SIT SPOT RITUAL Many people want to deepen their felt sense of connection to nature. One of my favorite exercises is the Sit Spot Ritual. This exercise was made popular by John Young. I have adapted it here: The most potent way to develop a strong and intimate...
An interview with Jolie Elan and Jesse Wolf Hardin in Plant Healer Magazine. In this interview we discuss a sense of place and why it is imperative for herbalists to foster a deep connection to the earth and her medicines. In these times of great change, how does the...
I live at the meeting place of three mountain ranges in Southern Oregon. My home town nestles in millions of forested acres that are watered by clear flowing, salmon-bearing streams fed by icy snow melt. It’s paradise, until fire season strikes. Then it feels more...
Learning botany is like going to a wild party where you don’t know many folks. At first, you may feel intimidated, then you bump into someone and you learn their name. But, a name is just an entry point. Each time you run into your new friend, you learn more about...
Around Mother’s day we see innumerable cards and posts with adorable furry baby mammals with their doting and capable moms (click here for cute pictures). However, this mother’s day I want to celebrate a whole other maternal kingdom. This post is dedicated to all the...
Blue Elderberry (Sambucus nigra subspecies caerulea) is a tall shrub with beautiful lacy clusters of tiny white flowers that look like snowflakes. This fascinating medicinal and edible wild plant grows in North America, Europe, western Asia, and North Africa[i]. We...
