-Jesse Wolf Hardin, from Home
Since I was a child I have loved all things wild.… I was always stumped by the widespread appeal of florist shop flowers and domestic vegetables. Why have these pale shadows, when we could be feasting eyes and mouths on sweetbriar and mulberry, dandelion and violet? Always creeping to the edge of the lawn, I was most fascinated with the lush plantain and fairy touched yarrow that lived there, the smells deeper and stranger than the greenest grass or carefully cultivated tulips. I begged my mom to give up mowing and let us grow sage and clover for a lawn instead, and refused to pull weeds from the garden.
Now I live in one of the wildest places left in North America, a large chunk of New Mexico called the Gila, where bald eagles and great blue herons are frequently seen just outside my cabin window, and lion tracks are found in the woods just beyond the clearing. The plants here are fierce, almost ferocious in their display of wildness, spikes of banana yucca, barbed Parry’s agave and the prickly canes of cholla cactus line the paths here. Our fruit is the spine laden flesh of prickly pears and small sour berries of wild sumach. And my greatest pleasure is still all about getting down on my hands and knees to see it all close up, the microcosm of irrepressible life.
This land is my lover, and I love her well. The river winding through this narrow canyon beats against the bank with my pulse and the flowers glitter with my tears. Likewise, my skin is volcanic rock and snapdragon vine, my fingers rose thorns and vine tendrils.
I work and play with the plants here, for healing and vision and solace and sanity. I’m an herbalist and Medicine Woman, I’m a poet and dancer... I’m a girl in a fairytale, I’m as tangled and wild as the roses.
This blog is all about the wild plants, but it’s also about deep ecology and bio-regionalism, about healing and bliss and life.
1 comment:
hello!
i just wanted to open the doors of communication as i find it interesting how i came across your blog spot!
first off. . my name is Alexander. . Lakhotiya Sunkmanitutanka Ska emaciyapi. .
I too am an herbalist, and a budding medicine man! how ever my journey began in the concrete jungle of columbus ohio. . . i helped the people there with an arsonal of 350 dried plant and animal things. . . my journey will be taking me to new mexico. . somewhere out side of santa fe. . in a little cabin with no electricity or gas. . just sage my self the spirits some animal friends. . . I hope i am not being too forthwright by saying i feel that i would like to meet you. . i was searching for monarda the elk medicine when your blog popped up and there you are. . maybe ill attend one of your seminars. . . or maybe ill bring my chanumpa. .
the elk, the bear and the wakinyan has something to tell me. . . contact me if you should like. . . i would love to have a conversation of sorts
AlexanderLeahy@halloween2theremake.com
goofy email. . but its my professional email. . the only one i really read anymore. .
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