Thursday, December 05, 2013

What I've Been Up To...

I know this blog has been more active and lively in the past but I've been busy. Busy with new & exiting projects...And a lot of learning (topics that are dear to me and which I am very passionate about). I'm getting a sudden sense of clarity as I now understand the hows & the whys in my life as well as my purpose.

I've been making Artisan Flower & Leaf Essences (similar to the Bach Remedies) in small batches (I usually make about 3 new ones/month) that are all available on my Etsy Shop and at The Path, for the locals ;). It's something that I would never have considered just a year ago. I've been into herbalism for a long time but I have developed a growing interested in what I call esoteric herbalism (the effect of plants on emotions, the psyche and on a spiritual level) and I find it much more fascinating than regular herbalism. I like challenges and this is pretty much Terra Incognita, not much literature on the topic. If you want to know, you need to ask the plants themselves and trust your intuition & spiritual connection. I believe a similar approach is possible with stones & crystals, though I'm much less knowledgeable about these. But I like the idea of making crystal elixirs with a few of my favorite & trusty stones.

While on the topic of vibrational remedies, let's stretch further to Energy Healing. Energy Medicine is the Medicine of the Earth, it is probably as old as the world and I believe it is also the Medicine of the Future. Whether we like it or not, accept it or not, we are all connected the Earth. It gives us life, sustenance and medicine (real food, herbs, crystals), it recharges our batteries when they are depleted (energetically with work, stress or disease). Anybody can tap into this energy but you need to ground & reconnect yourself first.

And everything on this Earth & the Universe is Energy. Even words have a vibration and emit energy, especially ancient (magical) alphabets. I'm studying the Runes which are powerful teachers and healers. I am aware that this type of study can take a lifetime of learning and even then I won't master them, just barely scratch the surface. I've been attracted/connected to them for a long time (past lives included). Most people use them for divination but that's just the tip of the iceberg, and to me the least interesting part.

I am offering my services & help as a Runic Energy Worker (combining both Runes in various ways with Energy Healing Techniques) at the Path Spiritual Learning Center, here in Redondo Beach. I'm doing this because this is my purpose in this life and one cannot simply turn one's back on a gift because then this is a waste of a gift (which can be lost or taken back over time).

Here's a picture of me "in action" that was taken recently, during a "Spiritual Spa Day" event (you can see my flower essences on display as well):


You can find me at the Path every Wednesdays & Fridays (Afternoons), see flyer below for more details:


Be well ;).

Monday, November 18, 2013

On Runes and Healing...

"...Degrees and certifications look good on paper and to the physical eyes of the world. They state that the person has attained a certain amount of knowledge and know-how. But these things without the desire to heal, without compassion, and without the ability to practice, are worthless. All to often, doctors flaunt their "right" to practice medicine and are overlooking the cause of illness to get at the symptoms. They simply provide to the ailing patient a quick fix to relieve the pains and physical manifestations of the disease.
This is wrong. Disease is much deeper than that. It goes into the mental and emotional levels of being as well. It lives within the neglect of ourselves and of nature, within the stress that is encountered each day, and in the food we eat. The mind must be cared for, the emotions must be nurtured, "whole"-ly treating the person as a single unit. Holistic medicine like Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Aromatherapy, Herbal Medicine, and Runic Healing treat the whole person..."

From "Limb Runes" by Adam Hoyt

Friday, October 25, 2013

About Ancient Knowledge, Natural Therapies & Energy Healing...

"There were once people who lived profoundly on this planet, essentially without the self consciousness of doing so, and some survive precariously in a few isolated places today. They were people who lived in reciprocal, respectful relationship within ecosystems of which they recognized themselves a part and whose sacred nature they knew and understood. They lived lives in which the everyday activities of living were more akin to ritual or sacrament, paced by the rhythms of nature and linked to and in harmony with the greater movements of the cosmos - blending the sacred and the profane, past and future, time and timelessness, in the present moment. They were people who inherited an uninterrupted transmission of the knowledge of a way of being that stretched back to their distant ancestors. They knew the anatomy of the land in which they lived, dreamed its dreams, learned what it taught, and felt the same pulse stream of life flowing through the veins of the universe that they heard singing within their own bodies.
It is the lives and the beliefs of such people, who in the West until recently were considered as merely 'superstitious', 'primitive' or 'backward', which we are now beginning to realize were dynamic and vivid ways of experiencing and understanding the universe, ways that we have forgotten, and which were far more precious, far truer and far beyond anything our modern scientific belief systems or our pale interpretations of religion have been able to give or teach us.
In the West we have created a 'culture' of anaesthesia and amnesia, a 'culture' that encourages us to stop feeding our bodies and minds and prevents us from experiencing and realizing ourselves as part of the universe, instead of existing as paranoid strangers within, and divests us of all the knowledge of our spiritual destinies - our true natures. This is a result of our having developed philosophies or descriptions of reality that are based on an egocentric dualistic rationalism. For the paths of innate wisdom and insight we have substituted the schools of acquisitive, second-hand knowledge, placing intellect over intuition and raising it to the center point of human endeavour. By doing so, we have disinherited ourselves of our own insight and of our wise ones, our Elders, the custodians of true knowledge of the Way and of those paths that could lead us, with all the self-evident and terrifying consequences.
We need to relearn and assimilate into our own lives what has survived of this ancient knowledge, in order to begin to heal ourselves, each other and the planet on which we live. In so doing we may also in some part, pay homage and respect to those peoples and their traditions and cultures that were banished and forbidden a place under the sun and the moon..."

From "The Shamanic Healer - The Healing World of Ikuko Osumi and the Traditional Art of Seiki-Jutsu" by Ikuko Osumi and Malcom Ritchie

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Zenseer's Products at the Path

Yesterday I brought some of my flower & leaf essences as well as some liquid smudges to my friend's boutique "The Path", here in Redondo Beach. The energy was good and the lingering Full Moon energy as well as some fog made this day very spiritual.
Each flower essence bottle has a little red ribbon rose on it and each liquid smudge has a sari silk ribbon (I try to match color and plant as much as possible). I brought a tester for each liquid smudge, as you can see above. And I added a few (fake, alas) matching red roses to beautify the display (and attract the eyes).
I have another little project in mind that would complement these products, but can't talk about it yet because...the silence is golden ;). But if everything goes well, this last category of products should find its way both to my Etsy shop and my friend's boutique very soon... 

Friday, October 11, 2013

This Morning's Herbal Harvest

From left to right: orange mint, french tarragon, sage, lemon verbena and lemon thyme.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Don't let my silence fool you...

I've been busy. I've been reading and learning a lot, (re)questioning what I do and which directions to take...And as always, I have enough ideas and projects to make people's head spin.
Right now I'm working again on flower and leaf essences that I make using local plants (wild and cultivated). I have redone the packaging and my bottles look really lovely. I currently have 3 of them (wild purslane, borage & rosemary) listed HERE, on my Etsy shop, in great detail as to how to use them and what they are good for. I'll be having some more soon (the advantage of living in California).


Another thing I've been working on is liquid smudges. Most people use essential oils, I don't. I prefer to use a strongly scented tincture as a base for my sprays. There's something very alchemical about the whole process (which can take up to 2 months): it doesn't just extract the scent of the plant, it gets its soul and energy as well. If you are a sensitive, like I am, you will see & feel what I mean when you'll get to use them. I'm hoping to have a few listed within the next couple weeks.
However I have to tell you that I prepare both my flower essence and my liquid smudges in small amounts, so they are available in limited quantities. This allows me to offer a wider choice of essences and scents throughout the seasons.

Monday, September 30, 2013

On Water...

"...97% of the total supply of fresh water on our planet is contained inside the earth from which it emerges in springs and geysers or though wells and boreholes, sometimes boiling hot and sometimes icy cold, sometimes sluggishly and sometimes with enormous force, sometimes containing a rich variety of minerals and salts and sometimes containing almost nothing at all.
It is this fresh water, bubbling up from the ground, tumbling down hillsides in fast flowing streams, flowing more sedately through great rivers and forming pools and lakes that has been accorded particular spiritual significance and venerated through human history.
The much greater quantity of salt water that makes up the seas and oceans has, on the whole, inspired rather different emotions - awe and wonder, certainly, but also fear and dread. The sea, conceived as "the deep", has been seen as something other, a remnant of the chaos that existed before creation, untamed, savage and associated with danger and death.
Fresh water has, for the most part, been conceived of in much more positive and benign terms, although it too has not been wholly without negative and demonic associations..."

From "Water - A Spiritual History" by Ian Bradley

Monday, April 22, 2013

My Very Own Flower Essences

Lately I've been diverging from the traditional/academic uses of plants to delve into the energetic/esoteric uses of these (vibrational remedies, alchemy. gemmotherapy...) especially on an emotional and spiritual level. This is a whole new world for me with so many possibilities, and I find all this very exciting.

Along these lines I am starting to make my own flower & leaf essences and I also plan to have a small line of liquid smudges (but that's another story and a future project).

I currently have some Rosemary flower essence listed on my shop (with its uses); Borage should be following shortly...And more to come ;).

My flower and leaf essences are made in small batches, seasonally, with organically homegrown and ethically wildcrafted local herbs and plants, spring water and (grain free) brandy (as a preservative). I only harvest plants during waxing moon (between New Moon and Full Moon) when the energy is at its highest and choose the day depending on which planet rules the plant (Rosemary is ruled by the Sun so I prepared the essence on a Sunday).

I obtain the therapeutic uses directly from the plants' spirits themselves, as shamans have done for thousands of years. All my flower & leaf essences are blessed.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Feeling slightly off balance...

...But I know it's temporary and I always fall back on both my feet then keep going, moving forward...Always.
My first class didn't go quite the way I expected, even though I knew what I was doing and saying. An acquaintance of mine said I looked as ease and in my element but I had a student I wasn't prepared for.
This student was autistic and didn't show any emotion. I don't know whether she was interested in what I was saying, and even less about what she might have been thinking. She was just staring at me the whole time with inexpressive eyes and I felt like I had a wall in front of me. I managed to make her smile a couple times so I guess I must have reached her somehow, even just a little bit. I don't know if I'll see her again at the next class, that will be a surprise...
So I got a challenge for my first class. But I like challenges, that won't deter me. There will be a 2nd class as planned. Funny how life can play tricks on you: when you think you've figured out what you want, what works for you, how do to things and which way to go, then comes a spiritual storm out of nowhere which brings new insights and the direction you were taking suddenly changes...
I know what I'm saying is a bit esoteric here but the people who have gone though something similar will understand.

Friday, April 05, 2013

First Class begins Next Week

I'm finishing the preparations for my first class which will be about stinging nettle. There are a lot of things to cover in just 1 hour of time! But we'll keep it lively, interesting and fun ;).

If you haven't signed up for the class already, I encourage you to do so.

To RSVP, please contact Marie at The Path:
800 Torrance Blvd, suite 102
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 540-3030

See my previous post for more details: http://zenseer.blogspot.com/2013/03/announcing-wild-plant-spirit-allies.html

See you there! ;)

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Ultra Rustic Garden Treillis


I have collected several Y-shaped branches during my Fall & Winter hikes, in the hope of making a wind catcher and giving branch weaving a try...Oh well! It looks likes these projects will have to wait a little longer.
My young grapevine has awakened from its Winter slumber and is busy growing new branches that need some support (the young tendrils won't have anything to latch on, on a barren wall) so I decided to improvise a garden trellis out of my deadwood branches. I little bit of jute twine magic (all of this done under my cat's supervision) and there you have a rustic wooden trellis to support the grapevine ;).

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Announcing "Wild Plant Spirit Allies" Classes...

I'm happy to announce that I will be teaching a short series of classes at The Path, starting April 13th.
Details below. Feel free to contact me if you have any question.

To RSVP, please contact Marie at The Path:
800 Torrance Blvd, suite 102
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 540-3030


WILD PLANT SPIRIT ALLIES

Through this series of classes you will learn about the truly magical uses of 5 plants in your everyday life. These plants can be found in your garden but you are more likely to encounter them on hiking trails throughout California. You’ll learn about each plant’s folklore and various uses (physical, emotional, nutritional, spiritual…) as well as how to connect with it on a deeper level. To complete our journey with these plants’ spirits, you will learn how to recognize them in the wild during a local herb walk.

Classes’ schedules:
·        Nettle                                     April 13th, 3-4 pm
·        Mallow                                  April 27th, 3-4 pm
·        Fennel                                    May 11th, 3-4 pm
·        Elder                                       May 25th, 3-4 pm    
·        Blackberry                             June 8th, 3-4 pm
·        Wild herb walk (free)           June 22nd, 3 pm

RSVP REQUIRED FOR EACH CLASS  
(Fee: $15/class)

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

"Contes étranges" maintenant sur les sites amazon / "Contes étranges" (french edition only) now available on amazon websites

Mon livre est maintenant disponible sur les sites amazon de France et de Navarre, notamment ICI (site US) et ICI (site français).

Et bien-sûr toujours chez mon editeur ICI (lulu.com), petit aperçu à la clef...

Je rappelle que le livre est imprimé à la demande chez mon éditeur (cela prend généralement 2-3 jours) puis envoyé au commanditaire depuis les Etats-Unis (ce qui normalement prend 2 semaines tout au plus).

Merci pour votre soutien et bonne lecture!

P-S: le projet de CD audio est toujours d'actualité ;).

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

"Contes étranges" bientôt sur Amazon...

Mon livre devrait être disponible sur les différents sites Amazon d'ici 6 à 8 semaines!

Monday, February 04, 2013

Ce que je lis / What I'm reading: "Les Nains et les Elfes au Moyen Age" de Claude Lecouteux

Description de l'ouvrage

Personnage familier venu d'un lointain passé et perpétuant sa vie dans l'imaginaire de nos sociétés modernes, le nain n'en est pas moins méconnu et a été, en fait, bien peu étudié. Qui est-il et d'où vient-il vraiment ? Puisant dans les littératures médiévales, mais aussi dans les contes, les légendes et les mythologies, Claude Lecouteux, éminent spécialiste du Moyen Age, relève les images, les situations et les usages gravitant autour de cet être singulier. Il met au jour tout un monde de croyances disparues, souvent occultées par l'Eglise ou simplement englouties par le temps. Ainsi, loin d'être des supports de fictions ou de superstitions, les nains, empreints d'une forte signification religieuse, seraient liés à la fertilité, à la mort et à ce culte des ancêtres dont on connaît l'importance dans notre ancien Occident. Fourmillant dans les traditions populaires, lutins, follets, kobolds ou trolls, nains et elfes de toutes sortes, laissent entrevoir comment, en dépit de la culture chrétienne, le paganisme parvint à se maintenir dans les campagnes jusqu'à l'aube de l'ère industrielle.
 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Une piste / A lead...

Comme je l'ai mentionné précédemment je me considere davantage conteuse qu'écrivain. Le conteur raconte une histoire (qu'il connaît ou invente au fur et à mesure) à un public qui bien souvent n'est pas familier avec l'histoire (à moins qu'il s'agisse d'une légende locale). Dans ce contexte, le conteur suscite l'intérêt, l'attention et l'imaginaire du public d'une façon plus soutenue qu'un simple livre pourrait le faire. De plus le conteur joue sur les intonations, les changements de voix et la gestuelle ce qui a le don de rendre l'histoire beaucoup plus vivante.

A l'heure actuelle je m'interesse à un support audio. Je souhaiterais créer un CD audio avec les histoires de mon livre "Contes étranges et qui dérangent" justement dans le but de recréer cette ambiance du conteur traditionnel à la maison (ce serait parfait pour Halloween).

Je souhaiterais également aller plus loin et avec un peu de chance mon 2e livre se presentera sous cette forme: je voudrais avoir un beau livre illustré avec quelques extraits écrits de mes contes qui irait de paire avec un CD audio servant de support visuel d'ambiance et d'avant-goût des contes sur le CD (une sorte de kit). Je ne peux en dire davantage: c'est une idée que je vais laisser germer dans un coin de ma tête et on verra bien où elle me menera...

As I previously mentioned in another post, I consider myself myself more of a storyteller rather than an author. A storyteller tells a story (that he knows or invents as he goes) to an audience which is often unfamiliar with the story (unless it's a local legend). In this context, the storyteller gets the interest and attention of the audience while stimulating its imagination in a much more interactive way than a book can do. Plus a storyteller plays with changes in tones of voice and gesture which makes the whole story much more lively.

I'm currently interested in audio media. I'd like to create an audio CD version of my book "Contes etranges et qui derangent" (in french and english) in order to recreate that whole traditional storytelling experience at home (and it would be perfect for Halloween).

But I also would like to go further and if things go well maybe my 2nd book will take this form: a nice looking book with my illustrations and a few written sentences from my stories as well  as an audio CD in which the listener can discover the tales (a sort of combo pack). I can't say more as this is an idea I need to let germinate and develop in my mind, we'll see where it goes...

Monday, January 28, 2013

Mes lectures du moment / My current reads

Aussi loin qu'il m'en souvienne, j'ai toujours aimé les livres. Et je crois que l'apprentissage de la lecture a du avoir l'effet d'une révélation car elle est la clef qui a permis l'ouverture d'un nouveau monde pour moi...Celui où mon imagination pouvait vagabonder sans limites.
Aujourd'hui, je me vois mal vivre sans eux (d'autant plus que je viens d'en publier un), mais il y en a tellement qui me titillent et murmurent mon nom tout bas que je ne peux me résoudre à en lire juste un à la fois. Il faut dire que je ne me contente pas que d'oeuvres de fiction, je touche également à la philosophie, à la poesie et à l'étude de tout un tas de choses qui font partie de mes centres d'intérets.
Voici une brève liste de ce que mes yeux devorent en ce moment. Et vous, que lisez-vous?

As far as I can remember, I have always loved books. I think that learning to read must have been a revelation to me for reading is the key that opened the door to a new world for me...One where my imagination could run wild and free.
Nowadays I can't imagine living without books (especially since I just published my own) but there are so many that tempt me and whisper my name that I can't just read one at a time. I'm not only interested in fiction but in philosophy, poetry as well as the study of the many topics that my mind is so curious about.
Here's a short list of what my eyes are currently devouring. What about you? What are you currently reading?

  • "La douce empoisonneuse" d'Arto Paasilinna
  • "The Sorcerer's Dream - Dreaming and spiritual adventure in a New Millenium" by Dreamshield
  • "From the Ashes of Angels - The forbidden legacy of a fallen race" by Andrew Collins
  • "Mermaids, Sylphs, Gnomes & Salamanders - Dialogues with the Kings & Queens of Nature" by William R. Mistele
  • "Victor Hugo's Conversations with the Spirit World - A literary genius's hidden life" by John Chambers

Sunday, January 20, 2013

A propos d'ebook et une idée / About ebooks and an idea...

A ceux d'entre vous qui attendaient la version ebook de mon livre "contes étranges et qui dérangent", je dois des excuses car ca ne va pas être possible. En effet, une des conditions de mon editeur à la creation d'un ebook est que le texte soit en anglais! Chose que j'ignorais...
Mais après avoir entendu quelques sons de cloches et un peu de reflection, j'aimerais bien créer un CD audio avec mes histoires. Certains de mes amis ont eu l'occasion de les entendre avant de les lire et les ont appreciées et visualisées comme des histoires qu'un conteur vient raconter au coin du feu. Ne jamais sous-estimer le pouvoir de l'imagination! Et comme je me positionne davantage comme conteuse et folkloriste qu'écrivain, cette idée me plaît bien. Je vais donc la creuser et je vous tiens au courant...

There won't be a french ebook version of my book, since it's not possible with my publisher however it shouldn't be a problem for an english ebook (once I'm done translating). But there is something else that I'd like to do, an idea that's been slowly simmering in my brain. Prior to publishing the book, I have had the opportunity to read a few tales to my friends who really enjoyed them and were able to visualize them like tales told by a storyteller sitting by the fireplace. Never underestimate the power of imagination! And since I consider myself more like a storyteller and folklorist than a true writer, this is an idea that I'd like to explore and I'll keep you posted...

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Song of the End

"Mother of twilight
tear us away
from the
density of time.
Initiate us
into the ever,
the all,
the breath
of the infinite.
Baptize us with starlight.
Wrap our souls
in the shroud
of rapture
and sound.
Create in us
everything which
has been lost
and all
which is unknowable.
Let us speak
in the tongue
of grace,
in which all
vibrations are
one
eternal
song."

Christine Fortuin
(Poem found in the 2013 We'Moon Calendar)
CURRENT MOON

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