reminder to burn up the unwanted inefficiency's of this past year in the fire of transformation. sweeping the ashes of the old year out to clear room for the fresh potential of intentional growth. completing the receptivity of the new manifestation of the new year by taking the new you into being.

a simple ritual to achieve this spell includes:

• cast a circle, honor the directions
• a speaking, naming or writing of the unwanted of this past year
• the burning of the writing/drawing or of sacred herbs or resins to allow for the ritual of release and transformation of the unwanted 
• the traditional sweeping of the ashes out of your circle, can be actual ashes or the movement of clearing 
• a speaking, naming or writing/drawing of the intentions for this new year 
• then taking into yourself the new way of being by drinking a celebratory libation
• honor the directions and close the circle 

Florentina Craft's Talisman can be found at

Gathering Thyme
A local community-oriented herb shop
and holistic health and education center!
226 and 228 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
San Anselmo, CA • 415-524-8693
Open Monday thru Saturday 11-7 and Sunday from 12-5

Gathering Thyme Herb Shop, features herb beads made from flowers; pink roses for sweet love, lavender for spiritual connection, red clover for calm fluidity and blue larkspur for sacred service. scented with bergamont for an up lifting happiness and infused with the essence of herkimer diamond adding supportive clarity of your dreams. the herb beads take many shapes including; earth diamond for truth, tear drop for release, circle to honor the wholeness of cycles, yoni for receptivity and scales for balance.

most of the talisman featured at Gathering Thyme Herb Shop are gold leafed and some parts of the gold are intended to glitter off, it's a part of the art of the piece. it is an alive piece, in its aliveness it will ebb and flow. the entire earring will change color as it is worn, the herbs with become more compressed. the intent is to provide a piece of jewelery/talisman that molds to fit the wearer, even absorbing the wearers aura and fragrance, darkening or lightening as it ripens, maturing with time - a lot like people.

you will see nothing like these pieces out there in any other shop, they are unique and magical. as time goes on with the wearer of each piece these talisman will change. they are alive spells to help conjure up sweet love during spiritual connection, in calm fluidity, for sacred service uplifting toward happiness gathering clarity in our dreams.

a wearable altar.

have questions or want your very own unique talisman?
contact me by email.

i won't be crude and show you pictures of my gum abscess, but i will tell you how i treated it.

ok, i know, gross!!! essentially a giant bump showed up on my back upper gum, right where my wisdom tooth used to be (i had that pulled in my late teens). yeah, showed up - i had no prior pain or warning...well ok i had been eating a lot of halloween candy - that should have been my alert. BRUSH YOUR TEETH and FLOSS, more! or this could happen to you! oh and go to the dentist once in a while. i swear having only one cavity growing up really caused me to think i'm immune to dental upset.

i noticed a bump on my gum and with in hours the side of my face swoll up, my ear was hot and so was i! i had an infection and it was getting bad quick! the infection was spreading through my lymph, so i opted to go for a double extracted Echinacea tincture. Generally i use Echinacea purpurea, but my local herb shop only had a double extraction of Echinacea angustifolia. my spirit guide had by best intentions when they sent that gift my way! turns out Echinacea angustifolia is an incredible lymph mover, don't get me wrong here i know all Echinacea's will move my liquid highway (lymph) but this one was exactly what my lymph needed! not only did 30 drops of Echinacea move my lymph but it helped my body armor up against the the microbes trying to take up shop in my mouth. plus Echinacea is also an anti-inflammatory, did i mention one side of my face was swelling up?!

i also took a bit of Activated Charcoal (Carbon) to absorb and draw out the toxins from my system. infections are a form of parasite and Activated Charcoal, due to its unique structure, absorbed the bacteria that caused my abscess.

oh, but there's more. i gargled with warm Salty Garlic Water. yep, i swished that intense tea around in my mouth, 'till my mouth couldn't stand the heat. Salt (Sodium) as an astringent and Garlic (Allium sativum) as another anti-microbial. i love Garlic. i did this as often as i could stand it. then the abscess burst. Clove ( Syzygium aromaticum) extract in hand i dropped 10 drops directly on the abscess and cotton ball after cotton ball swabbed up all that pussy infection, yuck! that Clove certainly numbed the gum as well provided antiseptic, pain killing, anti-microbial support! i gargled again with Salt and Garlic as well as Peroxide so i could clean it up and out.

my system was tired from this battle, so i fasted - drinking only water (only on the day after the abscess burst). i also took 5 drops of Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) twice a day (over a 3 day span). this magical plant is potent! an incredible desert plant that slows the growth process of living cells. in essence the infection i was having had to be isolated and Creosote Bush helped me slow down the infection so the Garlic, Echinacea, and Clove could starve my infection and move it out of my body.

with in 3 days, it was gone. now all i have to do is make an appointment to the dentist and have that cavity filled, the filling must of popped off. yeah, a cavity was the cause of all this upset, oh, and too much candy.

next on my to do list is a sugar fast, starting now.

ps
i took the Echinacea and Clove often, during those 3 days. plus i will continue 5 drops of Clove (3 x a day) 'till my cavity is filled.

these statements have not been approved by the FDA. this blog is not meant to treat nor diagnose. please refer to your local health care provider for guidance.

have you noticed folks getting a 2 week flu aka influenza? i have! resulting in antibiotics.

well, i have decided to make soup - for my family. i aim for health wealth and merriment! the holidays are coming and no one wants to be sick with pumpkin pie in their line of sight (yes, with real whipped cream).

looking into my apothecary i notice turkey tails, no not the thanksgiving kind - the fungus among us! that's right turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor), harvested right here in california, yes by me.

what i am going to need:

• a pot
• knife & cutting board
• stove/fire source
• humor

+++

• hot water
• a drizzle of olive oil
  
• an onion
  
• 3 or 4 celery stalks
  
• a carrot or 2
  
• lots of garlic
• chicken, something with bones
  
• braggs (liguid aminos)
  
• a touch of cracked pepper
• a heaping dash of turmeric powder
• a couple sprigs of thyme
  
• juice of one lemon
  
• 4 antiviral mushrooms (in my case turkey tails)
  

i never really measure when i'm cooking, i simply trust spirit and throw things in.

simmer the chicken (organic free range wings, the ones i stashed away in the freezer) and turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor) for about an hour and a half (sometimes i pick out a good movie to watch during this time), making sure the water doesn't boil away - adding a bit more water if necessary.  after the hour and a half has passed i strain out the chicken and mushrooms. in the empty pot a drizzle of olive oil and i add chopped onion, carrots, celery and crushed garlic cloves and i saute for 5 minutes or so. pour over the strained broth and simmer that for a half an hour. during that time i shred the chicken and add it back to the simmering pot. when the onion is cooked turn off the heat. taste it and then add the braggs, pepper, turmeric, lemon juice and sprigs of thyme, let it sit covered - for 15 more minutes. serve with crusty bread drenched in garlic oil.

fyi
i don't eat the tough turkey tails, i strain them out, their medicinal value has been transferred to the broth. mushrooms in general need hot water to extract their healing constituents, that's why soup is the way to go, yum.

happy eating your way to health!

ps
turkey tail mushrooms are anti-tumor, anti-microbial (is anti-viral), and overall immune stimulating.