Hello...:) from Herbs & Things

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.
~Henry David Thoreau ~

Meteor showers
Lyrids will be coming and are active from April 16th to 25th 

I was snowshoeing Thursday morning, first time since last winter. Heading towards the Medicine Wheel, I could feel my muscles waking up or remembering what to do to snowshoe. As they were waking, I was directed to walk the Ancestor spoke and while there, I heard, "When waking muscle memory, this also awakens ancestral memory". Hmm interesting, I understood but not in a way I could explain, so I searched.
Ancestral memory is also referred as Genetic memory...and with the new lessons I think are coming in 2014, makes very much sense and apparently The Ancestors are still with me:)
Ancestral or Genetic memory...READ MORE HERE
and about 'factory installed hardware' maybe Carl Jung was right...HERE

I hope everyone stayed safe through this latest weather event and noticed the energy and beauty ( if you are home safe to appreciate it) this Polar Vortex brought with it. Not only did it created beauty on the landscape but draped in its white cover, if you took a moment, you could feel the comfort, tranquility and a meditative state. Also, for me anyhow, spending time out in such drastic elements shoveling and or doing barn chores, left me with a certain sense of accomplishment as I am sure it did others, that we were hearty and physically able to endure, even if only for a short time, but thankful at the same time we have someplace to get in out of the cold.

I love the fact too, after all that wind and chill... 2 degrees felt comfortable and then when the sun came out at 13 degrees felt like sun bathing weather:)
 

Sometimes a storm is just a storm, but sometimes it is more, this storm was more. Did you feel it?
Even in it's origin, the North Pole which created a Polar Vortex dictated it was different. The name seems fitting doesn't it with the transformations and growth around us, that a vortex with its circling energy drew everything and everyone in its path, to the core or center of it's energy, where you could not help but 'feel' there was a message one of being to rest and go within. If you think about it, not only for the past months beside stock up, be ready, get ready for winter, we were told this is a time of rest, to slow down and go within to learn about who 'we' are and this Polar Vortex, forced us to do just that. I for one am very glad I 'listened' to 'their' messages to prepare for an old fashion winter. I wondered then, if any one besides me could feel and hear a deeper message in her voice as the winds whipped and the air cooled.
After pondering of how to understand her message, I refreshed my memory on what a Vortex is and also the energy from the direction North. Why North...because this Polar Vortex came from the North Pole. I noticed too around my house the winds were circling and hitting the house from the East, which is kind of odd for this time of year, pushing cold air through the corner cabinet in the kitchen. It was then I realized this storm was speaking of more than just blowing and drifting snows and cold
.
A Vortex is a mass of air moving in a circular motion...that pulls 'things' into it's center... as does the energy of the Medicine Wheel, that revolves around the center( the void), a place of rest. Also it's the center of the Medicine Wheel (as is above so is below) where you become the center of the universe and Natures Medicine Helpers revolve around God, You and Earth, creating energy that connects all.
The North direction is of...Renewal, cleansing, enlightenment, sacred wisdom, teaching, abundance, balance, thankfulness and trust in who you are, which is what 2014's energy speaks much of.
East energy is of...healing, creativity, illumination, intuition, sunshine, learning's and new birth...which are part of any transformation.
So for me this particular storm not only carried a message but also was a conformation, of  me hearing correctly and the messages I've had to relay..I love it when stuff comes together:) !
This makes Morning Dove and Pigeon message, and the word I had to look in to,  more profound...
Morning Dove's energy teaches us of
Security of Home,  how to find our way back, they help awaken our ancestral memories,
They also reflect fertility of home and family.
They will huddle together during a storm, reflecting huddle with family biological or otherwise
They also make their own milk for their young...called Crop Milk, which makes the newest message about my summer garden have a bit more impact.
 

With more transitions, transformations and growth, going on now, I believe for more people than in 2012, many are talking more frequently about some of the 'predictions' of what's to come of us and our Earth.
As I've said before I believe the world as we know it will end... not literally end, which are definitely different concepts.
My feeling during this last storm, with the ice jam in the Niagara River being so close to the power plant and possibly knocking out power was played down as to not cause panic, but that we came much closer to loosing power than we knew, which would have compromised our infrastructure.

It's nice to know though, that this time of transitions and growth will bring many more to the realization of who they are, and being comfortable with that, and will also awaken more of us to how vulnerable we've made ourselves. Thus, 'they' will teach us if we are willing to listen and learn new 'things' how to be less dependent and get back to our roots and be a strong nation under God again. Which brings me to the latest reoccurring reference to the word...Apocalypse...that made me take notice and research...I think is something I am supposed to share.

Most of us associate the word Apocalypse with a tragic end, or end time catastrophe, usually pertaining to us and our earth. I recently was 'directed' to look into the meaning of the Earths end time....and what I found is, that  the word Apocalypse translated from Greek, means... a disclosure of knowledge, i.e., a lifting of the veil or revelation. It's been about 2 + years since Linda K and I were first introduced to the veil face to face and it was an unforgettable experience. In religious contexts it is usually a disclosure of something hidden, not the end of something.
In the Revelation of John, the last book of the New Testament, the revelation which John receives is that of the ultimate victory of good over evil and the end of the present age, and that this is the primary meaning of the term, one that dates to 1175.
Today's reference to the Apocalypse is much different in that it is commonly used in reference to any prophetic revelation or so-called end time scenario, or as I understand a misguided idea of the end of the world in general. But as I've learned in 'their' messages, we often need to learn to 'hear' and 'see' outside the confines of our vocabulary to understand their message.
More about the Revelation to John...
 and
Revelation-Introduction

I know it seems early to think about summers gardens but I had better mention this now.
It was recently 'suggested' my garden be bigger this year, with more potatoes (white potatoes to be exact) and tomatoes.
Those were the only two things mentioned so far, but I've got this hunch there will be more.
So if this message resonates with you, start thinking about this years garden now...:)
And oh, new this year, Herbs & Things will have potted herbs, such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, to name a few, so you can have fresh herbs all year long; get that herb shelf ready:)

As always
Be well
Laugh often
Love large
Dig in the dirt
Grow a garden
and may the sun light your way

Kellie + Herbs & Things

 

A lesson in Nature Knows Best/ Part of Herbs & Things 4/5/2013 weekly email

Hello from Herbs & Things

In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.
~Charles A. Lindbergh~

Again it's Friday morning and just getting this weeks email together, I'm slipping:)...but
Happy Spring, yes I do believe it's finally trying to be spring. It is nice to be able to walk out to the barn and around the yard without hearing that crunch of snow. I usually like the sound of crunching snow, but not when it's suppose to be spring. 

I tried it...making 5 gallons of liquid laundry soap. It didn't take long, was super easy...and how does it work? I don't know yet. Linda K, thinks it cleans her clothes better... and at the cost of about $1.25 give or take for 5 gallons, me thinks I'll want to like it:)

I ground a center cut pork loin and used half to make homemade sausage patties and canned the other half...plain.
The patties are yummy. In the patties, I mixed natural herbs and spices (I carry in the shop), homemade bread crumbs and of course 2 of my girls eggs...the organic fennel really gives it that extra special yumminess.
I used our hand grinder to grind the pork loin  instead of the electric. I think it worked better. What I liked about doing it that way, is it gave me a better appreciation of the meat itself; of where it came from. It took about 40 minutes to grind about 10 lbs of pork ,manually; the rhythm and quiet of doing this task gave me time for a meditation of sorts plus a sense of accomplishment from saving money, because now I have 12 meat portions of a meal that cost about $1.35 each:)

I learned again...If we pay attention, we never stop learning or being amazed at nature, and her's and the animals way of dealing with life. What I witnessed Wednesday, was proof too, that though sometimes in nature what we perceive happening, is not what's happening at all, and as I ‘heard’ Wednesday, “it’s nature being nature”.
I was going to the feed mill Wednesday, and had left the pickup out side, so I went out to start it to let it thaw and get the ice off before I made my trek. I was looking around a the dwindling snows, and the dogs running around playing when I saw down at the pond standing in the thawed but frigid water next to the dock, about 20 foot from the shore, a young deer, with the water halfway up it’s sides. I'd say a yearling or young 2 year old.
I thought how odd is that…it must be sick, first to go in there like that, and then stand so still in the cold water. It looks like it's dying.
My mind working over time, wondering, Now what am I going to do…I can't get it out of there alone. No one is around, I won't be able to do a thing...sometimes it seems nature is so cruel. My heart ached for this little deer in the cold waters.
I felt worse when I saw it’s head drop down, and  it’s nose was just above the water…I thought soon it will be over and distraught there was nothing I could do, but worst, knew I probably should do nothing. It's one of the laws of nature...right?
Still Thinking I should do something but what, I walked down near the pond. Not wanting to push the deer closer to the center of the pond with my approach I walked an arc to the front of the deer through the pasture. I noticed tracks going back and forth at the ponds entrance, like the deer had been contemplating and pacing for a while before making up it's mind to go in or not. I was wondering why would it chose to walk in the water like that…that’s so odd, did it get hit and was bleeding and went in to stop the bleeding? Is it thirsty but can't drink. Does it have chronic wasting disease and delirious? Why would it do such a thing? I'd never seen anything like this. There was no ice on the pond, so it hadn't fallen through. It walked out there intentionally.
Then oddly too, the deer didn't take notice of me at all, no perking of the ears or eyes moving towards me..in fact it's eyes were black and unmoving... I clapped my hands together to get it to maybe perk up, instead it’s head went lower in the water. It was then I noticed it’s whole body was wet, so at one time it was all the way in the water.
Again, I thought how cruel nature is, what an awful way to die. So I walked away, with a heavy heart. I knew if I tried to help it would just drive the deer farther into the waters.
A few minutes later...to see if anything else came to mind to help or if I could get a 'reading' from the deer...I walked to the pond again, this time getting a little closer, as I got closer, something did happen and my heart sank that I had made things worse by interfering, for as I approached and got around to look the deer in the eye again... it dropped down in the water, with just it’s head and nostrils and part of it’s back emerged barely visible above the waters. It was finally going down.
I asked what could I do?
The answer...“Kellie, it’s nature being nature, leave it alone, it’s the way Nature is.”
My human thoughts of Why did I have to see this when there is nothing I can do. I told the little deer I was sorry and walked back to the truck and turned to look one more time and the deer stood up...my heart broke..I thought such a little fighter, and I left to go to the feed mill, hoping that if the little deer were going to die such a cold and painful death to please let it be over by time I got back.
Again I heard, “It’s nature being nature Kellie, don't feel bad...nature knows what it is doing.”

About half way to the feed mill, with my mind on the cold wet little deer, it was as if a flash of light shot though through my mind…and warmth filled my heart....
“It was hiding, not dying.”
As soon as this thought came to me, happiness filled my body and I smiled, because I knew without  a doubt that’s exactly what was going on. No wonder I kept getting, "leave it alone, nature knows best…it knows what it’s doing."
The whole picture of the surrounding came together; the tracks at the edge of the pond were not that of the deer, but I knew they weren't, but some how because only the deer was there in the waters and I thought it was dying, I made those track his... but when I looked in my minds eye...I realized exactly what I saw, they weren't deer track but paw tracks. That smart little deer knew that if it went in to the cold waters with it’s insulated coat, and played dead, the predator would not follow. My being lightened with hope, happiness and awe at that brave little deer...How smart.
Thankfully when I got home, the little deer was gone. I search and scoured the edges of the pond, and no sign of him.

So what did I learn from this?
Many messages came that day...helpful hints I can apply to my life
One...nature does know what it is doing, and by following it’s instincts that deer survived.
Second...patience is a good thing...that sometimes even though it's not comfortable, you just have to wait it out for the bad to pass. You must be still and quiet..
Third…Nature does know best...that sometimes what we ‘see’ isn't really what is. What my mind perceived as death, really was all about preservation of life and if I had interfered with Deer’s plans to stay alive with my human plans of wanting to 'help' for it to live, I may have caused it’s death; maybe the predator was hiding in the bushes still waiting, but Deer instinctively knew when it was safe to come out.
It's ok to follow my instincts, such as with the stocking up thing that is persistent.
Fourth...to never ever stop being amazed at Natures ability to survive, teach and inspire us... lessons we can all learn from 'Her' and the 'Animals'.