Snow Glad To See You!

We got a light dusting of snow, just enough to make the ground mostly white again.  I missed the snow terribly.  I love the changing of the seasons here.  It seems like just when you've had enough of what is usually, a horribly humid, hot, summer it transitions to fall then winter.  I love the fact that you can bundle up in the winter, and even in town, be mostly alone.
  It is so much fun to go out on the worst days, with snow blowing and only your eyes showing and walk in the white silence of Winter.  The steam from my mouth travels up the scarf and ends up making my eyelashes freeze periodically.  I love that feeling!
  I never claimed I was normal...
  I am Wiccan after all, and that apparently makes me weird to start.
The snow is also precipitation we desperately need.
I have big plans for this year that I hope can actually pan-out.
Gardens to plow and bedrooms to re-do.  Walls to tear down and chicken coops to go up.  Last year we were in town and the dust was bad enough to breathe in and blow out, not good in the best of circumstances.  Here in the midwest, that dust carries toxic pesticides as well.  I stopped hanging my clothes out to dry, as I'd take them in dirty again.  Many of the little lakes/ponds that are actually safe to fish in, went stagnant and near dry.  A lot of fish died.  I didn't fish once last year.  The lakes that aren't spring-fed are also drying up, and were very smelly (partly fish-kills), and so hot that it was not worth the trip to swim in.  My son and I hiked in dry creek beds and stayed up late for our walks because even after the sun set, temperatures would hover near 100 degrees.  For people that like to be outside and do outdoor stuff, it has been a rough time already.
  That was just year 1 of the drought! The drought will undoubtedly continue, but hopefully, we will still manage some good moments this year.
  Really, I suppose us witches ought to get together and start working for rain, but I am uncertain that we should interfere.  Perhaps this drought is the only thing that will make people see just how dependent we are on our environment.
  Tread lightly on the earth, for She is our Mother.

Other Fun Things to Play With If Your Health is Shit

Okay, this is going to be a weird post, more like a list, but maybe you'll find it helpful.  Whether your health is really shitty, or you'd like to actually feel vibrant instead of tired all the time etc. give some of this stuff a try and see what happens.

 Fermented foods/probiotics--make kombucha, kimchee,levaine breads, homemade sour kraut, pickles, natural fermented sodas!  They have the stuff yogurt has in it but so much more, store-made yogurt has just a few cultures but there are so many more cultures out there and making your own will get a wider variety.  The bacteria in our guts is getting a lot of attention lately, it may be hugely responsible for good health and vitality.  On that note:

Try not to take antibiotics if possible:
if you can battle a sinus infection on your own--do it! We are not sure if the bacteria in your gut every fully recovers from a bout of antibiotics.

Oil Pulling--this one is new to me, it's interesting, I'm unsure if I've reaped any benefits yet, but worth a try.

Herbs for the specific ailment, or all-around toning ones-- (make a tea, get a capsule maker, apply directly, make an essential oil rub, steam with essential oils, use a tincture etc.)--do your research so you know possible side effects of what you're using!

Fasting--Juice fast, water fast, Clearvite protein shake fast, even fasting from meat and/or animal products will help some

Green smoothies--try some recipies, they can be good!

Detoxing: (fasting kinda falls in this category too) using herbs or sweating, or any other number of procedures to detox, research and take your pick!

Suana--also falls into detox but deserves it's own spot, since it does so much more than detox.  Great for general aches and pains, back pain, endo pain or whatever.  Start with just a few min. and work your way up.

Cardio--you detox through  your lungs as well as your pores, with lots of other benefits too, like increased energy

 Hatha Yoga--sometimes you gotta move so you can actually relax! Plus lots of other benefits

Pranayama and bandhas--detox your lungs and tone your insides (usually a part of a yoga practice, but if your health were so bad you couldn't move at all, this is a good start!)

Kundalini yoga--more vitality and your very own, cheaper psychotherapist! Sweet! I swear, this is better than years of going to a shrink.

Acupuncture--great for stuff no one else knows how to fix while you continue to try other stuff (cause really, who can continuously afford it, since insurance won't cover it now)

Chiropractor-- ditto this for acupuncture.  Do this while you're down, then start doing exercises and stuff to keep your spine from getting a "subluxion" in the first place. 

Abayanga--self oil message followed by a shower (usually with a dosha appropriate oil--look up Auryveda online)

Message- better circulation, detox etc. plus it feels great

Auryvedic Doctor--if you've got stomach complaints, give them a try

Elimination diet--fast for a couple days, then slowly reintroduce each food one or two at a time to see if you react to something you are eating, if you find something, remove it from your diet.

Wahl's diet-- for people who react to multiple stuff like me, you may need to rotate foods in and out . You may find you can eat say, dairy, one day, but not two days in a row.

 Daily Bone Broth-- get good quality meat bones and make bone broth--look online for recipes, a crock pot is good for this.

 Digestives/bitters--also used for better digestion, if your digestion is messed up, your whole body is out of whack.  Try eating a bitter before every meal.  It can be as simple as chamomile tea, or a tincture you either make or buy, or even dandelion greens.

vitamin/mineral/fats/ proteins/hormones testing--find a natural practitioner or chiropractor in your area that does this, it can totally change your life. Expensive, but worth it once you can afford it. How can you heal if you are deficient?

Positive affirmation--hey it can't hurt! Make up a rhyme or a cute phrase and say it over and over to yourself.  Supposedly you don't want any negatives so in your phrase so you would say "I won't think about food" and instead say "I am getting healthier" etc. etc.

Prayer--ditto for positive affirmation

Ritually banish your problem--if you believe in that sort of thing, I obviously do



I'm sure there's more but that's all for now.
Namaste