5 Elements Spring Cleanse- a personalized program for your unique elemental type-

Spring is the season of the Wood Element- the beginning and the birth of new visions. Just as seeds begin to sprout forth from beneath the soil where they were hidden in winter, so too do we begin to emerge once again into life.

In this 10 Day Program you will….

-Receive a 5 Element Constitutional reading- understand your unique elemental makeup.

-Learn how your constitutional type can flourish through the Spring season and all year long.

-Receive a personalized Spring cleansing plan

-Get customized Diet, Recipes, Herbal Formulas, Meditations and Qi Gong practices.

-Receive 2 Spring Attunement Acupuncture Sessions

- In person or remote participation!

 In Taoist 5 Element cosmology, the Liver and the Wood element embody the energy of spring and new beginning.  With a balanced, healthy Liver we stay flexible and open to life, able to see clearly our unique vision and purpose. We’re able to move forward and emerge into the spring season feeling creative, energized, and confident.

If old toxins and stagnant emotions cloud the Liver, then we cannot move forward into the new season of life. Instead we feel sluggish, moody, and disconnected from our purpose. We might have skin rashes, PMS, headaches, depression, fatigue, poor digestion and bloating, or just feel stuck and uncomfortable.

The well being of one element is always interconnected and related to all 5 Elements. 5 Elements wellness is the wellness of interrrelationship . Each of us is born with a unique blueprint which expresses itself through the balance of the elements in our lives: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal. Our unique constitution and the harmonious balance of the 5 elements within us is the natural seat of our strength and well-being. By reading your unique elemental makeup we find deeper understanding of your relationship with the Spring season and the Wood element, and the best way to support your emergence in Spring.

Emerge into Spring balanced, energized, clear!

Investment in self:

$180 (full program)

$100 (remote program, everything but the acu)

OR

A Person Living With Disability Speaks on Shelter in Place

Many of us are getting “sick” of covid restrictions…it’s been a long haul. And, we can still choose how we show up for life. Each moment is a rich opportunity to experience, regardless of what we can or cannot “do”. A person living with disability offers wisdom and perspective here.

There are those of us that have been invisible, have lived months and years of our lives alone, unable to leave the house, because our bodies aren't able to. Shelter in place is the norm for many of us. our bodies often don’t do what we want, can’t go where we want, when we want......and what we want has actually become irrelevant. Instead, each day we ask, what might I be given the grace to show up for today? And that might look like just lying there alone, unable to get up. many of us have disabilites you can't see. We look "fine". But, we don't take for granted being able to cook a meal, having the energy to get the laundry done, the ability to bathe. All these are gifts. To be able to care for yourself is a gift. To be able to walk out the door and walk as far as you feel like....to breathe freely. To wake up each morning and not wonder whether you will be able to see. Whether your unreliable body will come through.

Here's what I have learned: how to still feel connected, when yet another week is spent without going to a social gathering, without hugs, or smiles from others. Because my human heart is my steadfast friend. All around, I see reminders that my body can't do what the others can, and the physical set up of society doesnt accommodate my basic needs- needs for functionality. inclusion. dignity- still, I remain a steadfast friend for myself, and I find contentment in accepting what is.

So do you ask for what you need, and risk the dirty looks, the silent shaming, when your disability is invisible and you look"normal"? Maybe you don’t want to have to justify, to pull out the medical pronouncement of doom the doctor gave you, and risk the unease and fear it will create for others. The unspoken divide it will create. And maybe, you dont have a big scary impressive medical word to describe it, only that somehow, for some reason, your body is different. "Well, You don't look sick to me..." how many times have we heard those words? And it hurts, And it rankles. And you'll never change it. so you learn to silently honor your experience. Expecting that noone else will get it, and finally, after applying your own balm to that wound, over and over, your own seeing and appreciation becomes enough.

Recently, because of my own invisible, documented medical disability I wore sunglasses to a healing arts workshop. And the other students (students of the healing arts) laughed and made jokes about the sunglasses, not knowing....and I laughed too. and didn't say anything more. But if I walked in with a cane noone would be making fun. And its happened so many times I've stopped caring. The human experience becomes tenderly sad, misguided in the most touching way, impersonal, fleeting, utterly lovable.

Perhaps one day this contraption of a body will do what I want. On demand. Like Amazon prime, or smartphones or any of the ways we expect to get exactly what we want, right now. But I’ve found something better. Because here's more of what I have learned: that when we slow down our lives, and most people will not until forced to (like right now) we get a very special chance to appreciate the smallest kinds of beauty: The late afternoon light against the curtains, the velvet sound of a moth flapping its wings, the humdrum comings and goings of the day- these become the breaking events of existence- and it's all actually miraculous. and we're a part of it.

When we slow down, an amazing thing happens- we find out we;re good again. Not some glamorous rockstar kind of out of this worldness good, but just good. basically good. Yep. when we slow down to the essentials, the basic goodness of ourselves finally emerges....and when we find that, we don't need to "do" anything. We can be content gazing out the window for hours, with the miracle of tying our shoes. We love ourselves through our struggle, and then one day there is no more struggle, just what is left, what is essential. and it is so fundamental, and so lovable, and so good.

New Year: Ready, set, intent!

As the new year approaches, many of us will be setting goals and resolutions. Goals are great- they help us step up and take needed action. But there’s actually a vital and often overlooked first step, and that is: INTENTION.

Become what you dream: Intention Ceremonies at Window of the Sky. These sessions combine intention setting and Acupuncture in a personalized ceremony. Together we get clear on your intention, creating a supportive field of energy to activate your goals, and bring the energy directly into embodiment through Acupuncture.

Want to learn more? read on…..

What is the difference between a goal versus an intention? The common misperception is that intentions are for dreamers, goals are for doers. Intentions are for lazy people, the people who intend  to get the laundry done, to exercise,  to eat better, but never do. Goals and accomplishments are what’s really of use- that’s how real people get things done. Right?

The truth is, intentions are just as important as goals. Intention is the vital first step in the process of  creating whatever we dream of. Our desired actions and outcomes are the outer manifestation. But Intentions work from the inside. Our intention creates a powerful bond between us and the reality we wish to create.

For example, a person has a goal to exercise regularly. Underneath that, what is the intention? To be healthy.  And underneath that? to live to their fullest potential. We can try to grudgingly force ourselves to exercise regularly to meet our goal, and with a certain extent of willpower, this is possible. But not easy.

When we align with our deepest intention, suffusing our goals with it, magic happens.  Intentions evoke an embodiment of something greater than ourselves. When we work with intentions, our focus is in the present moment- it becomes who we are, not just an item to check off in the future. When we set intentions, we call upon the creative power of the Universe. That means we are no longer alone. Just like joining an exercise group could help our person achieve their goal, setting our own intention creates a resonant, supportive field of energy we can draw upon.  And the magic is beyond our imagining!

"In the universe there is an immeasurable, indescribable force which shamans call intent, and absolutely everything that exists in the entire Universe is connected with intent” - Carlos Castaneda

 So, how can I fully harness the power of my intentions? One way we can fully harness the power of our intentions is through ceremony. A ceremony is a conversation between us and the Universe. Through symbolic gestures we communicate with and call upon the support we need. That support comes into our life not just as an idea, but in a powerfully felt, tangible way. It happens between worlds- in the place where energy and matter meet, and it transforms us.

Just like ceremony, Acupuncture also happens in the place where energy and matter meet. In this way, Acupuncture can help us to fully embody our intentions on all levels- mental, emotional and physical. Indeed, Acupuncture points are called “men” which translates literally as “gate”. Each acupuncture point has a spirit and cosmology, and opens the door to the Universe through the body. What we call Kidney 25 in English is named “Sprit Storehouse” in Chinese, and quite literally nourishes the spirit and helps us find our deep inner strength, as well as physically boosting Kidney function. As an Acupuncturist, I connect with the point’s deeper meaning and hold healing intention each time I needle. Thus, treatment occurs on all levels- body, mind, and spirit.

To suffuse our new year with magic and intent, I am offering Intention Ceremonies at Window of the Sky. The session combines intention setting and Acupuncture in a personalized ceremony. Together we get clear on your intention, creating a supportive field of energy to activate your goals, and bring the energy directly into embodiment through Acupuncture. You really can become what you dream. Are you in?

Solstice, Seeds, and Ceremony: reflections on the end of 2020

Darkness is the seed of potential

Taoist principles of yin and yang tell us that ultimate yin (dark) inevitably transforms to yang (light). Uttermost darkness contains the seed of light, and the fertile darkness is the source of potential. As the beginning of a 12 year cycle, 2020, year of the Chinese Rat is that seed. Literally. It is associated with the qi influence “zi”, which means “seed”. Seeds store potential…a giant sequoia, one of the greatest trees on the planet, begins from a tiny, freckle size seed.  The medicine of challenging times is to connect us with that potential, our ability to be the seed of light within the dark.  

Rat embodies this perfectly- it is also associated with the constellation Xuan Mu “Mystical Warrior,” found in the darkest part of the northern sky in winter. As we approach the winter solstice, the day of greatest dark out of which light is born, we can be the Mystical Warrior and become that seed of light, for ourselves and for our community.

Here’s a Seed Ceremony we can do:  

 Get a seed, whatever kind you like-

Reflect on the seed of light you carry, your gifts and potential. It might be something specific, or could just be a felt sense, an energy. Meditate with your seed as the storehouse of that potential…but don’t plant it, not yet. Keep it in a special place where you can connect with it to remind you of the light that is germinating….it will be with you all winter long. When you are ready, in early spring, plant it, and watch the living reminder of your potential grow out of the dark.

Prime Your Immunity, Naturally!

Reishi- “mushroom of immmortality” and potent immune tonic

You wash your hands, wear your mask, social distance and haven’t hugged anyone except your dog in months…but despite taking all the precautions, this coming flu season has you worried.  And for good reason. Without a lot of known medical cures out there, prevention is definitely the answer-

So, what can we do to boost our immunity?

 Read on….this article gives you the keys to building kick @ss immunity with diet, lifestyle, and herbs.

Immunity begins in the gut- In Chinese medicine,  the Lungs control our protective qi, a forcefield which surrounds the body and prevents pathogens from getting in. Guess what? the Lung meridian begins in the gut. And, modern research backs this up- a healthy gut lowers inflammation and fosters a healthy immune system.

Bone broth is a deeply nutritive food that helps restore the lining of the gut, lower inflammation, and in turn supports immune function.

Ginger tea is drunk traditionally in Ayurvedic medicine to clear toxins from the gut and enhance immunity.

Shiitake mushrooms  are a powerful food that contains polysaccarhides- special molecules found in the cell walls of fungi that help enhance immunity. They are also a potent antiviral, and provide nutrients vital to immune function like B vitamins and copper. Consuming  2-4 mushrooms daily is ideal.

Get your garlic it’s a powerful antimicrobial that helps prevent infections.

Cut out white sugar! White sugar suppresses the immune system. It can reduce white blood cell activity (and thus immunity) by almost 50% for several hours after eating it.

Eat your Antioxidants- they help to reduce wear and tear on our body at the cellular level, making it more resilient to illness of all kinds. Dark leafy greens, squash and pumpkins, pomegranates and cranberries are a few…

Green tea is high in antioxidants and has anti-viral  properties as well. A daily cup (or more) can promote health and keep invading pathogens at bay.

Control your stress level. Stress is the number one cause of  disease, and nothing tanks immune function faster than a high stress level. Mindfulness, yoga, or qi gong practices, or just reaching out to a trusted friend, all can help.  Take time at the end of the day to unwind and de-stress, and shut down your phone well before bed.

Exercise  not only relieves stress, it also helps prevent age-related decline of the immune system.

Sunshine is necessary for vitamin D production (and thus bolsters immunity) as well as helping to kill viruses. Get out when the sun is shining! 20 minutes a day.

Acupuncture can increase white blood cell count and enhance immunity naturally. It also tunes up the production of prostaglandins (immune regulating molecules), balancing and honing our entire immune response.

Herbs have huge immune benefits! Astragalus strengthens the Lungs and Wei Qi, builds energy and resistance to invading pathogens and stokes up the immune system. Reishi, “the mushroom of inmmortality” is an adaptogen which enhances the bodies’ ability to respond to stress, fine tunes the immune response, and quells anxiety. Together they make a great pair to enhance immunity on all levels. Elderberry is a natural source of vitamin C and can successfully kick out even the strongest invading viruses. It is one of Western herbalism’s most treasured immune herbs.  Turkey tail mushrooms prime the immune system and are an immune tonic that can’t be beat! They are particularly helpful for those with a weak immune system. 

Ready to start? Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t manage to do everything in this article. Trying out just one of these suggestions is sure to help you better weather this years’ cold and flu season! Take care, and be well!

copyright 2020 by Athene Eisenhardt, L.Ac. The statements in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

Herbs for Smoke Support- recommendations from a Firefighter turned Herbalist

The impacts of smoke are real and debilitating. I fought wild fires for 7 seasons in Oregon, California, and Arizona- I know it first hand. And, I’ve found some amazing herbal allies that can work wonders. I’m here to share what I’ve learned: as a licensed Acupuncturist, Herbalist and former Wildland Firefighter.

Smoke creates oxidative stress in the body, drying out and damaging the delicate tissues of the Lungs. The good news is that there are many safe, effective herbs that can help us deal with smoke impacts. Herbs can replenish and restore smoke damaged tissues, maintain respiratory health, and help prevent wildfire smoke damage in the first place.

You might be experiencing cough, sore throat, chest tightness, shortness of breath, headache, dry eyes, malaise, even irritability or insomnia.

Here are some time tested herbal allies that can help-

Bai He (Chinese Lilly bulb) is a beautiful medicine to moisten and repair the delicate tissues of the Lungs that are so easily damaged by smoke. It also gently lifts the spirits and promotes a relaxed state of well being. 

Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea)  a sweet, cooling tonic that enhances immunity, strength, and stamina. It increases oxygen utilization, calms the mood and elevates the spirit. It’s cooling nature makes it excellent for countering the hot, drying effects of smoke exposure.

Huang Qin (Chinese Skullcap)  An excellent choice to clear the heat and irritation from the body that is created by exposure to smoke. Huang Qin also anchors and quiets the spirit, treats smoke related headache, and can promote sleep. 

Sang Ye (Mulberry leaf)  The moist, almost succulent leaves of this tree help to soothe, cool and allay coughs, and promote Lung function. It is known as an herb that replenishes and restores order to the entire body. 

Pi Pa ye (Loquat leaf) Loquat leaf is a wonderful remedy to calm dry irritated coughs. Even better, many people here in the California East Bay grow it right here in our yards! It also has anti-cancer properties.

Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon)  This herb is actually a popular garden plant! You may know it as Mondo grass. The succulent bulblets of Mai Men Dong are traditionally pounded up to make a sweet refreshing herbal juice, which is drunk to support the Lungs, as well to rejuvenate those who are feeling weak and tired.  

Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum) Some of us may be breathing just fine, but the smoke has made our eyes red, irritated and painful. Chrysanthemum, the “flower of longevity” helps to clear and moisten the eyes, and promotes better visual acuity.

copyright 2020 by Athene Eisenhardt, L.Ac

the statements in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness.  

I’ve created a special smoke support herb tea- get it here!

Rhodiola rosea

Chinese Skullcap

Mullberry

Flower Essences: gentle messages that heal the Heart

Our Heart is the Ruler that sits on our inner throne and ensures harmony in our world.

Summer is the season of the Heart and the emotions. And right now, all our Hearts could use some support. Recent events have stretched us to feel beyond our old thresholds, leaving us many in a raw and tender place. The Heart in Chinese medicine is likened to our inner empress or emperor. Just as in ancient China, when it was rare to actually glimpse the revered Emperor, our own Heart Ruler is a behind the scenes presence that  rules not through force, but gently, effortlessly, through the quality we refer to as Wu-Wei. Thus, we approach the Heart Ruler gently and reverently. For this reason, the Heart channel and Heart Back Shu points were classically forbidden to needle. The approach is too direct. Approaching the Heart Ruler requires refinement and reverence.

When we think of herbal treatments for the Heart and emotions, we may also wish to consider a more subtle approach. One way we can do this is with flower essences. A flower essence is an energetic imprint of a flower captured in water. Unlike essential oils or tinctures, which use vast amounts of raw plant material and are extremely strong and concentrated, a flower essence is subtle and delicate. It is created through the alchemy of sunlight, pure water, and freshly picked blossoms.

 Flower essences speak to our spirits and are wonderful for balancing all kinds of emotions. They can be used to help settle fear and anxiety, treat insomnia, lift us out of sadness, calm us down in anger, and provide grounding and support during acute stress, trauma and ptsd, and more. Whatever we are feeling, flower essences can support our process. The energetic imprint of the flowers in water communicates with our own emotional waters. Because our bodies are 2/3 water, we can actually create profound shifts with flower essences and attune ourselves to a more balanced, harmonious state.

 Flower essences are easy to use: just put a few drops in your water bottle and sip freely throughout the day. This allows the crystallized energy of the flower in water to speak directly to our own water, to remind us of our own beauty and harmony.

Flower essences are also simple to make. All you need is light, water, flowers, and a crystal bowl

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN FLOWER ESSENCE:

You will need:

a small crystal bowl

pure water (spring water or rain water is best)

 a sunny day

 brandy to preserve your essence when finished

a glass jar or bottle

Because you are making a delicate energetic medicine, it is important to meditate and center yourself first.

Tune in with the plant you wish to work, offer your thanks, and ask permission to use its’ flowers as medicine. You may receive messages from the plant about how it can be used.

Fill a small crystal bowl with water. (copper, silver, gold, or other gems or metals work too- but they each impart a different energy to the essence, so choose carefully). Pick the flowers and place in the water. (some people use tweezers, rather than their hands, to pick the flowers so the energy stays absolutely pure). Cover the entire surface of the water with flowers.

Let the flowers and water sit in bright sunlight for 2-4 hours. You will see little bubbles form in the water. You may wish to continue to meditate with your essence during this time.

When finished, strain out the flowers and pour the water into a glass jar. Leave half the jar empty and put in an equal amount of brandy, to preserve the essence. This is the Mother Essence. To make a Stock Essence for everyday use, take 10 drops of Mother essence and put in 1 mL bottle. Fill the bottle 50/50 with spring water and brandy. To use- simply put 5-10 drops of stock essence in your water bottle and sip throughout the day. Flower essences act immediately and are best taken regularly over a period of time for best results.

Herban Herb Walk: there's medicine right outside your door!

People and plants are always in communication- the plants we choose to grow right in our own yards are the best medicine for us.…it's no coincidence. Many of our common California landscaping plants are actually Chinese Medicinal Herbs. On this walk, we explore the incredible array of medicinal plants growing in just one city block. Come get to know your plant neighbors!

Healing Sound: Medicine of Our Times

The language of sound is universal. We don’t have to explain or understand. The language of sound brings us fully to the present moment- it gives us a place to land in ourselves. In the intensity of these times, more and more of us are returning to the most ancient medicine of all- sound. Ancient Chinese culture knew this already- that’s why the characters for “medicine” and “music” are the same.

Check out this great article on medium.com, which highlights some wonderful sound healing resources offered by myself and other members of the Bay Area sound healing community.

Sound Healers Lydia Hwang and Athene Eisenhardt perform at the Google DANS Conference in 2019

People and Plants Together for Our Planet! Guided Sound Healing and Meditation

Plants and People, together for Our Planet! This Sound Healing and guided Plant Sprit Meditation is my offering to all life today..... Happy Earth Day Everyone!