A Podcast Interview with Theresa C. Dintino
Recently I was interviewed for the Twisting the Plot Podcast. You can listen to that interview here. Twisting the Plot: New Possibilities for Women over 50. is the brainchild of Dr.Cecilia Dintino and Hannah Murray, both psychotherapists with years of experience in many modalities including Drama Therapy, who noticed when they reached a certain age that there was no roadmap for women over 50. Or … the ones that existed were less than exciting.
Honoring the Ocean
What can one say about the majesty of the ocean and how its very life is being threatened in the same sentence? And yet, that is the situation we find ourselves in, the tension and contradiction we must hold in these times.
As Rachel Carson wrote in her beautiful tome to the ocean, The Sea Around Us:
“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life arose, should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life”(xiii).
Water is life and the ocean gave birth to all forms of biological life on this planet. Strega Tree Apothecary offers this bracelet and the ritual that comes with it to honor the ocean and allow the wearer be reminded of its beauty and majesty, to hold the ocean in highest regard. There is a prescriptive ritual included at the request of the Kontomble that will take you to the water’s edge to lean more deeply into this connection.
The Remedy We Wish We Didn’t Need To Offer
The Remedy to Heal Violation
We hate to bring it up and yet, how can we not? We wish no one ever needed it but alas, many, in fact do. Strega Tree Apothecary’s Remedy To Heal Violation came through with compassionate ferocity when the idea of this Apothecary was but a seed. It wanted to bring healing. To right the wrongs that should never have happened. It wanted to offer relief and repair.
It wanted to show care.
We hope you don’t need it but if you do, it’s here for you.
Finding Your Tree Allies
Many people are finding tree allies these days. It seems at this time on the planet the trees have much to say to humans. If you feel drawn to the trees but don’t know where to begin, here is a simple way to get started on deepening your relationship with them.
First, know that even trees that have been cut down are still here in spirit form. If there is a stump that is calling to you, do not disregard it. The spirit of the tree may still be there wanting to interact with you.
To form a relationship with one or more trees, begin by noticing which trees want to speak to you. You will know this by the trees you find yourself attracted to. Once you determine which tree or trees this is, make an offering of milk at the base of the tree. Tell the tree you wish to begin to form a relationship with it and if it has things to tell you, you are open to listening.
Heart Wisdom from the Wedeme: Healing the “Desolation of Spirit”
One of the products we are especially fond of at Strega Tree Apothecary is the Wedeme Heart Blend: Heart Opening. When we carried out the divination for the Heart Opening Wedeme Heart Blend, there was a baby present. Wedeme said the baby was dreaming of grass. “Grass is unique to this planet,” they said. “He is dreaming of this because it is about how things grow here. There is sunshine and dew. The plants absorb the sun to grow. He is learning how to grow.”
The outside of the Heart Opening Gift Package
Then the scene changed to a desolate, barren place. A chain came in to view with a lock on it. It was very thick metal. This place had the feel of an old, paved schoolyard. It was nothing like the beautiful grass. It was a wasteland. It felt abandoned. There was a path that was dry and desolate. Wedeme showed how some people’s hearts are in chains. They showed a chain-link fence around the heart with the lock on it. There were trees along the path but it was dry and stark with dusty gravel. A person was walking the path alone. The wedeme said, “ A long time ago you decided to go it alone and you left your heart under lock and key.”
This is what is being healed with the Heart Opening Remedy. Heart Opening is a gift package designed to bring opening to a human heart through meditation, ritual and surprise. A healing for trauma, grief, loss and sorrow. This package is a series of rituals designed to guide you to access the full potential of your heart. Approximate ritual duration: This ritual contains 10 steps which take between 5 to 30 minutes each spread over a duration of two weeks.
The Italian Befana Ritual – January 6th
Many people celebrate the Feast of Epiphany each year on January 6th. As I was growing up, my Italian Grandmother never considered Christmas to be over until we arrived at Epiphany which she called “Little Christmas.”
She would give small, traditional gifts on this day. Because she was actively Catholic, she would pray in that tradition. But I remember Italian candies, tangerines and nuts coming out on that day. Candles were lit to the names of little elemental being friends to be remembered.
Catholics see the Epiphany as the day that the Three Magi arrive to the baby Jesus and offer him gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh. But in Italy, the celebration among the village folk is a celebration to and in honor of La Befana.
Finding a Connection to Bear
One of the amazing gifts of tending to the Dagara lineage is that its tools and listening technologies are allowing our community to tap into the wisdom of this land that we live on. This land in California is vastly different from Africa, so it would make sense that a new language might develop along with some different shrines to the beings of this land. We have been nudged, ever onward by our guides to begin the journey of connecting to a spirit elder of the First people of the land here.