The Wise Woman's Almanac

Pages 57-59

Simplicity in Springtime
As Nature unfolds her newness around you, the temptation to overdo your Springtime activity may creep in like unwanted weeds. Your revived energy may take you down the path of a worn-out-woman if you aren't attentive. Experiencing an internal cleanse can help you stay balanced during this season. Most health food stores or holistic health providers offer a variety of internal cleansing products. Understanding the process before buying allows you to wisely choose the plan best suited for your body and your lifestyle.

Choosing a simple Spring cleanse often brings rewards as great as a lengthy, more involved cleansing process. An internal cleanse can be as simple as a cup of warm water with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice and a teaspoon of locally grown honey. This is a great way to begin your day. A lemon or lime offers great therapeutic value following a heavy winter diet of high fat and high protein.

You may decide that a gentle two-day cleanse will be your next step. You can increase the length of time as your body and mind accept and adapt to this new seasonal ritual. Choose two days with minimal activities planned so your energy will be used efficiently for your cleanse. Plan and prepare to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices and broths. These may be prepared in a juice machine or purchased from an organic juice vendor. This period without eating solid foods gives the digestive and detoxifying organs time to rest, repair and rebuild.

Another internal cleansing method requires a temporary removal of all-or at least most-non-food items from your diet. The No White Flour, White Sugar, White Rice or Pasta Cleanse produces amazing results. These highly refined ingredients are devoid of nutrients and so they create internal deficiencies. Many of my clients noticed a remarked reduction in their aches and pains when they removed these white items from their diet for a minimum of two weeks. This cleansing plan allows for pure, simple and seasonal foods-just as Nature grew them-prepared simply and healthfully. Raw, steamed or baked fruits, vegetables and lean protein provide the necessary nutrients without the overload of processed, additive laden and lifeless foods. Once health and vitality were restored, few women cared to return to poor dietary choices and nutrient- deficient foods.

You've got to make a conscious choice every day to shed the old-whatever 'the old' means for you.
(Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of Seasonal Pastimes of the Victorian Home)

Refreshed and Ready
Spring is the season you begin to bare your feet with snappy sandals and perky toenail polish. Yet your feet, sometimes considered the lowliest part of the body, may not be included in your spring refreshment plans. Maybe it is time to involve your feet in your Spring renewal preparations.

A simple reflex point technique can refresh your feet and get them ready for spring. Gentle finger pressure applied to the liver and gallbladder reflex points on the feet (and hands) can revitalize the whole body. Moderate thumb pressure on the appropriate reflex points stimulates the actual organ, improving that organ's function. The following illustration shows the points for strengthening and toning the liver and gallbladder.

Essential oils that support healthy liver and gall bladder function include ledum, mandarin, juniper or geranium. These oils may be applied to the reflex points or on the body over the liver-gall bladder area.

I can't be funny if my feet don't feel right.
(Billy Crystal, comedian, actor)

Perpetual Youth
William Shakespeare said, "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything." Spring brings vitality and freshness to the earth and to our spirit. In the springtime of a lifetime-that young, innocent season-everything about life seems to resonate with enthusiastic expectancy.

I treasure the stories that women have generously shared about the Springtime of their lives and invite you to pour a cup of tea for yourself and get comfy as you read their words. In 1988 while my dear friend Mella was a young mother of two little boys, she wrote the following poem. It reflects her thoughts in the Springtime of her early mothering years.

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