i feel the wild whispering to me.

I read an article recently by the lovely Kiva Rose about grass roots herbalism that was followed by an equally amazing webinar. She called it weedwifery.  I love that.  I left feeling amazingly empowered. I usually feel like I’m not really all that wild and feral.  Certainly, like I’m not qualified to call myself an herbmother. I am a regular suburban housewife. I live in a house on a hillside made of ticky tacky. I spend as much time in nature as is possible for me with two littles on my hip. But the nature we are grateful to explore, for the most part, is usually bound by concrete parking lots littered with metal jungle gyms. I dare not touch the weeds for fear of the pesticides that have certainly been sprayed as evidenced by the odd green paint like markings along perfectly sculpted desert landscaping. And though I say nothing, I wonder about that water the kids splash in in the grassy wash beneath the caged trees. But still we try.

When I had Sevi, I wanted to use natural remedies badly. But had no idea where to begin. I had no teacher, no tradition, no grandma in the kitchen sharing her wisdom. Like many mamas today, I had to go it alone. And so I did. With reckless abandon. For the last three years I have welcomed the plants into my home and let them teach me. But I have so much still to learn. What I’m about to say is hard for me. Nothing dramatic or horrible, but hard. I’ve been back and forth about whether or not to share it. Fearing judgment and  seeing that giant flashing neon F.A.I.L sign in my mind. But, it’s truth and truth I need you to know……big breath out.  After  several weeks of no end crying and pain, 4 days without a bowel movement, and three nights in a row with less than an hour of sleep. I drugged my child. On her first birthday.  Yep, I gave her infant ibuprofen. The molars are coming in. And she is miserable. None of us have slept in days. Weeks maybe. And yes, this was after 3 jam-packed days of full activity out of the house, numerous drop-offs at last minute loving sisters to babysit while mama ran off to play with herbs and placentas. And yes, I could say it was because it was impossible for me to keep the constant drip of chamomile tea and tincture while we were out. That surely, if I had had access to earth medicine, I wouldn’t have needed it. But the truth is, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have done it eventually anyway.

Why am I telling you this? What’s the big deal? First off, this story is not meant in ANY way to judge those mamas who give the pain drugs to their kids (I am one after all) nor the mamas who do not. It is quite the opposite, I hope, really.  So why all this drama for me? Well, I am mama herb, after all. I shouldn’t need to. And I’m teaching a class on using herbal medicine, who’s gonna believe me now? Right? What kind of herbalist can I call myself if I can’t even get through teething without pharmaceuticals. Well, that’s just it. I am not an herbalist. I am an herb mama. I’ve only just discovered this, so the definition is still forming, and will always be I’m sure. But what it means to me is becoming more clear.

i feel the wild reaching out to me.

We may not live in Kiva’s beautiful canyon, but here’s what I’ve learned from reading her  words about earth medicine. It doesn’t belong to anyone but it belongs to all of us. I first learned it from my aunt or maybe from my dear old desert woman teachers. I really don’t remember where it began. All I know is that though it has always been in me, recently  Pacha Mama has grabbed me by the shoulders and whisked me up into the air swirling me along a path I can no longer ignore. Kiva relates that the greatest gift about herb medicine is that it is accessible. We should teach it and share it with all kinds of people. That teaching is not restricted to experts and we should share generously as soon as we are able to, as soon as it becomes a natural impulse for us. The wide sharing, and not hoarding in any way, is what will keep it the people’s medicine. She reminds us that it is not a good idea to learn how to do everything ourselves but better to learn as a community. Letting everyone share in bits and pieces of the earth medicine no matter how inexperienced or where the idea seems to have come from. We should help other people with what we know. And begin as soon as we can. With the knowledge we are comfortable with that we have now.

And this part, was most important for me, because I have so many teachers I don’t want to step on toes with my work. I worried about this a lot.  She stresses to avoid elitism and competition of any kind. It makes no sense when the connection is helping people. Step away from the culture of competition and share what you know as soon as you know with the understanding that there is room for all of us to be helping because there is such a need for this medicine right now. Lets not let one person who has this gift or interest be turned away. The souls you will reach need your work.

i feel the wild growing in me.

So what does this have to do with infant ibuprofen? It helped me understand what it means to be an herbmother. It means fluidity. Putting your family above dogma, principal, and yes latisha, image. Trying. Failing. And Failing Better. Despite what it may appear to look like here, I’m not the most natural mama. Sure, we eat a fair amount of local organic food.  We use a ton of herbal remedies in the home. We do the cloth diaper thing and yes we are conscious about our footprint. But we are imperfect. We shop at big box stores on a regular basis, buy little useless plastic toys made in china with hundreds of wasteful tiny parts, and probably leave our air conditioner on too long. And, {deep breath}, on few occasions I have given my children over the counter medicine.  I am still learning. Learning to trust where I am on the path of natural medicine. Knowing what I know and what I do not. Each day, each illness and ailment, is an opportunity to fail better.

i feel the wild whispering to you

In college, I had this professor who LOVED making us teach classes. We all just thought he was lazy. He said, teaching is the single best way to learn anything. The thing is, he was right. I remember more from that class than any other I took in four years of school.  And this is where I am on my herbmama journey. I’m teaching a class soon. Called The 8-Fold Path to Becoming an Herb*Mama. Not to inspire a new crop of clinical herbalists,  I’m nowhere close to one myself. But to re-wild the place where healing begins, the home. To give mamas tools so you have the option of using this medicine, if you want to. To empower you to feel educated and safe enough to make whatever choice is right at the time. But also to let you know it doesn’t have to be an all or nothing game. That you can begin using herbs, gently and it will still make a difference. That just because you have ibuprofen in your cupboard does not mean a little chamomile tea won’t help too.

As an…..herbalist (enter tybalt, ‘i hate the word‘) I speak with mostly mothers.  Not as a naturopath or a clinician. But as a friend.  I listen, hopefully, and I share what knowledge I have. Most of the time, I’m just reassurance, supporting whatever you decide.  Yes, I want you to feel the herbs are the peoples medicine. That they are medicine of the mother. They are the medicine by the mother. To share the stories of this medicine with your children and your friends. I want you to feel that these plants line the the path to wellness, to spirit, to home, to the wild. But that it is a long walk from where we are now. It is going to take time, perhaps a generation or two, before we begin to trust plant medicine again. So I want you to feel good about going at your own pace,  using the knowledge you have right away.

I have exploded into this savory life these last three years, but honestly have so much more to learn. Chances are if someone in my immediate circle of family and friends hasn’t come down with it, I don’t know how to deal with it. But, usually I can find out some options. Look it up. Weed through the medical and botanical lingo and put it in terms you can work with.  My classes won’t be about becoming herbal medicine experts. And to be honest, I’m not really sure we should be anyway.  As mothers, we have so much to care for, leaving some things in the capapble hands of a few experts actually shows great wisdom. So instead, I want to introduce you to a few of my green friends in the hopes that one or two of them will find regular audience in your kitchen. Because being an herbmama is not about a ton of brown bottles in a cupboard or exotic herbs imported from foreign countries in jars lining your shelves. It’s about healing the whole family, in spite of dogma, using everything we’ve got.

will you answer her call….

Inspired by these white hot truths, I am offering two surprises:

1. For local Phoenix residents, my first class at Midwives Rising. Pay what you can. A few dollars, barters, trades. I’m willing to entertain it all. I want a full house. You see, I think this medicine is so empowering, so important, that I want you there. I want to see the wild growing in you.

2. For anyone unable to attend the class, either because you don’t live in Phoenix, or are busy or whatever reason, I’m giving away my copy of Rosemary Gladstar’s The Family Herbal.

For the book giveaway, please simply leave a comment by midnight MST Monday June 20th. One word or many. The winner will be chosen and announced using a random number generator on the summer solstice June 21st.

**rules for the Pay What You Can offer (sorry, just making sure things are fair) **
~this offer is available until the class fills, up to 20 people.
~there are currently 17 spots available
~attendees will be determined by the first to contact me with payment/barter/trades
~the remaining classes retain their original pricing: $40 single, $67 both; MR clients $30 single, $53 both.