La'au Pau good time for gathering and making medicine

Beautiful fall la'au pau day for gathering medicine plants. This year I am becoming more familiar and respectful of the many medicine plants that live where we live. Because my life depends upon learning how they live, survive and thrive in this place (where I live, too) my personal kilo practice becomes stronger and specific.  Over and over again this past weekend we heard kilo practitioners from across the Pacific say just that, "when your life depends on it, kaulana mahina (the Hawaiian Moon Calendar) becomes more important to you!"

I found a site called 'Safe and Ethical Guidelines for Wildcrafting.' Another way to practice Malama 'Aina and the Honorable Harvest.

These look like cherry tomatoes, but they are Wild Rosehips I gathered out at the South Whidbey Tilth this afternoon. I'll be researching over the 'ole moons to learn how to use the rosehips. 

Usnea or 'Old Man's Beard' grows on old limbs and trees near our tiny houses. I started gathering at the start of La'au po, and filled a pint glass jar of the lichen (part algae and part fungus) today.

Early in September I started looking for Mullein as la'au lapa'au for lungs and asthma after the long burning season of forest fires. Today the dried Mullein leaves were dried enough to make my first quart infusion.

An ounce of home-dried Mullein in a quart jar filled with filtered water and tightly capped overnight. Tomorrow I'll stain the infusion (because Mullein has lots of hair that can irritate the throat). 

The Usnea I gathered in a pint jar and filled with vodka. In 6 weeks I will have a tincture

Our 'ohana and community of the South Whidbey Tilth went to the three-day 'Aimalama Lunar Calendar Conference. Via 'live stream' we were in such great company. Today I wrote a summary and submitted it to the organizers of 'Aimalama  including our mana'o and feedback after having the first-time exposure to kilo in action. Like making and gathering la'au lapa'au the process of noticing and recording what you see and how you see plants, birds, water, winds, weather where you are is slow and steady, and cumulative.

While we root ourselves here on this island, Whidbey Island, we envisioned 'being there' in Hawaii while living here. It was a dream to dream together with the teachers, heroines and 'aina that are so dear to us. We did it, and if you're interested the summary of our experience will be posted on our HO'OMOKU site soon.