WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.760 When I hike in these Hills, I call to you. 00:00:04.830 --> 00:00:08.440 She looked like a woman meditating on the side of a mountain. 00:00:09.110 --> 00:00:10.240 Face to the sun. 00:00:11.200 --> 00:00:14.320 How could I live in a place you are not? 00:00:15.579 --> 00:00:18.490 I could live without so many Walnut trees, maybe. 00:00:19.060 --> 00:00:22.630 But you, to me are everything. 00:00:23.630 --> 00:00:25.429 Hello, fellow seekers. 00:00:25.880 --> 00:00:30.259 This episode was slated to come out a month ago, today. 00:00:30.679 --> 00:00:35.989 But to be honest, when I was working on it, my children and I were enjoying some 00:00:35.989 --> 00:00:40.370 of the beautiful summer days together , before they left on this little trip. 00:00:41.060 --> 00:00:44.720 And I worked on it a bit, but I was spiraling out. 00:00:45.230 --> 00:00:49.819 Into this bigger issue of ecology and sustainability. 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:55.459 And being an ally and steward of the planet, and witchcraft, 00:00:55.459 --> 00:00:57.140 religion, place and lineage. 00:00:57.200 --> 00:00:58.069 It was a lot. 00:00:58.129 --> 00:01:02.360 So you can see how that conversation could be too much for one episode. 00:01:03.140 --> 00:01:05.510 But more on all of those will be coming. 00:01:05.690 --> 00:01:09.860 So, this one still has several touch points. 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.130 But I think I reigned it in pretty well. 00:01:14.510 --> 00:01:19.910 And I'm going to say, that there are some episodes that could potentially cause more 00:01:19.910 --> 00:01:23.990 of an issue with conflict than others... 00:01:24.020 --> 00:01:26.180 and potentially this could be one of those. 00:01:27.110 --> 00:01:29.359 And I'm always doing the best that I can. 00:01:29.720 --> 00:01:33.259 And remember, this is a conversation between me and you. 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:37.490 This is not a dictatorship where I'm saying I'm right. 00:01:37.580 --> 00:01:38.840 I just have some thoughts. 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:43.890 So I want to share from a place that's personal. 00:01:44.310 --> 00:01:49.650 Because trying to address it from a more universal standpoint, doesn't really 00:01:49.650 --> 00:01:52.110 seem like it's possible right now. 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:57.850 And I suppose I should say that I could, potentially, have 00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:59.670 that be true for every episode. 00:02:00.030 --> 00:02:06.120 And I just want to reserve the right to re-record and update at any given 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:12.750 time, because I'm always bringing in, and assimilating new information. 00:02:13.350 --> 00:02:17.640 And that means critically thinking about things from a new perspective. 00:02:18.390 --> 00:02:21.930 So this is my viewpoint and my personal interactions with 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:24.679 this subject matter, currently. 00:02:25.350 --> 00:02:28.680 I'm just trying to bring some awareness and open a conversation about it, 00:02:29.880 --> 00:02:33.690 and so with that said, here we go. 00:02:34.690 --> 00:02:40.330 I'm really called to use Salvia apiana, which is a beautiful plant 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:42.310 that I grow in my own garden. 00:02:42.670 --> 00:02:46.900 She lives there in the backyard and I take care of her, tending to her. 00:02:47.380 --> 00:02:51.130 And she gifts me with the most heavenly aromas when we 00:02:51.130 --> 00:02:53.080 brush up against one another. 00:02:53.770 --> 00:02:59.050 Or when she's drinking in water, and sometimes she even gifts me 00:02:59.050 --> 00:03:04.360 with leaves or small branches, but generally we just enjoy each other. 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:07.750 I received this plant as a gift. 00:03:08.830 --> 00:03:12.500 She had a sister who didn't make it for whatever reason. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:14.510 She disappeared over time. 00:03:14.540 --> 00:03:16.550 While this one grew stronger. 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:20.570 And she's lived in my back yard for over nine years. 00:03:21.020 --> 00:03:23.960 And my garden wouldn't be the same without her presence. 00:03:25.310 --> 00:03:29.750 The wasps in my yard that looked like a little fairies, adore her. 00:03:30.260 --> 00:03:31.490 As do the bees. 00:03:31.970 --> 00:03:38.150 And you may be familiar with her sisters under another name, which is White Sage. 00:03:39.150 --> 00:03:43.560 I also go and visit other plants that I tend in the wild. 00:03:44.460 --> 00:03:48.150 And I tend them with my songs and my love and my protection. 00:03:48.810 --> 00:03:55.320 And when I walk to go see them, it's never to harvest, only to go and say hello, 00:03:55.380 --> 00:03:58.650 and to smell their potent lovely scent. 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:05.910 And to appreciate their serene power and just to try to 00:04:05.910 --> 00:04:07.830 protect them, energetically. 00:04:08.760 --> 00:04:12.540 Last year I helped to spread her seeds with her approval. 00:04:13.200 --> 00:04:17.280 Not so that there would be more plants to harvest, but just that 00:04:17.280 --> 00:04:20.940 there would be more plants to support the soil from being washed away. 00:04:21.420 --> 00:04:23.490 And to support the wildlife. 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:28.830 There has been a lot of talk about white Sage for the last 00:04:28.830 --> 00:04:30.780 few years and for good reason. 00:04:31.620 --> 00:04:37.460 It is extremely over harvested in the wild to be sold by people who 00:04:37.550 --> 00:04:41.310 have "Wild Crafted White Sage". 00:04:42.270 --> 00:04:48.240 And this kind of practice can completely wipe out a wild native population. 00:04:48.990 --> 00:04:50.160 Which is sad. 00:04:50.250 --> 00:04:51.390 It's terrible. 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:58.920 It's profit for the people who are selling it, but a devastating loss to the land. 00:04:59.220 --> 00:05:03.690 It's bees, hummingbirds, and other little insect friends that love it. 00:05:04.690 --> 00:05:09.219 The term wild crafted can lead you to believe that it's harmless 00:05:09.310 --> 00:05:10.570 and well thought through. 00:05:11.140 --> 00:05:15.400 But essentially it's just taking from the land. 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:18.820 And without thought for the repercussions, usually. 00:05:19.820 --> 00:05:24.050 The Sage bundles or "smudging bundles" that are sold in stores 00:05:24.050 --> 00:05:26.300 have no business being there. 00:05:27.080 --> 00:05:32.030 The plant has historically been used by native indigenous people. 00:05:32.570 --> 00:05:35.030 As part of their sacred ceremony. 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:38.990 They are in harmony and reciprocity with the land. 00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:44.810 They care for and tend to these plants and they are in sacred relationship. 00:05:46.190 --> 00:05:50.210 The people who gather white Sage from the land to sell in 00:05:50.210 --> 00:05:54.320 stores are never native people. 00:05:55.070 --> 00:05:56.390 At least not to my knowledge. 00:05:57.080 --> 00:06:01.130 And with that said, if you have purchased White Sage bundles, I'm 00:06:01.130 --> 00:06:04.910 not judging you and you shouldn't be embarrassed or judge yourself either. 00:06:05.660 --> 00:06:10.100 If we're talking about potentially problematic issues, we can fix them. 00:06:10.850 --> 00:06:13.040 But if we're not, then we can't. 00:06:13.880 --> 00:06:16.340 If we know better than we do better. 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:23.600 So why is it that the popularity of things such as Sage bundles 00:06:24.060 --> 00:06:25.610 has even become a thing. 00:06:26.610 --> 00:06:31.140 And for this, I'm not speaking from data, but just from my heart here. 00:06:32.010 --> 00:06:35.420 Which is to say we crave RITUAL. 00:06:36.060 --> 00:06:37.830 Timeless traditions. 00:06:38.550 --> 00:06:41.100 Ancestral Knowledge and Place. 00:06:41.670 --> 00:06:46.080 For many of us, we don't have that unbroken lineage to provide 00:06:46.080 --> 00:06:48.060 that feeling of grounding. 00:06:48.390 --> 00:06:49.470 In being rooted. 00:06:50.880 --> 00:06:55.410 All non-native people in the United States were transplanted 00:06:55.410 --> 00:06:58.200 here either by choice or by force. 00:06:58.260 --> 00:06:59.730 Not that long ago. 00:07:00.870 --> 00:07:06.210 We may have lost links to our heritage and to our own traditions. 00:07:07.380 --> 00:07:08.880 And I've seen it like this: 00:07:09.880 --> 00:07:14.860 The ceremony that flowed in our bloodlines, it went back into the 00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:16.840 ground with the cycle of life. 00:07:17.740 --> 00:07:22.240 That history and story and sense of belonging returning to 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:24.370 time and place into the ground. 00:07:25.330 --> 00:07:27.910 To be transmuted into new life. 00:07:28.210 --> 00:07:30.220 And into the community. 00:07:30.850 --> 00:07:36.010 But we have moved ,and we don't put down roots. 00:07:36.880 --> 00:07:40.930 And these days, our families are small and insulated, and many 00:07:40.930 --> 00:07:44.920 of us are not even connected to extended family or to community. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.760 And then on top of that, there's the hustle and grind that we've been 00:07:49.760 --> 00:07:55.040 indoctrinated into as Americans, which has progress and freedom. 00:07:55.370 --> 00:07:59.420 Lifted up over community and interconnectedness. 00:08:00.530 --> 00:08:02.870 And that means that we are floundering. 00:08:03.260 --> 00:08:04.430 We are lost. 00:08:04.640 --> 00:08:07.190 We are disconnected and in pain. 00:08:08.190 --> 00:08:11.580 That feeling of not belonging and not being rooted. 00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:16.530 For many of us has led to a search for answers and grounding 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:18.360 in other culture's wisdom. 00:08:19.200 --> 00:08:22.950 Many of us have found solace and learning the traditions. 00:08:23.340 --> 00:08:27.060 And some of us have even gone deeper to be students of these teachings. 00:08:28.260 --> 00:08:34.860 In the sixties, so many young free hearts felt this need to flee the rigid 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:41.820 confines of the fifties and travel into India and study with gurus and yogis. 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:46.200 And there have been waves that have gone to jungles to study with 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:50.940 shamans and to take part of medicine rituals like Ayahuasca ceremonies. 00:08:51.940 --> 00:08:55.000 We as a modern people are searching. 00:08:55.750 --> 00:08:58.510 Looking for deep unbroken connection. 00:08:59.470 --> 00:09:03.130 It's what we sense in these old and sacred cultures. 00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:04.510 And we want it. 00:09:05.170 --> 00:09:06.640 Want in on it. 00:09:06.670 --> 00:09:09.130 We want to be part of it and we want to belong. 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:16.600 Even many of us who don't identify as pagans or witches here on this land, in 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:21.960 the US have tried to connect with the earth based traditions try to trace our 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:24.460 lineage and hit these stumbling blocks. 00:09:25.180 --> 00:09:30.310 The white washing and colonizing and especially the Christianizing of 00:09:30.310 --> 00:09:36.100 the world wiped out that magick and connection, or at least it tried to. 00:09:37.100 --> 00:09:41.960 And I'm obviously not speaking here as a scholar, but I'm tempted to go into some 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:48.170 territory where I cite that the issues to blame are capitalism and colonialism, 00:09:48.260 --> 00:09:50.240 and I'm pretty sure that's true. 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:51.470 It seems to be the case. 00:09:52.100 --> 00:09:55.460 But I'll let people who are smarter about such things. 00:09:55.610 --> 00:09:56.240 Explain it. 00:09:57.170 --> 00:10:01.400 And I trust that you have your own opinions and you can do your own research. 00:10:02.060 --> 00:10:08.360 So I'm going to just stick to a "from the heart" approach about this. 00:10:09.320 --> 00:10:13.550 So from the perspective of me, she who is seeking. 00:10:14.450 --> 00:10:18.260 I know the tethering that I'm reaching for. 00:10:19.260 --> 00:10:24.420 As far as shamanism and Reiki, these are a few examples of things that 00:10:24.420 --> 00:10:27.540 have studied, practiced, embodied. 00:10:28.260 --> 00:10:32.880 And there's not a separation between myself and these practices. 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:35.370 Eastern based wisdom. 00:10:35.940 --> 00:10:38.370 Knowledge of Chakras, Yoga. 00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:40.380 Meditation techniques. 00:10:41.280 --> 00:10:44.880 I'm not the me who I am, without these principles. 00:10:46.290 --> 00:10:51.120 Even with some of the practices that have been part of my life for 35 years, 00:10:51.930 --> 00:10:54.840 there's often this hunger for place. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:57.970 For the authentic practice. 00:10:58.480 --> 00:10:59.440 The wisdom. 00:10:59.920 --> 00:11:00.830 In the magick. 00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:06.070 Often the herbs that I used were from exotic plants that 00:11:06.070 --> 00:11:07.540 were from distant lands. 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:12.910 And it's historically been hard to tell when they were gathered and shipped. 00:11:14.020 --> 00:11:17.110 When we have always done something a certain way, we may 00:11:17.110 --> 00:11:18.370 not even really question it. 00:11:19.060 --> 00:11:21.520 Especially when we feel a need for it. 00:11:22.690 --> 00:11:29.020 I'm talking the need in us that is a pull from a place far 00:11:29.020 --> 00:11:31.720 down ,deep within our bodies. 00:11:33.070 --> 00:11:38.650 But, as a eternal student of life, I'm always taking in new information. 00:11:39.490 --> 00:11:40.480 I let it in. 00:11:41.260 --> 00:11:45.100 And I mull it over, and I think it through, assimilate some 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:46.720 of it, and I release the rest. 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:49.900 And I never assume I have all the answers. 00:11:49.960 --> 00:11:51.730 In fact, I know that I don't. 00:11:53.140 --> 00:11:56.590 I've trained with many amazing teachers over the years. 00:11:56.950 --> 00:12:01.300 I've had wonderful mentors and access to incredible knowledge 00:12:01.330 --> 00:12:05.530 through books and through the internet and my extended community. 00:12:06.340 --> 00:12:10.120 And even with all that privilege and access, I'm very aware that 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:11.950 there's so much, I don't know. 00:12:13.090 --> 00:12:16.090 In fact, the older I get and the more I learn. 00:12:16.510 --> 00:12:19.120 The more convinced I am that really? 00:12:19.390 --> 00:12:20.320 I know nothing. 00:12:20.890 --> 00:12:24.160 The deeper and I get, the more conscious I am. 00:12:24.760 --> 00:12:29.710 That we, are most of us, and most of the time, always just on the surface. 00:12:30.700 --> 00:12:35.020 And in this state, the challenge is to slow down. 00:12:36.070 --> 00:12:38.830 And it's very, very hard to slow down. 00:12:39.970 --> 00:12:43.480 We have to deepen the knowledge that we already have. 00:12:44.440 --> 00:12:47.920 We're programmed in this culture to forge ahead. 00:12:48.430 --> 00:12:51.700 And pull up new topics, roots and all. 00:12:52.570 --> 00:12:55.990 Even when we haven't digested what we've already consumed. 00:12:56.800 --> 00:13:01.930 Hell, we even have piles of plants that we ripped out that we haven't even tasted. 00:13:01.930 --> 00:13:03.490 And then we're onto the next one. 00:13:04.900 --> 00:13:07.850 And it's an apt metaphor for a Greenwitch. 00:13:08.680 --> 00:13:12.040 And I myself, certainly am guilty of this. 00:13:12.040 --> 00:13:16.210 I really don't know anybody that hasn't been at one time or another. 00:13:17.210 --> 00:13:20.120 I'm a hungry student of the mysteries of the world. 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:23.580 My eyes searching through the veil. 00:13:23.880 --> 00:13:25.950 For magic and the hidden. 00:13:26.670 --> 00:13:28.860 And yet there's work to be done here. 00:13:29.920 --> 00:13:30.800 Chop wood. 00:13:31.150 --> 00:13:32.090 Carry water. 00:13:33.030 --> 00:13:34.920 Be aware of hungry ghosts. 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:41.220 Last year, I signed up for a year long apprenticeship with Marysia Meirnowska 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:43.140 and the School of the Sacred Wild. 00:13:43.800 --> 00:13:48.030 And to be honest, I did it more so because it was craving community. 00:13:48.510 --> 00:13:52.050 Especially after being in this bubble of COVID isolation. 00:13:52.860 --> 00:13:56.430 I was especially interested in learning from her more about 00:13:56.820 --> 00:14:01.500 regenerative agriculture and biodynamic farming practices. 00:14:02.490 --> 00:14:07.260 And I really admired her beautiful way of showing up as a spiritual entrepreneur. 00:14:07.730 --> 00:14:09.330 And as Witchy business woman. 00:14:09.930 --> 00:14:14.100 And I hoped to learn more from her mainly in those areas. 00:14:14.730 --> 00:14:19.380 I felt as though I may, or may not have very much to learn in the Folk 00:14:19.380 --> 00:14:21.660 Herbalism portion of the apprenticeship. 00:14:22.680 --> 00:14:27.330 And that has been the most illuminating in the last few months 00:14:27.330 --> 00:14:32.670 for me, because it made me realize that I don't know shit about shit. 00:14:33.870 --> 00:14:38.430 I have learned so many things from her and from this work. 00:14:39.330 --> 00:14:46.290 And I really embrace the vast and endless knowledge that has shown 00:14:46.290 --> 00:14:51.300 me through all of these incredible teachers and leaders that I'm drawn to. 00:14:52.260 --> 00:14:56.400 I feel honored to be doing this work with her and with the other apprentices 00:14:56.430 --> 00:14:58.350 and the fellow mentors this year. 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:04.920 Deepening the journey in working towards a certification in one of the disciplines. 00:15:05.520 --> 00:15:09.360 Which are all very exciting and I don't know how I'm going to choose one. 00:15:09.420 --> 00:15:11.490 So knowing me, I'll just do it again. 00:15:12.490 --> 00:15:16.630 So, there's so much to learn when you're open. 00:15:16.930 --> 00:15:17.980 And in community. 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:22.720 And some of the most beautiful lessons that I have received 00:15:22.780 --> 00:15:25.330 really are about slowing down. 00:15:26.680 --> 00:15:31.420 And I've been working with this for years, and I know that I 00:15:31.420 --> 00:15:33.460 will have to continue to do so. 00:15:34.420 --> 00:15:38.260 The lesson that I'm always embracing is to de-program. 00:15:39.190 --> 00:15:44.140 To not buy into "more is more" and to take only what I need. 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:46.240 To exchange freely. 00:15:46.660 --> 00:15:49.840 To not grasp tightly, but to be in flow. 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:55.880 There's this sadness I feel when I go and visit my plant friends in the wild. 00:15:56.880 --> 00:16:00.330 Sometimes I go and check on them and there's been this "crack 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:02.430 and grab" that's been committed. 00:16:02.880 --> 00:16:07.620 And I can see the tops of these beautiful White Sage plants that have been snapped 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:11.370 off; no care or respect or understanding. 00:16:12.330 --> 00:16:16.260 The action, a pure reflection of this extractive culture that 00:16:16.260 --> 00:16:17.970 we're all being raised up in. 00:16:19.290 --> 00:16:24.330 It isn't even thought of as harmful, or disrespectful , until you learn 00:16:24.330 --> 00:16:26.070 this programming in yourself. 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:29.610 I've always felt a kinship with plants. 00:16:30.390 --> 00:16:35.190 And really had an awakening with them and maybe 2015 or so. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:38.010 And then began to hear them in a different way. 00:16:39.010 --> 00:16:41.740 Our communication and connection changed. 00:16:42.250 --> 00:16:47.710 And it's continued to evolve, but no gift can be truly realized without 00:16:47.950 --> 00:16:50.920 time and attention and space. 00:16:51.920 --> 00:16:57.450 And often it helps to step back and approach it with cleared and 00:16:57.470 --> 00:17:00.050 open curiosity, again and again. 00:17:01.190 --> 00:17:05.120 Some of the greatest teachings that I opened up to during the 00:17:05.120 --> 00:17:07.040 apprenticeship of the sacred wild. 00:17:07.970 --> 00:17:11.060 Is the deep meditation with plants. 00:17:11.750 --> 00:17:17.120 That meditation with the plant spirit when we're open to their love and guidance. 00:17:17.780 --> 00:17:21.800 And that allows us to experience their magic in a different way. 00:17:22.820 --> 00:17:27.110 Some of the most surprising things that have come to me is how 00:17:27.110 --> 00:17:34.490 incredible and magical plants that we have in our own community are. 00:17:35.930 --> 00:17:38.900 In the book, Plant Spirit Medicine. 00:17:39.650 --> 00:17:44.960 The author Elliot Cowan says, and I'm paraphrasing here, Local plants are not 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:51.170 10 times more effective at healing, but a hundred times more effective at healing. 00:17:52.170 --> 00:17:56.370 And that was really beautiful for me to hear, because honestly, up to 00:17:56.370 --> 00:18:01.230 that point, I think I did put more value on plants that seemed rare. 00:18:01.590 --> 00:18:02.490 And exotic. 00:18:03.030 --> 00:18:07.380 Things that were hard to get, and came from far away lands. 00:18:08.190 --> 00:18:14.580 But this has really helped me to realize that by developing my own 00:18:14.580 --> 00:18:21.420 personal relationship with local plants, I actually am accessing a 00:18:21.420 --> 00:18:24.040 deeper wisdom and a deeper power. 00:18:24.530 --> 00:18:31.990 In the school of the sacred wild, we've worked with a lot of wild weeds. 00:18:32.810 --> 00:18:36.820 The are tough and tenacious plants that can come up and survive with 00:18:37.330 --> 00:18:39.940 little water and in wacky places. 00:18:40.810 --> 00:18:42.820 One of the most exciting parts. 00:18:43.210 --> 00:18:47.710 Is that the same wild weeds tend to be found almost everywhere. 00:18:48.430 --> 00:18:53.620 And so it's exciting to know that there are sisters and brothers out there, who 00:18:53.620 --> 00:18:58.270 are communing with the same plants in all different lands, all over the world. 00:18:59.620 --> 00:19:03.280 And they might be known under a slightly different name, but these 00:19:03.280 --> 00:19:09.160 wild weeds tend to be the ones that just spread far and wide. 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:16.580 And I go out often and I visit the plants in the lands near me, and I always have. 00:19:17.870 --> 00:19:21.140 But I have a different appreciation for them now. 00:19:22.280 --> 00:19:25.430 Very seldomly do I harvest anything. 00:19:26.690 --> 00:19:30.710 If I do, I'm taking just enough for what I need for that day. 00:19:31.100 --> 00:19:35.390 For instance, in the spring, I'll harvest them stinging nettles, 00:19:35.390 --> 00:19:39.500 and chickweed and come home and make an egg scramble with them. 00:19:40.190 --> 00:19:42.620 Or just get enough for a tincture that I need. 00:19:43.760 --> 00:19:47.720 I am always very careful to approach the plant with love and 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:50.480 respect, and bringing an offering. 00:19:51.260 --> 00:19:56.510 And I've always given offerings of my hair and flowers and little crystals 00:19:56.510 --> 00:19:59.720 and sips of water and the gift of song. 00:20:00.770 --> 00:20:05.240 And these plants feel valued and appreciated when we sing to them. 00:20:06.350 --> 00:20:12.500 It's a gift that's a specific interchange between green sister and flesh sister. 00:20:13.790 --> 00:20:19.730 I slow down and I open my ears and my heart and I get comfortable. 00:20:21.020 --> 00:20:24.710 When I introduce myself to them, and we're in a 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:28.370 communication, I listen and I ask: 00:20:29.370 --> 00:20:31.950 Can I use them, do they want to come with me? 00:20:31.980 --> 00:20:38.010 And I let them know what my plan is, whether it's to make a medicine, or 00:20:38.010 --> 00:20:44.370 to make a meal for my family and I just let them know that it will be honored. 00:20:45.270 --> 00:20:52.470 And sometimes the answer is no, which I was admitting to a friend always 00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:54.900 feels like a little bit hurtful. 00:20:56.100 --> 00:20:58.710 But sometimes we just... 00:20:59.710 --> 00:21:00.730 you know, that's our answer. 00:21:00.730 --> 00:21:01.360 No is no. 00:21:02.360 --> 00:21:10.190 And I always respect that and I just thank them for doing their magical work 00:21:10.190 --> 00:21:18.710 of just being beautiful and creating habitat for the wild, and creating oxygen. 00:21:19.710 --> 00:21:24.240 It's my feeling that when plants are gifted to us, either through 00:21:24.450 --> 00:21:30.600 the gift of a friend or the gifting from the plant itself, It provides 00:21:30.600 --> 00:21:32.910 a more natural state of harmony. 00:21:34.230 --> 00:21:36.240 It's a more giving state. 00:21:36.630 --> 00:21:41.220 And it imbues a sense of power into the work. 00:21:41.910 --> 00:21:43.770 And it puts us in relationship. 00:21:44.790 --> 00:21:49.680 The medicine that we make from this is more powerful, for 00:21:49.710 --> 00:21:52.050 that practice being clear. 00:21:53.100 --> 00:21:54.750 And it's also my opinion. 00:21:55.200 --> 00:22:00.150 Then when we purchased Sage bundles that were pillaged from the land for profit. 00:22:00.810 --> 00:22:05.640 Then we're imbuing our work with that energy as well. 00:22:06.840 --> 00:22:11.370 And I do not want to be a part of this destructive capitalist machine. 00:22:11.730 --> 00:22:16.500 And that's not to say that all items sold in stores are part of this 00:22:16.530 --> 00:22:22.350 destructive capitalism, but I do think that we need to be more mindful 00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:25.770 about when and how we spend our money. 00:22:26.850 --> 00:22:28.380 We vote with our money. 00:22:28.860 --> 00:22:33.930 And it's always been my intention to have where I spend my money be a 00:22:33.930 --> 00:22:36.180 prayer for what I want in the world. 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:42.660 And that does make it easier for me to spend my money in support of 00:22:42.750 --> 00:22:46.830 fellow healers, and those who are trying to do good in the world. 00:22:47.490 --> 00:22:52.020 I want to support the work that they do so that they can continue to do good things 00:22:52.020 --> 00:22:54.210 for their community and for the earth. 00:22:55.210 --> 00:22:56.920 But back to white Sage. 00:22:57.550 --> 00:23:01.660 If we want to work with this plant spirit, but don't have access. 00:23:02.110 --> 00:23:03.940 So then what do we do? 00:23:04.940 --> 00:23:09.020 Well, when we're drawn to practices that are outside our culture. 00:23:09.560 --> 00:23:11.930 And that may not be part of our lineage. 00:23:12.380 --> 00:23:18.800 Firstly, I would advise you to pay attention and to be curious, what 00:23:18.800 --> 00:23:21.170 is it that you're feeling drawn to? 00:23:22.100 --> 00:23:25.070 Is it the energy of the Sage plant itself? 00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:29.480 That's something I certainly understand as somebody who has a beautiful 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:31.340 relationship with this sacred plant. 00:23:31.910 --> 00:23:33.260 So if that's the case. 00:23:33.620 --> 00:23:34.580 Grow your own. 00:23:35.090 --> 00:23:39.230 My plants were from a nursery and they were a gift many years ago. 00:23:39.800 --> 00:23:43.550 But I know that there's a responsible nurseries that grow and sell 00:23:43.640 --> 00:23:45.890 all manner of medicinal plants. 00:23:46.310 --> 00:23:47.570 White Sage included. 00:23:48.080 --> 00:23:50.900 For about $10, you could get a good size plant. 00:23:51.710 --> 00:23:54.290 Also seeds can be purchased or shared. 00:23:54.860 --> 00:23:59.570 Even plants in nature would be happy to share seeds, I bet if you ask. 00:24:00.500 --> 00:24:03.770 Be a protector and a propagator of plants. 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:07.250 A guardian and a Renegade for good. 00:24:08.090 --> 00:24:09.380 How rad would it be? 00:24:09.380 --> 00:24:14.810 If we all planted White Sage, Mugwort, Chamomile, Calendula... 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:22.700 all those and more outside and out and about in lots and abandoned 00:24:22.700 --> 00:24:25.400 plots and liminal spaces around town. 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:28.740 Even on the curbs of city streets. 00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:33.840 And I know that White Sage doesn't grow everywhere, but if she will 00:24:33.840 --> 00:24:35.940 grow near you, I highly recommend it. 00:24:37.020 --> 00:24:41.070 And there are so many other fragrant and bountiful plants 00:24:41.070 --> 00:24:42.660 that can be used and loved. 00:24:42.660 --> 00:24:48.870 If you're looking for a plant to help you clear space, any fragrant 00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:50.640 herbs will help you do this job. 00:24:51.360 --> 00:24:56.730 I use plants for my garden, such as Rosemary, Lavender, Juniper ,Pine. 00:24:57.330 --> 00:25:01.350 Depending on where you live, there could be all sorts of other amazing options. 00:25:02.350 --> 00:25:07.750 And we would do well to remember that most of the job of clearing space is with our 00:25:07.750 --> 00:25:10.870 own energy and your own personal power. 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:16.300 If you only have a limited amount of time to do Space Clearing. 00:25:16.930 --> 00:25:20.770 It's my feeling that the time would be better served in meditation. 00:25:21.820 --> 00:25:27.500 To become clear and connected to the work that you're about to do, 00:25:27.950 --> 00:25:33.830 and that will help you have more effective space clearing than running 00:25:33.830 --> 00:25:36.890 out and shopping for a Sage bundle. 00:25:37.730 --> 00:25:42.050 Or worse stealing it from the land carelessly, which I'm sure. 00:25:42.300 --> 00:25:44.120 Nobody who would listen to this would ever do. 00:25:45.120 --> 00:25:49.740 But there are so many people that grow her also that would be willing to trade 00:25:50.010 --> 00:25:52.320 and I've absolutely found that to be true. 00:25:52.890 --> 00:25:58.680 Or you can look for a cultivated White Sage from a reputable stockist. 00:25:59.430 --> 00:26:00.300 And. 00:26:00.990 --> 00:26:04.290 Just staymindful and be intentional. 00:26:05.190 --> 00:26:11.940 And this has been a lot about Salvia apiana but really, I feel like it's 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:14.460 a gateway into many other things. 00:26:15.840 --> 00:26:20.580 When we're more mindful and slow down, and we think about what we're doing ,and we 00:26:20.580 --> 00:26:27.240 think about WHY, and we're connected to the true purpose, that's something that's 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:29.520 deep, and resonates with us deep down. 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:34.110 I feel as though we're just bound to make better decisions. 00:26:35.110 --> 00:26:43.720 And, all of this just makes me think that relationships that we 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:50.050 developed with plants whether it's individual plans out in our garden or 00:26:50.080 --> 00:26:52.810 out in nature is just so important. 00:26:53.860 --> 00:27:00.940 And we have always experienced plants wanting to be of service and 00:27:00.940 --> 00:27:05.140 in meditation, I've received the message that plants want to help. 00:27:05.830 --> 00:27:10.600 They want to help humanity, and they're willing to do the work. 00:27:11.320 --> 00:27:14.440 But it really is about building that relationship. 00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:21.130 And I had intuited that a lot of plant remedies were communicated 00:27:21.130 --> 00:27:24.850 directly from the plants to the people. 00:27:25.990 --> 00:27:30.460 And that the medicine that was made with plants. 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:35.680 Far before labs could figure these sort of things out that that was like 00:27:35.710 --> 00:27:38.200 direct messaging coming from the plants. 00:27:38.800 --> 00:27:44.080 And recently I've just really gotten a lot more proof that that is the case. 00:27:44.740 --> 00:27:53.380 So when we're able to listen and we're able to hear, then, we just really can 00:27:53.380 --> 00:27:57.670 go so much deeper than if we're just always sort of treading the surface 00:27:57.670 --> 00:27:59.940 and going from one thing to the next. 00:28:00.940 --> 00:28:06.470 I just have always had a relationship with Sage and I 00:28:06.470 --> 00:28:08.150 understand wanting to work with it. 00:28:08.210 --> 00:28:15.170 And it really became apparent to me why, because in this city that I 00:28:15.170 --> 00:28:21.680 grew up in, it's all over, and it's even in my grandmother's garden. 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:23.750 So it's just always been a part of my life. 00:28:24.750 --> 00:28:31.800 And if you feel that this episode has brought up more questions than answers 00:28:31.800 --> 00:28:38.610 then we're on the same page, it wasn't my intention to have any answers. 00:28:39.270 --> 00:28:43.800 Just to sort of bring up some of the things that I'm noticing and 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:46.440 to give some suggestions, because. 00:28:47.100 --> 00:28:50.220 There may be somebody who, you know, who needs to hear this. 00:28:50.760 --> 00:28:57.750 And if that's the case, I would love it if you shared this episode because it's 00:28:57.750 --> 00:28:59.430 something that we can all do better on. 00:29:00.430 --> 00:29:05.140 If you have not read the book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kemmerer. 00:29:05.620 --> 00:29:06.850 I highly recommended. 00:29:07.660 --> 00:29:10.180 It is a beautiful book. 00:29:10.570 --> 00:29:16.990 And if you're short on time, or if you just love an audio book, She is a velvet 00:29:17.020 --> 00:29:19.780 and sugar voiced painter of words. 00:29:20.410 --> 00:29:25.420 She is an environmental biologist and she has a PhD in plant ecology. 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:31.510 She is an enrolled citizen of the Pottawatomie nation. 00:29:32.020 --> 00:29:36.700 And a superb educator, On the interwoven landscape. 00:29:37.510 --> 00:29:40.810 Of human need and reciprocity. 00:29:41.350 --> 00:29:46.660 And her book is equal parts, poetry, and educational illumination. 00:29:47.650 --> 00:29:52.900 It's an eye opening primmer on reciprocity and living in harmony with the land. 00:29:53.530 --> 00:29:57.280 And she touches on heritage lost and found. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:02.950 As she recounts the story of her grandfather, who was forcibly 00:30:02.950 --> 00:30:05.500 schooled in a colonial reform school. 00:30:06.910 --> 00:30:11.780 And I feel like our eyes just really need to be opened. 00:30:12.320 --> 00:30:13.940 To that and so much more. 00:30:14.630 --> 00:30:19.730 And when I think about things like all the terrible things that were done in "the 00:30:19.730 --> 00:30:27.680 past" that seems so obviously horrible, it makes me reevaluate the events and 00:30:27.680 --> 00:30:33.230 situations that leave a bad taste in my mouth in the current time scape. 00:30:34.520 --> 00:30:38.090 The stripping of resources and pillaging of the earth with 00:30:38.120 --> 00:30:40.190 no care for sustainability. 00:30:41.030 --> 00:30:47.900 Will, I hope, be seen as barbaric, shortsighted and shocking to 00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:49.430 every human in the near future. 00:30:50.210 --> 00:30:54.950 In my hopeful heart, our children's children will be unable to 00:30:54.950 --> 00:30:58.940 understand how it was possible that nothing was done for so long. 00:31:00.260 --> 00:31:05.480 My hope is that regenerative practices will be employed anywhere and everywhere. 00:31:05.930 --> 00:31:09.860 And that we, as a community of renegades and weirdos will lead the charge. 00:31:10.860 --> 00:31:15.580 If you can ask, not what can I take, but what can I give, Ive 00:31:15.600 --> 00:31:19.110 found that when I do this, is when Ive received the best gifts of all. 00:31:20.280 --> 00:31:25.320 I'd like to end with a quote from the book, Plant Spirit medicine by Elliot 00:31:25.320 --> 00:31:29.760 Cowan, which is one of the best books. 00:31:29.790 --> 00:31:34.740 My copy is ridiculously highlighted and there's like a bunch of copper paperclips 00:31:34.740 --> 00:31:36.360 all over it because I love it so much. 00:31:37.360 --> 00:31:42.550 And I could have used probably one of a hundred quotes, but I chose this one. 00:31:44.020 --> 00:31:51.550 "However snarled and hopeless a human dream gets, the wild plants still 00:31:51.580 --> 00:31:54.250 willingly take people into their paradise. 00:31:54.910 --> 00:31:56.170 I don't know how they do that. 00:31:56.470 --> 00:31:57.430 It's a mystery. 00:31:57.730 --> 00:32:02.260 I love to ponder and probably will never solve, which is fine with me. 00:32:02.680 --> 00:32:04.420 Because I like mysteries. 00:32:04.870 --> 00:32:09.970 I just keep asking the plants for their magic and admiring it when it comes. 00:32:10.970 --> 00:32:12.110 " That's such a nice quote. 00:32:13.110 --> 00:32:17.940 And I will leave some links in the show notes about the books that 00:32:17.940 --> 00:32:22.650 I discussed along with another one that I'm currently reading. 00:32:23.190 --> 00:32:27.000 Which is very beautiful and very long. 00:32:27.060 --> 00:32:30.030 And I will talk more about it, but I'm going to just put it in there. 00:32:30.030 --> 00:32:31.260 If you're looking for a good book. 00:32:31.770 --> 00:32:32.850 And it is. 00:32:33.540 --> 00:32:40.010 The Unlikely Peace Of Cuchamaquic by Martin Prechtel. 00:32:40.700 --> 00:32:50.950 Its very eyeopening and I'm only on chapter eight, and it's really 00:32:50.950 --> 00:32:52.090 opened up a lot of thought. 00:32:53.090 --> 00:32:58.940 And here's one more beautiful quote, and this one is by Robin Kimmerer 00:32:59.940 --> 00:33:03.630 " GIve a gift in reciprocity for what you have taken. 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:07.170 Sustain the ones who sustain you. 00:33:07.830 --> 00:33:10.200 And the earth will last forever." 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:15.790 And on a final note, I would like to say that there's something 00:33:15.820 --> 00:33:18.250 boiling under the surface. 00:33:18.880 --> 00:33:25.820 Or, ready to burst through the soil, depending on what Kind of metaphor 00:33:25.820 --> 00:33:36.600 you want to go with, but if you were interested in doing more for the planet, 00:33:37.060 --> 00:33:44.900 and doing your part and really being open to the fact that as a collective, 00:33:44.990 --> 00:33:48.290 we are more powerful than as individuals. 00:33:48.980 --> 00:33:58.430 I would love it if you would go over to my Instagram, and send me a 00:33:58.430 --> 00:34:03.300 note with the word " Earth Warrior". 00:34:03.630 --> 00:34:04.590 That's two words. 00:34:05.590 --> 00:34:10.420 The She Who Is Seeking podcast is the love child of me, Meena Melissa 00:34:10.420 --> 00:34:17.200 Leigh, and all the views, ideas and thoughts are my own, with the additional 00:34:17.200 --> 00:34:19.480 quotes and concepts that were cited. 00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:25.270 And I would love it if you came and found me over on Instagram. 00:34:26.070 --> 00:34:27.190 @shewhoisseeking. 00:34:28.090 --> 00:34:34.150 And there's some thing exciting that's brewing, that I would love to talk to 00:34:34.180 --> 00:34:41.080 you more about, both on this podcast and over there, and as it gets a little 00:34:41.080 --> 00:34:42.670 more solid, I'll talk about it more. 00:34:43.670 --> 00:34:48.490 The music is the beautiful songs Snake River, by Siren and the Sea. 00:34:49.090 --> 00:34:56.560 And I am advocating that you create a life that you love and you live it every day. 00:34:57.130 --> 00:35:03.650 And f you're interested in the names of those books or the name of the 00:35:03.650 --> 00:35:07.070 course that I took, I'm going to just put that in the show notes. 00:35:07.850 --> 00:35:13.250 And the School of the Sacred Wild with Marysia Miernowska is currently 00:35:13.250 --> 00:35:22.760 open, I know it's closing soon and it begins the first week of September. 00:35:23.390 --> 00:35:27.890 So, if you're interested in that, um, it's amazing. 00:35:27.950 --> 00:35:28.970 I highly recommend it. 00:35:29.750 --> 00:35:34.160 And I'm sending you so much love, and I will talk to you next time. 00:35:34.790 --> 00:35:35.270 Bye! 00:35:36.270 --> 00:35:37.740 Oh, and I almost forgot. 00:35:37.740 --> 00:35:43.860 I just wanted to say thank you to my listeners in Canada and Russia and the 00:35:43.865 --> 00:35:49.050 Netherlands and Spain and Australia and all over the United States. 00:35:49.050 --> 00:35:55.650 It's so exciting to see there in so many different states and all over the world. 00:35:55.995 --> 00:35:58.815 And checking you guys out on the map is super fun for me. 00:35:58.815 --> 00:36:03.285 So please share with anybody who might enjoy it. 00:36:03.285 --> 00:36:06.375 And I will talk to you guys soon. 00:36:06.435 --> 00:36:07.035 Bye. 00:36:08.035 --> 00:36:08.875 For real this time 00:36:09.875 --> 00:36:11.345 . Oh, and I almost forgot. 00:36:11.345 --> 00:36:17.465 I just wanted to say thank you to my listeners in Canada and Russia and the 00:36:17.470 --> 00:36:22.655 Netherlands and Spain and Australia and all over the United States. 00:36:22.655 --> 00:36:29.255 It's so exciting to see there in so many different states and all over the world. 00:36:29.600 --> 00:36:32.420 And checking you guys out on the map is super fun for me. 00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:36.890 So please share with anybody who might enjoy it. 00:36:36.890 --> 00:36:39.980 And I will talk to you guys soon. 00:36:40.040 --> 00:36:40.640 Bye. 00:36:41.640 --> 00:36:42.480 For real this time