A Blessingway
A Blessingway is a an old Native American Navajo ceremony honouring and celebrating a woman before she gives birth. Much different to a baby shower, this ceremony is a woman centred celebration focussed on nurturing and preparing the mother-to-be for her birth journey and rite of passage to motherhood.
Every Blessingway is unique and can be planned to suit the individual needs and values of the mother. There are many different rituals that can make up this special ceremony however the common thread is that a sacred circle of women is formed with peace and tranquility to focus all thoughts and energy on the mother. The rituals may include singing, smudging, dancing, ornamental gift giving, candle lighting, belly art, creating birth necklaces and weavings, reading of poems & meaningful quotes, sharing of blessings and nurturing treats like massage, foot bathing and hair brushing.
In preparation for D’s birth, Farmer insisted on coming to Sydney to set the scene for a Blessingway for me; something I had never experienced before. This ceremony connected me with many special friends who travelled from all over Australia to help honour this special time in my life. Next to D’s birth, this was the most uplifting, empowering experience I have ever had.
Earthing or Just Living?
Earthing? What next? Getting two bare feet on the ground. I’ve secretly always relished in the invigorating feeling of starting my day by walking outside with my bare feet on the dew kissed grass to hang washing out; fresh morning air on my cheeks and the glistening sunrise peeping behind the trees. It’s not something I have consciously brought up in conversations about myself as it sounds kinda crazy! But it seems the modern day phenomena of “Earthing” explains why this feels so great. Pinky explains why below.
Industrialised food. Industrialised living. Germs kill us. Concrete. Shoes. Cars. Transport. Dress codes. School Rules. Work place Health & Safety.
All of these things get in the way of contacting our bare feet with the Earth. How warped has our world become that we have to actually ‘create’ a concept called “Earthing.” Isn’t it just living? Walking barefoot on the grass, or through the garden should be an everyday thing like going to the toilet. You don’t think about it. You just do it.
People and celebrities are raving about the new modern concept of “Earthing”. It simply means putting your bare feet on the ground unseparated by shoes, concrete paths or any other matter for at least 10 minutes a day, gaining gentle electric energy from the Earth. Research is now revealing that, “this energy creates a distinct and uplifting shift in the physiology. It promotes health, vitality, and better sleep; harmonizes and stabilizes the body’s basic biological rhythms; knocks down (and even knocks out) chronic inflammation; and reduces and eliminates pain.” Ober,C author of Earthing. Read more here. or watch this video.
I talked to Farmer today after spending a glorious morning at the beach drying out, soaking up the warm sunshine and getting my feet in the sand…. When I told her about the idea for a Pinkfarm post about ‘Earthing’ she paused and said, “What? That’s ridiculous.” After we hashed out this ‘concept’ she realized that being barefoot during the winter in Sydney might not always be possible. Living in a concrete jungle means you have to make a conscious effort to come into contact with the Earth. We aren’t all fortunate to live on a farm, where walking outside into the garden is ‘just living.’
After our chat about “Earthing,” we realised our world has changed and for most of us, we don’t live this natural existence, in harmony with the Earth. “Earthing” simply gives us an explanation to what many people do and want to do instinctively- take off our shoes at the beach, walk on the soft grass, garden without gloves.
Oil Pulling
Being on a food journey often means veering off onto paths that encompass a holistic approach to natural healing and living. We had been learning more about holistic approaches to dental care, having read Nagel Ramiel’s fabulous book “Cure Tooth Decay” and listening to a range of speakers at the Heal Thy Mouth Summit. Experts at the summit had spoken about oil pulling, its detoxifying affect and it’s ability to help with skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, headaches, liver problems and more. We decided to give it a try.
What exactly is oil pulling? Oil pulling has its origins in ancient Ayurvedic medicine. It is simple and consists of swishing with oil in the mouth for about 20 minutes. The oil is ‘worked’ in the mouth, pulling, pushing and drawing it through the teeth. This swishing is helping to remove toxins, bacteria, mucous and parasites that are in the mouth- making it a powerful detoxifier.
How do you do it? Use about 1 teaspoon of organic coconut or sesame oil (I prefer coconut oil). Place in mouth and swish around. At first I was only about to keep the oil in my mouth for about 5 minutes without gagging. Build up over time and eventually 20 minutes will be easy. It is great to do it on rising so if you can get into a routine and do this early in the morning before you need to talk to anyone this can work well. After you have swished spit oil into the bin. DO NOT swallow the oil. It is full of toxins! Rinse your mouth with warm water and brush.
Have you tried oil pulling? We’d love to know what you think.
Magnesium Miracle
Can you believe that 90% of the population are more than likely to be deficient in magnesium? Because our soil is lacking in many important minerals this means our food is lacking and cooking and processing also further depletes it’s mineral content. Can you believe that when we consume sugar we are using our magnesium stores to process it? Not only sugar but foods like coffee, alcohol and grains all pull magnesium from the body.
Magnesium is needed for the function of every cell in the body meaning the implications of a deficiency can be wide and varied and form a list a mile long!
Some of the most common benefits of magnesium are:
• ENHANCES SLEEP
• prevents headaches/migraines
• improves digestion
• calms the nervous system
• assists with anxiety and depression
• alleviates muscle cramping/spasms
• decreases high blood pressure
• reduces menstrual cramping
and the list goes on…
When I began supplementing with magnesium over 2 years ago I noticed immediate improvements in sleep, digestion and overall calmness. I love it so much I won’t go a night without it!
Do you use magnesium? What improvements have you noticed? Here is a recipe for our Magnesium Body Balm.
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cacao butter
- 1/4 cup Shea butter
- 1/3 cup magnesium oil
- a few drops of your favourite essential oil
- Melt down the cacao butter, Shea butter and coconut oil over a double boiler or in Thermo.
- Allow to cool and almost set again.
- Add butterfly to thermo and whip until combined well.
- Keep on speed 4 and slowly add magnesium oil and essential oil until all incorporated.
- Store in a glass jar in the fridge or if cooler weather, leave out.
"Pinkfarm” has been created by 2 friends on a real food journey; learning, sharing, creating, inspiring and challenging politically correct nutrition. A country girl living on a farm on the beautiful Atherton Tablelands with a bustling house of 5 children and a city girl living in a metro Sydney townhouse with 1 beautiful son.
