Creosote Bush Way

 Creosote Bush Way.

by Paul Manski         

Litanies are and were used in the traditions of prayer to the Virgin Mother of God, Christ, the angels, Holy Ghost and the saints in the traditional Roman Catholic Church. Recited on festive holy days. Used in times of need by the people of God. 

    La Gobernadora is Larrea tridentata a dominant plant of the southwest from Texas to California and south into Mexico. Understood in a similar way as an aspect of the Virgin Mary Mother of God. Plants have long been associated with prayer, the angels, saints and the Virgin Mary. Marigolds, Mary's Gold, yerba santa, St John's wort, lilies, roses, all have this connection. La Gobernadora as the governess, Larrea tridentata has t likewise this assignment.  
                                   

     Litanies are patterns in song, observations and notes, dialogue with place, conversations. The evidence for the pattern is the browned grass which will green again, resurrection and return is the pattern of change. At times we celebrate birth, and the passing of life and at other times invoke a healing. Inviting, cultivating change is the herbal medicine road way of rebirth. Litanies are memories recited to honor and bring forward confidence in times of challenge. Words attempt to bring forward and capture and as such are to cherished and respected. Being in a place invites words. Being in a place invites silence.                           

     Litanies are words held that lead us to truth. Words are sound though La Gobernadora is silent to most. Yet we are not silent so words are used. With faith hope and charity, sickness is named as a false narrative, for as long as there is life the story is not finished. Miracles happen. At times the miracle is to embrace suffering. Health is the truth. With words we invoke a truth of health sometimes lost, sometimes forgotten. We also honor the suffering and pain that inevitably accompanies the journey. Joy is as real as sadness. 

     Litanies are vocal prayer used to affirm and acknowledge. They are used to plead for God's mercy and protection. God presents to us in silence. God represents to us in a place. We are in place. We speak for ourselves and others caught in a dream of ill health. While pronouncing the words they maybe lies at this time or forgotten buried truths. Yet we have breath. We are breathing for others who at the present time may be unable to affirm for themselves. We are speaking not so much for the voiceless but for those who voices have been stolen, we communicate beyond words. The breath like wind, which is the Holy Ghost, flows and penetrates. Words are used to focus change in the sense of moving balance. No one owns litanies or contains them, they are flowing like water, flowing like wind. The La Gobernadora, Larrea tridentata, The Creosote Bush is like water seeking the lowest places, like wind penetrating everywhere.

      Gobernadora should be made into a wand, or small broom and sweep the patient from head to feet. The patient closes his or her eyes, then the hands are cupped over the eye, and a cloth covers the eye, to protect them. Then the tinctures are spit lightly over his or her face. La Gobernadora oil or strong tea is rubbed all over the body. If the patient is too weak, they may be seated in a chair. A bit of tea is swished in the mouth and spit out. This process is called sweeping, cleansing. 

                                                 

Litany of La Gobernadora, Larrea tridentata.

Creosote Bush Way.

La Gobernadora Larrea now comes to my assistance.

Gobernadora hasten to help me.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Ghost, and of La Gobernadora Blessed Mary Mother of God, Larrea, Queen of heaven and earth; as it was at the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end Amen.

La Gobernadora most beautiful; pray for us.

Gobernadora my protectress, pray for us.

Abundant sure supply, pray for us.          

pray with me, for me, for this child before you, show your healing way, head to toe, pray for us.

Around the head, good thoughts, pray for us.

Eyes to see your green leaf and white fuzzy flowers under turquoise desert sky, pray for us.

Ears to hear your voice of javelina dancing in the canyon, pay for us.

Mouth and tongue to bless and nourish, pray for us.. 

Visualive now:
Teeth to chew swallow food, pray for us.

Neck and shoulders supple and strong.

Spine flexible to bend.

Hands, fingers for your work of plants healing.

All digestive smooth in or out.

Legs to walk your creosote trails.

From head to toe we your children, your relatives, your family.

--Refuge of the weak, pray for us.

--Triumph of the strong abiding, pray for us.

-Creosote Bush way, pray for us.       

-You painter of the Red slick rock cockscomb. 

X-pray for us...

-giving leaf to ocotillo and saguaro blossoms ....pray for us.

---with root beer flowers, paguày and orange Yerba del negrita flowers, round like the sun, pray for us.

-green and sweet after winter rain...., pray for us.

-bringing moist dew and lightning rain...,pray for us.

-of Black mule deer fast sure of foot on rocky slopes..., pray for us.

--slow steady tortoise steps.

-of sycamore, cottonwood and willow creeks...pray for us. 
                                     

-Green in spring, yellow in autumn, pray for us.

-of beaver and mud dams and pools, pray for us.

-of coatimundi, ring tail pointing towards

the cliffs, holding up mountains, pray for us.

--On the slopes purple prickly pear and lemon cholla buds, pray for us.

--You hear our prayers of coopers hawk and jackrabbit.

-teacher of javelina, pray for us. 

-you are yellow barrel cactus fruit, pray for us.

Planter of mesquite bosque ...pray for us.

Gobernadora keeper of all in your deer house, pray for us.

-seat of wisdom spouse of Holy Ghost & brittle bush wind., pray for us.

-birther to hopeful sunrise, pray for us.

-falling star-dust songs, pray for us.

--Geminids with Orion hunting day east to night west, horizon to horizon, pray for us.

---With Jupiter in Libra and Venus in Scorpio at dawn, pray for us.

 -medicine to despair, pray for us. 

-mother of plant people, pray for us. 

-shelter of cactus wren, cardinal, yellow breasted warbler, pray for us.

-source of hanging gardens, seeps and springs, pray for us.

-draw of suck and mothers milk supply, pray for us.

--creator of obsidian night star-shine, pray for us. 

--falling star-dust songs, pray for us.

--around the elliptic your feet on the moon, your crown of twelve stars, pray for us.

--teacher of coyotes to yip-yap sing, pray for us.

-source of all bird song, pray for us.

---swoosh swoosh swoosh of wings, pray for us.

-leader of tortoise and Box turtle, pray for us. 

-guide to bob cat and lion, pray for us.

protector of mole and long tailed mouse, pray for us.

streaking dusk evening sky pink, orange and purple, pray for us,.

-patience to the young, pray for us.

-From head to toe, from east to west, north to south Larrea La Gobernadora you are potent to heal, pray for us.

Creosote Bush come to my assistance.

Your pungent branches make haste to help me.

Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Who made heaven and earth.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Ghost, and of La Gobernadora Larrea Blessed Mary Mother of God, Queen of heaven and earth;

In the name of Jesus, your son

bring this movement and change for healing, with all the angels and saints.                   

Memorare:

La Gobernadora, Larrea, Blessed Mother Mary Our Governesses, never was it known anyone who fled to your protection, sought your intercession was left behind. Inspired by this confidence we fly unto thee sinful and sorrowful. Our Mother of the word Incarnate despise not our petitions but in your mercy hear and answer them.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus in the desert

Have mercy on us.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus in the desert 

Have mercy on us.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus in the desert 

Have mercy on us.

O Gobernadora Larrea Mother of God,

Pray for us. 

O Gobernadora Larrea Mother of God,

Pray for us. 

O Gobernadora Larrea Mother of God,

Pray for us. 

Sweet-cicely, Osmorhiza depauperata

       Osmorhiza depauperata, at 9200ft Family: Apiaceae, ((Bluntseed sweet root)), for me this plant is Sweet-cicely. Seeing it come up prolifically in the spring is a sweet good sign- yet like all signs, seems the Lord giveth and taketh away. 
                                      

          I say giveth and taketh because while it was super abundant where I was camping the last three days, battling the crazy wind zipping and whooshing between my ears. Always wondering if my stupid life of sin is going to catch up to me and God is going to zap and crack  me with a dead ponderosa pine snag. It was also a bummer to see so many spruce trees under spiritual attack. I don't know any other term to use. 
       I know its wrong to say trees are under spiritual attack, but I don't know what else to call it. Between the extreme fire ravaged forest and these dying deep spruce it's feeling a lot like, these forests are remnants. 
                                                 

        A lot of times these days I get the feeling I am walking through a tree museum. Looking at the last of the great south west forest. I was happy to see the Sweet Cicely everywhere but still it was like "Damn" these spruce beetles are doing a serious number on the trees. These days I pretty much leave the wild plants alone where they are unless there is a specific plant I am looking for with regards to a specific person.
       These forests are battling and struggling to live. I can feel everything pulling down into the hollows and draws. Like a body in shock pulling all the blood from the extremities towards the core.
The wet meadows and their tiny green zone which feels like an ICU life support area. The hills and slopes are dry bones, desert remnant forests with a little Senecio, otherwise they feel like they are waiting to make smoke in the next catastrophic wildfire show.
         It's a sad strange feeling walking through a dying south west forest. It's like visiting the steel towns along the Monogahela river, or visiting an old lover dying from uterine cancer, whose former fertile sexual body is now 93 pounds on a 5' 9" frame and ashen grey at 37- dying much too soon. You know it borders on necrophilia to bath Carolyn and caress her for hours in her hospice bed, with the morphine drip, yet that's why you're here, to help her remember the beauty and passion and maybe for an instant to rage. and never go gently into the terrible lie called death.

Her White Lilacs

Her White Lilacs

                         

in spring
Her white lilacs
celestial marriage  

in spring
Her white lilacs
celestial marriage
begun with a kiss
dreamt in Deseret
still fragrant
apple flowers
remember
-paul manski pic.twitter.com/AvK038gQaz

— Paul 🌿Manski (@PaulManski) April 3, 2017

begun with a kiss
dreamt in Deseret
still fragrant
apple flowers
                           

remember 

White pale beauty
Hibiscus denudatus
clefts of rocks
your leaves covered
white wooly down
inside you are
delicate magenta
by Paul Manski

-paul manski         

Valerian Kiss

A Report from Upper Deer House: by Paul Manski

                                   

                                      

       I was  happy to arrive at the upper deer house. I was happy because arriving at a deer house indicates a good circumstance. If you find yourself arriving frequently at deer houses you can be sure that you have been brought under a good circumstance. The tiny medicine deer and the large medicine deer, both kinds of deer residing at the deer house were holding special meetings regarding the spring planting of the Valeriana, and other topics of importance to them. Meeting was attended by both the small medicine deer and also the large medicine deer, in addition several wapiti, hawks and eagles dropped by to put in their input and comments and join in the celebration. Thanks to the deer residing at the deer house, along with blue stellar jays, turkey, chipmunks and squirrels who were also involved in the decision-making process. Along with rocks, trees, air, water, wind and countless other beings who were involved with the meeting.
                                  

      Deer assembled at one of their deer-park-aspen meadows recently cleared of snow. The deer were wearing their white lightning patches that are brilliant white and triangular in shape. these patches become especially large and pronounced during the meeting time. Just at sunset the last rays of the sun activate the triangular lightning patches on large medicine deer. At the point where their large triangular shaped lightning patches are activated

,they join in the celebration with squirrels, skunks, chipmunks and several representatives from the mountain lions and cats. Frogs and toads are seen leaping in place where the Valariana grows and it is a joyous time for all.         

    Waterfall were brought to the the Aspen meadow. Several waterfalls of various sizes and shapes made an appearance with bathing healing water coming down from the upper deer house, bathing all in a sweet glorious light. Ice cold baths were had by all in preparation for the Valerian kiss.

     The large and small medicine deer came up with many good ideas for the summer season. All the plans for summer are arranged at the Aspen assembly. Their Valeriana dance is the first large festive gathering at the deer house. All the animals join in planting the Valeriana. Taking with them seeds, roots, stems and whole plants that they bring with them to their homes in the forest.  They distribute the Valerian throughout the forest. The joyous dancing, singing and waterfall bathing goes long into the night.                    
                                  

         Several of the large medicine dear have called for a sprinkling of snow on the Valeriana tonight. I want to express thanks to both the large medicine deer-and the small medicine dear, and all the creatures great and small who took part in the gathering. Thank You,  for inviting me to ceremony at the deer house.                              

        The Valarian-Kiss within the Deer Park is outside of an economic zone with its paid bound intimacy. The kissing is the teaching done between the deer, the Valeriana, and the guests who have been chosen based on their passion and love, from which there is a natural embrace between the deer, Valeriana and the person.

     We discover the deer park in the act of discovery. Deer parks are teaching places within the forest. Deer parks are places where the deer, the mountains, the Valeriana and ourselves discover the intimacy of romance. 

      Deer parks are curtained intimate rooms Open to shooting stars, moon light, pollen dust of falling stars, and light of the sun. We enter them like a bedroom or like a place that has been set up for romance. It is a breath taking sight to enter the forest, we enter the Deer Park to learn about the plants not only directly from the plants themselves but also through the medicine deer who plant the medicine plants within Gardens adjacent to the Deer Park. We may enter the bedroom with an invitation or be called there and spontaneously arrange an impromptu rendezvous. The deer, the valerian and the forest itself is prepared for love. It is based on mutual attraction between the person the plant and the place. There is no coercion with regard to the plant the person or the place. The plant, person and place give themselves to one another in a rapturous kiss. Not only a kiss on the mouth, but a caressing of the whole body in the luminous night sky nourished by waterfalls and the sweet fragrant pollen of Falling Star's.

     It is well known within written history some of the great teachings and learning have occurred within Deer Park's. It is important to know that written history of teaching has little to do with teaching itself. This teaching occurs outside paid bound intimacy and works directly with those involved based on their relationship with the place. The lover is wooed in a courtship process that can take months, years or occur instantly in a single moment. When eyes meet there is a piercing of both souls between the plant person and place. When this courtship process has evolved to the level of a kiss, there is no denying its validity. It reveals itself in the process of revealing. 

     Sometimes we focus on teaching and sometimes we focus on learning. Most teaching and learning of any value, is done face-to-face directly outside of paid bound intimacy which functions in a different way. In one well documented instance someone held up a flower within the Deer Park, usually what is focused on is the person holding up the flower within the Deer Park. A true understanding of the learning has to do not so much with the person holding up a flower within a Deer Park, but the flower itself and the Deer Park. 

     Usually the normal regular understanding is that someone, A person is teaching within the Deer Park. Yet although a person may be teaching or maybe not teaching within the Deer Park, what is really happening and is not well understood. Is that from time to time the deer themselves are doing teaching within the Deer Park. The time when the deer are holding classes and teaching within the Deer Park is called the time when the deer are teaching within the Deer Park. That the deer are teaching within the Deer Park has nothing to do with the deer teaching within the Deer Park, it has to do with the learning that goes on within the Deer Park.

     
      Flowers themselves within the Deer Park are also doing teaching within the Deer Park. So when deer are teaching, this is deer teaching. When flowers are teaching, this is flower teaching. Deer parks themselves are doing teaching with flowers many of them growing within the Deer Park. When the Deer Park alone is teaching this is called Deer Park teaching. Regardless who is teaching within or withoutside the Deer Park, the key point is not teaching but learning and courtship outside of the realm of paid bound intimacy.

      So it follows that naturally it's not important to find a teacher that holds up a flower within the Deer Park, what is most important is to go directly to the Deer Park, directly to the flowers and plants growing within the deer park, planted by the large and small medicine deer who operate in and around Deer Park's. It's important to forget about the person holding the flower within the Deer Park because the person holding the flower within the Deer Park is only accidentally holding the flower within the Deer Park. Flowers hold themselves up within the Deer Park, they live breathe and move within the Deer Park holding themselves up with the forces of wind water and sky. This is of course experientially and existentially true. Flowers emerge in the spring time and hold themselves up, outside of any concept of a flower being held up. Just as you yourself hold yourself up when you're standing regardless of whether anyone is observing you in the process of standing.             

     Flowers themselves within the Deer Park may be understood as mountains. Flowers within the Deer Park may be understood as waterfalls. Flowers within the deer park maybe understood according to the understanding that one has. In this way it may be understood, "flowers are walking mountains...". Mountains walk within their own concept of mountains. Mountains like flowers hold themselves up as they emerge and meet the sky. A flower may be a mountain walking, and a mountain may be a flower walking, all things are walking in that they are moving towards their natural completion according to their entire nature. When we see a mountain and a flower walking through the perfect blue sky this is known as mountain flower walking.

     We see flowers and flowers are seeing us in that same moment, what is occurring is seeing. Often times we may be looking for a flower and if we look with our eyes for the flower we may not see the flower. It's important to become aware of being seen. Because many times the flower is looking at us. The flower is looking for us, searching for us. Seeing is not dependent on light. Seeing is not dependent on having eyes that are open or eyes that are closed. Seeing is seeing and seeing is being seen. When you are looking you are also being seen. When we practice seeing we are both the object being seen and seeing itself. So it is important at the moment that we are searching for a flower, to be aware that seeing and being seen, are one in being with the same process. Having the same nature as the process. The process of seeing is no different then the process of being seen. We are discovered in the act of discovery.

      One of the ways that plants themselves are teaching and discovering within the Deer Park is through the large medicine dear who operates and manage the Deer Park. 
                                 

    One of the first lessons that the deer give is the Valarian kiss. When you see the large triangle shaped white golden sun like rump flashing at the rear of the large medicine deer, you will easily notice that lightning and thunder are easily made and expressed through this deer rump, this is called deer lightning. Don't be surprised if out of a clear blue sky, or in the middle of the night, you see flashes of lightning and then from a distance hear thunder, or deep rumbling sounds of the earth moving back-and-forth, this is not the thunder of rain or the thunder of spring snow, this is the thunder of the deer teaching within the Deer Park imparting a Valarian kiss.                     

     
     This fundamental expression of lightning through the triangle white golden flashing area of the large medicine deer's rump and their Valerian kiss, is a powerful teaching that occurs in the first moments of spring time when the days and nights are balanced. The proper understanding of the days becoming longer in the spring time has very little to do with the sun and everything to do with the medicine deer living in the forest teaching within the Deer Park. The large and small medicine dear themselves control the rising and setting of the sun. Depending on the teaching that the medicine deer are doing on any particular day you may find an endless day that lasts forever or a short day.  Instantly you may see multiple sunrises and sunsets within a single moment of time.  You'll see the sunrise  within 10 or 15 minutes, going back-and-forth in the sky sometimes in a straight line sometimes in a circle, sometimes you'll see two or three sunrises in a single day, this is all at the discretion of the deer house teachers and the lessons that they are bringing. Some days are much longer than others within the Deer Park. You can have a very short day followed by a very long day it's all at the prerogative of the medicine dear residing within the Deer Park.             

     As we enter into an experiential herbalism it's important to enter through the Valarian kiss of the medicine deer. Just as in any human school you will have introductory classes, you may have tests that you take to see your capabilities for entering into the course of study at the beginning. The deer at the deer house within the Deer Park operate in the same way. The first teaching and introductory class begins with the Valerian kiss. The Valerian kiss is very much a girlfriend experience, GFE outside of paid bound intimacy. It is both romantic and intimate and is something that cannot be forced, purchased or bought. Within the human realm the girlfriend experience GFE, is something that you can purchase by the hour. You may visit a place like a cottontail rabbit ranch and request a GFE, girlfriend experience. This interaction is paid bound intimacy. It is a kind of intimacy yet there is a ticking clock that when the alarm rings the experience is over and the girlfriend, the GFE like wispy clouds of the morning, vanish with the light of the rising Sun. So in this sense don't expect coffee, bacon, eggs and toast with butter, to be served in the morning because the experience usually does not include breakfast.  
                                    

      Within the GFE of a cottontail rabbit ranch there is kissing and touching of an intimate nature, yet in the morning if you expect to find coffee, toast with butter, bacon and eggs served you will be expecting something which will not occur. Otherwise when you visit a cottontail rabbit Ranch there will be no kissing, no coffee. No toast with butter. No bacon and eggs will be served in the morning. There will only be a limited paid bound intimacy within the time arranged. You will be left as you begin in total emptiness unbound and yet no obligations outside of the paid bound intimacy of the ticking clock. It is also true that with the Valeriana kiss of the large medicine dear there is also no toast with butter, coffee, eggs with bacon that are served in the morning. Neither the paid bound intimacy of the girlfriend experience GFE,  at the cottontail rabbit ranch nor the unpaid experience of the Valeriana kiss with a large medicine dear offers a complementary morning breakfast. If you are searching for a complementary morning breakfast you will have to search in a different way and seek out breakfast for its own sake outside of a girlfriend experience.

     The Valeriana at the upper deer house has no system of payment, so there is no paid bound intimacy. The Deer Park, the Valariana, the waterfalls all operate outside the bounds of paid bound intimacy.  Yet within the teaching of the early spring at the deer park there is a type of GFE or girlfriend experience within the practice of the Valerian kiss. Valerian kiss is the first lesson given by both the Deer Park, the flowers who hold themselves up, and the large and small medicine deer. 

      Within the realm of herbal study, and herbalism you may find the plant Valerian is discussed as a nervine or sedative. You may hear of various ways of processing the roots or the above ground portion of the plant. There may be talk of making teas or tincturing the plant in alcohol, storing the roots and perhaps even journeying to the place where the Valarian grows. The Valerian kiss can only be imparted in the direct presence of a medicine deer and the Valerian plant herself. 

      You may see easily the large medicine deer rolling and frolicking in Meadows of Valeriana. They roll and tumble in the rapturous deep sense of its blossoms. They rub their white triangular medicine rump gently gathering the valerian scent and pollen. They luxuriously submit to its fragrance and in that moment they prepare for the Valerian kiss. We likewise in the same way imitate the deer first having taken a bath in the ice cold water fall. We follow the lead of the deer and likewise roll and frolic in the Valerian meadow rubbing it sent over our entire body. We become one with the valerian and one with the deer who offers herself to us. Her white triangular patch lifts up high into the air and she allows us to easily wrap our arms around her neck caressing her shoulders. 

     The deer like ourselves has bathed in the waterfall and is now ready to impart the delicate valerian kiss. In a moment with peals of muted thunder and flashes of lightning the deer allows the herbalist to penetrate into the mystery of plant, person and place. For a brief moment we are one with the deer the Valeriana. In that intimate embrace is the knowledge of each plant's medicine.  Exactly in the same way with an encounter at a cottontail rabbit ranch, regardless of whether there is a breakfast of toast with butter, bacon and eggs and coffee, we return to our journey slightly different, slightly changed and our journey is now alone along a plant medicine Road with the medicine deer instructing. 

Thank You Willow, for Eight Poems

Thank you Willow, for Eight Poems

thank you willow
"now it's spring"
new 🍃 leaves coming
osprey mates for life
not just good times
as long as river flows
-paul manski pic.twitter.com/5hWuOeTvCC

— Paul 🌿Manski (@PaulManski) March 22, 2017

thank you willow "now it's spring" new leaves coming osprey mates for life not just good times as long as river flows -paul manski

7 days with egg, yerba santa and oshà oil 
de- #ZOG -ing along the river, 
real news? 
osprey return to their nest, 

mating,  
making babies
-paul manski

i listen to frogs
Emily eats noodles with kimchi
her hair is black
Skin the color of clouds
both of us dream, white Deseret
-paul manski pic.twitter.com/MkWYJAskcJ

— Paul 🌿Manski (@PaulManski) March 20, 2017

i listen to frogs Emily eats noodles with kimchi her hair is black Skin the color of clouds both of us dream, white Deseret -paul manski

white pink flowers sour, sweet, spicy mountain cottontail watching, nodding head, yes

-paul manski

White snow before Melted in May Disappears in March. There will never be an ethno-state here, Only remnants in the north, In the mountains

-paul manski

Bear claw marks On alder tree the sun is warm Your breasts the color of snow

-paul manski

"If you're a stranger to the land, All you create is mischief, I am the land. I am the people."

-paul manski

Golden dawn of ethnic nationalism 

The Golden dawn of ethnic nationalism Pasque flower Anemone tuberosa, 4th Political Theory Herbalism pic.twitter.com/Ttv9qP8nwu

— Paul 🌿Manski (@PaulManski) February 24, 2017

Pasque flower 

Anemone tuberosa, 

4th Political Theory Herbalism

-paul manski