Hungry with Leaf Scars: A Radical Community Herbalist’s Musings on Chronic Pain
People who live with pain are hungry. We are searching. We are invisible survivors. We are starkly seen. We are resilient. We are ghosts of our former selves. Our hearts ache to know relief. We are owl screeches at midnight. The plants in your garden know. They...
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The Commodification of Self Care and The Terrible Art of Relentless Self Love
“Listen to me, your body is not a temple. Temples can be destroyed and desecrated. Your body is a forest—thick canopies of maple trees and sweet scented wildflowers sprouting in the underwood. You will grow back, over and over, no matter how badly you are...
read moreRead moreIt’s that time. When the sad kids go into hiding. We cling to the beauty because we know it will fade. Our lovers are squirrels. They gather hope for the winter. I am watching my friends dig holes. We are darting our eyes, averting the past while preparing our nests.
Welcome to the Sad Kids Club
Welcome to the Sad Kids Club It’s that time. That moment when color tells it’s story. The maple leaf isn’t just red. It's red raw; my belly waiting for a phone call. The sassafras turning a brassy yellow- the kind the tulips turn when they sit on my table too long....
read moreRead more“We are lonesome animals. We spend all our lives trying to be less lonesome. And one of our ancient methods is to tell a story, begging the listener to say, and to feel, “Yes, that’s the way it is, or at least that’s the way I feel it. You’re not as alone as you thought”’. -John Steinbeck
Take Care Herbals 2015 Workshop Series
“We are lonesome animals. We spend all our lives trying to be less lonesome. And one of our ancient methods is to tell a story, begging the listener to say, and to feel, “Yes, that’s the way it is, or at least that’s the way I feel it. You’re not as alone as you...
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2014 Potion Sale for Braving the Winter Storms
In this time of torrential inner storm and long overdue upheaval, I am turning towards the dawn and asking what it needs to rise. Every time we turn towards ourselves in winter, we make strides in our healing. There is both sadness and hope brewing. Can you feel it?...
read moreRead moreTake herbs that ground you. Put the hatred you have for yourself on a shelf. Bottle it. Label it. You can revisit it in a moment. But for now, take in 5% of your body being your body. And treat it well. Drink your tea with friends. Hear them laugh at your jokes. Fall asleep with your pinky wrapped around someone else’s pinky. Remember that you are not a sum of how others see you. You even hold hands different. Each special moment makes us more alive. That’s a treasure not a curse.
Visibility and Our Health
As social workers, organizers and healers, the nature of confidentiality and disclosure implies that we are not supposed to be seen. However, as hedge witches and community workers know, sometimes those lines blur. Part of the work I do lies in the want to meet my...
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A Seriously Good Deal
Hey friends, This time of year seems to be a specific time of transition. It is the ending of cycles. The beginning of our rest. It can also be the time where we could use a little help. That is just the right time to take your tinctures. These are the potions that...
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Healing is Hard
Healing is Hard. Today I want to offer hope to those who are in the trenches of deep work. Now may be the time for fighting, but you are not alone in the war. Who's with you? Make a list. Part of our jobs as healers is to recognize our client's ability to heal...
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Anger Is A Seed
Anger is a seed. As is grows, it rips through our insides, taking root in vulnerable places. Where do you experience your anger? For me, I feel it like a jittery bug inside, stemming from my chest. It wants to cover my body and mind in it's poison. Photo from Corinna...
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The Dark Magic of Grief
Photo by Paul Kirtley of http://paulkirtley.co.uk Everyone talks about grieving in terms of a science of stages. There is also a period of dark magic. Of being connected to the cycles of the earth, to our own mortality, and to our life's path. This is one of the many...
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