"It’s dark because you are trying too hard. Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly. Yes, feel lightly even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them. I was so preposterously serious in those days… Lightly, lightly – it’s the best advice ever given me…So throw away your baggage and go forward. There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet, trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair. That’s why you must walk so lightly. Lightly my darling…"
~ Aldous Huxley
The part of life
devoted to contemplation
was at odds with the part
committed to action.
Fall was approaching.
But I remember
it was always approaching
once school ended.
Life, my sister said,
is like a torch passed now
from the body to the mind.
Sadly, she went on, the mind is not
there to receive it.
The sun was setting.
Ah, the torch, she said.
It has gone out, I believe.
Our best hope is that it’s flickering,
fort/da, fort/da, like little Ernst
throwing his toy over the side of his crib
and then pulling it back. It’s too bad,
she said, there are no children here.
We could learn from them, as Freud did.
We would sometimes sit
on benches outside the dining room.
The smell of leaves burning.
Old people and fire, she said.
Not a good thing. They burn their houses down.
How heavy my mind is,
filled with the past.
Is there enough room
for the world to penetrate?
It must go somewhere,
it cannot simply sit on the surface—
Stars gleaming over the water.
The leaves piled, waiting to be lit.
Insight, my sister said.
Now it is here.
But hard to see in the darkness.
You must find your footing
before you put your weight on it.
~Louise Gluck
Notes on Milk Thistle
by ANA
Milk Thistle has been used to support liver health as far back as 1st century AD
Numerous studies have explored Milk Thistle and a group of her constituents called silymarins
Many of these studies have demonstrated that this herb supports healthy liver function and provides antioxidant protection.
In addition to her well-recognized role in promoting liver health, Milk Thistle also helps to maintain normal kidney function and promote optimal immune function
Milk Thistle has purple flowers and thorn all down her side. She’s a relative to the daisy. She’s very common on hikes and the side of the road in the US- people who don’t know her disregard her as a weed- but we know that ‘weeds’ are some of the most potent medicines :)
Because milk thistle supports the liver, she also supports gall bladder functions, which is closely tied to the liver. The liver makes bile and the gall bladder holds it until it’s time for it to be utilized. Bile is paramount in the detoxification process- it’s the vehicle which carries toxins from the liver into the gut for further processing.
Milk Thistle has anti-inflammatory properties which have been said to be neuroprotective. This function can help prevent decline in brain function, helping prevent mental decline
She’s also known to support everything from keeping skin clear to being incorporated in certain cancer treatments- studies have shown she can help reduce side effects from treatments and potentially help chemo drugs work more effectively.
Needless to say, she’s a powerful medicine.
As a word of caution, if you’re going to incorporate her into a detox program, I suggest you review my blog notes from Sept 9 (thighs) on detoxification and how to make sure your body is ready to mobilize and properly get rid of toxins.
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