Herbalism
Ecstatic Dance
Ethereal Gatherings
Apothecary
Sora Blu Apothecary began a few years after she was diagnosed with Crohn’s, POTS, Endometriosis, PCOS and Fibromyalgia. She began experimenting with herbal medicines as a form of self-empowerment and supplementation to her physical and energetic well-being. Sora distills memories and poetry to create distinct, small-batch botanical products. Currently for sale at The Sou’wester Lodge and at seasonal markets.
Practice
Nourishment is beyond food and rest. Everything we ingest is either healing or inflammatory, cooling or fiery. We are the product of all we consume, from the community we keep, the environments we sustain, and the habitual beliefs and thoughts we embody. And while the aforementioned are not all physical things, they all greatly influence the state of our physiological beings. For example, in my nearly ten-year journey with Crohn’s disease, I could be following a low inflammation diet, exercising, and taking great care of my physical body in all the obvious ways, but if my spirit and mind are unwell my inflammatory markers are usually high. My flares are always triggered by a sustained period of anxiety and breaking. of routine.
I believe healing is a state of being and the symbiotic harmony of all of our bodies: Energetic, Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Sexual. We can get very good at exercise and sleep but unless we don’t also nurture our minds and protect our inner peace with the same vigor, we will always feel we are treading water. I think wellness as an “achievement” needs to be untaught. To me, it is. a way of living, a set of boundaries and habits, and an understanding that my needs are fluid, ever-changing and therefore my regimes must be too. I have come to find humility in the challenge of sustaining my health, we have to as the frustration of the process does not serve us. Healing is full surrender. Just when I find consistency, the seasons, my environment, life events, outside influences, or my own aging body change. It’s humbling and certainly tiring at times, especially for the chronically ill who tend to be more sensitive to change. However, this sensitivity directly correlates with our potential attunement to change. And if we tap into it that sense, we can detect change, move with it, conduct it, befriend it. Healing is unapologetic optimism. Our bodies are always on our side though it can be difficult to feel. this way when we are in great pain, but our bodies are always on our team and working in our favor. Our bodies want to heal. I began looking at my aches as an ask from my body for the right tools. Symptoms are a siren, a call to action, not a sign of failure. Though I do always feel grief any time a flare begins I do my best to see my relapses as a great opportunity to collect data, fine-tune my self-awareness and further refine my personal programs. Strength equates to one’s ability to be gentle. To be healthy does not mean you are free of all challenges. In this state of mind, we can almost always feel inadequate, on pause, something to be loved later, to come alive later…But your value and lovability does not correlate with your state of being, (a belief I am still learning myself). Somewhere along the way, we were taught health is only to be pursued once unwell and that ritual is only necessary when lost. We are robbed of the potential for personal liberation when we began identifying with others’ ideas of us, with our diagnoses, and the lies we tell ourselves. We were told who we are, how our lives are going to be, and what to fear so often that we begin to believe it, repeat it, and internalize it. You are always listening to yourself so be the first to say that you are allowed to rewrite your thoughts, unlearn beliefs, heal on your own terms, redesign your life, and rebrand your avatar. Give yourself permission to heal, give yourself grace in your grief, and patience in your pursuits. You are not what has happened to you. You are not your illness. You are the hero you’ve been waiting for.
Ritual
Everything can be a ritual. We decide how important and magical something is. Just like we decide what is important or valuable, we can decide what to take pause and wonderment in. W can override mundaneness with amazement. When we exercise that muscle or take time to study the minutia of a typically humdrum moment, we come alive, we’re five years old again, we’re here.
I have helped facilitate and host many-a-circles. I typically approach these events by simply creating and holding space for the event to unfold exactly as it’s meant to. I find too much direction and instruction can prevent the natural magic and intention from arising. If you’ve felt called to sisterhood and the need for tender vulnerability,
I would love to collaborate on creating a space for connection and enchantment. Some events I’ve hosted are Full Moon Intention Circles, morning tea ceremonies, (and other gentle small group rituals), ecstatic dance at yoga studios, and outdoor walks and talks. Reach out!
