“TEA & Honey”
From
The Honeycomb Network
January 2022: Abre Camino
On the eve of New Years eve 2021, I sit with friends at The Honeycomb after closing hours. We sip Blue Lotus tea and contemplate the year ahead. We are in the eye of another COVID outbreak and one friend says, “it seems like everyone is sick.” All of us know someone who is currently battling the newest evolved monster that has arrived just in time to ruin our holidays and hope. We laugh at the absurdity of our reality and try to figure out what happened, “we got too lax.” “we got too excited.” “We stopped wearing masks,” as we adjust our designer muzzles over our mouths and recall the last couple of new years past. How our resiliency fueled our hope in overcoming and surviving another year in a pandemic. At this point though, the word and work has lost a bit of its spark. Truthfully, everyone is tired.
“I’m not even gonna make big plans right now. I feel like I need to enter into this new year carefully. Like, knock at the door and take off my shoes.” one friend states. We all agree. This year we are walking in a bit more humbled, a bit more cautious. Less presumptuous, less full speed ahead. Instead, we decide we want to flow into the opening.
“Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished” - Lao Tzu
Abre Camino:
In “Plant Witchery” author and bruja Juliet Diaz lists plant wisdom for over 200 plants. Her first highlight is “Abre Camino” which translates from Spanish to “road opener.” This plant is known for its unblocking, clearing and road opening properties. She states, “abre camino clears obstacles, providing an “open road” for you to pursue your goals and dreams. Whatever has been blocking you, whether it comes from inside you or from outside forces, she will remove that block…”
This is the energy I want to enter into this new year with. It is this plant that is the theme of The Honeycomb’s January 2022 month.
Love & Limpias: A baño to clear the path
For the past week, I have been creating a special baño for this opening year. I worked with all of the above organic, sustainably sourced plants and herbs.
Heavy Hittas: Abre Camino (literally means open roads, it clears the path and its medicine has been used for generations in the Caribbean diaspora) Quita maldicion (removes any negative energy or blocks) Rompe Saraguey - used dry and FRESH (breaks any negative curses or evil eye sent your way)
Allies: Holy Basil, Rosemary (Protection), Chamomile (Healing the path) and other organic herbs, various salts, clear quartz crystals, fire, blessed oils and other elements. This bath was charged, sang, danced and prayed over and the herbs and spirits were given offerings. It was placed in the dark and light of the new moon to cleanse and the path to be opened, protected and blessed.
While I am not going to dare utter the term “new year, new me” I will say, “new year, all clear”
There are only a select number of abre camino baños available, they will be fully charged 16 oz jars ready to pick up by January 5th, 2022. They will come with instructions on how to use and how to dispose of the herbs afterwards. This herbal blend can be used for the body and/or the home as a floor wash. Each jar will come with a tea light candle, a small sage bundle (in honor/ebbo of Obatala/Oshanla - who is named the governing deities of this year: Letra del Año) and 3 bay leaves to write your own personal petition.
Excerpt from “Plant Witchery” by Juliet Diaz
In addition, to go along with the first theme of the first month of 2022. We will be offering a few ways to “abre camino”.
Stay tuned for the following virtual offerings coming up this month, (members will get early access to register):
Recap & Reimagine Goal & Intention journaling (Free offering) 1/8/22 (eight is a special number)
New Year Blessed Manifestation Jar with Melissa Duprey 1/9/22
+ FUTURE OFFERINGS (DATES TBD)
Abre Camino writing workshop
Sacred smoke blend workshop
Body movement & meditation classes
*Stay tuned for these upcoming offerings by following our instagram or subscribing for our updates.
FREE VIRTUAL OFFERING: “Recap & Reimagine” Goal & Intention WORKSHOP + GOALS & INTENTIONS WORKBOOK:
Join us in carving out time to reflect on the lessons and blessings we are stepping out of and write out goals and intentions for the new year in various areas of our lives. Even if you have already begun this process, it is auspicious to continue writing the pathways to what you are calling into this year. Our intentions are living breathing extensions of our soul purpose and cultivating the space to hone in is integral to sustaining and thriving on the road before us.
Creating opportunities to speak in a collective setting increases its potency and allows the accountability and reflection we need.
The workbook that will be used for our “recap and reimagine” goal and intention setting workshop is from Erika Cramer aka The Queen of Confidence Coach, a Puerto Rican life and business coach out of Melbourne Australia. You can connect with Erika’s website here. The workbook is downloadable and free.
The Recap & Reimagine workshop is also free and will take place on January 8th, 2022, 10:10am -12:12 pm (CST). you can register here:
Or you can utilize the workbook on your own instead:
And finally, the plant ally that I am crushing on this month and utilizing in various ways is Blue Lotus Flower.
This special plant magic “opens the road" of our third eye to assist in our visioning the year ahead in addition to a ton of other amazing properties to ease anxiety, depression, insomnia and cultivate balance, it can be used as a tea or mixed in your smoke blends. Be on the look out for our own special formulas created with Blue Lotus all month!
*As always, please consult with your doctor if you are pregnant, nursing and/or on any medications.
You can purchase .5 oz in our apothecary/botanica in person at the shop or online here:
As we begin to stretch into this new cycle, the intent is to offer tools that expand and open not only our energetic fields, but our minds and bodies to receive all that we have been preparing for, all that we have been working towards, and all that we deserve. May the roads be cleared and blessed, may our knocks be answered.
With love & honey,
~Denise Ruiz
Founder/Queen Bee, The Honeycomb Network
It me. <3