mermaidcamp

mermaidcamp

Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

You can scroll the shelf using ← and → keys

Ancestral Karma

August 16, 2014 — 4 Comments

Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava

The following quote from the famous Dr Carl Jung explains the unconscious inheritance of unsolved and unanswered mysteries from our ancestors.  My intense study of all the branches of my family tree that still bear data leads me to conclude that Dr. Jung was onto something. There are certainly themes that run in families, if not a shared fate.  We have more than our immediate family to thank for the belief system we have been handed.  The religious, cultural, and sociological forces that inspired our ancestors to take action and undertake dangerous missions and travels have not evaporated into thin air. They are passed on as attitudes if not as law.

“I feel very strongly that I am under the influence of things or
questions which were left incomplete and unanswered by my
parents and grandparents and more distant ancestors. It often seems
as if there were an impersonal karma within a family which is
passed on from parents to children. It has always seemed to me
that I had to answer questions which fate had posed to my
forefathers, and which had not yet been answered, or as if I had to
complete, or perhaps continue, things which previous ages had left
unfinished.”~ Dr. Carl Jung , Memories, Dreams, Reflections

I wonder why my addition to my family fortune and mindset will be.  History changes the perception of everything, but when we learn about our ancestors we are instantly on their side, no matter what they were doing.  With few very crazy exceptions I find I am sympathetic with all of my relations in history because I would not be alive if it had not for their ability to survive.  I admire their adventurous natures, and am embarrassed by slaveholding, war mongering, and some elite royal behaviors of my people as they managed to survive.  I identify with them and their struggles, trying to imagine myself alive in much more primitive conditions.  I wonder how I would have managed in heavily religious times, or times of extreme violence and conflict.  Trauma as well as enlightenment is inherited.  Distrust as well as confidence is passed down to the next generation.  Self image as well as ethics are part of the ethical will we are given.  Our national identity contains within it preferences and prejudices that last for many generations.  Can you think of belief systems you have that you never questioned?  Have you ever wondered if the thoughts  in the minds of your family members before your birth have influenced your thinking?  How do you explain the collective consciousness?

Carnivorous Plants

August 15, 2014 — 6 Comments

While the butterfly exhibit is on hold for the summer the Tucson Botanical Gardens has a small but impressive display of flesh eating plants in the tropical greenhouse. It is easier to handle since the USDA does not require full time guards as they do on the butterfly species.  The small and well appointed display teaches us that there are many forms that plants use to lure in insect prey for their food.  We know about some of the obvious styles, like fly trap and pitcher, but the cute little flowers on bladderwort and butterworts are there to attract the insects that will be killed and consumed when stuck to the flypaper type leaves.  The diminutive sundews produce extra sticky dew drops that never release the bug that gets too close.  They are all botanically interesting and some very pretty to see.  Imagine the poor bug’s life ending as it is called to investigate one of these exotic traps.  Survival depends on more than fitness of body.  In the wild we must have the good sense to leave attractive menaces alone.

Vitex Agnus Castus

August 12, 2014 — 1 Comment

 

Vitex is a tree with powerful medicinal uses. It stimulates and normalizes the pituitary gland, regulating progesterone.  It can produce opposite effects at different times and in different subjects, which is known as an amphoteric remedy.  As a hormone balancer it is used for menopausal changes as well as to regulate the body after using birth control pills.  The common names of the plant, chaste tree, or monk’s pepper indicate that it is an anaphrodesiac, but in some circumstances it will act as an aphrodisiac.  The berries and the purple flowers are the parts of the plant most commonly used medicinally.  The berries are brewed as an infusion and drunk 3 times a day, or a tincture is made with alcohol as the carrier agent.  It both looks and smells a little like cannabis, but is not to be smoked.

The vitex agnus castus plant is ornamental and spreads easily by seed.  It likes well drained soil and plenty of sun to do well.   I have two growing in my garden, and a baby that has come up from seed.  I have not thought about selling the fruits and seeds, although when I price the product it makes me wonder if I should.  The herbal remedy has been used for centuries, and today there are many preparations and capsules created using vitex.  Weather you like it for the colorful floral display or for the medicine, vitex is a valuable addition to the garden.

Invasive Species, Rhus Lancea

August 8, 2014 — 7 Comments

Invasive botanical species are like untended social problems. If they are ignored they will take over and eliminate the native species because they are powerful and destructive.  Rhus Lancea is an invasive species that is taking over midtown Tucson.  It was brought here as a landscape plant, but quickly got out of control.  It is a relative of poison ivy, and causes some people to have serious allergic reactions, either respiratory or as a skin rash.  It spreads by producing abundant seeds as well as by spreading underground by suckers.  If there is irrigation water, rhus lancea will be very likely to sprout and grow, taking nutrients and moisture from the native or landscape plants.  Since it develops such a network underground the tree is very difficult to kill.  Cutting it down will not kill it, but will encourage spreading through the roots.  It is like a street gang, very undesirable and hard to eliminate.

I have been thinking about how these invasive plants are like crime.  If everyone ignores crime like tagging, vandalism, and gang activity it sucks the nutrients and value out of the neighborhood.  If drug dealing and other crimes are tolerated they blend into the scene making the whole place less valuable and less safe.  With no awareness, or worse, willful blindness to criminal and anti social activity we can only expect the environment to fill with undesirable behaviors.  We have a vivid illustration of this right outside my front door.  We pay landscaping company to kill our landscaping plants and waste large amounts of water each day.  We (the owners of shares of our HOA)  have just paid to have what was described as a dying mesquite tree removed from our sidewalk.  Since it is not dying and is a rhus lancea, we have paid these gardeners to encourage the growth of all of the children of the tree, that have been left in place.  The stump will probably grow back again too.  If actions we take are based on ignorance we will not arrive at a better situation.  Can you think of situations like this that remind you of government?  Working against our own interests seems to be so common these days.

Food Trip, Austin

July 29, 2014 — 8 Comments

During my visit to Austin I have been on a grand and very festive culinary journey without traveling very much.  I discovered in the first couple of days how little I liked driving in this city.  Traffic is like Southern California, but there is no ocean view.  Knowing that, I investigated all the walkable and easy driving destinations to either buy groceries or enjoy restaurants and food trucks.  The only problem I have had is a complete inability to be hungry enough to eat everything I want to try.  Honestly, I don’t think they tolerate bad food around here.  At least I have not run across any.  This is the highest concentration of foodist festivities I have seen in my life.  I have been to Napa and the Bay area, and do like all the options in New York City.  However, I choose Austin, Texas as my own gourmet destination supreme.  I am here at a good time, with plenty of ripe peaches, figs, melons, peppers, okra, and all garden greens.  There are farmers markets on every day of the week if you choose to go.  Food trucks offer new kinds of fusion cuisine that you could not even imagine.  Naturally barbecue is big, but I don’t eat meat, so I stick to all the smoked veggies, cheese,and condiments.  They even smoke  hummus.  It is the creativity and dedication to pure unadulterated products that makes the difference.  I even tried beers that are 100% naturally fermented with yeast grown on the farm.  I have made some reviews in this blog to guide the gentle readers who might visit, but I would encourage anyone to just follow your nose and the menu that speaks to you.  There is an abundance of quality that will surprise you no matter what you like to eat.

During a museum tour I got hungry and walked out to find a bite to eat.  I went to the drag (Guadalupe) by the campus and was not favorably impressed. The area has become pretty dumpy with graffiti and garbage. This surprised me because next to campus was always a profitable active place for business.  It is now run down, tacky, and did not appeal to me.  I managed to find a restaurant right on the mall on campus operated by UT endowment that was lovely and when I was there, very off-peak.  This place is the best bargain in town. The Carillon Restaurant serves an all you can eat buffet at lunch for $17.00 that includes a 20% tip!!!!  The selection was outstanding, innovative, and prepared with skill and artfulness.  Servers were friendly and attentive, and the ambiance elegant.  All my selections were delicious.  The carrot ginger soup was much creamier ( as in half and half) than my own version which made it almost like a dessert.  The grilled romaine was tasty, as were the many grilled veggies on the buffet.  I splurged on a tiny raspberry tart and chocolate mousse before heading back to the museum.  I think if you only come to town for a day and will only have a chance to try one dining experience The Carillon is the place to go.  Bon Appetite, gentle readers.  Do you have a favorite food place in Austin?  Do tell.

 

Pleasures and Politics of Whole Foods Market

July 24, 2014 — 2 Comments

Whole Foods, the behemoth distributers of the natural lifestyle, started in Austin. A visit to the flagship store is both awesome and creepy. The produce, no matter where you are in the country, comes mostly from California. Right there you have strike one against the concept that by shopping at the store you support happy, healthy, local organic growers. Get real, folks. Whole Foods is responsible to the shareholders of the corporation. Their mission (and their mandate) is to make maximum profit for those shareholders.  I think that is all good.  I do not begrudge any healthy business a healthy profit.  When I enter the door I expect to pay more for what I buy, but I also expect a vast selection and very high quality products.  In history, before the rise of the hipster class, hippies managed the distribution of health food and natural products, often by forming cooperatives.  I was always involved with a coop in my youth.  This meant that you actually had to contribute some kind of labor to the cause.  We saved money on our healthy foods, but most importantly, we provided a source that did not exist in the retail market.  I am still a member of the Food Conspiracy, which I actively helped found in Tucson, but I am also the poster child for the Whole Foods Market customer.  I now have more disposable income and less inclination to organize a group buying effort to obtain what I want.  I am still a hippie, but a lazier one.

This is how I look at the whole picture at Whole Foods.  I do grow food in my garden, prepare many products at home, and shop extensively at farmers’ markets.  I would be pleased if all my food could be obtained locally and make some effort to keep my purchasing power close to home.  I visit my Tucson Whole Foods about 10 times a year for the specific purpose of buying certain items I can only find there, as well as to go on a splurge.  When I arrived in Austin I went directly to the flagship store to buy supplies because I am on a holiday, which implies I will be splurging in any way I please.  I did not travel here to save money.  I am here to enjoy the cultural delights of the city.  I love to be able to buy interesting things I do not find where I live.  The Whole Foods does not disappoint in that regard.  They carry everything from clothing to cosmetics, local brews to baked goods…it is all available for a price.  Speaking of price, I generally ignore the cost and just realize that it is not a place to buy day to day items, but is the ultimate shopping heaven for natural products and foods.  I can’t help but notice that there are three very large skyscrapers being constructed in the vicinity of the store at 12th and Lamar.  I believe they will fill with tenants very quickly when they are finished simply because of the proximity to all that highly sought after merchandise.  This is what they call the trickle down effect, I think.  Money will trickle down from those buildings right into the Whole Foods cash registers.  Bon Appetite.

Calamondin

July 14, 2014 — 6 Comments

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

calamondin

One of the generous citrus trees in my garden is the calamondin. It bears fruit for many months which are useful and tasty.   It is odd to have such a large crop in the middle of summer, but we had a very unusual winter in Arizona.  The tree is loaded with ripe and green fruit in the middle of July, so we can expect to have fresh fruit until September.  The tree comes from Asia where it is popular in Indonesian and other cuisines.  It has medicinal as well as culinary applications.  My next door neighbor is from Viet Nam.  She told me they dry the peels in salt, which is later used as a remedy for sore throat.  Other known medicinal uses include as a cure for constipation.  Be advised about this one.  We prepared a drink with water, honey and calamondin juice for my mom to drink on a car trip.  She enjoyed it so much that she polished off a quart, which gave her a bad case of the runs.  Moderation is important when you try the juice.  I have made infused vodka just by soaking the fruits in it, which turns out very well also.

I have started making bitters.  I have mad a batch of peach and one of apricot, both made from our own trees.  The taste is interesting, whether you cook with it, drink it as a flavoring in fizzy water, or use it in cocktails.  I am experimenting with new combinations, using a book to guide me about the proportions.  Next I will whip up a batch of calamondin bitters, for which I am slightly altering the recipe the book gives for lime bitters.  I think this will be a delicious way to make use of calamondin’s tart and unique taste.  A little bit of bitters imparts big flavor to food and drinks.  I adore the taste of limes, but the crop failed in Mexico this year and prices are sky high.  Calamondin makes a pretty substitute.  They can often be found in Asian markets if they don’t grow near your home.  You can make simple syrups, bitters, or just juice the fruit fresh in cocktails. Here are some cocktail ideas to get your creativity started:

Rue

July 11, 2014 — 12 Comments

 

When the Pope sprinkles holy water he dips it in a branch of rue. Ruta graveolens is used medicinally as well as ceremonially.  In ancient Rome there were celebratory foods prepared with rue.  It is poisonous in large amounts and should not be consumed by pregnant women at all.  There is a homeopathic remedy that is very popular made with this plant.  Mexican folk medicine prescribes leaves of the plant stuck directly into the ear to cure an earache.  In gardening it is prized for its ability to repel insects from the area where it grows, making it a very good companion.  I grow it at the back of my garden by the gate because it is a protector plant.  It repels any unwanted attention, human, insect, or otherworldly.

The prophet Mohammed blessed this herb and none other.  Early Christians used it to  exorcise evil spirits.  During the Middle Ages it was hung in the doorway to repel evil, the plague, and witches.  Italians had a custom of adorning a silver amulet shaped like the top of  rue plant, a cimaruta, with symbols of fertility.  This magical charm was used to protect the user against the evil eye.  Medicinal uses as well as magical ones have been recorded for centuries, but the way I like to use it is in the bath.  Make a sachet of rue and create a strong tea in the bathtub by brewing in very hot water for 10 minutes or so before adding water to hit the bath temperature you desire.  To add an extra helping of magic to this bath I spread honey on my face and leave it on while I soak in the tub.  After rinsing the face feels very soft and the entire body, as well as the aura, is clean and clear.  These baths are great before a meditation session or a creative project.  Clearing and protecting are positive ways to influence your moods, your focus, and your ability to rest and relax.  If you need protection from evil, or just from too much stress, try a rue bath.

Artemis, Goddess of Discernment

July 8, 2014 — 5 Comments

Artemis is an independent spirit, choosing solitary activities.  She is a hunter who feels at home in the woods and with nature. Her social life is limited, and she remains single.  She loves a group women who are  her companions, all sworn to chastity.  These are the original wild women, happy in the forrest, hunting and living in accord with natural rhythm.  The story of Callisto illustrates how seriously Artemis took the privacy and chastity of her followers.  Artemis’ own father Zeus seduced Callisto and made her pregnant.  When Artemis discovered the pregnancy she changed Callisto into a bear.

Her protective nature makes her the guardian of childbirth and children.  She is Apollo’s twin sister.  It is said that she was born first, then assisted in the birth of her brother the sun god.  Her strength and confidence come from her powers of discernment.  Hunters learn the ways of the prey in order to be successful in a hunt.  Artemis  is physical prowess and natural instinct combined in a strong feminine being.  Her positive force is derived from loving herself without reservation.  She is not influenced by the opinions of others, and rarely condescends to take part in arguments.  She has abilities to discern the motives of those around her.  She is happy, free, and physically in tune with nature.  Her fitness and poise come from a life of natural exertion.  She has enough self confidence to protect, inspire and enlighten others.

To get in touch with Artemis use the herb Artemisia vulgaris.  It can be purchased as essential oil, although a good quality oil is hard to find of this herb.  Use it very sparingly because the oil is very potent.  It needs to be diluted with a carrier oil like jojoba.  On full or new moons the Artemis energy is high because she is a moon goddess.  Inhaling the scent or using the diluted oil on the temples of the head increases the connection to the magical huntress.  Choose a meditation or journaling exercise that invites animals into your imagination.  By setting a scene, perhaps a lake, or a shady spot, in your mind’s eye, wait to see the wildlife that comes into the picture.  Notice if the animals are healthy or seem stressed.  Just observe what they do, how they act, and what you think they desire.  By going deeper into these images you will make a connection with the Artemis in you.  Follow her instincts.  Her refined intuition makes a wonderful guide through the woods of life.

Flying Leap Vineyards Tasting Room

July 4, 2014 — 3 Comments

 

I had just learned about the #TucsonEatsLocal challenge from the Food Conspiracy when I ran into Cindy as she was about to open the Flying Leap Vineyards tasting room. I decided to step in and taste 6 Arizona wines. The quality has improved over the years, but I have been waiting for Arizona wines to really get good. There is excellent news….they have!! I enjoyed spending time focused on these very well balanced and delicious wines. I tasted:

  • 2012 Verdelho- a white crisp and floral wine produced from Portuguese grapes
  • 2013 Grenache Rose- a rose with more body and complexity than usual fruity, yet dry
  • 2011 Monsoon Red-an alchemical accidental miracle meritage created when they bought a winery, including wines in progress
  • 2009 Sangiovese- aged in oak to create a light and figgy flavor
  • 2011 Head over Heels- a complex meritage with a wide range of high notes and low notes- big vertical drop in flavor
  • 2010 Cabernet Savignon- a smooth and velvety version of this varietal classic
  • 2011 Tempranillo- a rich bright taste profile

All of the wines pleased me in their own way.  The reds, which are really my favorite, had unusually broad flavors.  They could all be drunk by themselves for enjoyment, but would bring out extra pleasure and flavor if enjoyed with food.  I like the idea that our local wineries produce a wide variety of superb wines.  The Flying Leapers will soon break ground in Elgin on a distillery.  That is the new frontier in Arizona, distilled spirits.  We are returning to our roots, and in a very tasty way.  If you are in Tucson and want to sample wine from Arizona I encourage you to drop by the Flying Leap and take a leap into flavor town.