Spirituality & Health Magazine

Quite simply, it’s an herb that has been extracted into a liquid that serves as a form of herbal supplement. The dried or fresh herbs are combined with alcohol (or another liquid) and then allowed to soak (macerate) with daily stirring. Then the solid matter is removed, leaving only the extractives of the herbs mixed with the alcohol. This process is called extraction, hence the name, herbal extract. Alexis Durham, Director of Botanical Affairs, Herb Pharm explains it a bit further in layman’s terms. “Taking liquid extracts helps you feel deeply connected to nature and your health. Liquid extracts are very easily and swiftly absorbed by the body.” Fun Fact: The alcohol used in Herb Pharm products is the same ethanol produced by fermentation (like in wine and beer). It’s also an…

REWILD YOURSELF WITH HERBALIST VANESSA CHAKOUR Discover ways to remember your wild nature and learn the basics of wildcrafting in this interview between Rabbi Rami and herbalist Vanessa Chakour. spiritualityhealth.com/vanessa-chakour ENJOY A SUMMER SOLSTICE MEDITATION Tune into a guided meditation with Julie Peters to celebrate the summer solstice and honor the fruits of your labor. spiritualityhealth.com/summer-meditation EAT WITH THE SEASON, AYURVEDICALLY As summer approaches, explore five essential Ayurvedic herbs and spices to balance the heat of Pitta season. spiritualityhealth.com/ayurvedic-spices Check out what’s happening at SpiritualityHealth.com…

Fifteen years ago, when this magazine was turning 10 and I was turning 50, I set up a test of S+H “Total Aliveness!” as well as my own promise of immortality. What happened is that an unlikely series of events allowed my rowing partner and me to qualify for the 2008 Olympic trials, so we rowed our two-person shell to the starting line to race against current Olympians. My goal thaat day was to compare my middle-aged self to my much younger Olympic self. And for the first 30 strokes, I was 21 again—heading for Beijing! Over the next couple hundred strokes, however, I pretty much lost my vision, my hearing, and my ability to think beyond a veil of humiliation. Parts of me I didn’t know I had shrieked in…

The contrast in your assemblage pieces and collages is stunning—you often place nonchalant human subjects in vibrant, surrealist surroundings. How did you develop such a unique style? I have always been fascinated by dreams and surreal worlds evoked in books, films, and artwork from many different cultures and times in history. I think humans have always been drawn to the realm of the “implausible” because it is so easily glimpsed in our own “real” world. From microscopic views of cells to photographs of our solar system, these strange worlds are tangible and are not just to be found in dreams. How do you balance your artistic practice with your “everyday” life? Is there a line between the two? My “everyday” life IS my art practice! Now that my kids are all in school…

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My eight-year-old granddaughter came home from Bible School insisting God is a boy. “I’m a girl, Gramma, I don’t want a boy God.” “But He loves you,” I said. “See, Gramma, your God is a boy!” I don’t believe my God is “a boy.” How can I help her see God differently? RABBI RAMI: Let’s apply the duck test to your God: If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. If your God looks like a boy, is spoken of as a boy, and is prayed to as a boy, your God is probably a boy. If you want your granddaughter to “see” God differently, speak of God as Harachaman (“The Compassionate One” from rechem, the Hebrew word…