Talking About Food

Food is a pretty huge thing, really, isn't it? When I think about how much goes into growing food in the garden, how much I can actually produce for us, how much I can rely on that as opposed to buying food... I'm a long way from where I'd like to be, that much I know. I get a good summer season of tomatoes, but I'm not even close to growing enough (and processing enough) to see us through the winter. Same goes with potatoes, although I'm closer with potatoes than with tomatoes. I think last year we were eating homegrown well into late Autumn. And as much as I would like it to be otherwise, my winter vegie gardening has been inconsistent at best. I would like to change that.

But the fact for me is, the vast majority of the food we eat in this house still comes from a supermarket, or from a store somewhere. I am tending now to shop more in smaller, independent stores rather than the big supermarkets whenever I can, mostly for dried pulses, fruits and vegetables and some household items where I can get them. But I still find myself back at the big supermarkets often enough. I suppose the driving factors for me are the freshness of the food, and whether or not it is organic. And how much it costs, that factor is still pretty important, especially when comparing the organic to the non-organic.

I flat out refuse to buy fruits and vegetables that are imported (ok, with the odd exception being garlic from Mexico when I'm desperate for garlic). It's not that I don't think the produce is good enough; of course it is, for what it is. It's just that I want to buy food that has had less time in storage, that has travelled less distance, that is fresher and healthier. I want to eat food that is in season, in our seasons. The early appearance of grapes and watermelons from the US is a big one - explaining to my kiddo why we can't buy it yet when we pass them at the supermarket. And I want my food to be free of pesticides, or genetic modifications. I want to eat food that was grown naturally in healthy soils, as close to home as possible. Obviously some things have to come from far away - coconuts and bananas don't grow so well around here. So I suppose the choice then is, to eat those things or not to eat those things. I'm still eating those things.

The reality is that everything is energy, you know? And the best energy, the highest vibrating energy with the most life force, comes from fresh, organic produce. And what we eat, what we take into our body, has a huge impact on our own energy! Our own vibration, our own life force. So when we consume foods that are on the lower end of the scale (manufactured anything), we are lowering our own energy, we are reducing our own life force energy (Chi, or Qi). Think about pesticides, they are designed to destroy life. That's a pretty low energy to be taking into our bodies. And that has a pretty big impact on our life. It impacts on how well we function, how positive or negative we are, our physical health, our ability to make positive change in our lives, our ability to operate at our highest potential, our energy levels, our overall wellbeing.

It is costly to shift to organic produce, I'm walking that tricky line between balancing the food budget and giving us the best food, and I would love to say we eat all organic but it's just not true. Still, making small changes here and there, they all add up. I do believe the small changes are the important ones, day in and day out. Little things, like organic tea (or coffee). Cutting out processed drinks. My last stand, my last guilty pleasure, is the hot chocolate that I like to have. Since I stopped drinking coffee it's become a little more prominent, but still I notice every single time that I get a little stomach pain when I drink it. My body speaks to me, tells me what it needs and what it doesn't, and the more I cut out the things that are no good, the louder I can hear it. Sensitivity increases, when you take away the things that dull it.

It's something I'm focusing on more this year, even more than usual. Starting with buying a local organic vegie box from a local farm, and I'll just see how we go with it. Little changes, big changes, all positive changes; always has a positive effect on your life.

Simple Things: A Slow Weekend

We had the slowest of slow weekends. We stayed home, and only left the house to walk the dog and play on a swing. We didn't drive anywhere, we didn't buy anything, we used what we had at home and it was so, so good. We had millet porridge for breakfast, ate our banana and date loaf that we baked for morning and afternoon teas, had dinners of homemade soup and risotto with homemade stock. We harvested the first of the potatoes and a bunch of skinny capsicums. The kiddo did much play outside, and much play inside, and I did a heap of crochet work on the blanket I'm making for him. So much that I feel like I'm back in the swing of needing to keep my hands making little squares all the time. I sat outside with my crochet and a cup of rosehip tea, on the chairs I look at so longingly, yet so rarely actually sit in.

It was the best weekend. I needed it, my kiddo needed it, my bank account thanked me for it and my car has had three days of not being touched.

It really is when you stop running around, doing stuff that needs doing, that you realise how little actually needs to be done, and how truly wonderful it is to just be.

Shop Talk: juggling a toddler and crystals

I absolutely love having my online crystal shop. I love it so so much, all parts of it. It has grown over the past year from a handful of crystals to more stock than I could cope with, and now back to a slightly more manageable level. The difficulty for me is in finding a space to keep them all in. The need to up high, out of reach of small hands, but easy enough for me to reach them quickly for photographing and packaging up for posting. Plus all the posting stuff that goes along with it, padded envelopes and wrapping materials. It's become quite the little operation for me and (thankfully) I've gotten quicker at doing it all, out of necessity and familiarity.

I still don't have it all worked out, but I start to know what doesn't work, so that points me in the direction of what does. I have shuffled the shop crystals through three different rooms in the house, and then out to the separate room out the back, in the short space of time I've been in this house. Shuffle shuffle shuffle. I'm still not there with it, as in keeping them all in a separate room (granted not far away but still, separate enough) I find I'm torn between the house and the crystal shop. With it being something that I manage pretty much daily, I've come to realise that I need them back in the house. In their own space, with a door that closes, in the house. But I'm so tired of shuffling that I'm just operating between two spaces, and the kitchen table is now currently home to about half of my stock.

All sorts of growing pains really, but I welcome it all. My shop is ticking along at a rate that is perfect for me just now, and we're starting to fall into a rhythm of daily work in the shop (rather than the erratic, late night, hurried way of operating at different times over the past year). Our morning work, starting between 8:30 and 9am, breaking for morning tea around 10am and sometimes following on with more, sometimes leaving it at just that. Keeping a toddler entertained is definitely easier in the house. The options are still not my favourite - deal with the constant whirlwind of toddler activity while concentrating on packing orders or buy myself some time while he watches something on the computer (trains, mostly). I suppose like everything we work it out as we go. And usually an afternoon pedal on the bike up to the post office. I do love the way the rhythm is falling into place.

And over in the shop, there are plenty of beautiful crystals to be had with more arriving this week. It certainly is work, but it never feels like work. I suppose that's why the saying is that when you do something you love, you never work a day in your life.

I just wanted to mention how grateful I am for the support in my shop from a few readers here too, it means the world to me and it was definitely that support that got my shop up and running. Runs on the board, you know? So important and I'm so grateful. Thank you!

Working With The Energies: Full Moon

There's a big and powerful full moon coming up this Sunday. The full moon is always time of letting go of things that no longer serve us, things that are not healthy for us, things that are not in our highest good. It's a really beneficial practice to actively work with the energies of nature; we are one with nature and we feel the effects whether consciously or unconsciously. Think about the effect of the moon on the tides and the ocean. Our bodies are something in the order of 70% water - we too, are affected by the moon.

So yeah, letting go. Life moves in cycles, and there are always things coming and going from our lives, big things and little things. People, situations, emotions, feelings, physical items. We are in a constant dance of energy, things moving in and moving out, the give and the take. The bringing in of the new, and the letting go of the old. It is impossible to bring in anything new when we're clinging on to the old, the things that no longer serve us. And the time of the full moon is the best time in the month for letting things go.

On the physical side of things, it could look like doing a space clearing in your house. Or a spot of decluttering, cleaning, sorting. It's always good to get into the spaces that don't see much movement - in the corners, under the bed (particularly around the bed head area), behind furniture. Even cleaning out the fridge, or at least tossing out the really sad looking bits. Taking all items from surfaces and cleaning, thinking carefully about what to put back and what can go. Burning sage to clear the space is beautiful and ceremonial and brings a freshness to the home.

When it comes to people, places, situations, substances, it can be helpful to take a good look and think about what needs to go. Not that I'm saying kick people out of your life (unless you really need to!) but more about circumstances with people. An ongoing disagreement or irritation, an old emotional pattern that isn't helpful anymore, a situation where ingrained patterns are the norm and you can see the need for change. That sort of thing. For those things, there are many ways you can let go, a good one is to cut the cords of energy going from you to that person/situation/feeling). Just close your eyes, and let your body, your mind, show you where the cords are. Then you can visualise cutting them yourself, with scissors or the like, or you can call in higher powers, like Archangel Michael who can cut them with his sword. All very powerful stuff, any which way you do it.

And for the body, holding the intention of letting go of anything that doesn't serve you over the coming days will work. A dip in the ocean, in the salt water, is a wonderful way to clear the energetic space of the body, and if you can't get to the ocean, taking a sea salt bath at home works beautifully too. A time of eating well, eating fresh foods that nourish the body, avoiding harsh foods or those that get the body all wound up. A time for detoxing.

This is what the full moon is wonderful for. That and sending emotions a bit all over the place. Carrying a piece of Moonstone helps with that emotional stuff.

I'm feeling this full moon energy building quite strongly. Over the past year I've gotten pretty good at letting go of stuff, not always entirely comfortably. So I'll be taking it pretty easy, being gentle with myself, knowing that I'm closer to my emotional edge than I'd like to be. And holding that space with the intention of letting of all that no longer serves me. I'll be doing yin yoga and having sea salt baths if anyone is looking for me.

Have a great weekend!

In a word, Gentle.

Oh, the word for the year thing.

I do have a word for the year, and I have been living and breathing that word for a few weeks now. Quite a lot more weeks to go but I can feel so strongly that this is how my year feels, how I feel, how the energy around me feels, how the energy I create feels.

My word is gentle.

After the last few rollercoaster years of my life, where there have been big shifts, powerful shifts, big events and many changes, life has felt jolted, frantic and hectic. It's been quite the ride, but moving forward, and taking with me all that I have learned from these last few years (and letting go of so much at the same time), I'm ready to embrace gentler times in life.

Gentle with myself, gentle with my child, gentle in my home, gentle in my energy. Being in gentle places, staying away from places that are not so gentle. Being with gentle people, staying away from people who are not so gentle. After all, it is up to us to choose how we spend our time, who we spend it with, where we spend it. And how we feel.

So this is my gentle year. There are massive challenges coming my way this year, already I know this, so my need to dig deep and cultivate gentle is very real. I will be drawing from a very deep well, to bring gentle through with what is coming up. But these times, they are the transformative ones. Yin yoga is helping me amazingly already (there I go about the yin yoga again), I can see it will be a mainstay for me this year. A practice I can sink into each evening, where I can just be in my body, know the safety and security of just being, and breathe gently through this year.

Did you choose a word for the year?