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Sensational Sage

1/15/2021

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Salvia officinalis

Salvia comes from the Latin word “salvere”, to heal. 
Officinalis refers to having been used medicinally.

Gender: Masculine
Element: Air
Planet: Jupiter
Sage, salvia, is the largest genus of the mint family, Lamiaceae. 

Sage has numerous  powers. In addition to its healing properties, it is associated with wisdom, longevity and protection. It’s a delightful and healing tea, and the Thanksgiving turkey wouldn’t be the same without it. With the present concerns about the coronavirus, it seems a good time to focus  on sage’s clearing, cleansing, protective qualities. 

Sage has antimicrobial properties that keep infectious bacteria, viruses, and fungi at bay. Burning sage decreases the levels of aerial bacteria by up to 94%. It neutralizes dust, mold, and pet dander. It dispels negative energy, soothes stress, improves your mood and aides in better sleep.

My illustrated journal summary  is below. 
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Instructions for creating your own smudging bundles from sage grown in your garden and here. The steps to the process are  in my  illustrated journal, above. After the sage was harvested and  wrapped it needed  to dry. That  process takes about 4 - 6 weeks.
 
​We smudge for a variety of reasons. One may be a general cleansing or  you may want to remove germs and bacteria.  You may want to clear  your space to become more open to creative ideas and beautiful thoughts. 

If you are smudging because someone had violated your  space or made your angry or uncomfortable,  it is imperative that you center  yourself and  come to a more positive frame of mind before you begin. It  you need support, find a friend or two to help you feel  positive and  loved.  You are clearing negative energy  and adding positive to replace it so keeping a positive frame of mind during  the ritual and following are vital. 

It  might be helpful  to find, or write a prayer or poem to express your intentions. When I was in Stone Harbor, my friend Lisa had a book with a beautiful prayer to  accompany  a smudging ritual.I hurriedly copied  it into my illustrated journal and will probably redo it on parchment, but for now, it gives you the words you need.  ​ I'm not  sure  who wrote it.   I looked on line and found several people acknowledged. Thank you to who ever wrote such  a lovely piece.  
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Say this prayer as you guide  the smoke toward your heart, over and around your body. 

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Gather your materials. A feather for directing the smoke and a brass bell to awaken the energy in each room are optional but lovely if you have them. 

​The next step is to gather your materials. If possible, use natural  materials. 
  • Smudge Stick
  • Candle, preferably lit with a wooden match
  • Shell  to catch the embers, or you can  also  use a pottery dish
​Optional
  • Feather  to direct the smoke - you can  also  use your hand
  • Brass bell to wake  up the energy in each  room as you move  through the house
​
It is best to declutter each  room before you begin. Open all of the doors, closet doors and windows so you  can move from room to room easily  and without interruption. 
 
1. Light the candle and set your intention. You  may use  the prayer above or something you have written or found that expresses your personal perspective.  
2. Use the candle flame  to  light the sage. Once the sage has caught fire, blow it out and watch for glowing embers. When you see the smoke begin to roll off of the smudge stick, it is ready. 
3. Guide the smoke toward your heart, over  your head and around your body to  purify  yourself before you begin.
​4. Go the the lowest area you will be smudging. You will be working clockwise in each room. Use your feather, or your hand, to direct the smoke from the lowest part  of the room to the highest as you move in  a circle around  the room Be certain to direct smoke into the corners of the room.  Direct the smoke out the door or windows before you move on to the next room. 

5. KEEP THE SHELL CLOSE BY TO COLLECT BURNING EMBERS.  I tap the smudge stick on the shell when I begin in each room and usually another time or two as the leaves burn. 
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6. After you have completed smudging each room extinguish the sage by rubbing it onto the shell or on sand or dirt. Check to see that there are no burning red embers.

DO NOT wet the sage. If you do, you won't be able to use the sage again. 

After the smoke clears and the negative energy has been released, fill the  space with love. You can say  prayers, meditate or journal about love, have dear friends over, read inspirational materials or do what ever feels best for you! 

​

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Comfort Journals

4/8/2020

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A post from last year. Seems like an appropriate time to repost.
​Sending prayers and comfort to those who have lost loved ones. 


In February a dear friend's mother died. I created a comfort journal to help her process her loss and give her comfort while remembering her loved one. Since then I have made several more but this is my favorite - probably because her mother's favorite flower was the rose.  The comfort journal provides quotes, writing prompts, and a list of ideas for self care. I asked her a few questions about her mother so I could customize it - her favorite color, flower, song, etc. If you have a loved one who has lost someone dear to them and likes to journal, you might want to make a comfort journal for them. 
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Travel Journals

5/12/2019

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Documenting trips is a wonderful way to preserve memories! A dear friend is leaving for Greece tomorrow so I made three journals to inspire her to document her trip. The first is an over view of Greece including what to do before the trip,  a chronological list of the history, terms, a  page on Greek architecture, one on the gods and goddesses (Greek and Roman), a map and an envelope with a  booklet with photos. 

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The second is a blank diary with a page of journal prompts, and the third includes suggestions for different Greek dishes to try, as well as pages to list favorite restaurants and to capture memories of memorable meals.
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Labels

7/2/2018

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When I find myself becoming defensive about a 'weed', and if you've followed my blog, you know I do from time to time, it occurs to me that it's probably time to seek help! Hahahaha! This time the plant I'm defending is poke. My friend Carrie has no empathy for the stand I'm taking because it's taking over her garden and yard, but as always, she's patient with my idiosyncrasies. 

My expectation certainly isn't that people nurture and cultivate it. Actually, the plant has done well on its own for centuries without any coddling from gardeners. It's just that anytime the wrath directed at a plant eliminates the appreciation for its benefits - and it does have benefits - my first instinct is to guide them to look from another perspective. 
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If we look beyond the label 'weed', we'll find a plant rich with history, health benefits and more.

Poke has been used in Chinese medicine, Appalachian folk medicine, attributed to healing cancer, arthritis, and Lyme disease. A folk cure for arthritis is to swallow one berry a day, fresh or dried, I am NOT recommending this, but have a friend who swears by it. The poison is said to be contained in the seeds so if you don't chew them and release the poison, they pass right through. 

Corrina Wood, founder and director of Southeast Wise Women, gives a wealth of additional information on using poke for medicinal purposes for any who are interested.

​The berries were used to make ink for the draft of the Declaration of Independence, I've made the ink to use for journaling as well as painting, (recipe below) and the color is exquisite!  It has also been used as a dye. Few colors rival the beauty of poke.

In my all of my courses, whether Enhancing Your Life with Herbs, Illustrated Journaling, Mosaics and Kaleidoscopes, A More Creative You and others, I encourage people to consider a creative approach. An interesting challenge for poke is to write a poem or a song about it. You can write your own, or if you prefer, you can listen to Tony Joe White's version! 

Tony wrote Polk Salad Annie, and Elvis made it famous. Ok, not as famous as Love Me Tender or Jailhouse Rock, but there are some who know and love it. I'm one of them. It's on this site - see Mabon, Poke and Elvis,  or just do a google search. I have no idea why it isn't one of his best known. Actually, Elvis doesn't even know it very well - he had to use a cheat sheet when he sang  it. Who but the King could get away with that? 

In the song, polk (poke) salad is gathered - oh, here. I'll include the lyrics below. ​
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Poke
Phytolacca family
Folk names - Polk, Poke Root, Polk Root, Coakum, Cocan, Crowberry, Pigeon Berry, Virginia Poke, Inkberry, Garget. I have never heard it called "Poke Weed"

Polk Salad Annie
Tony Joe White
If some of ya'll never been down south too much
I'm gonna tell you a little bit about this 
So that you'll understand what I'm talkin' about
Down there we have a plant that grows out in the woods
And in the fields looks somethin' like a turnip green
And everybody calls it polk salad, polk salad
Used to know a girl lived down there 
And she'd go out in the evenings and pick her a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper
'Cause thats about all they had to eat, but they did all right
Down in Louisiana, where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl, that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame
Polk salad Annie, polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
Cause her momma was a workin' on the chain gang
(A mean vicious woman)
Everyday ?for supper time, she'd go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess of polk salad, and carry it home in a tow sack
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody says it was a shame
Cause her momma was a workin' on the chain gang
(A wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman
Lord have Mercy, pick a mess of it)
​

Illustrated Journal Page - Poke

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The berries above are colored with poke ink - beautiful variations from pinks to purples. 
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Missing Beethoven

3/23/2018

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Winter storms remind me of my beloved Beethoven. 
It was autumn when we found our 1820s farm house in Hunters Valley in south central Pennsylvania. We had the illusion of owning half a hemisphere. We were surrounded by forests, streams, fields, and state games lands and at the time, couldn't see another house from horizon to horizon.  One Christmas, a friend who owned a similar property, convinced me that we needed a little more activity on the vacant acreage.
So on Christmas morning, I prepared two large golden packages. They were wrapped so the lids could be removed immediately for the comfort of the temporary guests inside. The backs of the boxes were completely open to prevent the tails from being crushed, and the girls positioned them so all the feathers were hidden beneath the Christmas tree. Mike’s face lit up when he opened the boxes to discover two peacocks!
​Fast forward.
It was mid-April when I heard Mike on the phone with Ruth Buck, a reporter for the local newspaper. “Well, we have at least three hundred birds,” Mike stated casually. I stopped and turned. Stunned.
I knew the collection had grown - iridescent white peacocks joined the blues, there were Bourbon Reds, Bronze and Royal Palm turkeys, Golden Pheasants, rheas, Dia Rhea and Gonna Rhea (another story- these two made NPR news!).

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More Roses

2/21/2018

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Today I decided to paint roses on the journal I made before giving it as a gift. The rose on the cover also has the recipient's name so I'm not going to share it because I don't want to take the chance that she might see it. She has no idea it's coming!
But I will show you the rose I painted on the first page of the journal next to the lace pocket. I love the way it turned out. It has a raised effect. I was delighted that it didn't seep through the hand made papers. The paper has such a delicate look but will be perfect for journaling, and I can be assured that pens and paints won't seep through!
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Also painted and sent out a few cards today - one to a friend whose mother just passed, a get well card, a birthday card and one to send congratulations.  It seems there are reasons to send them as quickly as the paint meets the paper. Roses are appropriate for so many occasions. 
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A Vintage White Rose

2/17/2018

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My violet post was the last in the series of herbs that are associated with love and romance. There are many more but Valentine's Day has come and gone it seems a good time to close. 

For those of you who check in from time to time, you know I love roses  I have them all over my house and recently I've been living with, and painting, white roses. But one of my favorite white roses has been around for a very long time. 

Today's treasure is my great grandfather's white ivory rose autograph book from January 1, 1899. At one time the velvet cover appears to have been a bright red but it is faded from age. The softening makes it ever more beautiful. I feel that way about a lot of vintage treasures - buildings, fabrics, people . . .
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This is the first page in the book. 
​The penmanship is exquisite. It may be difficult to read so I've included the inscription. 


Mr. Albert Shuey
Bainbridge
Indiana
New Year's 1899
Albert was born on November 4, 1876 and died on January 31, 1951.He was 23 years old when he started this autograph book. I don't know who gave it to him or much more about it. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it when I was a little girl and decided to leave my autograph. I'm not proud of my contribution. It's not nearly as elegant as the rest, but I loved the book and wanted to be part of it.  Years later, my grandmother laughed and told me she thought he'd want me to have it.. Maybe it's just as well that I left my mark. No one else seemed nearly as impressed with it as I was. 
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I have no idea what this says! I must have known at the time?

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This is one of the first autographs in the book.

January 1, 1899
​Dear Cousin,
Leaves may wither,
Flowers may die,
Friends will forget you
But never will I.
Guess Who.
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Here's another. 

January 1, 1899
When you get married 
And your old woman gets cross
Come over to our house 
And eat apple sauce.
Ever remember Dec - 29, 1898
Ida

This little book, plus some posts I'm planning to do based on a recent exhibit I visited, have inspired me to begin a new category for my blog posts - vintage. This will be the first.

There will be more from this book - there are 40 pages and I'm only including a few for now.
There are autographs from Daisy, Albert's wife (his fiancé at the time), and later from his daughter, my grandmother, and some very cynical entries from my mother. Apparently I wasn't the only family member inspired to leave comments after his death. 
It's an interesting mix and gives me some insights on my family. 
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A Book That Takes Its Time

2/11/2018

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An Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness
 Irene Smit
Astrid von der Hulst
and the editors of Flow Magazine


Today's treasure is several mini books within one, and also includes cards, a 30 page journal, numerous pages for reflections, a fold out map, stickers and cut outs! Below you'll find a sampling of the hidden treasures inside. 
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A few months ago my friend Janet gave me some wonderful magazines and since then, I've fallen in love with all things FLOW! I was doing a search for more magazines  and found this book by Flow's creators. It is a hardback book, yet even less expensive than the magazines, over flowing with delights!
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There are colorful tear out cards with a space on the back to add your favorite memorable moments and instructions on how to use them.
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The Joy of One Thing at a Time Booklet has thoughts and quotes on being present in the moment and space to add your reflections.
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There is a fold out Time Line with cut outs and instructions and cards with colorful quotes to use in snail mail, as book marks or affirmations.
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There is a 30 Day Journal with questions to guide you.
This is just a small sampling of the book's contents. It truly is a book that takes its time, encouraging present moment awareness, time to learn, create, reflect, to let go and ending with time to be kind. You will see life, and yourself, in a gentle, kinder way after you experience this book. 
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Fountain Light Show at Longwood Gardens

8/26/2017

 
Recently we attend the phenomenal light show at Longwood Gardens. We arrived early and set up our chairs in the front row, very close to the center, so this display is very similar to the one was viewed. i was much too captivated with the experience to record the show so was delighted that this 'sneak peak' was so similar. The background music for the evening we attended was jazz, and if you follow my blog, you'll know I was delighted! This will give you an idea of the spectacular event, and hopefully it will inspire you to check the Longwood Garden site to check their schedule, purchase tickets and attend!
While we were at Longwood Gardens, I heard it referred to as "America's Versailles". I disagree. The variety of plants, artistry of presentation, reverence and dedication to nature and seasonal displays make Longwood far superior. The Versailles gardens were such a disappointment, but isn't it delightful to know we can save the airfare to France and have a much more delightful experience here? For those who are more interested in the history, architecture and furnishings at Versailles, it's worth the trip, but if you are going for the gardens, you may want to reconsider and head to Kennett Square, PA. 
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We passed this sleepy tree on the way in, already yawning by late afternoon. He probably didn't stay awake for the light show, but he's undoubtedly seen it many times!

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We had a leisurely dinner at 1906 while we waited for dusk. Everything there is a step above what is expected. This is their shrimp appetizer - jumbo shrimp served on a square of tomato aspic with sorrel and touch of horseradish. Not only delicious but a work of art!

Although I've been to Longwood Gardens many times over the years and experienced each of the five seasons - spring, summer, fall, holiday and winter - at least once, this was my first after dark experience light display. I'm adding it to my collecting firsts!

Visionary Arts Pet Parade

7/4/2016

 
Mycala suggested we enter Zippy in the Visionary Arts Museum Pet Parade. It was last minute so we scampered to find an outfit and settled on a star spangled America's Sweetheart lollipop T-shirt. To complete the look we found a hat and adorned it with red, white and blue lollipops. He smiled most of the day, loving the attention, prancing happily in the parade and having his few minutes of fame on stage for the talent show. He fell asleep at one point and was too tired to participate in Musical Chairs, but all in all it was a wonderful day.
There were dogs of every shape and size, one cat, a bunny, two iguanas and a snake. The costumes were phenomenal and included baby carriages decorated as floats, with owners dressed to match their dogs costumes. We were threatened a few times with lightning and potential storms but they magically help off.
Next year we'll start earlier and create a costume worthy of the occasion!  
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    to help others see and cherish the beauty, 
    romance and treasures within and around them 
    that are often dismissed or completely overlooked."
    



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    Mikell is a writer, artist and professional treasure hunter, finding the greatest treasures in the wonderful people who enter her life!

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