Embers and Ash

Woah! What a time. A lot of seeds that I’ve planted over the past year are taking root and sprouting. If my life had a season.. it would be SPRING! Things are shifting, sprouting and rising up, up, up. It’s overwhelming and beautiful.

For those of you who don’t know- Andrew and I bought our first house! An 1870’s farm on 5 acres in Morgantown, PA. I start my new job working on an organic sustainable agriculture farm April 1st. I’m converting our barn into a place for gathering- yoga, farm-to-table dinner parties and workshops. I’ll be announcing a winter retreat soon too!

What I’m reading:
     

What I’m listening to:
I started making this new playlist for when we’re moving and painting the new house!

Product I’m loving:

My medium friend Thomas is teaching me all about Tarot! This is the deck that I’m using and I love it. He’s going to be putting out an online course soon, (I’m his guinea pig) so stay tuned!

Word of the week:
Grace. This has definitely been my word of the week before but it’s one of my favorite words- ever. I’m doing the best I can to transition with as much grace, patience, presence and gratitude as possible. How can I move with grace? Breathe with grace? Listen, speak, transition, say good-bye with Grace? To embody grace is my prayer, my daily practice.

Poem of the week :

If I Did Not Pray
I could not move against this wind if I did not pray.
All that is said of me that is untrue would make lame my gait
If I could not free myself from the weight of other’s malice.

I could not even move against all of this light, this light, this light
if I did not pray.
See how things become:  what a change can happen, when we find a way
to keep The Divine close.

-Rabia

in gratitude to the embers and the ashes,
Ash

What I’m reading: 

Just cracked this one open..stay tuned!

What I’m listening to:

Product I’m loving:

I was gifted a whole set of Tata Harper face products for christmas and I am really loving them! They are a 100% organic and operate off their farm in Vermont. I look forward to my skin care routine every night.
Shop here: https://www.tataharperskincare.com/

Word of the week:
Community. If there is one things that I know for sure it’s that, WE NEED EACH OTHER. We cannot do life alone. Making deep connections with others, helping someone and asking nothing in return, listening (really listening), making eye contact, offering a hug, sharing your wealth, gathering, supporting, reaching out..being present in the abundance of people around you!
There’s so many of us here, but we’re not really here. How is it possible that so many feel so alone in a world of 7.7 billion people? What would it take to step away from your busyness and call a friend, help a neighbor, meet and support your local farmer- we are only as alone as we make ourselves to be.

Poem of the week :

All day long a little burro labors,
sometimes with heavy loads on her back and sometimes
just with worries
about things that bother only
burros.

And worries, as we know, can be more exhausting
than physical labor.

Once in a while a kind monk comes
to her stable and brings
a pear, but more
than that,
he looks into the burro’s eyes and touches her ears
and for a few seconds the burro is free
and even seems to laugh,
because love does that.

Love frees.

-Love Does That by Meister Eckhart

Loving,
Ash

What I’m reading:

Simon Hill has a really in depth blog on leading a plant based lifestyle. He answers the most common questions and gives really handy tips that I’ve been loving. I feel so good about my diet right now- how it makes me feel mentally and physically, and the impact it has on the environment.

Plant Proof Website

What I’m listening to:

Product I’m loving:

Did you know: Over 2 billions disposable razors are thrown away each year in the US alone? That’s enough to wrap around the Earth, end to end, 6 times!!!

I am soooooo stoked on this razor that I got for christmas. If you’ve read my previous posts you may know that I have been slowly but surely finding alternatives to common household plastic waste. This razor is 100% plastic free and even comes with 10 extra blade replacements. This would be the last razor you ever need to buy. (plus, it is delivered and packaged in 100% recyclable material.) Shop it here.

Word of the week:
Beauty: Opening my eyes and heart enough to see it in all things. Even in cold and quiet south Jersey- it’s everywhere, pulsing through all things. I see it. I feel it. I am it.

Quote of the week :

So Many Gifts
There are so many gifts
Still unopened from your birthday,
There are so many hand-crafted presents
That have been sent to you by God.

The Beloved does not mind repeating,
“Everything I have is also yours.”

Please forgive Hafiz and the Friend
if we break into sweet laughter
When your heart complains of being thirsty
When ages ago
Every cell in your soul
Capsized forever
Into this infinite golden sea.

Indeed,
a lover’s pain is like holdings one’s breath
Too long
In the middle of a vital performance,

In the middle of one of Creation’s favorites
Songs.

Indeed, a lover’s pain is this sleeping,
This sleeping
When God just rolled over and gave you
Such a big good morning kiss!

There are so many gifts, my dear,
Still unopened from your birthday.
O, there are so many hand-crafted presents
That have been sent to your life
From God.

What I’m reading:
I’ve been really enjoying this book by Leo Buscaglia. If you are in a teaching role of any kind (parents included!) you should read this book!

What I’m listening to:
I started this playlist at the beginning of the Fall season. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Product I’m loving:
I’m slowly slowly collecting Weck Jars of all different shapes and sizes. They are my favorite way to store grains, nuts, seeds, and spices! I love being able to see everything that I have on hand in this way. If you buy in bulk (like me!) then this is the perfect way to keep things fresh and easily accessible.

Word of the week:
Forgiveness.
anger, anger, anger keeps reminding me to invite in compassion, compassion compassion. Remembering that everyone is doing the best they can. Remembering that I am doing the best that I can. Through this remembrance I am filled with forgiveness.

Quote of the week :

What I’m reading:

What I’m listening to:
Good mix of tunes I’ve been listening to while I work behind the buddha bar making medicine!

Product I’m loving:
THE CRISP FALL AIR. GO OUTSIDE ❤

Word of the week:
Reciprocity. This word has been ringing through my mind ever since I read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass. I’m most interested in this word as it relates to our relationship with Earth. The Earth provides us with an abundance of everything that we could ever need but yet we are constantly asking “How can we take more?”. The earth gives and gives but what do we offer back in return? How can we make the exchange a two way street? I think an exchange like this with the earth would lead us to the answer to one of the most essential question as a human, “What is my unique gift?”.

Read this if you want to hear more on reciprocity. OR better yet, read the whole book. It’s the most beautiful book I’ve ever read.

Quote of the week :
Be kind, everything else will take care of itself.

What I’m reading:
Chief Seattle’s Letter to the President in 1952. It’s so damn beautiful.

“This we know: The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

What I’m listening to:
With each passing year I find the whisper of ‘less’ growing louder. When I think of what wealth would look like for me it’s big open fields, wild animals and dirty hands from the garden.  A simple life, in harmony with nature makes my heart swell. What does wealth look like for you? What does it feel like?
Enjoy this playlist inspired by a simple life in nature..

Product I’m loving:
These outdoor incense sticks have been a life saver these past few weeks. My little beach bungalow is surrounded by trees and with all this rain that we’ve been getting, the mosquitos have been out to play. These sticks are huge and last for at least 4 hours. The bonus is that they are made with non-toxic orange oil, which naturally keeps bugs at bay without harming local populations of bees. AND they come in eco-friendly paper packaging. WOOT WOOT

Shop them here

Word of the week:
Clarity. 
I’ve felt confused on some big things for a really long time. This week I’ve been getting a lot of clarity which feels like such a relief. With that being said.. with clarity there comes a certain level of responsibility to act on this new knowing. I am working on some things!! eeeeeekkk

Make a list of things you’re unsure about. Write about your uncertainty. Meditate on it. Don’t strive for an answer. Just strive for awareness and stay open. In time, everything works it’s self out.

Quote of the week :
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

-Mary Oliver

Another week, another list of things that are inspiring me ❤

What I’m reading:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
“Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants”

I just started this book the other day. I can’t remember who referred it to me but it’s been sitting on my shelf for a while now. Stay tuned for more on this one.

What I’m listening to:
Oprah’s Super Soul Conversation with LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. He discusses his spiritual evolution, what it means to lead with compassion while finding meaning in your work, and his unique approach to running a multi-billion dollar tech company. Listen all the way to the end.. his last line is my favorite!

LISTEN HERE

Product I’m loving:
This is a magical workbook like no other! Using magic, energy work, Tarot spreads and archetypes, gentle reminders, self-help ideas and journaling prompts – this workbook utilizes the phases of the Moon in real time to get you anchored, in touch with your intuition, and on your path with more intention, and more results.

The journaling prompts have been key to my growth and sanity these past few months. I highly recommend this or something like it to help keep you on track and tuned in.

Word of the week:
Affirmation. I have been working with affirmations this past week and I have truly felt the mental and physical affects that they create within and around me. Here’s the thing –Our thoughts determine our emotions, our emotions create our behaviors and our behaviors define our reality. When we bring in the power of affirmations they change our thought patterns which affects our emotions, which changes our reality!
Step 1: Identify a thought pattern that isn’t serving you. (ex: My future is uncertain. I don’t feel safe.)
Step 2: Create an affirmation. (ex: I am safe. I am supported.)
Step 3: Listen to the words, feel them, embody them.
Step 4: Stay open to these truths unfolding before you.

Quote of the week:
I’m so grateful for the people who have been with me for many, many lifetimes. I am continually supported and comforted by the deep, unspoken connection that we share. Who knows what we’ve been through and who knows what lies in our future. What I do know is how grateful I am to love and be loved by you. Thanks old friends ❤

Keep going,
Ash

What I’m reading:
Poetry by Tyler Knott Gregson, I could read his poems for hours ❤

What I’m listening to:
JOHN CRAIGIE. I’ve been loving him for a while now and am excited to see him live at a small venue in PHL in just a few weeks.

Product I’m loving:
MACA ROOT POWDER has been used for thousands of years in Peru for it’s medicinal proprieties. I have been adding it to my drinks, smoothies and snacks and really notice a difference in my energy and overall mood. I’m grateful that it’s now so readily available here in the west.

Maca is an adaptogen, a name given to certain herbs, plants and natural substances that help the body naturally adapt to stressors like a busy schedule, demanding job or illness.

Not only that, but maca provides a host of important micronutrients and is jam-packed with antioxidants, and it has been shown to improve sexual health, balance hormone levels, and boost energy, mood and memory.

Word of the week:
Judgement – every time I judge someone else, I reveal an unhealed part of myself. It’s powerful to really look at judgements in this way and to work with them as a way to understand ourselves better.

Quote of the week:
“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive” – Joseph Campbell