Introducing Our New "Desert Queen" Collection

After the life changing experience of desert dwelling and studying plant medicine in Baja California Sur we are excited to announce the arrival of our latest desert sourced collection, "Desert Queen". 

The various therapeutic benefits of the carefully crafted ingredients include protecting, nourishing, repairing, and hydrating properties. So far the line includes:

"Baja Blooms": A Sun Spritzer/Tonic/Toner to quench thirsty, skin w/ Aloe Leaf, Lavender, White Sage, Dill, and Vit E

"Vision Quest": A concentrated Wild Rose and Clary Sage eye cream to repair and smooth fine lines w/ organic CO2 extracted Chia Seed Oil which is a natural form of CoQ10. CoQ10 is not only necessary for producing cellular energy, but also for defending cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals. 

"Earth Ship: A potent face oil w/ organic Prickly Pear Seed Oil and other fibroblast stimulating ingredients to encourage the production of elastin,  and smooth skin, like Vit E, Dill Seed oil, and Yarrow. 

"Arroyo Magic": A medicinal indigenous clay (barro) sourced from Baja that cleans impurities from the pores thanks to its antibacterial properties, as well as its incredible ability to bind to the debris in your skin and pull it out like a sponge. It can also contain minerals like silica (delays aging), alumina (absorbs impurities), iron and calcium (promote cell renewal). Therapeutic Juniper Berry essential oil in Jojoba is included in the kit which has cleansing, calming, and grounding properties.

Pink Moon Women's Wellness Workshop

Shout out to all the sister's of the Pacific Northwest: Please join us! Details here: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pink-moon-womens-wellness-workshop-tickets-33196557798

"Dadme La Muerte Que me Falta"

This place. Oh this wild abandon of a place of the misfits, mermaids, and the medicine. Baja just wouldn’t let me go. From bones in the desert to the skeleton woman which is me in the bottom of the sea I found..“dadme la muerte que me falta”.

Mystic Mexican poet, Rosario Castellanos is quoted “dadme la muerte que me falta” which translates to “Give me the death I need”.

Remember my bat post..and how they signify “death”. I was already in that mode of letting go and surrendering of the old, the fear, the ego, but I had more rites of passage to go here.Three months living off grid outside of Todos Santos I had enjoyed the sun, plant life, and sea but also faced many challenges like water/ power struggles, Land Rover issues and worst of all the loss of my beloved husky soul mate.

I was done w/ the desert!  It’s funny how removed from death we are back in the states, unless maybe caring for a loved one who is sick. I was shocked when after seeing the vet when I was left w/ the corpse of my dead dog to bury. My local friend Felipe, said “We have to bury him when the Sun rises in the AM and I will help you.” I was in shock. Thanks to this friend. I could not have managed the task alone.  There was something special about laying his body to rest w/ my own blood, sweat, and tears. Then I collected desert plants, flowers and my favorite seashells to offer his spirit while it was passing through the cosmos. I spent many more nights here and my bedroom faced the desert space where he was buried. It was also tucked in by the sea. I cried. And cried and wished I could somehow meet him in another realm again. It was a bit of a coincidence that I was re-reading “Women Who Run With Wolves” by Clarissa Pinkerton-Estes.

I really resonated with the quote, "We all begin as a bundle of bones somewhere in the desert."

I was so done that I packed up my car to head back to Oregon not even sure if I had the gas or money to make it. I was also, scared to drive the Baja peninsula stretch of 1000 miles alone in an unreliable car. I justed wanted to get back to Oregon and started my journey on Jan. 31, 2017.

I blazed through the desert as I drove listening to good tunes. Tom Freund was a musician passing through Todos Santos and gave me his CD in trade for an essential oil book. I blasted his tracks “Queen of the Desert and “Copper Moon” as I embraced the beauty of the landscape one last time while crying over missing my wild, soft husky friend.

I knew better to drive at night but got a bit stuck in the mountains after dark while thinking I could make it from Loreto to Mulege. The moon was a silver crescent in the sky and Venus, Mars, and Jupiter were conjunct like the beauty mark’s of the Moon.

When I finally pulled into Mulege I was enchanted by the vintage charm of the town. There was a certain vibe of romance which I can’t describe besides a bit of magic. I circled around looking for a motel and a decent place for food. My vegetarianism is a challenge here. I was instantly lured by a small archway that seemed to be filled w/ botanicals and tropical plants, called Las Casitas. I parked the vehicle, and decided this was the place for the night. After writing a farewell post to Baja on social media which was also a heads up to my friends and people back north that I was making my way back I grabbed a bite of food in the lobby.

There are little steps that add up to be a certain turning point where our coarse completely changes. A compass gone wild, and the sails shift. I had wondered why I was going back to the freezing, cold and rain in Portland. I had wondered why I was so eager to reunite w/ my daughter who was so cruel on the phone every time I tried to speak w/ her. The prices of rent in Portland are insane. Then there is all the turmoil w/ Trump and an angry nation. I had been fed up for so long..I didn’t really know what the fuck I was doing at all besides besides eating a quesadilla, but I was about to find “La luz de la vida”.

This translates to “the light of life”. This is when a  beautiful man walked up to me and we chatted for a moment. He asked me to meet him in the AM to watch the sunrise..and he looked for a napkin to write his phone number. He said he liked to be old school and actually write it down. My phone didn’t work and What's app failed so even though I thought I might do something out of the ordinary I knew I should hit the road and catch the first light of day for my next day 2 of 5 of driving. Oh well. Maybe in another life.

The next morning even before my alarm went off I rushed up to get my little dog Hooj outside to pee. I was tired, half asleep, and unknowingly had started bleeding in the middle of the night. I was a bit of a hot mess.. To my surprise I opened my motel room door there was my new friend waiting for me to awake for our sunrise date.

Long story short I am now on day 11 of this place so our meeting went well. Losing my ATM card (a little nudge from the universe also came into play). The Sea of Cortez may as well be called the Sea of Love. It is full of life. Mermaids are not myth here. There are seashells that I have only dreamed about that fill the shore. The colors of the sky are those of the softest pastels. I am living on a houseboat w/ my new friend and the circle windows are my favorite feature of the boat. The morning light glows pink. There is a lighthouse in the distance. The locals are lost angels. We make fires each night and write songs together on the guitar. There is also the bio luminesce of the phytoplankton that light up the water at night glowing blue from a chemical reaction that is unlike anything I have seen and I may as well be a character in my most favorite film, “The Life Aquatic”. I needed this. Love is a gift. My light was out and it is now lit again.

Another story comes to mind from the book I mentioned before, Women Who Run with Wolves. It is the tale of “The Skeleton Women”, a creature so scary. This girl was pushed off a cliff by her father long ago and her bones laid at the bottom of the sea. Well a fisherman comes by one day thinking he caught the catch of the day and instead pulls the "skeleton woman" up in his net. He runs home to get far away from her but Skeleton Women is there at the fisherman’s door. Though he is scared he lets her in. He begins to untangle her. He begins to cry. The tears fall on her lips and as she drinks his salty tears which return her to to life again.

It feels good to be untangled. I am in love w/ this place and the subtle medicine here for those who are open to receiving it. I don’t know where I am going but I know I am not lost. Following the heart always pays off.

The Magic Wand of the Yucca

As I was driving for the first time through the most magnificent desert terrain I was in awe w/ the cacti and plant life which went on for infinity. The Saguaros were the most profound in quantity and size,  “king of the desert plants”. There were also these whimsical, furry, (* furry as in covered in spiky needles that you would not want to touch) Dr. Seuss looking cacti creatures which were tall talks posed bending and bowing like playful children. Lastly, in the distance, and up on the ridges were these gigantic vertical rods that stood up so mighty like they were the “guardians” of the desert realm or of the Knights of the Sun....

The imagery reminded me of the “Wands” suit in the Tarot also called “Rods” which represent:

• Spirit

• Creativity

• Divine Spark

• New Beginnings

• Ruler of Aries, Sag, and Leo

• Channeled Focus

• Energy that drives us and fuels our passions

Maybe this is why I felt the most connection w/ these mystery plants as I was on an adventure, driven by a spirit essence to make a new beginning/home/life in a warm, sunny place outside of the US. I had no clue what kind of desert flowers these were, but I really felt like a character from my favorite Tarot deck, a vintage one called the “Aquarian Tarot” w/ dreamy illustrations by David Mario Palladini. I was either the “Queen of Wands” or I was driving to that place in the Four of Wands card which embodies:

“When you act upon a vision it will have far reaching effects”

    I eventually found out these stalky, tall rods belonged to the Yucca plant. Yucca elata to be exact though there are many species of yucca which look very similar.  I didn’t even have to look it up, but just simply arrive at my destination/new home in the southern part of Baja which was surrounded by the Yuccas. Of course I knew these plants! They were planted around our home as a kid. That might be an understatement. The yuccas lined the boulevard near the street of this childhood home and wrapped around the entire property which was on a corner lot. In the summer the stalks of the yucca would shoot up tall and blossom w/ these cream colored flowers. They were only 2-3ft here as Central Illinois was not there ideal climate compared to the 20ft monster rods of the desert.. The yucca was out of place in this childhood home of mine in a concrete jungle, suburbia in the midwest which made them that much more interesting to me as a kid. Not desert climate at all. I had not recognized this from the car, on my recent desert drive in the distance because I could not see the botanical bases which the fatherly, stalks sprung. I could only see these amazing towering silhouettes which took up strong black negative space contrasting the light.

    Speaking of “fatherly” I have a fond memory of my own father and the Yucca plant. In the summers he would camp outside w/ a baseball bat to guard the yucca’s blossoms. They were a target for the teenage boys riding by in cars who waited all year to play baseball w/ the plants as they drove by. My dad was successful many a year of chasing off the boys and keeping the yucca’s in tact. This is even more interesting to think about now because my dad is not a plant person at all.

Soaptree Yucca as a flower essence activates our assertiveness in the expression of our own will or intention, especially if we tend to allow the will of another to dominate us. It helps us to keep sight of our long-term goals with faith, perseverance and endurance. Just the medicine I need as I have always had an issue w/ being assertive as well as speaking up - throat chakra kind of stuff.

Currently, I am taking Art Journaling class w/ Zoe Dearborn http://zoedearborn.net exploring any possible shadow shelves that split away into my subconscious for fear of being unloved (usually happens as a young kid) in order to heal, grow, know more of myself, and have more authentic relationships.  We worked on our "Inner Child" this week.  I am sure I have hidden away my super chatty, assertive, dominant side somewhere!. My dad used to always say.. “Girls are meant to be seen and not heard”, because he came from a conservative, “old-fashioned” upbringing himself where he was taught this. I was so strong willed though and was excellent at pushing this boundry of his authoritive, dominant dad self. I lost part of my wild when my ass became to know "the belt". I continued  to push and question authority, and I continued to receive the punishment of a few lashings from "the belt". My sweet innocent child soul became wounded on the inside though I always had a poker face, fuck you attitude on the outside. Though still wild heart, somewhere I lost my "voice". So as I work on myself, as well as generational healing and issues in particular w/ my father I find this connection w/ the yucca, which has just come back into my life to be auspiciously perfect in timing.!

Here is some general information about the Yucca:  The yucca has at least 40 species, and Yucca plants are tree-like succulents of the lily family (Liliaceae) with stemless stiff, pointed leaves that end in a sharp needle. Native American Indians also used yucca plants for a variety of uses including making sandals, belts, cloth, baskets, cords, and mats. Such uses can still be found today among Papago, Hopi, and Ute Indians. The Zuni used a mixture of soap made from yucca sap and ground aster to wash newborn babies to stimulate hair growth. The primary medical use of yucca is to treat arthritis and joint pain and inflammation. Native Americans used sap from the leaves in poultices or baths to treat skin lesions, sprains, inflammation, and bleeding. Teas made from yucca mixed together with other herbs are still brewed by folk healers to treat asthma and headaches.

This plant seems to be planted out in every view of my current home. When I am trying to take a photo of the sea or sky, the yucca stalk is there in the photo as well. So besides working on issues around generational healing, and upgrading my assertiveness by making a personal flower essence from the Yucca when the blossoms are at the ready I am also receiving the healing energy of this plant simply from just having them planted outside my door. Obviously, I was meant to have them in my life early on since they also surrounded my childhood home. The magical desert drive I described above was also some of the most potent plant medicine I have experienced and I highly recommend the drive through Baja to All.

Make n' Take a Customized, Blissful Botanical Creation

Super stoked to be collaborating w/ Pura Vida of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur. We will be having a botanical scent blending workshop where attendees can make a custom creation to either keep or gift to a loved one. We are asking a $10 donation which usually covers the cost of the supplies, but we will be donating what we collect to help the children of the Palapa Society. hope to see you there. 

Sacred Sap on the Spice Coast

It's been a while since I have posted. Let's just say I have been taking a sabbatical to nourish and heal while learning new skills to help others also grow in wellness. It all began when I was researching Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor training programs last Fall and was getting ready to send my payment off to enroll in a program when I stumbled upon James Bailey's Sevanti Institute and his "Sacred Sap Retreat" in India where I made a change in coarse. www.sevanti.com

bronze vessel called a "kindi" used to hold medicinal milk in a ksheeradara treatment

James is a third generation physician, Ayurveda and Oriental Medicine practitioner, Yoga educator, and Yoga teacher trainer who has been living yoga and ayurveda for 30 years. It was fate as I have been waiting for that "perfect" teacher and/or scenario to make my long awaited journey to India! I instantly enrolled in the Sacred Sap Retreat and this adventure on the Malabar or Spice Coast of Kerala in Southwestern India has been epic, balls to the walls awesome to say the least. This blog post (1 of 2 because I will tell my tales of the North in another post) is a memoir of my multi-faceted trip which was beyond words. I hope to share a bit of my Ayurvedic week long replenishing while also encouraging others to catch the next Seventi Adventures "Sacred Sap" Retreat. 

What is the "Sacred Sap" you may ask? Ayurvedic regeneration of the body’s cells, tissues and healthy aging is known as rasayana. The rasayana view of ayurveda describes a sacred sap or juice (ojas, rasa) within us that when preserved (not depleted) defines our youthfulness, vitality, health, and longevity. So I was off to Somatheeram, the worlds first Ayurvedic Resort south of Kovalom in the state of Kerala, India to receive daily 90 minute Ayurvedic Rejuvenation Massage sessions and study Ayurveda. The trained therapists massage with copious amounts of these warm sacred oils all over the body. The ojas rich oils and herbs are absorbed into the tissues through the skin and begin the process of tissue repair and regeneration. It's the practice of "Youthing"! Diet also plays a huge role and all meals at Somatheeram were designed to be deeply nourishing to the body. I forgot about all of this goodness though upon arrival as my senses were swept away by the beauty of the setting. 

I arrived at the resort around 3 AM so it was dark and I could not see very much of anything but that did not matter. I was intoxicated by the scent of jasmine right away and also offered a necklace of the blossoms strung together.  The exotic songs of birds of this paradise created an orchestra of wild. As soon as I would get lost in their song the strong fierce shore breaking waves of the Arabian Sea rumbled my being. This ocean song seemed to guide me along.

I was taken to my room which was actually someone else room. In India it doesn't seem matter. There was a woman who was in a deep sleep before the concierge banged on her door to let her know I was coming in. There was only one bed, and both the woman and I were both very confused but too jet lagged and lost in translation to deal so I hopped in bed w/ this stranger. (It turned out she was my roomie the entire retreat but paid extra the first night for her own room so she was not expecting me at all.)

She turned out to be the best India roomie and played her own part in my healing as she was such a nourishing sweet soul and fellow Portlandian. I laid there that first night in shock that my dream of traveling to India had come true. My head started to fill with anxiety from my life left behind in the western world (Is my daughter okay? Are the dogs okay? Is my house flooding again like it did just weeks before?) Then these powerful crashing waves would wash everything away demanding my emptiness from within. My shift in perception as well as my healing experience in this paradise can be described as the peeling of an onion.

Layer by layer whether it was a smell, a sound, a puja, receiving an ass kicking treatment, Tawny's restorative yoga class, bathing an elephant, swimming in the Arabian sea, or catching a smile from one of the beautiful indigenous Indian souls on the beach I was opened up to my core. It was like I met myself for the first time. This was confirmed by my longtime yoga teacher Nicole back home. For when she greeted me for the first time upon my return she said "It is so nice to finally meet you"! 

I usually get home sick as I miss my daughter, our dogs, and my comfy bed when so I don't like to travel but this time I did not want to leave. The nice thing about the trip was we still had an additional week up North so I got to sink into my newly emerged Self for a while before leaving. James specifically curates the adventure like this so we can be supported in a shift through so much healing from the treatments etc, then hit the spiritual sites up north like Varanasi, the City of Light or the Taj, the Temple of Love and really be blown away. 

It was almost like a week of Panchakarma, a powerful Ayurvedic treatment that eliminates toxicity, restoring the body’s natural balance and health minus the enema. Here is a list of some of the treatments I received during my week in Kerala and a thousand thanks to my therapist Revathi. Out of the 50 pairs of sandals or so left on the steps outside of the Ayurvedic center she always went right to mine (while I drank my ,dedicated ghee) and handed them over quickly for our jaunt to our treatment room down this botanical path. She would help me undress then light a candle and begin with a prayer in Sanskrit.  Revathi would start massaging my head then the rest of my body from there. She was so tiny but so strong. There were little things I had to submit my OCD ways (besides traffic) to like the rosewood stool where she would have me sit. Though we would wear these paper panties during treatment I wondered how many other greasy butts had sat in the stool that day. Also, it was interesting to have my boobs and fat rolls also massaged but that is why it is traditional to only have female therapists work on female clients. It wasn't sexual at all but just part of the holistic experience to really get the blood moving and the toxins flushed out. On a side note I about died laughing when I saw one of the wild, exotic birds flying away like a thief in the night with a pair of those awful paper panties. They were more like diapers. 

Going in I thought this would be a once in a lifetime experience but instead I hope to return on a regular basis to receive this kind of sweet rejuvenation and restore my own sacred sap! 

MY TREATMENT LIST:

Shirodhara is an Ayurvedic treatment which involves slowly pouring herbal liquids over a client’s forehead, exactly to the middle spot of the forehead. Shirodhara is composed of two words, which have their base in the Sanskrit language. The word Shiro means head and the word dhara means flow. I loved this treatment and during my shirodara session there was a nearby church on the grounds where there were children singing in a choir. Epic.

Pizhichil is a synchronized massage of up and down is carried out on all parts of the body by two therapists.  No area of the body is left uncovered. Here, cloth dipped in lukewarm medicated oil is squeezed over the patient’s body uniformly and then the oil rubbed smoothly over the body of the patient by masseurs on either side. The session may take 1 hour including continuous oil pouring over the body, then rubbing and stimulating the skin using hands and special cotton cloths.

Njavarakizhi or Kizhi is a deeply invigorating massage, involves fomentation of the body with a bolus of cooked rice. Njavara is a particular kind of rice known for its nutritional and therapeutic value. It is cooked with milk and a herbal decoction made of kurumthotti.

Abhyanga is a warm oil massage administered as part of preparatory measure of Panchakarma treatment in Ayurveda. “Abhyanga” means to move energy into the body to pull out toxins from the body.

Udvarthanam is a massage using herbal powder. The treatment is good for diseases like diabetic neuropathy, paralysis, obesity, skincare, sciatica, indigestion and sclerosis of blood vessels. The massage activates the nerves and increases blood flow to the impaired parts of the body. Udvarthanam is also an important health preserving massage. As the massage promotes active blood flow, it revitalizes and reconditions the body, thus preserving its strength, skin texture, and natural elasticity. Fat reduction is one of the significant benefits in cases of obesity.

'Thriphala', is the most commonly used powder in the treatment. It is a mixture of excellent nerve stimulating agents such as Gooseberry, Belerica, and Myrobalan. The medicated powder is applied all over the body and massage is done in the opposite direction of the hair roots, with appropriate pressure.

Nasyam: Ghee or oil is used in Marshya Nasyam. It is a symptomatic treatment which helps in overcoming symptoms of certain diseases.

Ksheeradara is the treatment where by the lukewarm medicated milk is made to flow in a slow constitend rate for a particular duration mostly over the glabellar region or the whole body with simultaneous soft massage. This therapy is highly beneficial for vata and pita predominant headaches, stress, insomnia and anxiety. It nourishes the skin and gives a lustrous appearance. It has proven effective in certain cases of arthritis. In certain neurological conditions especially those accompanied by burning sensation and numbness.  For ksheera dhara treatment traditional bronze vessel called ‘kindi’ is used.

Lepanam is one of the effective datum of Ayurveda to eliminate skin ailments and certain remedies in Ayurveda enlarges amazing power within to control and prevent every kind of dermatological complaints.

Black (Pepper) Magic

Photo copyright Elegant Savage

Warm, fruity and spicy black pepper is best know as a common cooking spice but w/ a chemical make-up similar to Melissa, the monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes soothes nerves, wards off seasonal threats, and promotes a healthy circulation. Use Black Pepper essential oil combined w/ coconut oil to soothe soar muscles. Diffuse or inhale directly to sooth nerves or for culinary fun add to entrees, salads, and soups. Besides black pepper's enhancing flavor it may aid digestion. Here is another DIY recipe idea:

Mama's helper

Cheers. . To learn more about my favorite essential oils click here!