Health and Wellness with Allison

Mercury in Retrograde (October 4 - 25) Mercury is known as the Rule of Communication . It’s symbol is formed by the circle of Spirit resting between the crescent of Soul and the cross of Matter. Mercury's symbol shows that woman can creatively express herself by understanding how to unite and integrate Spirit, Soul and Matter in to her life. Her ability to express herself depends on her perception , which is also under Mercury's domain. Mercury is used to experience the Soul, express the Spirit, and fulfill one's body. Each person is different with his or her perception and creative expression. How do you see the world? With a Soulful lens, in which you see the Divine Essence in all things? From the Spirit, where you see shapes, colors, lights? Or from the body where you see the world as physical or material? Every individual is able to see the world from all of 3 of these perspectives, but many choose ...

Life Lessons from the Waxing Moon First Quarter to Full Moon are the Waxing phases of the Moon. Light covers more than have of the surface of the Moon and increases steadily during this time. Have you ever noticed that the moon seems to get full fast during this time? This phase of the moon represents the personality of the ego. During this phases of the Moon, you may feel like "blocked" or "stuck" because you are up against an obstacle(s) in life. The Moon represents the subconscious and gives us an opportunity to see what is hidden in our shadow. The experience of facing an obstacle is amplified right now by Pluto in Direct  (a time when our unseen desires surface) and with the recent change of seasons to Fall (the Autumn Equinox is known in esoteric circles as the Great Death a time when our fears are brought to light and we have to Let Go of old ways that no longer serve us). Both happenings dig up "stuff" from depths of our soul so we have a l...

When Pluto was in retrograde (April 14 - September 21), transformational energies were working behind the scenes. But now, Pluto has moved in to direct (as of September 22) and our deep desires and hidden secrets are revealed to us . This is an auspicious time for personal transformation . Pluto helps us to see our need for change rather than being forced into the process by others. We encouraged to honestly ask ourselves: What in my life needs to change? And we are empowered to surrender, not to give up, but to Let Go of the old ways of doing things . Pluto represents the underworld and makes us confront our fears and the dark (not necessarily bad) side of ourselves. Sometimes what we fear the most can be our best medicine; so allow the Truth to surface! See your relationships (to people, money, and time) in a new light. Ask yourself: What relationships serve me, and which ones do not? Pluto can help you reclaim your personal power. Pluto represents Inner Earth - th...

The New Moon is an auspicious time for purification. My personal ritual practice around the New Moon is to set an intention to Let Go of habits, behaviors, thoughts that no longer serve my higher purpose to create more space within me for my Higher Self/Spirit/Creator to shine brighter and take up more space in my life. For this New Moon, I created salt scrubs to symbolize the physical purification of this intention.   The New Moon is also a great time to start a project. I made an herbal body oil for emotional balance. The oil (made with dried and ground artemisia, white sage, rosemary, olive oil and love!) will sit on my windowsill for one week. The oil will soak up the sun and moon energy for healing and will be opened with the First Quarter Moon.  Salt Scrubs salt scrubs are very easy to make! you will need body salt (i recommend Dead Sea salt) and essential oil (I used Child of Eternity essential oil - a combination of 7 plants: artemisia, whi...

Mugwort ( artemisia douglasiana) guides a person in healing through their dreams. This Dream Sage herb relieves stress, depression and insomnia, curbs overeating, balances chemicals in the body, and enhances dreams. Mugwort is a powerful herb. It takes time to build a relationship with this plant and to understand its medicine. There are two ways that I take mugwort:  Burning some of the mugwort or Drinking a tea of mugwort with cinnamon. I find that the smoke affects my dreams more, and the tea makes me feel more relaxed. When I use mugwort to influence my dreams, I ask the plant a question before I light the bundle. Asking the plant a question before I go to bed, sets my intention and helps me to better understand my dream in the morning. When I burn mugwort, my dreams are very vivid, somewhat dark, and I wake up tired. (Drinking the tea calms my mind and relaxes my body and affects my dreams but in a subtler way). Mugwort helps me to heal through dreaming. The plant'...

My appreciation for Basil has grown to the next level! As an apprentice with Lucky Six Farms , I am learning how to work with plants and experiencing their healing properties (aromatherapy). And I have recently graduated to distilling herbs for hydrosol and essential oil - yay! This past week I helped distill artemisia californica (sage brush) and basil.  I am using  Basil hydrosol to alleviate my back pain and Basil essential oil to relax the very tight muscles in my jaw.   Before I explain the benefits of Basil hydrosol and essential oil and how to use it, let me tell you what hydrosol and essential oil is.  Hydrosol is "flower water." Hydrosol is extracted from all of the water soluable constituents in the botanical material (flowers and leaves). Hydrosol is much less concentrated than essential oil but has a variety of complex plant components that are never found in essential oil.   Hydrosols are great to use in baths, as facial to...

artemisia californica (california sage brush) is a plant for healing.  The Chumash used artemisia as medicine and in sacred ceremonies. The plant is native to Southern California and Mexico but is also found in Northern California along the coast. I first met artemisia while on a school assignment: I was to find a plant and talk with it. I actually found this amazing plant by walking straight into it! I expected to be scratched by doing so, but instead, was welcomed by a sweet minty smell and gentle embrace. A bush of  artemisia appears dry, but in fact the plant is very soft. I wrote later in my paper that I felt I had (re)met an old friend :) Yesterday was my first experience distilling artemisa with Master Medicine Woman Monica ;) from Lucky Six Farms , and I am so happy with the results! The essential oil and hydrosol capture the plant's healing properties and both are perfect additions to your aromatherapy collection. artemisia californica can help ...