Like the beginning of many love stories, I first met Datura when I was but a young impressionable teenager, full of fire and the reckless zeal of ignorant youth, open for any adventure that my path may bring me across. A friend’s older brother had told us stories of how his Elders and Ancestors used the local “Loco Weed”, which blankets the empty roadside lots and hillsides around where we lived, to induce hallucinations. But it was deadly poisonous, so it had to be smoked or made into tea. And even then, you could get deathly sick or go permanently insane. There were even stories of people running away into the wild, shapeshifting into animals and never coming back. ...
A cup of Tea, the original Witch's brew, is an Alchemical process accomplished through the practical application of Natural Magick, as all four elements are combined creating a potion to benefit the body and spirit. Tea leaves, herbs or spices, representing the element of EARTH are placed in a vessel also representing the element of EARTH, as well as the womb of the Mother. FIRE is then used to heat the WATER until it reaches the point where it begins to transmute into the element of AIR. This mixture of WATER heated by FIRE, and AIR in the form of steam is then poured over the Herbs of the EARTH. The result is a Magickal infusion born from the delicate...
As I strike a match and lean in to light a candle, I notice my daughter’s tiny hands appear beneath me holding a piece of Pan de Muerto. I step back to give her room and she places it directly in front of the candle on an altar already beautifully strewn with rich foods and delectable treats, swimming in a sea of softly shining marigolds and skulls of sugar, beneath the photographs of those we welcome home this night and have been courting to come visit us every evening since Samhain Eve. This is the culmination of our time spent with them. Tonight may be their last evening to walk amongst us for another year, so tonight, we see them...
Almost everyone knows that Jojoba oil is amazing for skin care and is well known as the most eco-friendly and sustainable ingredient in a wide range of modern cosmetic products. But, did you know that this desert plant actually played a part in saving the whales? At the height of the whaling crisis it was discovered that Jojoba oil could not only be used as a substitute for whale oil, but actually outperforms whale oil in every capacity. In 1972 Mexico created the worlds first Marine Protected Area and was the worlds first country to ban whaling (before the 1986 ban imposed by the international whaling commission) and promote eco-tourism rather than the hunting of whales as whale oil slowly...
"One of my favorite parts of making plant medicine is definitely harvesting. There’s just something serene and grounding about working outdoors, being amongst the plants, sitting with them, smelling them, feeling them, communing with them, intimately, as I collect the medicine they offer, tending to both their needs and my own. Truly a symbiotic relationship and a labor of love. And one of my absolute favorite plants to harvest is lavender. Often, I see people harvesting lavender by grabbing up entire handfuls and cutting the whole bundle beneath where they’ve grabbed. And often, this method ends up also cutting back much of the new growth and young buds that are on their way to becoming your next harvest, not to...
