Herbalism and I found each other in a roundabout way.
I taught art and woodworking for years.
As the years passed, I became more and more concerned
with being a good steward of the earth in my practices as a teacher.
I also loved using natural materials in my art.
At a certain point, I was hungry to bring a sense of spirituality into my teaching.
Something was missing. The venue was wrong and I needed teachers.
So I went back to school and began studying herbal medicine.
It is with deep gratitude I continue that inquiry,
falling in love with the plants that nourish us
and the way they teach us such good lessons
about ourselves and how we’re connected to the land that supports us.
I am bearing witness to the intelligence of the plants
and am in awe of the ways in which they are willing
to communicate with each other and with us and keep us healthy.
I have grown to trust that what grows and what is alive
and what we can smell and taste and touch will help us heal.
We still need to exercise and eat good food and embrace life and,
as long as we develop and nurture those relationships,
our plant friends will be there with us
to help us shore up our resources and stay or get healthy.
At the same time, our plant allies are relying on us for the same thing.
We have to take care of the earth, harvest ethically,
keep pollutants out of the air and soil, use only what we need
and use everything that we have taken.
We are all connected, interdependent.
May we thrive together.