough cautionary evidence to consider not using antiperspirants.

Congratulations to Carol Fischer & Rebecca Newton who each won the absolutely gorgeous Paul Borda pendant in bronze. Check out this beauty…  

It is getting closer to the Witching Hour so it is time to give one more pendant away.And here’s the rules:

Go to  the Blue Moon website and check out my products. Come back to the blog and leave a comment on which item or items is your favorite. Each comment gets an entry. Orders coming in during the same time period get another entry.  Contest starts at Midnight October 31 & ends at Midnight on Tuesday Nov. 1st. I will announce the winner here on Wednesday.

Happy Halloween

The celebration of Day of the Dead takes place on November 1^st & 2^nd , a direct connection to the Catholic  All Saints & All Souls Days. This holiday focuses on a party atmosphere; gatherings with family & friends to pray for & remember those who have died. Traditions are passed down through families & include building private altars to the dead using sugar skulls, marigolds, bright colors, & lots of good food & drink. Celebrants visit the graves, decorating them with the gifts, in the hope of encouraging visits from the souls of those who have passed. The tone is celebration is not one of mourning, but instead is a combination of whimsy, beauty and a bit of creepiness. An image of a skeleton with an ornate hat is most often associated with the holiday. The etching is intended  to show that rich, famous & important people are just as vulnerable to death as anyone else.

Placing an order on our website? Just put “DAY OF THE DEAD” in the comment box for a free vial of  Tagetes (marigold) oil