Juniper Berry - An Interesting Herb

Juniper Berry picture from Wikipedia

A good read is Whispers From the Woods by Sandra Kynes (Lewellyn Worldwide, Woodbury, MN www.llewellyn.com). The description of one of the trees really struck a me with a moment of AHA! All over Canada, it seems that juniper bushes get planted in front of the house or behind the house or in the yard.

 

Kynes talks about the fact that juniper bushes were planted in front of a house as a protection against witches. She also talks about the German belief that having a juniper bush in front of your house will prevent thieves from breaking into the house and stealing all the valuables. Did you know that juniper berries could be used to make gin?

What is really striking is that in the West, we have acres of juniper, if it were all together in one lot. It is striking that because of its medicinal purposes for colds, aches, and pains among other things, that almost every home then has a little medicine cabinet outside the door. Yet we are not conscious of the properties of the plant. We do seem to be conscious that somehow juniper is beneficial for we name many things from network systems, to music to designs after the juniper bush. 

The juniper tree's greatest gift is the berries.  These berries may be used to make a diuretic tea that does not seem to diminish one's electrolytes as over the counter diuretics may do.  

Recipe

Pick the berries when they are ripe and then place them on a cookie sheet covered with brown paper. Place the cookie sheet in a dark place - a pantry - for three days. The berries will dry. They may be stored in a cloth pouch and used, a teaspoonful at a time, in tea.  Pour boiling water over the berries, and mash a bit, and let the tea steep for three minutes.  Sweeten with honey if you find the taste too bitter.

This is just one recipe for the use of juniper berries.  Let me know how your medicine from juniper turns out. Let me know too, if you have any juniper recipes to share.

 Bright blessings!

  Judy

Pelican as a Spirit Messenger

"Pelican flock on the Bow River".    Copyright 2022 Judith Hirst

Calgary is unusual in that we do not have a large lake close to us and yet, every spring, a flock of pelicans (about forty of them) fly here at the beginning of May and stay until fall.  The flock is usually at the Bow River near where I live early morning or into the evening.

Pelicans are dedicated fishermen, and seem to have an unerring sense of where the fish are and how long they will be in that area.  When the fish have moved on, the pelican group will rise into the air in a flurry of white, and soar up the river (or down, as the case may be) looking for the next pocket of fish.

For several days now, I have been seeing the pelican on my walks or when I am driving to go shopping.  I have learned that this means Great Spirit has a message for me via the pelican.  Pelican is a Spirit Animal that is acting as a messenger.  Some days I think a phone call would be much simpler!  However, now that my attention is focused, Great Spirit knows that I will look for the guidance.  

At first, the message is not clear.  Black and white - all about mystery and magic.  Got that!  The black tips are on the wings - that is about flying into mystery and accepting the magic that appears in life.  As the pelican flies upwards, the black wing tips ground it even though it goes ever higher as depicted by the white representing the white lotus flower and the eighth chakra.  Part of the message then is to get in touch with my higher self, and sooner than later.  

The pelican has orange legs and an orange bill.  The legs are in the water which represents emotion.  The orange colour relates to the sacral chakra - the chakra of creativity and manifestation, relationships, and control.  Some of the issues that I often see connected with this chakra are about control, money, sexual issues, power, guilt and blame, and the duality of grace and joy along with fear and anger.  I remembered that black and white is also about duality. 

The thought that popped up was that I needed to wade into the emotions that I have been holding in my sacral around anger that I have around all the folks that are relinquishing their dogs, cats, and other animals to Calgary Humane and to SPCA.  I know that many are sacrificing because they can no longer afford them because of high cost of utilities here, the high gas prices, and the increasing property tax and insurance amounts.  The cost of food has risen ridiculously in the last year.  I am frustrated with our local and provincial government as well as the Federal government for raising gasoline taxes, not increasing pensions to seniors at the rate of inflation, paying out extraordinary amounts to countries outside of Canada without dealing with the high cost of housing and the increasing homelessness…. I am sure you can add to my list.  I am also frustrated because my writing and creating teachable modules of the work that I do is going so slowly.

The other part of the message was that  I needed to let go of "controlling so tightly" what the modules would look like.  I needed to let Spirit (the white is spirit) wade in and help me.  The orange bill indicates that I (we) will receive abundance, and like the pelican, I will always know where to look for it because I have that creative ability. 

When I finished translating the message, I felt pretty humble.  A phone call would not have been half as effective!

May Great Spirit fly a message your way,

Many Blessings,

Judy    

Serenity

"Serenity At The Bow River at Bankside"  

Photograph copyright Judith Hirst-Joyeux

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my clients asked me how to find serenity. I was taken aback! Serenity, to me, is a state of being - not a destination.  I wondered if I misunderstood the concept. I looked it up.

serenity   The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | Date: 2008 

se·ren·i·ty / səˈrenitē/ • n. (pl. -ties) the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled: an oasis of serenity amidst the bustling city. ∎  (His/Your, etc., Serenity) a title given to a reigning prince or similar dignitary.  Â© The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2008, originally published by Oxford University Press 2008.

I realized that it is a state of being. However, it is a destination as well.  I thought about where in the world I go to find serenity. I came up with "my list of serenity sites".  These are my places of oasis of serenity.  Here they are, in no particular order.

• The spot along the Bow at Bankside
• The angel sanctuary in my back yard
• The Fairy Tree along Fish Creek
• The secluded picnic table along Fish Creek
• The bench on our deck at 9:30am when it is cool in the summer
• The top of the rock pile at Moraine Lake when others are not around
• The hidden trail along the river close to Kananaskis Lodge
• The log by the beaver lodge on Pine Island
• The flat rock saddle on Cathedral Rock

These names will not resonate with most people.  And, that is okay.  These are my spots for serenity.  Because each person has a unique idea of what serenity is, their destination will be quite different. It may be a beach, a park bench, a library, a cathedral... it doesn't matter.  

When you are in serenity, it seems easier to feel The Divine.

Wishing you moments and places of serenity.

Many Blessings,

Judy