2023: A journey into herbalism

 I like learning about stuff, but I tend to keep things theoretical.  The actual "doing" of a thing can trigger a little bit of fear, enough that I may never get out of the theoretical realm of things.  But, because I was told to do it by my teacher, I am making teas, infusions and decoctions.  It is actually an enormous part of being an herbalist, so there is that. Before I go on to share what I have done and what I thought about it, I need to address the fear I have about "doing". I thought I could skip that, but my words kept returning to it, so to honor those feelings, I need to lay it before me.  Thinking about things keeps me safe.  I can envision good things and bad things and almost experience them without getting my hands dirty.  I have all the control and the power.  But when I start doing a thing, be it baking or painting or gardening or dog training, in comes the possibility of failure.  So much safer to think about than to do.  But I signed up for this

 I have had a piece of music running through my head lately, " Rise Up" by Andra Day. I know it is a love song, but I am also hearing it as a song to myself. That I am strong enough to face what scares me.   Even though I am only at the beginning of this journey, I am finding little patches of fear and I want to stop and acknowledge those patches, so I won't just give up because I am afraid.  I have been collecting herbs for a year now and have yet to do more than make one kind of tea.  That tea has been amazing, but now I get to move forward and try new things.  My teacher referred to it as play.  Oh sure.  Play. It is walking into a world where I feel completely unfamiliar and wandering around, taking its measure while this new world takes mine. I get to decide how to look at things.  Completely random or influenced by fate or the gods or the Universe or the ancestors looking out for me or God with a big G or are they all one and the same? I chose a cup that has a drawi

I need to set an intention. It is currently, September 2022, the first day of Autumn. In 2023, I would like to start a journey, a discovery, an education in herbalism that will be paid for by my employer. I think the 13 moons course will be the one to choose.  And I will write this blog, sharing the journey, the walk, the discovery, to both share my discoveries as well as my need to write. It may even be worthwhile for others, but I am certain it will be for me.   It is now January of 2023. I signed up for the course today, Birthing an Herbalist in 13 moons. I got a grant from my employer and the cost of the course was covered fully. I have had to buy some supplies and a recommended book, plus the herbs, if I can't gather them myself, as well as jars. But I have a couple boxes full of jars, plus access to a community who last spring offered up their nettle patch to me, so I feel I will be able to acquire what I need.   Studying herbalism has been calling to me for a long tim