Elder is a plant with a long history of being used for protection from “bad” energy. It is a plant much associated with the fairy realms. Elder blossoms and berries have been used medicinally for centuries. (Especially Black Elderberry Sambucus nigra.) Here on the coast we have Red Elderberry, which is blooming on the edge of forests…
Author: Iridacea
My blog Dream Bird Studio, which houses my work as an artist. Mostly fiber arts, much about natural dyes.
I also blog about health, nature and consciousness on Pookaride.com. I started blogging after being diagnosed with breast cancer as a way of keeping my large far flung family up to date. I keep writing though I am no longer cancering with the hope that my experience will benefit others.
Thank you for letting me know.
One thing is clear. If I am going to live the rest of my life without any of my cells reverting to the cancer-ing lifestyle, I need to transform, or perhaps to metamorphose is the better term? After I am done transmuting poisons, and healing from surgery, and recovering from any radiation treatments, my primary…
Tree Baths
The last week has been so very beautiful. I hope that all of you have been soaking up sun or taking tree baths. (Tree baths are a Japanese idea of hanging out with trees as a healing modality – basically walking amongst trees breathing the air made by trees.) A year ago this week, the Family Daire loaded…
The balm of human kindness…
When my family gathered to intern my father’s ashes in July 2011, I was overcome with the need for more ceremony. His ashes were contained inside a plastic bag within a plastic black box from the funeral home. The unimaginative, and cold hearted priest presented the most monotone and meaningless reading at the graveside you could…
“When I grow up I want to be an Old Woman”
This last treatment seems to be a doozy. My blood counts, for red, white and platelets, were predictably at there lowest point when I went in for my last chemo treatment on the 1st. Because I am due for surgery on April 28th, Dr. Anderson scheduled a nuelesta shot for me- adding a whole new…
Moving forward
So, we actually decided against changing to the treatment plan outlined in the April Fools post – though we hear it’s working great for some (see 4/1 comments). Tuesday’s final session of chemotherapy went smoothly. Now we’re in recovery mode, and Preparation-for-Surgery mode. Iris is spending extra time horizontal, reading books pertinent to treatment. We’re planning…
New Treatment Direction
So after seeing Doctors yesterday we have a new treatment plan. Dr. Goodbody’s Total Goodbody System™ – you can read all about it here: New Improved Treatment Plan We could not be more excited. A.C.K. Orderly Joe is particularly pleased with the prospects- so much so that he may adopt some of the regiment to improve…
Super Powers
If you believe that breast milk rocks, then you need to know about Hathor the Cow Goddess, really you need to. Many of the comics are a bit on the snarky side – so if you think babies breastfeeding in public is wrong, you probably won’t find the comic very funny. As of 1998, the…
Those who have gone before.
Today my friend Patty Adelsberger would have been 44 years old. She died from ovarian cancer in 2010, the year we turned 40, and just a few years after her beloved mother died of the same disease. I met her at the Cambell Club Student Coop in Eugene the day I moved to Oregon in September 1990….
Great Big Love
There is nothing like getting a big scary death threat from your body to kick up the level of self reflection and inner listening. So when I was first diagnosed, I started asking myself questions right away. One of the questions I asked was, “What thoughts or actions have I been engaged in that make my…
Resiliency
Early on Dr. Allderdice had me fill out a whole page of questions, and sign it. One of the Questions was “How committed are you to your healing?” He was asking for a percentage. I said 100%. So when I feel whiny about taking 25 pills everyday, or doing hydrotherapy in the shower (which means…
Riding the Pooka 