When I hike in these Hills, I call to you. She looked like a woman meditating on the side of a mountain. Face to the sun. How could I live in a place you are not? I could live without so many Walnut trees, maybe. But you, to me are everything. Hello, fellow seekers. This episode was slated to come out a month ago, today. But to be honest, when I was working on it, my children and I were enjoying some of the beautiful summer days together , before they left on this little trip.
And I worked on it a bit, but I was spiraling out. Into this bigger issue of ecology and sustainability. And being an ally and steward of the planet, and witchcraft, religion, place and lineage. It was a lot. So you can see how that conversation could be too much for one episode. But more on all of those will be coming. So, this one still has several touch points. But I think I reigned it in pretty well.
And I'm going to say, that there are some episodes that could potentially cause more of an issue with conflict than others... and potentially this could be one of those. And I'm always doing the best that I can. And remember, this is a conversation between me and you. This is not a dictatorship where I'm saying I'm right. I just have some thoughts. So I want to share from a place that's personal.
Because trying to address it from a more universal standpoint, doesn't really seem like it's possible right now. And I suppose I should say that I could, potentially, have that be true for every episode. And I just want to reserve the right to re-record and update at any given time, because I'm always bringing in, and assimilating new information. And that means critically thinking about things from a new perspective.
So this is my viewpoint and my personal interactions with this subject matter, currently. I'm just trying to bring some awareness and open a conversation about it, and so with that said, here we go. I'm really called to use Salvia apiana, which is a beautiful plant that I grow in my own garden. She lives there in the backyard and I take care of her, tending to her. And she gifts me with the most heavenly aromas when we brush up against one another.
Or when she's drinking in water, and sometimes she even gifts me with leaves or small branches, but generally we just enjoy each other. I received this plant as a gift. She had a sister who didn't make it for whatever reason. She disappeared over time. While this one grew stronger. And she's lived in my back yard for over nine years. And my garden wouldn't be the same without her presence. The wasps in my yard that looked like a little fairies, adore her. As do the bees.
And you may be familiar with her sisters under another name, which is White Sage. I also go and visit other plants that I tend in the wild. And I tend them with my songs and my love and my protection. And when I walk to go see them, it's never to harvest, only to go and say hello, and to smell their potent lovely scent. And to appreciate their serene power and just to try to protect them, energetically. Last year I helped to spread her seeds with her approval.
Not so that there would be more plants to harvest, but just that there would be more plants to support the soil from being washed away. And to support the wildlife. There has been a lot of talk about white Sage for the last few years and for good reason. It is extremely over harvested in the wild to be sold by people who have "Wild Crafted White Sage". And this kind of practice can completely wipe out a wild native population. Which is sad. It's terrible.
It's profit for the people who are selling it, but a devastating loss to the land. It's bees, hummingbirds, and other little insect friends that love it. The term wild crafted can lead you to believe that it's harmless and well thought through. But essentially it's just taking from the land. And without thought for the repercussions, usually. The Sage bundles or "smudging bundles" that are sold in stores have no business being there.
The plant has historically been used by native indigenous people. As part of their sacred ceremony. They are in harmony and reciprocity with the land. They care for and tend to these plants and they are in sacred relationship. The people who gather white Sage from the land to sell in stores are never native people. At least not to my knowledge. And with that said, if you have purchased White Sage bundles, I'm not judging you and you shouldn't be embarrassed or judge yourself either.
If we're talking about potentially problematic issues, we can fix them. But if we're not, then we can't. If we know better than we do better. So why is it that the popularity of things such as Sage bundles has even become a thing. And for this, I'm not speaking from data, but just from my heart here. Which is to say we crave RITUAL. Timeless traditions. Ancestral Knowledge and Place. For many of us, we don't have that unbroken lineage to provide that feeling of grounding. In being rooted.
All non-native people in the United States were transplanted here either by choice or by force. Not that long ago. We may have lost links to our heritage and to our own traditions. And I've seen it like this: The ceremony that flowed in our bloodlines, it went back into the ground with the cycle of life. That history and story and sense of belonging returning to time and place into the ground. To be transmuted into new life. And into the community. But we have moved ,and we don't put down roots.
And these days, our families are small and insulated, and many of us are not even connected to extended family or to community. And then on top of that, there's the hustle and grind that we've been indoctrinated into as Americans, which has progress and freedom. Lifted up over community and interconnectedness. And that means that we are floundering. We are lost. We are disconnected and in pain. That feeling of not belonging and not being rooted.
For many of us has led to a search for answers and grounding in other culture's wisdom. Many of us have found solace and learning the traditions. And some of us have even gone deeper to be students of these teachings. In the sixties, so many young free hearts felt this need to flee the rigid confines of the fifties and travel into India and study with gurus and yogis.
And there have been waves that have gone to jungles to study with shamans and to take part of medicine rituals like Ayahuasca ceremonies. We as a modern people are searching. Looking for deep unbroken connection. It's what we sense in these old and sacred cultures. And we want it. Want in on it. We want to be part of it and we want to belong.
Even many of us who don't identify as pagans or witches here on this land, in the US have tried to connect with the earth based traditions try to trace our lineage and hit these stumbling blocks. The white washing and colonizing and especially the Christianizing of the world wiped out that magick and connection, or at least it tried to.
And I'm obviously not speaking here as a scholar, but I'm tempted to go into some territory where I cite that the issues to blame are capitalism and colonialism, and I'm pretty sure that's true. It seems to be the case. But I'll let people who are smarter about such things. Explain it. And I trust that you have your own opinions and you can do your own research. So I'm going to just stick to a "from the heart" approach about this. So from the perspective of me, she who is seeking.
I know the tethering that I'm reaching for. As far as shamanism and Reiki, these are a few examples of things that have studied, practiced, embodied. And there's not a separation between myself and these practices. Eastern based wisdom. Knowledge of Chakras, Yoga. Meditation techniques. I'm not the me who I am, without these principles. Even with some of the practices that have been part of my life for 35 years, there's often this hunger for place. For the authentic practice. The wisdom.
In the magick. Often the herbs that I used were from exotic plants that were from distant lands. And it's historically been hard to tell when they were gathered and shipped. When we have always done something a certain way, we may not even really question it. Especially when we feel a need for it. I'm talking the need in us that is a pull from a place far down ,deep within our bodies. But, as a eternal student of life, I'm always taking in new information. I let it in.
And I mull it over, and I think it through, assimilate some of it, and I release the rest. And I never assume I have all the answers. In fact, I know that I don't. I've trained with many amazing teachers over the years. I've had wonderful mentors and access to incredible knowledge through books and through the internet and my extended community. And even with all that privilege and access, I'm very aware that there's so much, I don't know. In fact, the older I get and the more I learn.
The more convinced I am that really? I know nothing. The deeper and I get, the more conscious I am. That we, are most of us, and most of the time, always just on the surface. And in this state, the challenge is to slow down. And it's very, very hard to slow down. We have to deepen the knowledge that we already have. We're programmed in this culture to forge ahead. And pull up new topics, roots and all. Even when we haven't digested what we've already consumed.
Hell, we even have piles of plants that we ripped out that we haven't even tasted. And then we're onto the next one. And it's an apt metaphor for a Greenwitch. And I myself, certainly am guilty of this. I really don't know anybody that hasn't been at one time or another. I'm a hungry student of the mysteries of the world. My eyes searching through the veil. For magic and the hidden. And yet there's work to be done here. Chop wood. Carry water. Be aware of hungry ghosts.
Last year, I signed up for a year long apprenticeship with Marysia Meirnowska and the School of the Sacred Wild. And to be honest, I did it more so because it was craving community. Especially after being in this bubble of COVID isolation. I was especially interested in learning from her more about regenerative agriculture and biodynamic farming practices. And I really admired her beautiful way of showing up as a spiritual entrepreneur. And as Witchy business woman.
And I hoped to learn more from her mainly in those areas. I felt as though I may, or may not have very much to learn in the Folk Herbalism portion of the apprenticeship. And that has been the most illuminating in the last few months for me, because it made me realize that I don't know shit about shit. I have learned so many things from her and from this work.
And I really embrace the vast and endless knowledge that has shown me through all of these incredible teachers and leaders that I'm drawn to. I feel honored to be doing this work with her and with the other apprentices and the fellow mentors this year. Deepening the journey in working towards a certification in one of the disciplines. Which are all very exciting and I don't know how I'm going to choose one. So knowing me, I'll just do it again. So, there's so much to learn when you're open.
And in community. And some of the most beautiful lessons that I have received really are about slowing down. And I've been working with this for years, and I know that I will have to continue to do so. The lesson that I'm always embracing is to de-program. To not buy into "more is more" and to take only what I need. To exchange freely. To not grasp tightly, but to be in flow. There's this sadness I feel when I go and visit my plant friends in the wild.
Sometimes I go and check on them and there's been this "crack and grab" that's been committed. And I can see the tops of these beautiful White Sage plants that have been snapped off; no care or respect or understanding. The action, a pure reflection of this extractive culture that we're all being raised up in. It isn't even thought of as harmful, or disrespectful , until you learn this programming in yourself. I've always felt a kinship with plants.
And really had an awakening with them and maybe 2015 or so. And then began to hear them in a different way. Our communication and connection changed. And it's continued to evolve, but no gift can be truly realized without time and attention and space. And often it helps to step back and approach it with cleared and open curiosity, again and again. Some of the greatest teachings that I opened up to during the apprenticeship of the sacred wild. Is the deep meditation with plants.
That meditation with the plant spirit when we're open to their love and guidance. And that allows us to experience their magic in a different way. Some of the most surprising things that have come to me is how incredible and magical plants that we have in our own community are. In the book, Plant Spirit Medicine. The author Elliot Cowan says, and I'm paraphrasing here, Local plants are not 10 times more effective at healing, but a hundred times more effective at healing.
And that was really beautiful for me to hear, because honestly, up to that point, I think I did put more value on plants that seemed rare. And exotic. Things that were hard to get, and came from far away lands. But this has really helped me to realize that by developing my own personal relationship with local plants, I actually am accessing a deeper wisdom and a deeper power. In the school of the sacred wild, we've worked with a lot of wild weeds.
The are tough and tenacious plants that can come up and survive with little water and in wacky places. One of the most exciting parts. Is that the same wild weeds tend to be found almost everywhere. And so it's exciting to know that there are sisters and brothers out there, who are communing with the same plants in all different lands, all over the world. And they might be known under a slightly different name, but these wild weeds tend to be the ones that just spread far and wide.
And I go out often and I visit the plants in the lands near me, and I always have. But I have a different appreciation for them now. Very seldomly do I harvest anything. If I do, I'm taking just enough for what I need for that day. For instance, in the spring, I'll harvest them stinging nettles, and chickweed and come home and make an egg scramble with them. Or just get enough for a tincture that I need.
I am always very careful to approach the plant with love and respect, and bringing an offering. And I've always given offerings of my hair and flowers and little crystals and sips of water and the gift of song. And these plants feel valued and appreciated when we sing to them. It's a gift that's a specific interchange between green sister and flesh sister. I slow down and I open my ears and my heart and I get comfortable.
When I introduce myself to them, and we're in a communication, I listen and I ask: Can I use them, do they want to come with me? And I let them know what my plan is, whether it's to make a medicine, or to make a meal for my family and I just let them know that it will be honored. And sometimes the answer is no, which I was admitting to a friend always feels like a little bit hurtful. But sometimes we just... you know, that's our answer.
No is no. And I always respect that and I just thank them for doing their magical work of just being beautiful and creating habitat for the wild, and creating oxygen. It's my feeling that when plants are gifted to us, either through the gift of a friend or the gifting from the plant itself, It provides a more natural state of harmony. It's a more giving state. And it imbues a sense of power into the work. And it puts us in relationship.
The medicine that we make from this is more powerful, for that practice being clear. And it's also my opinion. Then when we purchased Sage bundles that were pillaged from the land for profit. Then we're imbuing our work with that energy as well. And I do not want to be a part of this destructive capitalist machine. And that's not to say that all items sold in stores are part of this destructive capitalism, but I do think that we need to be more mindful about when and how we spend our money.
We vote with our money. And it's always been my intention to have where I spend my money be a prayer for what I want in the world. And that does make it easier for me to spend my money in support of fellow healers, and those who are trying to do good in the world. I want to support the work that they do so that they can continue to do good things for their community and for the earth. But back to white Sage. If we want to work with this plant spirit, but don't have access. So then what do we do?
Well, when we're drawn to practices that are outside our culture. And that may not be part of our lineage. Firstly, I would advise you to pay attention and to be curious, what is it that you're feeling drawn to? Is it the energy of the Sage plant itself? That's something I certainly understand as somebody who has a beautiful relationship with this sacred plant. So if that's the case. Grow your own. My plants were from a nursery and they were a gift many years ago.
But I know that there's a responsible nurseries that grow and sell all manner of medicinal plants. White Sage included. For about $10, you could get a good size plant. Also seeds can be purchased or shared. Even plants in nature would be happy to share seeds, I bet if you ask. Be a protector and a propagator of plants. A guardian and a Renegade for good. How rad would it be?
If we all planted White Sage, Mugwort, Chamomile, Calendula... all those and more outside and out and about in lots and abandoned plots and liminal spaces around town. Even on the curbs of city streets. And I know that White Sage doesn't grow everywhere, but if she will grow near you, I highly recommend it. And there are so many other fragrant and bountiful plants that can be used and loved. If you're looking for a plant to help you clear space, any fragrant herbs will help you do this job.
I use plants for my garden, such as Rosemary, Lavender, Juniper ,Pine. Depending on where you live, there could be all sorts of other amazing options. And we would do well to remember that most of the job of clearing space is with our own energy and your own personal power. If you only have a limited amount of time to do Space Clearing. It's my feeling that the time would be better served in meditation.
To become clear and connected to the work that you're about to do, and that will help you have more effective space clearing than running out and shopping for a Sage bundle. Or worse stealing it from the land carelessly, which I'm sure. Nobody who would listen to this would ever do. But there are so many people that grow her also that would be willing to trade and I've absolutely found that to be true. Or you can look for a cultivated White Sage from a reputable stockist.
And. Just staymindful and be intentional. And this has been a lot about Salvia apiana but really, I feel like it's a gateway into many other things. When we're more mindful and slow down, and we think about what we're doing ,and we think about WHY, and we're connected to the true purpose, that's something that's deep, and resonates with us deep down. I feel as though we're just bound to make better decisions.
And, all of this just makes me think that relationships that we developed with plants whether it's individual plans out in our garden or out in nature is just so important. And we have always experienced plants wanting to be of service and in meditation, I've received the message that plants want to help. They want to help humanity, and they're willing to do the work. But it really is about building that relationship.
And I had intuited that a lot of plant remedies were communicated directly from the plants to the people. And that the medicine that was made with plants. Far before labs could figure these sort of things out that that was like direct messaging coming from the plants. And recently I've just really gotten a lot more proof that that is the case.
So when we're able to listen and we're able to hear, then, we just really can go so much deeper than if we're just always sort of treading the surface and going from one thing to the next. I just have always had a relationship with Sage and I understand wanting to work with it. And it really became apparent to me why, because in this city that I grew up in, it's all over, and it's even in my grandmother's garden. So it's just always been a part of my life.
And if you feel that this episode has brought up more questions than answers then we're on the same page, it wasn't my intention to have any answers. Just to sort of bring up some of the things that I'm noticing and to give some suggestions, because. There may be somebody who, you know, who needs to hear this. And if that's the case, I would love it if you shared this episode because it's something that we can all do better on.
If you have not read the book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kemmerer. I highly recommended. It is a beautiful book. And if you're short on time, or if you just love an audio book, She is a velvet and sugar voiced painter of words. She is an environmental biologist and she has a PhD in plant ecology. She is an enrolled citizen of the Pottawatomie nation. And a superb educator, On the interwoven landscape. Of human need and reciprocity.
And her book is equal parts, poetry, and educational illumination. It's an eye opening primmer on reciprocity and living in harmony with the land. And she touches on heritage lost and found. As she recounts the story of her grandfather, who was forcibly schooled in a colonial reform school. And I feel like our eyes just really need to be opened. To that and so much more.
And when I think about things like all the terrible things that were done in "the past" that seems so obviously horrible, it makes me reevaluate the events and situations that leave a bad taste in my mouth in the current time scape. The stripping of resources and pillaging of the earth with no care for sustainability. Will, I hope, be seen as barbaric, shortsighted and shocking to every human in the near future.
In my hopeful heart, our children's children will be unable to understand how it was possible that nothing was done for so long. My hope is that regenerative practices will be employed anywhere and everywhere. And that we, as a community of renegades and weirdos will lead the charge. If you can ask, not what can I take, but what can I give, Ive found that when I do this, is when Ive received the best gifts of all.
I'd like to end with a quote from the book, Plant Spirit medicine by Elliot Cowan, which is one of the best books. My copy is ridiculously highlighted and there's like a bunch of copper paperclips all over it because I love it so much. And I could have used probably one of a hundred quotes, but I chose this one. "However snarled and hopeless a human dream gets, the wild plants still willingly take people into their paradise. I don't know how they do that. It's a mystery.
I love to ponder and probably will never solve, which is fine with me. Because I like mysteries. I just keep asking the plants for their magic and admiring it when it comes. " That's such a nice quote. And I will leave some links in the show notes about the books that I discussed along with another one that I'm currently reading. Which is very beautiful and very long. And I will talk more about it, but I'm going to just put it in there. If you're looking for a good book.
And it is. The Unlikely Peace Of Cuchamaquic by Martin Prechtel. Its very eyeopening and I'm only on chapter eight, and it's really opened up a lot of thought. And here's one more beautiful quote, and this one is by Robin Kimmerer " GIve a gift in reciprocity for what you have taken. Sustain the ones who sustain you. And the earth will last forever." And on a final note, I would like to say that there's something boiling under the surface.
Or, ready to burst through the soil, depending on what Kind of metaphor you want to go with, but if you were interested in doing more for the planet, and doing your part and really being open to the fact that as a collective, we are more powerful than as individuals. I would love it if you would go over to my Instagram, and send me a note with the word " Earth Warrior".
That's two words. The She Who Is Seeking podcast is the love child of me, Meena Melissa Leigh, and all the views, ideas and thoughts are my own, with the additional quotes and concepts that were cited. And I would love it if you came and found me over on Instagram. @shewhoisseeking. And there's some thing exciting that's brewing, that I would love to talk to you more about, both on this podcast and over there, and as it gets a little more solid, I'll talk about it more.
The music is the beautiful songs Snake River, by Siren and the Sea. And I am advocating that you create a life that you love and you live it every day. And f you're interested in the names of those books or the name of the course that I took, I'm going to just put that in the show notes. And the School of the Sacred Wild with Marysia Miernowska is currently open, I know it's closing soon and it begins the first week of September. So, if you're interested in that, um, it's amazing.
I highly recommend it. And I'm sending you so much love, and I will talk to you next time. Bye! Oh, and I almost forgot. I just wanted to say thank you to my listeners in Canada and Russia and the Netherlands and Spain and Australia and all over the United States. It's so exciting to see there in so many different states and all over the world. And checking you guys out on the map is super fun for me. So please share with anybody who might enjoy it. And I will talk to you guys soon.
Bye. For real this time . Oh, and I almost forgot. I just wanted to say thank you to my listeners in Canada and Russia and the Netherlands and Spain and Australia and all over the United States. It's so exciting to see there in so many different states and all over the world. And checking you guys out on the map is super fun for me. So please share with anybody who might enjoy it. And I will talk to you guys soon. Bye. For real this time