Community Apothecary Tea At The Birdhouse

One of our core principles and practices has been hosting Sunday Tea's to talk about things that matter, to build relationships in sacred space and to nurture our community. It has been a part of our tradition for as long as I can remember. There is something about tea and its soul stirring grace that opens the heart and allows for deeper conversation and connection.

You are cordially invited to our Summer Tea Circle co-facilitated by The BirdHouse Community Apothecary, The Elegant Alchemist, and Mel's Love Land, where we will journey with Tulsi, aka Holy Basil.

In this powerful, intense time, where much is being unearthed, questioned & dissolved, we offer The BirdHouse Tea Circle as a space of love and acceptance—so we can process, discover and rest in a safe container that is grounded in community. Tulsi is the perfect ally to anchor us in this space. 

Our prompt/question: 

What is my heart moving me to say/speak/do to Co-Create ?

REACH OUT TO JOIN US FOR AN UPCOMING COMMUNITY APOTHECARY EVENT

Co-creator of the The Birdhouse Garden - Bella has lovingly harvested and dried the Tulsi from the BirdHouse Garden for us to enjoy as our herbal tea.

You will be able to pick up your bag of Tulsi Tea and Herb Cookie at the BirdHouse before the event.

If you’re unable to stop by, no worries. We ask that you simply brew your favorite summertime tea, or pick up Tulsi at your local organic food store.

Click here to RSVP FOR AN UPCOMING TEA

Remember. All the juicy stuff happens in beloved community, and our local community garden is alive and well to possibilities and health and wellness and joy. We hear your requests for a more just world, where everyone thrives and are at work co-creating ideas, connection and inspiration by creating an apothecary tuning into our plant allies with our community garden. Join us for a seasonal Tea Circle Gatherings via virtual sacred space.

ft. Tulsi aka Holy Basil

Holy Basil is also called Tulsi or Sacred Basil. It has long been an agent of change for our systems and is used to treat all kinds of conditions since the beginning of time. Historically used as medicine because of its widespread healing power. Holy Basil leaves are healing agents, with a rich nourishing impact and anti-inflammatory. It is used in many forms, for ritual of fire, to create a healing tea, in balms.

In our research online we found this delightful info on Tulsi 'it's usages were popularized by the Hindu belief system known as “The Incomparable One,” and is one of the most sacred plants. In Hindu mythology, Tulsi (Holy Basil) symbolizes the goddess Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, who is one of the religion’s most important deities. The herb has been valued for centuries because of its benefits for the mind, body, and spirit. Possessing health and spiritual benefits, Holy Basil has become a legendary part of Hindu culture over the last five thousand or so years, adorning houses and temples throughout the country and earning it revered names such as “The Elixir of Life” and “Mother Medicine of Nature.”'

“TULSI IS WIDELY REGARDED AS ONE OF THE PREEMINENT HERBS IN THE ANCIENT INDIAN SYSTEM OF MEDICINE KNOWN AS AYURVEDA.”

Chinese Medicine classifies Holy Basil as a rare and highly sought after “Shen tonic,” loosely translating to a herb that nourishes the spirit, which should come as no surprise given it’s supposed divine origins. And as effective as it is for treating common health ailments, perhaps Tulsi’s greatest benefit is the restorative effect it has on the nervous system. Tulsi (Holy Basil) is one of the power player herbs that balance the chakras by harmonizing and restoring the flow of body, mind, spirit.

“HOLY BASIL IS A PROFOUND HEALING PLANT WORKING ON A DEEP LEVEL TO BRING BALANCE AND HARMONY INTO ALL OUR SYSTEMS.”

Holy Basil embodies happiness, love, peace and allows for easy flow in and out of spiritual and physical journeys.

Into the Garden: Harvesting Holy Basil

This summer season is calling for us to consider the world we want to co-create together, what we are burning off into the light and grounding in our innate healing abilities. This herb will be the center piece of our Tea offering and we invite your thoughts, your heart, your blessings as we ground, connect, and allow our plant ally to support what is next.

Our earth has a 21st Century rhythm beating and we invite you to deepen your soul’s calling during this is time at The Birdhouse's community apothecary.

We will honor our dreams, create new affirmations, and get aligned with our highest selves and inter-relate to herbal plant medicine.

Have your journal, pen, & cup choice available and get ready to receive.

We co-created a neighborhood apothecary to promote community health and wellness with the first urban Ecosystem Restoration Camp -- At The Birdhouse. building a loving, art, ecology, storytelling, harmonic garden in cooperation with the land we love and each other. Sunday at Noon, to become a member of The Birdhouse. We look forward to this offering with Holy Basil. We, and when I say ‘We’ I mean Bella LeNestour harvested the Holy Basil and lovingly dried and prepared the herb from the garden, Sunday’s blend is pure Holy Basil harvested with love.

Herbalist, Roxanne Malcolm of Elegant Alchemy will be our guide for Holy Basil and we welcome one and all to discuss into evolving new community based ecosystems where everyone thrives and learn from each other and come into the garden as we build our apothecary.

We believe in earth magic, oneness and leading with love. We believe the heart is the master chakra and is the turnaround point in our energy system, we believe in the power of beloved community and coming together to co-create health and wellness. At the center of our being is our interconnection with all that is and we encourage you to dig deeper and as T.S. Eliot wrote '...go through the unremembered gate into the ... garden.' We are looking to interconnect on ideas and earth medicine. Please reach out with loving ideas, to learn more about the divine love and wisdom of a community garden.

lots of love,

Mel

-

Melanie Lutz is a writer, filmmaker and love activist living in Los Angeles, CA.

All Systems Love

IG. https://www.instagram.com/melsloveland/

E. info@alwaysalice.com

W. www.melsloveland.com

HEART CARD LOVE PROJECT: CONNECTING COMMUNITIES THROUGH LOVE

Please join us as we come together to create hand-made greeting cards from the heart. Once a year in February we participate in a love and kindness builder that began in 2014. We make 100+ Heart cards to be delivered on Valentine’s Day to a senior center in our local community to remind people that they are never alone and they are always Loved. We literally pour our Hearts and Love into greeting cards which are then delivered to someone who feels alone… someone who needs a lift… a pick me up… a shot of Love.

Art from the heart creates connection and when done in community heals.

Each year we elevate our card making and process of connecting to the collective Heart. We think about loved ones and populations in need that we want to share love and kindness with and we infuse our loving intentions into the cards we create. When they receive the card it comes directly from the heart and it reminds that we are all connected. Each year has had a different theme, but is grounded in the idea of connection and community.

THE HEART IS FOR LOVE ACTIVISM

Every January - February we gather, create and work toward our Valentines Day deliveries. It's our 6th Valentine's year of creating and giving heart card love to promote foundational community health and wellness. The Heart Card Love Service project is part of Mel's Love Land's commitment to demonstrating love in action. It is one of many loving healing initiatives we encourage, participate in and offer throughout the year.

ONLINE TUESDAYS TILL VALENTINE'S DAY

We host a card making zoom sessions Tuesdays at 5:30pm starting in December through February 8th when we begin deliveries. These session connect artist studios, living rooms, kitchen tables, craft rooms and offices to create heart cards.

Spreading love is one way we feel connected to our community. It brings us nourishment and in giving love we feel loved. It is selfish as it is selfless.

It's a wonderful experience to reflect on what your loving gifts might bring forward into the world. This love in action event allows for a blank canvass for love to make connections, it is an opportunity to build art-full community care, and have fun creating handmade cards that will be shared on Valentine’s Day.

Every year a group of love activists come together to create heart art to give to seniors in our community to remind "you are loved."

Spreading Love. Mel's Love Land Heart Card Love Project. Artists come together to create cards and give love.

WE CREATE, DELIVER AND LISTEN IN

It began with a Mitvah. After the death of my father, we found a place for my Mom at a wonderful Senior living spot in Pasadena, California, the Regency Park Oak Knoll, a caring, loving place where we felt she was safe. That first year was rough and when Valentine's came up an idea of creating 100+ heart cards and sharing with the residents at her new home and meet up with our newest family members. We brought flowers from our local gardens and showed up with handmade cards and lots of love. We found the cards triggered memories of childhood and paths that lead them through their lives, to loved ones past and doors that opened, to the wonderful lives they had led and the ways we shared that love were profound. It was healing to all our hearts. It was her first Valentines without my Dad, her husband of 52 years and together with a lot of help from friends and their loving hearts, extra kindness, we all felt enriched and nourished. What we realized very quickly, my Mom wasn't the only one missing a partner, feeling a bit alone and our efforts were deeply received. Thankful for 52 Weeks of Giveback for their loving contributions.

Hannah Bella Lee delivers Heart Art Cards and spreads love to Seniors; Pictured here with my mom, Louise Lutz and her new Friends at the Regency Park Oak Knoll Pasadena.

We love our neighbors because we are our neighbors. Photos from our 2022 Mel's Love Land Action.

YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE HEART (NO MATTER WHAT)

Coming together to create art is part of the magic and miracles of collective healing, community care and mutual aid. We utilize our crafting heart cards to laugh, to share, to co-create in community and the outcome of delivering love to folks is always full of meaningful surprises. The personal connections made, the stories of loves past and ancestors remembered. The joy of sharing in a deep listening. We grow into knowing love is in need of love. We create a 100+ heart cards and deliver into our communities to spread love because it is the least we can do, and it is what we were called to do. You may be called to something else. The idea is to take the loving action you are here to do. We've found love brings more love and have heard from folks they've done similar offerings and awakened a sense of sharing the gifts they've been given. We love to think of it as an activation and a gentle deeply peaceful process of creating connection through the collective heart.

Heart Art Card Loving is Giving. Giving is Receiving

WE ARE MADE OF LOVE

Every year we are inspired by the talent, the commitment and the work folks put into creating the cards. Want to highlight a few artist friends who have made this all possible by giving of their time and coming together to make and deliver cards. An idea shared grows stronger. We believe in a critical mass of thought, we believe in the inner power of that 100th monkey, in making a commitment to showing up and to doing the necessary work to co-create foundational health and wellness. We believe in miracles. We believe sending love brings forward more love. The making, giving and delivering of the cards had an exponentially loving effect.

With infinite love and gratitude. May love and connection continue to grow.

LET THERE BE LOVE

Each year is different. We remain open to where the love is needed and have expanded to different community locations. A sober living space in our neighborhood, another senior home in Hollywood, a domestic violence support center, a tiny home village to support transitions, but what remains is our commitment to fierce, radical, authentic loving .

All Mel's Love Land efforts offer space for decolonizing, unlearning and opening the heart. Folks need space to unwind what has been wound up, to come to a different point of view and to allow for ways to let love to lead the way.

We love being able to support the post office through our purchases of stamps and every step we make to the post box is filled with joy, smiling at a neighbor, bending down to pet a dog or two and hugging the sun. So much love in action.

WHO ARE THE MEL ANGELS?

The world is full of loving folks who want to give off their time and talents to spread love. We invite folks to participate in a process.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ARTISTS THAT DONATE THEIR TALENTS

What can you say about the individuals who continue to share the gifts and their hearts over and over but I LOVE YOU. I love your heart. I love your passion and I love your work. Some of the first cars this year included the loving sentiment "It's Never too late to say 'I Love You.' This emerged from a beautuful soulful artist spending time in Mexico, Mary Elizabeth Holmes and brought their traditions and artistry to the table. We read from the traditions of El Dia del Amor y la Amistad the day of friendship and love as we worked through our art crafting sessions.

With so much loss, death, suffering and the constant throng of struggle there is beauty, there is grace and there is love. Never forget you are loved. Always consider the opportunity to say I love you and give yourself the gift of love in open hearted joy.

BEE LOVING LINDA

This work from Linda Gabriel comes with joyful bursts of graphic power and love from the heart. Stamps of the garden, the life force of the bees and the eyes of the heart.

Throughout the sessions we share intentions for our loving cards, talk about what we wish for those who receive the cards and the ways we can expand possibilities for our worlds with our loving. Some of the cards are created for folks who send us a request for a card, for a loved one, for someone they care about and know need support and others have no intended recipient, just a free flow from the heart, others inspired by the moment, the cut of a heart, a person pops in with a heart as a prompt to share, yet others a complete expression of the moment of presence with the supplies prompted by love.

G'S MONSTER LOVE

All the monster love cards come from big Hearted Artist: Gena Kay whose redressingtheglobe offers travel inspiration and sparkling charm from around the globe.

KINDNESS AND EMPATHY RAINBOW RAVEN AND HER DAUGHTER LULU

When the going gets rough the OG founders of our kindness and art heart cards deliver, documentarian Tamra Raven and her daughter, Louise 'LuLu' Steinberg know how to giveback, collectively operating 52 Weeks of Giveback, where kindness contributes to a world reborn. These beautiful artists represent a strong lineage of women committed to uplifting our worlds.

DELIVERING LOVE

There are two parts to delivering of the art heart cards, mailing and hand delivery, each has its own magic. We love the USPS. It is a rich part of our great United States, from the zip code system to the interconnected relationships between communities through our beloved mail carriers and the worlds they connect. One of the fun parts is getting the loving cards in the magical post box on the corner. You can request a card for yourself or a loved one on our site, click here.

Heart Art Card

Should you be inspired to send cards of gratitude and love and heart in your communities throughout the year you will need crafting and art supplies, card stock, different materials and 'stuff' to create hearts. Set aside time and allow for your gratitude to lead the way with any idea that moves your artistic soul. Once you have completed a few cards you'll experience the grace of sending, giving and receiving love, bringing alive the idea of being a bit more loving today than you were yesterday.

In honor of all of our loved ones and my Mom and Dad, never forget you are never alone, you are safe and you are always loved. Always consider the opportunity to say 'I love you' with a card made by you with love in open hearted joy.

This February Loving Service project is part of Mel's Love Land's commitment to love in action. It is one of many art healing initiatives we encourage and participate in. It is one of the featured elements of Mel's Love Land, an original Documentary Series that asks the question WHAT IF All Our Thoughts Were Loving?

We hope you experience more love, more joy and all the ways we are interconnected in the space of the heart.

---

Melanie Lutz – Mel's Love Land

All Systems Love

Writer/Producer/Love Activist

LOOK FOR:

Original Documentary Series:

MELS LOVE LAND:

WHAT IF

All Our Thoughts

Were Loving?

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IG: @MelsLoveLand

Website: https://www.melsloveland.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/melsloveland