Pilgrimage Studio

Tag: Fire

  • Of Fire

    Of Fire

    by Beth Haley

    Garlic is one of the oldest plants used as medicine. “When the British came to India, leprosy became known as “peelgarlic,” because of the frequent sight of lepers peeling and eating garlic cloves.”

    –The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies by C. Norman Shealy MD, PhD

    Garlic increases pitta, or fire, and it helps with digestion by increasing digestive juices. It has both a cooling and heating effect on the body. When the fire element is too inflamed in our bodies (agitation, stubbornness) it can help bring balance. On the other hand, if our fire is too low, garlic can get the fire burning again.

    Fire Temperament

    Fire element plants are not just for the physical body. Destructive forces such as anger can be regulated as well by the principle of “fighting fire with fire.”

    “…to put out forest blazes by deliberately setting the undergrowth aflame, can release rage in a dramatic and explosive outburst. Once this willful anger is gone, the sorrow hiding beneath it can be expressed, bringing the system back into balance.”

    –Plant Spirit Wisdom by Ross Haven

    Some uses of garlic:

    Cancers

    Colds

    Skin disorders

    Parasites

    Joint issues

    Arthritis

    Cysts

    Fluid retention

    Antibiotic

    Reduces blood pressure

    Reduces cholesterol

    Stimulant

    Carminative

    Expectorant

    Disinfectant

    It is rejuvenating for the nervous, digestive, respiratory, reproductive and circulatory systems

    All this written, if one were to eat the amount of garlic recommended (6-12 cloves a day) to produce these results, I don’t suppose we would smell that great. However, garlic does come in capsules which are odor-free.

    –The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies by C. Norman Shealy MD, PhD

    Photos by Team Voya & Mike Kenneally

  • Sacred Land

    Sacred Land

    by Thela 🦊 Foxgood

    We hear it in the water
    Flowing into the fjord
    Blood of this earth
    Soul of our soul

    We hear it in the wood
    Dancing in the fire
    Passion and form
    Bone of our bone

    We hear it in the iron
    Muscle and grit
    Earth born
    Strength of our strength

    We hear it in the stone
    Shards in soil
    Flesh of our flesh
    Earth of our earth

    A song for water
    A prayer for wood
    A dance for fire
    A call for Iron
    Drums beat for stone

    I send a prayer for the caretakers of a sacred land, and a prayer for the land, which is in the hands of caretakers.

    For those who have been in the grips of the storm. And, even more: a prayer for people in the hands of hate.

    Photo@Unsplash

  • The Three Metal-Smiths

    The Three Metal-Smiths

    by Beth Haley

    Once upon a time, a terrible drought plunged an ancient kingdom into hard times. The people were not able to work their lands as they normally would and food was becoming scarce. So the good king employed workers from the surrounding villages to help with the new temple that was being built.

    At that time, a traveler came riding through the city and came upon three people who were working near the temple site. They tended the hot fires of a forge, working and shaping, heating and cooling pieces of misshapen metal.

    Curious, the traveler asked the first worker, “What are you doing?”

    The first worker replied instantly, “I’m out here in this stinking heat, sweating my brains out over these fires and hammering on ugly chunks of metal all day like a slave to make dishes for the temple. Curse this!”

    A bit taken back, the traveler approached the second worker and asked the same question, “What are you doing?”

    The second worker replied, “I am refining and shaping this metal into service dishes for the temple, many hours a day, so that I can provide food for my family.”

    Intrigued by the spirit of these two different answers, the traveler asked the same question of the third worker.

    Carefully placing a beautifully molded cup into the fire once more, her eyes never leaving her work, she replied, “I am crafting the Golden Chalice!”

    Three workers. Three very different attitudes and perspectives about what they were doing.

    The first two workers were opposite sides of the same coin: one side was negative and the other side was positive.

    The third worker seemed to have a different view. She was not fighting the steam, the heat of the day, the scorch of the fires, or worry about her life in general. She was not deliberating over a paycheck, or the fate of the future, but instead was focused on the task set before her. She accepted the good along with the bad, without resistance.

    According to the Bhagavad Gita the third worker’s view of life would be considered as “Pure.” The “pure” way of looking at life is more meditative and reflects a peace of mind and of being less attached to life’s ups and downs.

    Adapted from: “The Story of the Stone Cutters”

    Pixabay