Winter Solstice 2011

Wednesday,  Dec. 21,   9:30PM PST

Thursday,  Dec. 22,   12:30AM EST

The Winter Solstice begins the earth’s journey into longer hours of daylight. This marks the time of your personal journey when it’s possible to move beyond darkness, confusion and any disappointments of 2011. It’s a good time to celebrate the manifestation of your new goals for 2012 and expand your ability to bring the power of love into all your relationships.

This Winter Solstice focus your mind on creating the kind of relationships that can bring more love and harmony into your life. Today, write down one major goal for each of the following:

1.  For your life and personal relationships.
2. Something you can do to care for the earth.
3. Goals you want to manifest for work and finances.

For each goal create a vision of what your life is going to be like when the goals are reached. Write down a short, positive affirmation that relates to each goal and FEEL your goals happening. Express your gratitude for their manifestation and for all those people, opportunities and experiences that are helping to manifest your goals. Place everything in a red envelope – your goals, the vision and any plans throughout the year. Keep it in an auspicious place. Then, everyday until the winter solstice of 2012, read over everything, hold an attitude of gratitude, feel an acceptance and feel a deep appreciation for the achievement of your goals.

The last step is to re-write your goals on another piece of paper. You are going to burn it and throw the ashes on the ground in the garden or next to a favorite tree. Burning gives them power and helps to release any emotional or mental blocks associated with them. A few days before the autumn equinox in 2012, take time to remember how the goals were manifested and all the people who helped you along the way.

How It has Happened is a wonderful CD of stories by Grandmother Twylah Hurd Nitsch, internationally famous and respected Elder of the Wolf Clan of the Seneca People. Told by Lee Nitsch her daughter-in-law, with additional flute, drum and rattle playing by her son, Bob Nitsch.

There are nine stories that tell how each Seneca Iroquois Clan – Hawk, Snipe, Beaver, Turtle, Wolf, Bear, Deer and Heron - received their names long ago. With a wonderful introductory tale, each story includes its special decree or wisdom teaching that reflects the medicine qualities of the Clan animal and the Clan’s special perspective on walking a pathway of harmony and peace. Beautifully created by Bob and Lee Nitsch who bring these delightful and valuable stories to life toward keeping the ancient teachings alive. Enjoyed by all ages.

To learn about more CD’s by Bob and Lee Nitsch, click here.

Out of 4,000 native species of bees in America the Carpenter Bee (genus Xylocopa) is the largest. A solitary bee, it can be found in southern states from Florida to Arizona and along the eastern states up into New York. They have strong jaws that can actually chew into wood to make round chambers in which to lay its eggs and care for its young. We NEED to provide old limbs, tree trunks or an upright old log. They also need fresh water; a clean birdbath that’s given fresh water everyday is an easy solution. They like to pollinate eggplant and tomatoes with the pollen of salvias, penstemons and other tubular flowers.

The smallest bee, Perdita minima, is about 1/16th of an inch long; it’s rarely noticed by gardeners and is a finicky eater with very hairy legs that can carry ‘large’ loads of pollen. Another solitary bee who lives in southwestern states, nests in the soil and apparently only likes the pollen/nectar from the small white flowers of mat-forming Euphorbiaceae, (Whitemargin sandmat, Chamaescye albomarginata), that grows in sidewalk cracks and along dirt roadways.

The photo of a carpenter bee that is drinking nectar from the base of a penstemon flower was taken by Julian Cowles. The photo of a Perdita minima on a carpenter bee’s head was taken by Stephen Buchmann. Both are from an article in http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/carpenter_bees.shtml

Three important goals for sustainable gardening are to have diversity, grow native plants and  include as many plants as possible to sustain your local wildlife. Let’s consider bees. The honey bee has received so much press lately; we share an almost archetypal image of Winnie the Pooh licking the honey pot. I do love my honey and only buy it from local vendors at the farmer’s market and have been concerned about the loss of huge colonies of honeybees.

Meanwhile there are native bees that in many commercial orchards are doing the job of pollinating very nicely. These wonderful beefolk NEED NATIVE FLOWERS, which we will address this week; but, today let’s just make a bamboo bee house. It is very easily made, the toughest step is cutting the 6”- 8” lengths of bamboo, while keeping intact the sealed off section just below each joint. This provides a cozy nest for the eggs and baby bees and the beemom has only one end to plug up to keep out other critters, rain, snow etc. Another important step is to gently sand the cut edge to remove all tiny splinters, which bee moms don’t like being poked with.

Install the bundled bee house in a southern facing tree branch; set it at a slight downward angle to protect against rain or snow and not more than four to five feet from the ground. I put this one in a wax myrtle tree. To offer some feng shui power to the project, I bundled nine bamboo canes because it is an auspicious number which I felt could offer a nice prayer of abundance for all the bees in the garden.

Here are some links you might enjoy written by bee researchers .  http://www.fnps.org/committees/fnps/pdfs/bee_research_show_benefit_of_native_plants.pdf

http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/nest_factsheet1.pdf

www.insectpix.net

Sitting at Sunset Beach in Tarpon Springs, Florida, I felt the oneness with the beauty. In dancing shadows from nearby trees, I created a medicine circle as a healing prayer for someone. As I visualized her sitting in the center of the medicine circle my heart warmed to feel the vast variety of earth’s medicinal energies that were continually moving over and through her body, mind and soul.

You can do the same in your garden. Find a quiet spot to create a medicine circle for someone you know or just for you. Focus your mind on holding the vision of sitting in the center of the circle. The chi-filled wind and the chi-filled radiations from the earth, the sun, the moon and from all the nearby trees, herbs and flowers are being absorbed easily and effortlessly.

Healing is an exchange with a release of the old, an acceptance of the new and an expression of gratitude. Later I thanked the Earth for Her part in the healing by opening a small garden bed for several cleome from a friend’s garden. In my prayers earlier this morning, I thanked the Earth with my heart. The experience has enriched my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!            We give our gratitude and deep appreciation for family, friends, our Ancestors & future generations; to gardeners, caretakers and teachers that help sustain the Earth, Democracy, Art, Peace, Joy, Harmony and Love.

To Mother Earth we give thanks and deep appreciation for giving all that is needed for life;

To the Spirit of Water and all life in water;

To the Plant Kingdom who sustains many life forms;

To all the Edibles and Medicine Herbs who sustain life with health and pleasure;

To the Animal Life who teach us about ourselves;

The Tree Kingdom our support in breath, strength and peace;

The Bird and other Air People who give songs, colors and beauty;

The Nine Sacred Directions who speak to us through the wind;

To the Thunder Beings who renew life by bringing all varieties of chi;

To Grandfather Sun who is life;

To Grandmother Moon who sustains beauty, reflection & love in relationships;

To the Great Unseen Ones who sustain the Circle of Life;

To the Great Mystery, Divine Creator we are grateful;

We are One – One is All.

The wisdom teachings of ancient cultures, shamans and medicine people are relevant in today’s world. A comforting, powerful tradition I learned from Grandmother Twylah in her classes on the Pathway of Peace/Cycles of Truth is to acknowledge those who have kept the ancient Indigenous teachings alive. Because of the educators, from the past to the present, it is possible to integrate the ages-old teachings with the energies of today.

Looking ahead to seven more generations of people, we all can be grateful for the teachers that are weaving the lessons of earth medicine into the present culture. However, as you ‘stand tall’ and ‘walk your talk’ others are taught and that sustains the Circle of Life for the next seven generations.

I am grateful for your teaching.

RUMI:

Late, by myself, in the boat of myself,

no light and no land anywhere,

cloud cover thick

I try to stay just above the surface,

yet I’m already under and living

WITHIN

Illustration by Indigo;    Rumi translations by Coleman Barks

Angie & Tiffany standing next to their Tower Garden™ which surround the outdoor café at the Wind Horse Wellness Center in Eustis, Florida. Their green business Karmafarm Online offers a vast collection of green products that can be purchased online. Their Karmafarm Eco Boutique at Wind Horse allows customers to eat the food grown on the Tower Garden™, learn more about it and have fun exploring an incredible collection of other earth-friendly goods.

The Tower Garden™ technology took ten years to develop and can grow up to 44 plants faster than if you grew them in the ground. It works on a closed, recycling technology that uses 5% of the nutrients and water used in a normal vegetable garden.

As nutritious water continually recycles through the system, the plants absorb the specially formulated, pH balanced, mineral rich, ionic solution. Because the roots are highly oxygenated, disease is practically nonexistent and plants grow fast and remain super healthy.

Made from food-grade plastic, it is a vertical, sustainable gardening system designed for commercial and home use – easily fits on the deck or outside patio, in a roof garden, on the front porch or in the sunroom during cold weather.

A fabulous winter crop of arugula is just beginning on my lanai in various water-wise pots; some growing with lettuce, some in the strawberry patch and some I’m planning to plant with the other winter greens.

Arugula (Eruca Vesicania sativa) also known as Garden Rocket and Roquette, is a source for calcium. It is a very easy plant to grow and will quickly reseed itself for the next crop. Besides being a delicious salad ingredient with spinach and cabbage, arugula adds a spicy flavor to red-navel orange slices or a when tossed in a simple pasta dish. A real favorite of mine is making arugula pesto.

Arugula Pesto

Combine all ingredients, mashing together with a fork:

1 handful of Arugula leaves, coarsely chopped

1 small branch of moringa leaves, finely chopped (1-2 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons lemon basil or verbena leaves finely chopped

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Add Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste