Sitting on the garden bench, eyes closed, focused on the conversations around me. Birds calling, bees buzzing, the high-pitched humming of gnats. Something was missing: the sound of crickets.

“It used to be thought that the events that changed the world were things like big bombs, maniac politicians, huge earthquakes, or vast population movements, but it has now been realized that this is a very old-fashioned view…. The things that change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, and subsequently a storm ravages half of Europe.”

After a year of physical and at times seeping mental confinement, there came a sudden whoosh! of energy and creativity. These are signs of spring balance in TCM and Ayurveda. I’ve been keeping a file of interesting topics I want to pursue, someday. Well, that day is now.

Introducing my favorite characters in a scene from the Spring Opus 2021. The cast consists of the following:

· Nettles: tough, aggressive, prickly; smells like the ocean on a warm day which is a cover for its high mineral content; good at quickly establishing boundaries

Mother Earth is rousing from her Winter slumber and it’s time to get your liver and gall bladder cleansed. Or so they say. Aren’t those two organs already in the business of breaking down “stuff” and helping us digest? How much more cleaning do they need?!

Scouting my garden for the smallest of clues, I can feel the soil moving with the growing of roots. Spring is creeping forward, and I can feel the latent energies beginning to move underneath my feet.

We no longer sacrifice goats and dogs or strike people with bloodied strips of goat hide to induce fertility. Making truffles mixed with herbs is more civilized and more likely to result in a sensual response. Here’s to a more pleasing interpretation of a pagan ritual.

Thanks to our ancestors, we’re alive. We’re all works in progress, a never-ending journey of change. Our beloveds who have Transitioned to the other side continue to support and care for us. They surround us at this time and ask to be remembered and to offer support and advice.

COVID-19 became a game changing reality in March of this year. It was, and is, frightening in its symptoms and lack of response to our known arsenal of pharmaceuticals and other treatment modalities. This is also true regarding common herbal remedies.