BEAUTIFUL HUMANS,

As I sit here, in my seat of power, taking up all the space I need, I am reminded of the warm, expanding, and dispersing energy of the summer. The blooming spirit of the summer, propelled by the spring's thrusting energies, encourages us to make contact with the ancestral reverence of the winter while reaching out toward the heavens. This contact is made by being grounded in the momentary delights offered by the present. What are you present to this season?

I AM EXPANDING

My hips and belly are widening. I am leading from my core and breasts instead of my back. My appetite is voracious and the hunger in my belly finally knows satisfaction. I know how to rest and digest even as I am giving myself permission to grow. To feed and be fed by the world around me.

I'm happy to announce that my wonderful web designer Ife Afolayan of the Black Excellence Collective, my team of critical baddies ( shoutout to Karina, Lotte and Tammy) and I have finished my brand new websiteYAY!!! Please head on over and explore the innovative ways I'm engaging my beloved community in high-quality food and herbal education. Notice even the perfection of its imperfection. And...do you like my new newsletter? It's for YOU! And me. And us and we. It took me a while to find this new home and i hope that you can make yourself at home here.

FOOD AS MEDICINE: BITTER IS BETTER

How do we eat to thrive during the Summer? In my dream, thriving is moving in a way that is both adaptive and committed to wellness. Summer in Asian philosophies is the most yang (active, expansive, heating) time of the year. Thriving is honoring the firey yang energy while nourishing the moist yin.

During the summer we center the healing of the heart, the organ associated with the summer season. Bitter flavors according to the traditional Chinese medical text, Huangdi Neiing(2600BC), enter the heart first. Many glycosides and alkaloids-rich herbal bitters like Motherwort (Leonaurus cardiaca), Genatian, and Pulsatilla are renowned heart tonics. These flavors support the nervous, digestive and circulatory systems, "removing heat" and "drying dampness." While these herbs are powerful, we use them in smaller amounts as they can overly dry the body. They are often used by the drop rather than the dropper. We can turn to fresh bitter veggies to support our heart as their alkaloids are balanced by their moistening, nutritive structured water. These veggies may include greens like arugula, mizuna, watercress, endive and lettuces of all kind.

DANCING WITH WATER AND FIRE

Each season complements and teaches the healing paths of the other seasons. To stay cool in the summer, we turn to the tools in our winter medicine bag. We can preserve the yin in our bodies through kidney supporting foods like black sesame seeds and especially nourishing mineral-rich tonics like Stinging Nettle. All of the Nourishing herbal infusions are especially helpful as their mineral content hold fluid in our bodies for more efficient use. Watery fruits like watermelon which traditionally contained yin nourishing black seeds is a favorite around the globe.

Summer is paradoxically a season where we can use the qualities of heat to cool us down. The same warming spices, beverages, foods, and baths of winter bring heat to the surface of our body evoking the sweating mechanisms to cool us during the summer. Pho anyone? Summer Sauna? How about a little ginger? Yes please!

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​HEART-CENTERED COMMUNICATION

The summer season's element is fire; its associated organ is the heart, the seat of our communication. We are encouraged to speak from our hearts when we tell our truths. Skillfulness and discernment give us the ability to not only speak from the heart but to speak in ways that powerfully land within the hearts of others. The state of our heart modulates the state of our speech and how our communications are received. Heart yin tonics like Hawthorn (Crataegus) are powerful allies in our communication. Hawthorn is capable of inducing rhythmicity in the heart among many other things...

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SUMMER MEDICINE BAG This Wednesday from 3-4MST we will explore the subtle energies of the heart with the power of Hawthorn. We will discover how this plant can be used to ground and empower our spiritual being. You may purchase this ticket at cost to support my growth or use the code summernewsletterlove for a deep discount. Thanks for being a subscriber either way.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY IN TOUCH?

It is a pleasure to nourish and be nourished by the fire within you. I am learning deeply how to be in right relationship, that is right communication the people I value the most. Thanks for being in practice with me as I get better and better all the time.

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