2012 Highlight Reel | The Fortress

A thorough review of one's life in pictures conjures a whole cauldron of emotion. I was doing the typical, new year walk down memory lane tonight, predominantly in the garden. If I have anything to show for in the last 16 years (other than raising my children), it's the vast variety of plants that I've cultivated. My love of plants started when I became hyper-aware of the things in my home growing up. One day, I found myself marveling at bright green leaves leaning into the sunlight, turned with their faces toward the warm glass and the earthy smell of moist soil after my mother had just watered them. Green thumbs run in my family on the maternal side. I come from four generations of incredible gardeners. It has been the primary source of pride, pleasure and passion for me since I graduated from high school. Though I have clear and fond memories of my mother spending every hour of daylight in our garden, the bug did not bite me until I believe I was ready to receive it properly. It was like my head opened up and it was a concept that I instantly understood with little to no instruction. I got my first greenhouse job as soon as I started living independently and from there, I went on to work at plant farms, supervising cutting inventories and overseeing reproduction, learning how to grow a plant from a cutting, landscaping and installation, wrapping my mind around permaculture, xeriscaping, succulents, orchids and herbaceous perennials. At one time, I had over 100 orchids growing in a bedroom in a rent house. It was from a deeply rooted (pun intended) passion when I really discovered that I speak the language. Nothing has come more natural to me. This is my gift. 

So I put together a little montage of some of my favorite photos from my garden last year, captioned with the latin names of each plant. A complete list of common names is at the end. Be green!

• Brassica oleracea | Kale
• Allium cepa | Onion
• Ladybugs in orbit
• Daucus carota | Carrot
• Dicentra spectabilis | Bleeding Heart
• Fragaria ananassa | Strawberry, Allium schoenoprasum | Chives
• Salvia officinalis | Sage
• Raphanus sativus | Radish
• Cucurbita pepo | Zucchini, Anethum graveolens | Dill
• Rubis fruiticosus | Common Blackberry, Physalis philadelphica | Tomatillo
• Origanum vulgare | Oregano

Casting Spells

I have a lot on my mind lately as I consider the annual ring around the sun that focuses on the calendar year. Personally, I consider my new year starting on my natal return instead of January 1. In my line of work (Astrology, the science of pressure and time), we believe that we gain the most personal power and inertia when we revisit our birth date. It puts our state of mind into a new perspective and the spirit is allowed the space it needs to reposition itself among the current transits, which are familiar. Though traditional, I find resolutions to be pretty over-rated. The success rate is less than that which is projected and there is always that feeling of expectation when standards are set at immoderate levels. Everyone seems to lean towards grandiose accomplishment instead of focusing on little things that can be met on a daily basis. It's kind of daunting to consider maintaining it for a year, not to mention. I always tell myself to minimize my hurdles to 30 day cycles. It's much easier to think in small boxes than it is to consider the view of twelve of them. One of the Libra mantras is BALANCE. It can be a tricky concept to apply, as balance itself, rests on the highs meeting the lows, somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I think that it can also be 60|40 or 70|30, as long as you bring it back to 50. Obsessing over the perfect balance can be maddening and can occasionally cause static. However, I am trying to vow to live with a little more moderation. Let's be honest, it's a lot of fun to get crazy. I've found that learning to get crazy a little less often is usually the best sacrifice. I can live with that.

So. This is a picture of me and my beautifully witchy girlfriend with whom I've recently had a deepening of friendship. She's a Sagittarius, which is my moon. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure that's why I've really taken to her lately. We snapped this very magical photo over Halloween when we were in full regalia, watching the Flaming Lips play an incredible show. That marks the seventh time I've seen them, and without disappointment. They have certainly mastered the art of performance. Anyway, I always wear a good fur for new year's eve (sometimes faux) but this one is real and extremely vintage from the 1930's. I love dramatic makeup and these eye tattoos are the most fun I've ever had on my face. They stay for days with setting powder and are so easy to apply. Press ons. I plan on switching it up a little this year with a pink leopard spot pattern, a vintage white lace maxi and my five inch Litas by Jeffrey Campbell. At least the only thing lacking moderation that night will be the level of my awesome.

Phytosynthesis

Sprouts are the green gateway to good health. Grown right in your own kitchen, they are ready to harvest in 5 days. They require clean water, indirect light and a little patience. The phytonutrients and chlorophyll are so high that you can get a mega dose in just one serving. Eaten alone or added to salads and sandwiches, they give an earthy flavor and texture to anything.

Mycology

New things are happening around here in The Fortress. I am happy to announce that I will be holding a long-anticipated workshop for kombucha home brewing. This is a topic that I have been very passionate about for nearly 2 years now. I have been doing continuous brew since I started 2 summers ago. I had started drinking kombucha and thought it was incredibly powerful and potent and when I did some further research on it, I found out not only was I right, but it was more than what I had originally thought. Turns out, there is so much going on in this fizzy, sour drink that it can easily be categorized as  a super food. I would put it in the same group as spirulina, chia, avocado, quinoa, prune, blueberry, turmeric and pepper. Of course, there are more, but these are the ones in regular rotation at my house. The beneficial acids, bacteria and antioxidants are so beneficial that the list of things they treat is long, extensive and impressive. I've been selling this ancient culture out of my kitchen for almost as long as I've been a brewer. It is sometimes called a mushroom though it is not actually a fungus. It resembles a very sophisticated and pristine looking solid that is smooth to the touch and teeming with life. It is fermented like beer or wine. It grows like a plant with just the right conditions. It feeds you. It can be thin and flimsy or it can be thick and tough like skin. I am absolutely obsessed with every aspect of brewing kombucha. I am eager to diffuse the idea that it is hard to brew your own. I want to incorporate this ancient method of home health into the lives of others because it is not simply something you drink. It is part of a lifestyle, an integrated methodology of taking responsibility for what we put into our bodies. If you drink it, you should brew it. I think of it like clean, healthy food. If you eat like that, you should prepare it yourself as often as possible. And if you prepare it yourself, you should grow it yourself. This is the most superior form of symbiosis in my opinion. One hand washes the other, forever.

Hypericum

I'm always encouraging people I know to consider the view, to take a little time to enjoy it. It's so much easier to give advice to others than it is to listen to your own heart sing. Why is that concept so difficult? It seems like it's time to fine-tune and redefine myself in the wake of change. I'm terrified of success but the idea of not achieving it is horrifying. Confidence is something that you don't acquire, it's something you work at. I suppose like other emotions, it has it's high and low. I just want to hang onto my ability to stay confident in all of the new territory I have started to embark upon. The OKIEMAMA zine is now available online to read. My first published article on Astrology is there. I feel good about that. I just had two of my pieces of jewelry included in a wonderful editorial by Sisters of the Black Moon, whose site I adore. I feel good about that. I threw an incredible graduation party for my husband last weekend who just completed his state exams for architecture and is now licensed. I feel good about that. I have an incredible garden that is flourishing and beautiful and healthy. I feel good about that. But for some reason, I still feel like I have to consciously work toward letting go of my past. Things that I cannot change. I have overwhelming moments of sadness and doubt and I think it keeps me from moving forward in the way that I really want to. Do I need therapy? Does that work have lasting effects on the future? Can you undo some of that emotional programming that you underwent and can you go onward with single-mindedness in pursuits? I think the answer is YES! Affirmations of the highest kind can work miracles on the subconscious and today, I am doing that. It's just kind of a moody day. Something is brewing in the atmosphere and it too, shall pass. One day at a time is kind of trite, but remembering to consider the 30 day cycle is what's important. Namaste.

Cherry Oh Baby

The day opened behind rose-tinted Givenchy. My mind must have hit the refresh button sometime through the night. I can read omens like cards. It's a thing I do. The veil is thinner for me with regard to the psyche, subconscious, projection and intuition. Not that mine is any better than anyone's - it isn't. Mine has the ability to penetrate solid matter. Mine has the ability to see and sense things just moments before others do. Mine has the likeability of a mirror. I am really good at helping others see things about themselves. This is not subject to opinion. When you can work like a go-between, it's something else. "Medium" is over-used. I hate catch words. Let's say "gateway" like you're moving through a psychic wormhole. Like that much better.  I don't do anything special at all. It's kind of the same thing as preparing a recipe you have made many times, when you need no guide or instructions. Turning off, tuning in, dropping out.

Anyway, before I digress too far, what I was getting at was that yesterday evening, I was feeling very sensitive and in-tune to anything red, pink, rosy, feminine, earthy, organic. Though these are themes I indulge often, like most things, they swell and regress at appropriate times, usually signaling an atmospheric change. Be it weather, personal emotion, state of the body union, moon or Venus transit. The variegated Thyme in my garden is really a survivor - it has been leafy all winter! Occasionally drifted over with a little frost, it appears to enjoy a gentle thaw. It has been turning more red and pink as the days have gotten shorter. That is photosynthesis at work there. The plant receives less sunlight and photosynthesizes less, meaning the less green pigment is made inside the cells. That's why trees turn red and orange in the fall. If you notice, it will always be the side of the plant or tree that faces directly into the setting sun that has the most color change. It's gorgeous. It's right on time with the arrival of my moon cycle first thing this morning. More symbolic than anything, and probably just to me. I wanted to start making and creating beautiful things today, as the moon's position is steadily and appropriately Pisces. Cue the imagination! Usher in creativity and drop the curtain on the waking dream state. Like a hazy, euphoric walking around kind of high. I associate the Pisces effect with dopamine. Really get into feel-good stuff, which usually requires some personal restraint and a tighter grip on control. It always seems like a good idea to take everything to the next level, with no ceiling under this influence. The lunar pull alone will do this, but when you add the menstrual muse it can ignite something quite unpredictable.

Diamond Girl

Ok, here's the thing: Writing is pretty cathartic and the truth is, I'm a slacker lately. My problem is too much passion and not enough manual braking. It seems like I push forward real hard and fast and have not been taking more time to stop and enjoy the view, to chronicle the experiences. Air signs have this manic nature to spread their interests really thin which usually leads to tons of projects going on simultaneously and not much to show for. It's all of this unfinished business, lots of it. And though most of it shows promise, it's kind of a bummer when one thing stalls out and I pick up something else because the inspirement (my seven year olds invented word) has fizzled. SO! A good resolution, goal, dream for this year is to be productive and see things through to the end.  Jewelry design is going well. Was approached by a friend who owns a little vintage shop and has a Saturday market starting in the spring, about contributing my designs to both. YES! I am pretty sure that maybe a nudge in the right direction like this will allow me to put other DIY's aside and just drive in third gear. Being single-minded in pursuits is a learned behavior for me, and I am committed to getting better at it. Though my palette is more of a vision board than an actual product manual, I have some good images that show for the beauty of it.

Probably these images speak for themselves but captions are also useful.
The Flaming Lips NYE concert
Uzi in the sun
Latest adventure in body ornament design: a convertible bra or double shoulder harness
Noel Begonia in continual bloom
RUN DMC Jonas
A drawing me and Sylvan worked on - inspired by Jean Michel Basquiat
Metal peacock - thrifted a pair of them
Obsession with lunar influence
Vintage quilt square - punk is American

XOXO