Health

The Richness of Energetic Boundaries

deeproots Leave a comment

Register Here

You know that sensation when you are in a big box store that feels draining and overwhelming? Or when someone nearby is caught up in high emotion and you find yourself feeling agitated or taking on their emotions?

When I was a baby practitioner, back in 2004, I asked one of my instructors why my jaw was hurting when I was working on somebody whose main issue was jaw pain. Raised in the midwest, this was a confusing concept to me – the realm of the invisible was beyond my understanding. Her response to me was simply, “You are very sensitive, you must be careful.” That was the only thing anybody in my training said to me about the awareness of energetic fields or boundaries. There was no more acknowledgement of what they were or how to be in my own space to not absorb the energies of the others around me. This began my journey into self education, discovery, and collecting of tools and resources over the years.

I imagine that I am not alone in this experience, that there are many others who have been discovering their own energetic fields and how they intersect with other fields around them and how to bolster their own boundaries, whether they are practitioners in energy work or simply (never simply) sensitive individuals.

In this process, I have found ways to access a core strength, that settles sensations of overwhelm, or clears agitation and anxiety from my body. I have learned how to tune into different levels and aspects of my energy field, how to clear places of stagnation, or strengthen places that are weak. I have learned to tune into cords that are attaching to me and how to tune into cords that I am sending out to others and how to reel them back in.

For several years, I have envisioned bringing others together, to

  • share resources that I have collected in my 20+ years of practice
  • share our experiences of learning and discovering
  • be curious together
  • gain resources from our collective wisdom together, building our collective tool kits

And so, I present a four part workshop and gathering circle to do exactly this, starting at the end of January, meeting once a month. Each gathering we’ll do a guided meditation, tuning into a different aspect of the energy realms to clear our fields. We’ll have time for sharing our stories, asking into our curiosities and holding the space of questions together, and have time to share what resources others have found helpful in their own journeys.

Register Here

I look forward to what the collective brings together in our alchemy of gathering.

Blessings,
In the flow,
Lucy

Cozy Soup Weather

deeproots Leave a comment

Transition into colder weather is a perfect time to move away from the fresh fruits and veggies of the summer and fall. This is a time for the root vegetables and the winter squashes that hold the nourishment of the earth well through the winter months. Soups are easy to digest, increasing your net gain from the food, spending less time on warming up cold food and breaking down raw food. Along with mindful eating practices, like breathing between bites, savoring each mouthful, avoiding eating on the run or while doing other things, are all beautiful ways to increase your vitality through food.

Enjoy this sweet potato chowder and all the variations your creative palette desires. Prepared as written, it is a delicious vegan meal. You can choose a protien of your choice and see what kind of dish it becomes. I’ve had it with pinto beans or chicken added. I’ve had it blended and not blended.

Sweet Potato Chowder

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium celery stalks, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 to 3 medium potatoes), peeled and diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering.
  2. Add the onion and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft and tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
  3. Turn on some favorite music, do a little dance party.
  4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  5. Add the sweet potatoes, coriander, paprika, sage, salt, and pepper; stir to combine; and cook for 1 minute.
  6. Stretch, breathe, drink some tea, scritch the cat behind the ears.
  7. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
  8. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
  9. Transfer about 2 cups of the soup, broth, and vegetables to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Stir the purée back into the soup and serve immediately.
  10. Curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket and enjoy your blanket forts.

Blessings in nourishment!

Lucy

Haiku for this season

deeproots Leave a comment

Once upon a time, I had a practice of writing a daily haiku. It was a form of returning to the present, capturing a snapshot of moment, and cultivating mindfulness.

These days, I’ve been writing seasonal haikus. Here’s one dedicated to the fall equinox.

sap rise & sap fall
as sap returns deep within
I drink sun, rain, wind

Blessings,

Lucy

Spring Renewal – Bursting Forth in Spring

deeproots Leave a comment

With the arrival of sun and warmth, flowers and trees are bursting into bloom, leaves are starting to unfold, and migratory birds are returning to the neighborhood. All around us, we can see the energy of Spring: rapid growth, movement, and change.

One of my assignments in acupuncture school was to sit outside for 15 minutes every day for a week. During that time, I honed my observational skills, while watching the changes in the season on a more subtle level. Watching how our health is a) affected by the change in seasons, and b) what the change in season is like inside each of us has always fascinated me.

As the leaves on the maples and the other trees start to unfold this week, the world is looking brighter, cleaner, and softer. The rain and warmth from the sun helps to wash the

Continue reading →

Winds of Spring

deeproots Leave a comment

The yoyo days of spring are here. Temperatures are fluctuating madly – one day in the 70s, another day in the 20s. These dramatic changes in weather bring along powerful, cleansing winds that pick up the remaining dregs and collected debris of winter and blow it away. The drastic temperature fluctuations influence the rising sap of the trees. Sap for syrup flows most strongly when, on a cold night, the sap sinks back down into the roots, preparing to flow more strongly the next day as the temperatures rise again. The more fluctuation in temperature, the more sap flows and the more sweetness can be gathered.

How does the sap flow in you during this season? Is it flowing well, bringing energy, vision, and creative growth? Or are you feeling stagnant and stuck? Frustration,

Continue reading →

Dreaming for Groundhog’s Day

deeproots Leave a comment

The beginning of February is the turning of the corner between Winter & Spring. We are exactly midway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox this week. From here on out, it may still feel like we are in the grips of deep winter, but the return of light starts to speed up, as we gain a couple extra minutes of sunlight each day. Check out this chart for time of sunrise and sunset and change in day length for your region.

So what does this have to do with our health? Our bodies respond to the sunlight and promise of warming days just as the plants do outside. As our own sap starts to run and circulate, we become aware of the sludge that has accumulated through the winter months.

Continue reading →

Have You Been Hibernating?

deeproots Leave a comment

It was a cold day – below zero first thing in the morning and in the single digits later in the day. The sun was stubbornly hiding behind a dense layer of low hanging, steely-grey clouds. I painfully pulled myself out of bed and made it out of the house to each of my commitments that day, but not without a struggle and a grumble all day long.

“What am I doing out and about?!” my body screamed at me – “This is the time for hibernation! Go back to bed already!” I laughed it off and continued on with my day with a light hearted grumpiness.

But that part of me had a point.

Continue reading →

The Oath of the Acupuncturist

deeproots Leave a comment

As a graduate of the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture,
as a practitioner and ongoing student of this medicine,
as modeled by my teachers and mentors,

I promise to follow the way of the great physician.
I will serve to live in harmony with nature and
teach my patients to do the same.

I will stay calm and completely committed while treating.
I will not give way to personal wishes and desires,
but above all else hold and nurture a deep feeling of compassion.

I will be devoted to the task of seeing people
not only as they present themselves in illness,
but as they would be in perfect health and balance.

The goal of my treatments will be helping people live
in full discovery of their true nature,
unique in body, mind, and spirit.

I will cultivate the virtues of the Five Elements:
benevolence, propriety, integrity, appreciation, and wisdom.

I will strive to maintain a clear mind and be willing
to hold myself to the highest standards.

I will not be boastful about my skills and
not driven by greed for material things.

Above all, I will keep an open heart.
As I move on the right path,
I will look forward to great happiness as my reward.

(adapted from The Great Physician by Sun Simiao 581-682)