At this time, 25 years ago, I was in a Zen temple meditating with the monks. I had just turned 21 years old. That is when I learned about The Bodhisattva Vow. The Bodhisattva vow is a vow taken by Buddhists to liberate all sentient beings. When I first heard about the vow, I was like, No, thank you! I'm not that much of a team player. I'll walk my own path, but I'm not about to try to liberate all sentient beings! That is way too much pressure.


As we approach the Summer Solstice, today's Apothecary Wisdom is dedicated to sharing insights about what this vow really means and what we as a collective are experiencing and what I'm processing personally. Today, I'll share insights, mindfulness actions, and self-care tips that promote emotional stability and spiritual connection to the greater cycles of nature. Continue reading

What messages are in your menstrual cycles?  

Today, let's connect with our wombs and practice listening, observing, and learning from our bodies. There is so much information stored in our blood, breast, bones, and breath. It takes patience, curiosity, and compassion to be a good listener.

Often we feel vulnerable, and our periods are private personal experiences. I think we feel that way because our blood comes from deep inside us. It comes from the most amazingly creative and productive space in our bodies: that space that no one can feel but us. I mean, so many things come from there. From mucus to blood, clots, amniotic fluid, and babies to art, businesses, healing practices, to everything in between.  

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The intricacies of the human body are almost magical, with no one system or function working entirely on its own. Within a mother’s body, the processes that lead to menstruation, pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding are all interconnected. Just a handful of hormones can dictate each of these functions, with different organs and actions responding in their own way. A fascinating and, sometimes, bewildering example of this is the relationship between menstruation and breastfeeding.

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