It is strange to consider that something like Massage which is one of the most important and inspiring parts of my life, has suddenly been reduced to a process of self care with no clear end in sight re a return to work. Thankfully besides being a body worker I am also a passionate gardener and I am also returning to my previous passion of painting, both of which I find deeply fulfilling.
Some of you may know about the farm/Eco tourism business in Goleen that myself and my partner have been developing over the past 5 years, Matt has been full time developing this project and I have managed snippets of time on the farm until now. Now I am locked down on the farm in my garden, a place where I hope and plan to eventually work from and create my total dream of combining gardening and healing alongside the healing/therapeutic bodywork that I already do.
During these past weeks of no distraction I have become so much more part of the land, as I work in the garden and woodland and improve the facilities for future guests I feel I’m ‘Becoming’ the land around me. By taking lots of time to observe and absorb the small intimate details that are so perfect and important. The other day as I sat in the sun I heard this really loud chewing and it was a wasp eating my wooden trellis, it’s jaws were working at full speed and I noticed great areas where more chewing had occurred. In the past I might have thought ‘Wow that’s amazing’, but now I’m just letting myself really gaze in wonder and well….. give things the time they deserve.
There’s so much detail we don’t see or understand so I feel blessed in just having this time to develop a deeper appreciation for this immaculate beautiful planet were blessed to live on. I continue to develop my medicinal herb collection and feed as much as possible from the garden and hedgerow. It is such a blessing to gather from the immediate location around and the abundance is really inspiring. 3 weeks ago the horses had a skin mange condition which I treated with a tea of Horsetail, Rosemary, Nettles, Comfrey, Tea tree oil, Coconut oil, Plantain garlic and Calendula.
We rubbed it daily into the flaky patches and along their spines as an end of winter kind of tonic, I continue to do a mix for my own hair without the Comfrey and garlic !, I then follow my hair treatment with a vinegar and thyme rinse and it feels SO GOOD!
Nettles are abundant and together with some super spicy salad leaves our morning smoothies have a new level of intensity to them …
I have always made my own ‘special’ Massage oil mixes from home grown Calendula flowers which tone feed and heal the skin beautifully, I’m now making other oils with Comfrey for sprains or bruising, red clover for eczema and psoriasis, evening primrose and the common daisy for nourishing and re firming the skin, healing wounds and reducing inflammation…..
These flowers give such a richness to my oils so I make it my morning ritual to massage my body after showering and while it soaks in I’ll do my Daily Energy routine by Prune Harris on you tube.
This routine builds positive habits into your energy field, a simple, potent and cumulative flow of energy exercises designed to strengthen the immune system, improve co ordination, clear thinking, sharpen memory, help the lymphatic system to clear toxins and stagnancy, and lastly protects you from exterior negativity. It’s such a beautiful sequence if your inside or out but to go into the garden and practice, standing by a tree with gentle wind and birdsong and your skin absorbing all these healing properties designed by nature is a richness I treasure. It feels like the longer I stay in lockdown the less my mind is active and the more my senses are heightened, I hope I will be capable of conversations when we come out the other side !
‘Work is love manifested’ and I am disciplining myself to not engage with negative stories and to keep my energy flowing as smoothly as possible. I am very aware that there are huge amounts of people in a very different and challenging lockdown reality. I wish for anyone challenged by the limitations of lockdown to get nourishment from nature in any tiny way possible. I remember being in a flat in London and marvelling at the design of a mushroom before chopping it up in an omelette….. the small things become the huge things.
I hope your all getting enough rest, deep rest is essential to coping with the pressures of life, I think we often expect way too much from ourselves and cause untold distance between our true selves and that which we have become due to habit and lives pressures.
Fundamentally I believe we need to dream in order to feel into and then become the multidimensional beings that we truly are, how can we expand if we don’t allow dreams to rise within and around us….. Here’s to all the blessings of this unique and crazy time, I pray that all the personal sacrifices made will bring rewards to us all.
Melanie Furniss Therapist 