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School of Botanical Medicine

- MYTHS – OF – THE – OLD – GUARD – Some

- MYTHS – OF – THE – OLD – GUARD –

Some stories help us understand the world in a way that is useful. Others have more to do with preserving a mythical past, or maintaining the status quo, like many of the American myths of the forefathers and the frontier. When people identify with the stories of origin, they see any questioning of these myths as a threat. So it is in the field of herbalism on this continent. In the herbal community, we are taking stock of  the origin stories some hold dear, just as we are in the larger culture. We have to be honest, that America was never great, and that settler herbalism has been complicit in this violent and extractive history. It is time, well past time, to dispel some of the myths of the old guards of North American plant medicine .

Myth #1:  Herbal medicine was nearly extinct until a small ragtag group of white hippies saved it from disappearing in the 1960’s.

Truth:  While white middle and upper class people may have lost touch with their ancestral medicine ways, most others did not. BIPOC of many, many cultures and ethnicities preserved and continue to preserve their traditional use of plant medicine, as did poor white people, especially in rural areas. Consider the rich syncretic tradition of Root Work, or of Southern Folk Medicine. Consider the everyday kitchen medicine practices of Chinese Americans, Italian Americans and so many more.

For Indigenous people on Turtle Island, the story of the preservation of medicine ways is more fraught. The U.S. government banned Indigenous ceremony in the late 1800’s. To be caught practicing traditional medicine was to risk imprisonment until the 1970’s. Traditions were practiced and passed down quietly, away from the white gaze. To say that these people had lost or forgotten their traditions as some of the old guard have said is to ignore this crucial history, adding insult to injury.

Myth #2:  The old guard, who are the real herbalists, are under attack from a bunch of young upstarts who are new to or outside of the field of herbalism.

Truth:  While there are likely some critics in their 20s and many in their 30s, many of us are in our 40s and 50's
More in comments 👎

Trying out some new material in Tastes and Energet

Trying out some new material in Tastes and Energetics class.

Making videos for Tastes and Energetics felt weird

Making videos for Tastes and Energetics felt weird at first, but it is pretty fun! So excited to share embodied herbalism with new students.
-- Janet
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And this lovely moon plate is from @melissaweisspottery.

We may not be meeting in person but we still use t

We may not be meeting in person but we still use these guidelines beautifully hand-painted by @mightyfinesigns.

We love these folks and this program! Check out th

We love these folks and this program! Check out their school and consider donating to support scholarships! This work is so important!

#Repost @seedsoilspirit
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We are so excited to announce that applications for our 2021 cohort are now open!

This program is an 8-month course intended for Black, Indigenous, racialized, and allied people who want to learn about plant medicine, legacies of herbalism, and caring for the land, plants, and people around us.

Our goal is to uplift and centre the history, living stories, and plant medicine relationships from Indigenous, Diasporic, and decolonial perspectives. We will focus on topics like:

🌿Ancestors & Plantcestors: Connecting with our Lineages Through Plants
🌿Decolonizing Herbalism: Liberating the History of Herbal Medicine
🌿Seeds & Soil: Regenerative Agriculture
🌿Ethical & Culturally-Appropriate use of Traditional Knowledges
🌿Becoming EarthWorkers: Building Reciprocity and Ethical Harvesting
🌿Energetics of Foods and Medicines
🌿Basic Anatomy & Physiology for Herbalists
🌿Basic Botany & Plant Identification
🌿In-depth Introduction to Over 25 Plants
🌿Harvesting and Preparing Medicines

This year we've done things a little differently. We now have two streams for the program:

🌼The first is the self-paced option, where students can be complete the course material over three years

🌼The second is a virtual cohort, where students will learn alongside a small group of peers over either months

Click on the link to our website in our bio to find more info on the program, the different streams, and the application. All the info can be found in the about section.

Additionally, we are raising 🎉$10,000🎉 to cover scholarships for racialized applicants in need of financial support. This support will allow students who would not otherwise participate to join and connect to their ancestral knowledge.

If you would like to donate, the link is in our bio. Additionally, if you would like to host a fundraiser to help support this work, please send us an email or a dm.

Big love!
Steph and Shabina

An opportunity to study with some beloved herb pal

An opportunity to study with some beloved herb pals online! Mandana and Lauren are pure magic! Jump on this!
#Repost @wildgather
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2021 HERB SCHOOL IS LIVE 🥳
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HELLO age of Aquarius and all of you cuties! We’re writing from our Pisces puddle over here, sending you kisses on the clouds and pep talks to remind you of how precious you are. Soon the Spring ephemerals will greet us with their evasive highest beauty, and riding the coattails of this time feels so surreal. It’s like we’re sitting on a daydream bridge showing us on one side what this past year has been like, and on the other what the future may hold. We’re coming out of last year seeing each other less, and loving on each other even more <3.
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We have been shown how possible it is to cozy up and get intimate when we’re not IRL circled up and damn, who knew living online together could be so sweet. Sooo, Wild Gather is beyond thrilled to announce our 2021 Seeds of Herbalism program online, that comes in two versions of deep learning ~ a self study program you can take anytime, anywhere!, and a mentorship program that has two cohorts and is by application. BIPOC scholarships are available for both!
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2020 definitely showed up in ways we were not hoping or desiring for to say the least. To be real, this time last year we were grappling with whether or not to cancel our 2020 programming amidst all of the uncertainty. We felt at once overwhelmed with all of the personal challenges we faced, while also feeling like the moment was asking for knowledge sharing and organizing. It was in this time that our precious and generous community showed up as the lil sassy and gifted faeries that they are to support us in making our dreams come true ~ @dearsarrah @yokosnoopy @willy_thing 💘
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k, come learn w us!, & share w yr beloveds, will be so precious XO
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image by our prince @yokosnoopy

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