: Rhythm / Devotion : is a series of interviews intended to illuminate the connection to ritual & rhythm in our daily lives. This series explores the intimacy of routine, the magic of the ordinary, & how these small acts of devotion set the stage for larger workings in the world ~
What is your name & where are you in the world?
My name is Sarah Borodzik - originally I am from western New York but presently in eastern Tennessee.
How do you define yourself?
Mother, writer, intuitive herbalist, supporter of life and earth based healing, a student, a lover and a floral magician.
Will you walk us through what a day in your life looks like? Begin with how you greet the morning & guide us until you close off the day in the eve ~
I wake with my youngest (age 2), open the blinds, set the kettle for coffee. Mornings are slow and often it is just us for a while so we move quietly. I generally feel most productive in the morning so if I have orders to fill, something I need to compose, or anything I want to get done- I will make my first attempts before 10 am.
Then I prepare an infusion for the day, make breakfast for the family, and let the morning unfold until around noon. Our lives are pretty fluid in that I do not have much of a schedule. Before quarantine I would also make my rounds to a shop or library or the post office before noon too. I love to cook and bake so most days have some form of preparation for that. My youngest naps between 12-2, my oldest gets her own free time within this window as well. My partner works from home but in his own space so he pops in here and there to give hugs or tell us we are being too loud.
When my youngest wakes we usually spend more time outside to explore. Both my girls thrive outdoors. Give them a body of water and hours pass by like a daydream. We always eat dinner as a family-a tradition I grew up with that means a lot to keep around. Even when it's a semi-stressful meal of someone just moving food around on their plate, and the other pouring her water over her dinner (and then not wanting it because its wet)--- even then, I am happy just to be together.
I feel like my real "free" time comes after my youngest is in bed. I can let my guard down, spend time with my other gal- one on one, which I know she misses. I send her off to sleep (aka reading in secret until midnight usually) and spend time alone or with my partner.
Before I turn in I will either treat myself to a hot bath, body oil, sometimes call a friend, have more tea, maybe a cup of wine, maybe watch something, maybe read or write. My days aren't often the same and it takes some active effort to maintain my routines, but I just try to find a fluidity that works for me and always practice the deeper practice of letting go.
You are a flower essence maker, herbalist, & a poet ~ how do you prepare yourself &/or your space to enter into these practices?
In no particular order: I use smoke medicine to cleanse a space or myself, prepare a clean open surface, set intentions, take a drop of an essence, stretch, tune out the common world to tune into my inner guide. I have a routine that came to me fairly randomly (mostly used when writing and wandering) in which I announce to myself that I release expectations and invite in the unknown to lead me and unveil.
What do you do/not do if you are feeling stuck around your work?
I let myself "not" do. Or in regards to writing if I am feeling uninspired, I will sometimes revisit old notebooks. Maybe its a little embarrassing but more often than not I see glimmers that remind me why this is part of my healing and greater offering.
If I'm making any essences or plant medicine and feel like I'm not in the right headspace, I simply won't. I believe that the energy of the moment is part of the medicine and I don't feel right forcing that.
Do you have a movement practice?
No strict practice but I sure love dancing hard in my living room with my girls. I "exercise" a few times a week-intentionally. Stretching, even if it is 10 minutes in the morning and night always help bring me back into my body.
What does structure mean to you, or what is your philosophy around ritual/routine?
Despite not having a ton of structure or routine in my life for a few years, I definitely do thrive with some form of that-at least when it comes to my creative practices. Windows of time I can rely on.
Ritual on the other hand is very important to me, and something I certainly notice when I've neglected. Tea time, prayer, moments alone for intentional breathing, setting my altar, placing gratitude, arranging flowers, smoke medicine, essences, etc.
For me what works is finding those mundane but beautiful moments that feel profound to me. I believe when we acknowledge the small actions that bring us pleasure/serenity, we are also celebrating this existence. In conjunction with the practice of letting go, the practice of holding on to what provides any sense of spiritual sustenance is what satisfies me most. Again, this can look different any day and I do not beat myself up when my rituals transform. It is all part of the same thing.
What are you listening to, reading, or watching these days?
I've been listening to a lot of FJ McMahon, and The Boswell Sisters lately. (Always Dylan and The Doors and Velvet Underground and Bright Eyes and the Dead on rotation too). Also happened to stumble upon Death Cab's, "Transatlanticism" album again recently and oooof...letting the feelings flood me I don't even mind.
Not reading anything currently. Re-read Franny and Zooey by Salinger a few weeks ago and was not disappointed. Okay also watching Jeopardy here and there.
Any last words of wisdom?
Hmm. It is April 4th as I write this. Many things we thought were concrete are crumbling. The world is changing. People are dying. And that is happening every day whether it directly affects us or not. If we are able to reframe our perspective, there is constantly so much goodness to acknowledge and be a part of. Your individual practices, your energy, your focus is all a part of the collective. Sometimes it can feel so isolated and helpless but there really is no way that we are not in this together. Consider these times as an invitation: go inward. If you are feeling fear, explore why. If you feel grounded, explore why. I believe that within this time of world wide shifting is a big opportunity to listen, tune into your guides, tune out of what hardens you. And above all, do not forget to celebrate your love and share it without apology.
How can we find your work?
My website is chicorykin.com. You can find me on Instagram @chicorykin, + on Facebook- same name, although I'm not very active there. You can always email me at chicorykin@gmail.com too.
Thank you so much, Sarah, for your beautiful work in this world & for sharing your rhythm devotion with us ~
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I connect the flower essence of Parsley (Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum) as a beautiful companion to Sarah Borodzik & her work in the world.
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I made a flower essence of Parsley on the Virgo new moon in September, 2019 in the Moon by Moon gardens. Parsley was a revered herb in ancient Greece, dedicated to Persephone. Persephone, the goddess who graces the earth with her fecundity in spring & summer, then returns to the underworld come fall & all the living world morns her absence by dying back then too.
I find that Parsley flower is so evocative of her presence, because it truly allows us to dip into unique ritual for ourselves, to traverse under & above our own horizon lines: below the furls of the subconscious, into the realm of dreams, imagery, & symbols, only to then be tossed up again, in a perfect spark of insight. Parsely flower lets us drop deeply, fully within so that we may explore what the darkness holds, but it also allows us up again with the same ease.
Organizing, nourishing, clarifying, full of graceful movement ~ this essence releases us from our own constrictions & restrictions — allows us to unclench our grip on that which we mentally or physically are holding onto — gritting our teeth against, expecting. Like the unraveling of thread, it directs us to relax into release, surrendering the need to please, unclasping tension with its gentle, precise light. Parsley reminds us of the cycles of life, it is a balancing point. It shows us the art of moderation.
Parsley teaches us about the fertile soil of the past & present, the spontaneous innocence of the moment, the space between doing & being. It imbues us with a healthy respect for the natural rhythms of all of life ~ it eases us into the ebbs & the flows, & the quiets in between.
This is truly an essence of abundance, one that reminds us how effortless it is to share & also to conserve; to empty & to be sustained all at once. Parsley wears a delicate, starry crown, raises it high to the heavens, yet remains so grounded, earthbound, demure... An essence that provides us with a beautiful gift: the magic of the mundane, earthly plane is what gives us an effortless connection to the vast & impossible firmaments of the skies above. ं
Find a bottle of Parsley essence for yourself or a loved one here ~
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