random acts of writing

What better way to celebrate the Divine Feminine than with a sweet, wild celebration of fresh foraged raspberries in a creamy ice cream?

Ever heard of The Butterfly Effect? According to Wikipedia, the butterfly effect is the part in chaos theory that holds there is a “sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large …

TL;DR Rosewood is a cherished essential oil under real threat from greedy traders and illegal poachers. Dr. Kelly Ablard is doing important, non-profit conservation work with indigenous people in Peru to help secure the future of Rosewood trees and the communities in their native habitat. …

In spring I placed posts and wrapped them in webbing though you looked dead I had vain hope that protected from nibbling lips you might die most quietly with at least some peace. A single leaf On a mangled branch last summer was gratitude enough …

  Welcome, sacred and soulful time. Embrace us, holy moment of temperance. Twist us, dark and light. Bury us wholly beneath shadow and soul. Tear us in two between what was and what will be. We are eager to atone. We are prepared to reconcile …

Welcome to the wee corner of the interweb where I share some of the magick, madness, musings, insights, recipes, and resources I stumble on and over as I re-member my way. I’m Kristina, The Untamed Alchemist. I’m a diarist, nature lover, creatrix, and storyteller with …

I’m a big fan of Stuff That Works. Stuff That Works is the stuff that we all do to make our lives easier, better, more lovely, less challenging. I enjoy lots of Stuff That Works: aromatic baths for stress, walks in nature to clear my …

Over the next few weeks, many gardens will be dotted with the emergence of the earliest spring blooms, most notably many perennial bulbs. On our farm in the Idaho panhandle, we can expect to see a number of flowers, from hyacinth and crocus to narcissus and daffodils, emerging with fresh …

Insight into titles and credentials in aromatherapy from Lora Cantele, author of The Complete Aromatherapy & Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness and editor/publisher of the International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapists (IJPHA), If you aren’t already subscribed to the IJPHA, I encourage you to …

The big, burning question I so often get is, “what brand of essential oils do you recommend?” The first part of my response to the question, focused on the question itself, can be found in part i of this series here. In this post you’ll find part ii of …

While I don’t use essential oils all day, every day, in ALL the things, I do use them often, in many ways, and in many things — I love essential oils. I also love hydrolats, essential waters, absolutes, CO² extracts, and carrier oils. (And herbs. …

Of all of the questions I’m asked as an aromatherapist, the question about “which brand” of essential oils I recommend is BY FAR the most commonly posed — it’s also one of the most problematic and troublesome questions to answer. It’s especially precarious to provide a …

So, this is me sitting in my house on a quiet Sunday morning. The sun is casting wide beams of warmth and light across my living room and my dogs are blissfully ensconced, each on a dog bed in their own respective beam, at various places on …

It’s dark by 4 PM and the paths are crisp and frozen. Seasonal creeks are still and the lake rests quietly at an edge deep from its summer banks. The garden sleeps like a bear, quietly holding seeds and promise for next year under a …

Sister moon, so bright and high Casting shadows here and nigh Swallowed swift in shadow burning Red with blood and boiling yearning. Fear of change and angst resurface Struggling blind to grasp my purpose Thrashing forth and back by years Standing still in age old fears. Mystic quiet …

There’s LOTS to love in the world of aromatherapy and herbalism. While I always have “favorites”, I find myself turning to new essential oils at different times depending upon both my mood and my clients’ needs, new books turn up that capture my attention and “old” …