2025 Herbalism Conference

Opening Ceremony; Lindsey Feldpausch & Rosemary Gladstar

Rosemary Gladstar's introduction yesterday during the 2025 Herbalism Conference's opening ceremony really struck a chord in me. Of course everyone in the herbal world knows who she is. But this is the first time I've ever actually gotten to hear her speak despite doing this for 19 years (holy fuck that's longer than I initially thought).

The first was a little exercise (paraphrased):

The second was kind of on the border between an exercise and just something she said (again, paraphrased):

With my moving into Spirit Essences this year specifically as a method of trying to help myself remember proper spiritual protocol when harvesting for spiritual purposes, these two messages from her really come at a very poignant time for me.

Day 1: Daily Rituals for At-Home Herbalism; Alyson Morgan & Meagan Visser

Getting to watch Alyson Morgan talk today was so lovely. I really enjoyed her book 'Our Kindred Home' (quotes) when I picked it up at our library; I'm so glad I managed to get them to buy it after finding out about it. Her newsletter is also consistently wonderful to read. So getting to hear her talk finally was just ... Chef's kiss!

Some takeaways from her session with Meagan Visser during the 2025 Herbalism Conference today, that I'd really like to start doing:

⤳ Herbal Smoke Clearing every morning; I already do both self and space cleansings cyclically at specific dates throughout the year, and additionally whenever I feel it's needed. But I kind of love the idea of a morning smoke cleansing to kind of set the mood and energy for the day- same as Blessing my Head.

⤳ Drinking an Herbal Tea daily; this is honestly coming at a really good time. I've not only been enjoying Herbal Teas more the last month or so, but I also plan on reviving my Herb Garden this year. So it's really a perfect little kick in the rear for me.

⤳ Learning at least one new fact about one new plant a day- even if it's just a tiny little fact and only takes 10 minutes; someone else I follow has done something similar for years at this point. I wanted to start doing it, too, back when they talked about it, but I never did start doing it. This may be the kick I need to finally do so.

⤳ A daily observational nature walk- whether that's around the block, or just around the garden; I can't start this until Spring, and it'll be so difficult to keep to in Summer if my heat sensitivity is the same this year. But I'm going to try!

Day 1: Herbalism and Intuition: Working with Plants; Asia Suler

I have a love-hate relationship with Asia Suler. I used to love her videos; I've been watching them for a very long time at this point. When she's good she's straight up profound- but at the same time I can't always take her seriously now after the time she mentioned connecting to and buying a "Lemurian Crystal".

Still, listening to her speak about developing your intuition and how that can become a gateway into working with plants in an energetic and spiritual sense was lovely. She had some incredible advice in that realm- as always.

A few snippets I particularly loved, was her referring to the group plant consciousness as "Collective Knowing"- and also referring to plants as "Evolutionary Elders". She also called plants "an access point to the Divine", which resonated so hard for me. In particular, though, I really loved when she said (paraphrased):

She also said that "our disconnection [from nature] is really just a backlog of trauma", which was really poignant to me. She was referencing the nervous system, however, and talking more about trauma caused by the modern world. But I feel it applies much more heavily to the settler colonial system and its inherent violence against natural lifeways- even against traditional cultural systems among those cultures deemed "White" within that very system. It's definitely something to think about.

Day 1: Role of Herbs in Dreamspace and Consciousness Expansion; Adriana Ayales

Adriana Ayales' talk wasn't quite as interesting as I'd hoped. I don't really do dreamwork, though, as someone who didn't dream for 90% of their life (despite her insistence that "everyone dreams, they just don't remember it"; some conditions literally really do prevent you from dreaming) so I expected it not to be too applicable to me. But I'd hoped to hear more on "expanding consciousness".

She did say something interesting on that front, though- saying that "expanding consciousness" is more about growth in the sense of (paraphrased):

She also said a lot of great things about cultural appropriation: Seeking authentic and lineaged teachers directly, how to be respectful, how to give back to the source of the practices, how to hold practice lineages appropriately, etc; and she spoke on correct sourcing in a way that I liked: How there's no excuse, really, in this day and age of active virtual connection, not to do your research appropriately, and source ethically and sustainably.

She did make a bold claim that "clean plants [that are grown without any chemicals] are more potent"- which I'm not sure I agree with; I feel like it's just more of that common rhetoric among Herbalists that I tend to hate, just with some extra underlying spiritual trappings.

Regardless, it was an okay talk. I did come away with some ideas for Passionflower use once my vine finally matures enough to start flowering. And between her talk and Asia's talk, I'm fairly certain that Tulsi's screaming at me with a megaphone and several blinking neon signs. So that'll definitely be something to keep in mind this year as I move forward in replanting my Herb Garden.

Day 2: Soul Medicine: Herbs for Complex Trauma; Selima Harleston Lust

The presentation with Selima Harleston Lust about Trauma was interesting. There was a couple of small things that really stood out to me, that she said.

The first (paraphrased) was that "studying is important, but sometimes studying can reduce our ability to trust our intuition, and cause us to question ourselves". This is definitely something I have experience with, and is part of why I wear the bracelets- not just because I'm constantly belittled by others who question my competency because they have no confidence in their own. They're also a constant reminder that I know more than I think I do, and need to be confident and secure in my knowledge.

The other thing she said (again, paraphrased), was that "having a daily practice with herbs doesn't have to mean ingestion"- which is so very true; we tend to get caught up a lot on herbal preparations when it comes to Herbalism; the medicinal side often overshadows the cultural, spiritual, and magical sides that exist alongside it and are just as much a form of medicine themselves. And sometimes what we need comes from one of these modalities, rather than the physical medicines.

There was just ... So much profundity in her session. I knew it was going to be a good one for me. She hit on so many integral things that really makes me understand, finally, how to go deeper into my own trauma healing.

Day 2: Finding Herbal Community: Building Authentic Connections; Cat Seixa & Hannah Lasorsa

The presentation on finding and building herbal community was, sadly, a little less applicable to me than I wanted it to be.

There was a lot of emphasis on social media platforms I don't have accounts on anymore due to recent politics (Facebook, Instagram). There was also a lot of emphasis on in-person community that assumes a level of connection and availability that just doesn't exist where I am (rural). Though I did appreciate that they said (paraphrased) "the people you interact with don't necessarily have to be Herbalists. They can just be plant people".

I also loved when they said:

1. "There are more people who are interested than you think"; and
2. "You know more than you think".

Both of those were fairly inspiring for different reasons.

They also gave a really great idea for an herbal study group. The basic premise is similar to a book group, where a book is chosen every month, and read by the members, and everyone gathers at the end of the month to discuss the book. Except instead of a book, you choose an herb for all of you to study- and then at the end, you share what you've learned, any preparations or products you made, spiritual wisdom, etc. I really loved that idea; I don't know if I'd ever start one, but it was a really nice suggestion for building community yourself.

Past that, there were two more points made that I really agreed with and have honestly been saying for a while: Hannah said (paraphrased) "I wish people would open up; put their phones down and talk to each other more"- and Cat said (paraphrased) "it's harder and harder to build authentic relationships online". I couldn't agree more with both statements, and it's incredibly sad.

Day 2: Building a Resilient Immune System with Herbs; Dr. Tieraona Low Dog

There was a lot of your very typical railings and rhetoric from Dr. Tieraona Low Dog about hyper-processed foods and antibiotics and all that jazz- which is soooo fairly typical in any kind of health or wellness circles as to be an almost obnoxious stereotype at this point. But I think I understand some aspects of my conditions better because of her Immune presentation. Specifically, why my Protein Deficiency affects me the way it does, now, with an immune disorder. And that's incredible knowledge that I'm happy to have.

She also reiterated a sentiment that I heard in another presentation that I like, as well- and which I appreciate hearing (paraphrased): "You're better knowing 50 herbs incredibly well, than knowing 500 superficially". I like that this is being echoed so often throughout the conference by so many incredible voiced in the field. It's an important lesson, I think.

Tulsi's also staring at me with neon, flashing lights, still, of course; it reared its head in Dr. Low Dog's presentation, too, in yet another form I needed. I wasn't ignoring it before necessarily, but now I'm just resigned to it. I have Ocimum Africanum (Temperate Tulsi) that I've grown a couple times, now, to work with, so I started putting a personal monograph on it together yesterday. We'll see how it works out this year.

Day 2: The Science and Craft of Building an Aromatherapy First Aid Kit; Holly Brandenberger

I really appreciated the practicality of the Aromatherapy presentation. So often Essential Oil information can go one of two ways, and it was nice to see it go the reasonable, safety concerned, well educated route. One that also didn't put down traditional medical care and "big pharma"- and, in fact, actually actively encouraged it alongside essential oil use.

Unfortunately that also means I already knew 99% of the information in the presentation. And so much of it didn't really give me any new knowledge. Which is fine! Sometimes just a refresher is nice. And it was still refreshing in and of itself to hear someone talking rationally about Essential Oils for once, ha!

I did really like one section when she said (paraphrased):

This is something I've noticed over the years myself in a bit of a roundabout way. There are a lot of studies I come across, when looking at herbal efficacy, that is specifically studying them in the form of essential oils. And the results are usually pretty positive and astounding. She's not wrong about that at all- and I do kind of wish people actually did know about the berth of research we do have about their efficacy now (especially compared to what we have concerning their normal herbal forms). And as she said:

She also made a really good point when she said (paraphrased) "don't just read the abstract. The abstract is there just to make you want to read the study and they can sometimes be misleading. Always read the full study". It's just better not to half-ass it, and to read the full thing; that's something I've always tried to do, personally, but it's never bad to have a reminder.

Day 3: The Power of Herbal Tea in Nature Awareness and Connection; Taryn Forrelli

The presentation on Tea and how we can use Tea Rituals to connect with nature was less heavy on the "connecting with nature" bit than I wanted it to be. But it was still good. I loved that she said "when we sit with a Tea, we can learn so much about the plant"- then, later, that "plants can be great teachers not just physically, but also in archetypal manners".

Onwards, our experiences when ritually drinking tea was "not just a physical response. It's also an emotional and energetic response"; she defined ritual as requiring "conscious, deliberate, mindful action", and said that "Tea Ritual reminds us of who we are as Humans, and how we're connected to nature, and how everything is interconnected"; all paraphrased.

Her statement that "the Human body benefits from diversity the same way the environment does" really hit the hardest, though, ha.

What I didn't expect to find at all, however, was yet another gem that helped me understand one of my conditions better. Specifically, why Black Tea in particular (and only) helps me after a Gastroparesis flare. Apparently it's the Tannins and their effect on the digestive track- which is fascinating to me.

And she also repeated the same sentiment as Dr. Low Dog, saying (paraphrased):