the stinking rose

I was driving this morning and came to a sudden stop to allow a grandfather and his 1 year old granddaughter walk slowly and carefully across the street in front of my car. He didn't pull her, or rush her. He didn't warn her about the car or acknowledge anything outside of his focus on letting her practice being...her.
I felt my insides squeeze tight and i just sat there long after they disappeared. I knew at that moment what she had that so many women are missing. She had the foundation of safety in the caring gentle touch of this man, the first man, that loved her unconditionally. This idea shot through all my molecules and rested somewhere in my creative place (which is most of me).
I have, like so many other women, had to create my own foundations and define relationships from scratch. In many cases it is healthier to have your own model...but in this case i can only know what it feels like to create it. Create reality. The Heart is the Emperor of the body, the dictator, yet with one blow the castle may come tumbling. Feed your heart with beauty and investigation, submit to being in Love with yourself. Say Yes to everything that feels right and take your Heart medicine's!

Two valuable heart medicine's i would like to share:

Garlic: the Most-Studied Herbal Food for the Cardiovascular System
Garlic may be the world's most respected medicinal plant--not only does it have thousands of years of historical medicinal usage, but it has also been the subject of numerous research studies published in 1100 scientific articles, of which there have also been about 258 research studies on the cardiovascular effects of garlic, which represents a major amount of research. These studies show:

• When fats are eaten, the blood responds by getting thicker--this can lead to increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Adding garlic to the fats (as in stir-frys), cuts fatty obstruction of the arteries by one-half.
• Elevated blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels are thought to be indicators of increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Garlic can increase the elimination of fats and cholesterol through the bile, and overall cholesterol levels can be reduced.
• Studies show that garlic can reduce the tendency of the blood to form life-threatening clots (possibly leading to heart attack or stroke) by adding as little as 2/3 of a clove per day to meals. The ability of the blood to destroy clots that may be forming is increased by 50 to 80% when using even 1 clove a day.
• Garlic has only moderate blood-pressure-lowering effects, and it must be taken regularly for any significant benefits, but even the modest 7-10% that double-blind studies have shown can be helpful for people taking garlic for its other stronger effects.

-and of course:

The Rose 
(as a tea, bath or topical oil scent)


Rosa spp.
Energetics: cold/dry
Primary Actions: astringent, blood moving (emmenagogue), refrigerant, aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory,
Organ Systems: immune, digestive, reproductive, heart/circulatory, nervous
Parts used: every little bit, even the thorns
Common names: Sweetbriar, Shatapatri, Yeu ji hua, Briar Rose and many more

In the driest whitest stretch of pain’s infinite desert, I lost my sanity and found this rose. — Rumi