Sunday, February 9, 2014

My Coffee Alternate

There's just something about that hot cup of java first thing in the morning, a habit I've been partaking in for about 14 years. I didn't even like coffee until I became pregnant with my first child. So the morning usual is a cup consisting of instant Nescafe Clasico with a stevia packet and dollop of flavored creamer. In my journey to healthier living I was searching for an alternate. Thus came an Ayurvedic alternate that I love just as much as coffee that has healing properties. I proudly introduce to you Turmeric Almond Milk.


Ingredients:       .  1 cup almond milk
                        .  1/2 tsp turmeric
                        .  1/2 inch ginger chopped (you will strain this out later)
                        .  pinch of cinnamon
                        .  pinch of cardamom
                        .  dash of cayenne pepper
                        .  1/2 -1 tsp honey


Method:         1.  pour the cup of almond milk into a small pot and put on low heat
                     2.  add the rest of  the ingredients to the pot
                     3.  continue to simmer on low and stir to integrate spices
                     4.  take off stove once you see bubbles
                     5.  strain into your favorite mug and enjoy


Some health benefits of ingredients

ALMOND MILK  . no cholesterol or saturated fat  . 50%  daily amount of vitamin E

TURMERIC         . natural antiseptic . liver detoxify . anti-inflammatory . speeds up wound healing

GINGER              . gastrointestinal reliever . immune booster  . nausea reliever

CINNAMON        . regulates blood sugar  . reduces arthritis pain  . contains fiber, calcium, iron

CARDAMOM      . treats mouth ulcers . relieves bloating and heartburn  . freshens breath

CAYENNE          . cleansing & detoxifying . anti fungal . migraine headache prevent

HONEY               . reduces throat irritation,  probiotic . blood sugar regulator





Saturday, February 8, 2014

Much Needed Water

I'm looking out my bedroom window and excited that it's grey gloomy and raining. I live in Northern California and it has been declared a drought year. We have had consecutive 4 days of rain but I doubt it will bring us to needed levels. The week to come is also going to be a wet one. So I'm dreaming of fresh spring earth ( I love that smell) and planting a garden for sustenance.


This much needed water will make the soil supple for up earthing and tilling for our gardens. I have big dreams but no actual plan of what exactly is going where. Until then I have been having fun hydroponically growing in the kitchen window. I just drop the roots in plain sink water.


Welcome to my laboratory! Yep that's my dry barren back yard in the background. See why I say little urban homestead, .24 acres of yard and 988 sq feet of home for 6. We are definitely comfy cozy on these days when we can only be inside. Of course I could have the kids go dance in the rain which they did the day before the rain started (wink). Okay back to the window garden. It's quite easy, the celery, lettuce and chives were store bought and when used for cooking I chopped about 2 in. above the root base and added to a container of water. I love to see the emergence of fresh growth. This is a great science lesson for my 3 year old and the older kids alike. The garlic sprouted in a molcajete sitting near the sink. The container on the far right is tomato buds also cultivated from a store bought tomato.

Until I can actually go get my hands into the earth, I will reveal in the little things such as my little green kitchen garden. Green Blessings to all of you. The crazy weather were all experiencing in our neck of the woods or part of the world will soon pass to bring about natures abundances.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

A New Month - A New Journey

I'm stepping barefoot rooting my soul into earths abundance even further into my spiritual journey seeking out the wisdom of the moon and answers in the stars. To be an ethereal goddess is truly divine after all. 

 Today is St Brigid's Day and tomorrow Imbolc, oh how I love when Spring arrives and brings all the gifts of renewal and awakening. Red Tents In Every Neighborhood World Summit also starts today. Click on the link if you would like to join this journey with me. Here is an taste of what Red Tents are all about.

 Imagine...  
Imagine driving home from work, deciding to change course, and heading toward your neighborhood's Red Tent for the evening. Your period is about to start, and all you want to do is curl up in a quiet space.
You enter the Red Tent, and feel like you stepped into a womb...
The lights are soft and diffused, velvety red fabrics are draped in luscious folds all around you, candle flames gently flicker, raspberry-leaf tea is brewing, perfuming the air. A cup of it will soon soothe and nourish your body and soul.
Imagine laying down in front of a beautiful altar, embellished with flowers, sea shells, feathers, and crystals. Exquisite images of the Divine Feminine welcome you. Looking at them you feel embraced, reminded of your own divinity... You pull a red blanket and curl up, feeling the Earth supporting you, letting the tension in your muscles dissolve, deepening your breath, sighing with relief... You are Home!
A woman is sitting in deep meditation at the far corner of the Tent. Behind a red curtain you hear the soft whisper of women talking. If you wish for company you could join them, and be welcomed into their conversation. Staying curled up here, your privacy will be fully respected. For now, you just wish to close your eyes and let your mind drift...
You remember your sister giving birth in the Tent less than a year ago. You were here with her, together with your mother, your community midwife, and close women friends: supporting, encouraging, helping... Welcoming a new life to Earth, and a sister into Motherhood...
You didn't always have this cocoon-like space available to you. Growing up the words 'Red Tent' meant nothing in particular, except a camping trip perhaps. Your first blood was also nothing in particular. Not as shaming as some of the stories you heard in New Moon gatherings at the Tent, and certainly not as supportive as recent ones, in which you were an Auntie to your friends' daughters.
It was you, and the women of your community, that turned the tide. After gathering for years in living rooms, in nature, and in communal spaces, you collectively decided that enough was enough: you had to have a permanent space in your neighborhood that every woman could count on being open and available - any time of the day or night, every day of the month!
You started stirring the pot of your creativity together: collectively you organized fund raisers, created and sold cookies, art, clothing, and jewelry. You screened women-centered movies, you wrote letters, you made appeals, and you received donations. It took far less time than you imagined to raise funds for this essential oasis in your community. And when the funds were there, you all went out and purchased it: a round, red, weather-proof yurt, which was easy to set up, especially with so many hands working together.
You must have fallen asleep in front of the altar, since the Tent around you was fully quiet now. The candles still flickered, casting dancing shadows on the red fabrics. You stretched and yawned, considering whether to go home, or to spend the night right here, in this communal womb you helped create. Turning over you decide to stay.
Your eyes are softly closing, and as you drift back into dream-scape, you spread your wings and fly low, under a full moon, feeling soft breezes caress you.Your neighborhood's Red Tent is getting smaller as you head south under glistening stars. You fly over valleys and streams, villages and towns. It doesn't seem surprising to see a vibrant red spot in each of them, peeking from garden lawns, beneath tree canopies, or on hill tops. Rounded, hexagonal, square, or domed structures -- wave to you in red shades from every neighborhood, village, town, and city.
They seem like they have always been there, and as you fly above them, you know that in each of these -- sisters are reclined: in solitude or in circles, laughing, crying, singing, dreaming, nursing babies, honoring girls as they start their cycle,weaving their lives into a tapestry of stories, in a place they all call Home.


© 2014, DeAnna L’am, Red Moon - Cycles of Women’s Wisdom

DeAnna L'am, an internationally established expert on Menstrual Wellness, author of ‘Becoming Peers - Mentoring Girls Into Womanhood’ and ‘A Diva’s Guide to Getting Your Period’; Founder of Red Moon School of Empowerment for Women & Girls™, and of Red Tents In Every Neighborhood – Global Network.
A pioneer in Menstrual Empowerment, DeAnna’s work has been transforming lives worldwide for over 20 years, teaching women and girls how to love themselves unconditionally; how to dissolve PMS symptoms by drawing spiritual strength from their cycle; and how to hold Red Tents in their communities. Visit her at:www.deannalam.com

Brightest Blessing for a new month.