Trust Your Gut

I examine… 

Can you believe it’s the end of Summer?! This means we’re about to enter another Earth Element. To help you understand, we will begin with our four elements: Fire , Earth , Air , and Water .  Each element has a beginning, middle, and end (Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable). We have now entered the Element of Mutable Earth . If you reside in the Northern Hemisphere, like me, you have already experienced the Summer Solstice, which celebrates the longest day of the year. We’re now on our way to shorter days and chilly nights. The Element of Mutable Earth is present from August 23rd to September 22nd. 

Stuck in the cycle of busy hoping that one day there will be time for your and what you want?

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While the End of Summer and the Earth Element are all about how we manage our daily lives, we want to focus on our health and habits. Striking a good balance between what we’ve been taught and knowing without a doubt what we believe. TRUST YOUR GUT! On all levels, we are what we take in. Particularly when it comes to our “diet.” Now, I am not a fan of restricted eating or, for that matter, restrictive anything ;). Everything in moderation, I say, but there are exceptions to every rule. A diverse diet rich in whole and wild foods is a good place to start. It’s all about finding a healthy approach. This may seem unusual at first, but believe me when I say it will all make sense in the end! 

As many of you know, I studied holistic nutrition as part of my own healing journey. I am a firm believer in the power of food to heal. With that in mind, I am always looking for new ways to connect with that kind of healing. Enter foraging. Foraging is a word I heard and an idea I dabbled with on the east coast, but it wasn’t integrated into my life until recently. For those who are unfamiliar, foraging is the process of hunting and gathering foods from the wild for consumption.

One of the best ways to get acquainted with a new place is through its landscape.  Although there are significant variations amongst states, there are also significant parallels. I’m not sure when I first heard the phrase “Wild Foods,” but I can tell you one thing: I was intrigued.  So I did some research and discovered that where I live, in the PNW, is a foraging paradise!  I was in no way confident enough in my ability to be able to go out into the wild and hunt and gather wild foods!  I needed a guide, but who?

Unsure of what I was looking for, I began searching for nature walks or plant identification walks… foraging walks?  Did you know that there is an actual site to direct you to local guided foraging walks?!  https://www.robgreenfield.org/findaforager/ 

Unfortunately, I was having no luck finding anything locally, so I had to broaden my search.  As my hunt widened I came across a few 1-2 hours and maybe even 3-hour foraging walks.  Sure there were a couple that caught my eye and I was excited to be able to identify the plants, but then what?!  

“It was here that I found the journey I was about to go on,” was the original unedited sentence I had written. But I think this is more appropriate… By asking, “Then what?” Wild Foods Adventures found me.  The retreat was approximately three and a half hours north of me, lasted four days, and was solely focused on wild foods. Led by John Kallas, a true wild food pioneer. If you are unfamiliar with him and are interested in this topic, I highly suggest looking him up.   He has literally been educating people on this topic since I was born.  

Upon arriving at my adventure,  I was introduced to people from all levels of the foraging world.  From amateur enthusiasts like myself to folks that I would classify as “experienced”. During our meet and greet we were told, “I am not going to feed you, you’re going to feed yourself.”

And let me tell you! It was incredible, and I am grateful to have had this opportunity.

I learned so much about the importance of having diversity in your diet.  Eating everything from weeds to wildflowers.  I know some may think, “I can’t believe you did that or ate that or…” While there are some that are wondering how to get more information and if I can give any pointers.  Even still, some may be wondering, “What in the world does this have to do with me?” This season is all about what we take in. My argument is that it’s not only what you physically digest in terms of “you are what you eat,” which I wholeheartedly believe. But the same is true for you in terms of what you say, think, watch, put up with, and so on.

This season I invite you to connect with your landscape.  Both internal and external.  

By working with Nature’s Elements, we design the life we truly desire. The Earth element challenges us to rethink our priorities and let go of what no longer serves us.  One of the best ways to feel whole is to connect with your environment.  This season I encourage you to find a way to connect.  Pay attention to how your energy flows throughout the day, get outside, EXAMINE!  It’s time to start designing the life you want. What exactly do you want?!  You don’t have to expose your shadows in order to benefit from these life lessons, but you’re here now, so work with them!

Life is multiple trips around the sun, and working with the elements has definitely changed the way I travel.  If you want to learn more about more about how working with the elements can help you in designing your own unique path, please visit www.braggindesign.com for a one-of-a-kind approach to self-care that will have you Nurturing Yourself with Nature in no time!

Let this trip around the sun serve as an inspiration for your own personal journey. 

You’ve arrived. 

It’s okay to take care of yourself!

SELINA BRAGG-PASTIAN

Selina Bragg-Pastian: I became a student of the Arts in my childhood. A student of the cosmos in my teens. An educator of nutrition in my 20’s. An educator of the arts in my 30’s. A Kundalini Reiki practitioner in my 40’s. I am a lifelong learner. Newly discovering that all the while I have been cultivating my path. Combining all of my past teachings of Art, Nutrition, the Stars and Energy Work to create a self-care offering that uses nature as a modality. A realization that truly helped me reconnect to Nature and learn to Nurture myself.

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