mothers and daughters of the Chrysalsis Sisters bathing in moonlight and waterfall mist
My heart is so full! Sharing the full moon with the Chrysalis Sisters filled it right up to overflowing! We walked through Whatcom Falls Park with the moonlight as our only light. It didn’t take long for our eyes to adjust to the darkened forest. It felt so appropriate to speak of the secrets and wonders of life while following the gushing stream that sparkled and swirled in the moonlight. We stood silently for several minutes as we soaked up the heady energy of the moon and the vibrant energy of the rushing water. We then spoke about our experiences of this subtle energy flow. It was an exhilarating sensation!
This month’s medicine walk was dedicated to the Highbush Cranberry, a shrub with wonderful properties for women. Its bark is known as cramp bark as it is a powerful uterine sedative. Tea made from this bark effectively cures painful menstrual cramps in minutes and can even prevent early miscarriages. Goodbye Midol and its long list of possible side effects: ringing in the ears, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, dizziness, headaches, nervousness and blurred vision. Cramp bark is safe, natural and extremely effective. You can purchase it at any botanical store, or better yet, you can plant some of these lovely shrubs in your own yard. The berries are quite attractive and can be cooked into a sauce very similar to cranberry sauce – though they aren’t true cranberries. I only wish I had known about cramp bark earlier. It gave me great satisfaction to pass on this knowledge to the girls. Leslie Williams of Wildroot Botanicals generously donated sample baggies of cramp bark for each girl. The girls were particularly pleased to learn about this wonder as they related that they are not permitted to take any kind of pain killer while at school.
At the end of the walk the girls’ loving mothers met us on the stone bridge that crosses the waterfall. Together we shared cups of hot licorice spice tea and stories before saying goodnight. It was a magical evening.
How inspiring! I hope when my daughter is older we will have such engaging experiences.