When the daily news reports are filled with violence, intolerance, hate, fear and suffering it's hard not to feel overwhelmed and stunned. Heartbroken and at a loss for words, sometimes I find myself crying into my oh so privileged breakfast smoothie. The world feels shaky and unstable, and I struggle to make sense of so many shattering events happening close to home and in every corner of the globe. I ask myself: What can I do? How can I help? How can I be an ally and change agent? What blind spots and heart-narrowing fears lurk inside me?
I seek answers and actions in the things I always have. (Tammi Sweet has a wonderful Medicinal Recipe for the Times. ) I also believe that in a capitalist, consumer-driven society, being a producer of as many of your own goods as possible and being an ethical consumer of all the rest, are deeply radical acts. Fair trade purchasing, thrift-store shopping, bartering, gardening, foraging, dumpster diving, mending and making do, these are just some ways we can open up cracks in the edifice of a system that concentrates wealth into the hands of an elite few, at the expense and suffering of the marginalised and many. Much the same way as the ubiquitous dandelion can crumble concrete and build rich soil, I hold on to the idea that countless, common, persistent acts can lead to large societal shifts.
I seek answers and actions in the things I always have. (Tammi Sweet has a wonderful Medicinal Recipe for the Times. ) I also believe that in a capitalist, consumer-driven society, being a producer of as many of your own goods as possible and being an ethical consumer of all the rest, are deeply radical acts. Fair trade purchasing, thrift-store shopping, bartering, gardening, foraging, dumpster diving, mending and making do, these are just some ways we can open up cracks in the edifice of a system that concentrates wealth into the hands of an elite few, at the expense and suffering of the marginalised and many. Much the same way as the ubiquitous dandelion can crumble concrete and build rich soil, I hold on to the idea that countless, common, persistent acts can lead to large societal shifts.
Once used to stretch a wardrobe during times of war rationing, this advice can now be useful in modern times where the industrial clothing industry has tragic human and environmental costs.
In fact, I find myself turning more and more to the wild and weedy plants for solace and inspiration. I take heart in their wayward, untamed abundance and I never cease to marvel at the power and resilience of rogue weeds, who refuse to toe the line by popping up and colonizing places where people don't want them. These common, unloved and unwanted plants not only survive, but thrive in the harshest of conditions, all the while healing broken and damaged earth.
Herbalist Kiva Rose writes, “What we call weeds tend to grow in disturbed ground where human impact is obvious, whether in vacant lots, tilled farmland or roadsides. These plants are looking for a new frontier to colonize, but they’re also often active healers of hurt land... It would be foolhardy to attempt to place a value judgement upon these wild creatures, especially the categorical labels of the typical human who sees whatever benefits us as good and whatever hurts or detracts from our goals as bad. In the end, weeds, like everything (and everyone) else, want to live. It’s that simple. They, like us, are designed and adapted to survive, thrive and spread...”
And so to the forests and fields I go, to mourn, to heal. Surrounded by unruly, rebel weeds I ask for forgiveness, give thanks and offer my body to the earth. I try to learn the primordial lessons the plants have to teach. They were here long before us after all.
With these thoughts in mind I offer you the theme for this month's herbal box. Resist is a meditation on and celebration of the irrepressible, riotous weeds that take root in our gardens, infiltrate our manicured lawns and come up through the chinks in our concrete jungles, despite our best efforts to repress them and keep them down. It is an exploration of the intrinsic value of some of our most maligned and scorned plants.
Herbalist Kiva Rose writes, “What we call weeds tend to grow in disturbed ground where human impact is obvious, whether in vacant lots, tilled farmland or roadsides. These plants are looking for a new frontier to colonize, but they’re also often active healers of hurt land... It would be foolhardy to attempt to place a value judgement upon these wild creatures, especially the categorical labels of the typical human who sees whatever benefits us as good and whatever hurts or detracts from our goals as bad. In the end, weeds, like everything (and everyone) else, want to live. It’s that simple. They, like us, are designed and adapted to survive, thrive and spread...”
And so to the forests and fields I go, to mourn, to heal. Surrounded by unruly, rebel weeds I ask for forgiveness, give thanks and offer my body to the earth. I try to learn the primordial lessons the plants have to teach. They were here long before us after all.
With these thoughts in mind I offer you the theme for this month's herbal box. Resist is a meditation on and celebration of the irrepressible, riotous weeds that take root in our gardens, infiltrate our manicured lawns and come up through the chinks in our concrete jungles, despite our best efforts to repress them and keep them down. It is an exploration of the intrinsic value of some of our most maligned and scorned plants.
Some of the plants you may find in August's box include mullein, Queen Anne's lace, purple loosestrife, thistle, dandelion, burdock and others. Discover fascinating lore and beliefs about these plants and the beneficial functions they serve in the ecosystem. Experience their nutritional and healing properties in the form of a herbal tea, an herb infused vinegar, a tincture, a cordial and more. Find beauty in unkempt, weedy habitats. Be inspired by these plants and their ability to thrive in the harshest of conditions. Take strength from their resilience.
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10% of sales of this month's box will be donated to Amnesty International to support the issues they work with around the world.
Sign up here.
10% of sales of this month's box will be donated to Amnesty International to support the issues they work with around the world.
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