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A Correspondent Course Student's Experiences with her
Ally Chickweed
January 13, 2002
Dear Susun,
I received the Herbal Bible, thank you. I would like to share this
story with you. I have been blessed to have had several spirit visits.
My husband, Butch and I were married 22 years ago. At the time of our
marriage, we chose not to exchange rings. We lived in a small town in
Minnesota. Our house was located one block from the main street of town.
In the summers we would move to our lake cabin about an hour from our
home.
Our town house was on a comfortable small lot. One spring day, after
a reading your Healing Wise, I set out on a weed walk of our little
manicured yard. Butch loved our lawn and expressed it in a different
way than I. He was very attentive to it, mowing and fertilizing, clipping
and pruning. There were very few weeds to be found! However, toward
the side and behind the garage there was a healthy, happy bed of chickweed!
I had found my green ally. It flourished there for many years. We ate
it, used it for poultices, and I made tinctures for the winter. My family
was very good humored about my friendship with chickweed. Most of the
time, they were unaware it was sharing its' bounty with them.
In the summer we moved to the lake. Again, I began to take weed walks.
There I found many weeds! I harvested nettles and catnip. Plaintain
was plentiful and relieved the itch of many mosquito bites. We had a
garden where we grew tomatoes and broccoli, green beans and beets along
with basil, sage, cilantro, rosemary and chives. Spearmint tea warmed
cool nights. I made tinctures in preparation for winter.
My friend chickweed was there too. It grew along the entire length
of the north side of the house. It was a contented, healthy patch. I
harvested it with joy. We were great friends. One day I fell and twisted
my previously injured knee. I could barely walk! For three days, I limped
to my chickweed patch and would lay, tummy down, nestled in its' cool,
tiny green leaves, allowing it to nurse me back to health. My knee was
never better. True to form, my family humored me. Again, not realizing
the nourishment they were also receiving from our green friends, enjoying
bacon, tomato, and chickweed sandwiches.
Some years ago we made the decision to move to the lake year around.
We began to work on our lake house in preparation for long, cold winters.
We rewired and insulated. As well, we put in new windows and installed
a wood stove. During that time, Butch presented me with a beautiful
diamond ring in honor of fifteen years of marriage. It was lovely! My
friends and family oohed and awed over it. It glistened and gleamed
on my finger and reminded me daily of how blessed we were.
The time came when the house was ready. According to Butch, the lawn
was not. He diagnosed it with failure to thrive and was determined to
fix it. We compromised. Once again, he fertilized and mowed, pruned
and weeded.
We moved to the lake in May. This time, we rented out our house in
town and moved the things we would need to live year around. Unsure
if this was the right decision, we made a mutual agreement to live here
for 15 months. At the end of that time we decided to re-evaluate what
we wanted.
This summer when I went to gather chickweed it was gone
no where
in sight! I searched our lot. No chickweed. On weekends, when our neighbors
had returned to their homes away from the lake, I searched their yards.
No chickweed. I waited, watched and looked for my friend Chickweed all
summer. It was not to be found. I grieved silently.
The middle of November I returned home from working late. I went right
to bed and immediately fell asleep. At 3:00 am I awoke startled and
sat up in bed. My ring was gone! I got up and searched around the bed,
under the bed, and in the bathroom. No ring. In the morning Butch joined
in the investigation. We took everything off the bed and removed our
stash of stuff from under the bed. Clothes were pulled off hangers and
I went through pockets of clothing. We retraced my steps from the previous
day. I meditated on my activities and called my intuitive friend. No
clues. I never took my ring off and it had been a bit tight of late.
I couldn't imagine it falling off. Still, there was no ring.
That night, which was one week before Thanksgiving (and about the time
of the new moon) we had a light snowfall. It was three days into the
investigation and Butch suggested I rake along the driveway. There was
nothing to lose and a ring to gain. I grabbed the rake. Beginning at
the end of the driveway I slowly worked my way toward the house. I raked
gently, knelt down and combed my fingers through the grass and leaves.
Now half-way to the house, I once again pulled the rake slowly, knelt
down, combed my fingers through the leaves and grass. This time when
I lifted the leaves there, to my astonishment, was a healthy bed of
chickweed! It was wholesome green, grinning from leave to leave at me!
I could not believe my eyes! The patch grew about three feet along the
sidewalk. It was a young patch that offered me forgiveness and redemption!
I gathered enough to make a small brew of tincture for winter and for
my family to feast on a celebration sandwich! The Universe (whom to
me is God) and God's creation, chickweed, have taught me a most beautiful
lesson. I have given to the ring to God, knowing wherever it is, it
is where it needs to be.
My friend, chickweed will be with me all winter. In the spring I will
be a better friend to it! Negotiations for the yard have already begun!
In closing, I am sure a spirit came to me and slipped the ring from
my finger. There have been many lessons to learn from the experience.
Interestingly, when the year 2001 began I prayed for the gift of detachment.
Susun, I am enjoying and being enriched by your course! I am especially
enchanted with the lunar phases. Is there a book that has lunar phases
covering 1900-present?
Sue
PS. It would be just fine if you shared my story. I am a "new"
correspondence student and I am delighted to be one!
Check out Susun's Correspondence
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To
learn more about chickweed, read an excerpt from Healing Wise
Healing
Wise
by Susun
S. Weed
Introduction by Jean Houston.
Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity. Seven herbs -- burdock, chickweed, dandelion, nettle,
oatstraw, seaweed, and violet -- are explored in depth.
A Special Tenth Anniversary edition of this
classic herbal, profusely illustrated. 312 pages.
Retails for $17.95
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I just started reading your book, Healing Wise. Your
humor and approach to life seem so "down-to-earth",
just like your favorite powerful weeds. Thank you for sharing
and nourishing! ~ Diane
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