Art, Nature & Sacred Sage

The Why Of Sacred Sage

Sacred sage was little thought of at the turn of the twentieth century. But the few decades that followed turned our familiar universe upside-down while highlighting conceptual vistas rarely dreamed of for centuries. During those early years of the last century the predominant Western view of how we fit into our universe underwent a sea change. A veritable avalanche of novel and surprising findings from an array of disciplines stunned the public and set even the most complacent citizens on edge. The world was no longer solid or simple; it could no longer be taken for granted or its paradigms filed away in the dusty drawer of common sense. While staid science was riven by quantum theory, relativity, and higher-dimensioned geometry, the art world took its first tentative steps into abstraction, plumbing phantasmagoric revelations from primordial archetypes. Many of the most original thinkers, like Arp, Kandinsky, and Klee became vivid articulators of society’s dawning vision. All agreed that the real processes of creation are the same in art and nature. Hitherto recondite topics like sacred sage suddenly began to acquire a new valence

New Science, New Lifestyle

So radical was this revised understanding that a century later we are still integrating it into our lifestyles. Scientific alchemy had changed our perspective. Vital components of this effort may be observed throughout the globe in ecological movements, New-Age thought, religious eclecticism, and burgeoning respect for traditional forms of Earth-centered spirituality. Both Lucky Six Farms and its land leaseholder Madre Grande Monastery have their roots in this expansive, radiant awareness.

Scents And Sensibility

The White Sage we organically cultivate is a direct product of Nature’s artistry. Taking our cue from her painstaking aesthetic, we craft our essential oils, hydrosols, smudge bundles and cones so that the original purity of the plant spirit is consistently retained and enhanced. As artists working hand-in-hand with Nature, we can confidently promulgate her energizing power even as we share her benevolent intent.

By Alan Beck

Touching Nature

Removed From Nature, We Become Lost

Modern lifestyles appear to thwart our wish to get closer to Nature, to fully participate in the supportive cycles of our Earth. This desire is anything but superficial or faddish. In fact, it springs directly from our most profound intuition about just who and what we really are. Urban bustle, apartment, condo, or large-scale community demands, highly processed food, etc. may seem to take us uncomfortably far from the planetary Mother at the foundation of all life. To exacerbate our predicament, a plethora of syndicated voices prod us to become more like robots: mechanistically compartmentalized, free from any hint of moral accountability, and readily directed toward any end. Fortunately, unique channels to the vibrant heart of Nature still exist for those who insist on retaining that vital human connection.

Organic Products Bring Nature Back

Organic, wild-crafted products offer one route to fostering and supporting our Divinely sanctioned relationship with Nature. When such products also carry a unique spiritual valence, we can use them to fully touch the Source, the ancient, living energy from which we derive our being. In fact, this is the sole reason Lucky Six Farms White Sage Products were created, and why we make them available today. We believe that sincere motivation coupled with sensitive, painstaking work can make Nature accessible even in adverse environments.

White Sage Reflects Nature’s Purity

Here at Lucky Six Farms, our Earth receives the old-fashioned respect she so richly deserves. Each White Sage plant is tended and harvested with loving care. Since we understand exactly how to work with, rather than against, Nature, no petrochemical fertilizers or poisons are ever needed. The remarkable inner effulgence of White Sage is thus carried over directly from field to packaged product: essential oils, hydrosols, smudge cones and wands are alive with the living potency granted by Nature herself. We at Lucky Six Farms want to insure that no matter where you live or what your lifestyle, the abundance of Nature is always within reach.

By Alan Beck

The Fragrance of Solomon's Temple

Scented Sacred Grounds

Perhaps nothing would seem further from our modern concerns - or those of Lucky Six Farms - than the ancient sacred precincts of Solomon's Temple. Reputedly built by spirit forces at Solomon's command and serving its community for over four centuries, this legendary structure was finally destroyed by the Babylonians sometime in the fifth century BCE. One can only imagine the atmosphere of intoxicating sights, sounds, and heavily scented chambers encountered by worshipers so long ago. Yet, at least a few of its secrets still live to empower many today. Let me explain...

Scented Secrets

Some time ago, a band of those dedicated to preserving indigenous ancient traditions in a variety of contemporary contexts approached one of the scholar-abbots of Madre Grande Monastery for help. Although their request appeared simple, it was, in fact, biochemically quite challenging. They needed the full, concentrated purity of traditional White Sage smudging to be made safely available for healing ceremonies in small rooms and apartments. They came to the abbot because of his reputation for research and mastery of esoteric and obscure knowledge, especially that of legendary scented compounds. They knew he had spent decades studying how the undiluted, unmodified qualities of essential oils had been preserved and promulgated in the Temple grounds by Solomon's priests.

Scented Purity

The petitioning band was also savvy about the commercial incense industry; they understood that ordinary White Sage incense cones are stamped out from cheap sawdust and charcoal then dipped briefly in essential oil. Thus, these common cones carried a host of mitigating and even polluting aromas that would negate critical rites of purification. After a bit of analysis, thought, and experimentation, the abbot finally arrived at the perfect solution - and those who had sought his aid were delighted with his result. That remarkably scented, proprietary product is available today as Lucky Six Farms White Sage Smudge Cones. Experience testifies that the venerable aura of Solomon's Temple permeates and empowers each and every one!


By Alan Beck

  

Discovering the Meaning of Tradition

By Alan Beck

Living The Organic Lifestyle

Society's recent appreciation of organic products reflects much more than faddish preoccupation. Indeed, this relatively new awareness underscores our increasing concern with issues of quality versus quantity, of abiding values versus meretricious ones. Like many others of my generation I sometimes find myself bewailing a general loss of tradition, especially the careful habit of lovingly detailed craftsmanship that characterized so many products of the past. As late as the early Twentieth Century common items such as furniture, tools, books, toys, and costume jewelry were marked by infinite attention to the finest points of both structure and functionality. In truth, the old style of heartfelt workmanship marks how organic energies translated into purely human effort. Organic is the style of Divine Intelligence intrinsically transcending everything vulgar, mundane, and pedestrian.

Organic Farming Is True To Nature And Ourselves

Interestingly, there are still a few rare places where such finely-honed focus thrives: Lucky Six Farms, for one! But how can we be so confident that this laudable tradition is not only truly authentic but also consistently maintained? The very basis of our White Sage wild-crafting and processing lies in our profound respect for the plant itself, a respect that honors the unique, eternally vibrant, living spirit underlying not only its traditional use but also our personal resonance with its life-force.

Organic Products Embrace The Real Source

Things regarded from their inception as merely material tend to be roughly stamped out, utilized thoughtlessly, and summarily tossed aside. From the beginning to the end of their lives, they are commonly regarded as nothing more than vacuous, fungible "stuff." But the array of Lucky Six Farm's White Sage products arise and have their being from a very different metaphysical basis. If the primary value of tradition derives from the intense effort, sincerity, and pure intent of the crafts-person, then we can be assured that our White Sage products embody the very same organic power venerated through hundreds of prior generations. We believe the Divine shines forth through each and every one.

You can see our products here: White Sage

Valuing Paths Less Traveled

Seeker's Psychology

Euclid implies the straightest path between two points is also the quickest, but psychology offers very different testimony. I've learned some unusual life lessons by treading the vast, uniquely beautiful southern California acres of Lucky Six Farms. Case in point: threading my way through the thick, often thorny brush so typical of the high desert landscape. How should we go about finding the best paths to our most important goals? Often, when my interest has been aroused by a particularly striking geological formation or topographic vantage point, I've trusted the seemingly ironclad conclusions of plane geometry and sought to reach the place via the most direct trails. At first blush, this approach certainly seems to be sober, clear-eyed, rational, and eminently sensible, given the wilderness of rough terrain dotted by spiny undergrowth separating me from my ultimate destination. Yet psychology wins over math almost every time.

Desert Psychology Is Subtle

How can I draw such a peculiar conclusion? Indigenous intelligences which blazed those trails understood that paths obvious to travelers would be equally clear to predators. So, in terms of desert psychology subtlety is a cardinal virtue while transparency can be a deadly sin. From my more mundane position, I've found what appears as the shortest, most obvious route usually proves to be nothing but a dead end. Thus, after a taxing series of laborious trials and errors, I find that the quickest, least precarious way is one that initially seemed quite obscure or even nonexistent. In much the same way, although we may long to experience the full benefit of energetic purification, we hesitate to make use of venerable yet unfamiliar aids like White Sage essential oil, hydrosol, or smudge sticks.

Lessons From Natural Psychology

The potent White Sage lovingly grown and harvested in the imposing shadow of Madre Grande monastery manifests its assistance via a number of little-known but amazingly effective products. By taking just a bit of extra time to travel the paths each one of them opens, it becomes possible to approach an empowering luminance with surprising ease.

Healing with White Sage

     
                                                                By Monica Maghiar
                                           

         
       White sage is one of the most sacred plants to Native Americans. For centuries, it has been used in folk medicine as well as in religious and healing rituals. Today, white sage is used by people that are interested in natural remedies, alternative medicine practitioners, artisans for: soaps, candles and lotions making and everybody else that wishes to cleanse homes and people of bad energy or influences. The native belief is that all ceremonies, tribal or private, must be entered into with a good heart so that we can pray, sing, walk, dance and live in a clean, sacred, honest  manner.


   Physical Healing - Feel Your Roots

   Make a tea using dry white sage whole leaves. Add to a cup of hot water and let it sit for at least four minutes. This tea can be used to treat stomach troubles, arthritis and headaches. It has also shown to lessen the painful effects of heavy menstruation, but should not be used by pregnant or nursing mothers as it can also decrease lactation production.

   Add a couple of dry or fresh leaves to a bottle of water. Use purified, filtered or mineral water for better results. Close the bottle and let it sit so the healing properties of the sage mix in with the water. This can be used as a day-to-day drink or given to those who are recuperating from an illness as a tonic. Adding lemon and xylitol makes it very refreshing.

  Put a dry or fresh leaf in between your teeth and cheek and let it soak to soothe a sore throat. Make sure you use organically grown sage. Don't swallow the leaf. Instead, replace it with a new one when it feels like there's no flavor or juice left. Leaves are also good to chew on when one fights heatstroke.
   Mash fresh or dry leaves and mix them with water to create a paste. Wrap it using a cheesecloth and use it as a poultice over sore muscles, skin eruptions and rashes. You can also use it on the forehead to lower fevers, or on the lower stomach to relieve menstrual cramps. Leave the poultice in place until it has dried or cooled, or until the symptoms have subsided. Reapply the poultice as necessary, using a fresh cloth and fresh herbal preparation every time.

   Crush and add dry or fresh leaves to boiling water. Remove from the source of heat and let it steep for at least one hour for use as a soaples shampoo, dye and hair straightener.


    Spiritual Healing - Tread lightly

   White sage has been used by the Native Americans for thousands of years in order to primarily heal the spirit, which they believe in turn aids to the body’s ability to function properly.
   Use a white sage smudge cone or smudge wand and fire to burn the end so it starts smoking. Walk from room to room, making sure the smoke reaches every corner. Use a cleansing prayer or make up one yourself. Think about asking the bad energy to leave the area and ask for protection and peace to come over it. When cleansing a room, light a smudge cone and leave it in a corner to burn off.
Keep the room closed so the smoke doesn't wander out, but make sure the wand or cone is placed on a heart burner or clay surface to prevent fires and to protect your furniture and upholstery. White sage has a pleasant sweet aroma, so you won't need to air the room afterwards. The smoke attaches itself to negative energy. As the smoke clears it takes the negative energy with it, releasing it to regenerate into something more positive. Tests have also shown that the smoke of burning sage literally changes the ionization polarity of the air.
   Smudging is very effective when you've been feeling depressed, angry, resentful or unwell or after you have had an argument with someone. When this is the case, your entire energy field will require cleansing. At times it will be possible for you to perform this ritual for yourself, with the use of a lit white sage smudge wand. At other times you may detect the need for some assistance, both in terms of spiritual intuition and because it can be tricky to sweep the smoke over the entire outline of your body, front and back, head to toe. In a sympathetically conducted ritual, your helper will gather the smoke with their hand and draw it into the perimeter of your body. Special attention will be given to areas of stress and unbalance so that cleansing and protection can be experienced.

   Use the plant to the highest of your abilities, showing with all your power, gratitude and respect for the benefits that you receive. Try to apply the same attitude in relationship with yourself, others and the world.

   Follow your bliss!

  All the wonderful products that you might need to create the suggested herbal experiences can be found at our online store at http://luckysixfarms.com

Walk on the Grounds

 By Alan Beck

Confidence In The Earth

Each morning as I touch the soil, my confidence in our planet's holistic healing power increases. Every day I walk the grounds of Lucky Six Farms, marveling at its expansive, organic White Sage gardens. I especially enjoy working directly with White Sage and contemplating its venerable power. It is a privilege to maintain a personal relationship with its remarkably cleansing, energizing, and uplifting spirit. Such feelings reflect more than superficial sentiment. I believe our California White sage offers a truly unique array of useful gifts to those seeking paths of authentic betterment today. In particular, for those lacking confidence in themselves, their society, or their world, the White Sage provides a unique remedy.

White Sage Rewards Our Confidence

Virtually all societies acknowledge the vital role played by plants; this is especially true in communities where profound, earth-centered traditions have long been maintained. But no matter what our personal beliefs may be, plants proactively support our lives: our physical, intellectual, energetic, and even spiritual states are closely tied to the living plant life around us - so much so, in fact, that too many inadvertently take that wondrous bounty for granted. The confidence we place in the Earth as our home, our primordial support is most directly evinced through our trust in the plant life that serves us. Nowhere is this better illustrated then in the ancient respect indigenous peoples had for the plant we today call the California White Sage.

Confidence Is Rooted In The Plant Spirit

Native communities, in particular, viewed their daily relationship with White Sage as particularly vital. Through it, even stubborn negative energies could be cleared away in a relatively brief period. It was understood that White Sage was consistently allied with the community's highest and best goals, as the beneficial Sage Spirit worked to open each individual's heart energy to abundant flow. And abundant energy translates into self confidence. Nothing of this has changed over the centuries. Thus, White Sage can, even now, be an important adjunct to our heart's most authentic expression. No wonder this remarkable plant spirit has been sincerely venerated by so many for so long!

Morning Surprise at Lucky Six Farm

Morning Surprise at Lucky Six Farm

 

By Corey Hale

It’s harvest time. Our White Sage has reached its peak potential, the time when the leaves are most aromatic and plump. The healing oils will soon fill the Sun Center with their aura cleansing properties. The beauty of the morning dazzles us as we gather at sunrise to begin.

The White Sage grown and harvested here, while common to this area of Southern California, is still a rare find in its cultivation and distillation. Located high in the mountains east of San Diego, CA., overseen by the monks of Madre Grande Monastery whose continuation is our mission, each plant is tenderly cared for on pesticide-free land, handpicked, and only organically composted.

Our most exciting news this first day of harvest is the discovery of a bird’s nest cradled into the sweet-smelling arms of a mature plant. The amazing protective properties of White Sage extending beyond the spiritual and metaphysical world in order to weave a velvety green cocoon of sparkling, sun-drenched branches around the nest, keeping it safe during last night’s crazy storm.

Back to the dazzling morning… 

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