Gode resourcer til tiden, foråret og nye veje...

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Igår delte jeg nedenstående liste i mit nyhedsbrev . Det er nogle gratis resourcer som er fantastisk 'food for thought'. Resourcer som giver næring og måske svar, på de store spørgsmål vi sidder med om klima, natur, bæredygtighed. Især om livet efter denne situation, krise, pause, tid - lige meget hvordan vi forholder os, så er vi på ukendt grund.

Disse film, bøger, mennesker giver mig, håb og lyst til at tænke vores fremtid i et andet lys. Og hvis man ikke er til de store følelser, så er de bare virkelig spændende input. 

Hvad synes jeg så du skal tjekke ud:


1. Filmen 'INHABIT'. Jeg købte filmen. lige da den kom ud og har set den flere gange nu. Da krisen brød ud, så lagde de filmen om gratis. Den vil jeg anbefale! Den er tankevækkende, fyldt med håb og fremtid.
Se den her...

2. Gratis 52 ugers Permakultur kursus hos Permaculturwomen.com - for dig med have, som vil bruge denne tid på at forstå økosystemer, haven, flerårige planter og hvordan du kan skabe en have der er fremtid i, så kan jeg anbefale det KÆMPE arbejde disse kvinder har lavet her. Jeg har fået rigtig meget ud af det. 
Læs mere her...

3. Min veninde Laura Storm har sammen med Giles Hutchins, skrevet bogen 'Regenerative Leadership' og den jeg vil anbefale alle at læse. Nu har de gjort 1. kapitel tilgængelig gratis. Og den i sig selv kan give ny næring til, at se sin vej gennem, ikke kun corona krise, men det der er lige bag (eller foran) klimakrisen. Den ser fremad og jeg elsker det de giver os med deres bog.
Læs den her...

4. Det seneste afsnit af min podcast 'Becoming Nature' udkom igår. Her taler jeg med Rachel Corby om Plant Whispering og rewilding. Hun er en vanvittig vis kvinde og på instagram kan du lige nu deltage i en give away hvor du kan vinde hendes seneste bog 'Plant Whispering and the art of rewilding'. 
Lyt med her...

Jeg håber, der er til timers underholdning og fordybelse til dig her. Det var der for mig. <3

Enjoy :)

C

Come Spring and Self-Sufficient Success.

Last year I tried this thing on going *big* with the blogging. I think I took a dive into it with an off-start point, as I don’t enjoy writing advice and how-tos. I like writing about life, not so much to inspire the masses, but as happens to many I know, things process in a different way through writing, talking and sharing. 

One of the reasons why I enjoy circle work so much, is because things process differently in a setting like that. Where we aren’t there to deliver, put up a show, or put on a mask; it’s a different way of relating to self and others. 

So sitting down here at the computer, I am relating to this in a new way. Many have asked why I don’t blog about life here in the forest. Or show what we do and choices we’ve made. It never really stuck with me … why would that be interesting? However over the past few months I have begun to feel a desire to share a bit more. Realizing, I guess, that we are doing a lot of cool things here. 

My beautiful sister has been my communications woman for a month and she also got the inspiration stirring. So here we go. Attempt number 14 to find a way of creating a blog presence that feels creative and interesting to write. 

Spring here has been a tease for a few weeks. Are you coming? Nope not yet. Patience, people of the north. And there has been a weird energy in the people around me, and myself included, of wanting to get things rolling, and still not feeling fully capable to gain momentum. I’ve felt a long take off ramp is ready and yet my body hasn’t been willing to unfold in the pace that I’ve set things up for. 

Sorting seeds and checking in with the ones I harvested and fermented last year.&nbsp;

Sorting seeds and checking in with the ones I harvested and fermented last year. 

 

But this weekend it was as if it finally clicked into place and we put on warm clothes and fled into the garden. We got the seeds out, trying to plan what we would like to grow this year. And more importantly, where. 

 

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One of the biggest lessons has been - PLAN - and be realistic in our ambitions. I once was told that after 5 years of getting this self-sufficient lifestyle going, you will have made enough mistakes to begin a route to success. It feels like we may need a little more…

I have a good feeling about this year and our harvest adventure. 

This is what our first real spring garden looks like - mud and more mud. We got most of the early veg ready and have it in a warm(er) space and hopefully we will begin to see little green heads popping out of there soon. 

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We’ve had success with onions, potatoes, zucchini, strawberries, cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, peppers, garlic, rocket and beans. So this is where we are starting. Hoping to add some cabbages, squash, pumpkin and leeks this year. Cross your fingers. :)

Our idea is that guests at the *Forest Retreat House* can enjoy going out and fetching greens for their dinner. I will write about this space soon. It's an adventure for sure!!! 

Love
Carina

Bleeding sustainably...

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Most women are beginning to notice the rise in women owning their blood. Some find it over the top, gross, something that should continue to be private and toned down. 

Others, me included, find the power in knowing how my cycle influences me throughout the month. And more so how my way of living influences my cycle. It is our feedback system if we dare to listen. It tells a lot. And whether you feel like claiming it publicly or not, I can only recommend beginning to explore your cycle. 

This is not only the bleeding time, but the full cycle from pre ovulation all the way around to the days you bleed. 

Tuning into emotions, mood, physical sensation, energy. In this post I share a little more on tracking your cycle. Take a read…

For this post I wanted to bring attention to the less-waste approaches I’ve made when it comes to my cycle. 

It is very simple actually, I stopped buying pads, tampons (only used those when I was a teen) and have invested in 6 fabric pads and a luna cup. That is all I use. 

It is easy. I have a little wet bag for used pads. Wash them with towels etc. No smell or a bloody mess… haha. 

But the thing that brings me true joy is what it saves me money wise and Earth wise. 

 

The Numbers

Meet Jaluna Red ;) . She’s 50 and just had her last period. She had her first when she was 12. She has 2 children and with both kids her cycle began again 10 months after giving birth. 

The past 2 years her cycle has been a little irregular.  So taking all of this into calculation, she has had around 408 bleeds in her life time. 

Jaluna used to bleed 5 days on average and used 4-5 pads or tampons a day. (You can do your own calculation. I have 3 girls so I will experience fewer.) 

Jaluna has used a whopping 8160 pads/tampons in those years!! That’s a lot going down the drain or in the trash! 

She used a common brand, non organic etc. 1 pad cost her around 20cents.* So in her life time she spends roughly 1600USD on pads/tampons alone.

It’s a lot really. 

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My calculation
So let’s say I have to buy three cups in my bleeding years. Each cup lasts around 10years = 17USD per cup.

And then 3x 6 cloth pads (those who can make them themselves can save even more) = 25USD for a 6pack.

All together it has cost me roughly 126USD with the zero waste version. 

 

A lot of math, but worth doing! 

So there are a few motivation pointers to look at when it comes to choosing what you use. And more and more are coming up: underwear was recently launched for example, so you don’t need any of the options above, sponges and more. 

Glancing at these numbers it gives me the sense of the scale of our choices. 

Little me may not make a big difference… we think. But let’s say that I get 4 friends to join me. We’ve already saved the world from 32640 pads/tampons. Each of those 4 inspires 4 more etc. and all of the sudden we are making an impact. 

Numbers will vary no doubt. Cost will vary no doubt. But the amount of trash we generate continues to rise. Where it goes. What it means to our Earth will also be discussed, for me my consumption and consumer habits is in my power and worth looking at 1 million *little me* actions is no longer insignificant! 

I hope that this post will inspire you to do your research and what is out there, and maybe find a way to bring the number down of what we throw away or flush out into our water. 

With Love
Cx

For inspiration on zero waste action in your business check out this post... 

 

*I ran it through Google and these are prices on average in Europe. See links below. It will vary from country to country. But the amount of pads being thrown away is the same, regardless of the price. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AFMJMPQ/ref=sspa_dk_detail_2?pd_rd_i=B01AFMJMPQ&pd_rd_wg=pX95O&pd_rd_r=MQ44JXCKV8B8PQZHRFZ7&pd_rd_w=0Looe&th=1

 

https://menstrualcupreviews.net/go/MeLuna-Main

First steps to my Zero Waste Business.

I have talked a bit about zero waste and how much I love this movement that is happening around the Globe. My interview with Bea Johnson kicked it off for me

Some say climate change is bull. Others claim that ditching wrapping won’t change anything anyway. Others preach that plastic helps the fight against food waste. And as with everything else, people have opinions and we don’t all agree. 

I do believe that I make the changes I can with what I have, this doesn’t mean you do the same as me. Maybe just feel inspired to take a look at the steps that resonate with you. 

Reducing my waste and CO2 trail makes so much sense. 

In the beginning of 2017 I declared this to be a buy-nothing-new. I haven’t - well that’s not true; I bought a bra. But I need mine specially made so that was a ‘had to’ to save my back. And twice something dropped into my basket at the store that was a thing, not food, and I wasn’t really thinking. So in 5+ months, 3 new things have been purchased - I say that is doing pretty good. 

An area where I have had to really make some choices and consider how to go about it, is with my business. How do I reduce waste in this area? 

 

Because clearly I HAD to have business cards, handouts, manuals, cd’s, flyers, prints for my bookkeeping, postcards, magnets, notes and the list is long. 

Especially business cards and flyers. Thinking about what I do with the ones I receive, it just no longer made sense to have my own. They go in the bin… 

When reminding myself of the enormous amount - of all of the above - I have thrown away, it seemed there was room for improvement. 

 

So I no longer order or print: 

  • Business cards
  • Flyers
  • Postcards
  • Magnets
  • Hand-outs
  • Manuals
  • Cd’s (yeah who does that anyway... in our house we still dedicate a wall to this ancient thang)

 

That’s a huge amount of paper no longer coming in through my business. Not to mention money saved. I offer PDF’s. People can print them if they want or just write the points that matter in their journal etc. 

When I do print, I use the back side of my daughter’s school print outs (there’s enough to keep a few businesses running). My mom is a teacher and they print out piles of stuff for their students and often too many copies - she brings them home for me and I use those. 

Is there room to do more - sure. For a giant first step, I am pleased. I am implementing other things such as using recycled packaging to send out the herb products - that’s for another post. 

I know some will roll their eyes and think Jesus, a few flyers never hurt anyone. 

 

Well let’s play with some numbers: 

In Denmark alone there are around 125.000 solo businesses (2012) and that number is higher today. 

Let’s say each one of them buys 300 business cards and 500 flyers (what I did the first few years) that = 10.0000000 bits of paper are ending up in the garbage at some point and just for a one-off glance. Now bring that to a Global scale… phew, I wouldn't know how to calculate that. 

And this is not even counting the huge corporations. 

It no longer feels irrelevant to me. 

Fun fact - the business didn’t die out from the lack of exposure… Facebook, Instagram, talking to real people, fucking up and having wins have kept the wheels turning. 

Is this right for you. Maybe not, maybe flyers are the only way you feel you can get the word out. But are there other ways you can reduce your waste in your business? 

Would love to hear your ideas and thoughts. <3

My inner nature... on tracking your cycle.

One of my teachers once said ‘we can’t begin to understand, save or connect with nature, before we connect to our own’. Maybe a little mis-quoted, but this is my take away. Thank you Laila. 

This has been so true in my own practice. 

I have always felt connected to the wild though… I was born into the icy winds of the North. Fell in love with the mountains in Scotland. Teared up in the dangerous woods in Bosnia. And moved to the countryside in Denmark, which may not be as in-your-face breathtaking as the Rockies, but I am learning more and more each day from this gentle wilderness. 

But seeing myself as wild, as part of the un-graspable cycle of nature, never penetrated the surface.  

Until pregnancy. Until birth. Until I began to discover the power of my cycle. Until I became aware, really aware, of the force within that wasn’t in my control. It lived in me, but in many ways, a slightarrogance led me to believe that I was in charge… of everything. 

Growing and birthing a human and beginning to track my monthly cycle crafted me a new set of spectacles. This body is such a magical thing; not just a simple container to be unsatisfied with. 

 

 

And yes we know, we heard, the body mind thing. But it’s a meer tip of the iceberg. Getting intimate with my period, moon time, my monthly has uncovered a feedback system, like a truth coming from kids, drunk people and your cycle. It will tell you when something is up. We just need to listen. 

This is my invitation to you to - if never again - track your cycle for 3 months. 

You can use apps on your phone, but for this first 3 months I recommend you print out the Moon time track sheet (you can download it for free when you sign up here). Using the printable rather than an app gives you an easier overview. 

As you fill out the sheet over the next few months, certain patterns may begin to become clear: 

  • certains emotions at certain times
  • cravings
  • moodswings
  • sex drive
  • energy levels 
  • days when everyone is driving you nuts
  • days when nothing can beat you down
  • creativity
  • and and and

There is A LOT to write, share, say. But this is where it begins. As the lovely ladies at RedSchool call it: Menstrual Cycle Awareness (MCA). This is where it begins to unfold. Just how intelligent, sensitive and responsive the body is. How the changes in us each month become our allies and not the shit that gets in the way. It resonates when the same wise women refer to it as our inbuilt spiritual practice. 

I see patterns in me be mirrored in the seasons outside. I see how this isn’t inclusive to me. But the cycle happens all around me. I see that there is the monthly cycle, the seasons, the life cycle, the night and day and how each have their teachings. 

I feel a follow up post in the near future. For now download the track sheet and each day (or as often as you can) make note of: 

  • emotions
  • body
  • energy
  • mood
  • and what ever you feel is relevant

It doesn’t have to go all *dear dairy*; make it short and doable. 

Can’t wait to hear what comes up for you. <3