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it seems the other thread got lost in the mix... so here it is again...the talking stick
this has been another strange year for me... one seeming to be missing something, but for some reason.
last year we had the mold that halted our lives and gardening for a bit.... this year it was more personal issues, but none the less distracting from gardening and such.
this year, however, i feel myself growing as an herbalist..... more plants presenting themselves for my learning, less focus on outside events such as farmer's markets and making money..... it has been a struggle financially, but i am so very blessed with my adventures in herbalism. the wild crafting and learning about new plants has been prominent and i am thankful for it.
i hope it is twice so next year.
today i saw someone who vended at market a few times last year....we have talked here and there of plants, and today said something that made me smile...... ' i am so happy i saw you today, i think mullein has told me it's medicine is ready and i can take it now- '..... the coolest thing is that mullein had given itself to his garden the season after our farmer's market meetings....
for my birthday i received 'botany in a day' and 'weeds of north america' i am very excited to delve into these books, especially since my son is right there beside me wanting to learn too. he says forestry is for him. so we came home with a load of field guides from the library about trees and he is mapping and marking paths through our small wooded area, identifying along the way. i hope to keep his passion alive so that he learns what is important at the same time being focused on a path that will support him financially and spiritually at the same time.
i value this tribe, and have taken something from it that will last me a lifetime. but i miss you all as well, seems we are all busier!
so, thinking of you, and happy digging!
this has been another strange year for me... one seeming to be missing something, but for some reason.
last year we had the mold that halted our lives and gardening for a bit.... this year it was more personal issues, but none the less distracting from gardening and such.
this year, however, i feel myself growing as an herbalist..... more plants presenting themselves for my learning, less focus on outside events such as farmer's markets and making money..... it has been a struggle financially, but i am so very blessed with my adventures in herbalism. the wild crafting and learning about new plants has been prominent and i am thankful for it.
i hope it is twice so next year.
today i saw someone who vended at market a few times last year....we have talked here and there of plants, and today said something that made me smile...... ' i am so happy i saw you today, i think mullein has told me it's medicine is ready and i can take it now- '..... the coolest thing is that mullein had given itself to his garden the season after our farmer's market meetings....
for my birthday i received 'botany in a day' and 'weeds of north america' i am very excited to delve into these books, especially since my son is right there beside me wanting to learn too. he says forestry is for him. so we came home with a load of field guides from the library about trees and he is mapping and marking paths through our small wooded area, identifying along the way. i hope to keep his passion alive so that he learns what is important at the same time being focused on a path that will support him financially and spiritually at the same time.
i value this tribe, and have taken something from it that will last me a lifetime. but i miss you all as well, seems we are all busier!
so, thinking of you, and happy digging!
posted by:
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Maryland
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Re: talking stick
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 9:05 AMgetting kids involved in plant knowledge is so important (says someone who was blessed to have that kind of family as a kid). Buhner's 'Lost Language Of Plants" talks about this quite a bit in the beginning of the book. -
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Re: talking stick
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 9:53 AMI really appreciate Amanda that you brought back the talking stick thread. Talking stick is a great place to express where you are at and be witnessed without the back and forth exchange of other threads. That said, i will take the stick and speak.
I am feeling excited and overwhelmed these days. I always feel this way during the fall months as there is so much to harvest and to prepare for the upcoming winter months. Putting up food as well as wood for the winter is a big focus and this weekend we are hosting an herbal event with Susun Weed. Which I am sure will be amazing and growthful and at the same time feels overwhelming. I do have to say that I returned last night after working in California for awhile and am grateful to be home...I was glad to see my plants and to sleep in my own bed!
I also came home to a generous gift from my first herbal teacher. She sent me a box of her old herbal tapes that she has collected over the years. There are hours and hours of lectures on every topic imaginable, by a wide variety of herbalists from around the world. I am so grateful and excited about spending time this winter listening to these.
I hope all is well and I pass the stick.
Blessings
Linda
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Re: talking stick
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 12:54 PMDear Amanda,
I think you are very lucky in having a son who is so guided, lucky and clever!
Blessings
Lorraine -
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Re: talking stick
Thu, October 8, 2009 - 8:27 AMThank you for the stick....n boy, i can talk...heeheee
Well....my first year in herbal study has really helped my life. I lost my best friend and had to move back home with my ex n my mom n dad. studying herbology has given me a positive focus and helped me to enjoy my life more. Most everyday i whip up some herbal recipe.I love walking in the fields here on the farm and finding useful herbs.It really helps me to be positive instead of focusing on the pain of loss.
Thanks everyone for all you share here.
Passing the talking stick along........
Rainy -
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Re: talking stick
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 1:49 PMI am feeling a lot of gratitude. Our weekend with Susun Weed was a success and we had so many amazing women here. Being in this circle of women fed me on many levels. I really enjoyed having my partner John there as well. He was, as in many herbal circles the only man in attendance and he provided a lot of support, he helped to hold the container. I am feeling refreshed and energized and ready for action. The plants speak in so many ways and when women gather in their honor it seems that they speak more loudly. I was so grateful to find a patch of motherwort blooming the other day, as I was running low on tincture and many of the women from the event were wanting some. I had cut this patch back and she was blooming in all her glory. Speaking to me, as if to say, here I am, I am needed. So I gathered her and placed her in alcohol. She is steeping as I write. The pink flowers were a welcome surprise amongst the many plants that are dying back in my yard, including the motherwort that I had not cut back.
So just a rant from me. I hope you are well and I pass the stick.
Blessings
Linda -
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Re: talking stick
Fri, October 16, 2009 - 12:03 AMI just wanted a quick turn with the talking stick to say where I am coming from with the herbal side of my life. My path is very much hedge witch which is to say, I belong to nothing group wise (apart from this of course!) I follow my own path and work with nature in everything I do with regards to intent and inner peace.
Although I have been using herbs for "magic" if you like for a long time - burning them, wearing them in amulets, a bit of spell work, I have very much got into the healing side of herbs this year. I have an apothecary of herbs on a bit dresser in my kitchen, mostly bought but lots of dried herbs I have grown hanging up everywhere and stored in jars, and I now have several tinctures on the go. Some I have mentioned before for PMT, period pains, arthritis, general pain relief, gout, indigestion etc and I am incorporating them much more into the healing now with lotions and potions - remember the yarrow ointment I have started - and working with them as much for healing as for magic.
I value this site so very much and I am astounded at the knowledge and wisdom that many of you have, you really put me to shame! A lot of my interest is in the folklore and old, old practices which I am trying to incorporate into my 21st century life, but with 21st century attitude, if that makes sense!
Anyway, I hope I don't sound too off the wall, I am only a little eccentric, quite harmless really! thanks for the talking stick xxx
Blessings
Lorraine -
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Re: talking stick
Fri, October 16, 2009 - 8:54 AMHey Lorraine,
Your an awesome Witch! No shame necessary my dear.
Also, sounds very interesting what you've done in your life to connect to the herbs.
I've been burning Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) to clear any negative energy around me, especially before meditation or offering healing work to people. I would like to know what herbs you and others use for incense and for what purpose.
And I'll take the stick now. Since I was a child I have been around the "Green People" as I call the plants. They are my friends and I have such respect for them as they teach me many things. I'm currently in the 2nd year of my 2 yr. herbal program - finishing in Sept. 2010. I have been enjoying talking to and listening to the plants on my property. I'm so amazed and it's all that I want to do these days. Luckily, my neighbors cannot see this.
First I came to the plant kingdom to study horticulture and botany. I love being outdoors in all seasons and seeing how the plants change. So far I mostly harvest herbs for teas, as nutritive foods, and topical remedies. I also use herbal tincture formulas but have not much experience making them yet. This year I have harvested Motherwort, Red Clover, Cleavers, Holy Basil, Bergamot, Salad Burnett, Prunella vulgaris (lymphatic remedy), Cedar, and many more.
I really love learning about and from all of you. This collective is a fountain of ancient and modern knowledge and wealth. I'm so humbled. Thank you dear ones.
Many Blessings,
Theresa Nartana -
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Re: talking stick
Sun, October 18, 2009 - 12:17 AMDear Theresa,
My favourite herb to burn for cleansing is sage. I have a shaman friend who lives in Ireland and she came over this year and had a "rattle" for me, which was very deep and tribal - she sounded like I would imagine the indian tribes do with her chanting and dancing. She had me burn dried sage and follow her around the house wafting it into every space, even inside cupboards. It smelt like I'd had a cannibas party afterwards but it was great and my house was totally cleansed.
There are lots of herbs that are good to burn for cleansing and I am sure that the cedar works really well too.
Blessings,
Lorraine x -
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Being in the moment of winter
Wed, December 9, 2009 - 9:37 AMGreetings all. Wanted to bring in the talking stick. We are in the thick of a winter storm here in the midwest. The snow is falling and the wind is blowing. I am home, drinking tea and puttering as I love to do during the winter months. It was a bit of a shock, since the day before it got cold here, I was digging the last of the roots from the garden. I dug sunchokes and elecampane. I was very insistent that we needed to dig them that day and sure enough the next day, the ground began to freeze. I love this time of year, I love taking time out, reflecting and sifting through where I am, what I am doing, how I am feelinge etc. I am planning to spend a bit of time writing in the upcoming weeks and organizing some of the writing I have already done. I am also preparing my snowshoes for ventures outside.
I have also been reading Pema Chodron's wonderful book titled When Things Fall Apart. I read this years ago and am revisiting it. It is a wonderful book which focuses on being in the here and now, with all of the beauty and the wrinkles that surround us. She is quite good at explaining Budhism to the western mind and I appreciate her strong feminine energy.
So I hope you are well on this day, and that you are finding time to just be...the plants are one of my favorite teachers of this concept, particularly this time of year as they are resting and being in the moment of winter.
Blessings
Linda
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