Summer plant planting starts now!

Basil starters

Did you know that right now is the perfect time to get a head start on this upcoming gardening seasons planting? February is early enough in the year to allow your seedlings to mature and be transplanted without too much hassle. Some plants, like carrots or radishes, do not transplant well.

Warm weather vegetables, such as tomatoes (yes, I know tomato and some others mentioned are fruits technically), peppers, and summer squash need a long growing period. Start the seeds indoors in February and allow them to grow for 6 to 8 weeks. Other vegetables to start in February include lettuce varieties, chard and eggplant. February is a good time to start cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cabbage. Plant cucumber seeds during the last week in February.

Watermelon starters

Start watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and pumpkins by planting seeds indoors, due to the long growing season required by melons and pumpkins. Strawberry seeds need about 6 weeks of cold before planting in February. Once the seedlings have three leaves, the plants need hardening off and moved into their permanent growing site in the garden.

Herbs that do well when started indoors in the month of February include: basil, oregano, parsley, dill mints, thyme and sage. The seedlings transplant well into containers for the porch or patio. You can also transplant the herbs directly into the garden. Basil and parsley suffer in cold weather and do not survive temperatures below freezing. Many other herbs grow as perennials in cold and warm weather climates.

Start heliotrope, violas, snapdragons, delphinium, candytuft, and impatiens indoors during the month of February. The seedlings need gradual exposure to the outdoor temperatures for a week or two before planting directly into the flower beds. Your planting zone or microclimate determines exactly when to move the seedlings outdoors.

Viola starters

I hope this inspires you to get your outdoor garden started indoors soon. Not only does it provide plenty of time for your plants to mature before transplanting them, but it also livens up your home with beautiful green plants!





Christopher Howard
             &
Holistic Heathers


www.HolisticHeathers.com



Resources:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/good-plants-start-indoors-february-33018.html

Free Stuff!!!

Recently Heather showed me this really great website called Listia. It is like Ebay in that you bid for items, however, instead of money you pay using credits that you can acquire for free by watching short videos or filling out surveys. There are a few items that require you to pay shipping, but a lot of the listings have free shipping too! I know, you are thinking that there has got to be a catch. There is not. I have won over 15 auctions ranging from comic books to plant seeds. I basically won free food. How awesome is that?!?

I highly recommend this bidding site, especially if you like free things. If you join by following the link below you will receive a bonus 250 credits!

https://www.listia.com/signup/7734745



Christopher Howard
             &
Holistic Heathers



www.HolisticHeathers.com

Curanderismo

Curanderismo is the art of folk healing native to Mexico, Latin America, and the Southwest U.S. The word curanderismo comes from the word curar, to cure or heal, in Spanish. Curanderismo is a wholistic, mind/body/soul,  healing approach with deep roots in tradition and ritual. What I find so amazing about curanderismo is that it has survived centuries through the assimilation of the healing practices of other cultures, in some cases by necessity.

A curandero's altar

In the early 1500s the Spanish, a Catholic nation, conquered the Aztec Empire and did not approve of the practices that have evolved into curanderismo. In order to keep their traditions alive the curanderos/as adapted changes to fool the Catholic Church. For example, some anthropologist  suggest that that the Virgin of Guadalupe, used frequently in curanderismo rituals, is a Christianized version of the Aztec lunar mother goddess Tonantzin.

Tonantzin (statue) and Virgin of Guadalupe (painting) comparison

The changes did not end with renaming of Gods and Goddesses. The curanderos/as began studying Spanish medicine too. Spanish medicine has its roots in Arabic medicine, practiced by the Moors, and was considered the best at its time. The medicine of the Moors was as diversely influenced as the lands they contacted. Arabic medicine's influenced go back to Ancient Greece, Egypt, and even oriental principles of Asia. In addition, the cultures of the African slaves and Native American Indians made its way into what has become modern day curanderismo.

Like the medicine we have today there are specialty fields within curanderismo. These specialists have a don, or God given gift, in one or more area. Some of these dons include: yerbero, a specialist in herbs and plants;  partera, basically a midwife; sobador, a sort of massage therapist.

A Curandera performing a smudging or blessing

Christopher Howard

              &

Holistic Heathers

www.HolisticHeathers.com

Resources: 

http://www.healingtherapies.info/curanderismo1.htm

http://www.asu.edu/courses/css335/valladolid.htm

The History of Crystal Healing Part One- "The Western World"

For thousands of years crystals and stones have been used not only for healing, but also for their decorative and protective properties. Archaeologist have found amber beads in grave site over 8,000 years old and even a calcite mirror that was made over 30,000 years ago. One of the earliest documents of crystal use actually comes from the Christian Bible.

4,000 year old beads found in England found by the University of Manchester in 2008

The book of Exodus describes the breastplate of the High Priest, however, the Hebrew word for breastplate actually translate to "pouch". With this translation we find that Aaron was really wearing a linen bag around his neck and chest, with 12 crystals that represented the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the two special holy objects, the Urim and Thummin.

The breastplate of Aaron may have looked something like this.

The ancients had different names for crystals than we have today which can make translation difficult to know exactly which crystals were used, but they included sardius, probably Sardonyx, a stone of authority, strength, and protection; Topaz, one of the most ancient stones of abundance; Turquoise, another protective stone that enhances spiritual attunement; and Amythest, which is still used today by the bishops in the church to show their spiritual authority. These stones were, according to God's instructions, to be set in gold and inscribed with the names of the tribes to show they were under divine protection. In other words, they were creating amulets, which was something already very popular in Egypt. Many scholars believe that the Urim and Thummin were actually meteorites and were designed by God to be used as an "oracle" to ascertain his will and divine the course the future would take.

The use of crystals in Egypt goes back to at least 4500 BCE, which may have also influenced the Israelites who had recently fled Egypt to wander in the desert. The funeral mask of Tutankhamun has a Lapis Lazuli band around his Snow Quartz and Obsidian eyes.  Lapis was considered the most scared and spiritual of stones. Its use was to open spiritual insight, a useful attribute on the journey to the Otherworld, which Obsidian would facilitate. In the headdress are set Turquoise and Carnelian, both used as a protective amulet. The true purpose of this mask was to guide and guard the young Pharaoh on his way home to the stars and to ensure a good rebirth.

The funeral mask of Tutankhamun

Crystal use also spread to the Roman Empire, where Pliny the Elder wrote on precious stones in his treatise "Natural History" (written 77 AD), based on the earlier Greek writer, Theophrastus.

Theophrastus (lived c.371 BC-287 BC).

That briefly describes the history of the use of crystals for history, at least for the "western" world. Stayed tuned for part two, "The Eastern World".




Christopher Howard
            &
Holistic Heathers


www.HolisticHeathers.com




Resource: "The Encyclopedia of Crystals" by Judy Hall

Upcycling!

One of the things that we have recently been really drawn to is what we call upcycling: taking an older objects, re-purposing it, and making it in to something new and beautiful. Some of the most popular upcycling projects these days are those using wooden pallets. So I wanted to share some of these really great ideas with you!

Book Shelves

Pallet Dinning Table With Wine Rack

Pallet Bed Frame and Head Board

Outdoor Patio Furniture

Pallet Tool Organizer

Pallet Room Divider

I hope that things pictures will inspire you to participating in saving our planet through upcycling. This is an amazing way to help make a difference!

Christopher Howard

            &

Holistic Heathers

www.HolisticHeathers.com

Acupressure: Definition and How it Works

Acupressure is modality based in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM is believed to have merged between 772 B.C. and 221 B.C. with the birth of Confucianism and Taoism. However, it was during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D.) that the theories of acupressure and acupuncture really flourished. Everything around us is made of the same "stuff", energy or Chi in TCM. TCM teaches that Chi passes through the body along meridians or channels. Along these meridians are points often referred to as gates. A closed gate does not allow Chi to move through the meridian. On the other hand, a gate that does not control the flow of Chi can cause that area to become Chi deficient.These gates can be adjusted, much like a light dimmer switch, to promote the smooth flow of Chi throughout the body.

The job of an acupressurist is actually very involved. Before a session he/she will actually do an interview with you. You may be asked questions like; What foods do you crave? What is your favorite color? What smells are you attracted to and/or repulsed by? These questions allow the acupressurist to determine the TCM Elements that are dominant or lacking for that particular client. Everyone's acupressure session is therefore different. The Five Elements of TCM have corresponding organ meridians that tell the acupressurist which meridians to work on in their sessions. They will then go up, down, over, and under the body holding a point and lightly applying pressure on another. This balances the two points to each other and when applied to the entire body allows for the proper flow of Chi throughout.

The 12 Organ Meridians

                                                 

                                                 The 24 hour Organ Meridian Flow Wheel

Christopher Howard
             &
Holistic Heathers


www.HolisticHeathers.com

Our first post!

This is first of many blog posts that we will be starting to write on a regular basis. Some of the topics that we will be writing about are holistic medicine, sustainable living, well being, and our experiences pertaining to these subjects. As much as all of this is about Holistic Heathers, we really want to make this place for you. To come and not only get opinions of others, but also become more informed of the world around us. Please feels free to share and comment, remember this is for you!

Christopher Howard
              &
Holistic Heathers

www.HolisticHeathers.com