Mint: My First Herbal Love

I share more of my journey exploring Herbalism, and exploring earth-based practices.

Yes, this is me harvesting dandelions and not mint. But you get the picture (wink wink).

While working outside this week gathering some hay to create piles closer to the garden beds that garlic will soon be planted into, smells of mint would come and go as I shovelled hay into a wheelbarrow with a hay fork. I could smell the cool menthol of the mint, as well as a sweet quality to it, which makes me wonder if the type of mint was apple mint. The experience of being outside in the cool fresh air, feeling the warmth of the sun and smelling the delicious herb felt relaxing and rejuvenating at the same time.

I realised a few things:

1. How working with land and earth materials can be very grounding to the nervous system

2. How I've missed living a life where there intimacy between human, plants, elements and wild creatures is present on a regular, if not daily, basis

3. Mint is one of my first loves when it comes to herbs

Land Stewardship and Earth-based Living

This is not my first rodeo when it comes to living, what some may call, a"homesteader's"life, or living on a farm - hobby, small or commercial. In fact, I was living on an organic community farm in Nelson just a few months ago. I realised today how easy it is to forget what this lifestyle offers. I'm aware it can be a difficult and grinding life and is not always as glamorous or romantic as social media presents this to be (aka the "cottagecore" aesthetic). And yet, it's a life that teaches me so much every single day. Both in practical skills, as well as showing me parts of myself I may not know about (or maybe even try to ignore at times).

It's one of the reasons I'm drawn to living more closely with land, and being curious with learning more about earth-based practices such as growing food or creating herbal medicines. The intimacy with life's cycles (ie life and death, 4 seasons, daily circadian rhythms) is so present in this lifestyle. This can be confronting, challenging and overwhelming at times, and I've had my share of these moments. Today, however, I was realising just how healing and connective and grounding it can be to have this kind of relationship to life; to food; to people; to the planet.

While shovelling hay and smelling the sweet mint, I felt my nervous system relax. It was quite noticeable: the softening of my body, the deeper breathing, the ease in lifting the corners of my mouth into a soft joyful smile. A question arose: what if we need this? What if, as humans, we need this connection to the elements, to the plants, to our bodies, in order to feel a sense of contentment and deep satisfaction that our lives are worth living? That life is worth living for, and not just surviving or "making do"?

The Herbalism Path Continues

I wrote the 'Exploring the Plant Path' blog post a while ago, basically sharing my process with being curious about my relationships to plants (and therefore nature) as a practice.

Smelling the mint this week reminded me of the earlier days in exploring the plant path, and how mint was one of the first herbs I felt drawn to. I enjoyed the flavour so much I'd drink the tea almost everyday, and would choose mint-flavoured anything: cakes and ice-cream (usually as choc-mint), hot chocolates (if this was an option), any blocks of chocolate that had mint as an option, essential oils and so on. I enjoyed rubbing the leaves between my fingers and smelling it whenever I walked by a mint plant outside.

I borrowed a couple of books from our current work-exchange host, and one of them is Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Healing for Women, which I've been wanting to get my hands on since I heard about it. I have to say it's feeding the tiny green sprout of interest in Herbalism. The whole introduction of the book spoke to me, and I'm slowly dipping my toes back into the world of Herbalism, especially the Wise Woman lineage, which is from what I've gathered what Rosemary practices.

Through an intuitive communication with plants, women learned the healing powers of these green allies [herbs]. Their wisdom developed over countless years as remedies were tried, proven, and passed on. The best of these remedies were added to the lore, and the wisdom was transferred from mother to daughter, from wise woman to apprentice for countless generations.

This the the legacy we've inherited. Healers, wise women, simplers -- these women were the centre of source of medicine and healing for their communities. They understood the cycles of the seasons, the ebb and flow of the universe, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the natural rhythms of their bodies.

- Rosemary Gladstar, Herbal Healing for Women

Like a handful of things in my life, Herbalism is one that keeps calling me back when I've wandered off for a while. I've dipped my toe into it a few times in the last few years, feeling drawn by the mysticism and lore, as well as the mundane and basic parts that the herbal path offers. It excites me and I learn from herbs and herbal folks every time I give it time and focus.

My work-exchange host offered Sasha and I a ride to town today to visit the farmer's market and to grab anything else we need in town. A fellow community member, Sasha and I wandered into a thrift store as well as a second-hand bookstore and found a few gems that is feeding my Herbalism/earth connection curiosity. Two are fiction books by Mary Stewart: Thornyhold and Rose Cottage. The other is a herbalism book by Susun S. Weed called Healing Wise. I was introduced to Susun through her book Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year, and picking up her other book today felt a type of confirmation to continue exploring this path of Herbalism.

What's Happening Now

I'm feeling inspired to look into apprenticeships and/or internships where I can learn about Herbalism in person directly from others.

Even though I'm still (occasionally) posting on this blog, I'm slowly moving towards using digital tech minimally and exploring different ways of gathering information, learning, creating, documenting, and living my life in general.

There is one in British Columbia I found while researching Young Agrarians, which is a fantastic network helping connect people with land to young people who need land (as accessing land these days can be expensive and sometimes have little options). This herbal farm offers internships and apprenticeships. I'm drawn to their organic farming practices and living Herbalism as a path of practice, and not just as a business.

Alongside this, I'm also exploring the possibilities around learning from people directly when it comes to holistic women's health and offering support and guidance services to women. This is another path I'm feeling called to travel, and I'm feeling my interest veering into off-line and direct learning. I feel apprenticeships and internships in this area would be more fruitful for me right now.

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Mentioned Resources

Exploring the Plant Path (Sprouting Roots blog post)

Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar (herbal book)

Healing Wise by Susun S. Weed (herbal book)

Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susun S. Weed (herbal book)

Thornyhold by Mary Stewart (fiction book)

Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart (fiction book)

Young Agrarians (young farmers + business network)

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Growing Into My Body

I started reading Sarah Durham Wilson's book Maiden to Mother a few days ago.

Her words hit home.

I wrote this down in my journal after reading a few pages. As I continued to write I had this growing sense that I was going to share it on this blog*

The necessity of women to grow into womanhood, not just through our bodies, with also with our psyches -- I've been feeling into this more and more, especially the last 3-5 years, but most definitely in the last 18 months.

I go through ebbs and flows of learning about and practicing menstrual cycle awareness. With working on healing and connecting to my feminine side. I felt this quiet settledness while I laid there on the grass, head on Sasha's leg, both of us reading our own books, enjoying the evening sun and the feel of earth beneath our bodies. Feeling the importance and necessity of continuing to practice nurturing a healthy connection and a deeper relationship with my moon cycle.

This inner compass that's been with me since I was 10 years old. The grief and anger in knowing that for 13 years (or so) of my life I believed that periods were gross; that being a woman means being second best next to a man; that my body is created for other's pleasure; that pleasure is not something I have a right to or is a 'good' thing to experience; that other women are competition, and not fellow sisters also lost in the sea of lies and pain of other people's unprocessed wounds; that my worth, life purpose, meaning and success can only be based off external factors such as other people, material items and climbing the status quo.

The joy and excitement in discovering I may not be as strong, smart, funny, sexy as other women, but I can be strong, smart, funny and sexy; that all these are just small parts of being a woman; that a kind heart and being sensitive and being quiet at times are also just as useful and valuable; that my period is part of an intelligent and wise system as old as time; that I can offer something meaningful that contributes to the world rather than my actions being born from the culture of competitiveness and projected insecurities I was conditioned to believe makes the world go round.

I feel inspired to continue exploring my "wounded Maiden" (term I learnt from Mother to Maiden)- the trapped inner girl that lives inside every woman who hasn't been initiated into womanhood through healthy and meaningful rites of passage. To continue opening up so I can receive how I can best honour the "Mother" - an archetype of the blossomed woman capable of manifesting creations, speaking up, staying strong in her boundaries, feeling trust in her body and is rooted in her purpose on this planet.

This.

This is part of my work. And I feel grateful to have arrived here, even through the trials and tribulations of my journey so far.

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*I'm still clarifying what it is about expressing on a public platform (like this blog) that attracts me. Is it from the need for other like-hearted beings? Is it from the part of me that craves to continue creating and expressing - which are both natural parts of life?

Note on the journal entry:

I edited the journal entry shared on this blog post for the purpose of grammar. The body of the post is the same as my handwritten journal entry, but with added and subtracted words for the purpose of clarity (I barely consider grammar while I'm writing in my journal as most of my writing is done in 'stream of consciousness' manner).

Disclaimer: the book mentioned in this post is not a sponsored item. I'm sharing this resource for the purpose of finding it a useful support in my life.

Where Does Our Attention Go? (updated)

Blog Writing Experiment: Day One

After speaking with a friend here on the farm [1] I felt inspired to try an experiment on this blog. I haven't posted for over a month now, and there are many reasons for that. Namely, life here on the farm invites me to not be on digital tech often, but I'm also finding interests that require my attention and care, and many of them are off-line or off-screen. I'll unpack my absence from the blog in due time.

What is the experiment?

My experiment is to write on this blog everyday for a week, and to feel into how the experience lands for me. As in, what feedback about the experience will I receive. I'll share more about the experiment as time goes on.

So here is Day One.

July 14, 2022.

It's 7:42am and I'm writing this blog post in a journal first before typing it up as I want to spend less time on screen as possible. I'm also enjoying spending more time reading hardcopy books (rather than kindles) and writing with pen and paper (rather than on Microsoft Word or on a notes app).

I feel the difference in my attention and energy when I've been on my laptop or phone, even after 5 minutes (I feel it now typing this blog post up later in the day. It's 4:27pm, after a warm work day. I feel like having a nap...). Especially if the reason I go on tech is to use it to distract myself or avoid facing difficult choices or truths in my life. I'm realising more and more how I prefer to live my life feeling inspired to make Jun (similar to Kombucha, but just green tea and honey rather than black tea and sugar); or make my own body lotion or to participate in hikes with friends from this farm community or in board game nights, than be binge watching TV show episodes or even editing images for this blog.

Not as a means of saying the latter is necessarily 'bad' or 'wrong', as everyone has their own reasons for choosing how they want to spend their time, but more as a realisation where I want to channel my attention and energy.

Right now, it's here. On the farm growing organic food for the community and for surrounding businesses; tending to meaningful friendships created here; nurturing my relationship with Sasha; exploring making herbal remedies; exploring creativity/entertainment/inspiration/self-expression/connection off-line; sitting in the orchard, under the young trees tending to my needs such as solitude, tenderness and quiet.

For me this is life. And I'm grateful and challenged every single day.

An invitation for self-reflection:

Where does your attention and energy go? Is it truly the way you want to live your life?

I invite you to reflect on this question.

Journal. Meditate. Take it for a walk. Talk with other people about it.

Or just let it be in the back of your mind as you go about your day to day.

Feel and listen to the answers.

Jx

Update: Aug 18, 2022

The experiment worked for three days. Incidentally, the wifi stopped working on Day 2 and Day 3 of the experiment so I couldn't post them on the days I wrote them. I still have the posts written for those days, and may still share them at some point, but for now:

I began this experiment exploring the idea of perhaps blogging daily for a year.

I'm still pondering on this idea as I do want to improve my blog writing skills - and what better way to do that than to write blog posts?

I'm currently in the process of putting my energy and time into a business idea (maybe I'll share about it soon ;p), so right not this wont be realistic practice. Although my friend (mentioned above) suggested posting posts even if they're short, and if I set an intention to write short, and yet still relevant posts, it may work. Food for thought for sure! We'll see what the future has in store :D

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[1] For those who don't know what I mean by "the farm": I'm currently living on an organic farm here in British Columbia (Canada) in a work exchange set up: Chuckleberry Farm.

At this stage, I will be calling this place 'the farm' or 'the community' or even 'home'- all depending on the context.

I've shared about the journey with getting here in this post: Onwards We Go

*Note on names:

I’m not giving exact names of people and locations to respect people’s privacy.

I also practice not publicly sharing where I am presently, for my own personal privacy.

I may edit this post in the future and share names if I’ve been given permission to do so (if you see names and links to other people’s websites or information it means I’ve been given permission by that person). I may also share more exact locations when I’ve moved on from a place.