Nature's Remedy

Wild Rose in water,
I drink from thee
and feel your effect immediately--
like medicine you open a closed part of me.

After finishing a run this weekend, I wrote the above ditty in tribute to the Wild Alpine Rose. I discovered the Wild Rose within weeks of moving to the mountains and continue to make tea from its petals and rosehips. One of my favorite energy techniques is to borrow properties from nature when I need a pick-me-up. In my work with people, I've noticed a tendency to sometimes wall off our hearts, perhaps as a survival instinct, especially in the event of trauma. If I feel this tendency within myself, I purposely look to remedy it by choosing to focus on the opposite--opening. For me, two wonders of the natural world inspire opening--roses and the waxing moon.

If you're lucky enough to have Wild Rose growing in your area, try picking a tight bud and after carefully running under water, place it either in a cup of boiled water for tea or straight into a quart of filtered water, where it will stay fresh for days. Wild Rose has a very pleasing, delicate taste. I wouldn't suggest domestic Roses due to dyes and pesticides. Rosehips are slightly sweeter and hold the seed pods of the Rose when left un-pruned and in its wild state. The fruit is typically scarlet to orange and can be gathered in the fall and added to tea as a natural sweetener.

Moon water is easily harvested using filtered water and preferably a capped, glass container. Old wine bottles work great. I place my water out after sunset and retrieve it in the morning. The moon begins its waxing cycle on July 30. Consider taking advantage of its fullness and voila, drink down the moon!