Welcome to the Nurture podcast/ blog.
Let’s create the beautiful world our hearts know is possible.
A Tale for Summer Solstice: The Old Woman and The Black Dog
Grandmother Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook
Oglala Sioux
Turtle Island
(USA)
Lakota story told by Jenny Leading Cloud (1969 White River, Rosebud reservation, SD) and retold by mythologist Micheal Meade on the Living Myth Podcast (episode 280).
Somewhere at a place where the prairie and the Badlands meet, there is a hidden cave. Not for a long, long time has anyone been able to find it. Even now, with so many highways, cars and tourists, no one has discovered this cave.
Inside the cave, there lives an old woman who remains unaffected by the rush of time. She spends most of her time weaving in the cave where the light and shadows play.
She is weaving the most beautiful garment in the whole world. She’s been at this weaving project for a long time and has reached the point of making a fringe for the edge. She wants that fringe to be special, so she weaves it with porcupine quills. In order to use the porcupine quills, she must flatten each one with her teeth. After years of biting hard on the quills, her teeth have become worn down to nubs that barely rise above her gums. Still, the old woman keeps biting down and weaving on.
Resting beside her, licking his paws, and watching her all the time is Shunka Sapa, a huge black dog. His eyes never wander from the old woman and her work.
The only time the old woman interrupts her weaving is when she goes to stir the soup that simmers in a great earthen cauldron at the back of the cave. The cauldron hangs over a fire that began a long time ago. The old woman cannot recall anything older than that fire; it just might be the oldest thing there is in this world.
Occasionally, she does recall that she must stir the soup that simmers over those flames. For that simmering stew contains all the seeds and roots that become the grains and plants and herbs that sprout up all over the surface of the earth. If the old woman fails to stir the ancient stew, the fire will scorch the ingredients and there is no telling what troubles might result.
So the old woman divides her efforts between weaving and stirring the elemental soup. She senses when the time has come to let the weaving go and stir things up again.
At that point, she leaves the weaving on the floor and moves slowly over to the cauldron.
As the old woman shuffles across the floor and makes her way to the back of the ancient cave Shunka Sapa, the black dog, watches her every move.
Once she begins stirring the soup in order to sustain the seeds, the black dog moves to where the weaving lies on the floor of the cave.
The dog picks up a loose thread in his teeth and begins pulling on it.
As the black dog pulls on the loose thread, the beautiful robe begins to unravel. Since each thread has been woven to another, pulling upon one begins to undo them all. As the great stew is being stirred up, the beautiful weaving is unraveled into a mess on the floor.
When the old woman returns to take up her handiwork again, she finds nothing but chaos where there had been a garment of great elegance and beauty. The robe she has woven with great care has been pulled apart, the fringe all undone; the effort of creation has been turned to naught.
The old woman looks silently upon the remnants of her once-beautiful design. She ignores the presence of the black dog and stares intently at the tangle of undone threads and distorted patterns.
After a while, she bends down, and picks up a loose thread. As she pulls thread after thread from the chaotic mess, she has a vision of an even more beautiful robe.
She sits down to weave and new visions and designs begin to appear, her old hands knowingly giving them shape. Soon she has forgotten all about what she was weaving before and concentrates on capturing the new most beautiful robe in the whole world.
This is a creation story with a twist.
It suggests that the world was not simply created once and then allowed to run according the laws of God or chance. Rather, the process the world is a cycle of constant change. The weaving symbolizes new creation, the stew symbolizes sustaining- or nurturing- the present, and dog represents a force of chaos that unravels the known world so that things can begin again.
Before you get mad at the dog
When I first heard this story I was like- “Lady, you need to get rid of that dog!” But here is the moral of the tale.
If the black dog did not unravel the old woman’s weaving, then the robe would be finished - and the process of creation (i.e. the world) would end.
The energy of chaos-dark matter- the undoing- the unknown subconscious self- is necessary to stimulate growth and change and evolution.
It’s just as necessary as sustaining life by getting up to stir the pot.
Right now in the world we can see ourselves in the stages of unraveling. The dog is up and pulling at threads of our known reality. The climate crisis, global pandemic, wars, economic upheavals and rise of racist attacks are unraveling the stability of the world and putting our lives at risk.
But the dog’s role in the story implies that the current system unraveling is fuel for the the creation of a better future.
Pain and loss, even death, are part of the process. We resent this, of course, but just like the old woman- we can’t blame the dog for doing his part. We can only look at the unraveled mess around us and see the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. Then get to the work of creating it!
On a personal level I realize I have an inner black dog. The part of me that wants to rip up what came before and start over. Change businesses and change locations, change everything. Tear up old gardens and plant new ones. I would hear my inner critic chastising me for this. “you need to focus” - “you need to stay the course”- “you can’t be constantly changing it up” but after reading this myth I felt the black dog in me finally has a name. And yes- it does create more work to start over and try something new but that’s how we grow and learn and evolve as humans. So I encourage you to make friends with your doggo of destruction. He can be a pain the ass but ultimately he’s the best friend of your creative visionary self.
Happy Summer Solstice!
It’s a great time of the year to reflect on our lives and world around us.
What do you think about this story?
Here’s some journal prompts for you to play with:
Have you ever considered the weaving, stirring and unraveling components of your own life?
Does a creation tale like this give you a different thread to hold onto when you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed?
What if our overall wellness is more about embracing our health and lives as a constant state of change instead of some goal we are trying to finish or reach?
How would the world look different if we saw it through this indigenous lens and perspective?
Leave me a comment below on what came up for you on reading this!
xoxo
Ginger
Gardening tips for May. Spring up potting and transplanting!
Whether it’s time for moving your baby seedlings into bigger pots or into their forever homes in the garden- this series of videos will help. I farmed organic veggies for 10 years and this is pretty much the crash course I would give my farm crew for working with our seedlings! Have fun and remember- there are no failures in gardening- just learning and replanting:)
How to Start Your Spring Wellness Garden
Are you hoping to get a little garden going this year? If you are then I'm here to help you get started.
One of the most rewarding things you can do in life is grow a fat ripe tomato- or a 7 foot sunflower -or pick strawberries in your own yard.
There's just no way to quantify the joy that you can get from growing things- even if it's just herbs in pots on your window sill. It's totally addictive and I will admit it- I'm hooked!
When Brigham and I decided to open a wellness center it just felt perfect to me that people who were coming for a massage or sauna walk through my tea and herb gardens on their way to the house.
In lots of ways I think the gardens are a big part of the healing. Just stepping into a garden gives us permission to slow down and enjoy ourselves.
Growing your own garden is a great part spring wellness and it's super easy to do!
I made these 3 seed starting videos during the spring 2020 when I was gardening in quarantine and thought a lot of other folks would need help with their first growing season.
They will give you a great intro into starting your seeds this year and how to take care of them.
I hope it inspires you to plant your wellness garden this year or to keep going on the one you already have.
Jump in and get your hands dirty!
A Day at North Fork 53 Communitea Wellness
We made this little video to show you all the magic of wellness on the farm. Relax in a real wood fired sauna overlooking the river. Then enjoy a 60 or 90 minute massage in our historic art filled farm house. Afterwards sip our farm grown teas in our lounge or out on the trails nearby. Book your appointment on our wellness page: https://www.northfork53.com/book-wellness.
3 Ways Tea Can Help You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions Strong!
2022 is going to be different. This year you are going to crush all those goals you have been wanting to manifest! Yes it will be hard and feel awful at first. New habits take time and energy and your brain will be constantly tempting you with thoughts like “just forget it”, “it won’t work anyways”and that old favorite “you can start tomorrow”. You will need help and support especially in the first 3 weeks of this month to stick to your new plan.
Tea to the rescue!
Below are 3 ways that tea is naturally designed to help you get healthier, be happier and build the life you want.
Resolutions of the Body:
Getting healthy/losing weight
I’ve already written about how tea helps you lose weight and stay healthy in my tea and wellness guide but bottom line is that tea is really a great friend for you when it comes to health. Its full of antioxidants. It has no calories. It has some caffeine, but not too much. It helps keep you hydrated. It lowers cholesterol and boosts good gut flora. The only way tea could be healthier is if it yelled “gimme 10 more” for you at the gym.
Here’s some ways to use tea to stick to those resolutions around your body and health this month.
When you want to reach for a cookie or soda or glass of wine try making a cup of tea instead. Very often we are tempted into our old habits because we want to numb uncomfortable emotional states like boredom, anxiety, shame, guilt, stress etc.
Making a cup of tea and sipping it takes just long enough to take a deep breath let the emotion pass- or to move through. The hot water is comforting. You are hydrating, slowing down and getting nutrients. If there is caffeine in the blend you’ll get a little lift of energy too. Those 5 minutes are all it takes to reset your intention and make a better choice.
Maybe after you have a cup of tea you decide that you are hungry and so can choose an apple instead of a brownie. Maybe you are stressed and realize you need to take a quick walk or do some deep breathing or jumping around to relieve the tension. Maybe you are tired and choose to take a 20 minute nap instead of pushing yourself through it.
Let tea be the friend that reminds you to take a minute before you act. And unlike cigarette breaks, tea breaks are good for you and you can have as many of them as you need through the day!
p.s. I always have my favorite TEAS on standby when I need them- if you need a restock
Shop the For Support Tea Here!
Resolutions of the Mind:
Being Present/Focused/ Calm/Happy
Mindfulness is a big part of being happy. When you realize that circumstances and other people don’t make feel bad but your doing it to yourself with your thoughts, you gain the power to take back your life and start manifesting your goals. This is the work of human evolution and it takes constant practice. The more mindful of you are of your thoughts and how they in turn cause emotional reactions and how those emotions in turn those drive your actions- the more present, focused, calm and happy you will be.
One of the biggest reasons we don’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions is because we think our actions and will power will be enough to create change. But if you don’t clean up those thought patterns that are habitual- eventually your emotions will win out and the old habits will return.
Tea is a superpower in the realm of mindfulness. Green tea and Matcha in particular have both calming and energizing affects on the mind at the same time due to a gentle amount of caffeine, very high levels of an amino acid called L theanine and lots of vitamins and minerals. Research shows that L theanine reduces anxiety and calms us because it increases the number of inhibitory neurotransmitters (which balance our moods) and modulates serotonin and dopamine (which makes make us feel good).
For thousands of years monks have used tea as a means of staying awake, focused, and calm during meditation.
In the times we are living through the mind medicine that the tea plant offers us is needed more than ever before.
We are bombarded daily with information, advertising and demands for our attention by our own phones.
How to Use Tea for the Mind:
Beyond the chemical support that the tea plant provides for your brain and mood, the simple act of brewing and drinking tea can be your first step towards a daily practice of meditation and mindfulness.
The act of making tea requires you to leave behind whatever you were doing for a moment, heat water, add leaves and wait for them to steep before enjoying the sensation of the tea itself.
This simple ritual can be all you need to infuse meditation and mindfulness into your daily life.
How to turn your tea into a daily meditation practice:
To have tea as a meditation, you simply add mindfulness with each step.
Choose your tea. What will it be today? Consider your current mood and your mental and physical needs. Examine the intention behind your choice of tea and how you choose to prepare it.
Select a cup with care. Perhaps it’s your favorite mug that was passed down from a family member, a birthday gift from your friend, or a hand-crafted mug from a local artisan. Choose a cup that speaks to you and lights up your soul with happy memories and associations.
Notice the water boiling. While you’re waiting for the water to boil notice the sound of the water. Hear the pace of the water quicken as it heats up. This might be a long period of waiting, so notice if any thoughts of impatience arise (without judgement). Enjoy the slowness of this process. As the water comes to a rolling boil, see the steam escaping from the kettle, and hear the sound of the kettle’s whistle.
Watch the tea transition. Whether you’re using a bag or an infuser, carefully pour the water into your cup and watch the color change as time passes. See the color becoming darker. If you take your tea with cream, milk, sugar, or honey, add those in with intention. Think about why you enjoy each addition, and consider carefully how much you really need.
Savor each sip. Feel the warmth of the cup or handle in your hands. Feel the solid construction of the cup. Notice the shape of the cup as you hold it. When you’re ready for your first sip, hold the cup up to your nose and breathe in deeply. Enjoy the aroma — what does it smell like? Is it light and floral, or fresh and fruity? Or perhaps it’s earthy and robust. When you're ready for your first sip, take it slowly and intentionally. Let the tea sit in your mouth for a moment and notice the first burst of flavor. What does it taste like? Let the flavor spread across your tongue. Now follow the journey of the tea into your body as you swallow your first sip. Feel it nourish you.
Enjoy the process. As you continue the slow process of savoring your tea, feel where you currently are in space — perhaps standing or sitting — and feel grounded in the moment. Notice all the points where your body contacts the floor. Notice the pace at which you are finishing your tea — do you feel the urge to quicken the pace? What could be causing those feelings? Or perhaps you’re content to stay where you are right now. Without judgement, notice the feelings that arise in the process. Notice the temperature of the tea change as time passes.
Seal your practice with gratitude. As your tea meditation comes to a close, express gratitude to yourself for showing up, gratitude for all the people who put in work to grow, harvest, package, and bring you this tea, and gratitude for this present moment of peace and pleasure.
Resolutions of the Heart:
Spending more time with family & friends/Feeling Connected
It’s no secret that we called our tea brand “Communitea” because we love how tea brings people together to share conversations and connection all over the world. When you invite someone over for tea it’s a physical act of kindness. Tea gives us the time and place we need to relax and connect on a deeper level.
Making Time for Friends and Loved Ones
From Victorian parlors, to Buddhist monasteries, to the deserts of Africa, people from all walks of life gather over cups of tea to celebrate honor the ancient tradition of hospitality, to socialize, and to share a pleasant moment with others.
One of the top five most common New Year's Resolutions is to spend more time with family and friends. If that's one of your resolutions this year, here are a few ideas for creating heart felt connections.
Set up a regular teatime.
Life gets busy. Even if you're the most well-meaning friend, it's easy to get distracted by the flurry of the day-to-day hustle. Before you know it time flies by, and you still haven't met up with that old friend you've been meaning to contact.
To keep time from slipping away, try scheduling a regular tea date ahead of time. Whether it's tea with your BFFs once a month, or an annual afternoon tea with your kids, or morning tea time with your partner- schedule you tea times first before your calendar fills up with the “to do” list. Planning ahead also gives you something fun to look forward to!
Get creative with tea times:
● Tea Happy Hour: Have you ever tried tea in a cocktail? The diverse flavors of tea blend wonderfully into all sorts of "grown up" drinks. Or ditch the alcohol and just enjoy tea while you relax, chat and snack with friends.
● Tea Over Zoom: If you have a friend who doesn't live in town, you can still meet for tea. Send your friend some tea you know they'll like, and purchase the same tea for yourself. Then arrange to brew up a pot at the same time and meet "over tea" using zoom or facetime.
● Tea and Sympathy: Invite a friend over for tea and snacks, and take turns deeply listening to one another. Sometimes all we need is to be heard and supported and life feels much easier.
Send a tea care package.
Nothing is as touching as receiving a surprise care package from a friend. It's a beautiful way to reconnect, and let someone know that you're thinking about them.
With tea gifts, it's truly the thought that counts.
● If your friend is under the weather, create a Wellness Kit with some Immunitea, a bottle of honey and fresh fruit (perhaps a lemon to add to the tea!).
● If your friend is going through a difficult time, leave a surprise basket at the door with their favorite tea, some homemade cookies, and a card letting them know you're there for them anytime they need support or want to chat.
● Send a "thinking of you" card in the mail, and slip in a gift card for their favorite tea shop. You can include a message saying, "This gift card is for us to use the next time we meet for tea!"
These ideas are just a few to get you started. Your tea traditions may look different than someone else's, but the opportunity is always the same: tea provides a way for people to connect with each other.
If you’ve already thought about your Resolutions and written them down, you’ve made a great beginning to your year!
Let me know what Resolution you made this year so I can write more posts to help you to reach your goals!
Please share in the comments below!
xoxo
Ginger