The flower buds of Buddleja officinalis have been found to be anti inflammatory, anti oxident and anti microbial. The leaves of related Buddleja species have been shown to be antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral, and offer much potential as a topical antiseptic.
Use as a salve or tinclure. Not for use internally, it is from the same family as the foxglove.
Flower buds are harvested in spring and used fresh or dried, and the flowers can be dried or used fresh to distil as a fragrant hydrosol. This plant is ideal for an antiseptic poultice for insect bites and other skin complaints. The leaves can be pounded or shredded fresh for use as a poultice directly, or an oil or water infusion made to apply to the skin.
Burdock root’s diuretic properties may help cut fluid retention and support kidney and urinary function. It may stop issues like urinary tract infections and kidney stones. The root can be peeled and eaten like carrot, can be pickled or cooked. Can be consumed as a tea, tincuture, powder (in pills or smoothies) or homeopathically.
An intimate journey into the vastness and beauty within yourself.
Hosted in a gloriously peaceful and beautiful estate, this meditation retreat offers a safe, held space to explore the inner reaches of your awareness and energetics.
Your guide:
Monique Shefer has 40 years of meditation practice and
20 years teaching experience in a wide variety of meditations, both seated and moving.
If you have wondered how to take your awareness practice deeper?
If you feel like personal growth is an imperative for you?
If you can taste your own energetic potential but can’t quite find the door?
To RSVP or request more information please contact me through the website
Aug 10-11
10am -5pm
Euros 120
Price includes lunch and snacks both days.
The Practice
I teach a style of Vipassana that combines Tao / Vedantic validation work, somatic presencing, subtle sensory inquiry and inventory, and discernment in intuitive listening.
Together we will learn and practice a variety of seated and moving meditation styles, often discussing them in the context of personal experience, energetic context, philosophy and science.
These will offer a journey inward, into the beautiful and sometimes contradictory and cacophonous spaces in our bodies and minds.
I will guide you in the use of structured meditation tools for healing, releasing and integrating the many lessons that lie within.
As well as tools for settling and connecting, intending and creating.
This is an opportunity to find deep relaxation, to find more of yourself within, and to find the joy and lightness of being that is who you are.
I invite you to please join us on the journey into true self and spiritual community.
7-9pm Wednesday evenings.
Classes will be held in English
€5 per class for the first 3 months.
Your guide:
Monique Shefer has 40 years of meditation practice and
20 years teaching experience in a wide variety of meditations, both seated and moving.
The Practice:
I teach a style of Vipassana that combines Tao / Vedantic validation work, somatic presencing, subtle sensory inquiry and inventory and discernment in intuitive listening.
Please contact us to RSVP or request more information.
Taken internally as a tea or tincture, sweet bay is used to treat cancer and gas; stimulate bile flow; and cause sweating.
Tincture can be applied to the scalp for dandruff. Salve of the leaves can be applied topically for muscle and joint pain (rheumatism).
Anti fungal properties of the bay nut / fruit can be harnessed as a salve to treat boils (furuncles) caused by infected hair follicles, or by vets as an udder ointment.
Where to find it on the property:
Wild along the side of the stars that run between the south lawn and the pool, and
Anti parasitic, treatment of neurodegenerative conditions and cancer, (tincture of bark, leaf and fresh juice from unripe black walnut hulls); treatment of fungal and viral skin and nail infections, including ringworm, (topical salve of the juice from unripe black walnut hulls; as with all walnuts it affords cardio vascular health support. The juice of unripe hulls (the part outside the shell) can be taken as a fresh plant liquid extract, one to 10 drops, one to three times per day in a little water.
Where to find it on the property:
In the front park beside the drive way, and on the north side of the lower pond.
The leaves have been used to treat rheumatism, colds, and bronchitis, as well as to increase lactation in women. Infusions of the leaves have been used to induce sweating and urination. Borage has been used alone and in combination with fish oil for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, bone weakening. Its traditional use in the treatment of skin disorders has not been supported clinically, but is still in use. Borage seed oil and tea of the dried leaf used for improving the function of lungs, for support of premature infants and teatment of rhumateud arthritis.
We call our lower pond the Ponyo pond because it is home to two or more enormous and quite ancient carp. They have lived here longer than any other known resident of the Chateau and we respect their seniority and revel in their rare appearances. Very occasionally they actually jump clear out of the water for all to see. Other times they sunbath on the lowest submerged stone steps of the pond, and you can even pet them for a moment.
The pond is stone lined and situated on a fairly steep slope below a medieval (12th C) stone armagnac barn.
West view over the lower pond.
At its upper end the water surface is three or more meters below grade. And is reached by a lovely set of stone steps mentioned above.
At its lower end a stone ‘beach’ submerged at high water, would have provided access to cattle. This end is the dam, and is about 1.5m above the terrain immediately below it.
The pond is about 50m in length and 22m wide, and 4+m deep at its deep center. It is home to many uncounted hundreds of carp and small bass. (The Carp eat the bass before they get very big).
Historically it was used for a source of food, a source of high nitrogen irregation waters for plants, and a cattle trough.
It is fed by an underground spring, and a number of inbound pipes, some in very ancient stone, and others in modern plastics.
Some time ago, a former owner of the property, planted a beautiful swamp cypress on the dam. Of course in doing so they compromised the dam, and have produced a muddy mess below the pond. The pond itself remains full, but overflows to the west and seeps through the dam where the trees roots have perforated it.
We have chosen not to remove the cypress but instead to work with the results of its presence.
We have dug some swales and planted a willow garden in these marshy grounds. Creating a long elegant willow walk comprising 150 slender willows. Currently about 2m tall, we will wait another year or so, until they are tall enough to braid and for the two sides to be joined to form a pointed arched – creating a shady escape from the summer heat.
Enjoying the pondWillow walkOld stone water drainThe old wellThe medieval stone chai
We have also planted, and continue to plant other willows for coppicing. The idea is to generate branches for basketry, land art, living sculptures and woven fences.
Of course willows are also nitrogen fixers, as are poplars.. which also abound in this area of the grounds.
Taking advantage of that, and the nitrogen rich waters of the pond, we are planning future raised growing beds in this area also.
To further manage, collect, and direct the water towards the beds, we have designed a series of ponds and false streams for this area also. This will replace the long since abandoned stone ‘lock pipe overflow system’ with a new little sluice gate and run off ramp.
A modern trend in aquaponics has inspired us to create a number of floating islands on the pond. Some with water cleaning plants, and others with edible crops. This ads visual interest to the pond, cleans the water, feeds us, and provides the fish with another food source. For more information for how we have built these, see a separate post – soon to be published.
This would not be a complete picture of this beautiful little system, if I neglected to mention a very important output of this pond, we love this area and get a tremendous amount of joy from it. We have a little row boat for splashing about, relaxing (and performing necessary weeding on the interior walls). We have a delightful wooden bench for enjoying a quiet sit, and are planning to build a small deck on the remains of an old stone well at its south edge, for lazy lunches.
Every weekend through the spring, summer and autumn, you will find ‘vide grenier’, (literally empty your attic), brica-brack and antique markets in villages throughout the area.
Here is a list of vide grenier events local to the Chateau, (or at least within an hour).
There are more of them, but these are the ones on my personal calendar:
For a more complete list, take a look at some of these websites where the events are listed:
