Autumn Cleansing Time

As you all may know, I do a Master Cleanse at the Spring and Fall Equinoxes. Well its that time again....for a change this time, instead of following the Master Cleanse completely, I am going to add fresh, raw fruits and veggies for the fiber content and for more energy for going to school. I also think that it will help me stick to it for the whole weekend while cleansing my system really well. So I am having the lemonade first thing in the morning, then a piece of fruit when I feel hungry and more lemonade at least every two hours for the flushing of the kidneys. Then for lunch and dinner I will have some veggies and/or fruit depending on how hungry I am. The veggies will be all raw. I will also be using the cleansing baths this weekend along with the inner cleanse. Feels good.

Cleanse and Detox Time

Wow! What a winter it has been. I am so glad it is over. There has been so much going on in my life these past few months that I am amazed that I am still here and writing this. I have been dealing with depression for several months. I have been on big doses of St. John's Wort and regular therapy and now I am dealing with everything much better. But it was quite scary there for a while. I am thankful for my friends and family who stuck by me and were there to help. I now feel as though all that negativity has clogged my entire body,I have gained several pounds, because I, of course, EAT when I am depressed. I feel very unhealthy and I am so ready for this cleanse. I missed the equinox cleansing that I usually do because of PMS, that is just not he time for me to cut out my comfort foods. But I am ready this weekend to get myself cleaned up. I will use the Lemonade Cleanse again as usual. It works really well for me and I can handle it easily. And after the cleanse I am going to gradually get myself onto a vegan diet, at least for the summer and see how that works for me. I have been interested in trying it for some time, but I was discouraged by how hard everyone has told me it is. Then I decided that everything in life that is worthwhile is difficult and I have managed much of it already, so I am going for it. I plan to try to include a lot of raw stuff too. Should be easy enough during the spring and summer, what with the garden and all the things growing wild. I am really looking forward to it.

College is going well, I am nearly through my second semester and am enjoying it a lot. I am loving learning so much new stuff. It is really opening my eyes to a whole new world and I realized early on that I have been living in a little box. But NO MORE! lol This is really the best thing that I could have done for myself. Now to get myself completely well and over the depression hump and detoxed. This should be interesting......stay tuned.

Spring Cleanse.....again!

Well, it's nearly the Equinox and that means it's time for my annual spring cleanse. Longtime readers might remember that I do this twice a year, on the spring and autumn equinox. I am very excited about doing it this year, I have had so much stress and upheaval in my life this past season that I know a cleanse is just the thing I need to restore balance to my system. As always I will be using the Master Cleanse made famous by Stanley Burroughs. I have always found, in the spring, if the weather has not warmed up sufficiently, that I will get quite chilled and find it hard to keep warm while on the cleanse. This year, I have decided to try taking my "lemonade" hot, if that happens. I know, I know, seems like a no-brainer, but for some reason I never thought to try it before. :}

Once again, I will compliment my "lemonade" with a cleansing, healing bath each night of the cleanse. I also include massage, (thanks to my hubby) and daily enemas, (I know, eeewww, but they're quite liberating). I also plan to step up my yoga routine and do some walking to help the cleanse work even better. I will begin my cleanse Friday morning. Two days and counting......

Yule Smudge Sticks

I made a lot of these last solstice and gave them as gifts to friends and family. They were easy to do and turned out beautifully. We are using them this year to smduge the house for the holidays. They give a clean, refreshing scent to the air.

Gather and use your own smudge stick

Winter is often a cruel time for the trees; harsh weather causes many of them to fall or snap their limbs and send them crashing to the earth. If your yard, a neighbor's yard, or a nearby natural area has any fallen cedar branches, you may want to try this special way to bring the magic of the living green home with you and keep these valuables from going to waste. Smudge sticks are easy to make and satisfying to look at, and the purifying smoke will make a meaningful addition to your Yule celebrations.

Native Americans have known for centuries that cedar, as well as sage, has special purifying properties, especially psychospiritually; if the atmosphere in your home is tense or unhappy, a quick go round with a burning smudge is one way to clean things out and restore a feeling of harmony. Native people harvest the herbs and branches ceremonially and prepare the smudge bundles with ritual. Cedar and sage are also burned in bulk in large abalone shells, with feathers used to direct the smoke.

If you want to make smudges but your cedar trees are all intact, you could see if any judicious pruning is needed; it doesn't take much to make a smudge stick. If you do this, you may want to leave a special gift to thank the tree. (Check a field guide to make sure its cedar you are taking)

To make your own homemade smudges, find several pieces of cedar branch that are green, full, and well leafed, about a foot long. Cut longer ones to this measure. Arrange the branches in a bundles with the tips all facing the same way; these bundles should be about two or three inches thick at their widest point. Then wind the cedar bundles firmly with thin cotton string (embroidery floss works well) starting at the bottom and working up to the tips, then winding back down again so that the thread crisscrosses. Look at the smudges commercially available to see how much string to use. You can sing a special song while you do this, if you like:

All around, all around

Peaceful, peaceful

All around, all around

Peaceful, peaceful

Spirit of the cedar

Calling me, calling me

Spirit of the cedar

Blessing me, blessing me

All around, all around

Peaceful, peaceful

When you have wound the string up and back down, knot it at the bottom and cut off the uneven ends of the branches an inch or so below the knot to make a uniform length. Allow these smudges to dry before lighting. (This can take a good long time)

To use your smudge, light the tip with a match and let it flame fro a moment, then blow out the flame and allow it to continue smoking for as long as you like. Enjoy!

Yule Countdown

Welcome December! Today begins the countdown to the Winter Solstice, or Yule, as the ancients use to call it. The longest night and the shortest day of the year. In northern climates this is the darkest and coldest time of year. The sun seems weak, even dying, and we fear winter will last forever. But as soon as the solstice passes, the days begin to grow longer again. The Solstice is a turning point on the wheel of the year, when the sun symbolically dies and is reborn from the womb of the Goddess.

As we countdown the days til Solstice this year. I hope to share with you some of the meaning and myths of this sacred time of year. Let's begin.

Clean House

Everyone in the family can help clean house before Solstice. Be sure to sweep under the rugs and shake out any feather beds you might have! When you empty the dustpan or throw out the vacuum cleaner bag, name some of the things you want to get rid of. Then steep some rosemary and bay leaves in hot water and add the scented water to the pail when you wash your floors, to bring protection for the new season.

What inner cleansing do you need to do at Solstice time? What is left over from the past year--what dust lurks in your corners? What would you like to get rid of or leave behind?

Autumn Cleansing

Hello Friends~Welcome to Autumn. This is the season of the harvest, the fruition of all the growth of spring and summer. this is true for us as well, as we receive the benefits from our work and projects, our relationships, and our health from all the energy we put into these areas during the last six months. The seeds we have sown, now shall we reap.

Autumn is the season of gathering Mother Nature's products before winter's rest. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains are all abundant; for example, citrus fruits, grapes, apples, pears, tomatoes, walnuts, sunflowers seeds, brown rice,corn, and wheat. As symbols of harvest and Halloween, squashes and pumpkins become plentiful by mid autumn.

We store the excess for the long winter ahead. canning extra fruits and vegetables, grain and see storage, and obtaining out wood or fuel stock and warm clothing for the cold,darker months are important now. Even is we're not growing our own food, autumn is still a time of preparation for the season of rest.

Autumn also marks the beginning of a cycle of personal turning within; with its first day the Equinox, when night's darkness finally equals the length of the day. After this, nights become longer than days until the winter solstice, the longest night. In autumn, our time seems more directed toward our work, our families, and projects at home.

These days of seasonal change around the equinox are a perfect time to cleanse your body and lighten yourself for fall's work. Like early spring, early autumn is a good time for a cleansing, but afterwards your diet may be fuller, richer, and more heat-producing than in spring, in order to carry you through the chill of late autumn and winter.

Its time to clear away finished projects and open up to the inner wisdom that you can experience in activities like contemplation, writing, reading, and nurturing your family as part of your preparation for the depths of winter. You will then feel a lot better and this potentially difficult transition will be easier.

Thorough a daily discipline of inner attention and physical exercise, you can create a more open, resilient, and supple body; a mentally and physically relaxed state; and a stronger resistance to disease. Using your body in dancing, yoga,tai chi, jump rope, or other solo exercises, and learning quiet breathing and relaxation will start your days in a more balanced, open state. And physical activity and exertion will help you relax more deeply and sleep more soundly.

For this reason and a few more personal ones, I begin my fall cleansing today. I use the Master Cleanse or 'lemonade diet' made famous by Stanley Burroughs. You can find the recipe here. I also supplement the 'lemonade' with mint teas, pure water, and dry skin brushing, nightly elimination baths and catnip enemas. This creates a state of clearness and freshening in my body that feels wonderful.

It's That Time Again~ Cleanse Time

It's nearly the Autumn Equinox, a time of balance. The Autumn Equinox is the counterpoint to the Spring Equinox. Whereas the Spring season is the time when life seems to be renewing itself and coming to the surface, Autumn is when things begin to shed, and the growth which was young in spring is now matured. Springtime energy speeds up, in the fall it slows down. The energy of Spring is upward, plants pushing upwards towards the bright sun, in Fall the energy moves downward, leaves falling away from the trees.

This is a great time for another internal cleansing. I use the Master Cleanse, made popular by Stanley Burroughs. I do this cleanse in the spring and the fall. It makes a huge difference in my body's ability to with stand the changes in the seasons. I feel energized and alert and light. I plan to begin the cleanse this season on Tuesday. Since I will be away camping at the harvest gathering on the actual equinox, I hope to accomplish my cleanse a few days early. More on this later.

Spring Cleanse/Liver Detox 2

HELLO. Oh, hello in there! Wake up! Spring is here. It's time to cheer, and shine like the sun. Come out and play; dance your dance. This is nature's birthing season-the time of creation and development. All is restored with life at the beginning of spring. That which is found within us in winter surfaces and wants to come forth in the full bloom of spring to be later nourished by the summer sun and bring the fruits of autumn.

You may now feel a new spark and power, and be filled with inspiration and energy to act upon your ideas. This is a good time to take a look at your life and make a new plan. What do you want to clear out as the past in your environment and within yourself-and what do you wish to see happen this year? This can be a new start. Take a little time to write a new health/life plan, including goals for how you wish to feel and what you would like to do and see happen. Let those dreams blossom.

Spring is the greening season, It is the time for planting. After the rain and snow of winter, the seeds begin to sprout from the depths of the soil, trees bud, and nature awakened in her green, flowering beauty. New growth in our lives, relationships, and work is stimulated now as well. We and nature will flourish this season.

Cleansing the body means to rid it of excess waster and dis-ease. This is done via resting from foods for a period of time and drinking juices of fruits and vegetables and /or water.

We can look at cleansing our bodies in the same way as we look at maintaining our automobiles. if we never checked them, retuned them, and cleaned or replaced clogged tubes, and continued to drive them, they would often break down. So it is with our body, the most finely tuned machine on the planet. From its conception, it was designed to ruin on the pure, unpolluted, unprocessed fuel from the Mother Earth. Today with the varied and manufactured substances we eat, inbibe, and inhale, this cleansing is even more important to our vitality and health. Spring time seems to be the best time for major cleansing. (excerpted from "Staying Healthy with the Seasons" by Elson M. Haas, M.D.)

In a couple of days I will begin my spring cleansing fast. As I said in a previous post, I use Stanley Burroughs' Master Cleanser. Along with the "lemonade" I drink peppermint tea on occasion, because it helps with breath and body odors that may occur due to the release of toxins from the body. Each evening I take a catnip enema to facilitate cleansing and to clear toxins. The catnip relaxes the muscles to prevent cramping. Drinking a laxative tea is also recommended, but I have never seemed to need it. Each evening I also take a hot bath, adding the following to the water: Day 1-20 ounces of baking soda and 1/2 cup iodized salt

day 2-two cups of hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of pure essential oil of clove

day 3- to quarts apple cider vinegar and a few drops of pure essential oil of rosemary

day 4-two cups witch hazel and a few drops of pure essential oil of jasmine

day 5- one cup Epsom salts and a few drops of pure essential oil of rose

These five baths create a beautiful complexion. Take the baths in this order on five consecutive evenings. Soak for at least twenty minutes. While soaking, sip water or herbal tea. Use only a few drops of the essential oils because they have a powerfully stimulating effect. I also use a brush to dry brush my skin before the baths, to stimulate circulation and encourage the release of toxins.

Body therapy during the cleanse is a wonderful addition. Massage is a must, even if you just get a family member to do it for you, come on husbands, we do a lot. We deserve it. Saunas or hot tubs are a good choice too.

Daily exercise is important during the cleanse to help things along. Just watch your energy level. You will probably find that you have lots of time and energy to get into your creativity as well as your normal day's work and responsibilities. (If you want to try a cleanse, please get a good book on the subject, I recommend the one above, and/or research the internet for information. If you have health issues always check with a doctor first.) Happy cleansing!

Spring Cleanse/Liver Detox

The week after the Equinox is when I start my three day spring cleanse and liver detox. I use the Master Cleanse, or so called, Lemonade Diet. Which had been around for fifty years before Hollywood made it popular. It consists of 2 Tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice (approx. 1/2 lemon),

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup, 1/20 tsp. cayenne pepper, 10 oz. water (preferably spring or filtered)

This you drink through out the day as you get hungry. You take in nothing else besides water or herbal tea, such as peppermint or catnip, etc. This is amazingly easy to do, even for me, with having low blood sugar. I can drink just the "lemonade" and feel fine, even energetic. I will post more on this once I begin. I usually fast only three days, because it is easier for me, though I don't rule out going for longer if I am feeling OK. While on the cleanse I take a cleansing detox bath every night, using special ingredients, which I will share with you when I begin also.

This year I am excited to see the results I have practicing yoga while on the cleanse. Should be invigorating and I am looking forward to getting started.