I go off today to embark upon my second year of a vision quest. I go with the intention to commune with mother earth more, to test my spirit, and receive knowledge while being immersed in awareness and out of those moments come the visions. Am I a quester because I am searching?
I like to think I am a quester to align myself with the divine by offering my spirit through an exchange of the greatest value..my time and full attention. Therefore, I am not searching, for I already am, but I am humble enough to know there is more to discover within.
I have sacred seeds planted at this moment to offer the world. I am at a phase where they have come up and like the pre-bloom of the echinacea below, they are beginning to turn into flowers.
Photo by: Pedro Gil Rosas
APRIL…WHAT IS A VISION QUEST?
A vision quest can be lead in many different styles and traditions. In this particular vision quest I am going up on the mountain to be within a small space on earth without food or water for four days and nights. This is an intense rights of passage. However, I do not feel the lack of food or water as one might think. In fact after a couple of days I do not desire anything. I will say that last year one of the most challenging aspects was all the time and sitting with myself.
Would sitting there for 4 days.. 24 hours available for you to contemplate all of life be challenging? It is rewarding but challenging.
In the end a vision quest is a time spent away from everything where one is able to receive knowledge and messages from their higher self, or god if you will. I plan on asking for more guidance on my next offering of Plant Meditation Integration Consultations. The offering combines my knowledge of herbs, access bars, sound healing, yoga, pranayama, and the past two years of experience in integration of the realities of plant medicine to the realities of our world.
At this time I see many people diving into the wonderful world of plant medicines and the integration period is one of the most important aspects of this work. How does one have the realities uncovered be reflected in your day to day world? I aim to offer grounded guidance, tools, and therapies to help you walk your talk, ground you into your truths, a ear to listen to revelations, and the encouragement necessary to step into your dreams.
In the spirit of vision quest, I will be unreachable from July 17th-July 26th and will be slow to respond to emails until August 1st as I am going to spend some extra time integrating and my first family vacation in 15 years!
In our tradition we do not speak of our visions as there is power in keeping them sacred and to yourself, but I do hope to unleash the new offering when I return home full of vigor and guidance.
If being grounded and guided with tools to integrate from Plant Medicine or begin your journey with Western Herbs is an interest, please respond to this email to begin the discussion.
From your deer vision quester,
April Rameé
Warrior of the Light & Founder of Antler Alchemy
Photo by: Pedro Gil Rosas
Untitled Poem
By: April Rameé
Psychic transmissions through telepathic means.
Sound carries through wind and heals where words have hurt.
Traumas released and carried into the waves of the sea.
Soft petals caress the wounded body by the hands of spirit,
chosen by sacred souls on the path of love.
Reverse prayer, reverse age, reverse fear.
Walking deep into the quest, I will return soon, but never left.
Driving up the coast of the Pacific Northwest we venture off into Washington state by way of the mountains, with one goal in mind…take the ferry to Orcas Island! The ferry ride was amazing with binoculars looking out I see the vast expanse of the Pacific Northwest. On the ferry we made plans to find an Eagle Feather, have a private sound healing with Tom Kenyon (which didn’t happen but we drove around hoping to find his abode 😉 and overall seeing the magical forests of this land we have only heard about but never visited.
Photo by Pedro Gil Rosas
Arriving onto the island is like stepping into a pristine old cedar forest, the trees are humming and the forest is alive with fairies and magical beings. On our way to a hike in the forest a large bald Eagle flies right over our car so close I could almost put my hand out and touch the wings. The majestic being graced our time on the island.Deep in the forest I give thanks for being there by playing the flute and of course find my way off the path, but not stepping on any special plants, I see a large shelfmushroom waiting there to be harvested! I sat with the dead tree and themushroom, playing music and asking if it is okay if I can harvest the mushroom. I am granted with a yes!
The picture with the mushroom and the flute above is the large beauty I was able to bring home to create into this special medicine I have to offer.
Before I left I was able to sit at the base of the largest cedar tree I have ever seen on a perfect throne created by a fallen sister cedar tree. In this space I looked up and gave thanks for all that the Earth offers in so much abundance. There is so much abundance in the Earth and I personally think that those in power want to make us think there is a lack, but if you really walk this Earth you will see only abundance.
Photo by Pedro Gil Rosas
NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT REISHIMUSHROOM MAGIC!!! What is it good for?
ReishiMushroom is great for longevity and is known as the king of mushrooms in the east. This is accomplished by boosting the health of the immune system and preventing certain abnormal blood vessel formations. Certain antioxidant properties of other organic compounds in reishimushrooms neutralize free radicals, which can cause chronic diseases and premature aging. Reishimushrooms have the ability to prevent cancerous tumor growth by the active ingredients can seek out and neutralize cancerous cells within the body. Reduces inflammation, heals headaches, asthma, bronchitis, and other chronic respiratory conditions.Reishimushrooms have been proven to improve the efficiency of blood flow to the heart and lower blood pressure and certain elements of reishimushroom can reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol in your system, further protecting you from strokes and heart attacks.
In addition to lengthening life, traditional medicine also suggested reishi for energy-boosting. As we age, our energy levels do tend to drop, but adding a boost of life and spirit in our golden years would be wonderful. Try reishimushroom extract and see for yourself!
SO HOW DID I PREPARE THE TINCTURE?!?!
On the solar eclipse in 2017 I prepared the mushroom to sit in the 190proof organic sugar cane alcohol to pull out the constituents of medicine of the plant that is soluble within alcohol. After sitting for four months, receiving prayers and daily shakes, the medicine was pressed on the Full Moon on June 9, 2017. Then I spent all day on the full moon cooking the mushrooms in water to pull out the water soluble polysaccharides and other delicious medicinal constituents. Then they were combined to make this beautiful double extracted medicine.
Check out the picture below, at the 1/2oz and 2oz bottle sizes for sale in the store online today!
We could wait to have everything perfect or we can just start.
I have finally put together my mailing list and sending out the first newsletter. This has taken me over three years to accomplish, mostly out of a fear that I must have a perfect newsletter the first time.
Do you find yourself not doing something because you want to be viewed asperfect and having it all together?
I am taking my lead from Mother Nature and my guru Dharma Mittra…ALL ISPERFECT! There is nothing more we have to do than show up and be our true selves.
This year I chose the word dedication as my theme. Each year I choose a word or two to live by rather than resolutions and promises of doing something in particular. This way I am living my life and learning what that word really means through my actions, lessons, and choices. Dedication is teaching me that if I want to be dedicated to what I am most passionate about in life, perfection is not the goal.
The meaning of the word dedicate goes something like this according to dictionary.com
“the giving of oneself to some purpose”
That seems about right. Giving whole-heartedly our passionate selves for a higher purpose. This is perfection without judgment.
Here I am starting my newsletter, beginning my writing again as the last time I wrote something longer than an Instagram or Facebook post, was in 2016 when I received this message from Mother Earth. I am not sure if this is “supposed” to be in a blog, or if my newsletter is different that the blog, or if I am “supposed” to put this on Instagram or Facebook, hell I think I am going to go with all of the above! All I know is that it is time to stop being “perfect” and continue being dedicated.
I personally want to say thank you for supporting Antler Alchemy anytime over the past three years. By supporting your desire for connecting to the plants, you have supported me in my passion of sharing the messages of the plants. I am doing nothing more than reawakening YOU to the knowledge that is within yourself for we are all connected to earth.
Dedicate yourself to some classes offered by yours truly. Below are all the beautiful flyers and offerings for you.
Dedicated to Earth,
April Rameé
Founder of Antler Alchemy
The waters are the main focal point since the beginning of my flight into Bogotá. I flew over and saw the beautiful mountains but wonder where all the water is? I step off the plane and the first thing my friend asks me for is a part of the water I carry to combine with other sacred waters from around the world. Next we arrive to the Lagoon Madre Cambia to bless the waters there, I ask for permission to be on the land, and share my humble, simple plan to spend my time in Colombia with no intention other than to observe.
During a Kogi song and prayer I vision appeared. I could see and feel the trickle of two small streams of water from the top of Mother mountain coming down under the growth of humanity into the lagoon. When I shared this meditation with my friend, he mentioned that is how the Lagoon is sourced from the Mother and Father mountain in the area.
Here is the video of the music I meditated to:
Crying a greater part of the way to Playa Blanca, Colombia was unexpected. Watching as I pass miles upon miles of beautiful ocean inaccessible from the road because there are miles upon miles of concrete creating walls that no one can go around, not even rain water. Diversion of rivers, pollution of the water and in some cases there is concrete just for the sake of there being concrete. Here I am paying money to be transported on a bus that is guzzling resources and emitting tons of gas to get to a local beach that everyone can go to, however, the beach is beside me along the road yet I nor anyone in the local community has any access. The waters of the mountains and the rains are not able to get to the beach due to the blockades of concrete. I can feel the destruction of the cycles and reflect on how this is common around the world. Of course the beach on Playa Blanca is beautiful even as I watch every one cram themselves into the ½ mile portion of beach that is open to the public. The process to get there was an hour long, hot, dry and ironic scene with people drinking bottles on bottles of plastic filled with soda rather than water.
In stark contrast, I now sit atop the Sierra’s and I see the flow of the water in the river cascading down the beautiful mountaintops with non-exclusive access to the purity of the water. There are decided places where water is diverted by small pipes to lead to homes, where they allow the water to run freely into a concrete pool allowing any overflow to feed the gardens, which are providing food. While this seems to be the perfect condition I still see the plastic and the trash though, it may not be as much as most places it is still there. I see the lack of compostable toilets and wonder where the shit is going after it begins its flow down the bucket flush toilets. I see the water run off the dishes and clothes that are being washed, but what type of soap are they using, are they taking note of what they are releasing? Even in pristine areas where they continue to close off from the outside world to prevent the abuse of Mother Earth it seems to be in its own way still contaminated by abuse.
I think abuse to the earth is inevitable at this moment as many people abuse themselves. It is fucking hard. It is not pretty and easy to overcome. It is so hard to learn to break the abuse cycle. I know, I lived it, and I live it. It is one of the hardest things I have ever worked on in my life. There is so much pain and abuse it can be overwhelming. There really appears to be no end in sight, but I am here to tell you that there is always an end that starts with a new beginning. Each step we take.
I am saying nothing new and that is part of the reason why I do not even want to speak most of the time because no one is listening. I only know how to live this existence at the moment and work on continuing breaking the cycles of abuse. Are you coming with me? Are you ready? Are you ready to let go of your comforts and be even more comfortable in life than you can imagine?
I know it is hard to be happy all the time. It is weird to not feel as though you need to worry about the next day, the future, where money is coming from, where food is coming from. I know it is strange to really be in control of your day-to-day life. It takes so much work, time and effort. People ask me what I do for work and I tell them I live, because it is a full time job when you do it right. I couldn’t ask for a better job. This work doesn’t feel like work, it feels like heaven on earth. I can feel my heart continuing to open each and every day. I can feel worries fall away, and I can feel abundance in every moment. The gift of life is truly more important than anything I could ever imagine. To really live this understanding is different than to know. Knowing it is surface level and can lead to lack of real movement and depression. I have been there too and sometimes wallow there in that space of hopelessness. Understanding the gift makes it easy to shed abuse, love myself, and love the people around me in all of our faults and follies.
Message from Mother Earth:
I love you all. I love every part of you. Love me back and spend your days in my arms as I shower you with abundance. Destroy the concrete you have put over me, the hard edges you have created and allow my waters, which are my emotions to run freely back to the sources. Allow my waters to bathe you in beauty and release your abuses. Stop abusing me so you can live without abuse. Let me create the hard layers you walk upon. Of course you can use my resources to create beautiful structures and live within, but let them be ones that crumble back into my existence when you are gone. Let me show you the abundance and love you as creatures walking upon my back deserve.
Don’t you know I can devour all your trash and everything you created in less than an instant? My heart is made of fire and lava that can melt anything you have created. My waters, representing my emotions, can surge to a point of rage where I can reclaim everything you created and wash it out to sea. I can recycle the gifts you use to create the world into a new precious metal. I can devour you whole. Why not live in harmony with me so you can prosper and your children’s children can prosper? Choose the opportunity to harness the powers I yield by creating harmonious structures and life.
Heal the abuse created by “THEY”. Wake up and realize YOU are THEY! There is no person in power who has control over your life and your resources. Only you have the power! There is no fucking “THEY” there is no “I”! There are no corporations, politicians, and people with all the money. “THEY” are an illusion a source you give away your power, so you can live in continued abuse because it is so much easier to push the responsibility on someone else. It is so much easier to be a victim and to be abused than to stand up and take back your power and take back your heart and live each day according to your purpose. That is hard. And your purpose is not to accomplish anything. Your purpose is to live in harmony and love yourself. Wow! That is a fucking tough job. Let go of all the illusions do not allow yourself to become the victim.
Life happens, so there will be pain only because so many people believe in this disillusioned paradigm. Let it go and step into the shade of my trees and watch as a family of trees sway peacefully in the wind. Living for such a long time tapping into the resources deep into my earth. Changing the hard matter into fruit for those to eat and for medicines for you to use. Notice as they take the minerals from the earth and the air and transmute them into usable materials.
What do you transmute? How is your body creating harmony on the planet? Learn this and you can understand how to live in harmony with yourself and others and the planet.
