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EcoMaste is engaging, participating, and making a difference.

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Welcome to our blog. We invite you to read our posts and feel free to leave a few comments! Your feed back is much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to learn about Natural Building and a little bit more of what we are up to at our sanctuary. If you have any questions or would like to connect directly, please send us an email at info@ecomaste.com

Wholeness, Much Love, and Pura Vida.


“Seed is not just the source of life. It is the very foundation of our being.” – Dr. Vandana Shiva

Every seed holds a story — a memory of the past, a map for the future. Inside each one lives the resilience of nature, the prayers of our ancestors, and the nourishment of generations yet to come. And yet, this ancient birthright — the ability to grow and share our own food — is under threat.

This is a call to remember, to act, and to honor the life-giving magic of seeds.




Why Save Seeds?

Saving seeds is an act of resilience, protection, and love. Here's why it's so vital:

  • Preserve Biodiversity: Each region has seeds adapted to its unique climate, pests, and soil. Saving local seeds protects this diversity from extinction.

  • Protect Food Sovereignty: When we save seeds, we preserve our right to grow food free from corporate or governmental control.

  • Regenerate Culture & Ancestral Memory: Seeds are cultural carriers. They remember songs, seasons, ceremonies, and tastes that reconnect us to lineage.

  • Ensure Resilience: Heirloom and criollo seeds are often more resilient to droughts, diseases, and changing climate than hybrid or GMO seeds.



 Where to Get & Support Ethical Seed Sources

🇺🇸 In the United States:

Support seed networks that protect heirloom, open-pollinated, and culturally significant varieties:

These groups support seed freedom, regional adaptation, and regenerative agriculture.



 What’s Happening in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is home to countless criollo seeds — native, regionally adapted, and full of nutritional and ecological value. But many are at risk due to legislation and loss of traditional practices.

A proposed law — Bill No. 21.087 — claims to “modernize seed production.” But in reality, it could criminalize the use and sharing of native and ancestral seeds.

Here's what’s at stake:

🚫 Local seeds could be banned if they’re not registered with government systems.

🏢 Corporations could patent seeds, making farmers dependent on purchased, commercialized varieties.

💸 Traditional farmers could be fined for saving or exchanging seeds — a practice as old as agriculture itself.

🌱 Criollo (native) seeds may disappear, leading to a loss of biodiversity, food sovereignty, and cultural memory.

“Whoever controls the seeds, controls the food. And whoever controls the food, controls the people.” -- Dr. Vandana Shiva 


Support & connect with:

  • Red de Guardianes de Semillas de Costa Rica – A grassroots network preserving native and criollo seeds through festivals, community gardens, and exchanges.

  • Festival de Semillas  – An annual gathering (now in its 9th year!) community connection, educational talks about seed preservation and best practices, seed sharing, and sovereignty.

  • Proyecto Semilla Criolla – Community-driven effort to cultivate, document, and educate about native seed saving practices.


You can often find seed exchanges at local ferias (markets), eco-communities, or permaculture centers — especially in regions like Pérez Zeledón, Talamanca, and the Nicoya Peninsula.



What You Can Do to Keep Seeds Sovereign

Here’s how we reclaim our power and protect our future:

  1. Save Your Own Seeds – Learn the basics. Start with easy crops like tomatoes, beans, or lettuce.

  2. Share & Exchange Locally – Host or attend seed swaps. Exchange with friends and neighbors.

  3. Support Seed Libraries & Seed Festivals – Attend events like the Festival de la Semilla Criolla or local seed-saving workshops.

  4. Say No to GMOs & Patented Seeds – Only buy open-pollinated, heirloom, or native varieties.

  5. Teach the Next Generation – Pass down this sacred skill to children, schools, and community gardens.

  6. Advocate for Seed Rights – Stay informed and speak out against laws that criminalize saving or sharing seeds.

  7. Grow Biodiversity – Cultivate unusual, native, or endangered plants to keep their lineage alive.



A Living Act of Resistance & Love

Saving seeds is a radical act of care. It says: “I trust in life. I remember where I came from. I will not allow this sacred cycle to be broken.”

As we hold these seeds, we are also holding stories, freedom, and futures. Let us tend them with reverence, and let them remind us — that we are not separate from nature, but part of its great unfolding.



🌱Join the Movement:


🌀 Join our 7-Week Free Zoom Series: Awaken the Elements Within — returning to harmony through breath, movement & earth-based wisdom



 
 
 


Most of us are familiar with the five elements from ancient and indigenous traditions:

air, fire, water, earth, and ether. These elements were used to understand both nature and the human experience — a map to the universe inside and out.


In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Qi-Gong, a similar yet distinct system is used: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. These Five Elements are not just poetic symbols — they represent real energies within you, connected to your organs, emotions, seasons, and even the time of day.

As more of us begin to reconnect with nature, there’s a growing longing for harmony, rhythm, and vitality — something our ancestors embodied and understood. If you’ve felt an inner ache or found yourself tired of being tired, the Five Elements might help you come back into balance.

Let’s explore what they represent and how they show up in your life:



🪙 METAL

  • Season: Autumn 🍂

  • Organs: Lungs & Large Intestine

  • Emotion (in balance): Clarity, inspiration, presence

  • Emotion (out of balance): Grief, rigidity, self-criticism

  • Time of Day: 3am–7am

Metal teaches us the power of letting go. Just as trees release their leaves in fall, we’re invited to release old stories, grievances, what weighs us down,  breathe deeply, and return to what truly matters.



🌊 WATER

  • Season: Winter ❄️

  • Organs: Kidneys & Bladder

  • Emotion (in balance): Trust, stillness, wisdom

  • Emotion (out of balance): Fear, anxiety, exhaustion

  • Time of Day: 3pm–7pm

Water asks us to rest, replenish, and trust the flow. When Water is weak, we can feel fearful, frozen, or overly withdrawn. When strong, it nourishes deep reserves of strength and intuition.




🌱 WOOD

  • Season: Spring 🌸

  • Organs: Liver & Gallbladder

  • Emotion (in balance): Motivation, vision, patience

  • Emotion (out of balance): Anger, frustration, control

  • Time of Day: 11pm–3am

Wood is growth and vision. When balanced, we move through life with purpose and flexibility. When imbalanced, we may feel stuck, easily angered, or overly controlling.




🔥 FIRE

  • Season: Summer ☀️

  • Organs: Heart & Small Intestine

  • Emotion (in balance): Joy, connection, love

  • Emotion (out of balance): Burnout, anxiety, mania

  • Time of Day: 11am–3pm

Fire brings warmth, expression, and joy. It's what helps us connect authentically. When Fire is out of balance, we may burn too hot—leading to overexcitement, restlessness, or even emotional disconnection.



Our Toucan Cob Pizza oven 🍕
Our Toucan Cob Pizza oven 🍕

🌾 EARTH

  • Season: Late Summer or Seasonal Transitions

  • Organs: Spleen & Stomach

  • Emotion (in balance): Groundedness, compassion, nourishment

  • Emotion (out of balance): Worry, overthinking, co-dependence

  • Time of Day: 7am–11am

Earth grounds and stabilizes. It offers support, nurtures the center, and helps us feel safe. Without it, we may feel lost, overextended, or disconnected from nourishment.



The Cycles of the Five Elements

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Five Elements aren’t static — they exist in dynamic relationship through two main cycles:

The Generating (Creation) Cycle — Nourishing Each Other

Each element supports the next, like a circle of life:

  • Wood feeds Fire (like kindling for a flame)

  • Fire creates Earth (ash returns to soil)

  • Earth produces Metal (minerals within the ground)

  • Metal enriches Water (minerals help water flow)

  • Water nourishes Wood (helping plants grow)

When this cycle is flowing, we feel vibrant, connected, and balanced.



The Controlling (Regulation) Cycle — Keeping Balance

This cycle helps prevent excess by keeping elements in check:

  • Wood controls Earth (roots breaking through soil)

  • Earth controls Water (dams and earth banks)

  • Water controls Fire (extinguishing flames)

  • Fire controls Metal (melting metal)

  • Metal controls Wood (axes cutting trees)

When one element becomes excessive or deficient, the regulating cycle steps in. But if these relationships become strained (e.g., Fire overpowering Water), disharmony can appear in the body or emotions.



🌀 Do These Patterns Feel Familiar?

  • Overwhelmed, anxious, or fearful? → You may have too much Water or a weak Earth to hold and ground you.

  • Frustrated, easily angered, or trying to control outcomes? → These may be Wood imbalances needing flexibility and expression.

  • Tired, burnt out, or disconnected? → Your Fire or Water may need replenishing.



Ready to Discover Your Inner Elemental Balance?

Take the Free 5-Element Quiz! Uncover which element is asking for attention and how to rebalance with breath, movement, and awareness.


Starting June 18th 10am CST— explore each element through meditation, Qi-Gong, and ritual to bring your natural rhythms back into alignment.

 
 
 

During this time of year, many parts of the world begin to shift from darkness to light. It’s a season of renewal, a quiet emergence from stillness into motion. Here in Costa Rica, the transition is from dry season to rain—the land changes from dusty and dormant to lush, alive, and blooming. The plants that once clung to life are now radiant reminders of regeneration.

This energy of rebirth is not just external. It lives in us, too.




Doing vs. Being

In our society, we’ve been taught that our value is tied to production—to what we’ve created, accomplished, or accumulated. But none of that defines who we are.

As I surrendered into the stillness of my injury over the last season, I found just how uncomfortable it was to simply be. The urge to scroll, to reach, to do—it came from a longing for something I could never find on a screen: presence, peace, and connection.

So I let the pendulum swing the other way—into stillness, into being. I sat with discomfort. I watched what arose. Often, it was the residue of what I’d consumed—content laced with anxiety, vanity, shame. Patterns I didn’t like, yet clung to like old friends. Familiar, but unkind.


Resurrection Over Reaction

This season brought a deeper understanding of what the story of Christ might symbolize, even beyond religion: life, struggle, crucifixion, and resurrection.

We have this choice at every moment. Will we react from fear, trauma, or habit?

Or will we breathe, soften, and rise?

Slowing down, quieting the noise, and taking responsibility has become my path to resurrection. I call on Spirit when I feel anything but love. I pause instead of react. I forgive—not because I’m weak, but because forgiveness is revolutionary. It's for giving. So I do my best to give it freely.


We Are Powerful Beyond Doing

Your power isn’t in how much you do. It’s in your ability to allow to choose to let the divine that resides in all beings to flows through you. This isn’t about being “spiritual” or “religious.” It’s about being intentional.

You don’t need to buy anything to begin. You just need a willingness—a quiet ache for something better. Let that restlessness guide you to new choices.


Your Invitation

Your renewal is always available, moment by moment. Choose it.

Choose presence.

Choose compassion.

Choose a new way.

Ask: Who am I choosing to be right now? Practice joy. Practice gratitude. Practice love. And watch your world transform.


Mindful Practices to Support Your Presence

Claim a break or a pause. If you feel like you're out of alignment its okay to be with it and take responsibility. Go for a walk, name it and take your space.

Mindful walking meditation is a great practice.

Inhale as you take a step and say silently ing to yourself a word like "love", exhale as you take another step saying, a word like "trust". This can help synchronize; mind, body and spirit.



Support for Your Aligned Evolution

If this resonates with you, and you’re ready to explore your path of renewal more deeply, I’m here. Amanda Luna offers 1-1 mentorship and private retreat experiences through soul-led guidance. Together, we create safe containers for you to be seen, soften, and step into the truth of who you are becoming.

You’re not meant to do this alone. We need each other. We need spaces of real presence, honest reflection, and soft witnessing. That’s where healing begins—and where cycles shift.





Amanda Luna, Amanda is the co-founder of Ecomaste, a passionate herbalist, and a 

Holistic Wellbeing Guide. She intertwines her love for the natural world through various forms of herbalism, mindfulness and movement medicine like qi-gong, yoga, dance and art.

With a mission to support love, harmony, and wholeness for people, beings, and lands, Amanda strives to rebuild regenerative relationships with the Earth and guide others towards balance and holistic wellness through her compassionate and intuitive approach.

Click below to Learn more about Amanda Luna & her ongoing & upcoming offerings:


 
 
 

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