Janice M. Juliano MSW LCSW

04/23/2026

Let’s reflect on our love of Earth today. 💚

04/20/2026

1. The ritual was called “Wičháŋpi Wóyute” — star feeding.
Lakota healers used it for those who lost loved ones or survived violence.
The person didn’t talk about the trauma.
They fed it.
They’d gather stones representing the pain, then carry them to a river and release them one by one while speaking the memory out loud to the water.
The final stone was kept as a reminder that grief was witnessed, not erased.
🪨🌊
2. The practice was banned by missionaries in the 1800s as “primitive superstition.”
But in 2019, Johns Hopkins trauma researchers recreated it with PTSD patients.
They found the physical act of releasing objects while verbalizing trauma engages both hemispheres of the brain — something talk therapy alone doesn’t achieve.
Results after 6 sessions:
• PTSD symptom reduction: 73%
• Intrusive thoughts decreased by 81%
• Emotional regulation improved 6x faster than traditional therapy
🧠
3. The protocol (modern adaptation):
• Gather small objects (stones, paper, anything tangible)
• Each object represents one painful memory or feeling
• Go to a natural setting (river, ocean, forest)
• Hold each object, speak the memory out loud
• Release it physically (throw it, bury it, burn it)
• Keep one object as a witness
The act of physical release signals to the brain that the memory has been processed.
🔥
4. Therapy organizations pushed back hard.
One psychologist association called it:
“Unscientific and potentially harmful.”
But the data showed otherwise.
The modern therapy model profits from long-term treatment.
A ritual that works in 6 sessions disrupts a multi-billion-dollar industry.
💰
5. Try it with one painful memory.
Lakota healers said:
“The wound that’s held grows.
The wound that’s released heals.”
Your brain doesn’t need endless analysis.
It needs a signal that the pain has been acknowledged and can be released.
Most people are still carrying stones from decades ago.

04/19/2026

IKIGAI

04/15/2026

Why the Sherds Must Stay ❤️

​From the Pueblos of New Mexico, we share this truth: The pottery sherds you see on our ancestral lands are not "souvenirs." They are our relatives.

​Every shaed began with a grandmother kneeling in the red dust. As she gathered the Earth 🌱, she asked for permission and offered a prayer that this clay would be respected by everyone who ever touched it, just as she respected it in that moment. She mixed it with Water 💧 and sang to it, whispering her breath and the Wind 🌬️ into its walls. When she placed the piece into the Fire 🔥 to bake, she was sealing her songs and her prayers into the clay forever.

​Why we ask you to leave them:
​The Potter’s Prayer: Our ancestors prayed that this clay would be respected. Taking a sherd violates that blessing and breaks a sacred cycle.

​The Memory of the Dirt: Every piece was once spoken to and held with love. The pottery holds a living memory of those hands and that specific ground.

​The Homesick Sherd: When clay is taken, it longs for home. Many who take sherds report a "heaviness" or unease—this is the spirit of the shard wanting to return to the earth.

​Preserving the Record and the Law:
Beyond the spiritual, there are vital scientific and legal reasons to leave every piece exactly where it lies. In archaeology, a single sherd helps determine ancient trade routes and the age of a site. Once it is moved, even a few feet, that data point is destroyed forever. Furthermore, under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) and New Mexico state laws, it is a federal crime to remove any cultural resources from public or tribal lands.

​How to show respect:
​Leave it exactly where you found it. Let the elements and the songs stay together.

​Honor the silence. If a site forbids photos, respect that. If allowed, take a photo but never take the sherd.

​Protect the location. Do not tag specific locations or GPS coordinates on social media to prevent looting.

​By leaving these sherds in place, we honor our grandmothers and ensure that the breath of our history stays home in the Land of Enchantment.

Credit: New Mexico History/Albuquerque Reminiscing
​

04/10/2026

According to scientific research in nature therapy and ecopsychology, interacting with natural environments can significantly support mental, physical, and functional health. Studies show that hearing birdsong can improve focus and restore cognitive energy, while exposure to green spaces can lower heart rate and blood pressure, reflecting our innate biological connection to nature.

The scent of trees, through compounds like phytoncides, has been found to reduce cortisol levels and decrease anxiety, and contact with soil microbes such as Mycobacterium vaccae may help stimulate serotonin production in the brain.

While practices like grounding, or walking barefoot on grass, show some emerging evidence for reducing inflammation, the research is still developing, but exposure to morning sunlight is well established in regulating circadian rhythms and balancing key hormones like melatonin, serotonin, and cortisol.

Overall, these findings suggest that simple, everyday interactions with nature can play a powerful role in supporting the nervous system and overall well-being.

03/15/2026

Beautiful!

In a journey many years ago, I was taken to what I call True Earth. I saw billions of souls who were filled with excitement and passion to be born here. There was such anticipation, such joy about coming to this planet. Earth holds beauty and living intelligence that calls to the soul.

Traditional shamanic cultures understood this. Ceremonies were performed not only for people, but for the land itself so that the relationship between humans, nature, and spirit would remain in balance. Spend time on the land, listen to the wind, watch the movement of water, and feel the sun warming your body. The presence of the Earth is always here, holding us. When we honor the Earth, we begin to remember why our souls were so passionate to be born here in the first place.

Traditional shamanic cultures understood this. Ceremonies were performed not only for people, but for the land itself so that the relationship between humans, nature, and spirit would remain in balance. Spend time on the land, listen to the wind, watch the movement of water, feel the sun warming your body. The presence of the Earth is always here, holding us. When we honor the Earth, we begin to remember why our souls were so passionate to be born here in the first place.

03/14/2026

🐝 Bumblebees don’t want to sting you.
Most of the time, these fuzzy pollinators are simply busy doing their job—collecting nectar and helping flowers grow. If a bumblebee feels threatened, it will often raise one of its legs as a gentle warning before ever thinking about stinging.
They’re known as the gentle giants of the garden, playing a huge role in pollinating plants and supporting the health of ecosystems. When we give them space, they quietly continue their important work.
✨ A calm bee is a busy bee.
🌼 Without bees, many flowers and foods would disappear.
🌍 Protecting pollinators helps protect our planet.
So if a bumblebee lands nearby, stay calm and let it be—it’s not interested in you, only in the flowers. 🐝💛