Sure Cure for Insomnia

 One of my favorite Christmas songs is Breath of Heaven  sung by Amy Grant. This melodic tune reminds me of the one thing we all need...breath. Do you know what God's name, what he wanted us to call him, is, according to the Bible? It's Yahweh. Do you know the sound you make when you part your lips and take in a breath then let it out? Go ahead and try it. Yahweh is the sound of breath. Why would God tell us this? Is he telling us that breath is life, that he is life, and that the two are inseparable? Perhaps this is too much to think about. I'm sure this can be argued and debated, because, truly, no one really knows the mind of God.  If God=breath and breath=life, how can we NOT pay more attention to our breathing? Some say it's automatic, that our body, when alive, just does it without us trying. This is partly true. Good technique and intention, though, will improve the quality of our breathing, as well as make us not only physically healthy, but also mentally health...

 So, has anyone heard of slow living? This term is fairly new, but what it means is that we have actually gone against what nature and life used to be. It is living life in a way that counters today's intense busyness. Slowing down doesn't mean we are hardly doing anything. We slow down our thoughts. We slow down our lives and try to lead life the way it was meant to be. Now, this can be very difficult. Slowing down is hard, but that is mainly because most other people are not slowing down. That is probably the hardest concept to grasp. Why bother?  So many Americans, maybe elsewhere too, live incredibly busy lives. We are like shadow people, now you see me, now you don't. We flit from one thing to the next, causing fatigue and anxiety to ourselves and others. Why do we do this? It has become the norm. It is a sad thing, in my opinion. There is a way to counter it. Yes, slow living. It isn't for everyone maybe, but life can seem more fulfilling when we take the time to ...

  Reading Bradbury, I came across the term “Happiness Machine”, as in someone should invent one. Now, I may be old-fashioned, but I can't imagine a machine making me happy. Well, many reading this may disagree. Machines, they'd say, have made our lives easier. Some have certainly caused happiness, like massage chairs, DVD players, TVs, stereos (do people even call them this anymore?), phones, and the list goes on and on. I may shock you by saying this, but I think I would be happier without most of these things. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, I might not have said this. So what's changed? A lot, I'd say. I guess I have been longing for a more natural lifestyle. I realize most people, though, like and enjoy the machines that do everything for them. Life is busy. Who has time to hand wash their laundry or sweep their floors? When you get home from a hard day, it is so easy to turn on the TV to relax for a little, or put your headphones on and listen to something...

October is like this, one day it's as hot as Hades and the next you're scraping frost off your windshield. All this in a span of thirty-one days. You feel like summer is a distant memory. As you rake the leaves, wind blows in to toss them around, making you wonder why you ever bother. Well, because it's fall and that's what you do, right? We're making memories, memories laced with pumpkin lattes by the fire, hikes blessed by orange, red and yellow leaves that litter the trail, and sun downs that come all too early. It is bittersweet, this time of year. I once gave fall a Hail Mary, and that was the last time I saw things through the eyes of summer love. We go through life with strange ideas, like summer is the best time of year. For some, it is, but why? We live in a rushed society, one that barely ever stops to smell the roses. We need a little forced R and R to arouse our sense of wonder. Time is not our friend, or used to be but we lost his phone number. This ye...

They say that hawthorn uplifts your spirits. I can attest to this, as I was immediately excited beyond all reason when I was outside in my backyard and spotted some hawthorn berries on the ground. It was literally like the heavens opened up and sprayed a celestial glow upon me. Okay, word of caution: herb nerd alert! Maybe everyone wouldn't be as excited as I was, but they truly set my heart aflutter when I realized how plentiful they were in my own backyard. Good thing they are known to be a heart remedy because mine was ticking a bit faster than usual at this discovery!  Hawthorn trees may be in your backyard too. I had no idea I had any until a couple of years ago, when I spied their bright red fruit hanging in the fall. Upon further inspection, there appeared to be more trees along that "column" of trees that skirt our property line. Foraging for their berries can be a quest that is taken each fall, as finding their bright red berries is akin to an Easter egg hunt, or...

 'Tis the season of craziness, or fall as others may know it. It's a busy time of year for gardeners, even busier perhaps for the gardening herbalist. Fall is not only   a season of   harvest, it is also the preparation for winter season, the preservation season, and for some, the cold and flu remedy making season.  Many people these days have heard of fire cider and may even have attempted, or been gifted, some to help them get through the winter months. I know that since going down this road of discovery in the herbal arts, I have come across many remedies and aids that I previously had never heard of. It isn't as convenient, mind you, as running to the store when you get sick or another family member does though. Many of the remedies, but not all, take weeks to infuse. They will not help you if you wait till you feel something coming on to start preparing them. Our society has trained us to rely on quick, prepared "fixes" like cough syrups, decongestants, cough...