river, ocean, oatstraw, slow
happy lunar new year! i am wishing everyone ease, harmony, presence and true joy.
On Yesterday, I went on a drive with two friends to a nearby town called Camaçari. It was actually our intention to go to Praia do Forte, a beach on the coastal line of Bahia, right outside of Salvador -but we stopped in Camaçari, to see a point in the water where the river and the ocean meet one another. We weren’t sure if we would get in the water , take a look and then leave in order to go to Praia do Forte - yet we all somewhat named a desire to get to where we were going and sit still.
We got out of the car and walked towards the water/ beach area and while walking we noticed an opening into the water with elders and children sitting in the river and playing and chatting and we stopped there to touch the water to feel whether it was warm or cold. I couldn’t help myself and fully submerged in the water and then got out so that we could find a place to set up and place our things and eat.
Once we started walking towards the beach we noticed that we were going in the direction that was more towards the salt water ocean and that the beach felt very crowded and so we decided to go back towards where we initially entered and to take a boat across the river to an area that had less people and where we could spend more time with the river.
We walked back and got on a boat and Gago, the person driving the boat, took us across the river, told us where we could find food and once we got off of the boat we decided to stay there for the day.
Last year, I spent some time in the south of Bahia where there was river and ocean in close proximity to one another, for instance I could take a trail and get in the river or a waterfall and then walk to the ocean- but this was my first time being in a space where you could so clearly see them washing into and out of and being side by side with one another. Where on one side there was swelling tides and waves that were crashing and loud and salt salt salt and on the other - river and the way the current appeared was more like a movement that felt impacted by the current of the ocean and the wind, more like ripples on top of and through the water versus waves crashing. river current and sweet water.
River and ocean is a point where so many different energies meet and so many different stories of water deities. At the water I felt called to reflect on the paths of water energies that throughout my life I am constantly learning more about such as Yemaya , Olokun and Oshun - and how the energies of each of these specific Orisha and their stories teach us about ourselves and connection to ancestral lineages and internal waters - these reflections made me feel quite emotional. I felt a deep sense of gratitude to experience my feet on the sand and in these waters at the new moon.
Seeing the waters I found myself envisioning the waters from the depths and the sounds down there and the currents and the flow of the water and currents closer to the top of the ocean and what washes up and the waters - salt and sweet and heart memory replenishing.
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While at the river I mostly floated and swam underwater or sat still thinking and looking at families spending time together. There were moments where I observed the movement of the ocean from the position of sitting in the river. My friends and I spent hours going in and getting out and talking and eating fruit and finally as the sun started to set in the sky I felt ready to go to the ocean side.
I went alone and saw a group of small birds, maybe 50 of them, hopping towards the river and then they’d stop and in mass hop towards the direction of the ocean. I watched them hopping for about five minutes or so, curious about what they were doing. I then walked up to the edge of the ocean to put my feet in and the water felt good. I crouched down and just sat there in awe of the sound of the waves.
Leading up to my time at the beach I had had a very emotional day, thinking a lot about community and friendships and closeness with others - and how we all come to our relations with others with so many layers and history and unfolding and thinking about some of the ways that I want to deepen into those layers and some of the lessons to thank, release and leave aside.
Earlier that day before heading to Camaçari, I watched a video by herbalist Karen Rose where she talked about herbs to use to support ourselves during this lunar new year and the new moon and how to work with the energy of this new year. One of the main takeaways I got from the video was about softness with ourselves, especially in the ways in which we approach being in community with others. How it is easy to think of all of the ways that we can change on our own to show up in specific ways, but to remember to be soft with ourselves during times of change and to remember that these changes are things that we can do together with others and not just alone.
While at the ocean I found myself really reflecting on this and feeling grateful that I had heard that message earlier in the day and asking myself what it would look like if releasing certain old stories and patterns was as easeful as trusting myself to open my hands and release them. And also trusting that I can do this work with those around me.
I am sharing a special dream support hotline episode on today January 22nd at 5pm EST.
I am excited to share an episode that is a bit different than previous episodes in that I will be reading dream writings that are based on past dreams that I have had over the years alongside music.
I look forward to sharing these special message reflections with you all as we collectively sit with and learn from the new moon in Aquarius energy and as we bring in a new year.
Herbs I am working with during this cycle:
Oat straw - oatstraw is a nervine, I am working with this plant to support ease within my nervous system, it is anti anxiety and contains mucilage. I am using plants that have sweet and watery ( mucilage) properties to encourage calm, ease and to nurture my inner waters.
Rose - for self softness and self love work, for heart opening heart deepening and opening up to the magic of everyday heart work.
Hawthorn Berry - heart opening work, hawthorn also has sweet properties, supports heart healing and has anti anxiety properties.
Ginger - I am taking a tincture I made in 2016 during the new moon in Scorpio which contains hawthorn berry, rose and ginger to support heart work. I added ginger as the heat ( which my water self often needs) to support the heart opening and healing work.
softness.
thank you for reading!
hoping that these words/ herbs are supportive of your journey.
love,
charmaine