Seed of Life Herbals & Art

Shop
What You Will Find Here
Healing Gardens. Healing World.
The Poetry Box
Connect with me
Cart
My account
Search for:

goldenrod

S. Rochelle Poetry

Goldenrod

Today
I didn’t bring flowers to your grave.

It was the first time in seven years.

By s. rochelle, 1 yearJuly 21, 2023 ago

We must search for fragments,
splinters, toenails,
anything that has ore in it,
anything that is capable
of resuscitating
the body and the soul.

- Henry Miller

s._rochelle_

“Living is the constant adjustment of thought t

“Living is the constant adjustment
of thought to life
and life to thought
in such a way that we are always growing,
always experiencing new things in the old
and old things in the new.”
– Thomas Merton

Happy Saturday morning! May your weekend hold beauty and inspiration and rest in the middle of it all. 🧡🌿 And muffins and tea, yes, lots of muffins. ☕️😋

And because I always love finding a good muffin, I’ll put the recipe in my stories today. These are made with all spelt flour and applesauce and still pass my boys’ stringent muffin-testing standards. 😄 They can also be made dairy- and egg-free if you need them to be.

#teaandmuffins #blueberrymuffin #teatime☕️ #weekendtea #tealife #tealover

Hello! Here’s a tea shop update and a long-overd

A reusable tea bag with a square bottom instead of

A reusable tea bag with a square bottom instead of flat. 🧡

This gives the tea leaves room to expand and unfurl (Don’t you just love the word “unfurl”?) and the finished tea has better flavor than if it’s squished into a tiny teabag.

Teacup-sized and mug-sized will be available 🥳

In shop news, I’m working on uploading photos and descriptions to the online store this week.

Just an fyi, followers of the Seed of Life account here on Instagram will get a chance for early access to the website and special offers.
😊🎉 #tealife #teablending #herbalteas

The young boy behind this photo made me a mom 10 y

The young boy behind this photo made me a mom 10 years ago this month. And what a journey that’s been. 😉 When I first held him in my arms all I wanted was to be the best mom ever. I bought parenting books and made homemade everything and vowed he would never touch fast food or play video games but be thoroughly immersed in classical literature.
🌿
Fast forward: The parenting books were never finished, and are indeed rather dusty. His favorite food is a McDonalds burger and he wants to be a video-game YouTuber. 🤣
And I love it. Because it means I learned that what makes a child strong and healthy and beautiful in spirit is more than all that. It means I learned that I am free to change. There is beauty in the modern world too. And life is not so fragile that we can’t laugh at ourselves. I let him enjoy what he loves. And he loves my books and tolerates my “healthy food.” 😄
I have fewer answers about things the older I get. But here are 3 things I’ve learned by being his mom.
🌿
Less is more.
Less words, less lecturing. Sometimes just sitting on the swing, being silent together, does more to heal his heart or soothe ragged edges than any amount of words. 🧡
🌿
Apologize.
I mess up. So does he. But we both know the healing that a simple and heartfelt apology can bring.
🌿
Take time for sprinkles and candles.
Any day. Not just on his birthday. I don’t do this nearly enough. But every time I do I remember why. Life is a gift and that’s enough of a reason for sprinkles and candles. 🕯️
🌿
Out of all the parenting books I’ve collected and never finished, this quote by Dr. Gabor Mate rises above them all:
“Adults who ground their parenting in a solid relationship with the child parent intuitively. They do not have to resort to techniques or manuals but act from understanding and empathy. If we know how to be with our children and who to be for them, we need much less advice on what to do. Practical approaches emerge spontaneously.” - Dr Gabor Mate, Hold On To Your Kids
🌿
I don’t know what the next 10 years will bring. But we’re going to be ok, no matter what. 🧡 Happy birthday, my boy.

#holdontoyourkids #loveislife #motherhoodjourney #tealife

Hildegard of Bingen called Oatstraw her “happine

Hildegard of Bingen called Oatstraw her “happiness herb”. 🌞In this blend, it is combined with Hawthorn and Tulsi. Hawthorn is an herb that is therapeutic for the heart, and Tulsi is a gentle adaptogen that has an immediate calming effect. Sprinkled with flowers, including pink and yellow rose petals, this blend is then given a slight sweetness with Aztec Sweet Herb. It also includes rosemary for its mind-enhancing abilities, and hibiscus to enhance the heart-warming effects of the hawthorn. 🌿💗

This gives this blend a nourishing and summery vibe. The florals balance out the herbal essence of the rosemary and Tulsi, and the pinch of hibiscus gives it just a tiny bit of a fruity finish (and a lovely pink color). 🌸

My goal is always to creatively nourish the body with the plants I love, while balancing the flavors to make them something you also love to drink.

Personally I love this blend in the evenings, especially on those days when my heart feels as though it’s carried a lot. It’s a wonderful contemplative drink, and pairs well with a bit of peace and quiet (or your favorite relaxing music) 😉 as you release the day.

Hold on to what was good, and let go of the not-so-great. It’s going to be ok. 💗 ☕️ 😊

“Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.” - E.B. White

Shop Opening Soon! 👏 🥳

#herbaltea #herbgardenteas
#looseleaf #steepitloose #herbaltisane
#organictea #artisanteas
#tealife #teablending #organicteablends #heartcenteredliving
#teatherapy #seedoflifetea

“As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garde

“As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garden walls, not only because my bees love it but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance and to friendship.”
-Thomas Moore

“I drink rosemary when I have a lot of work to do. People take coffee, they take speed, whatever. I take rosemary.”
-Agnes Varda

“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
- Alice Hoffman

I rounded up a few rosemary quotes just for fun 😉 And I had to smile at how many I found along the way that referenced rosemary as the “remembrancer” herb. It is very good for the mind. Science is discovering that it has neuroprotective properties and can heal brain damage that is caused by oxidative stress.

I love it blended in certain tea blends. I have it in one I created called Desert Bloom. It’s one of my favorite blends for those days when life has been a bit heavy and my heart feels in need of a light and lively lift. I will introduce it tomorrow! ☕️🌸

Some say it was rosemary that brought Sleeping Beauty from her long sleep. And here we thought it had to be a prince. 🙄 I’m envisioning a new fairytale…. 🤔😆

In other tea news, I will have tea samples ready to ship out soon for anyone who would like to try several teas for a special introductory price before launch day. Details coming soon. 😉👏🥳🎊

#herbaltea #herbgarden #earthtonic
#looseleaf #steepitloose #herbaltisane
#homegrown #organictea #handcraftedtea #artisanteas
#tealife #teablending #tealover
#caringfortheearth #steepmysoul #beautywillsavetheworld
#literaturelover #holisticlife

This week of constant rain had me restless and wea

This week of constant rain had me restless and weary… and the best (and often only) therapy for that house-bound, domestic-duty-weariness for me is the woods. 🌿

Autumn woods in rain are magical places.

Also feeling some Rilke… and Scotland-feeling music…

…and life feels bearable again. 🌧️🕯️☕️ 😉

“At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more honeysweet where you feel it touching the first sounds. Containing depth within itself, darkness, something of the grave almost.” -Rainer Maria Rilke

#boholife #gypsysoul #wildheart #gowildlyandslow #beautyyouseek #seasonalliving #whimsicalwonderfulwild #seasonspoetry #autumnwoods #autumnrain #rainiermariarilke #rilkequotes

@themodernsonoran Thank you! 😊 The candles are

@themodernsonoran Thank you! 😊 The candles are beautiful! And they were such a lovely arrival during this dreary week here in the eastern US.

#themodernsonoran #sustainableliving #cleanburningcandles

Meet the tea… Goodnight, Moon is a calming eveni

Meet the tea… Goodnight, Moon is a calming evening tea. 🌙Passionflower and hops are wonderful together, and encourage calm and restful sleep. A special blend of flowers and supporting herbs soften their strong edges, and fresh-dried local peaches and roasted almonds add a late-summer feel. If you close your eyes, you just may fall asleep under a peach tree with your head on a pillow of wildflowers. 😴

And just a little more about the teas I’ve created…

While I love a good-tasting tea, my first love is a tea that nourishes the body just as much, if not more, than the taste buds alone. The teas I blend lean more towards the medicinal side of the tea spectrum, and drinking them is a different experience than drinking a tea that is crafted only for flavor. Medicinal herbs have a strong personality. They don’t like to be shushed. 🤫 Who does? 😄
The flavoring botanicals I use are carefully chosen to accent the beauty of these strong herbals; they are not meant to hide them. Embrace the bitter with the sweet, and let your body feel the healing energy that comes through our earth. Cheers! 🌿🌎

What are some of your favorite evening tea blends? 😊

#herbaltea #herbgarden #earthtonic
#looseleaf #steepitloose #herbaltisane
#homegrown #handpicked
#organictea #wildcrafted
#tealife #teablending #tealover
#teatherapy #eveningtea #nightnight🌙

If there is one quote that defines my life more th

If there is one quote that defines my life more than another, it would be this one, by Georgia O’Keefe. 🧡

Also, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for summer already, which is new for this formerly-cold-loving person. Not sure what to do with these strange feelings. 🤔😄

But I’m loving the mixture of fading summer and rich autumn that I’m seeing. 🍁🪴

On another note, I’ve been deep into preparations for the online tea shop. I’m hoping to launch in October, if all the details come together. There are moments I think this venture is crazy, and moments when I’m excited, and moments when I’m exhausted (a lot of those) 😆 but it’s all been a lot of fun and learning.

Photography has been fun. 📷😊🧡🥳 I’ll keep sharing some sneak peeks of these tea beauties over the next week or so.
(Yes, after eight years of dabbling in tea blending, these favorite blends have come to feel like friends.) 🤷‍♀️ ☺️ 😄

Happy Autumn! 🍂 🧡

#herbalteablends #seedoflifeherbaltea #teablendinglife #herbaltea #herbgarden #earthtonic
#looseleaf #steepitloose #herbaltisane
#homegrown #handpicked #wildcrafted
#tealife #teablending #tealover #organicteablends
#teatherapy #booksandtea #favoritequotes #autumnvibes

Autumn 🍂🧡 #smallspacegardening #whimsicalwo

Autumn 🍂🧡

#smallspacegardening #whimsicalwonderfulwild
#teagarden🌿 #beautyyouseek #seasonalliving #flowerfilledlife #bohogardens #gardeninglife #herbgarden
#autumngarden #autumnbeauty

Yes, I love adding flower petals for the beauty an

Yes, I love adding flower petals for the beauty and good energy they bring to a tea blend. A sunflower is the perfect morning-tea choice. What better way to wake up than to see a few of those bright petals unfurling in your tea? 😊 I chose Mexican sunflower, also called red sunflower, for its beautiful color and edible blossoms. It’s also a pollinating superpower, which is a plus for any gardener. 🌻🪴

#healwithnature #nourishyourbody
#beautyyouseek #seasonalliving #flowerfilledlife #bohogardens #herbaltea #herbgarden #earthtonic
#looseleaf #steepitloose
#homegrown #handpicked
#organictea #wildcrafted
#tealife #teablending #tealover
#teatherapy

I’ve got a secret. 😉 I’ve been working on d

I’ve got a secret. 😉
I’ve been working on developing a small selection of tea blends that I will be offering for sale by the end of the year. 🥳🌿 It’s a long-held dream coming to life!
I’ll also be offering a few greeting card styles featuring some original poetry pieces.
I’ll mostly be selling online. Stay tuned for details! And follow Seed of Life for the first chance at special promotions (aka samples) coming your way! 😉👏☕️
In the meantime, enjoy a sneak peek at a few of the labels. 👀💛🌿
Thank you! 🌞 —s. rochelle

#herbalteablends #beautyyouseek #nourishwithnature #herbalteasforhealth #teablending #herbaltea #herbgarden #earthtonic
#looseleaf #steepitloose #herbaltisane
#homegrown #handpicked
#organictea #wildcrafted
#tealife #teablending #tealover
#teatherapy

Summer is fading… Autumn is on the way… Just

Summer is fading… Autumn is on the way…
Just soaking up the last of the summer while we can. 😊

#steepmysoul #seekinspirecreate #beautywillsavetheworld
#earthtonic #natureshealing #whimsicalwonderfulwild #gypsysoul #wildatheart #soakingupsummer

It’s the small things that make up a life, isn’t it? The big things form the outlines, the rough sketch, the trajectory. But the little things fill in the colors, shade the edges. They make the painting.
It’s that strong cup of tea from the last of the summer mint. 🌿
It’s fresh herbs to enliven up those clean-out-the-fridge vegetables. Side note: rosemary, thyme, and garlic will spice up a bad day for me as much as they do dinner. 😄
It’s taking the time to water the fading garden out of gratitude for all it’s given us this year. And because both plants and humans deserve to live with dignity no matter how old they are. 💛
It’s tree bark in evening light. And catching the middle child with all his big emotions in a rare quiet and contemplative moment. 😉
It’s mums on the front porch and lights shining from the house windows. 🕯️
It’s listening to the last slow cicada song and feeling the approaching autumn in the cold ground beneath my bare feet and seeing the birdbath fill with fresh water. 🍂
It’s beans soaking for tomorrow, and fresh and happy plants that have just been repotted for the approaching winter. 🪴

So often I forget to stop and pay attention to the little things.

And thanks to @dragonflies_4_ for her beautiful autumn playlist. It has set the mood for my evening. 🧡

#gowildlyandslow #beautyyouseek #herbgardenlove #whimsicalwonderfulwild #seasonspoetry #teagarden #latesummerbeauty

Just a little windup of the week… and the plants

Just a little windup of the week… and the plants and projects that made up my days. 🌿
These days are busy giving the plants some love to carry them through the last days of summer, and finding ways to use the beautiful herbs and teas that continue to spill into my path. 😊

#teagarden🌿 #gardeninglife #whimsicalwonderfulwild #seasonalliving #flowerfilledlife #herbgardenlove #tealife #smallspacegardening

Summer evening garden walking is one of my favorit

Summer evening garden walking is one of my favorite things to do. A little weed pull here and there, a little herb picking, studying how plants have done this year and contemplating next year… and making notes of the things that will need to be picked this week. I’m thinking the chocolate mint will be seeing me tomorrow morning. 😊

#gardenbathing #healinggardens #smallspacegardening #teagarden🌿 #herbgardener #tealife

#smallspacegardening #gardeninglife #lawnstogarden

#smallspacegardening #gardeninglife
#lawnstogardens #healwithnature #lifeofateablender #herbgardenlove #latesummerbeauty #latesummergardentour #beautyiseverywhere #thymeandtea

Blue Iris, by Mary Oliver Now that I’m free to

Blue Iris, by Mary Oliver

Now that I’m free to be myself, who am I?
 Can’t fly, can’t run,
and see how slowly I walk.

Well, I think, I can read books.
“What’s that you’re doing?” the green-headed fly shouts  as it buzzes past.

I close the book.

Well, I can write down words like these, softly.

“What’s that you’re doing?”  whispers the wind, pausing in a heap  just outside the window.

Give me a little time, I say back to its staring, silver face. It doesn’t happen
all of a sudden, you know.

“Doesn’t it?” says the wind,
and breaks open releasing distillation of blue iris.

And my heart panics not to be  as I long to be,
the empty, waiting, pure, speechless receptacle.

A beautiful selection from the one and only Mary Oliver. 🧡

Black Rose Tea 🥀 A full-bodied oolong blend hin

Black Rose Tea 🥀
A full-bodied oolong blend hinting of fruit and chocolate and roses, but with a bit of a smoked edge. Like a black rose. 🖤

Base: Oolong tea + Red Rooibos + Black Currant berries + Hawthorn leaf + red rose petals
Flavoring: almonds + cacao nibs + hibiscus flowers

I’m thinking it could use some pieces of dried fig to bring a bit of malty sweetness yet… but it’s almost perfect.

P.S. Blends like this make decadent lattes. 😋

By the end of the year I will have a few blends available for sale. I’m thinking this one might be one of them. What do you think? 🤔

#herbalteablends #teagarden🌿 #tealife #healwithnature #oolongteablend #teablending

Load More Follow on Instagram

Search

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing–and keeping the unknown always beyond you.”
-Georgia O'Keefe

Shop
What You Will Find Here
Healing Gardens. Healing World.
The Poetry Box
Connect with me
Cart
My account

Hestia | Developed by ThemeIsle