It is my pleasure to have my SoulSista here at The Passionate Wise Woman. She is fabulous!!! Not just because she is my Sista (not by blood, but might as well have been we are very much kindred spirits) but because she truly embodies the Wise Woman way. It is my honor and privilege to have her here. I hope you enjoy her post. Leave a comment to let us know how this blessed you!

Village Wise Woman

Greetings dear ones, my name is Yael. I am a dreamer of dreams and maker of my home. I am a Medicine Woman and a Wise Woman, Herbalist and Healer, Guide, Mother and Teacher. I am a doula, childbirth advocate, Tribal Belly Dancer, sometimes poet, weaver and spinner of yarn. I am a gardener of hearts and souls. I plant the seeds of hope and seek the potential deep within. I am beginning to learn to do this for myself as well now, and in many ways this is far more challenging and painful. I am a gypsy who has lived many places and been many people. I am continuing to discover who I am throughout it all. In other words I am just another Village Wise Woman and it is in this capacity that I serve my community. I am truly honored to be able to share with all you amazing and empowered readers of the Passionate Wise Woman for ‘In Your Skin’ Monday.

Most of us are familiar with the saying, “The Cobbler’s children go unshod.” Meaning the cobbler is so busy making shoes for everyone else that his children go barefoot. This true-ism is particularly relevant to woman, who more than likely, are care givers in one capacity or another. We get caught up in the day to day busyness of life, care for others, working at our jobs, whether in or out of the home, that the absolute last person on our list of priorities is ourselves. Self care for every woman is of the utmost importance, but even more so for you, the Woman of Passion, who is daily living her dreams and passions with abandon. Being one such woman myself, who wears many hats, or scarves in my case, I have days filled with classes, sharing hearts and wisdom, learning and teaching, and working out my own creativity, that there have been many times that I have felt the exhaustion from it all.

“He who walks with the wise shall become wise.” (Mishlei 13:20)

I have had many teachers on my journey and, bar none, they have all impressed upon me the importance of self care. I would like to share with you a bit of the wisdom that I have gleaned over the years from these Wise ones.

Morning Ritual:

Every day I begin each day with ritual. Ritual enables me to center and prepare me for the day ahead. My daily ritual is rather simple, but it is what helps me to begin my day peacefully. After I wake I tend to my daily hygiene routine, whisper a short morning prayer of thanks, and then I have a cup of coffee. Yes, the coffee is indeed part of my ritual. It brings me a great deal of joy and comfort and is a delight for me to warm my hands around my favorite ‘life is good’ mug, breathing in the flavorful aroma of my morning coffee. After about a half of a cup I then sit down and I write my daily pages. The daily pages are a practice that is part of “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron.

“Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages– they are not high art. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only.”

I have discovered my creativity, clarified my dreams and discovered the depth of my inner poet from this practice. Often I am inspired by the greatness of Universe and the depth of Love of the Creator. I have also felt deep compassion and found myself in sweet times of prayer because of this.

Silence, Meditation and Prayers:

Ask anyone in the ‘know’, or read any of the great spiritual teachers and you will find that at the heart of that person is the practice of silence and meditation. Silence and meditation go hand in hand and there are far better teachers on the subject than myself, but suffice it to say, that even several minutes spent in silence is often times enough to brings us back to center and begin to open our eyes to the Divine within ourselves. Along with this is the practice of prayer and whatever form that takes for you. For myself, I do have formal prayers that I say daily, but my Teacher has taught me that I should speak to the Holy One as a friend, and this is what I strive to do each day. I find it easiest when I am in nature. Does this mean I trek to the nearby woods each day? No, not at all. It means, more often than not, that I am standing on my front patio, surrounded by buildings and passing cars and I gaze either into my small garden or the grand sky and I smile.

Spiritual health and Physical health

For many of us, we find the subject of spiritual health care so much more fascinating than learning or tending to the care for our bodies, but the truth is they are truly of equal importance, and without the one, the other suffers. Again, there are far more knowledgeable teachers on the subject of nutrition.  For the most part, we all realize that putting healthy, pesticide free, locally sustainable food into our bodies is the best way to go. Along with this there are some easy and wonderful ways to add herbal nourishment to your self care.

Nourishing Herbal Infusions

There is no better teacher on the subject of nourishing herbal infusions than Susun Weed. A nourishing herbal infusion is a like drinking a wonderfully intense cup of tea on hyper drive. All the goodness and nutrition in the plant is steeped from 4-10 hours, I find overnight is easiest. After it is done steeping, the plant material is strained and the remaining liquid is drank over the course of the day.

Placing 1 ounce of dried herb, (Susun recommends starting with nettle), into a quart jar, pour boiling water over the herb and then place a lid on the jar. Allow the herb to steep for a minimum of 4 hours to overnight. In the morning strain and enjoy. I have found that my NHI has provided me with the extra energy and umph needed to continue throughout my busy days. Something, even my beloved coffee cannot do for me.

Break Glass in Case of Emergency!

So you may be reading this saying, “that’s all well and good, dear Village Wise Woman, but sometimes I honestly need some extra support and can’t just stop  in the middle of the supermarket and begin meditating.” Well, yeah you could. Or you could just hop on your cart and ride down the aisles, as I have been rumored seen doing (all true, by the way!) Or you could simply reach for one of my dearest plant allies, Motherwort. I really cannot gush enough on my mad love for Motherwort. Motherwort is an anti anxiety, nervine and tonic. In other words, when the day’s stress begins to get to you, Motherwort can bring you back to the quiet and peace. Moreover, if you suffer in any way from PMS I recommend you look into this best beloved of mine. A dropper of tincture, (1ml) in a glass of water will often be all that is needed to calm the nerves and bring peace back into the body.

Last, but in by no means least

I have shared with you the basics of my self care, but I would be remiss if I did not share with you one of the most necessary components to my personal self care.

If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution. ~Emma Goldman

I, like you, am a creative being. Much like a plant wilts without enough water, my soul languishes when I am not creatively engaged in some way. Along with my many enjoyments, weaving, spinning, knitting and sometimes painting and quilting, dancing is what I do and who I am. Along with my plant time, (which is also a creative and spiritual outlet for me) I dance many hours a week and try to dance daily. This year I have begun teaching which has brought me ridiculous amounts of joy and satisfaction! I am a Tribal Belly Dancer and I chose this style of dance because of its focus on women dancing with women celebrating their own special beauty. I highly recommend it! If you cannot get to a class then by all means, blast the music and begin swaying your body and bopping about the house.  This will clear any liver chi stagnation you may be dealing with at the moment and, for sure, put a smile back on your face!

Thank you so much for allowing me to share a bit of myself with you. Happy and joyous Monday!

Please visit me on my blog ,Village Wise Woman http://villagewisewoman.blogspot.com/

References:

http://www.susunweed.com/How_to_make_Infusions.htm

http://bearmedicineherbals.com/