“We must begin by learning what it means to have enough… to feel gratitude for having been born on a planet so rich in nature and gratitude for the water that makes our life possible. If you open your eyes you will see that the world is full of so much that deserves our gratitude. When you have become the embodiment of gratitude, think about how pure the water that fills your body will be. ”
― Masaru Emoto, Messages from Water, Vol. 1
Everyone who knows me personally knows about Nourishing Herbal Infusions. It was over 30 years ago that I learned about these infusions from my first herbal teacher Susun Weed. It’s a practice which has changed my health; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The practice of nourishing herbal infusions is the cornerstone of my self care.
It was then, I was taught the difference between infusions and decoctions, between teas and nourishing herbal infusions. I learnt all about the properties of the mineral rich nourishing herbs (Urtica dioica (read all about it here), Avena Sativa, Trifolium pratense, Viola odorata, Verbascum thapsus, Rubus idaeus , Symphytum officinale). Depending on the herb you chose, their properties can help with building healthy bones, supporting the immune system, improving energy levels, calming the nerves, stabilizing blood sugar, improving digestion and so much more. All the while the focus being on the herbs and their actions not their amazing alchemical partner the Water!
The Practice:
A nourishing herbal infusion is different from a tea because the longer steep time allows the water to extract constituents needed for deep and optimum nourishment as opposed to the volatile aromatic present in teas. Most evenings I measure 1oz (30g) (2 handfuls) of a dried nourishing herb, put it in a quart mason jar. Fill the jar to the top with boiling water, and cover (to prevent the volatile essences and water soluble vitamins from escaping via the steam) I then let it steep overnight at room temperature. Upon waking I strain and then compost the herb. It is important to note that once prepared the infusion lasts only 2 days so if you do not drink it right away keep it refrigerated - you can gently reheat it if you prefer to drink it warm. Herbal infusions are safe at all stages of life youth, warrior (mother/father), sage!
The Magic:
In this case the Water, the transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere, the fluids of most living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients. The United States Geological Survey estimates that nearly seventy percent of the surface of the earth is covered with water. It also falls regularly from the sky in various forms of precipitation over most of the land. The Web MD Medical Library states that the human body is between 60 and 70% water, depending on our age and gender, therefore, it is logical that water would be a key factor in restoring the health of people. Water is the first foundation of Life. Without it there would be no life upon our Earth. I will repeat that to let it sink in
Without water there would be no life upon our Earth.
Water is a necessary ingredient for any living being on this planet. Water is the cheapest and most abundant resource we have because it can be found nearly anywhere on the planet. The great flow of life is in water.
Humanity celebrates a spiritual connection to the sacred essence of water with washing and immersion rituals, baptisms, and prayer. from ancient bath houses to modern hot tubs. Water has many roots in spiritual symbolism, but water has long been thought of as an element with medicinal and therapeutic qualities, now known as hydrotherapy. Did you know the acronym ‘SPA’ is an abbreviation for the term "solus par aqua" which means health or healing through water. Water soothes the soul because the tranquil sounds of moving water can be meditative. Surfers and sailors are often quoted as saying that there is something spiritual about being out on the water.
As far back as 2000 B.C., the Ancient Egyptians practiced bathing rituals in hopes of curing ailments. In the Old Testament, people soaked in mineral waters for physical healing. The Ancient Greeks used water as a healing agent. Water’s healing capacity as a medical treatment is well-documented historically. Hippocrates, a Greek physician known as the father of modern medicine, was “one of the first to state that nature should be used to heal the body”. It should be no surprise that Hippocrates was a strong advocate of baths as medical treatment nearly 2500 years ago. Although many spa’s or bath houses are culturally thought to be first and foremost places of social gathering, their original intentions were as places of healing and cleansing. Physicians often worked in bath houses to administer treatments to heal various ailments.
When I think of growing communities and the importance of third spaces such as libraries, art studios, community centers etc, I would like to see us bring back the public baths!
Victorian doctors also used sea air as a cure for an assortment of ailments. A western novel, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, written about an eastern religion, Buddhism, has the main character finally achieve enlightenment from letting the sounds of a river wash over him bringing inner harmony. The river was the place that the title character found peace and balance after a life long journey to free his spirit and gain wisdom.
“They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
The Work of Masaru Emoto:
Dr. Masaru Emoto was a Japanese author, researcher, who claimed that human consciousness has an effect on the molecular structure of water. Human beings are essentially made up of water, in his pioneering research, Dr. Masaru Emoto demonstrated that the molecular structure of water is greatly affected by non-physical events such as thoughts, words, and intention. In a series of ground-breaking studies he applied mental stimulation to water and photographed it with a dark field microscope, taking snapshots of the formation of ice crystals to show how the application of different intentions to water affected it’s physical structure. The results were nothing short of phenomenal. It turns out that just as tone and intention affect human-to-human communication, he proved that tone and intention are received as communication by water. Just as plants are now understood to be self-conscious and somewhat self-aware, Dr. Emoto’s studies suggest that water also exhibits signs of consciousness and intelligence.
The Water itself is healing, potentially adding a multiple of benefits to your water based medicines (infusions, decoctions, teas, broths, baths/showers (including hand and foot baths). The sight and smell of the ocean, a cold glass of water on a hot day, the bliss of a hot bath, the energy of a cold shower, the feeling of warm rain on our face – it touches every part of our lives. If you are bathing, allow the water’s warmth to relax tense muscles and reach core places like your mind and heart, visualizing negative thoughts, toxins, and pain dissolving, flowing with the water down the drain. Say to yourself: "Thank you, water, healing water." Dr. Masaru Emoto's Water Blessing can be used with your nourishing herbal infusions also! Gaze at the water and say three times: I Love You, Water. I Thank You, Water. I Respect You, Water.
Other Water based Herbal Practices:
Foot Baths :
The perfect way to unwind at the end of the day. It takes just 15 minutes from start to finish and can take place anywhere, leaving you available to read, talk on the phone or enjoy family time. Plus foot baths are transportable- Choose a comfortable. You can use a tub or bowl big enough to put in your feet up to your ankles. Lay a towel down to catch any splashes. Fill bowl with warm water and add your favorite herbs (you can add dried herbs, fresh herbs or even an aromatic herbal tea!. Children love this ritual at the end of a day too. Try ginger, pine,orange foot baths in the winter. Make a tea from fresh ginger root, pine needles and orange peel and immerse you feet and take a deep breath and indulge.
Did you know that Maurice Mességué (French herbalist born 1921) recalls his first experience of herbal foot baths from his father. As a young y boy he was having trouble with sleeping. His father laid out a large copper basin and filled it with Tilia sp (linden) infusion and he slept what he recalls to be “drug- induced sleep”. He proceeded to build a name for himself as an herbalist who treated mostly with hand and foot baths. (His autobiography “Of People and Plants” written in 1970 is a worthwhile read)
Spiritual Bathing :
From the Bell Jar, Novel by Sylvia Plath
There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. Whenever I’m sad I’m going to die, or so nervous I can’t sleep, or in love with somebody I won’t be seeing in a week, I slump down just so far and then I say: " I’ll go take a hot bath" I meditate in the bath. The water needs to be very hot so hot that you can barely stand putting your foot in it. Then you lower your self inch by inch, till the water is up to your neck. I remember the ceiling over every bath tub I’ve stretched out in. I remember the texture of the ceilings and the cracks and the colors and the damp spots and the light fixtures.. I remember the tubs too, the antique griffin legged tubs and the modern coffin shaped tubs, and the fancy pink marble tubs overlooking the indoor lily pond and I remember the shapes and sizes of the water taps and the different sorts of soap holders....I never feel so much myself as when I am in a hot bath."
“Candles are lit Prayers are said Copal is burned Healing begins”
Spiritual Bathing is an ancient Maya healing practice that removes emotional obstacles that block you from whole-hearted living. Using the vibrational power of water infused with plants, flower essences, sacred incense, prayers and intention, this cleansing can make a huge difference in your life. It can liberate you from the past and reconnect you to your soul force.
A Spiritual Bath shifts you. It uplifts your spirit by washing away negativity, grief, stagnation and world-weariness, and removes obstacles that block success in achieving your goals and desires. Cleansing breaks the cycle of the ‘monkey mind’ and gives you space and clarity to put things into perspective.
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” – Loren Eiseley
Water is Life.
Do what you can to protect our water sources!
Introducing paper artist May Babcock
I first came into awareness of the work of May Babcock early in 2023 at the Paper Town Exhibit at the Fitchburg Art Museum. An amazing show which featured New England artists and paid tribute to Fitchburg’s history of paper manufacturing. The exhibition took paper out of the two-dimensional into a world that is fantastical, intricate, colorful, and personal. Inspired by the materiality of paper and the metamorphic quality of the papermaking process, Paper Town explores paper in pulp, cast, folded, and cut forms.
A.D.D Rabbit Hole:I love the Fitchburg Art Museum and wrote about it in one of my first posts here
A Conversation w/ May Babcock
Where we talk about origins of paper making, seaweed, importance of language, favorite books, new projects, inspirations, plant migration, fugitive art, slowing down, instant gratification vs long term view, and becoming ecologists.
May’s Recommended reading:
🪴"All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis" edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Kathrine Wilkinson
🪴Rest us Resistance, A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey
🪴Undermining: A Wild Ride Through Land Use, Politics, and Art in the Changing West by Lucy R. Lippard
🪴The Lure of the Local: Senses of Place in a Multicentered Society by Lucy R. Lippard
🪴Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England Paperback – by William Cronon
🪴The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move Hardcover – June 2, 2020 by Sonia Shah (Author)
See May Babcock’s artwork here
Learn artistic papermaking at
Connect w/ Dr Cathy Fitzerald: Eco Literacy course
My Recommended reading:
(what I consider required reading for the well rounded ecological herbalist)
🪴Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring,
🪴Dr Masaru Emoto's The Healing Messages in Water
🪴Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. New York: Bantam Books Publishing, 1988
🪴Invasive Plant Medicine by Timothy Lee Scott
🪴Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke
Action:
Walk away from your computer/phone. Walk to the nearest door and stair at a tree for 10 mins. Do this daily and report back!
Next up:
Tuesday April 23rd 2024 Beginner/Intermediate Herbal Apprenticeship begins (still room!)
Friday May 3th Botanical Art In Studio Program 2024 begins
Sat May 4th May Day Craft Fair at Blazing Star Herbal School
Sun May 5th New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill Boyleston MA
Intro to Cyanotype workshop
Wed-Thurs May 15-16th Provincetown Art Museum
Fri May 17th Provincetown Art Museum
Intro to Cyanotype Photography: Printing from a Digital Negative
Sun May 19th-May 23rd Snow Farm, Williamsburg MA Guest teacher
Books in the Woods Retreat (Handmade Book Club event)
Wed June 12 Westborough, MA Library
Intro to Eco-printing(free)
Fri June 21 Shepherd Maudsleigh Studio, Newton MA
Daylong Eco-Printing Intensive
Sat June 22 Shepherd Maudsleigh Studio, Newton MA
Day long Artist Book Making w/ecoprinted papers
Sun June 30th New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill
Intro to Eco Printing workshop
Wed July 10th Westborough, MA Library (Free)
Artist Book Making demo(free)
Sat Aug 24th Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, Boston
Intro to Eco Printing (free)
Eco Printing with Flowers on Paper Friday August 30th Conway MA