Earlier this year an herb school in CA reached out to ask if I would be interested in being interviewed for a webinar they were hosting. I was happy and honored to do so, but I come across an issue whenever I consider speaking at herbal gatherings or conferences: what do I have to offer? I don’t feel like I have any particularly insightful experiences with herbs; my herbal practice seems pretty straightforward. There is nothing that sets me apart.
Luckily for me, after our short interview regarding my background, etc, they came up with a really beautiful and inspiring topic, which, to be honest, inspired ME! Yes, I apparently inspired myself. This is how that went down:
The following months after being asked about the interview, I kept ruminating on what I was going to talk about. To me, the story is kind of…well… boring. I won’t go into my story (that can be found on another blog post).
I always anticipate this one question that every herbalist gets asked: “What brought you to herbalism?” In my narrative, the honest answer is lame. It’s not the crunchy, ethereal, or community health-focused beautiful answer it could be. The truth is, I wanted to find a class on foraging and first aid to add to my survivalist repertoire. At the time, prepping (as in like, PREPPING- for the collapse of civilization) was a hobby of mine and I wanted more tools for my toolbox. For reference, this was around 2010 when all those post apocalyptic books, tv shows, and movies were a big thing. I wasn’t actually expecting the SHTF (shit hits the fan, for all you non-preppers out there) in the cult-like sense. But I wanted to know how to live off the land if I had to, plus it’s kind of fun. Like camping, but with zombies. JK. But looking for classes in 2012 led me to the school I ended up attending for my Masters in herbalism. Do I want to explain my interest in post-apocalyptic fiction and bug-out bags in an interview where I am trying to have people take me and my practice seriously? Probably not.
However, after reading the beautifully crafted description of me based on our conversation and mentally revisiting my life at the beginning herb school, I had a breakthrough.
The plants called me.
They knew I would need healing.
They knew I would need community.
At the time I was about to go through the most horrible part of my life (divorce), the plants were calling me in, ready to embrace and support me through the process.
Why did I even decide to take on grad school with three little kids, an unhealthy marriage which was falling apart, and a full time job as a high school English teacher? Let alone in a subject that was completely foreign to me? Talk about dumb. In no world does any of that make sense.
Which is how, upon reflection, I now know how I got here.
It wasn’t me at all. I just said yes to the plant path, or the green spark, or whatever you want to call it.
In the most challenging and crushing part of my life, I learned about plant allies that would support me emotionally, physically, and spiritually. It also brought me community and friends- real friends. Ever since I was a kid having friends was very important to me, and while I always had a couple of close friends, it never seemed like I had the support system I felt I needed. Being part of the MUIH (Maryland University of Integrative Health) community and being able to take in-person classes helped me build those crucial relationships as my other relationship fell apart.
During that time of my life my bedroom was my refuge. My sanctuary. I ate meals, worked, and relaxed in my bed to avoid confrontations with my ex as we still shared the same roof. None of this was healthy. Stepping foot on the plant path also showed me a better place for my soul to recharge: the woods. If I am feeling overwhelmed, depressed, drained, whatever- I just need to sit in the woods a bit and let myself recharge. Let the Mother take care of me. This was another tool in my toolbox of life that I may not have found had I not said ‘yes’ to the plant calling. And behind the scenes I believe this was truly God calling me, using plants to guide me to where I am meant to be. Perhaps where we are all supposed to be? Back to our roots.
So now when I consider the reason I became an herbalist, maybe I don’t need to dwell (embarrassingly) on the fact that I was just looking for a way to clean out a wound using leaves. Instead of making it about me, I can focus on them. That deep and ancient wisdom of plants that know how to nourish and sustain us in ways we don’t even fully comprehend. And in truth, we don’t need to understand. If you’re reading this, perhaps you, too, have been called to the plant path. For whatever reason. Even if it doesn’t make sense. Because honestly, life doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. However I encourage you to lean into the plants, listen a little harder, and think a little less. They tend to know what we need better than we do sometimes.
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