Poem for the Winter Solstice

in the center of the sun it never sets.
there we are
vapor & glowing & boundariless.
I am thankful to remember this.

with the creation of solidity shadows play,
moons fill & empty,
distance & time measure beginnings & ends.
pleasure is born of nature & passes.
pain is born of human forgetfulness & passes.
I am thankful to know this.

in the center of the heart it never sets.
there we are
one
always & always & always.
I am thankful to remember this.

--Terra Rafael

Terra's Midwifery Story

I never knew anything about midwives except that they were victims of the witch burnings-- until I became pregnant at age 28. Up until than, I had had many interests -- natural health, yoga, belly dancing, astrology, feminism and poetry. I'd earned a BA in psychology before moving to Denver from my home state of Minnesota.

Being pregnant was a new experience -- and an unplanned one. I'd successfully used the ovulation method of birth control for over 4 years - and then my husband and I decided to use a condom during my fertile time and - pop! - my son was conceived! He really wanted to get here.

Terra pregnant with Julien, spring 1980

Being an avid reader I went to the best bookstore in Fort Collins, Colorado where we were living at the time. The first book I read was Immaculate Deception by Susanne Arms. It was an expose' on birth in the USA, comparing the "norm" with the possibility of homebirth with midwives. No way did I want to go into a hospital after reading that! (Since then I've realized that I also had a lot of unhealed feelings about the hospital from my own birth and my hospitalization at 4 years old for an appendectomy.)

I was at a loss as to how to go about doing a homebirth. I hadn't met anyone who had given birth that way (as far as I knew at the time - since then I found out both my parents were born at home, my mom being one of 5 breech babies my grandmother birthed at home). Then, while on another trip to the bookstore I saw a flyer for Informed Homebirth classes.

Gilles and I signed up for the classes and became ever more comfortable about having a homebirth. There were no practicing midwives in Fort Collins so the local midwifery study group attended -- a collective midwife. It was the uneventful and miraculous homebirth of Julien which convinced me for sure that midwifery was a righteous calling to service -- even though illegal in Colorado at that time.

We moved to Boulder, Colorado after Julien's birth. The midwifery group in Fort Collins was pessimistic about my chances of getting to apprentice in Boulder since there were already so many people studying midwifery there. In fact, the Boulder midwifery study group rejected me as a member because they didn't want any more "new" people joining. I began another study group which welcomed newcomers.
I became an Informed Homebirth teacher. Some students from the classes I taught asked me to their home births. At these births I met a practicing midwife who asked me if I wanted to be her apprentice. I was overjoyed!! It was what I'd prayed for!

Terra with Pregnant Ramona
So I began my apprenticeship with Ramona Ludwig. She'd trained at the Maternity Center in El Paso, Texas with the infamous Shari Daniels. I began attending prenatals, births and postpartums. I joined the Colorado Midwives Association and was a Board Member as political action chair. I attended on of the first meetings held to organize the Midwives Alliance of North America in Boulder, Fall,1983.

My apprenticeship was rudely interrupted after 1 year and about 30 births when my French born husband needed to return home. It was time for our family to live in France for a year. I thought I'd never complete my apprenticeship. And even worse, Ramona was due to have her own baby and my first chance to catch. At that time a wise friend told me - "Being a midwife is a state of mind. You can be a midwife no matter what you do. If you're supposed to catch babies, it will work out." Her words of wisdom carried me through my year in France and still nourish me.
On my return, it worked out for me to continue my apprenticeship with Ramona. She had another apprentice then too, Jennifer Braun. We took turns going to births and sometimes we both went. I became CMA secretary and member of the Board. I went to more births.

Ramona believed student midwives need to attend 100 births before practicing on their own. After about 50 births I felt ready to practice and left the apprenticeship. It was not an easy transition for me or Ramona, sorry to say. In any event, I will always honor Ramona for her dedication to helping women and the opportunity she gave me for learning midwifery. I have to admit, I see her wisdom in the 100 birth criteria -- I did seem to have a much higher comfort and confidence level once I'd been at that many births. Yet, I did begin my practice by always working with another midwife on each case so that we kept learning from each other.

In the ensuing years, I felt very strongly that a structured approach to apprenticeship could give more support to the apprentice and preceptor. I joined the CMA certification committee and, along with Jennifer Braun, Willy Fenske and Laine Gerritsen, I helped write the CMA Certification Procedure. It took many, many hours of meetings, and it was revised and improved upon as time went by. We were happy when it was recognized by MANA and went on to be adopted by several other states as their certification program, until NARM created national standards and processes.

During the years after I gave birth to Julien I was writing what was to become the book Pregnant Feelings - Developing Trust in Birth. I sent my original work to Rahima Baldwin, founder of Informed Homebirth (now largely inactive as an organization) and author of Special Delivery. She was the only published author I knew at the time! She was enthusiastic and her publishers wanted her to do another book, so we put our ideas together and created a great book for pregnant women on the psychological and emotional growth of pregnancy, birth and early parenting. (You can still get Pregnant Feelings through amazon.com)

Practicing as a midwife; being active in the CMA, serving on the Board as Education chair and then Co-President; teaching childbirth classes; speaking to different groups and on TV about midwifery; and writing about birth -- all eventually led me to create more educational opportunities for midwives.

It felt important to begin training more midwives to replace those who stopped practicing. Many women showed interest in midwifery and I would talk with them and give them ideas about what to study and do. Then I began teaching classes for these aspiring midwives in 1986. I developed what was to become the Birth Overview class. The first class I taught I also included the woman who was to be my first apprentice, Ursula Hessdorfer, who was a Registered Midwife practicing in Boulder until her death of cancer. Other midwives/apprentices who have taken this class include Flame Dineen, RM, Elizabeth Moore, CPM, Arlee McCleod, RM, Amy Colo CPM, Deanna Cowen, RM & Jennifer Dossett, CPM. Leigh Collector, who is a Birth Asst., also took this class.

Ursula, Terra & Willy with new home-born twins

My personal life had been going through changes -- divorce and single motherhood as a midwife were not easy. In 1987 I met my second husband, Charlie, and we both hoped to have a child together soon. My daughter Alana was conceived after I was at two marathon births, and then teaching an evening midwifery class. I was very tired yet this loving time was different -- I had a vision of fireworks, dolphins and the faces of two children. During pregnancy, Alana let me be the first one to hear her heartbeat and kept hiding from Ursula. She was born at home in July 1989. Another uneventful and miraculous birth. I put off calling the midwives until late because I wanted to be alone most of the time. It hurt more this time -- I was in my body more than when Julien was born. This time I felt all the glorious pain of opening up and squeezing through -- and the triumph of not suffering or fearing the pain.
Terra in labor, supported by friends


Alas, I was not as good at taking care of myself as taking care of others -- I didn't pace myself carefully enough after Alana was born. I forgot somehow that babies get more demanding after 6 months and had bunches of births that turned out to be extra difficult, including the first stillbirth that I attended. At the same time I was in psychotherapy remembering and healing childhood incest and other abuse. I had had digestive problems and diarrhea on and off for months and it didn't get better (this was before we’d heard of Irritable Bowel Syndrome). All of this plus breastfeeding led to one totally exhausted woman.

I had to recover, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I needed more energy for me. I quit practicing, turning over clients to other Boulder midwives. I resigned as Co-President of the CMA. I weaned Alana -- luckily she was already 14 months and had her eating teeth in.
I saw my acupuncturist frequently for herbs and acupuncture. I got Jin Shin treatments. I rested as much as I could with a toddler. Charlie supported me in every way possible. I continued my psychotherapy and attended Survivors of Incest Anonymous. I cried. I screamed. I hurt. I spent time looking at the sky. I touched the Earth. I prayed. I surrendered to God/dess.

My healing and transformation time had come. I scrutinized every aspect of my life and went into vast spaces of Spirit that renewed me body and soul. Comparing how I had been living and practicing midwifery with what I had said I believed about birth was part of my healing process. I saw that somehow the way I was practicing was not supporting me and my life.
I thought I might never be a midwife again. Sometimes I saw it as a way I'd kept too busy to see and feel my own feeling or deal with my painful past. I felt resentful of clients who didn't understand I was only too human. I believed other midwives thought I was a wimp for quitting. I began honoring myself as me rather than just as midwife, serving others. I let go of practicing midwifery.

My saving grace was that by letting go it allowed more Spirit to enter into my life and add another dimension to my living. I opened my midwifery practice again after hearing the call. I felt my way along slowly, to feel what and how my midwifery practice could be life enhancing for myself & my family, as well as my clients & apprentices. I was happy to find a way to practice in a different manner, that encouraged more trust in the process itself. I came to this through the trust & support of all the women I worked with, and the assistance of two midwifery teachers - Jeannine Parvati Baker & WonShe' - who shared & supported my own vision as I untwisted it from the snares of fear, my earlier way of looking at my experiences.

The apprentices who worked with me during this time - Margaret Rhodes, Flame Dineen & Delta Waters helped me along my path. Trust & love were amplified by my meditation teacher & spiritual mother. The amazing inner experiences I received with her guidance have strengthened my faith that every thing is ultimately alright and God is in everybody.
Flame, Lonnie & Terra after belly painting

While Margaret & Delta, and other short-term apprentices, moved on to other things, Flame successfully completed her apprenticeship & is now a Registered Midwife. I took an intern Olga Vermont, who went to school in Texas to gain experience & moved here to get more homebirth experience before returning to her home-of-choice in Moab, UT, where she practiced midwifery & now has gone on to nursing school. Elizabeth Moore got registered fall, 1998 & got her CPM in 2000.

One part of my midwifery teaching is the book Giving Birth to Ourselves, Contemplations for Midwives. It focuses on evaluating our work and lives as midwives; how and why we practice a certain way; and how much we nurture ourselves as well as others. Some of what I learned in my changing time has gone into that book. It’s available from me or lulu.com

Another time for a break came in 1998. I decided to stop before being exhausted or burned out and open up my possibilities again & see which way the Goddess wanted me to go. I become an Ayurvedic practitioner. The first program was completed Fall 1999 and I continued on with Alandi Ayurvedic Gurukula, which is based on the teacher/student relationship, a kind of apprenticeship, for further study & clinical experience. I graduated May, 2001.


In 2000, we formed a new midwifery organization in Colorado- Colorado Alliance of Independent Midwives (CAIM) to promote midwifery education & communication in our state. Having 2 different MW organizations was a new challenge, but some felt that the CMA was not including our voices in its decisions & directions.

Meanwhile I stopped birth practice entirely and opened my healing practice, Wisewomanhood, w/ Ayurveda , Maya Abdominal Massage, Reiki, and Flower remedies. My daughter was a young woman and my son well out of the nest. I have gotten divorced again, married again and have 3 step sons. Finally after all those new changes I am settled again in my new family and home, ready to focus on writing more.

Thank you, Jesus the Christ, Mother Mary, Gurumayi, Nityananda, Sarasvati, Laksmi, Kali, Durge, Great Spirit, Mother Earth, Medicine Buddha, all our relations on the earth and my Guardian Angel, Archangel Rafael. Thank you Gilles & Julien and Charlie & Alana. Thank you Victor & Evan, Josh, & Matt. Thank you Al & Dorothy, all my grandmothers & grandfathers and brothers and sisters. Thank you women who have allowed me to participate in the births of your children, naming me as midwife. Thank you Ramona, Willy, Jennifer, Jeni, Ursula, Jeannine, WonShe', Flame, Olga, Elizabeth, Emily, Emmy, Ann D, Sarasvati, Alakananda, Rosita, Miss Beatrice, Miss Hortense - all the midwives & healers who are my companions and teachers. Thank you aspiring midwives, for inspiring me. Thank you ONE & ALL.

My Books - New This Fall

Wondering what was keeping me busy all fall? I published AYURVEDA FOR THE CHILDBEARING YEAR in September. Now available from lulu.com - just search for my name or the title. It teaches about ayurveda basics, and how to use it to support menstrual, fertility, pregnancy, birth, labor and postpartum phases of women's lives.

Also I worked on my selections for FOOD AND WHAT FEEDS US by A Week's Worth of Women, being published right now, to be released at our Book Celebration, December 12, in Boulder, CO, available from the editor, Jyoti Wind-- jyotiwind@gmail.com or from me. It is full of nummy stories and recipes. Yumm!

Basic Self Care for Vata - excerpt from AYURVEDA FOR THE CHILDBEARING YEAR

The fall season is the time of Vata- the plant energy descends deep into the roots as the cool weather comes. Dry winds can come with the cold. The weather shifts quickly from cool to warm and back. It is emphasized in Vata climate of Colorado where I live-- Vata usually lasts here until the wet snows of February begin the spring.

Here is a primer on Vata and some ideas for self care when you have too much Vata in your body or mind.

Vata - Vata is dry, light, expansive, rough, cold,
changeable, subtle, and quick. Too much of these qualities
in someone's life can imbalance their Vata. Governing
motion, Vata rules neurological communications, movement
of food through the digestive system, urinary control, sexual
ejaculation, menstruation & childbirth. Its "seat", or place in
the body where it is more predominant, is the colon/pelvic
area. Fall & early winter are Vata times of year. Elder years
are Vata time of life. 3 am- sunrise and 2-3 pm - sunset are
Vata times of day. Vata is often more evident during pregnancy
and especially postpartum. (If pregnant, always check
to make sure any therapy you do is truly safe for pregnancyeverything
suggested in this chapter is considered safe for
pregnancy.) Vata can also be over stimulated by a lifestyle of
irregular eating & sleeping, and quickly arising situations.

Balanced expression: The body is functioning
smoothly; one feels life flowing. We feel alert, sensitive,
enthusiastic, spontaneous, and creative.


Excess expression: The body suffers constipation,
shakiness, cramps, gas, fatigue, or menstrual cramps before
bleeding. Emotionally, we feel overwhelmed, fearful,
forgetful, distracted, moody, or sleep irregularly.


What to do if imbalanced in Vata? We warm,
ground, contain, smooth, moisten, slow, and steady ourselves.
• Have regular, moderate exercise, in moderate
amounts, such as walking or hatha yoga
• Take warm, relaxing baths. Sip warm, vital
water frequently through out the day. Listen to a stream or a
fountain.
• Aromatherapy/incense - sandalwood, camphor,
wintergreen, musk
• Use music to the calm, nurture, ground yourself.
Avoid loud rock music or any loud noises.
• Calm your mind with gentle habits of reading,
meditating, praying. Avoid fearful, worrisome or
overwhelmed thinking. Avoid too much thinking or talking
or studying. Avoid excess stimulation by media & computers.
• Be settled. Avoid moving homes, jobs, etc.
too much. Do not travel too much, especially by airplane
• Have a routine- eat, sleep, BM at regular
times soothes the body and mind.
• Slow, gentle self massage with sesame or almond
oil, especially to feet, top of head, back, & abdomen
or get massage from someone else regularly.
• Have time alone. Avoid overworking & too
much socializing.
• Get regular sleep. Go to bed before 10 pm,
earlier if possible. Get enough sleep.
• Get the tastes that balance Vata- predominately
sweet, sour, & salty. Eat heavy, moist, & warm food
with digestive spices added. Avoid cold foods or beverages
and stimulants like caffeine, alcohol. ( a little beer or wine w/
meal OK occasionally) Avoid junk food & microwaved
food; avoid leftovers more than 12 hours old.
• Drink nourishing herbal infusions daily especially
oat straw.
• Eat mindfully – Sit down while eating. Before
eating sit quietly, breathe deeply, and give thanks. Chew
thoroughly.
• Use color therapy - most colors good -pastel
colors for sensitivity, avoiding lots of dark or heavy colorsor
gems -emerald, jade, peridot set in gold; yellow sapphire,
topaz & citrine & other yellow stones set in gold; ruby or
garnet can help circulation & energy- & gem elixirs to work
with the energy.

to buy a copy of Ayurveda for the Childbearing Year go to Lulu.com and search the title.
--Terra Rafael

Breast Health Basics--In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In my private consultations and at the Women’s Self Care with Ayurveda and at the Woman Know Thyself! workshops I have seen the great relief and excitement that women feel when they learn more about breasts, how to care for them, and the range of what normal breasts look like. It’s amazing that in a culture where breasts are used so freely to sell things & titillate (!) we are taught so little about this part of our bodies. At the same time it’s no surprise, since nourishment is NOT what we are taught about in general or specifically regarding breasts. Sex & mothering are forever separated by a culture so influenced by the view that mothers aren’t sexy & sex should be boxed off from mothering - why was the mother of Jesus a Virgin??? But our bodies say otherwise - The very same hormone is instrumental in female orgasm, childbirth, and releasing the milk from a nursing mother’s breasts to feed her child. So we know that if the Virgin Mary gave birth & breastfed, she was also capable of orgasms. ( In Ayurveda , the woman orgasming is considered a part of a healthy conception.)

The breasts are mainly made up of fatty tissue and ducts which have the potential of milk production. They begin their development into milk makers during puberty, when the ducts & fatty tissue which protects them grow. But full & final development of the breasts does not happen until the hormonal dance of pregnancy & childbirth come to fruition in the birth of a child. At that point the breasts are finally mature and become stabilized in a cellular sense. This is why absence and disruptions of the reproductive process (including breastfeeding less than 1 year) increase the risk of breast cancer. Those cells are more easily confused by toxins, traumas, radiation & other initiators of cancer because they haven’t gotten to that stabilized place of having fully developed & functioned.

Ayurvedic care of the breasts includes understanding that milk production and breasts are through the agency of the rasa or plasma tissue level. This level is very changeable because it is the level fed directly by the digested food substance-it is greatly influenced by dietary intake. The breasts are ruled by the dosha of Kapha in general, being on the chest which is the home of Kapha, and also producing milk, which is a sweet, rich, nourishing Kapha substance. If the plasma is constantly out of balance, carrying excess Vata or Pitta then the breasts will easily become out of balance. If digestion is poor, aama or toxins will be circulating in the plasma. This can result in breast cysts, tenderness, tumors, or breastfeeding problems. So a basic Breast care principle is to eat properly and support healthy digestion ( as in the article on Protecting your digestive fire in a previous issue).

Another Breast care principle has to do with circulation in the breasts. Because plasma is so important to breasts it’s important to have good circulation, both to carry in nutrients and to prevent any stagnation from occurring which would allow toxins to build. Much of the body has muscles that massage the lymph system and general area to move things through-but the breasts are not covered by muscles. This leaves them vulnerable to stagnation. Wearing improper breast support can exacerbate this situation-it is readily apparent when breastfeeding. If you wear improper breast support during your lactation the milk can be trapped & stagnate, causing inflammation & infection. Similarly, an improperly fitting bra can allow for toxic buildups in certain areas of the breasts. Some research also indicates underwire bras may be contributory to breast cancer. Finding proper breast support is important for women who have large breasts to prevent discomfort and back problems . In some cultures other forms of support than bras have been used-cholis in India and someone told of fitted blouses that crossed between the breast, supporting them in the clothing itself. If you know more better support for women with large breasts please let me know so I can pass it on. Decent Exposures is a company that makes cotton bras to order and specializes in breastfeeding and big breasted women, check their website at www.decentexposures.com http://www.decentexposures.com

To overcome the lack of muscular massage of the breasts it is advisable for women to massage their breasts regularly. This can become a part of your morning routine or your bathing routine. Use some natural oil. For Vata or Kapha use sesame oil, for Pitta breasts use coconut oil or almond oil. You can add some ylang ylang essential oil if you tend towards inflammation of the breasts or just because it smells good. Then massage the breasts in a circular motion from the outer lower quadrant of the breast around & up, towards the lymph drainage under your armpit. This will encourage movement of lymph & cleansing of the tissue. This regular massage- be it daily or several times a week-will familiarize you fully with what is normal for your breasts. The breast massage affirms and contributes to the health of your breasts, while allowing you to know if something odd is happening with your breasts. You can do a breast self exam once a month also, as you wish.

Last but not least in breast self care is loving your breasts. This doesn’t mean PRETENDING to like the way they look. It means understanding that there is a wide range of normalcy in breasts and what is fashionable is not necessarily what is healthy or even desirable sexually. It also means acknowledging that our breast are like friends that we might love but not always like in every respect. Loving my breasts means I give them what they need to be healthy and accept them for what they are. They are now almost 49 years old and don’t look or act the same as when 21! My friend who lived in Africa told me that there women actually do brag about how long their breasts hang down and one is a truly great mother if you can carry your baby on your back and your breast reaches all the way over your shoulder so you can feed the child while digging roots, etc. This is surely a different story than here in America. We have to realize that it is just about stories and to love those we have for what they are. We can also do our part in educating others about the story where breasts are great for both milk and for loving and that aging breasts go along with the rest of becoming a wisewoman.

Women with specific breast concerns can often be helped with ayurveda. I had begun to form some fibrocystic areas in my breast, which have now almost disappeared, after practicing ayurveda for several years and adding in the breast massage. Please contact me for an appointment if you wish to explore how to reduce or get rid of fibrocystic breast syndrome (which ayurveda does consider a staging area for further problems) or to do other things promoting healthy breasts. Long distance phone consults possible.

--Terra Rafael

Excerpt from new book-Ayurveda for the Childbearing Years- "Ayurvedic Recipes and Cookbooks"

Making Ghee

Ghee is a rejuvenative for Pitta and soothing for Vata excess. It can be used for cooking since, unlike butter, it will not burn. It is considered a very pure food and is offered in ritual fires to feed the Divine.

Preparation Time: about 30 min
It works best to make ghee on a day that has clear skies- not cloudy
Makes about 2 cups.
-Vata, -Pitta, -Kapha

Use 1 pound organic sweet unsalted butter. Feel free to make more at a time if you want—it keeps very well

In a heavy medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Continue to cook at medium-low heat. The butter will bubble & make bubbling sounds. When it is almost done, milk solids will collect on the bottom of the pan. When it is done, in about 15 to 20 minutes, the liquid will look clear and become very quiet. Quickly take it off the heat before the milk solids on the bottom of the pan burn, which it can do suddenly (if this happens the liquid will begin to foam again rapidly and the solids turn brown instead of golden). Cool slightly. Ghee is the clear golden liquid. Pour ghee through a metal strainer &/or cheese cloth into a very clean glass. Store at room temperature.

If you do not cook the ghee long enough, it can mold. If you cook it too long, it will let you know by burning. A touch of browning can add a nice flavor- but if it’s used for ritual purposes it should not be browned.

After making this once, you are likely to do it again & again, as it is simple and not nearly so difficult as the instructions make it out to be. Homemade ghee is pure & inexpensive compared to store-bought ghee.

Revised from Amadea Morningstar’s The Ayurvedic Cookbook

Making Kitcheree

To make plain kitcheree:
Wash thoroughly
½ cup split mung beans (soak overnight to increase digestibility & reduce cooking time),
1 cup basmati rice: ,
melt 1 Tablespoon ghee in a cooking pot
add spices: 1 tsp fresh ginger, ½ tsp each tumeric, powdered cumin & coriander ;
add rice, beans & 6 cups water, then bring to boil ,
turn down to simmer for at least 45 minutes or until mung beans are very soft
After cooking, add rock salt to taste. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

You can make variations on kitcheree by adding different vegetables. See the cookbooks listed below for more ideas.



Making Agni Kindler

Agni kindler is to wake up the digestive enzymes of the stomach. Since it brings back the natural capacity is healthier for the system than relying on taking digestive enzymes. It is useful after sickness, when the appetite is low but eating is desired, or when there is a coated tongue.

For a day’s supply-
Peel about 1 inch of fresh ginger root and grate it into fine pieces
Sprinkle with about ¼ tsp of fresh lime juice
Add a pinch of unrefined salt

Take a big pinch of this mixture 15-20 minutes before each meal.

Making Takram

Takram is drink to help digestion & absorption, taken after meals.

Churn 2 tablespoons of fresh yogurt in ½ cup of pure water. You can shake it in a jar to accomplish this churning or use a blender. (The churning breaks up some of the heavy & slimy qualities of the yogurt. ) Then mix in ¼ tsp cumin powder.


Making Ojas drink : Almond Restorative Drink

This drink is important to build after a cleanse, before, during or after pregnancy to feed the ojas or underlying stamina and energy of the immune system.
Serves 1 , Sattvic ; V-P-K+

Soak together overnight:
10 raw almonds & 1 cup pure water
In the morning, drain off the water. Rub the skins off the almonds.
Bring to a boil:
1 cup milk (unhomogenized if possible) (milk is highly rejuvenative when digested)
Pour the milk in the blender w/ the drained & peeled almonds and :1 tablespoon organic rose petals (optional- rejuvenative), 1 tsp ghee (rejuvenative),1/32 tsp. saffron (increases digestion & rejuvenative),
1/8 tsp ground cardamom (increases digestion),pinch of black pepper (helps control the K),
½ tsp of sweetener (increases lactose digestion).
Blend until smooth.
Drink 3-4 times/ week as directed. Best done after panchakarma as part of rejuvenation.
Watch if any signs of excess mucous/kapha, if so, cut back.


Making Ojas drink: Non-dairy almond drinks

1. Use oat milk( if not gluten intolerant- then use almond milk) instead of cows milk. Oats are also rejuvenative, although not as strongly as cows milk.

2. Soak 20 raisins in 1 cup pure water overnight or several hours. Blend them together & use them instead of cow’s milk for a rejuvenative drink. Omit sweetener in this case since the raisins are sweet enough.

Ayurvedic Cookbooks

Touching Heaven-Tonic Postpartum Recipes by Ysha Oakes

Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners, by Amadea Morningstar

EAT•TASTE•HEAL: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living by Thomas Yarema, MD; Daniel Rhoda; and Chef Johnny Brannigan

Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing By Usha Lad & Dr Vasant Lad

The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar with Urmala Desai

A Life of Balance by Maya Tiwari

Journey to Letting Go

It’s an overcast day. The edge of my skin tightens where the cool fall air touches it. I’m walking on a path I’ve walked before, not far from where I live. It is called Gregory Canyon by white people. This is where I first came to know the poison hemlock plant. There is a creek here, barely trickling in this season. The dry crackling of branches and grasses rattles with my footsteps as I follow the path deeper into the woods. A brown bear is eating berries. She looks at me, knows that I am one of her own, and goes back to the berries, letting me pass unmolested.

As I approach the village it is unusually quiet. I come to a woman and ask her where I can find the Great Midwife. She looks at me and says, ”YOU are the Great Midwife now. It is YOU who are to help women give birth, care for the sick and help the dying on their journey to the other side.”

I am shocked. What can she mean? I follow her to a hut and stoop to enter the short doorway. A woman elder is lying on her sleeping mat, covered with a mound of blankets and furs. Her face is luminous, though her physical skin is darkened.
“Great Midwife, I am here to ask you about love.”

She slowly shakes her head, silently saying, “No”.
Then she gathers her strength to reply. “You must speak of death now. It is time. The seed of death is born when we begin to live in our mother’s womb. Mine has grown slowly and is now bearing fruit, like the bushes full of choke cherries.”
She pauses to breathe for awhile, tired by the efforts of her words.
“You must eat of my berries now so that you will be strong with what I have grown to become. You must care for my people. You are the one that can hear what to do.”

She nods at the woman attending to her and the woman reaches over to her, removes the bear claw necklace from around her neck and places it over my head, to hang now on my chest. Its heaviness would bear down on me, if not for the uplifting of my heart by the honor of receiving this sacred gift.

I kneel down beside her. “Grandmother, I am not ready. I cannot take your place.”

“You must. It is time.” She closes her eyes, her irregular breathing now the only sound.

When I reach into my bag for my gift to her, a thorn from the sprig of rose pricks my finger. I place the sprig on her chest, the one last blood red bloom from my garden. “May the spirit of the rose assist with this blessing.”

I quietly slip out of the hut to pray for her Spirit to have a swift and peaceful journey to the Eternal Summer; to ponder letting go and what this all means to me. As I walk away, I hear the keening begin.

Terra Rafael

(Although I intended to find out about love on this journey, the stars had a different purpose for me. This was the astrology of 15 September 2009 when it was written-
"Today is the final pass of the Saturn/Uranus opposition. It began last Sept. 08, then again in Feb. 09, and today it is completed.
At 6:50 AM (MDT), and all day, we are working with letting go of the old and receiving the new. Look at old patterns of thinking and behaving. Be really willing to let those ways dissolve and flow out of you, keeping your base of what works.
Then be open to the new and innovative ways of being that are ready to serve you and bring you into a more authentic way of being. "
From astrologer and writer Jyoti Wind, http://www.starshine-galaxy.com/)