The Science of Magical Plants

My feature "The Science of Magical Plants" has been recently published in the March 2013 issue of the Australian magazine The Art of Healing. I have only finally gotten my hands on a copy of the magazine and I am super excited with everything -- the photos and illustrations are fantastic, and the layout of the words itself is clean and elegant. 

In this article I looked at plants, such as foxglove and mandrake, which have gained notoriety over the generations for their use in magical practices. Much of the lore regarding the plants went back to Biblical times, straight through to the medieval periods and late 19th century. Not only did I go into some detail of their general history and folklore, but I looked at what these plants are used for today. Many magical plants are being widely used in medical oncology, surgery, and as medications for cardiovascular problems. 

What I noticed about the plants in this article was that each of them had a dual nature. Each plant was both a poison and a medicine. Both healer and killer. Perhaps it is this twilight area of plant medicine where drama, fear and mystery sows the seeds for folklore and legend to grow from. 

This was the most fun I had writing an article in a really long time. The topic was something I felt passionately about and I savored the long hours of research required for it. After a long year of ghost writing, this project was indeed a welcome change.

Does Creativity Lead to Better Health?

"It doesn’t matter if you are painting, writing poetry, journaling, sketching, or making pottery — the simple and timeless act of creating something out of nothing, and operating from that quiet and primordial place within you, initiates changes within your body." - Joel Le Blanc

The TLC International Art School in Wellington, New Zealand has recently published a feature article of mine detailing the links between creativity and health, and the scientific research that proves the link. I studied at TLC several years ago during a very difficult time in both my personal life and in my health, so it somehow feels that I have come full circle to have published this article for them in particular.

This is a very exciting time for me in my professional life and I just hope that this article, and future articles to come in this area, may help some people in their journey. 

Interesting Links and Articles

A beautiful photo someone recently shared with me. 

I share a lot of news articles and interesting links to my friends and family on FB, and recently it occurred to me that people who visit this blog might find these articles interesting, too. So here they are!

Interesting links for the day....


YouTube Trailer: Snow White and the Huntsman 

Buzzfeed: 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011

TIME: Why Creative Types May Be More Likely to Cheat

Current Issues In Creativity Research: Facilitating Creative Thinking in the Art Room

Stuff.co.nz: Old people's stories more boring - study

Advocate: Possibly the Most Beautiful Ad for Marriage Equality We’ve Seen

The Ecologist: Monsanto, Bayer and Dow face trial for 'systematic human rights abuses'

Gizmodo: Condoms With Teeth Fight Rape in South Africa

Today I'm hard at work reading, editing and writing articles for work. But, that doesn't mean I haven't had time to go out and smell the roses. A long walk in the park beneath the shade of chestnuts and oaks always helps to clear my head and re-invigorate me for another day at work. That, and the take-a-way coffee I grab on the way out. ;-)

Get Ready, Get Set, Go! The 2011 NaNoWriMo Begins

It's that magical time of year again.

Yes, that time.

The time when writers, their faces full of palour and want, can go forth and let their imaginations frolic in the warm sun.

When would-be novelists, can become real novelists!

When daises sing and unicorns...

Oh never-mind.

It's NaNoWriMo! National Novel Writing Month -- when writers from all around the world converge in the ethers of cyberspace to join in the frivolity and festivity that is known as novel writing. For 30 days and 30 nights we write, and write, and write, with the hopes of gallantly reaching that finishing line carrying a hefty 50k-word novel in our pockets.

Will we succeed? Maybe. Will our respective spouses and pets leave us forever out of festering bitterness over being ignored for an entire month? Probably. Will we have fun? You bet.

It's Day One of the challenge and the excitement is palpable... and if you have only just heard about it, well, it's not too late! If you have a novel you have been dreaming to write one day, or have one stored away, awaiting a dust-off, the time is now.

Because if now is not the time, when will be? 

Demand Studios Cuts Thousands of Articles

"You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." - Rabindranath Tagore

Freelancers and business owners all know the risk of relying too long and too heavily on one big clients, and writers around the world -- myself included -- are now feeling the heat for this poor business strategy.

Demand Studios, for whom I do a great deal of writing work, has recently began restructuring their business so that they have fewer articles published to their clients (content sites like eHow and Livestrong) and the assignments that remain are better quality. While low-quality articles that clog up the net are definitely a problem, this restructuring has come on suddenly, unexpectedly (at least to me and hundreds of others), and has left many, many writers almost completely out of work. There are not enough assignments to go around for the first time in years, and the list of available articles to write has dropped by +20,000.

As writers, we are told not to fear. We are told,this is a temporary restructuring. That the articles available to us will be higher quality, easier to write, and increasingly frequent. We are told this is all normal and will improve working at Demand Studios overall. And then, we as writers sit and stare at our screens, and wait, and wait, and wait. 

Now, if we had taken ourselves, our businesses, and our livelihoods more seriously, we would not have put all our eggs in one baskets, as this timely article that arrived in my inbox the other day describes: Make More Baskets by Rob Garrett. 

For the moment, I am more or less surviving. In fact, I am taking this as an opportunity to broaden my horizons, find new clients, challenge myself in new areas and take my writing business more seriously. But thinking of all the people that relied on this giant company for their income till now, I feel deeply concerned --  and wonder why hardly any forewarning was given to the freelancers who make their company possible? 

Time will tell how this pans out for all of us involved. Talking to people, reading inspiring quotes, and in general staying positive is an important regimen for me during this transition, and I remind myself that not all changes are bad ones. 

Mushroom Poisoning and Potassium

Mushroom Poisoning & Potassium is my most recently published article for LIVESTRONG.com and I decided to share the link to the uploaded final article here on my blog. Its mushroom hunting season in much of the Northern Hemisphere at the moment, and according to newspapers, cases of mushroom poisonings are already rolling in. This was a super fun article to research, and hope everyone enjoys it! And don't let it scare you off -- wild mushrooms are wonderful, when selected safely. 

New Blog Design

There are exciting changes afoot. As you can see, I am working on a new design for The Rabbit Hill, in addition to extra pages and content. I have filled out an entire biography page for your surprise and delight, and will be working towards compiling a useful list of cool links for writers.

When I am supposed to be studying for exams, this is what I find myself doing. Perhaps it's that to get the studious juices flowing, I need to first extract the creative juices. Either way, I am loving what is turning out on this blog, and spending hours of my Saturday morning tweaking and perfecting the feel is so much fun.

One nice surprise this week was discovering that a web site called The Daily Puppy has re-published several of my short articles on dog health and nutrition, such as this one and this one. Another article I wrote last year on natural oils with SPF factors appears to now have its own facebook page too.

In another piece of personal news, a well known and very popular website has accepted a pitch for some article ideas I sent them, and currently I am waiting on the editor to get back to me on the first draft I have sent in. If it gets published, it will mean being able to access a much wider audience through my writing, which is fantastic! More on that as the story develops.



Stay tuned for more updates and creative splurges.