Raw cacao beans After bonding with the cacao plant while in Panama and Costa Rica last Winter, I have a new respect for this plant. I write about it a good bit in my blog on a savory mole sauce. Of what I understand, in this area of the world, cacao was reserved for ceremony, … Continue reading
Kumbha Moon and Setting Intentions
About four years ago now, I left my place of residence, San Francisco, which had been my home for 7 years. I took a leap of faith and spent a lot of time listening to my heart and my body. My first stop was to Big Sur, California, to spend time at the Tassajara Zen … Continue reading
Seasonal Intelligence 2013
Here we go again! — the *second* run of my Seasonal Intelligence on-line course — where I guide you through the seasons of the temperate world. We’ll explore herbs, yoga, meditation, foraging, traditional food preparation and the basics of the five-element Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) system. Each month, from March to January (with the exception … Continue reading
What we know we must become
“If you bring forth that which is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” ~ Gospel of St. Thomas This pounding, persisting story That will break through the period mark At the end of … Continue reading
Recent Interview with Project Illum
Recently, I was interviewed by Project Illum, a team working to create an eco-healing retreat center in a the village of Jafre in Spain. They inquired about the nature of my work and what I wish to see in a project of that scale. I posted this interview here, on my blog, as I thought … Continue reading
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
This native evergreen shrub of the Mediterranean is one of the few herbs still bedazzling the garden in the somber Winter months. In Mississippi, where I live, I have to make sure not to crowd the crown of the roots or have debris touching the lower branches as the humidity will tend to rot the … Continue reading
Holy Mo-lay (Mole)
Cacao pods and cacao beans in their raw form For many years I have been a chocolate devotee. Fortunately, as I have aged, I have learned the deeper layers to this amazing plant ally. What started as a young addiction to over-sugared Cadbury eggs has now turned into a full-fledged reverence for the cacao tree … Continue reading
Zucchini Quinoa Pancakes with Sorghum-Rose Water Syrup
Zucchini growing (notice the flowers at the end of the fruit) While reading Dr. Natasha’s book called “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” (a great manifesto on the gut-mind connection and how the healing of the gut can remedy autism, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, and a host of other things), I found a great recipe for a grain-free … Continue reading
Long-lost, Long-leaf: The Return of a Forgotten Forest?
An old-growth stand of Long-leaf pine (Florida?) She was 92 million acres total before the early European colonizers began to cut her trees down or to tap into her resin for turpentine and rosen. She stretched from coastal Virginia to Florida and from Florida to Texas. What is left of her, you may ask — … Continue reading
Eat Dirt
That’s right… Eat dirt. No, you’re not in some John Wayne western all of a sudden…where we are facing each other, standing off with a hand on our gun and snarling… No, it’s not a threat. It’s a health tip. I’m talking about the good stuff — soil. In the year 2000, right before I … Continue reading
