Edible Landscaping Secrets

I get so many questions from people about permaculture, edible landscaping, Robinhood roses, and “permaculture in pots” that I thought I’d list some of the top things I’ve discovered here. This is by no means a comprehensive post — just sharing some of the beauty and a handful of general tips. (If you would like personal assistance with your own situation, this month’s Property Reading Special can include that.)

Combine Flowers with Veggies:

One of the easiest ways to sneak edibles into a “regular” landscape is to intermingle them with flowers. Passersby will notice the blooms but not the edible. This purple iris and columbine camouflage purple and green radicchio. The taller, vibrant plants distract critters from the radicchio, while the lower radicchio covers the soil and keeps it from drying out so fast. The radicchio is so well hidden that I forgot it was even there, until I found it un-nibbled and happy in the slight shade provided by the purple maple and taller flowers:

Even trickier, you can plant edible flowers like nasturtiums, violets, hibiscus, borage, and roses. Many herbs like sage and lavender flower as part of their life cycle, and squash blossoms are not only beautiful but delicious!

Consider Color:

Many vegetables come in unusual colors beyond what you find in the grocery store. Sources like Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds specialize in rare and colorful varieties of garden classics. Even standards like red chard can play nicely with coordinated snapdragons and pansies like we have approaching our front door:

Consider the Critters:

Regular readers of this blog know that we have a groundhog. Our neighbor tells me that in 25 years of living here, his shed and our shed have never not had a groundhog, so learning to coexist seems not only compassionate but wise. I’ve learned our groundhog’s patterns — and they do tend to be creatures of habit. While “ours” darts across the front yard like a jackrabbit, I’ve only once caught it munching on some non-hidden radicchio. A good scare and some spray like “Expel” has worked well to discourage this one from exploring the front beds again.

In addition to groundhogs, we’ve got raccoons, skunks, squirrels, possum, voles, cats, and occasional deer, but our most regular visitor is the groundhog who suns itself in our fully fenced backyard. At first glance, you’d expect a garden to be more secure within the fencing; however, our backyard is — and according to our neighbor long has been — groundhog territory. Knowing this, I plant only groundhog resistant plants back there. That sounds limiting, but we’ve got lots of variety, including edibles and pollinator treats.

The yellow irises and purple clematis came with the house, but I planted catmint, sedum, lavender, beebalm, dianthus, lilies, cosmos, liatris, peppermint and magenta yarrow (in pots), garden sage (now blooming), blue delphinium, another clematis, stinging nettles (in a large plastic pot, on top of concrete slabs) and sweet William in and around this existing bed:

Behind our shed, I’ve got another large sized Big Bag Bed filled with garlic, which nobody but people eat! I also researched other edibles that critters tend to leave alone, but I’ll discuss those in the next tip.

Smart Pot Permaculture:

Some people claim that “permaculture in pots” is an oxymoron, since the “perma” part of the word stands for “permanent.” How can pots be permanent? It depends how long you consider “permanent.” I contained some thriving chocolate mint in a Big Bag Bed in Goshen, and my own experiments show that blueberry bushes grow 5x faster in Smart Pots than in the ground. I like the fabric pots, because they aerate the roots, make blueberry bark less convenient for winter bunny feasts, and because I can easily control the soil acidity and moisture. I’ve found that a very low growing thyme (sorry, I forget the variety) companion planted at the base of the blueberry bushes slows evaporation and further deters any nibblers:

To the left, above, you can also see rhubarb in a 20-gallon fabric pot. I wasn’t sure how the rhubarb would do, but after the first year, the two potted rhubarbs look stronger and bushier than the one I planted in the ground. These fabric pots have allowed me to begin an edible hedge in front of our existing hedge, saving me the massive toil of tearing out privet, honeysuckle, hydrangea and more. Now, we have one black and one wild elderberry shrub, two rhubarbs, two blueberry bushes, and two aronia berry bushes with strawberries as groundcover. Knock on wood(chuck), so far the groundhog and everything else have left these alone.

Up front, 10- and 20-gallon Smart Pots and Big Bag Beds have allowed me to plant around existing trees and behind (and uphill from) our existing mailbox flower bed without damaging roots or risking road contamination of soil. The ruby red chard, bee balm and catmint in those beds add color and structure to the inedible roadside garden begun by someone 30 years ago.

We’ve got heavy, clay soil here, and as mentioned in a previous post, some upcoming large scale yard changes due to mandatory sewer conversion and possible sidewalks. Using fabric pots has allowed me to get started without needing to wait for all the answers on what will go where. At some point, I might plant fruit trees or shrubs in the ground. On the other hand, I’ve had very good success with Smart Pots. I might continue to use them even in a more permanent landscape, knowing that future owners of this house might not want all the edibles.

If we move somewhere else (hopefully not anytime soon!), I could take this garden with me and just reseed the grass. In that sense, the fabric pots make a garden more permanent to me than the in ground plants and trees I left behind in Goshen. Permaculture stands for “permanent agriculture” and “permanent culture.” For renters or homeowners who want freedom to experiment sooner rather than later, as well as keeping more permanent plant and tree companions, “permaculture in pots” opens doorways kept closed by only planting in the ground.

Use Plant Nannies for Smart Pots:

My trick for establishing perennial veggies or shrubs in Smart Pots or other fabric pots is to use a Plant Nanny for the first year. Fill up a leftover wine or San Pelligrino bottle with regular water and stick that plant nanny into wet soil as far as it will go. This keeps the soil moist below surface level, and you can refill as needed. The fabric pots are great once roots establish, but you want those roots to grow large ASAP. I consider the Plant Nannies an essential component of my Smart Pot success.

Treat Yourself:

My husband loves orange daylilies — the ones that spread across highway ditches and lawns. Containers make good sense for something that takes more work to dig out than to establish. I always plant orange daylilies wherever he first returns home. In this case, you can see their greens peeking out behind dianthus and in front of chamomile:

You might also notice I’ve clustered three similar light brown pots together. The eye loves groupings of three, five or seven in the garden. Here, I’ve got two fifteen gallon pots full of (totally edible) daylilies, companion planted with various herbs and summer blooming flowers. The larger pot behind holds a determinate tomato with a green cage that blends nicely with the forsythia (out of frame, to the right). That potted tomato already has tomatoes growing, along with many blooms. I could not normally plant in that area for a variety of reasons, but the pots will give David a happy welcome home after work, plus herbs and food.

Find Good Resources:

People always ask where they can purchase Robinhood Roses, since I remain in love with our Goshen hedge. I bought mine from Direct Gardening, but I can only recommend that company with HUGE caveats. Yes, they are cheap. They have that going for them, but in most cases, you get what you pay for. If you order from them, realize that you’ll have no idea when they ship anything to you, and at least half your order will probably arrive moldy or dead. Robinhood Roses are tough as nails, though, so I (and others) have had great success with these, despite their poor beginning.

I’ve also had reasonable success with Direct Gardening’s cold hardy gladiolus — often difficult to find anywhere besides a company that also turns out to be Direct Gardening even if it looks otherwise. The five-way dwarf apple tree I ordered in Goshen did live and produce fruit, but for that one tree, I lost at least six other shrubs and trees from them.

Their return or refund policy is very sketchy. If you order from them retain EVERYTHING, including the original envelope and list included when you received your plants. You need to follow their directions to a T in order to get anything refunded or replaced, and even then, they make it so inconvenient that most of the time I just let things go. Although a few other things have lived over the years, after last year’s experience with them, I vowed that the only living things I’ll ever order from them again are Robinhood Roses and cold hardy gladiolus … which, if anything, should tell you just how much I love those plants!

The good online sources I’ve found include Raintree Nursery and Stark Bro’s, both of which ship very high quality, bareroot in Spring and Fall. Raintree specializes in permaculture friendly plants and trees, so if you want unusual edibles, they’re a great resource. Stark Bro’s have been around since 1816, so buying from them puts you in touch with American history, as well as a caring group of people. I love both of those companies and have had nothing but excellent experiences with them.

If, however, you’re an impatient CPL (Crazy Plant Lady) like I most certainly am … sometimes you want a fruit tree and you want it now! If that sounds like you, then I recommend Fast-Growing-Trees, because they ship in pots. This allowed me to receive and plant a dwarf cherry tree, two blueberry bushes, a Meyer lemon and an avocado tree — all in the scorching heat of summer. You’ll pay more for this convenience, but you’ll also receive fruit a couple years sooner with an established root system. My avocado and Meyer lemon didn’t love our indoor conditions, but our cherry tree produced the very next year.

For perennials, I’ve had wonderful success with Bluestone Perennials and Breck’s. I usually (but not always) have good success with American Meadows. We’ll see how their customer service is; I just put in a claim. If you can find a local nursery, you can assess the health of your plants before purchase, as well as save them from the vicissitudes of shipping. I love supporting local nurseries, natural food co-ops, and the farmers market, and don’t forget local gardeners as a resource! Many perennials need regular division. If you admire someone’s garden, tell them. They’ll probably offer you some starts or root cuttings, and if they don’t, just ask. Gardeners LOVE to talk about their gardens. In the world of gardening, flattery gets you very far.

There’s something about the joy of plants that brings people together. Whether edible, beautiful or edible-beauty, flower power and plant wisdom offer ways forward in a dreary world. Instead of bemoaning the state of our nation or the state of our environment, consider starting very local, like your yard or your neighborhood. You’ll be so very glad you did.

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/30/edible-landscaping-secrets/

Where Were You in December 1994?

Today’s post comes from a series of recent dreams, along with some surprising follow-up that came through in last week’s intuitive coaching sessions. When exploring this dream information brought forth key moments in clients’ and friends’ lives, I began researching the astrology of late 1994 and found some potent alignments. Since this seems to be part of a larger pattern, I thought I’d share some of the dream and discoveries here.

I have always been a huge dreamer, both awake and asleep. My painted portal doors and “Schizandra and the Gates of Mu” all came through dreams, and dreams have guided my most important decisions since childhood. In fact, my waking life includes so many overt signs, symbols and surreal instant manifesations that it often feels more dreamlike than not. I set an intention before going to sleep one night last week, asking to find the most relevant time period that would answer my question.

I expected to land somewhere in May 1998 around the time of my traumatic brain injury, but the dream went further back to December 1994 — specifically, Christmas Break 1994. I had wisdom tooth surgery from which the doctors could not get me to return from anesthesia. The surgery itself was difficult, too, only removing my left, impacted wisdom teeth instead of the planned all four because those left ones took so much longer than anticipated. When I did not wake up, they called my dad into the room to let him know the next emergency steps. Apparently, I didn’t like the sound of those, because I woke up when they mentioned machines and coma.

Or at least, part of me woke up.

My recent dream revealed that another, very powerful part of me, remains dreaming in December 1994. This part accounts for the surreal way my life unfolds, including any fiction I write manifesting itself in “real” life. I considered that time period in my life and soon recognized it as the real crossroads that eventually led to my TBI.

A strange thing happened in sessions, though: on a hunch, I asked clients and friends what kind of decision points or life situations began to unfold in December 1994 and found that this period had heightened significance for many more people than just me. It seems a timeline rift occurred between late December 1994 and Summer 1995. Some people utilized that time to make huge, positive shifts in their lives, which put them directly onto their current life path. Others saw that time period as the beginning of a downward spiral leading directly to last week’s dilemmas.

My own exploration of that six months proved so fertile for me that I encouraged clients for whom that period had strong relevance to request more information in a dream or through signs and synchronicities. I also researched the astrology of that window and began to see that as a kind of “last call for awhile” for certain options. Pluto entered its home sign of Scorpio in November 1983 and crossed into the 29th (karmic) degree of Scorpio on December 17, 1994. It would remain in that most karmic degree of the most karmic sign until January 17, 1995, when it entered Sagittarius, then retrograding back through late Scorpio until November 1995 when it entered Sagittarius for good. In other words, December 17, 1994-January 17, 1995 marked a preview of the final time Pluto would transit Scorpio in any of our lifetimes.

An article on the Pluto in Scorpio generation independently and synchronously walloped a client and me over the head after a session. You can click here to read, “The Evolutionary Intention of the Pluto in Scorpio Generation: 1983-1995.” Although written for people born during that time frame, it does a nice job describing the overarching themes and energies of Pluto in Scorpio. A few highlights include: transmutation, metamorphosis, death and rebirth, power, sexual and spiritual energies, purification, abandonment, loss, betrayal, occult (hidden) wisdom, and the subconscious.

In addition to Pluto making final preparations to leave Scorpio, in December 1994, Uranus and Neptune were also preparing to separate from their ongoing conjunction in Capricorn (1991-1995). For me, personally, this period covered my entire college career. In larger themes, the wild, revolutionary, Aquarian energy of Uranus synched up with the dreamy, artistic, spiritually transcendent, ideal love, boundary-less, intuitive, and potentially addictive qualities of Neptune. This combo of Uranus and Neptune in Capricorn (ruled by gatekeeper/initiator Saturn), created intense subconscious pressure to change. Combined with the final degree of Pluto in Scorpio, decisions made (or avoided) during this time window created huge ripple effects.

Some people took decisive steps to prevent total burnout, while others rejected warnings of needed change. Authentic action (Uranus) seems to have been rewarded during that time, but actions motivated by fear (Saturn, Pluto) or delusion/confusion/addiction (Neptune) led to later crises. Not surprisingly, I learned that some people spiraled into patterns of drug abuse in late 1994 to early 1995. In my own life, I finished my very timely honors thesis called, “Milton’s Phoenix: Raphael, Poetry and Transmutation in Paradise Lost.”  In retrospect, I find it uncanny how that thesis exactly mirrored the energies of late 1994-Spring 1995. No wonder I won the UNC-English Department’s prize for best honor’s thesis!

Instead of trusting the alchemy and Uranian-Neptunian, Plutonic wisdom I learned through writing my thesis, though,  I pulled a classic Saturn refusal to change course. So many signs and dreams told me not to pursue graduate school, but I listened to my father’s threats and insistence that becoming an English professor was the only job I could ever do. I wound up enrolled in University of Chicago’s M.A. in English Language and Literature, which I began two months before Pluto left Scorpio for good.

It would take the disappointments and frustration of my Master’s degree, combined with more dreams, wild synchronicities and that fateful “Tower Card” 1998 TBI to get me back on track. Apparently, I was one of the lucky ones, because my course corrected fast. Others I spoke with last week continue dealing with the consequences of December 1994. Even if not conscious of any one event, people note areas of struggle that seem to stem from that period. It seems like an especially big time period related to current relationship longings and frustrations. The Royal Wedding also seems to have dredged up fairy tale notions of ideal love (Neptune) and/or the desire to escape current commitments that may have run their course.

Each person’s soul-ution will, of course, depend on where you were in your life during that time. Perhaps you already course corrected. Maybe you need to reclaim some part of your soul that took a different path. Perhaps you need to remind your then-self that you did have options, even if you couldn’t see them then. In the novel, “The Education of Oversoul Seven,” Jane Roberts/Seth do an excellent job showing how different aspects of our souls related to each other — and how healing one part heals and affects all the others in some way. Despite mainstream insistence otherwise, all time is NOW. We can and do influence previous, parallel and future versions of ourselves, whether or not we realize our own capacity and power.

This is a long post identifying a potent window of potential healing and opportunity. I cannot guarantee you’ll find any gems in your own December 1994-Summer 1995, but maybe the ideas in this article will trigger other memories or reclamation. I don’t know what you’ll do with the information, but please feel free to schedule a session if you feel something warrants further exploration. Not everything I write applies to everyone, but when I hear many accounts of a similar theme in the course of a short period of sessions, I figure this theme addresses more than just a few people. Blessings on the journey!

 

 

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/where-were-you-in-december-1994/

How Do You Create Sacred Space?

One of the most important things you can do to improve your health and uplift your soul is to create sacred space. What is sacred space? If you have ever visited a medieval cathedral, climbed to the top of a mountain or hiked deep into a redwood forest you have already experienced this for yourself. […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/how-do-you-create-sacred-space/

source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2018/05/28/how-do-you-create-sacred-space/

Guest Post by Nina Lynn: Easy Breezy Menopause

Why do some women sail through menopause while others suffer from hot flashes, mood swings, food cravings, brain fog, and fatigue? The answer may be in part due to the state of your adrenal glands. Healthy adrenals can alleviate much of the discomfort that accompanies this rite of passage. Your adrenal glands produce more than just […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/guest-post-by-nina-lynn-easy-breezy-menopause/

source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2018/05/28/guest-post-by-nina-lynn-easy-breezy-menopause/

Garden Inspiration and Permaculture Projects

Yesterday, David and I enjoyed an afternoon in Grand Rapids, including our second trip to the Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. We took my mom there back in December 2017, and this time proved different but equally enchanting.

Even more exciting, walking around all those carefully planned gardens gave me some alternative solutions for our our yard and neighborhood, which will be going through major changes in the next couple years due to mandatory sewer and possibly sidewalk installation. We’re fighting pretty unanimously to save as many of our neighborhood’s gorgeous, old trees, but in the event we lose to the Township’s dedication to the “Agendas,” yesterday’s creativity inspired some lovely “lemonade” recipes from the Township’s would-be lemons.

It’s all very Uranus in Taurus: major upheaval on the physical level, concern for “the greater good.” The questions remain: what is the greater good, who gets to determine that, and how? I’ll share some photos from Meijer Gardens first, followed by a few of our yard and some of the “problem is the solution” ideas this visit inspired. Even this entryway at Meijer Gardens may change, as we heard people discussing a major planned shift in where people enter the park.

David included me in the photo for scale:

Some of the sculptures have a grand presentation, while many others play hide and seek within the landscape and winding pathways. This next sculpture is one of my favorites, called “Espaliered Girl.”

We heard so many different languages as we wandered around the Japanese Gardens.

Towards the end, we saw this enormous sculpture, called “Neuron,” and in person it really does give a Uranian lightning aha impression. The photo doesn’t do it justice, as it fills most of large clearing, surrounded by a circle of trees. Somehow, this piece captured the inspiration that then followed in our yard today:

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of our house purchase, and our yellow irises sent their congratulations:

As did the peonies today:

While puttering around the Smart Pots and Big Bag Beds around our ailing birch tree …

… I realized that a Uranus in Taurus tree disaster could, in fact, improve our yard. Instead of the three weeping cherry trees we love out front, if the Township wins with their 15 foot from the road sidewalks, I would have clear cause to permaculture our front yard.

If we lose those trees, I would mulch out an even wider expanse of lawn between sidewalk and house and fill it with an impenetrable Robinhood rose hedge like we had in Goshen, coupled with serviceberry and apple trees on the house side of the hedge. The sidewalk side of the hedge can have pollinator friendly bulbs and perennials, and I can line the driveway with boxwood.

If we lose the weeping birch tree at the center of front yard garden, we can use very large Smart Pots to bring in ust the right soil environment for  a happy and edible tree. That spot’s clay soil and location near the driveway and walkway makes for a very unhappy birch tree, but if our efforts to save it don’t succeed, it will open the way for a much larger edible landscaping project. Everyone in our neighborhood has been bemoaning the mandatory (and expensive) conversion to sewer — again due to tree loss — but the constant evolution of Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park reminded me that we can use any tree loss as a different kind of gain.

This neighborhood is very involved anyway, but the sidewalk issue has brought everyone even closer together with the common enemy of a lying Township Board. In the event the Uranian forces of change cannot be stopped, it bodes well that we could work together to replant our neighborhood — perhaps with edible landscaping and maybe a community garden or two for the apartments whose residents would be the main ones benefiting from our neighborhood’s tree massacre. I still hope and pray we save as many old trees as we can, but at least I have a vision now. Those Robinhood roses smell so heavenly, and I already know they grow well with serviceberry trees:

Thanks to my experiments in Goshen, I know which tree retailers ship well established, older fruit trees. I also know which perennials require far less work, and which play nice together. I know not to plant the Robinhood roses too close to the sidewalk so I won’t need to prune them, but I also know they’ll form a truly effective hedge. I know which fruit bushes and trees we actually enjoy harvesting from. And I know which ones were better in theory than in real life. I can imagine my “problem is the solution” approach inspiring other neighbors who want to maintain privacy while also creating beauty and easy maintenance.

This Township disaster could turn our neighborhood into a far more resilient place. I’m still rooting for the trees — always the trees — but at least I know beauty will return.

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/27/garden-inspiration-and-permaculture-projects/

Radio Show Today, Friday, May 25, 2018

Here’s the link and time conversion for today’s radio show. You can listen to the show from anywhere with internet access by clicking here at 1:30 p.m. Eastern this Friday. We’ve talked a lot about Lyme disease, astrology, the soul and life path the past two shows. We go with the flow in these half hour interviews, but today will probably focus more on cultivating creativity and living a more magical and soulful life, even in the so-called “real world.” What small changes can people make to increase positive flow, everyday miracles and positive connection?

For your convenience, the radio time conversion is:

1:30 p.m. Eastern (same as NYC)

12:30 p.m. Central

11:30 a.m. Mountain time

10:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight or Arizona time

16:30 UK time

17:30 in Western Europe and South Africa

7:30 a.m. Hawaii time

1:30 a.m. in Taiwan

and 3:30 a.m. in Sydney, Australia.

If you’re not in those areas, you can still listen at that time, but those are the main regions I know I have blog readers and clients.

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/radio-show-today-friday-may-25-2018/

Are Your Teeth Ruining Your Health?

 Are your teeth ruining your health? Sometimes when I’m doing a medical intuitive reading I will discover there’s a problem in your mouth that is causing chronic health issues. It often seems like a chicken or the egg question – which came first, your seemingly unsolvable health condition or the chronic infection and/or toxicity […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/are-your-teeth-ruining-your-health/

source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/are-your-teeth-ruining-your-health/

Present! Dreaming with Robert Moss

On and on and on, the synchronicities roll!

In an email today, I let Mike Clelland know some recent developments in the bizarre dream-painting-bleedthrough-fiction-becoming-real “glitch” I’ve been trying to fix for many years, since it has radically inhibited what I can or cannot write about as fiction, lest that exact conflict, character or plot development appear in my “real” life. It got so over the top that I stopped writing fiction in November 2009. When I restarted in November 2017, the effect continued, dismantling key portions and people of “real world” “reality” once again. I stopped writing that novel, but the plot kept nagging and whenever I gave it the least research or attention, boom! High strangeness in real time.

I have been determined to find a solution to this glitch, because I know I need to write my novels, but I cannot risk writing them until I learn to manage this “gift.” I told Mike how powerful I’ve found the work of Robert Moss, whom I learned about through layers upon layers of synchronicities in my recent Sidhe class. Mike, of course, had a multi-layered owl synchronicity involving dreams and Robert Moss. For me, the presence of an owl synchronicity gives the added “ding, ding, ding” confirmation I would have expected with such a major realization. It’s like the Universe saying, “Happy Birthday, Laura, hoot, hoot, you’re on the right track.”

Mike’s post includes this very worthwhile and for me, even more hilariously synchronous video:

 

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/22/present-dreaming-with-robert-moss/

Catherine Carrigan Now Offers Usui Holy Fire Reiki

After practicing and teaching Reiki for 18 years, I’ve recently had the privilege of studying Usui Holy Fire Reiki with William Rand, president of the International Center for Reiki Training. When a long-term client first told me about Usui Holy Fire Reiki I admit I wasn’t too impressed. But when I tuned in, I received […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/catherine-carrigan-now-offers-usui-holy-fire-reiki/

source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/catherine-carrigan-now-offers-usui-holy-fire-reiki/

Garden Photos and Radio Show Link for Friday, May 18

As promised, here’s the link and time conversion for tomorrow’s (Friday, May 18, 2018) radio show. You can listen to the show from anywhere with internet access by clicking here at 1:30 p.m. Eastern this Friday.

For your convenience, that’s:

10:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight time

11:30 a.m. Mountain time

12:30 p.m. Central

16:30 UK time

17:30 in Western Europe and South Africa

7:30 a.m. Hawaii time

1:30 a.m. in Taiwan

and 3:30 a.m. in Sydney, Australia.

If you’re not in those areas, you can still listen at that time, but those are the main regions I know I have blog readers and clients.

Last week, we discussed the challenges and gifts of Chronic Lyme disease, my Metaphysics of Lyme Disease book in progress, and we also touched astrology as a healing tool and some of my encounters with the Spirit World. For now, that show is archived here.

And now for some garden pictures! First, the cutest little faery house setup we’ve ever seen — David bought it as an early birthday gift for me. You can see it next to some bachelor’s buttons getting ready to bloom, alongside purple verbena:

Our hodgepodge of permaculture and annuals in the ground just in front of our porch is finding its balance. We’ve got strawberry plants, thyme, various lettuces, ruby red chard, some purple kale, alongside the holly bushes the previous owners cut to the ground. It’s a bumble bee heaven there, with vinca, dandelions, chickweed, and soon to be red clover, columbines, blue iris, and what looks like wild baptisia. If I’m right about the baptisia, it’s yet another time I invited a particular plant into our yard only to find it the next day. We shall see!

Here’s the front bed from another angle, with chives, lettuce, chard, snapdragons and pansies in pots, with the Big Bag Bed and fabric grow pots streetside:

Our weeping birch is trying very hard to leaf out. A neighbor told me yesterday that this is the furthest south you can grow birch trees, and I already knew this one would have preferred planting anywhere besides right next to the driveway and concrete path. We love this tree, so I do hope those other buds turn as green as the leaves already out on the bottom. In theory, those leafed out first because of the piles of leaf mulch I added over grass and dandelions warming the ground faster in that area with decomposition. Here’s hoping!

Below, you can see the tree’s spiral structure in its place of honor amidst all the fabric grow pots and Big Bag Beds. I planted a mixture of perennials and annuals in the bags last year and this spring. This photo shows wormwood, garden sage, pineapple sage, magenta yarrow, a blueberry bush, lavender, rosemary, fennel, parsley, radicchio, spinach, garlic, pansies, snapdragons, a miniature thyme, chives, iris, pansies, sedum, oregano, coreopsis, codonopsis, and cranberry:

Yesterday, I added some hen and chicks to the front mulched area alongside the driveway. Those non-edibles joined red dragon and green sedum and should fill in the area. I’m trying to keep the birch tree’s roots cooler, since it struggles in hot weather next to the blacktop:

Other beds and bags include more lettuce varieties, basil, tomato, garlic, an about to be flowering collard plant from last year, blue lobelia, more snapdragons, peppers, golden beets, Egyptian walking onions, two varieties of hyssop, several types of hummingbird mint, more chives, and peppermint, chocolate mint, cilantro, and yellow celosia. On the other side of the driveway, we’ve also got potted dianthus, lavender, orange day lilies, and a tomato plant. I just remembered I need to get some love-in-a-mist in the ground. I love those little beauties!

I planted the mint and alliums as deer and groundhog deterrent. So far, mostly good. I opted for the Big Bag Beds and various grow pots last year so as not to disturb existing tree roots, and also because our neighborhood’s in flux with mandatory sewer hookups instead of existing septic, along with a very much opposed potential sidewalk situation. I decided not to plant much in the ground besides daffodils until we have a better idea what’s happening where. Unfortunately, that means a delay on planting my beloved and much missed Robinhood Roses from the Goshen garden, but their gorgeous scent and six months of blooms will just need to wait awhile longer:

I’ll show the backyard setup another time. The elderberry and aronia berry bushes and rhubarb are doing well so far in the 20-gallon pots, and I’ve got a Big Bag Bed full of garlic, a 20-gallon plastic pot of stinging nettles on concrete slabs, and 10-gallon pots full of Casa Blanca lilies, along with a bed of soon to be yellow irises, clematis, delphinium and much more. The owner prior to the previous owners did such a beautiful landscaping job, so I’ve just added things in as I can without disrupting the original flow or design.

Lucy the Starchild Groundhog mostly hangs out back there, munching dandelions and sunning herself like a cat in the red bee balm and lavender pots. She’s a little shapeshifter, looking and acting at times like a bear cub, a cat, a groundhog, or a small dog. We have no idea if she’s really a she, but she has very feminine energy and strict orders not to get pregnant or venture into the front yard garden ever again. That unfenced front area is off limits and ironically far more “secure” than our totally fenced backyard rotating zoo.

Happy gardening to you and yours! Enjoy the beauty, and I’ll post photos of the dozens of peonies and multi-colored irises when they bloom. Again, if you’d like to listen to tomorrow’s (Friday, May 18th) radio show, you can do that at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight time (same as New York City), by clicking here. I have no idea what we’ll discuss, since I just go with the flow, but who knows? Maybe we’ll talk permaculture, food sovereignty, and working with Nature Spirits and the Land.

 

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/17/garden-photos-and-radio-show-link-for-friday-may-18/

Ann Kreilkamp ~ Tomorrow’s New Moon in Taurus heralds, within hours, two powerful sign changes: Uranus from Aries to Taurus, Mars from Capricorn to Aquarius

Ann Kreilkamp, who happens to be my very inspiring and Uranian astrology mentor, as well as the founder of Green Acres Permaculture Village, gives her take on tomorrow’s big shifts.

New Moon in Taurus, Uranus (who rules Aquarius) moving from Aries (who rules Mars) into (Venus ruled) earthy Taurus, and Mars moving from (Saturn ruled) earthy Capricorn into Aquarius. We’ve got several layers of Uranus-Taurus-Mars activity tomorrow, and that’s just the beginning. In addition to possible financial and political ramifications, Ann gets into the potential for Uranus in Taurus to revolutionize how we grow food — a topic close to both of our hearts. Much more here for the astro-curious.

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/15/ann-kreilkamp-tomorrows-new-moon-in-taurus-heralds-within-hours-two-powerful-sign-changes-uranus-from-aries-to-taurus-mars-from-capricorn-to-aquarius/

Appreciation to the Tribe of Invisible Mothers

Thank you, Jamie, for sharing this poignant message. I know it will speak to so many of the women I know who have had miscarriages or still births. Blessings and love to all

Sophia's Children

Yes, Mother’s Day, and a happy one, with best wishes, for traditional mothers everywhere.

There is another tribe of mothers, though …

… probably several … that go unseen and unsung in our culture. It’s this tribe — my tribe — that I’m rippling “seeing and song,” homage and appreciation to today.

My Motherhood tribe is part of a tribe made up of about 20-percent of women (sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit fewer, depending on the country and culture), so no small group of people. Just less visible, or actually invisible.

A Music Party, 1861, Arthur Hughes.

First though, a quickie look at the origins of Mother’s Day.

Turns out, that Mother’s Day in the U.S. was seeded in 1908 when Virginian Anna Marie Jarvis held a memorial service for her own mother, Anna Reeves Jarvis.

In the U.K. tradition of Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of…

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/13/appreciation-to-the-tribe-of-invisible-mothers/

Blessings of The Mother

Reposting this altar and blessing. Happy Mother’s Day!

Laura Bruno's Blog

Our friend Tim sent this lovely photo of his Mother’s Day altar and said I could share it here. Wishing all mothers and those who mother or love and honor The Mother a Happy Mother’s Day!

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source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/13/blessings-of-the-mother-2/

What Is Dead Pelvis Syndrome?

Dead Pelvis Syndrome is an energetic imbalance identified by Dr. Adrian Brito-Babapulle, a Sri Lankan veterinary pathologist, martial arts instructor and founder of Therapeutic Energy Kinesiology (TEK). According to Dr. Brito-Babapulle, the emotions of anger, fear, guilt and shame shut down the flow of energy in our pelvis. “The etheric matrix of the pelvis is […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/what-is-dead-pelvis-syndrome/

source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2018/05/13/what-is-dead-pelvis-syndrome/

Catherine Carrigan Now Offers Therapeutic Energy Kinesiology (TEK)

Catherine Carrigan now offers Therapeutic Energy Kinesiology (TEK). Therapeutic Energy Kinesiology (TEK) was developed by Dr. Adrian Brito-Babapulle of Beckenham, Kent, England, after many years of research and careful observation of the human energy system. TEK uses principles from Qi Gong, Chinese Medicine, the chakra model, energy gates, Weihe and trigger points to balance the […]
Source: https://catherinecarrigan.com/catherine-carrigan-now-offers-therapeutic-energy-kinesiology-tek/

source https://cscarrigan.wordpress.com/2018/05/11/catherine-carrigan-now-offers-therapeutic-energy-kinesiology-tek/

Radio Show this Friday, May 11th

As I mentioned, my first half-hour show on this station garnered such a huge audience and positive response that I got generously sponsored for another five shows, which begin this Friday, May 11, 2018 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight time (same as New York City). You can listen to the show from anywhere with internet access by clicking here at 1:30 p.m. Eastern this Friday.

For your convenience, that’s:

10:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight time

11:30 a.m. Mountain time

12:30 p.m. Central

16:30 UK time

17:30 in Western Europe and South Africa

7:30 a.m. Hawaii time

1:30 a.m. in Taiwan

and 3:30 a.m. in Sydney, Australia.

If you’re not in those areas, you can still listen at that time, but those are the main regions I know I have blog readers and clients.

Last time we discussed how I started doing intuitive work, some unusual childhood experiences, past lives and how they relate to healing, how the body speaks the soul’s language, resistance, Fate, and spiritual calling/life path. During the first 8-minute interview, we covered medical intuition (what it is, how and why I do it), my life changing traumatic brain injury, blessings in disguise, and the best and most difficult aspects of working as a medical intuitive.

I don’t know which topics we’ll cover this time. People have enjoyed the spontaneity, so we’ll continue along those lines for this show. Thanks to those of you who’ve expressed support and excitement about this series. I’m just rolling with the synchronicities, so we’ll see where it all leads.

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/10/radio-show-this-friday-may-11th/

Uranus in Taurus: What I’m Noticing So Far

On May 16, 2018, zany, chaotic, high in the sky, liberating Uranus moves into slow, solid, steady, earthy Taurus. Whenever a slow moving planet changes signs, we can expect some major shifts. Some astrologers are predicting the end of the Taurean Bull financial system with a switch to Uranian Bitcoin. Others are predicting earthquakes, both physical and metaphysical. I’m not a doom and gloomer, but in recent sessions, I’m already noticing the lead up to this shift.

The effects depend upon the person, how “stuck” they are or how open to big, liberating changes. Like the Tower card of Tarot, Uranus can answer desperate prayers for change, but how we experience that change depends on our ability to recognize and embrace the answered prayers.

One example would be the person who hates his job, who has long wanted out but can’t find the “how,” suddenly getting fired or having an accident that prevents him from doing that job. (I had some heavy duty Uranus transits at the time of my 1998 car accident that caused a life changing TBI.) A more harmonious version of this same dynamic features the person who senses a needed career change and instead of waiting for the “how” to reveal itself, that person follows a “hop, skip and jump” approach — dead reckoning her way forward via synchronicities and awareness.

The first person feels the lightening strike as a trauma-drama. The second person anticipates the strike and commits to liberation pre-strike. For the open and prepared person, lightening arrives as a signal and confirmation of universal support for change. Both versions will dismantle the old stuck paradigms and require something new, bolder and more authentic, but the resistant option externalized as “Fate” tends to take longer for the blessing to reveal itself. The embracing option looks drastic or even reckless from the outside, but on the inside, the person feels supported and clear of the next, then the next, then the next steps to take. The less conscious (resistant) version operates on the subconscious victim of circumstances level and thus offers much less choice. The more conscious (embracing) version consciously co-creates the new life and therefore unfolds more as “ease-n-please” than “trauma-drama.”

[Note the Freudian typo of lightening instead of lightning strike. Highly symbolic, so I left it!]

Because Uranus moves slowly relative to Earth, the lead-up to a sign change already begins inner rumblings, especially for sensitive or intuitive folks. With Uranus moving into Earthy Taurus, even people firmly ensconced in Ye Olde 3D World feel an impending shake-up. In the past few weeks, increasing with each week, I’ve dealt with an unusually high number of people facing neurological issues. Multiple strokes, concussions, extreme brain fog, migraines, neurological glitches, and more: every day seems to bring a new level of weirdness. When possible, I track astrological transits during these neurological events, and I find very high and signficant Uranus activity in all those charts. This move into Taurus heightens the effects, because Uranus the bringer of radical changes is itself going through a radical change.

Yesterday, I found myself repeating similar advice to several clients: “The old rules no longer apply. Change has been calling for awhile. Now it’s knocking on your door. Change will bang down that door if you don’t make some committed move in the new direction. What seemed safe is now the riskier option.” In one of my all time favorite quotes, Anais Nin wrote of this truth:

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

What changes keep calling, nagging and knocking in your life? How might you blossom from your known, tight bud? Chaos and change bring opportunity to those who commit to growth and liberation, take action and expect miracles. If you need support to discern those opportunities, please feel free to reach out. I offered the May Specials anticipating some Uranian upheaval and up-leveling.

Peace and empowerment to you and yours.

 

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/09/uranus-in-taurus-what-im-noticing-so-far/

High Vibe Samples and Gifts: EMF Protection, Spice Mixers, Lotus, Owl and Spring Garden Goodies

I’ve been on the receiving end of lots of samples and gifts, especially this past April. I wanted to share some of these here, because they’re great. I have no financial connection to any of these companies or items … just passing along some high vibe goodness!

EMF Protection

David from Aires Tech synchronously reached out to me just as I began writing about EMF sensitivity in my Metaphysics of Lyme Book. In 2013,

I wrote about my amazing experience with orgone energy, but I also wanted to recommend something more easily portable for laptops, phones or when going somewhere with very high EMF radiation. Aires Tech offered to send samples for my consideration, and I eagerly accepted. I love that they back their technology with independent testing. Placebos can be very powerful and often do have validity; however, it’s nice when science supports my own sensitivity.

Above you can see from left to right, the Aires Shield Extreme, Aires Defender Infinity, and the Aires Black Crystal. Even before I opened the packages, I could feel a surge of positive energy. I put the Aires Defender Infinity on my desk chair, because I’ve got our wifi router and a Smart Meter behind me. The stack of orgone pucks in front of our router has mitigated a lot of the energies, but I definitely feel a difference with the Defender Infinity. I also love that you can slip this credit card sized defense into your pocket or wallet, and the case even allows the option of wearing it as a necklace.

I put the Aires Black Crystal on the back of my laptop, and I can now stream longer videos on my MacBook Pro without feeling fried. Using my laptop as a lap device also feels much more energetically compatible with the Black Crystal:

I already have a non-removable EMF shield on my iPhone, so I’m waiting to apply the Aires Shield Extreme to a new cellphone, whenever I update it. I know my current shield does something, because I cannot use an iPhone without it, but I’m curious to see the results of the Shield Extreme on a new phone, especially since Kalamazoo is an early adopter of 5G. If this shield works as noticeably as the other two samples, I’m sure I’ll love it. Again, I have no financial or other connection to Aires Technology. They just synchronously offered samples right when I was asking the Universe for something scientifically proven, which I could recommend in my Lyme book. Also synchronously, it looks like today was a good day to review their products, because Aires Tech is having a Flash Sale for 30% off their usual prices. Gotta love the sync winks!

Spice Mixers

While in Pennsylvania, I tried out the Amp Coil, also as research for my Metaphysics of Lyme book. My mom and I both enjoyed our sessions, and the device lived up to my intuitive sense about it, as well as testimonials from people who found it invaluable in their Lyme recovery. The husband of the person administering our Amp Coil session was a self-described “Lymie,” who began studying alchemy, herbs and spices as part of his own recovery. Vaughn decided to sample me all five of his Spice Mixers, “E-Lyme-inator,” “Chem-Trail,” “Mood-El,” “Lion’s Gate,” and “Calm Ocean.”

You can see four of the five pictured above, since I gifted “Calm Ocean” to someone who can use it more than me. Although somewhat similar on the surface, each mix contains a different blend of spices and trace minerals. The effects are subtle, yet powerful, and I love that these all contain black cumin — often touted as a miracle healer. These are not FDA tested or approved as supplements, but they make a potent addition to tea or even warm water with raw honey. I look forward to mixing these into almond butter or other spreads or salad dressings, too. I consider them elixers, appreciated as much for their energy as any chemical constituents. You can find out about individual Spice Mixers here. Again, no financial connection and no medical advice, just sharing a good thing.

Lotus Mandala Necklace

Continuing the high vibe samples and gifts, I returned from Pennsylvania to find this lovely necklace from the lovely Bridey at Paging Mrs. Zen:

I love the intricate design, and the lotus symbol was perfect to return to after my NDE on the way home! You can read about lotus symbolism here. I appreciated the no strings attached, thoughtful gift that arrived in perfect timing.

As described by Bridey, “Paging Mrs. Zen’s mission is to promote mindfulness, kindness and compassion, both to oneself and to others. This website is a place for all things zen, both in the literature shared and the mindful products sold. Rather than focusing on what’s trending at the moment, products are carefully selected to serve as inspiration for your meditation practice and everyday life. They serve to be reminders to help you to be more present, grateful, forgiving, loving and aware. I have also introduced some eco-friendly, plant-based organic and vegan products.”

Mysterious Owl

This next gift holds an air of mystery, both in origins and giver. Longtime blog readers know that I have a huge connection with owls. They synchronously appear at important times in my life, usually right before, during or after a major shift. They also appear to people close to me — in dreams, hoots or “real life” sightings — and somehow these people sense the association with me. This most recent trip to Pennsylvania was pivotal for me, as my Loose Ends, Astrology and My NDE post explains.

In the middle of my trip, a package arrived for my mom from Amazon. She had not ordered it herself, but it came with no gift card or gift receipt inside. We assumed someone sent it to her as a birthday gift, since my mom collects owls; however, research into the suspected givers yielded no results. My mom tried on the owl shirt, and it was too small for her. It fit me perfectly, though, so we wondered if maybe the owl came as a mysterious gift for me.

Pardon the awkward mirror shot. I took that when David was away for his two weeks of training. Nearly a month later, we still don’t know who sent the owl, but given my adventures on the way home, as well as a friend’s prescient owl dream connected to my NDE, I’m inclined to honor the Mystery with gratitude. Owls always reveal themselves as protectors and guides for me, a comforting presence when things get beyond my usual level of extremely weird. I ended up having not one, but three NDE’s that same week, with the third triggering a massive inner shift. I feel very different inside, although to most people I seem the same. Things feel much more fluid, and that’s all I can say right now. I don’t even think I could share in fiction what really transpired in the third NDE that week. Rest assured, that window has passed, and I feel grateful for Owl’s presence at another key moment in my life.

Say it with Flowers

Anyone who’s followed my gardening adventures for the past seven years knows that I love flowers. Some of the nicest gifts I’ve ever given myself include Fall-planted bulbs that bloom in Spring. Although our Kalamazoo yard featured its own beauty when we bought our house, David helped me plant 200 daffodils last Fall, because there’s nothing like daffodils to bring Spring cheer after a long, grey, snowy Winter. Here are shots from our yard this morning, the first, right before the rain began, and the second, featuring daffodils with our weeping cherries through the rain:

I spent Beltane as Crazy Plant Lady, envisioning and pre-ordering next year’s Beltane magic, which will turn our many front yard dandelions into part of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” via the addition of early, mid and late blooming blue flowers. Between Snow Glories that will peek through snow and various grape hyacinths in blues and occasional whites, our organic front yard will look even more intentional than the daffodils make it seem. I’ll need to remind myself (and David) this Autumn of the gift of color and lawn tapestries come Spring, as we plant another 200+ bulbs, but I cannot wait to see a starry “lake” in our front yard next year.

This concludes today’s recap of high vibe samples and gifts. I live such a blessed life that listing all the recent gifts would turn into a gratitude post a mile long. Many small sync winks might seem ordinary from the outside looking in, but to me, they whisper poetry and music of the spheres. Life is sweet, and when we allow ourselves to receive its offerings, we have so much more to share with others. Blessed Be … and be the blessing.

source https://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2018/05/03/high-vibe-samples-and-gifts-emf-protection-spice-mixers-lotus-owl-and-spring-garden-goodies/