Nourish your soul in Sebastopol
More than just love spells: Milk and Honey is a full service Goddess store.
Sebastopol is a magical place. The influx of hippies in the 1960s and 70s and the continuous stream of spiritual seekers up from the Bay Area have given Sebastopol a certain je ne c’est quoi that continues to draw those interested in the spiritual side of life.
Here are a few must-sees on the spiritual tour of Sebastopol:
Milk and Honey: Seriously, how many small towns in America have a Goddess store on Main Street in the very center of downtown? Sebastopol does. This place puts the witch in witchy. It’s all here: a large selection of tarot cards; goddess statues; books on magic; magic potions for love, money and more; tiny cauldrons; wands; and oodles of magic rocks.
Amazing rocks, magical and otherwise, at Sagestone
Sagestone: Speaking of magic rocks. Check out the giant crystals at Sagestone, which is conveniently located right across the street from Milk & Honey. You don’t have to have a penchant for the supernatural to be fascinated by the earthly wonders of Sagestone, which carries a huge array of crystals, fossils and other cool rock-related objets.
The Labyrinth at St. Stephen’s Episcopal. Labyrinths date back to the ancient world. Think of it as slowly (and circularly) walking your way to inner peace. This one, which was built by the church’s members a few years ago, is meant to be used as a tool for prayer and meditation. St. Stephen’s takes ecumenicism seriously and invites all serious and respectful seekers to enjoy walking their labyrinth, which is based on the labyrinth in the floor of Chartres Cathedral.
Give body and soul a workout with ecstatic dance.
Ecstatic Dance. A musician who had toured all over the world once told a local journalist that Sebastopol had its own unique dance style, which he called “noodle dancing.” You can see plenty of noodle dancing – and every other type of dancing — in action at Sebastopol Ecstatic Dance, which happens on the first and third Fridays at 7 pm at the Sebastopol Youth Annex, 425 Morris Street. The $20 entry feel includes a sound healing at the end of the evening. You can also see (and participate) in ecstatic dance (of the noodle variety) in the downtown plaza every Sunday afternoon after the Sebastopol Farmers Market, when drummers set up in the gazebo and beat those bongos until dark.
Sound Bathing. Sound bathing is the hot new therapy/past-time in Sebastopol if you look at the sheer number of events involing this unusual healing modality. According to its proponents, “Sound healing creates the space for self-healing and transformation using the power of vibration to re-harmonize the entire body to its most beneficial state. When we hear the frequencies, our cells become attuned to that vibration and this creates a harmonic state for healing within the body.” You can find sound healing events on the third Friday each month at the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center and and frequently at Soft Medicine, a new elixer bar and event space on Main Street.
Soft Medicine. Speaking of groovy healing modalities, you can find many of them on offer at Soft Medicine, a 20-something hang-out in Sebastopol’s main drag that offers food and libations for body and soul. According to their website, “The lounge is set up to create a healing space for everyone that enters, and we listen to the community's needs for space and what events touch them most.” Look for Indian music and electronica, sound healing, ecstatic dance and other soul-healing dances, and much more at this fashionable new hot spot.
Rosemary’s Garden. Sebastopol famous herb emporium, Rosemary’s Garden, has a knowledgeable staff and a vast array of herbs and housemade herbal remedies in a beautiful peaceful space on Sebastopol’s busy Main Street. This herbal apothecary offers organic Western, Chinese, Ayurvedic, Latin and culinary herbs, as well as books about herbs, holistic skin care, herbal extracts, essential oils, flower essences, and custom teas.
Many Rivers has tools for spiritual practices of all sorts.
Funk and Flash. Not exactly spiritual but definitely a sartorial walk on the wild side, Funk and Flash sells rave and festival wear. Colored wigs, a wide variety of unique duds for wild occasions, and gorgeous creative T-shirts with arcane symbols on them. This place is a Sebastopol original.
Many Rivers. If you’re looking for books about almost any spiritual, religious or psychological tradition under the sun, chances are they’ve got what you’re looking for. They’ve also got incense, prayer beads and other spiritual tools for serious seekers. And tons of good teas and tea accoutrements.
Bliss Organic Day Spa. Soak your troubles aways at the Bliss Bath House on Main Street and if that doesn’t mellow out your aura, Bliss has a whole menu of spa treatments that will. The space itself is gorgeous - with towering ceilings and floating swirls of fabric in soothing colors. Everything here is meant to make you exhale deeply - out with the bad energy - then breathe in deeply - in with the good energy. So, so soothing.
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