End of Summer Team Treasury Contest

What an amazing team we have here in the Etsy Natural Healer's Guild.  Simply honored to be a team leader and looking forward to the turnout in this team treasury challenge to win two darling prizes.

A 10.75" by 6" copy (excluding the Storybook Artifact watermarks) of this original antique lithograph from my shop (Storybook Artifact), accompanied with an original retro magazine ad from team leader Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles.

This 100% team treasury challenge is more than what meets the eye, it is motivation to build a stronger more prosperous team.  A closer contact with you (our individual members) at helping you strive in the Etsy world.  We are building relationships, supporting others, and having fun!

Whether you sell herbal remedies, healing stones, handcrafted jewelry, organic all-natural treats, heirloom products, etc., our team has quite a broad scope at who is welcome to join us.  We are happy to have you.

Above is the first "sample" treasury featuring all members of the Etsy Natural Healers Guild.  Create your own and submit it here to enter the contest:

https://www.etsy.com/teams/6839/etsy-natural-healers-guild/discuss/12834923/

The winner will be announced at the beginning of September.

Begin building your 100% team treasury here:

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/new

Reap What You Sow

  Now is the time to make use of all the wonderful plants we cared for in the Spring and Summer.  I have been infusing oil from my Comfrey.  As you can see from the picture, I am working with lightly wilted fresh comfrey leaves and I slowly heat them in a crock pot to infuse the medicinal properties of the plant into the oil.  This also allows excess moisture to evaporate out of the oil.  To the right I am straining the oil from my first batch of spent leaves.  Front center I am chopping more leaves to add for a second infusion.  This oil will be STRONG!  you can already see how the oil has turned dark green.  This takes a few days and I heat it for a couple hours on low and turn it off and let it infuse.  I repeat this process a couple times a day until no more moisture forms on the top when I cover the crock.  It takes a while but when I'm done I'll have at least a quart of strongly infused herbal oil.  Plenty to get me through until Spring when my beloved plants come back!

Reiki Event with Jessica of GatheredRoots

Hello, I hope you're doing well. I'm very excited to have joined the Etsy Natural Healers Guild recently and would like to make a contribution by writing articles for the blog. For the first article, I'd like to briefly introduce myself.

My name is Jessica Bergeron, and here, in the field of natural health and healing, is where I'm meant to be. These themes have been of interest to me from an early age and I've taken various steps throughout my life to explore and gain a better understanding of some of their many facets.

Reiki caught my attention in 2010 and I delved into First Degree studies without having previously received a treatment or knowing much about it. I was facing a very difficult period and didn't hold many expectations, but Reiki turned out to be one of the most valuable tools for releasing emotional burdens and re-establishing life flow. With regular self-treatments, I've come to develop a greater understanding and acceptance of myself, I better hear and honour my inner voice, I live in stronger connection with my life purpose, and I feel more empowered and able to realize my potential.

My awareness of and dedication for healing continues to evolve, with many discoveries still to be uncovered of course, but I do feel comfortable to begin sharing with others what I've grown to appreciate.

In October of 2011, Gathered Roots was registered with the Government of Canada and I am currently establishing a private practice in my home. I am an active member of the International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP), registered as both a Practitioner and a Teacher, and I am also enrolled with several government-recognized colleges to pursue natural health and healing more extensively. Herbalism and Intuitive Studies are my current areas of focus.

This process feels both meaningful and necessary (AND exciting!) to me. It is commonly believed that the Universal Life Force channelled during a Reiki treatment automatically gravitates toward the area that is in most need of being remedied or enhanced, whether it be on a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual level. This concept inspires Gathered Roots' mission.

Simply, I intend for the services offered at Gathered Roots to be reflective of my personal experiences, wisdom, and character. From there, I trust that the benefits will manifest for individuals based on what is most needed for them and according to where they are on their unique path.

You are invited to visit my website (www.gathered-roots.com) to learn further about Gathered Roots and/or Reiki. Both in-person or distance Reiki services may be scheduled there. Distance Reiki services are also offered through my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/gatheredroots), where a selection of herbs and other energy-healing related items/crafts will soon be listed. I can also be found on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GatheredRoots) so feel free to either become my friend or "Like" my fan page.

...Enjoy.

This blog article was contributed by Jessica Bergeron from Gathered Roots (http://www.etsy.com/shop/gatheredroots).

Hydrosols and Aromatherapy

This beautiful copper, available from Guild member Staci of Elfin Herb Farm, is a must-have if you craft your own natural beauty (or medicinal)  products.  I recently purchased one and have had time to play with it (and get pretty good at it) and I am absolutely in love.  If you've ever used hydrosols, you know how wonderful they are, and how expensive they can be.  Imagine being able to create your own flower waters with plants you've raised yourself!  It's quite simple to use when you get used to it, and learn some patience and the results are wonderful, even with dried plants.  Of course, fresh is best.

Hydrosols are the newest tool in the aromatherapy world and are generally safer and more gentle to use than essential oils.  There is also less controversy over internal use, especially if you make your own and you know exactly the environment your plants are coming from.  The hydrosol contain more of the water soluble compounds from the plant that aren't present in the essential oil, and you will also get a little a little essential oil from most plants along with the water based distillate.  The copper enhances aroma and flavor and also protects against some microbes.  You do, however need to sterilize any containers the distillate will be stored in or come in contact with.  I clean all of my containers out with pure grain alcohol.  Hydrosols are more stable than an infusion but are still perishable and should be refrigerated and you shouldn't touch the liquid, and should resist the temptation to open the bottle and smell-you don't want to contaminate it.  Depending on what plant you have distilled, your hydrosols will last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years.  If you see any bloom (slimy growths) then it has gone bad and should be thrown out.

There are so many uses for hydrosols that it would be impossible to list them all here, but I will list a few.
-to remove makeup
-as a natural, gentle cleanser
-to replace all or some of the water in lotion or cream recipes
-added to soap bases in foamer bottles
-pillow spray
-body spray
-gentle hand cleanser/sanitizer
-in finger bowls at fancy dinners
-to clean baby's bottom at diaper changes (esp. lavender, chamomiles, calendula)
-to sooth rashes and sunburns
-invigorating or relaxing room spray (depends on the properties of the plant)
-to make personal cleansing wipes
-use as an aftershave lotion
-hot spots on pets (esp calendula)
-on a cotton ball as a compress for for eyes (cucumber, chamomile, calendula, rose)
-spray lemon balm, lavender or chamomiles in the air to calm fussy children
-as a fragrant base water when rebatching soaps
-a natural deodorant spray (witch hazel, rose, patchouli)
-cooling body spray in hot weather (esp peppermint and cucumber)
-anti-fungal foot spray (tea tree, lemongrass, patchouli, witch hazel)
-safe feminine deodorant spray (esp rose)
-use witch hazel compresses/cleansing cloths on your hemorrhoids (no alcohol burn like store bought)
-some hydrosols make great rubs for sore muscles
-try peppermint, lavender, roman or German chamomile rubs or compresses for headaches

These are just a few and the possibilities are endless!

Essential Oils for the Holidays

Fall has arrived and I will soon have to abandon my garden and retreat indoors until Spring.  Now that it's getting dark earlier and earlier I am so grateful to have aromatherapy to carry me through. 

Aromatherapy fascinates me.  Everyone knows how smells can trigger memories of family gatherings but there is so much more to it.  When we smell cinnamon, nutmeg, or clove our first thoughts are pumpkin pies and Thanksgiving.  But these essential oils do so much more for us.  They are warming, mental stimulating and strong anti-microbials.  Perfect for the Fall and Winter when it's dark longer, colder outside and we are all couped up together during cold and flu season.  I probably protect myself even more than I realize just because I spend more time blending and diffusing oils just to keep my spirits up.

The oils I like this time of year are the warming spices-coriander, nutmeg (use sparingly), cinnamon, clove, ginger, allspice and cardamom;   little citrus like bergamot or orange;  Christmas tree smells like juniper, cypress, rosemary, pine, fir, spruce, cedarwoods;  medatative oils like frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood; peppermint always make me think of candy canes and of course a little cocoa absolute, because chocolate is always good!

I diffuse these oils pretty constantly when we have friends and family over.  It creates a warm, inviting atmosphere and has the added bonus of stimulating appetites.  You've been cooking all day so you want these people to eat, right?

Other oils to consider for the Holidays could include coffee and vanilla absolute, and since I'm Italian by marriage I also use Basil!

This article was contributed by Jackie Alberti of Glory Be Herbals.  To find products for natural healing log into etsy and search "healguild"