Lyme Book, Gardening and Other Updates

First, a Writing Update

I haven’t given a progress update in awhile, so I thought I’d share some recent developments with my Lyme books. Yes, that’s books, plural!

The Metaphysics of Lyme Disease has over 102,000 words and counting, written primarily by me, but also including wisdom, examples and inspiration from many Lyme savvy colleagues and survivors. I’m so grateful for their contributions, and I cannot believe how much I have grown along with the book. When I couldn’t find an astrologer to write the most important patterns I see again and again in the charts of Lyme clients, I formalized 12 years of armchair astrology, under the perfect-for-me mentorship of my dear friend Ann Kreilkamp.

Now I find another need to branch out, as I would love to offer one, primary, hands-on resource for guided journaling, self-assessment, and timeline shifts related to Lyme disease. I currently have about 30 additional books people would need to read and then discern which aspects and how to tweak them for healing Lyme. If I add all those exercises and questions into The Metaphysics of Lyme Disease, then the flow stops and starts, switching gears and losing the important sense of a larger, interconnected picture. Plus, it would become an even longer book and require major editing to create a cohesive text with all the contributors, my explanations and much more hands-on guidance. I originally wanted to release my Lyme book by the end of 2018, but the project has grown — and deepened — so much that trying to rush for an arbitrary deadline feels wrong.

But I do feel led to release a Lyme book this year!

Last Friday, inspiration struck. As in permaculture, I reminded myself, “The problem is the solution.” I realized I not only could, but should release two Lyme books. They will be standalone books; however, they’ll work well together. Without giving away too much of the surprise, the first, which I do believe I can release in 2018, will bring some fun and creativity into the mix, for me, as well as readers. It will be much more interactive, a kind of step-by-step guide. The second book (The Metaphysics of Lyme Disease) will explain the overarching patterns, the more general “why” of Lyme, as well as give larger context for a highly personal disease. Since Lyme is so individual, complex, and tricky to treat, both books can benefit anyone interested in spiritual initiation, soul blueprints, medical intuition, astrology, and the nexus of mind-body-emotions-spirit. Both books will deepen and inform the other.

This new book will challenge me in several ways, including the need to learn new software. I’m still researching if it can do everything I think it will allow me to do. If so, then this hands-on book will also include some original artwork by me. If not, it will still serve like a pocket “me” coaching people through the Lyme journey in ways I’ve not seen or heard elsewhere. I feel great relief and excitement with this development. It also makes use of a fiction project I started but decided to table last October. In this new form, the fiction will work and play well. I’ll keep you posted as I get closer to completion and release. This shift will likely speed along the metaphysics book, as it becomes easier to organize and unify.

Thank you for your continued interest and encouragement.

Garden Updates:

As we anticipate our late first frost this coming Wednesday, I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up the garden, harvesting herbs, and planting 62 spring bulbs. I still have 51 to go. David helped me dig 6″ deep holes for 12 giant hyacinths visible from our front window, and I planted 50 light blue early snow glories to naturalize in our front yard. I still have 50 to go, plus a Madonna lily that hasn’t yet told me her preferred location.

Meanwhile, pineapple sage puts on a magnificent display:

I also hope that the cleared space will give this slow developer collard enough light to get growing!

In garden related news, although these are not our cucumbers, we’ve got some new pickling accoutrements called Pickle Pipes and Easy Weight lids. These both turn any sized wide mouth Mason jar into one of the easiest fermenting vessels we’ve found. We have tried many, from large Amish crocks to the Perfect Pickler. This combo is the simplest yet:

Other Updates:

We continue to enjoy our Instant Pot, but I broke out my homemade Wonder Oven last Wednesday to keep a huge pot of soup warm for our out of town dinner guests. That remains one of my favorite off-grid cooking and temperature controlling methods. On tonight’s menu, Sweet Potato Spinach Lasagna with a cauliflower-based bechamel sauce, recipes from the Forks Over Knives cookbook. Cooler weather has us back in the creative vegan cooking swing of things, and we’re really enjoying the variety afforded by library books and some new vegan air fryer and Instant Pot cookbooks. Although we’re not 100% vegan anymore, we still prefer vegan food most of the time.

Back in Goshen, we had very few dining options, and so we perfected from scratch vegan comfort food that we grew, prepared and served ourselves and dozens of dinner guests over the course of 5 years. We took a well earned break after moving to Kalamazoo in June 2017, but it feels good and nurturing to return to much more DIY meals again.

In keeping with this hands-on nurturing, I’ve also been spending more time on hair, body care, and creative outfits. It might seem silly, but I find the variety and creativity both grounding and joyful. The Freckled Fox is my new favorite hair inspiration. I don’t have her super long locks, but I’ve tried some hairstyles just for the fun of it. The fishtail braid (left) and combo Dutch braid/rope braid (right) take me back to long ago waitress days when I enjoyed creating funky hairstyles to keep my hair from getting in everybody’s food! The center was my first attempt with a curling iron since I was about 12 years old. LOL, it went crazy wild, but the curls then waves lasted for days.

I debated including this last part, but I think it’s important to remind people that little things can add life and fun, especially when you’re working hard on other things. Reinventing yourself for an afternoon can shift stuck projects and open new ways of seeing “ordinary” life. Allowing yourself some creative nurturing also tells your body, face and hair, “You matter. You’re important to me.” With all my airy Gemini and Aquarius placements, I’m trying to do more to honor my Taurus Midheaven, Virgo Rising and Capricorn North Node.

Oddly enough, this hair and body care has both of my deceased grandmothers much more around! My Capricorn Grandma Van always joked, “Your grandfather used to call me Multiplicity.” That was her way of explaining so many different coats, shoes, dolls and more. Now granted, Grandma Van overdid the Capricorn a bit, but her stubborn grit took her to a joyful 101 years old reading romance novels and eating sweets until one week before she passed. I consider Grandma Van my direct ancestor for animal communication. She could call wild birds to land on her finger. My Gramma Irene couldn’t call songbirds to her, but she sang like one. She was also a beautiful woman who aged well. Born on the cusp of Aquarius, I know she must have had a lot of Capricorn in her chart, because she, too, had a goat-like determination, iron will and love of sweets. Both grandmothers loved their desserts!

I had planned to include this photo anyway, but I just noticed the crazy hairdos, compliments of Gramma Irene. Above you can see from left to right: me, Gramma Irene, my brother Craig, Grandma Van, and sister Erica. I don’t know what happened to my little Indian girl dark skin and brown hair! When I moved to Monterey, CA in 2007, my skin went pale and my hair turned red. In any case, I find it fascinating that as I embrace my Capricorn North Node in a variety of ways, both grandmothers seem tangibly present and supportive. Everything interconnects, and I feel grateful for support from all quarters.

How has everyday magic infused your own life? Has the changing light of this season changed your focus?