The Care Neighborhood

Plants bless us in many ways...... The food we eat   How we show someone we love them Sending thoughts in times of Grief Medicine / Herbalism Ceremonial Beauty all around us Mutual sharing of life. They breathe out and we breathe in. Clothing  Protecting  Crafting The joy of blessing plants is the practice of noticing what we might have taken for granted. Seeing how small, simple in the tiniest crevice and how huge it is, complex and woven into everything. To be mindful of the earth, our source, our home. And there can be a justice element - how we care for our plants is how we care for each other. To push back on our greed and our striving, and to reject the ways we might ask others to toil and labor thanklessly for us.   How can we be kind and grateful? To see the beauty and the blessing and not ask for too much.  We remember that every harvest won’t be perfect.    We sit with the sad parts too - hunger, pests, sharing with rascally animals we didn't intend to share with, and bel

Animals are our companions or pets... They are also mysterious cohabitants of the planet who play different roles and sometimes seem to live by different rules than we humans. We have working and resourceful relationships with animals.  We are grateful for their service in many ways... Food Transport Labor  Therapy Throughout the Spring, in The Care Neighborhood we turn attention to our relationships with other living things: Animals in April and Plants in May.  Now, in loving kindness for our pets... May they be happy, well, and peaceful Photos which are not mine are from Unsplash. Credit to Photographers: Natalie Rhea, Greta Scholderie, Varun Verma, and Ryan Stone

Hope you all are having a wonderful spring/fall!  As the season revved up, The Care Neighborhood began mini celebrations of creativity, posted on Instagram.  Here is the recap: Day 1 - Creating Space for Creativity On IG I shared my desk space, but I'm having a little trouble with the video clip here.  So, this is a photo of tools for grounding or centering, and creating a bit of magick for myself on-the-go!                         Day 2 - Play and Imagination  Our family set all the chairs out across the house to play "The Floor is Lava." Skip to 2:26 for the kiddo's solo run.

Hello Friends.  This most recent "holiday season" (during wintertime on my side of the globe), I've felt rather quiet.  Still, we did take some time for ritual, practice, and celebration.  It's been a time of embracing the dark, while looking for the light.  There have been cold moments, nevertheless the warmth and brightness are also present. In that spirit, here are The Care Neighborhood's Wintertide blessings for you and yours.   I wish you had a river you could skate away on.  May your days be merry and bright.     Rock around your evergreen tree.     Silent night, holy night.   Tidings of comfort and joy. I originally shared this on January 6, which is Epiphany or the 12th Night of Christmas in some traditions.  On that same day, there was a violent insurrection at US Capitol.  And the tone of the blessings mixed oddly with the day.  However, to me, one holiday reflection that resonates in this time... In 1863, in the midst of the American Civil War, Henry