Kin Domain Medicine Chest

When I do herbal presentations to various groups around the country, I generally begin with this plant. The flower you see here is Calendula. Many herbalist call this flower the medicine chest of herbals. The yellow and orange flowers are harvested and contain a very sticky resin. I love plucking these flowers only to return the next day and witness double the amount of blossoms reproduced. Obviously, they like to be picked!

The flowers can be dried using the sun or a dehydrator. They can be put into a vegetable glycerin (use a coconut oil glycerin) to make a lotion. They can be put in coconut oil to make the base for body products like lip balm. See some of my early posts for recipes. Calendula is so human body friendly that it is in almost all baby care products. It can be consumed as a beverage as well as applied to the skin as a topical balm.

Calendula has spirit enough for everyone--from babies to elderly. The yellow-gold flower reminds me of the energy of the sun and the sticky resin reminds me of the healing properties of honey.

Calendula Ointment

Ingredients:
2 oz calendula infused oil (olive oil or coconut oil base)
2 oz extra virgin coconut oil
½ oz beeswax
1 tsp. lanolin

Combine the above ingredients in a Pyrex measuring cup. Place cup in a shallow pan of water and gently heat. When ingredients have assimilated, pour into a 4 oz container with a tight lid. Long shelf life if kept away from heat and light.

Garden Magic

For those of you who have been following along the past few months, you'll remember when I discussed the lasagna garden technique and showed pictures of each phase. If you weren't able to read the posts back in March, then what you see here to the right is the before picture. With elbow grease and a co-creating boost from nature the result is the after picture posted below.

It is only July 1st and already everything is lush.
The sudden heat has boosted growth to phenomenal rates. Each day something new makes it to the dinner table. I wonder if I'll be replanting in late July or early August to get some second harvests before the frost.


When I look at the variation in these photos I see magic. Garden magic. No wonder I get excited when I plant that first seed of the season!

Chicken Growth at the Kin Domain

My Rhode Island Red chicks hatched April 23, 2009. They are nine weeks old and growing. They will eat four cups of chick starter food a day. With the warm weather, I change the water twice a day and spray off the chicken tractor hut so flies don't accumulate. They look like they are almost adult but from research still adolescent. I don't expect them to start laying eggs until September at the earliest. I enjoy the sounds they make and the way they study me when I interact with them. I watched a great YouTube the other day on how chicken's are sexed. Very fun and educational. Have a look if you are brave--just kidding. It is fun to watch.

Portal to Peace Excerpt Part III

He masked his facial features. “Who is Zeta? What does she know about my task?”

“I am Doctor Wanda Dove and Zeta is my ancestor guide. And the task? She will tell me what she knows when the time is right. Are you going to let me look at your leg?”

Again, her voice sent a soothing sensation rippling down his spine. He coiled his remaining energy. The SAS recruiters used mysterious, drop-dead gorgeous women like her for interrogation training exercises.

He stared.

She blinked.

He swallowed.

She smiled.

He inhaled sharply. Now what?

Though he wanted to, he didn’t flinch when she stood, reached down, and removed his hat. Guarded and unable to trust his voice, he watched her study his head. The morning breeze lifted and dried the thick strands. Hadn’t she ever seen blond hair? Her eyes sparkled at him. Uneasy, he shifted and pointed to his leg, then tugged his hat away from her limp hand and tossed it behind him.

She knelt to remove the make-shift splint bindings, her backside facing him. He reached for her mantle of black hair, which had pooled on the ground and brushed off the dirt. Her movements stilled. He’d only meant to hold her hair out of the dirt, but the sensuous heavy strands were now wound rope-like around his hand.

She pivoted and eyed his fist. “You do not need to trap me. I will not run away. I have promised not to harm you.”

Lars looked beyond her shoulder for a moment then back at her eyes. Her face remained expressionless, and yet her eyes spoke of shock and wariness. Releasing the black tresses, he held up his palms.

“I…so sorry. The dirt…I lifted the hair from the dirt.”

Had he said that?

She made several quick hand gestures around her head while mouthing words. Was touching her hair some kind of sacrilege? She removed a cloth band from her bag and swiftly formed the hair into a long sleek braid all the while murmuring foreign words. Without further comment, she returned to unbinding the splint.

Ignoring the pain, Lars replayed the previous few minutes and her unusual psychic abilities. He itched to take some measurements, but his pack was just out of reach.

Finished with the unbinding, she slid his pant leg past his knee. At her quick intake of breath, he darted a look, assessed the damage, then studied her face. Her gaze focused on some distant point; her head cocked as if she were listening.

“Stephan Lars, this is serious. The village clinic cannot provide the care you need. With your permission I would like to use alternative treatment.”

Wary of her request, he leaned away and lifted his chin. “I have not told you my name and yet you know it. You gaze beyond this place, listening to someone--”

Again, her eyes sparkled like a child bursting with secrets. She gave a deliberate nod of her head and he witnessed a barely perceptible change in her facial muscles. Fascinating.

“I am Zeta. I am kachina. Wanda is a seer and healer. You are also a seer, a spakona, but of course, you deny this. You would not be able to see me if you did not have this gift. You and Wanda must work together, and this injured leg must not impair the progress. Wanda and I will heal the wound using ancient medicine. I would offer to remove you to a safe place beyond the human pain, but I sense your curiosity and knowledge would not allow this. The pain may seem to extend forever, but I guarantee in your time, only mere minutes.”

After a subtle facial change, he recognized the woman, Wanda, was back. He hadn’t seen her speak, yet he’d heard a voice. Pain forgotten, his fingers twitched in anticipation of recording this encounter. He realized she was waiting for his response. With his choices limited and his curiosity piqued, he resigned himself to the alternative route and nodded. (Click here for the download.)

Portal to Peace Excerpt Part II

Lars heard slow hesitant footsteps, and shifted his head. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, not sure he was seeing clearly through the narrow opening between the rocks. Yes, definitely a woman. A woman with extraordinarily long, thick black hair, walking directly towards him. Each step she took caused the curtain of hair to sway, adding allure to her graceful curves, and honey-colored skin. She leveled a medical bag in front of her like a shield of honor.

Did she see him behind the rock? Impossible. The distance and obstruction between them required startling visual ability. Certainly not a local villager searching for a lost sheep. Out of habit, he slowly removed his knife. She paused twenty-five yards below him and stood in silence.

“Sir, I mean you no harm. Please put your weapon down. I have come here to help you.”

The gentle voice coaxed him into a false security. Why couldn’t he place the accent and meter in her words? Surely, not Spanish. He took shallow breaths and held his partially-rolled strike position. Who sent her? Who but the general knew his location? He loosened his grip on the smooth metal. How did she know about the knife? He sheathed the weapon while she approached.

“Zeta sent me. You are hurt and unable to complete your task. Please allow me to examine your leg.”

Zeta? Helvete, who was Zeta?

All pretenses gone, Lars sat up. He studied her progress until she stopped in front of him, asking silent permission to examine his leg. As she crouched in front of him, her black hair flowed over her shoulders and brushed the ground.

His gaze met hers and he lost himself in the unexpected blue of her eyes. Too late, he remembered his own skills at blocking such an invasion. His mental door slammed and he gathered his remaining strength and control. In that brief unguarded moment, she had gained access to his mind. (Click here to download.)

Portal to Peace Excerpt Part I

Pre-dawn light blanketed the horizon when Lars spotted his Land Rover. Fatigued and blurry-eyed, he rested before continuing the last two hundred yards. The lone sheep had paralleled his descent down the mountain, keeping him company through the night. He watched while the injured animal succumbed to exhaustion. Determined to finish the crawl before resting, he pulled forward. Beneath him, the ground vibrated. He heard the high-pitched whine of an approaching vehicle.

How to get to the car before someone spotted him in his current condition? Without a passport, sporting military tags, and carrying a wealth of classified information presented untold problems. The door locks would not deter someone from gaining admittance and removing electronics.

After several yards, Lars inhaled sharply and gauged the distance. No way could he close the gap before the unidentified visitor arrived. He rolled behind a boulder. A battered jeep pulled up behind the Land Rover. Who would be out driving this rough terrain? Maybe the owner of a lost sheep?

Given the distance, dim light, and his position, he couldn’t make out the driver. He glanced down. His sweat-drenched skin, coated in brown dirt and his black clothing, created perfect camouflage. With head low and body tucked, he waited.

The vehicle stopped. The sun crested the horizon. Waves of apprehension and wariness surrounded him. The door on the vehicle slammed. (Click to get the download.)

Space of Love Art

I wanted to share this beautiful card sent to me from a child raised in a Space of Love. She is age seven. Notice that in her creation she shares her gentle spirit and vibrant understanding of energy and connectivity. I smile and revel in deep satisfaction and peace every time I look at it. Without being told, she feels the divine love and perfection present in all life. Kin Domains are now and they are the future.