Song of the Week

Listen to this song as you read to help open you up. La Maza by Silvio Rodríguez. On crafting meaning from life.

Updates

There is so much grief floating around this week. Here is some medicine from John O’Donohue, a beloved writer I turn to for heart medicine.

“We rush through our days in such stress and intensity, as if we were here to stay and the serious project of the world depended on us.”

“To be alive is to be suffused with longing.”

“If you listen to the voices of your own longing, they will constantly call you to new styles of belonging which are energetic and mirror the complexity of your life as you deepen and intensify your presence on earth.”

“A true sense of belonging should allow us to become free and creative, and inhabit the silent depth within us. Such belonging would be flexible, open, and challenging. Unlike loneliness of Echo, it should liberate us from the traps of falsity and obsession, and enable us to enter the circle of friendship at the heart of creation.”

As you rush throughout your day today, I hope you find pause in the miracles of your aliveness. Honor your breathe, your blood, your bones by cultivating some slowness in ways you can. Notice the cool air on your skin, give a quiet ovation to some crickets, remember what it is like to sit on a blade of little blue stem grass in a swirling gust.

Sending so much love to everyone who is grieving, terrified, or praying for the wee ones and their parents to heal from the shooting at Annunciation Church. All of the children are ours.

Some practical things for the heart. Pick juniper berries, which are actually little pinecones. They are perfect for grieving. You prick your fingers if you move too fast. Not that pain is bad, just that it’s time to slow down. Juniper berries are bitter and soothing in a piney and evergreen way. Sweet and woody. Crisp and sharp. In Minnesota, the berries of the common juniper (Juniperus communis) and the eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) are edible in small quantities. I have some Juniperus virginiana down the street I harvest in an area where they grow into the sidewalk, and will get trimmed down anyways. Not all juniper berries are safe to eat, so do your research. The poisonous juniper won’t kill you, but it will make you feel ill and isn’t great for you or your kidneys. The poisonous ones will either smell bad when you crush the foliage or the berries look red-orange instead of a white/purple/black. Studying plants and learning which ones will kill or hurt you is part of the fun.

I used this batch of juniper berries for a crispy bean cake I made in my waffle iron, see the recipe below from Sean Sherman and Beth Dooley. They were delicious last night.

I’m off to this pretty place next week, so no newsletter from me! Book your sessions for when I get back.

Sandy Hook Promise: Resource on Protecting Children from Gun Violence

Remembering that if we want to prevent violence, we need to focus on healing ourselves and resourcing our communities.

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xoxo Eiko