A Golden Light In The Darkness
(Originally posted as a newsletter 6/2/20. If you are not signed up for my newsletters, signup here!
Photo Credit: Victoria Desmond
Hello Friends!
Touching base today to say hello and offer you a healing recipe, the newest video in the Plant Medicine Series, and to share with you some of my upcoming offerings. I am sending lots of love and green blessings your way!
This week I'd like to highlight the wonderfully ubiquitous "weed" that for too long has had a bad reputation, and endures being poisoned regularly, but that in reality has so much to offer people that many of us love her very much!
Our friend Taraxacum officinale, commonly known as Dandelion, is edible and medicinal from the flower to the root.
Dandelion, that little ball of sunshine, can brighten up any day!
In fact, I say she brings light into dark places and can assist us whenever stuck emotions are clogging us up emotionally or physically.
Among her many gifts, she relieves pain, moves lymph, and improves our elimination.
She has great medicine for the spirit and the body; and there is no better time than right now to take care to nourish and nurture your whole self.
Taken internally, dandelion leaves offer potent medicine for the kidneys, help to regulate blood sugar and blood pressure, and provide more calcium, iron and Vitamin A (in the form of Beta-carotene) than spinach; this little weed is a workhorse!
Her long tap root draws up minerals from the earth and gets our livers into better working order. Use the leaves and/or root as a tincture, as a vinegar, on salads or cook up the flowers as fritters!
Dandelion medicine is as diverse as it is delicious!
The younger leaves will be less bitter than older ones,
but a little bit of bitter can go a long way ...
the bitter flavor enhances both our assimilation and elimination.
And you know what? Bitter medicines and foods decrease depression
and improve one's mood.
That is physical, but the metaphor it makes me think of is that it is vital to our happiness to realize and accept that life includes the bitter along with the sweet.
It's unrealistic to think otherwise, and thinking life should only be sweet, depresses us. Life is whole and complex, as we are, and offers us everything we need in order to evolve and become the joyful beings we are meant to be!
Here is a simple, tasty, and healthy recipe from "The Gift of Healing Herbs"
BITTER DELIGHT - VARIATION I
1 cup red or yellow onion
2 cups fresh dandelion greens
Olive oil - cold pressed - to taste
Wheat-free tamari - to taste
Shiitake vinegar - to taste
water to fill pot an inch deep
• Dice the onions and saute them in olive oil until they are translucent and soft.
• Tear up about 2 cups of dandelion greens and cook them very well (until tender) in about an inch or so of boiling water.
• Stir them, along with whatever cooking water is left, into the sauteed onions.
• Add olive oil and season to taste with liberal splashes of tamari and shiitake vinegar.
• Stir well and serve. Can be eaten alone or as a side dish.
We've posted a great new video on my YouTube channel (where you will find a second variation of the above recipe).
Plant medicine is a precious gift that has been embraced in all cultures, and passed down through generations. I am delighted to share what I've learned, with deep gratitude to all of our ancestors who lovingly held this knowledge
and passed it along.
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ON-LINE OFFERINGS
Join me online Saturday, June 20th as we explore herbal medicine for summertime, and share in a juicy Summer Solstice ritual!
A Green Witch Approach to Herbal Medicine and Summer Solstice
AND
Herbs, Ritual and Sacred Ceremony
Do you long to find ritual practices to help you become more centered in your authentic self? Meaningful ritual is vital to our healing.
Join me in this series of 3 weekly classes through the NY Open Center.
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IN-PERSON OFFERING
(we will adapt to online if need be)
August 28 - 30
"Turn the World Around" - A Weekend of Spiritual Activism
Held at the beautiful, private Blueberry Point in West Milford, NJ
This weekend we will engage in activist ritual magic together,
focused on birthing healing and justice in our world.
We will strengthen ourselves in community and bring joy to our hearts,
which gives us the juice we need to be activists in our lives,
in our communities, and in our beloved world.
For more information, visit my website and email me.
Green Blessings,
Robin Rose
~*~