Several people stopped by the Kent Emporium this past week and looked at the Crimson Clover.  I showed them the various plants in bloom and each person responded with...

OMG - That's Stinging Nettles!
I laughed and then touches the Stinging Nettle plant to show them that...

Stinging Nettles aren't scary!

Each person was shocked that I didn't get stung.  Of course, I had to give my mini talk on what to do if you get stung by the plant.  Break the stem and put the milky sap of the rash.  The pain will stop immediately.  The plant contains its own antidote for its sting.  Plus, there are many virtues to growing Nettles:
 
In the garden, Stinging Nettles is one of the best companion plants:

• Increases the oil content of many herbs.
• Helps vegetables grow more vigorously.
• Helps plants become more resistant to pests.
• Can be used to enrich compost.
• Attracts beneficial insects.

Health benefits of Stinging Nettles:

• Edible and Nutritious -contain vitamins A, C, and K as well as B vitamins.
• Helps detoxify the body.
• Rich in anti-inflammatory properties (relieves arthritis).
• Gives relief in respiratory issues (reduces seasonal allergies).
• May help lower blood pressure.

Are you interested in connecting deeper with the power of nature? 
Join me on June 24th and June 25th (details below) and discover what plant wants to work with you.

​For the past few years, I've been struggling with creating a wildflower garden. I had a vision of what I wanted my wildflower garden to look like, but no matter how hard I tried, the plants would not grow, and the weeds always won.  Considering I have a natural green thumb, I was feeling defeated as my vision of the perfect wildflower garden turned into an imperfect weed garden.  I was about ready to give up last fall until I stumbled across an unusual seed blend that gave me hope.  And this year, I finally have a wildflower garden that doesn't look like a weed patch.  So far Crimson Clover, Cornflowers, and Siberian Wallflowers have popped up with a few Dandelions and Goldenrod.  As the year goes on, other plants will start to pop up (15 in all - including some grasses).  It's not your traditional wildflower seed mix, as I needed the option to mow it a couple of times a year. But I thought I would share it with you, in case you are thinking of wanting to try something new this fall in prep for next year (Organic Hayflower Medicinal Pastures Mix).

As I pulled weeds around the house this past weekend and looked at my wildflower garden, I realized that my wildflower garden has taught me a lot over the past several years.  It was teaching me the Wabi-Sabi style of gardening...


The art of imperfect gardening!

Below is a short-video recording of the Crimson Clover singing in the garden.  And if you are interested in learning new techniques to connect deeper with nature, check out my upcoming workshop (details below).

​Based on everyone I have spoken to within the past several weeks; exhaustion seems to be a common theme.  I asked my acupuncturist a week ago, and he suggested it was weather related, as everyone was seeing him with the exact same symptoms.  So, if you have been feeling unusually exhausted and tired lately, you are not alone.  

I've had my own share of exhaustion lately.  At first, I fought the exhaustion and then I decided to take a step back and see this as an opportunity to do things differently.  Instead of working harder, I decided to work smarter.  I started asking myself, if I only had 2 hours of energy a day, how would I spend that energy?  It really put things into perspective.  It also taught me to approach my mentoring and teaching from a different perspective.  Instead of the traditional approach I was taught (sitting in an office, spending hours on zoom), I decided to start incorporating different non-traditional approaches.   For example - for in-person mentoring, I've decided to let Nature help me.  Below is a recent in-person experience, instead of sitting at a table talking, we went for a walk as we talked.  This is what happened...

• We saw a glistening rainbow in the mist spraying from the irrigation system.
• We walked through the freshly plowed corn field and felt the grounding energy of the dirt below our fee.
• We stood on a ridge and let the wind blow the lethargic energy off of our bodies.
• We looked at the wild spring plants and found some wild catnip to pick for our cats.
• We each selected a rock (found in the corn field) to assist with shifting energy blocks.

By the end of that session, we both felt like we...

Reconnected To Our Inner Magic

I've been so excited with this approach, that I decided to revamp my June in-person workshop.  If you this speaks to you, check out the details via the link below.

Today I woke up feeling out of sorts.  I picked an Oracle Card and this is what it said...

Remember you are not lost; you simply do not know where you are going right now.  Lost is a state of mind; not knowing where you are going is an opportunity to find a way to a new path.

That one card was spot on for me.  So, I'm guessing that a few others might need this message today.  Maybe it's time to step back, take a time out, relax and see what path presents itself.
​

Monday, I woke up and was wondering...

Why am I so tired all of the time?

I was wondering what was driving the exhaustion.  I've been sleeping well, so that wasn't the issue.  By 7:45am I found out what the root cause was!  At 6:30am I decided to start a load of laundry.  When I went to put the laundry in the dryer at 7:30am, there was a message on the washing machine blinking at me.  

Call For Service

Augh...the laundry was soaking wet (obviously it didn't make it through the spin cycle).  I switched the dial to Drain and Spin, and the washing machine ran for 1 minute and said...

Cycle Complete!

Grrrr!!!.  I googled Maytag Repair and scheduled an appointment for Tuesday.  10 minutes later I received a text from the local service person.  He asked me a few basic questions to determine the root cause and I responded.   He then started asking me more in-depth questions ..When was this machine purchased?  What cycle were you running when the error occurred?  Did it make any odd noises?  Can you try running another load and see if you can get the error message?  Can you tilt the machine and see if the white plastic device underneath is clean or dirty?  In between these text questions, a colleague sent me a message and asked..."Do you know where Traci is?"  My response...

I'm sorry but yesterday I was the IT Technician, today I'm the Maytag Repair person, and tomorrow if I'm lucky, I can be the donut maker.  So, No, I don't know where she is!
​
He sent me a smiley face and responded...

Every day I get up and never know what hat I will be putting on. 
I have a whole shelf full of hats. 

When I read his message, I laughed and had an "ahha" moment.  Now I fully understand why I've been so exhausted lately and the washing machine was kind enough to show.  I have been wearing too many hats!

So today I started to keep track of my many hats.  I was the...

• Maytag Repair Person,
• The Bird Catcher,
• The House Cleaner,
• The Bill Payer,
• The Writer, and
• The Business Strategist

And today the list was rather light.  Other days I'm the painter, the snow shoveler, the vet, the plant waterier, etc.  I know realize that I need to start letting go of some of my hats.

What hats do you wear?
How many hats are too many?
What hats are you ready to let go of?

I'm so glad that the month of March is almost over.  It has been a rough, crazy month.  A friend described it perfectly this past week:

We got 1st Class Tickets on the Crazy Train! And this is one 1st Class Ticket we don't want!
​
When I told the story to another friend over a glass of wine, her comment:

At least you aren't driving the crazy train!

So true. And then I told her what I would do...

If I was driving the crazy train, I would pull the emergency brake, 
get off of the train and walk away.

And in retrospect that is exactly what I did.  I didn't get swept up into the drama.  I didn't get swept into playing the Rescuer when...

• People intentionally didn't do their best work in hopes that I would pick up the slack.
• People tried to pass off their problems as my problems.
• People wanted me to make decisions for them, so that they had someone else to blame if anything went wrong.

Instead, I focused on...

• Becoming a Certified Master Business Health Assessor.
• Finishing my oracle card deck (waiting for the prototypes to arrive via mail).
• Finishing a "very" rough draft of my book.

This past month taught me that I have finally learned to grow and bloom where I'm planted, even if I'm planted under some concrete. 

Are you feeling like you are trying to grow and bloom under concrete these days? 

Join me Tuesday night and learn how to bloom where you are planted.  Details below.

How has your month of March been going?  The crazy train showed up at my doorstep filled with circuses and flying monkeys, which told me...the March Full Moon energy is doing some heavy spring cleaning in prep for the Spring Equinox and the New Moon.  I even had a non-spiritual friend call me and ask "What is going on with this full moon?  My significant other yelled at me for replacing the empty toilet roll paper will a full one and all of my friends are acting bat sh*t crazy!!!"  My response...
​
Take a Deep Refreshing Breathe
Take a Deep Nourishing Breathe
Take a Deep Restorative Breathe
 
Be the Calm in the Middle of The Chaos...As This Too Shall Pass!


Invitations of the March Spring Equinox and New Moon

Invite balance into the parts of your life that feel out of alignment.
Look at where things feel out of balance in your life.  Where do things feel off-kilter?  Where do you feel out of alignment?  Are there ways you can bring more balance into those parts of your life?


Wake up.  Time to “Rise & Shine”.
After months of hibernating and focusing inward, it is time to wake up and become alive again.  Embrace this new beginning.  Ask yourself “What excites me right now?  What inspires me?  What do I feel drawn toward?”

Open yourself to new beginnings.
You’re moving into a season of phenomenal & monumental growth.  And you have the power to grow deeply and profoundly, this season.  You do not need to know the what & how!  You don’t have to know what’s going to grow for you, you don’t need to know what it looks like or how it’s going to happen.  You only need to trust that spring is the beginning of the growth season.  Open yourself up to the potential of new beginnings in the weeks ahead.


Tend your soil.
The gardener knows – before any seeds can be planted, the soil must be rich enough to support new life.  What groundwork do you need to do before you can support new growth in your life?  What do your body & spirit need, in order to provide the rich, fertile soil required for new seeds to take root?


Ready to find a little more balance? 


Check out my guided March Shamanic Experience. If you are unable to attend, no worries, the session will be recorded.

Today is the March Full Moon.  I can tell because my sleep has been restless since Saturday due to a mix of toss/turning and crazy dreams.  I've been feeling scattered and ungrounded.  This AM I awoke from the craziest dream that I will title: 
 
SUITCASE STORIES

In this dream I'm waiting in front of a hotel for a bus to take me to the airport with other people (friends/family).  As I wait, I realize that I don't have my suitcase, so I return to the hotel and get my suitcase.  When I return to the front of the hotel, I realize that everyone had left for the airport and left me behind with their suitcases.  I was angry and upset.  And then the questions entered my mind:

• How could they leave me behind?
• How will I get to the airport?
• Why did they leave their baggage behind for me to carry?
• How am I supposed to carry all of their baggage through the airport?

​
I ordered a taxi.  As I waited in the crowded street, panicking that I would miss the flight, I spoke to a traffic cop.  After we spoke, I noticed one of the pieces of luggage was missing.  I then realized that everyone was eyeing all of the baggage I had around me as if they wanted it.  I realized that I couldn't fight them off, so I decided...

This isn't my baggage...feel free to take it!

By the time the taxi arrived, the only suitcase that was left was mine.  

The lesson of this dream (as I've coached clients around this subject), is that people will intentionally create drama in your life with the expectation that you will drop everything and cater to their drama.  As a result, your needs are pushed to the back burner.  When you put your needs first or express frustration about the drama, these drama people don't want to hear about it and will make you feel guilty for even considering putting yourself first.  After all - it's all about them!   

The intention of this March Full Moon is to bring old wounds to the surface that need to be dealt with.  These old wounds can magnify where we have not been taking care of ourselves.  My dream is fully lined up with this March Full Moon.  Looks like I need to remove some baggage!  So, in summary, the purpose of this full moon energy is to point out....

Where in your life have you been putting your needs second in order to maintain a relationship (personal or professional)? 

What baggage (old story) do you need to lose in order to take better care of yourself and put your needs first?
 
Link to learn more about the March Full Moon:  Forever Conscious

Book are a portable kind of magic. 
Sit back relax and let the book give you the answer.
~Robin Rosenstiel

This week I purged my bookcase of books that no longer spoke to me.  13 books to be exact (mix of coaching and self-help books) which will be donated to the local bookstore called Voices Book Nook.  To me, books have a portable magic to them.  The right book always seems to appear with the answers I'm looking for before I even ask the question.  Some of my personal favorites:

• Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (reminded me to return to my shamanic roots)
• The Alchemist (encouraged me to follow my dreams)
• The Invitation (invited me live life more passionately and honestly)
• Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic ( Fluevog Shoes)
• The Artist Way (reawakened by intuition and creativity)

 
So, imagine my surprise when 2 books appeared to me this week via Facebook ads and News Programs:

• A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons
• Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide

The Botanist murder mystery reminded me of the creative project I want to start this Spring - create a Nature/Plant Sound Essence CD based on local Poison Plants.  As far the McMasters Gide to Homicide, I read the first few pages via Amazon (for free) and the book just made me giggle. 

Imagine a Harry Potter Style University for Homicide Training

At lunch on Saturday, I was telling a friend (who likes mystery books) about the two books that magically appeared this week.  I then asked her the question...I wonder what my expertise would be.  And her response "Poison Plants".  Go figure!!!  Needless to say, I ordered the books as these two books have really sparked my curiosity.  As for the title of this blog, Rupert Holmes (the man who wrote/sang Pina Colloda song) wrote the Murder Your Employer:  The McMasters Guide to Homicide book.  So obviously, I will have to drink Pina Collada's while I read this book. 

What books have inspired you over the years?