Warriors of the Heart

Dear Star Anise Organic family,

How’s my community doing in these challenging times? It’s pretty intense. Eight years ago I was going through one of the most intense times of my life. I made the heart breaking decision to leave my partner of 17 years (the father of my 2 children). I felt like I had let go of one trapeze bar but didn’t have the security of the next, free flowing in the void of no mans land having no idea what my life will look and feel like as a solo mama. My psychologist at the time handed me “The Parable of the Trapeze” to read and it helped me enormously to understand that the space or void between the 2 worlds where we sometimes find ourselves in (whether it’s between jobs, relationships, countries, or careers) is actually where the greatest opportunity for growth is. I re-read it last night and paused to consider that the excerpt applies just as much to the human collective as it does to the individual. Humanity is indeed in the in-between transitionary space- gripped with uncertainty, fear and confusion. We are leaving behind the old world with its broken systems and now have the opportunity (or at least the invitation) to co-create a brand new one. The way to cope in the transitionary void is to TRUST that we will be divinely held and divinely supported by the universe.  I hope you too find some solace in The Parable of the Trapeze…

Sometimes, I feel that my life is a series of trapeze swings. I’m either hanging on to a trapeze bar swinging along or, for a few moments, I’m hurdling across space between the trapeze bars.

Mostly, I spend my time hanging on for dear life to the trapeze bar of the moment. It carries me along a certain steady rate of swing and I have the feeling that I’m in control. I know most of the right questions, and even some of the right answers. But once in a while, as I’m merrily, or not so merrily, swinging along, I look ahead of me into the distance, and what do I see?

I see another trapeze bar looking at me. It’s empty. And I know, in that place in me that knows, that this new bar has my name on it. It is my next step, my growth, my aliveness coming to get me. In my heart of hearts, I know that for me to grow, I must release my grip on the present well-known bar to move to the new one.

Each time it happens, I hope—no, I pray—that I won’t have to grab the new one. But in my knowing place, I know that I must totally release my grasp on my old bar, and for some moments in time I must hurtle across space before I can grab the new bar. Each time I do this I am filled with terror. It doesn’t matter that in all my previous hurdles I have always made it.

Each time I am afraid I will miss, that I will be crushed on unseen rocks in the bottomless basin between the bars. But I do it anyway. I must. Perhaps this is the essence of what the mystics call faith. No guarantees, no net, no insurance, but we do it anyway because hanging on to that old bar is no longer an option. And so, for what seems to be an eternity but actually lasts a microsecond. I soar across the dark void called “the past is over; the future is not yet here.” It’s called a transition. I have come to believe that it is the only place that real change occurs.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the transition zone is the only real thing, and the bars are the illusions we dream up to not notice the void. Yes, with all the fear that can accompany transitions, they are still the most vibrant, growth-filled, passionate moments in our lives. And so transformation of fear may have nothing to do with making fear go away, but rather with giving ourselves permission to “hang out” in the transition zone — between the trapeze bars — allowing ourselves to dwell in the only place where change really happens.

It can be terrifying. It can also be enlightening. Hurdling through the void, we just may learn to fly.

Excerpted from Warriors of the Heart by Danaan Perry.

How to keep your mattress mould free!

Mould. Argh! It seems to rear its ugly head from time to time in my home especially the master bedroom due to the humid weather in Sydney and the fact that my bedroom is sub-terrain on a sloping block attracting moisture and rising damp. 

We went to flip my mattress a couple of weeks ago (a really good practice to get into which I have been guilty of not doing anywhere near enough) and to my horror the underside was covered in black mould. (Flash to an image of my head exploding off my shoulders). This is AFTER all of the extensive work I have done over the past 5 years to arrest mould in my master bedroom. Obviously I was not doing enough. 

By way of background…I experienced extensive mould incident in my home in 2016 which left me and (to a lesser extent) my kids sick for months on end with respiratory issues and brain fog. I then wrote an extensive blog on mould which viral around the globe. I then blogged about how to keep your wardrobe mould free and then teamed up with one of Australia’s leading building biologists to put together a 4 step mould protocol which revolves around Young Living Thieves products and the work of Dr Ed Close. To access or discuss this protocol if you are not yet a YL member in my community, please fill out the contact form on the essential oils page of my website and someone in my team will be in touch. In terms of detoxifying mould from your body refer to this blog.

Ok now that the background is out of the way let’s get back to my mouldy mattress. Despite doing all of the things listed in my blogs above you can image that I was somewhat peeved when mould presented on the underside of my mattress. Before you tackle the treatment of mould, you want to get to THE CAUSE of it (as per my mould protocol) otherwise it will keep on re-occurring. The cause, is a nutshell, was lack of ventilation under the bed in a humid and damp environment. The bed is very low to the ground (trapping stagnant air), we were diffusing oils in the bedroom for about 3 hours a night which adds moisture to an otherwise humid environment, and failed to flip the mattress more than once a year (due to sheer laziness and the fact that it’s king size and bloody heavy). Yep, recipe for mould. There is no other mould in the bedroom - just under the mattress - so it looks like it was this one area I was neglecting.  

So this is what we did about it:

1. Restore or discard the mattress: As per the Mould Protocol I co-wrote, soft furnishings including mattress typically need to be discarded when they become mouldy: “For porous surfaces (e.g. plaster board, textiles, soft furnishings, books), safest to discard.” Our mattress is the Cloud 9 from The Natural Bedding Company (I’m not an affiliate or get any kick backs - I just love their organic mattresses and love supporting local businesses). When I called them to confirm that I have to throw the mattress out and get a new one, to my delight they told us to send them some photos of the mattress to see if they can restore it by removing the mouldy layers and replacing them. The Natural Bedding Company make their mattresses in such a way that they are layered so that when the top couple of layers are affected they can simply replace those layers without discarding the whole mattress. And that’s exactly what they did. They were able to restore it at a fraction of the cost of buying a brand new mattress. Yay! Keep this in mind when purchasing new mattresses!!

2. Stop using a diffuser in a moisture-prone room or buy a waterless diffuser: It’s not wise to use an essential oil diffuser in a room that contains mould or has poor ventilation as it will simply add moisture to the room. You can get the benefits of the essential oils in other ways like applying them topically to your body before bed and/or applying a couple drops on your pillow. Young Living does sell a moisture-less diffuser called the Aromalux that does not diffuse any moisture into the air (only the essential oil neat) made specifically for rooms that are prone to mould or lack ventilation. I am going to buy one of those for my bedroom.

3. Purchase a couple damp chaser rods for under the bed: I quickly got my trusted Sydney-based building biologist, Jo Lia, to come over to investigate the damage and she suggested to buy a couple of damp chaser rods to stick under the bed. These emit warm air (and warm air rises) so the idea is that they are creating air flow under the bed through the movement of air of different temperatures. These are typically used in small storage places for the maintenance of antique furniture but Jo had the genius idea of popping them under the bed. These run on electricity so plug them into the power point near the bed and leave them turned on all day and then turn them off from the powerpoint at night when going to bed. I purchased online from here.

4. Flip the mattress regularly: a very painstaking, laborious and boring task but oh so necessary because you can investigate any potential moisture and mould growth on the underside of the mattress and give the underside an opportunity to aerate. How frequently you should flip your mattress really depends on your room but for my bedroom we decided monthly. Flipping (and ideally rotating) the mattress is better for the mattress and better for your back too.

5. Give the mattress a bicarb and Thieves oil sprinkle then vacuum: after flipping the mattress and before making the bed, sprinkle the mattress with bicarb of soda and approx. 10 drop of Young Living Thieves oil (you can make up a pre-mix in a container or apply separately). Allow the mixture to sit on mattress for a couple hours or longer before vaccuming. Bicarb absorbs moisture and Thieves creates an environment hostile to the growth of mould. If you can also stick the mattress outside in the full sun for a couple hours, then extra bonus points to you. (If you don’t have Thieves in your life please don’t order it from the YL website – instead contact me and I will explain the most economical way of ordering it and set you up with a wholesale account for you and give you access to our online member resources, personalised support and community educational events).

I hope you find these 5 suggestions helpful and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions around mould. 

Love Soulla

PS Are you in the market for a new mattress? 

If anyone is in the market of buying a mattress (or any product over $500 from The Natural Bedding Company) and would like a $50 gift voucher off your purchase all you need to do is email me your name and mobile phone number. The condition is that you join our low tox community by purchasing a Young Living starter bundle as a wholesale customer which we organise for you on the YL website  so that you fall within our community and get access to all of our incredible online member resources, personalised support and community educational events. First in first served!!!

Making the best of a lockdown sh#tshow: my 8 tips for surviving and thriving in difficult times

There is no doubt that the past year and half has been difficult on most people - physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially.  Rates of suicide, mental health issues and physical health issues have soared. This is more so in lockdown where physical freedoms are restricted and parents also don the “teacher” hat (if being the cook, cleaner, laundromat and taxi service ain’t enough). 

I have always advocated that the best form of health care is self-care. To make the best of a lockdown sh#tshow we can take the opportunity to really ‘clean up our backyard’ – by that I mean to really laser focus on our health and well-being and do all of the things that we’ve been meaning to do for our and our family’s health….but keep putting off. Now is the time, is it not?!

---

Here are my top 8 lockdown health and wellness priorities:

---

1. LEARN TO COOK NUTRIENT-DENSE STAPLE MEALS

Learning how to shop for and prepare nourishing meals is one of the most important gifts that you can give to yourself and your family. Slow cook casseroles, bone broth, organ meats, wild seafood, vegetables featuring a rainbow of colours, and eggs are all what I call non-negotiable staples that fortify us with all of the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fats needed to build strong immunity and resilience and to function optimally. 

My Food as Medicine digital package (co-presented with Australia’s preeminent holistic dietician and gut health expert Marieke Rodenstein) is designed to set you up for life with all of the information and resources you need understand the fundamentals of robust nutrition. It will also equip you with the practical tools on how to make nourishing meals and nutrient-dense desserts very quickly, easily and simply.  The package includes:

• 5 hours of talks on the fundamentals of robust nutrition, gut health and creating a healthy home

• Lifetime access to 5 online cooking workshops consisting of a video and a workshop booklet:

  • bone broth

  • slow cooks

  • organ meats

  • gluten-free baked cakes

  • chocolate and other chocolate desserts

• A 60 page ‘How To’ manual that sets you up for life with everything from meal formulas, recommended practitioners, where to shop, the due diligence questions to ask when buying food, how to properly prepare certain ingredients to minimise anti nutrients, clean eats, staple ingredients to always have in your kitchen, dealing with fussy easters, extensive healthy swap table, sugar cravings, and loads more.

2. BUY A WATER FILTER

Along with nutrient dense food, this is a non-negotiable for me. Tap water contains chlorine (which kills beneficial bacteria), fluoride (a known carcinogen) and heavy metals. These are all removed with a reversed osmosis (RO) water filter which I believe is the highest level of water filtration in Australia. Whether you’re renting or owing your house, I recommend purchasing a RO filter with alkalizer from The Water Shop and then take it with you house to house. Call them on on 02 9458 1111 and mention my name for 20% discount. It’s worth the one-off investment for your health and your kids’ health.

If you want a whole of house filtration system, (which I subsequently put on) contact Craig from Complete Home Filtration on 0413 484 469. They also do RO system for the kitchen along with filtration system for the whole house. Filtered water makes a difference to hair and skin when showering and bathing along with the fact that my son relishes that he can now drink from every tap in the house without me berating him!

---

3. START A MOVEMENT REGIME

Thank goodness we can still exercise to our hearts content and can still do so with another person. Get yourself into a little routine. Movement is essential for emotional and physical health and a great way to diffuse pent up/stored energy and frustration. I really notice the difference in my kids when they have and haven’t been exercising. 

Some of my favourites are:

• Walking in nature

• Walking (or running) uphill or up stairs (resistance provides more bang for your buck)

• Foam rolling and facia release (akin to self massage to iron out knots / tight spots)

• Yoga and stretching

• Dancing

The above are all free! Yay!

4. DITCH THE BLUE LIGHTS AT NIGHT

Ordinary light bulbs and screens emit blue light which signals to your body that it’s daylight which suppresses melatonin production, adversely effecting your circadian rhythm making it more difficult to fall asleep. When the sun goes down…

• Instead of turning on blue lights (from your conventional lights), turn on amber lights which you can purchase from www.blockbluelight.com.au (use the code StarAnise at checkout for 5% discount). They make light bulbs, reading lights, and book lights (all without blue light), with the added benefit that you create a beautiful amber sanctuary for at home. This has made a massive difference to my nervous system.

• Wear blue blocking glasses from www.ezekiel-ion.com at night and anytime you are in front of screens. These are the most effective blue blocking glasses on the market according to my research (I’ve tried them all!) because they protect against blue light, AND UV light, AND EMF radiation, AND they also release beneficial negative ions and far infrared which are known to boost our immune system and promote healing. There are no other glasses like this on the market. Use the code staranise25 at checkout for USD25 discount.

5. LOWER YOUR EMF LOAD - ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT

Our nervous system is bombarded all day and night long with radiation in the form of electro magnetic frequencies (EMFs). While it is virtually impossible to escape EMFs in the modern world, we can reduce them in the only environment we can control - our home - to give our nervous system a break. Get into the habit of:

• Switching your mobile phone to airplane mode before you sleep (your alarm will still sound if phone is on airplane mode) or if it is in your pocket at any time during the day (I tell my kids we don’t need more wonky sperms or infertility issues in the world).

• Get rid of baby monitors, cordless phones and electric clock radios as these emit the most EMR. Use a battery operated alarm for the kids (Mitre 10 sell them).

• Turn off the wifi from the modem before bed and only turn it back on when you need to use it.

• Use your mobile phone on speaker mode so that it is not pressed against your head.

---

6. KICK THE TOXIC CHEMICALS IN YOUR HOME

Conventional personal care products and cleaning products contain a slew of harsh chemicals (including PEGS, SLS and other foaming agents, synthetic fragrances, synthetic colours, phthalates, aluminum, triclosan and other antibacterials, and oxybenzone). I call these everyday chemicals because we find them in personal care products and cleaning products that we use everyday such as shampoo, conditioner, dishwashing liquids, laundry liquids, make up, body wash, and body lotions. These chemicals are more concern than dietary toxins because our skin and lungs have no digestive filter to keep the toxins out. 

These fall into one or more buckets:

• Endocrine disruptors (i.e. they mess up our hormones including destroying our fertility!!)

• Carcinogens (known to cause cancer)

• Neurotoxins (adversely affect the brain)

• Allergens (coughing, wheezing, sneezing, headaches, migraines, asthma, skin rashes)

For the sake of your health, your family’s health and the planet’s health, healthy swap to all natural, non-toxic, super powerful, eco friendly versions. There are numerous brands on the market that meet these criteria but my brand of choice is Young Living because not only do YL products meet the above criteria after going through the ingredients with a building biologist, but the magic of YL is that it is ALSO a comprehensive one stop online shop (I do not want to race around to multiple shops and websites. What a sheer relief to be able to streamline the purchasing to just one place for ease, simplicity and convenience).

YL products are infused with the powerful YL oils and are so incredibly concentrated that they work out to be extremely cost effective e.g. $1.60 for my all purpose household cleaner, $16 for my shampoo, $5.50 for a pump of hand soap and $9 for dishwashing liquid. 

You need an online wholesale account to purchase YL products. If you don’t have a Young Living wholesale account please do email me as you need an existing account holder to connect you to create a wholesale account for you online.  Do not buy direct from the YL website as you won’t then get the benefit of our exclusive and extensive online member resources, personalised support and community educational talks.  My team will help you to healthy swap one product at a time in a positive and empowering way at your pace without the overwhelm. 

Lockdown is a great time to do a thorough dusting and spring cleaning using the YL Thieves Household Cleaner which cleans ALL hard surfaces in your home and kills mould and other biotoxins). One cleaner for everything. Game changing! Dust feeds mould so a thorough dusting of all of the tops of paintings and hard to reach surfaces is a worthwhile task. Read more on dust feeding mould in one of my recent IG post. 

---

7. LEARN TO MANAGE STRESS

These are indeed stressful times. However, stress isn’t the external event but the way we RESPOND to the event. Learning how to respond to external events with more ease and grace is essential to surviving and thriving in this world. 

What we say to ourselves ultimately becomes our reality because we give it energy. So be mindful of your self-talk! Learn to get into the habit of swapping out negative fear-driven thoughts with positive ones. Here are my go-to 10 Mantras for a More Peaceful Life. 

Another practice is to swap out negative thoughts with gratitude. Remind yourself of all of the things that you still have and are grateful for instead of focusing on all of the things we no longer have /can do.   

---

8. GET OUT INTO NATURE AND BRING NATURE INTO YOUR HOME

Get outside into nature daily. Spending time in nature lowers cortisol levels. Make a habit of eating lunch outdoors if its not too cold or rainy. If you exercise outdoors you knock over #3 above and #8 in one fell swoop. 

Image by https://www.gabrielaherman.com/

Take this opportunity to create a beautiful home sanctuary - a place that you ADORE spending time in. Plants transform a home – adding so much life and greenery to calm the nervous system. My favourite indoor planets are:

• Boston ferns (which absorb moisture)

• Peace lillies (which siphon off VOCs)

• Sansevieria aka mother in law’s tongue (which is a potent oxygen producer at night)

• Spider plants

• Areca palms

Diffusing therapeutic grade Young Living essential oils in a diffuser adds such a beautiful energy and spirit into your home. I now have a diffuser in every room and they pretty much are on 24/7. Research shows that inhaling essential oils alone is of massive benefit to humans:

• They boost your immune system (reaching the brain and other internal organs within 3 seconds of inhalation!) which is super important in winter when more pathogens are around.

• The provide greater clarity of thought, concentration and memory recall (which is why I have diffusers where the kids are studying and where I’m working).

• They lower our stress hormones (by reducing salivary cortisol levels and pulse rate).

Some of my favourite oils to diffuse, wear as perfumes and to support emotions and sleep during lockdown include: YL Stress Away, Peace & Calming, Bergamot, Lavender, Frankincense, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Present Time, White Angelica, Angelica and Gentle Baby…. to name a few YL oils that are getting quite a workout!

Not all essential oils are created equal (they really do span the spectrum). YL are the world leaders in the essential oils movement and produce the highest quality oils on the planet according to my research (I’ve used all leading brands and nothing comes remotely close to YL’s potency and purity secured by their Seed to Seed policy). If you don’t have Young Living oils in your life please do email me as you need an existing account holder to connect you and create a wholesale account for you online.  Do not buy them direct from the YL website as you wont then get the benefit of our exclusive and extensive online member resources, personalised support and community educational talks.

If you are repainting walls, use a non-toxic / non VOC paint brand such as EColour.

---

You might also like to read these beautiful and poignant words of wisdom by White Eagle, Hopi indigenous, Native American tribe. 

Sending you all so much love, light and strength during lockdown. 

Stay Strong!!

Soulla xxx