Category: Nature + Moon + Tea

The Extraordinary Things Your Wild Essence Propels You Towards

“I always wanted to live in Vermont, and because I always get my own way, this is where I settled.  The first thing I did was plant daffodils ~ over a thousand.  The road was impassable, so I carried them in by backpack.  And my rhododendrons I brought in through a foot of snow in a wheelbarrow.”

~ Tasha Tudor

 

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photo by Richard W Brown

What makes a woman carry a thousand bulbs on her back up a snowy cliff to plant a dreamy field of daffodils? And what makes her wheelbarrow loads of rhododendrons through a foot of snow?  

The idea of it takes my breath away, because the vision that inspired her to do so must have been so grant, wild and almost otherworldly.

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Photo by Richard W Brown

Delicate flowers and the wildness of Nature clearly resonated deeply with Tasha Tudor, so much so that she gave them centre stage in her life. Her profound passion strongly influenced her home, the way that she lived and her work as an illustrator. As it turns out the magnificent garden that Tasha Tudor nurtured into being was something quite extraordinary – vast expanses of flowering beauty like a picture straight out of a fairy tale world – and she, the hands and heart behind the master creation was just as extraordinary a person too.

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Photo by Richard W Brown

When I see the pictures of Tasha Tudor’s garden and read about her life, it reminds me just how the wild essence within propels us towards extraordinary things. There are seeds and visions in our hearts so full the big things that are possible. There are yearnings and whispers that pull us towards so many things deemed unimaginable. Too often we dismiss them because they don’t fit the mould of what we’re told is reasonable or acceptable in modern day terms. But is there really any real reason why you cannot allow the pull of your wild soul to propel you towards extraordinary things?

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Photo by Richard W Brown

What would happen if you said yes to planting a thousand hope-filled bulbs in the wild flowering meadow of your own heart soil? How much would be possible if we gave the brave stirrings within even half the chance that we give the voices of doubt?

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Photo by Richard W Brown

The Unseen Thread of Mystery

I walked barefoot in the soft light of the rising sun, exploring this tiny corner of Earth I call my own. I opened my heart to connection – with Goddess and with the wild whispers of the garden. Would she grace me with her presence and the inspiration that I craved to satiate my ever seeking soul? Each morning I approach my practice with the hope and trust that it will be so.

As I looked around, receptive to what may come, I noticed a dead leaf dancing mid-air. Mysteriously. Fae-like. The breeze picked up and it spun and twirled like a ballerina in concert. I was confused for a moment, because I couldn’t figure out how this disembodied leaf seemed to dance mid-air in the same spot, unattached to any branch. I soon realised that it was swinging on a fine gossamer thread of a broken spider’s web. For that brief moment, when the science behind this dancing leaf that was held up by an unseen thread was unexplained, it was magic.

Sometimes Goddess is that invisible thread weaving miracles and blessings into our lives. It made me think about how we often want to understand the ‘how’ behind the magic. We can’t see how we will get from here to where we want to be. We don’t believe that certain things are possible for us, so we doubt. We forget that we don’t always have to know how or why. We forget that even when we can’t see the invisible thread, Goddess is pulling strings, building paths and highways to our dreams.

Life is an continuously unfolding story that we are writing with our souls. If you knew every twist and turn, the details of every moment and the outcome of every experience from the outset, would you still bother to write and live through a predictable plot? Most writers will tell you that the joy of the journey is in the mystery and the unknown  or often unexpected places that you are taken to in the process.

As this insight sank into my soul, the voice of wildness whispered: “There is an unseen world a work behind the scenes. Trust the hand that guides you, even when you don’t always know what to do next.”

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How To Clear Space + Raise Your Vibe with Eucalyptus

I hope that this week has been gentle on you. Are you finding opportunities to nourish yourself in the way that you need? I hope so, because you deserve it.

Anyone who knows me will also know that I love gathering bits of the wild Earth to invite Nature into my home, sometimes for their aesthetic appeal, but mostly for the wild stories and sacred medicine that they carry.

Inviting Nature into my living and workspace has enriched my life in so many ways, and this has been especially true in the case of plants and flowers. For one, these beauties are scientifically proven to purify the air of toxins, lift our spirits and improve concentration or productivity. Also, if you’re a sensitive soul or empath who senses and works with energy (like me), then you’re likely to feel the uplifting, cleansing and balancing effect of having them in your space on both an energetic and an emotional level too.

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The other day, my husband came home with a freshly cut bunch of Eucalyptus. A neighbour’s tree was being trimmed so he gathered the bunch for me. (What a darling!) Eucalyptus has such a strong and refreshing scent and I love having it around me. Similar to white sage, indigenous healers in Australia are said to have used Eucalyptus as part of spiritual practices for smudging, clearing residual or stagnant energy, as well as for healing and protection. There’s definitely something soothing about its warming presence, its cleansing vibration and with autumn around the corner for those of us in the Southern hemisphere it is a welcome ally to keep colds and flu at bay.

I’m always looking for interesting ways to surround myself with supportive energies – things that I can lean on to pick me up when I fall low vibe patterns or am feeling a little down and stuck. I like knowing that I’m surrounded by things that are working their magic to restore me even when I don’t have the presence of mind to focus consciously on doing so. Each time I’ve gotten a bunch of Eucalyptus, I’ve noticed a definite shift. My head is clearer, the space brightens up and I feel its energizing influence in the different corners of my home. So today, I decided to share a few ideas on how you can use fresh or dried eucalyptus to clear your space and raise your vibration.

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5 Ways to Use Eucalyptus to Clear Space and Raise Your Vibe

1. Ask for Help with Your Intention: When you bring a bunch of Eucalyptus into your home or workspace, its worth taking a few moments to connect with it intuitively. Focus on the intention you’d like it to fulfil, request its assistance and visualise it sending balancing energy into your space. Set the intention to be open to receiving its healing.

2. Eucalyptus Bunch Vase: Set a nice fresh bunch of eucalyptus twigs in a vase on your desk, coffee table or in a room that suites you and then leave it be as it fills the space with fragrant and healing vibes. A simple thing like having a vase of eucalyptus twigs on my writing desk gets stagnant energy to flow and works wonders for my concentration, which in turn has a positive effect on my productivity.

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3. Make a Eucalyptus Wall Hanger: This is a fun and creative way to use Eucalyptus twigs. You can either tie a bunch of twigs on a string, then hang it up on the wall in your home the same way you’d hang drying herbs, or you can get a bit more creative and make something more pretty or decorative. This is a nice way to engage your creative feminine qualities, as well as have the eucalyptus in your space and allow its fragrance and uplifting medicine to disperse throughout the room.

4. Make a Eucalyptus Smudge: Since it has the same kind of cleansing properties as sage, you can use it to make a smudge stick and then burn the smudge to clear the space (find out how to make a smudge stick here). Alternatively, a simpler option is to gather a few dried Eucalyptus leaves and burn them as incense. Some forward warning for those who don’t like strong smells – like any smudge, the fumes are pretty strong. So use in small amounts if this is an issue for you.

5. Take a Eucalyptus Shower: String a bunch of Eucalyptus up on your shower head. When you take a shower, the refreshing fragrance fills the space. As soon as the water runs over the eucalyptus, its healing oils are released from the leaves. Eucalyptus oils are used in various vapour rubs and flu meds, so this form of aromatic therapy promotes health, especially in the winter months. In my personal experience, having eucalyptus in the shower also helps open up my sinuses.

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