Re-Grow Roots

Learning to live harmoniously in Missouri.


3 Comments

Journey into Divine Healing

atihi

Several moons ago I had the pleasure of meeting a very interesting and wonderful couple outside of a local coffee shop where I was facilitating a Free School class. One of them is a very talented, professional massage therapist who I just adore spending time with. Her husband is a Divine Healer, very different from the energy healers I have met. This was the beginning of an enlightening new chapter in my life. It was destiny.

As we got to know eachother a little better, Ginelle and Christopher began volunteering their space and energy to the Free School and I began working with them at their office. A beautiful collaboration. I have felt a deep connection with this planet throughout my whole life and those feelings, that KNOWING, has continued to grow and grow with each moment. Over the past few years I have began to see the more full picture, my connection with the universe and all the galaxies, the everything… we are all one. This Divine Healing was new to me though. I was not familiar with the Angelic Realms and the true power of light.

Although I went to an Episcopal Montessori School when I was young, I did not feel a connection to the Christian religions that I had experienced. They seemed too restrictive, too many rules and too many judgments. God is love, unconditional love. Religions seem to forget that and attend to their own egotistical agendas. God is beyond religion and egos. Angels are real. Demons are real.

I worked in the office listening to Christopher perform his healings over the phone to many grateful individuals who I often spoke to myself. In my mind I asked myself “How can he heal someone over the phone?” “What is he doing?” Somehow I had faith that what he does is real. I didn’t truly understand until he worked with my mom.

My mama was sick for most of her life with emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical struggles. For many of her years she battled with alcoholism and by the time Christopher met her she had very severe kidney damage and liver cirrhosis. The hospice was coming by twice a week to see her. On the night I called Christopher, my mom had traveled to another place in her mind. Her body was with us, but her mind was not here. Her only words were “Help Me” repeated over and over again all day long. She needed help going to the bathroom, help getting up, and everytime she sat down she tried to get up again. The hospice brought her Morphine… they thought it was her end. She walked to the southern-most corner of our apartment and stared. She walked outside and put her bare feet on the grass when no one was looking, something she had never done. We thought she was going to meet her Maker, but something in her was holding on. Finally it hit me to call Christopher who told me that her Higher Self was not ready to go. He came over as she lay in bed and he performed the Healing.

My dad and I were both in the room with her and we felt it. I felt a beautiful feeling of light and of love. The room was filled with beautiful entities, my intuition sensed it. The Angelic Beings were at work. It is the Angels who heal. We felt an amazing feeling of hope and faith and peace. Only good feelings after a day of madness.

Later that night, my mama formed full sentences and was back in our reality. She was still very sick, but she felt hope and felt the angels who were with her. She had not expressed feelings of hope to any of us in years. This was amazing. She told me that she wanted to live. Words she hadn’t said honestly in many years.

My mama decided to keep getting Divine Healing. It felt great to her, it helped, it gave her hope and most of all it gave her faith. Faith that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that the Angels are real… that God is real. My mother passed away 3 weeks after she began her Divine Healing sessions. A week before she left this realm, she confided to me that the reason she did not leave us before is that she was afraid to die… she did not have faith. Christopher gave her faith and put her in the hands of God. I am endlessly grateful for this and my mother’s passing was perfectly timed and beautifully orchestrated by the universe. I trust in Christopher’s gift.

I am now receiving healing for myself. For years I have battled with food sensitivities, leaky gut, candida, shoulder and neck pains, low energy levels at times, etc. During my pregnancy I had to seriously restrict my gluten consumption and when I had little baby Kalani, I completely cut it out due to the way it was affecting him. Then I gave up dairy… For those who know me, you know I consume only grass-fed, raw, living dairy. Then Kalani and I still had issues so I started looking into elimination diets and the GAPS diet. It was tiring and all felt so negative to me. So I went in for my Diving Healing session with Christopher.

He cleansed my chakras and meridians and removed a Negative Entity latched onto my right shoulder, where I have felt problems and pains for several years. I felt the Angels in my womb, re-balancing the trauma of birth. I felt myself floating and at complete peace, in a state of bliss. My fingers and toes tingled, my intestines felt warm and fuzzy. Something was definitely at work within my body, mind, and spirit. The Angels were at work.

After the healing, my shoulder and neck felt completely pain free and I felt light, confident, and completely positive. Now, days later, I feel wonderful still. The other day I decided to partake in a homemade cinnamon bun, gluten sugar and all… Kalani and I remain problem-free! I still have a couple of healing sessions to completely mend the damage and bring me back into balance. Then I can go back to eating a healthy, holistic, gracious diet. The food I consume is mainly organic and locally sourced, knowing and understanding my food is a commitment I made years ago.  I rejoice in food, growing preparing and eating it. Soon I will be able to consume the things I love again, all the healthy foods I love.

The Divine Healing also cleaned my heart chakra and I have a stronger love for all things and a stronger self control, as well as my light spirit. It is amazing.

To learn more about Christopher Macklin, please visit his website.

Linked up at Wellness Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Unprocessed Fridays, Small Footprint Friday


2 Comments

Wild Native Herbs of Missouri

True healing can only be found in nature. Mother Earth provides EVERYTHING that we could ever need, it’s all there. When we take the time to tune out of the distractions of our fast-paced lives and look inside of ourselves, we learn what our bodies and minds truly need. And the earth is always willing to help us. When I feel down or confused, I go outside and sit underneath a big Oak tree and quiet my mind. The tree tells me what to do, to be still, to grow, to breathe, and to live. The tree tells me that everything is here. Underground. In the air. The tree tells me to find guidance in the plants sometimes.

There are so many amazing, healing plants that grace us in Missouri! Some folks find them annoying and consider them “weeds”, but to me there are no weeds. There is a purpose for every plant, even if we don’t know what it is… So let’s get to know some of these amazing herbs that we can probably find in our own backyard!

Dandelion

This is one we have probably all met before. She shines a beautiful yellow light when she is in bloom, and then turns to a white puff that flies to the sky and spreads more dandelions here and there and everywhere.

  • roots and leaves are potent healers
  • a mild diuretic that contains potassium
  • stimulates and aids our liver to eliminate toxins in our blood
  • known to cure hepatitis
  • leaves are wonderful in salads and full of nutrients
  • flowers may be used to make dandelion wine

Mullein

These plants are super fuzzy and known to some as “cowboy toilet paper” because they’re soft on your hind side! 🙂 I love using them in cough remedies and bronchial teas.

  • leaves and flowers are used
  • effective treatment for asthma
  • oil is used as a remedy for ear infections
  • great for colds and bronchial spasms

Wild Carrot / Queen Anne’s Lace

These beautiful frilly plants smell just like carrots! That’s how you can be sure it’s a wild carrot. 🙂

  • leaves, seeds, and flowers are used
  • great for urinary system
  • juice is good for kidney complaints
  • regulates fertility – can be used as contraceptive after intercourse

Milk Thistle

These are spiky ones so wear gloves when harvesting. They are extremely powerful to the liver, kidneys, and blood. My mom has used it to effectively treat her liver cirrhosis.

  • seeds are used
  • regenerates liver cells
  • stimulates bile flow
  • antidepressant
  • can be used for spleen problems, jaundice, and gallstones

Passionflower

I love seeing these grow down the hill where I live. They are so beautiful when they are in flower, and you can eat the amazing fruits!

  • leaves and flowers are used medicinally
  • nervine  – used in neurological problems like Parkinson’s, epilepsy, anxiety, hypertension, etc.
  • said to be aphrodisiac in large quantities
  • improves circulation and nutrition to nerves

Nettle

Another prickly one, use gloves to harvest! Do not eat this plant uncooked… it will prick you from the inside out, not good.

  • whole plant is used
  • used to stop bleeding
  • treatment for gout
  • helps increase aromatic oil content of other herbs
  • promotes milk production in humans and animals

Red Clover

We have some red clover growing HUGE in our garden. It is so beautiful when it begins to flower, and the roots are great for the soil because they produce nitrogen!

  • flowers, leaves, and blossoms used
  • natural blood thinner
  • excellent blood purifier
  • cleanses and soothes bronchial nerves
  • used in the treatment in of cancer

Plantain

This herb grows all over the US and has been used historically to remedy snake bites by Native Americans.

  • leaves and seeds are used
  • diuretic
  • tea is excellent for diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and ulcers
  • urinary tract infections
  • used for skin wounds, poison ivy, bug bites


Leave a comment

You are the best!!

The Celebration Headband

The Celebration Headband

Happy New Year everyone!!! Today is a fabulous day! I feel great, empowered, happy, and I feel certain that this year will be full of amazing successes! You are all beautiful and amazing people and you are the BEST at being YOU!

This will be a year of mobilization for me. To mobilize is to set forth into action and get things done.. I’m going to get shit done every day this year!! First and foremost, I feel like THE most important thing to do is take care of myself. When I’m healthy and happy, then I’m way more capable of taking care of other people, my business, and I just feel awesome! So let’s all make it a goal to take really good care of ourselves!

I have made lots of really huge goals for the year that I will work on throughout time. They are goals, not resolutions because to me resolutions seem a little too resolute. (unchanging) The world is always changing, growing, evolving.. and so do my ambitions and desires, so they are goals. But instead of just having these super huge, daunting goals… I also started making a list of THREE things to get done every day! In the morning when I wake up, I meditate on the three things I feel are most important to finish during the day. Three tasks are totally achievable and I’ve been doing a great job with it! You can do it too! It’s a fantastic way to feel good about yourself!

Don’t say NO, say YES!!

Instead of saying “stop eating sugar” or “no more caffeine”, try to INVITE good habits into your life! Whenever I tell myself to STOP doing this or that, it’s an invitation to failure, because I will always end up caving in and eating those cookies and ice cream.. and then I feel like I did something wrong! Instead of doing all that, I say “I will eat greens every day!” and I do it because it makes me feel super good and I just love the taste! That way even if I do indulge in a sugary snack, the bulk of my diet has been good, nourishing, wholesome foods. So I have less craving for the sugars and I feel great! Don’t beat yourself up! Give yourself a pep talk because YOU ARE WONDERFUL! You are the only you there is and you are darn good at being you! You are beautiful, powerful, and amazing! Go forth and share your gifts with the world!!!

Side note // I was featured in an awesome blog that I love this morning called blart! There is a really great interview about my small business with lots of cool photos of my stuff! Check it out if you love me!! 🙂 http://www.blartblog.com


Leave a comment

Rendering Lard, your grandma’s cooking oil

The story that vegetable oil and cooking spray are healthier for you to use in cooking than good ol’ fashioned bacon grease is, to say the least, a MYTH. It seems to me like the movement to get people using corn oil, soybean oil, and other veggie oils (canola, cottonseed, etc.) comes from BIG AG and CORPORATIONS wanting to make BIG BUCKS while spending very little. They make a crappy product for pennies and then feed the public lies that it’s good for them, that it will lower cholesterol, that it’s good for your heart… all lies.

These oils are all UNsaturated, meaning that they will oxidize and create free radicals in your body when exposed to heat. Have you ever sauteed some meat in cooking oil, later to find that the oil turned brown or even black? This is happening in your body as well. Black is carbon is free radicals.. bad for your body. Certain oils are GREAT to eat raw – olive oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, apricot oil, etc.. all are great for the body if eaten raw or cooked at low temps. If you are cooking on medium to high temps, it is best to use saturated fats – lard, butter, or coconut oil.

Image
Making lard is super easy! I got 10 pounds of fat from a local farm at the farmers market, from hogs raised on grass and compost scraps mainly. It was super cheap too! I took it home, chopped it into 1-2″ chunks, put them in pyrex cake pans and into the oven on the lowest temp and just let em sizzle overnight. In the morning they still hadn’t cooked all the way down so I put it into a big pot on the stove on low, covered, and finished it that way. After that I had some floating crunchy bits that I strained out and kept for sauces. The rest I put into tupperware to freeze and refrigerate.

Next time I will do it in a crock pot. 🙂

Learn more about the benefits of lard here –

Do you use lard in your kitchen?

This post is linked up to Real Food Wednesday at kellythekitchenkop.com

 


Leave a comment

Building a CommUNITY Garden

Starting a garden bed

I have recently been working with a group called Homegrown Missouri that I totally resonate with. The goals of the group that stand out in my heart are localizing food and localizing the community by building relationships and connections with our environment, ourselves, and eachother. Everyone has their own ideas in the group and I totally honor and respect each individual, as they do me. 🙂 It’s a beautiful thing. The group has meetings every month and in November we are having a workshop about fermented foods where members of the group will be teaching what they know. I am sharing beet kvass and Carlos, my partner / soul mate, is going to be teaching sauerkraut. Check out my last blog that features the flyer I made – https://regrowroots.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/free-fermented-foods-workshop/

I would like to share my newest endeavor that is going incredibly well and will one day become everything I dream of… a COMMUNITY GARDEN! It is located in my dear friend JoAnna’s backyard. I’m sure you will hear much more about JoAnna in future posts, as she is an amazing woman in my life. Her backyard is mostly grass with wild onions and dandelions growing here and there, as well as a pear tree, an elm, and a couple other little trees. My vision is to shift the entire yard into a food forest / community space where people can share food, potlucks, community, music, love, and growth!

Alpine Strawberries and Echinacea

We picked up some Alpine Strawberry starts from a friend and put them in the ground. I cut off the tops of them so all the energy will go to the roots and build a strong plant that will pop up in the Spring! 🙂 I also planted a bunch of echinacea Purpurea seeds that will come up in the Spring.

Huuuge backyard space!

This is the view from the deck. It is north of the house so that will be something to keep in mind. The beginning veggie patch is in the back by a big tree and an elderberry patch. Right now there are kale, cabbages, jerusalem artichokes, elephant garlic, and one lovely marigold.

Closer view of the garden beginnings

To the left of the photo are 2 raised beds that Carlos set up and we have some buckets waiting to be relocated and filled with dirt. Carlos actually dug the grass out for the raised bed. For most of our future beds, we will place down cardboard to suffocate the grass and build on top of that. That way, we will get lots of beds done before planting time in the spring!

 

 


Leave a comment

FREE Fermented Foods Workshop

Homegrown Missouri is hosting a free heritage skills workshop in Kirbyville, Missouri. This workshop will cover fermented foods – sauerkraut, kombucha, beet kvass, and kefir. It will be the first of many skills workshops! Come and bring your friends to share the dream of local, healthy food sustainability! 🙂


2 Comments

how to make // KOMBUCHA // a fermented tea

Kombucha is a delicious effervescent fermented sweetened tea beverage. It has been used for thousands of years to detoxify the body, cleanse the liver, for arthritis pain, and even treat cancer. The Chinese called it an “immortal health elixir”!!

To brew kombucha, you will need a SCOBY – symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. Some people call it the kombucha “mother” or mushroom and it is the element which turns the sweetened tea into a living, fermented, enzyme rich beverage. I received my SCOBY from a dear friend of mine, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask around and see if anyone you know might have one. I have noticed that there are a few people on etsy selling SCOBY and entire startup kits, so if you can’t find one locally – support someone on etsy! :)

The Kombucha Recipe
(makes about 2 quarts)

Ingredients: 
3 quarts filtered water
1 cup sugar
4 tea bags of organic black tea (or 4 teaspoons loose leaf black tea)
½ cup kombucha from a previous culture
1 kombucha SCOBY

Process:  Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add sugar and simmer until it has totally dissolved. Remove tea from heat, add the tea bags, and allow the tea to steep until water has cooled. Remove the tea bags and throw them into your compost bin. Pour the liquid into a 4 quart glass bowl, add the ½ cup of kombucha from previous batch, and then place the SCOBY on top of the liquid. Make an X over the top of the bowl with masking tape and cover it loosely with a cloth towel. (The masking tape ensures that the cloth will not fall into the kombucha.) Transfer the bowl to a warm, dark place, away from contaminants. In about 7-10 days your kombucha will be ready! :)

The perfect kombucha is slightly sour and fizzy, but still has a little sweetness, and it won’t taste like tea at all. It tastes a little like vinegar, in my opinion. Now you can either transfer the kombucha to covered glass containers (mason jars) and put them in the refrigerator or my preferred method is to put it in a wine bottle, cork it, and leave it out. I rarely put it in the refrigerator, and even after it has been opened several times, it still remains fizzy and as good as the day I opened it.

Once the kombucha is ready, you will see a SECOND spongy cake. This is a second SCOBY! You can keep it to use yourself, or give it to a friend. Store your kombucha SCOBY in a glass container with a ½ cup or more of the kombucha you just made. It can be used dozens of times before going bad. If it starts turning black or if the kombucha you make does not properly sour, then the SCOBY may have been contaminated. I like to keep a backup SCOBY in a separate jar for myself in case this happens… but it hasn’t happened yet!

A note about sugar – It is best to use white sugar because it gives the highest content of glucuronic acid to your tea. I have tried making kombucha with brown sugar and it did not ferment very well and was only slightly sour. In my experience, cheap white sugar works best!