The one in which Sarva Soaps loses a family member.

Hecate, 1993-2009

I like to keep it light here on Soap Leaves.  Here in my home we’ve had some very sad news, though, and I want to take up just a little bandwidth to offer a tribute to our kitty, Hecate, who passed away today, April 13, 2009.

I came into Hecate’s life fairly late, in 2003, when I met my partner J.   Hecate and Sara were his cats, and I had my dear Sammy, the love of my life.  While I took an instant liking to Sara (who is completely adorable), Hec was another story.  A very bright animal, Hecate was also a problem child.  J had acquired her from the local animal shelter at one year old, already showing signs of having a checkered past.  She had a damaged eye that wasn’t exactly photogenic, was a bit scruffy, and also had many, many behavioral problems.

Those of you who are parents and/or animal lovers will easily recognize the many lessons herein.

J had the patience of a saint in dealing with Hec’s many struggles… me, not so much.   However, as time passed, thanks to this wise old soul in a wonky, furry body, I learned firsthand what it really means to choose to love another, to forgive, to put another first, to show compassion… to remember that they’re just shoes anyway, even if they were your favorites… and, ultimately, that this life is so fleeting and fragile and it simply must be cherished above all else.

Hecate certainly lived up to her name.   Her very namesake was the Greek goddess who, unbeknownst to J or myself at the time, represents crossroads:  Change… releasing things which hinder us… exploring things which scare us… finding ourselves along the way.

Hecate had been ill for two arduous years, suffering with kidney failure, and we learned to overcome our own squeamishness as we gave her saline solution through a big, giant, scary needle in the scruff of her neck regularly.   In the last month, though, it became clear that she was declining rapidly, and in the past few days, it was obvious that her suffering was beyond what any creature should endure.

So, Hecate, thank you for your time with us… for the many lessons you taught us… the fun… the not so fun… thank you for choosing us.   We hope you’re free and happy, and we hope that we gave you at least a fraction of the love and care you deserved.   Safe travels, sweetheart.

What are you doing Saturday night?

Turn out.

Take action.

Be part of this historic event.

EARTH HOUR 2009

March 28, 2009, 8:30 – 9:30 p.m., your local time

World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

In December 2009 world leaders meet in Copenhagen to agree on a post-Kyoto policy for tackling climate change. One billion people voting with their light switch during Earth Hour will create a powerful mandate for our leaders to take strong and decisive action on climate change in Copenhagen.  With the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote, Vote Earth is a global call to action for every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet.

Will you vote for the Earth with your light switch? Sign up to participate in Earth Hour 2009… let your vote be counted!

I participated in Earth Hour 2008.  It was a wonderful experience! We went above and beyond… we powered down everything in our home – not only our lights,  but also radio, TV, you name it (well, ok, we left the fridge running)!  We ended up staying powered down for much longer than an hour.  

We spent a lovely evening by candlelight, free from the distractions our lives throw at us – news good and bad, constant “entertainment”, electronic noise – and tuned in to each other, our own selves, and the rhythms of nature.  We watched birds settle in at dusk within the tree in front of our house.  We noticed that we too were sleepy and ready to turn in much earlier than our artificially lit environment would otherwise have us believe.

On that one March evening, we felt truly connected.  I actually had to remind myself that this was for a greater cause than my own well-being!  But it is.

I will again be participating in Earth Hour 2009, and look forward to it tremendously.  

Watch this YouTube video, a beautifully done history of this annual event.  (sorry, WordPress wouldn’t let me embed the video!)  Check out the Earth Hour FAQ for additional information and details.

I encourage you to not only add your voice to the growing momentum, but to also give yourself  the gift of just one hour of quietude.  

Or, if that isn’t your style, go to www.earthhour.org for a clickable map of worldwide event listings.   West side Clevelanders, for example, can check out the Earth Hour event at the Lakewood Park (Google map) Women’s Club Pavilion starting at 8:00, including singalongs, stargazing, and storytelling.  

Either way, sign on, switch off, and make a difference! 

The essence of balance

I feel a strong sense of responsibility toward the word Sarva. It is generally used as a prefix in the Sanskrit language, representing “all” or “whole”. As in “all pervading”… “all encompassing”… the Universe. Everything.

It literally took months to settle upon Sarva as the name of my business. I chose Sarva to represent the sense of wholeness we feel when we are unified, grounded, balanced in all ways… thoughts, feelings, energy, body, spirit. That, to me, is health. It is a point of balance. I create my soaps to be whole and balanced in the same ways, too… in all ways possible… pleasurable to the senses, uplifting to the spirit, intelligent in design, and good for the body.

Most of my customers don’t know that I have multiple chronic health conditions, some of them painful and mildly disabling. I have had many reasons for keeping this to myself: I didn’t want to create the image of being untrustworthy, especially given the low-functioning days I inevitably have. I wanted to project the image of health, balance, and positivity for my customers. I wanted to transcend the daily physical struggles I face. In a way, my life felt antithetic to the very name of my business. I overlooked the simple fact that there is no singular definition for “balance”.

I’ve always been a proponent of full disclosure, though–as long as there is positive value in it. And here, I have realized there is indeed great value.

In the last couple of months, I have been hospitalized, receiving at last a diagnosis for a 20-year mystery and yet another chronic condition to add to the list, so I am trying to balance the demands of my schedule and my health while facing some scary medical bills. To this end, I have maintained a second job in addition to overseeing Sarva.  Sadly, this second job exacerbates two of my conditions.

Lately, as Sarva has continued its amazing growth (thank you!), I’ve found myself wondering how I can do it all and still care for myself. I get such immense joy from soapmaking, and even more joy from bringing joy to you. I have no intention of giving that up.  I love what I do.

Daily, then, I look at balance from a deeply personal framework. It’s much bigger than just saying, “great! I’m healthy and I’m all caught up today.” You see, I will never be conventionally healthy, and who among us is ever caught up?

And herein I have discovered an important teaching.

It’s about discovering the truly necessary–the essential–and eliminating the rest. The essence of who I am and what I do. Every single moment.

Obvious? Simple? Yes, it is. But not easy.

How about those times where you are exhausted from a long workday and you mindlessly zone out in front of the computer and surf for a while? Would you benefit instead from deep relaxation or at least resting your tired hands so they (and the rest of you) can be more productive tomorrow? Perhaps instead you are stress eating, gnawing on something mindlessly that is not essential to your health or your appetite. Maybe you bought something that wasn’t needed but filled a void. Will it help you in the long term, especially in this economy?

Admittedly, I’m forced, in a sense, to have the “luxury” of examining these things. Many people don’t have the time or urgent need to think about it. But if you did examine your life this closely… just for one day, assessing the true value and necessity in every single action you take… what would you see?

In this time of deep and frightening economic struggle, so many of us need to cut back. Isn’t that a really awful-feeling thing to think about? Cutting back. Giving up. Going without. Deprivation.

What if, instead, we looked at it from the perspective of “returning to the essence” of life? There’s a peace there, a simplicity.

As I pare back my life and eliminate what doesn’t serve my health, I find that my purpose and goals become much clearer because they are the very decision point for what must stay and what must go. What matters most to me? What am I willing to let go of? Would I even really miss it?  I find myself even more motivated to find an even clearer, more basic essence.

I have discovered that the things which are not essential to my life and my path fall away, whether I want them to or not.  And I cherish the things that do matter much, much more than I did before.  I am slowly teaching myself to befriend and stay open to this natural process.

My situation doesn’t have a resolution, and I can’t wrap this very long post up in a nice, tidy, uplifting way. This is an open-ended message I share with you. But I share it with you in the spirit of finding the gifts in what life hands us. And I hope it inspires you to spend just a little time looking at your essence. Your dreams. What you really treasure. And how you can learn from your “limitations”.

May we all find our own balance and realize our own true gifts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Warren, Vermont - October 2007. Taken by Michelle Gilbert. Click image for enlarged view.

Goodness, it’s been so long since I had time to post a blog entry! I have so many new things to share with you – some great small businesses to feature and some absolutely beautiful new holiday soaps – all of which will be forthcoming in the next week or so.

But for now, I simply want to wish all of my friends, family, wonderful customers, and visitors to this blog a blessed, happy Thanksgiving full of peace and abundance.   May you enjoy the time you spend with those who are dear to you.

I have a lot to be thankful for, and I know I’ll be spending much of my day feeling very appreciative of the new people and successes that have come into my life this year.   It’s been a time of intense change for me, a year that started out one way, presented me with some challenges and losses, and then ended up taking me in a new and happy direction.  If you’re reading this blog, you are a part of that new direction, so I am grateful for you too!

Check back in a few days for some great new posts just in time for the holiday shopping season.  I’ve got a lot of cool things lined up!

Be well!

- Michelle

P.S.  Since I was asked   The photo was indeed taken by me, your intrepid soapmaker and wannabe photographer.  I spent some time ambling around (and falling in love with) Vermont in 2007 during my yoga therapy training.   I love to take photos of nature, and I was immensely inspired by my time in Vermont.  This scenery and the fresh air were very much the inspiration for my Gratitude soap.

What are scraps?

Hourglass Soap by Sarva. Click image for enlarged view.

In discussions about how soap is made, particularly the hand-detailing process, I’m often asked, “well, then what do you do with your soap scraps?”

I guess I don’t think of anything as “scrap”.   Every sliver of soap I’ve ever made eventually ends up either sold and enjoyed or given a new lease on life.

Take, for example, this bar.   This is one of two new soaps I created over the weekend.  Would you call this scrap?  Me neither!

I’m going to call this Hourglass.   I have several reasons for this moniker:

• Looking at it, I’m reminded of Grace, the cool neighbor lady I fondly remember as I look through the hourglass of my childhood.  Grace was a stained glass artist and used everything from her workshop (yes, even “scrap”) to create new and beautiful works of art.   And, of course, this soap definitely resembles stained glass work.    Mrs. O, if you’re out there, I still have the wreath you made for my family and I still smile when I think of you.
• This bar contains activated charcoal, which is deeply purifying to the skin.   Be a little careful around cotton washcloths with this one, in case of tinting, but it produces a wonderful soap.   Purified skin turns reverses the sands of time, doesn’t it?
• And if that weren’t enough hourglass goodness, I’ve also given it a healthy dose of pink grapefruit essential oil.  (The pink grapefruit mingles with the other lovely scents in the pieces-parts throughout the bar, and every use will render a different experience!)  Researchers have discovered that after having test subjects sniff pink grapefruit essential oil, these subjects rated the average age of people in photographs significantly younger than if they hadn’t smelled the essential oil.   I am no scientist, but I figure my method for spreading the Pink Grapefruit Effect (PGE, right?) can’t be half bad!

But let’s talk about scraps again.  What do you have in your life that’s sitting around, collecting dust, getting in your way?  Why exactly do you consider it “scrap”?  How can you look at it with new eyes?  In this day and age of thinking green, how can you repurpose it?  You might be surprised by what you get!

“Hourglass” soap by Sarva, available in about six weeks, $6.95.

Expectations, or limitations?

Sarva Rosamaya Soap, as it "should" be (bottom), and as it decided to be yesterday (top). Click image for enlarged view.

Sometimes it seems like nothing goes right, doesn’t it?   You do something a certain way and you expect a certain outcome.

And then, it doesn’t turn out the way it always turned out before.  Or the way you expect it to.  Need it to.  Want it to.

It can happen with soapmaking, too.  Check out the photo to your left.  The bottom, more pale pink soap is Rosamaya as I sell it on my the Sarva web site.  The top soap is how it came out of the mold last night.  Yes, those are the same formulations!  Indeed, in retrospect I realized I did something slightly differently, but nothing that I would ever expect (there’s that word again) would produce the drastic difference in results!

I was so disappointed!  A mild form of panic hit.  I’m sold out of Rosamaya and really needed to restock.  This is my product… this is what I am in business to do.  I like to offer a consistent product, naturally.  This time, I think we can safely say I don’t have a consistent product!  I immediately disliked the outcome.

Because it wasn’t what I expected.

And then I took another look.  It’s really quite lovely, isn’t it?  Yes, it’s darker, and it could fade.  But there is a more mysterious, unique depth to the color.  The scent is the same, a very gentle and soft rose-like essential oil blend; and the lather is still just as wonderful thanks to Illipe butter and evening primrose oil – it’s a lush, creamy, amazingly decadent soap to use.   And you know what?  In truth, I like its new look better than that which I “expected”.

I’ll grant you, this is “just soap”.  But as I think about larger situations in my life, this lesson still applies.  When things don’t meet expectations, take a look at them from a new angle.  There just might be new opportunity there.   Stay open!  There’s so much to see.

Do you tend to your inner home?

Everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.

- Rumer Godden