So what´s an herbalist anyway?
I had just finished my apprenticeship with wise woman herbalist, Susun Weed, up at her homestead in New York.
I flew back to Louisiana to be with my parents before heading down to México where I was currently living at the time. (This is 2020).
A childhood friend and her dentist husband stopped by to say hello. I started telling them about my apprenticeship with Susun, which was wild, intense, and FULL of learning, not only about plants but also about myself.
The dentist husband listened for a while, then shrugged and chuckled and said “So what´s an herbalist anyway”.
And I answered without even thinking, “an herbalist is someone who has a relationship with plants”.
Later after they left I got to thinking some more.
“We ALL have a relationship with plants; it´s actually impossible NOT to have a relationship with plants.” Even this dentist husband who lives in a city, with no garden who shops at a conventional grocery store, goes there to buy….PLANTS….to eat.
So maybe an herbalist isn´t just someone who has a relationship with plants but someone who REALIZES that they do. :)
And not only do they realize it, but they seek to explore and deepen that relationship, understanding that it´s a life-long process and commitment made out of curiosity, respect and JOY.
What does the dentist husband think that humans did for most of human history? What did we do when we were bleeding from a wound, however shallow it might be. What did we do for painkillers? How did we treat headaches and stomach bugs? There was so pharmacy down the corner where we could just buy a pill. We used PLANTS. We treated ourselves with the plants that grew around us and we can still do that.
I think there is an incredible desire lighting up inside of many people today who are seeking to remember knowledge that´s been put aside for several generations. After years (even generations) of disconnecting, we are now seeking to reconnect.
Even if all you do is grow one mint plant in a pot by your kitchen door and every so often you make a tea from that, WOW that is EPIC. That is AMAZING. You are a little bit less of just a pure consumer and a little bit more of a producer. You are INVOLVED in your health and healing. You are not just passive but also active. You are your own healer. That is always the case. Many times we don´t think about that because it can also be quite daunting. I have FULL responsibility over my health and over my life, over each and every thought that I think, word that I speak and action that I take.
Showing up and assuming responsibility doesn´t equate to control. I can´t control life. But I can take responsibility for how I show up. I am responsable for my life and health. I am my own healer and you are yours.
So we go forth in love and curiosity. If you are here and reading this, then you - just like me - are on the plant path. You KNOW you are in a relationship with plants and all living things on this marvelous planet and you are committed to making that relationship be beautiful.
Your life is your prayer. And my life is mine.
We are all weaving our prayers together. May it be in beauty.
Love,
Katie