Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Pruning (Greenland, NH)

Dynamic interconnectedness [describes] the physical world as the sort of thing that imagination and desire can effect. The magician's world is an independent whole, a web of which no strand is autonomous. Mind and body, galaxy and atom, sensation and stimulus, are intimately bound. Witchcraft strongly imbues the view that all things are independent and interrelated.
-Alan G. Hefner (paraphrasing the Emerald Tablet)

As above, so below.
-Hermes Trismegistus

I woke up this morning feeling incredibly grumpy - poor sleep, and dreams in which people I trust became unapologetically opportunistic, and I kept waiting in line at an airport to
exchange my ticket for a later flight so I could spend more time visiting family, only every time I almost reached the front of the line, I'd rush off to take care of something pressing, and then have to stand in line all over again. Sometimes my subconscious is not very subtle.

All of which has me thinking about choices and relationships and pruning. Neural pruning, to be specific, and its intimate relationship with walking one's Path; the way it mirrors in minute detail the larger decisions and actions we take. Micro and macro, internal and external. Spirit and corporeal. Art and life.

The night before I left Vermont, I lay in bed with my youngest godchild as she waited for her mother to come upstairs. Holding our hands millimeters apart from one another, we played a mirroring game I learned in a long-ago acting class, leading each other in slow, synchronous gestures and exaggerated facial expressions. Her sister is already past such games; at thirteen she's busy beating me in Bananagrams and cracking one-liners that I'm shocked she's old enough to say, let alone think up.

These kids amaze me: the ways they've grown and processed and adapted; the astonishing ease with which they've embedded themselves in my life; their innate ability to render life extraordinary - how is this possible?! This is how children overpower us, playing our own reticent hubris in their personal favor: we meet them in their delicate, thin-skinned beginnings, and they initiate this visceral, totally subtle, and all consuming change throughout our lives. Everything that used to be important pales. Any love you used to have is overshadowed. Years later, you catch site of yourself in the mirror, brushing your teeth with Hannah Montana toothpaste, and have A Moment.

Knowing children is an alchemy of the most delicious, insidious, and utterly humbling form.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Good Time Energy Treats


"Date fruit" image by Suat Eman
These herbal treats are a nutritious alternative to candy or energy bars, are free of nuts, soy, dairy and gluten. Filled with herbs that support digestion, mood, energy, and decreased stress, they also provide a host of vitamins (including B vitamins, K, and A) and minerals such as iron, calcium and magnesium from the dates, spirulina and tahini. The tahini also provides protein, while coconut oil gives us healthy fats in the form of medium-chain triglycerides, supporting increased energy, strong muscles, and brain health. Dietary fiber from dates helps prevent LDL (bad cholesterol) build-up and moves waste smoothly through the digestive system, allowing your body to remove toxins. Rose Salt is filled with trace minerals that support the thyroid and roses for joy. Best of all, Good Time Energy Treats are delicious!Good Time Energy Treats are great for school lunch boxes or for an afternoon pick-me-up, a hike, or as a tasty snack with a tall glass of hemp milk or locally pasture-raised cows’ milk.

Good Time Energy Treats 
   3 cups tahini (drain excess oil from the top)
   1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
   1 cup honey
   1 cup pitted dates
   ½ cup cocoa powder or carob powder (use more or less for consistency)
   2 cups shredded coconut, divided
   2 oz slippery elm powder
   5 oz ashwagandha
   1 oz spirulina
   2 Tablespoons cinnamon
   1 Tablespoon ginger
   1 Tablespoon cardamom
   1/3 teaspoon Blackbird's Daughter Himalayan Rose Salt, ground.
1.    Mix tahini and dates in a blender until smooth.
2.    Blend in coconut oil, honey, salt and powdered herbs and spices.
3.    Add 1 cup of coconut and blend. Add cocoa powder until you have a soft dough.
4.    Pour the rest of the coconut into a wide bowl. Grease your hands with a little coconut oil, and roll spoonfuls of the dough into balls. Roll the balls in the coconut, pressing the coconut into the dough so the balls don’t stick together.5.    Store your treats in the fridge or a cool place away from moisture. They will last for several weeks.©2014 Blackbird’s Daughter

Copyright (c) 2009-2014 Jessica Bellantone. Please email me when reproducing content. Thank you!

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