Category: Health & Healing

Erin Yu-Juin McMorrow, PhD: A Regenerative Conversatio...

Dr. Erin Yu-Juin McMorrow is a certified yoga teacher, craniosacral therapist, and entrepreneur who holds a doctorate in policy planning and development from the University of Southern California. She studied political and social thought at the University of Virginia and served as the director of housing policy with the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness. With Sounds True, Dr. McMorrow has published the book Grounded: A Fierce, Feminine Guide to Connecting with the Soil and Healing from the Ground Up. In this podcast, Sounds True founder Tami Simon speaks with Erin about regenerative agriculture and the connection between healing the soil and healing our souls, understanding climate change and the carbon cycle, honoring the divine feminine, the practice of “putting your feet on the earth,” growing your own food as an act of revolution, and more.

Planting a Moon Garden

What does the moon have to do with flower essences and ritual? As we discussed in an earlier chapter, the moon represents a time before the dominant culture came into power. While the moon has no gender, it is a metaphor for the divine feminine and a symbol for the creative, the intuitive, the unconscious, and the shadow. Before the Gregorian calendar came into use in the sixteenth century, many cycles of time were measured on a lunar basis, as are the Islamic, Chinese, and Jewish calendars today. All ancient agriculture was organized around lunar and astrological transits, which is one of the basic practices of biodynamic farming today. Many of us feel a fascination with the moon, and I feel it beckons us back to a different consciousness, where much healing potential awaits.

Creating altars or sacred spaces outdoors can be another place for ritual work. While I can’t have a moon garden in the city, I can have a few lunar plants in my windowsill to catch the moonlight.

Not all flowers bloom in the sunlight. Some plants prefer the darkness, opening to the night. Moon plants can be cultivated in any terrain. Many night bloomers are also very fragrant. I consider all plants medicinal to some degree; however, some of the moon garden plants may be more therapeutic than others. These can also be plants that you use for making your own flower essences. Or, if you like to make dried sticks of herbs to burn, you can use the plants from your moon garden, such as mugwort.

You can see the lunar signature of mugwort by observing the underside of the leaf, which is silver. The Latin name for it is Artemisia vulgaris; Artemis, if you remember, was the Greek goddess of the moon! Plants with light and white blooms work best, as well as gray and silvery leaves.

Here are some perfect moon garden plants:

plants for a moon garden

 

The video on how to make your own flower essence medicine can be found here.

This is an excerpt from The Bloom Book: A Flower Essence Guide to Cosmic Balance by Heidi Smith.

 

Heidi Smith, MA, RH (AHG), is a psychosomatic therapist, registered herbalist, and flower essence practitioner. Within her private practice, Moon & Bloom, Heidi works collaboratively with her clients to empower greater balance, actualization, and soul-level healing within themselves. She is passionate about engaging both the spiritual and scientific dimensions of the plant kingdom, and sees plant medicine and ritual as radical ways to promote individual, collective, and planetary healing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her partner and two cats. For more, visit moonandbloom.com.

 

 

 

 

 

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Lavender Rose Chocolate Truffles

Lavender Rose Chocolate Truffles

From the book, Whole Girl by Sadie Radinsky

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup coconut cream, from the top of a chilled 13 1/2-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
  • 2 drops food-grade pure lavender oil
  • 1/4 cup cacao powder
  • 2 Tbsp dried rose petals, crushed

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Scoop the coconut cream into a double boiler. Heat the coconut cream until it’s hot to the touch, then pour in the chocolate. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir the chocolate and coconut cream together until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture forms a shiny ganache.
  2. Remove the ganache from heat and stir in the lavender oil. Place the bowl of ganache in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours, or until completely solid.
  3. Line a plate with parchment paper. Scoop the chocolate mixture into 16 pieces using a tablespoon, and place on the plate. Don’t worry about forming the pieces into spheres yet. Place the plate back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up.
  4. Pour the cacao powder and crushed rose petals into 2 small separate bowls. Roll the refrigerated chocolate blobs into balls, then roll them in either cacao powder, rose petals, or leave them plain. Serve.
  5. Store leftover Lavender Rose Chocolate Truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 1 week, or freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before serving.

chocolate truffles

This recipe is featured in the young adult book, Whole Girl: Live Vibrantly, Love Your Entire Self, and Make Friends with Food by Sadie Radinsky.

 

sadie radinskySadie Radinsky is a 19-year-old blogger and recipe creator. For over six years, she has touched the lives of girls and women worldwide with her award-winning website, wholegirl.com, where she shares paleo treat recipes and advice for living an empowered life. She has published articles and recipes in national magazines and other platforms, including Paleo, Shape, Justine, mindbodygreen, and The Primal Kitchen Cookbook. She lives in the mountains of Los Angeles. For more, visit wholegirl.com.

 

 

 

 

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Release emotional baggage and reclaim your joy

If you or someone you know suffers from any form of depression—from feeling exhausted or blue to not being able to get out of bed—I am excited to share something with you that can offer a new approach to this huge challenge facing so many people today. Depression happens on a “spectrum” and can have a huge impact on our daily lives. I see depression as the literal depression of self—a side effect of being buried under the sometimes-overwhelming thing called “life.” 

In my latest book, How To Heal Yourself From Depression When No One Else Can, I’m bringing my tried-and-true methods to one of the greatest challenges of our time.

My work has helped thousands of people overcome emotional and physical challenges when nothing else has worked. Today I want to share with you one technique that we use in several different ways together in the new book: The Sweep Technique.

The Sweep Technique is a script that you repeat in order to clear subconscious blocks and beliefs. It can be done by simply reading the script out loud or in your head a few times in a row.

The Sweep Script 

Even though I have this _______ (describe what you want to release such as “feeling depressed and fatigued”), I acknowledge it’s no longer working for me. 

I give my subconscious full permission to help me clear it, from all of my cells in all of my body, permanently and completely. 

I am now free to thank it for serving me in the past. 

I am now free to release all resistances to letting it go. 

I am now free to release all ideas that I need this in order to stay safe. 

I am now free to release all ideas that I need it for any reason. 

I am now free to release all feelings that I don’t deserve to release it. 

I am now free to release all conscious and subconscious causes for this energy. 

I am now free to release all conscious and subconscious reasons for holding on to it. 

I am now free to release all harmful patterns, emotions, and memories connected to it. 

I am now free to release all generational or past-life energies keeping it stuck. 

All of my being is healing and clearing this energy now, including any stress response stored in my cells. 

Healing, healing, healing. Clearing, clearing, clearing. 

It is now time to install _______ (insert a new, healthy energy such as “the energy of moving forward,” “the feeling of being content,” or “the belief that I can feel better now”)

Installing, installing, installing. Installing, installing, installing. And so it is done. 

If you’d like to join me for more healing in the new book, I will walk you through using more of this technique, along with others—to release emotional baggage, reconnect with yourself, and reclaim your joy.

Love,

Amy B. Scher

This originally appeared as an author letter by Amy B. Scher, author of How to Heal Yourself From Depression When No One Else Can: A Self-Guided Program to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t.

 

amy scher

Amy B. Scher is an energy therapist, expert in mind-body healing, and the bestselling author of How to Heal Yourself When No One Else Can and How to Heal Yourself from Anxiety When No One Else Can. She has been featured in the Times of India, CNN, HuffPost, CBS, the Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Curve magazine, and San Francisco Book Review. Scher was also named one of the Advocate’s “40 Under 40.” She lives in New York City. For more, visit amybscher.com.

 

 

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Raw Blueberry Cheesecake

Raw Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake

From the book, Whole Girl by Sadie Radinsky

Yield: 8 servings

 

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST

  • 1 ½ cups roasted pecan pieces 
  • 2 Tbsp monk fruit maple-flavored syrup or pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

 

FILLING

  • 2 cups raw cashews or cashew pieces, soaked overnight in 4 cups of water, then rinsed
  • 1 cup freeze-dried or fresh blueberries
  • ½ cup coconut cream, from the top of a chilled 13 1/2-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp monk fruit maple-flavored syrup or pure maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted 
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

CRUST

  1. Line the bottom of a 6-inch springform cake pan with a circle of parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a high-speed blender, blend together the crust ingredients just until it forms a dough-like consistency. It might help to use your blender’s tamper, if you have one. Do not overblend or it will turn into pecan butter!
  3. Press the pecan crust evenly into the bottom of the cake pan and place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

 

FILLING

  • Without washing your blender, combine the filling ingredients (except for 1 cup of fresh blueberries) and blend until completely smooth.
  • Pour the filling onto the frozen crust and top with 1 cup fresh blueberries. Place in the freezer for approximately 5 hours, or until it’s frozen through.
  • Using a butter knife, gently swipe around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake. Remove the cake from the springform pan. Slice and serve. Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw for 15 minutes before serving.

blueberry cheesecake

 

This recipe is featured in the young adult book, Whole Girl: Live Vibrantly, Love Your Entire Self, and Make Friends with Food by Sadie Radinsky.

 

sadie radinskySadie Radinsky is a 19-year-old blogger and recipe creator. For over six years, she has touched the lives of girls and women worldwide with her award-winning website, wholegirl.com, where she shares paleo treat recipes and advice for living an empowered life. She has published articles and recipes in national magazines and other platforms, including Paleo, Shape, Justine, mindbodygreen, and The Primal Kitchen Cookbook. She lives in the mountains of Los Angeles. For more, visit wholegirl.com.

 

 

 

 

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Tahini Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Tahini Chocolate Chunk Blondies

From the book, Whole Girl by Sadie Radinsky

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
  • 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt (optional)

 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and tahini just until combined. Whisk in the coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking soda, and sea salt. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chopped dark chocolate.
  3. Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake the blondies for 16 to 20 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and the center is just cooked through. Sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt, if using.
  4. Let the blondies cool for 10 minutes. Slice them into 9 large squares or 16 smaller squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

blondies

 

This recipe is featured in the young adult book, Whole Girl: Live Vibrantly, Love Your Entire Self, and Make Friends with Food by Sadie Radinsky.

 

sadie radinskySadie Radinsky is a 19-year-old blogger and recipe creator. For over six years, she has touched the lives of girls and women worldwide with her award-winning website, wholegirl.com, where she shares paleo treat recipes and advice for living an empowered life. She has published articles and recipes in national magazines and other platforms, including Paleo, Shape, Justine, mindbodygreen, and The Primal Kitchen Cookbook. She lives in the mountains of Los Angeles. For more, visit wholegirl.com.

 

 

 

 

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