I am so excited to introduce you to my lovely, dear friend Justine Ring, founder of Healer's Harvest and The Herbalist's Collaborative. She is a beautiful soul, inside and out!
If you are like me, the first two things that pop into your head are one, the benefits of cooking with fresh herbs, and two, herbal remedies. Justine could educate us on those topics, and I look forward to featuring her again to delve into the surface of herbalism a bit more, but what Justine and I spoke about this time was the deeper, more subtle aspects of her work that she is passionate about. For Justine, herbalism is a spiritual path and a lifestyle.
I asked…
Justine, tell me how you began this journey and how would you describe your passion to the rest of us?
She answered….
“I first learned about the idea of “herbal energetics” in 2012 during an internship at Herb Pharm in southern Oregon. I remember thinking, “I don’t get it, but I am certain there is something for me to learn here.” It sounded abstract with a dash of "woo woo". After over a decade of studying Herbalism and 5 certificates later, I now teach about energetics and I see it as foundational for a strong herbal practice.
To understand herbal energetics is to understand the laws and language of nature. The elements, earth, air, fire, water and ether are considered the most basic and fundamental patterns of nature, and the idea is that all things in existence contain the qualities of these elements in different variations. The goal of studying energetics is to begin to recognize the qualities of the elements in everything around us. As herbalists we can use this skill to help our clients identify elemental patterns in their bodies and establish the balance they need for optimal health. Seeing the world this way has strengthened my intuition and connection with nature which has always provided me with feelings of serenity. It is intimately linked with my sense of spirituality which is truly the most rewarding part of being an herbalist and I am forever grateful to have found my plant and spiritual path.”
If you are new to herbalism, some easy ways to incorporate herbs into your life might include adding more culinary spices to your cooking, trying an herbal infusion aka an herbal tea, adding fresh herbs to your smoothies, making an herbal infused oil, or using essential oils for aromatherapy, even just having flowers in the house or doing some gardening is a good way to start connecting with the plants. The list goes on! My best advice is to just enjoy it and have fun!”
I love all of this and will definitely be playing around with a more intimate relationship with herbs and all of the beautiful magic they have to offer!!
If you are interested in learning more about herbal medicine, connect with Justine on instagram or join her mailing list. She has recently started a blog and she offers medicinal plant walks in the summer which is a really fun way to learn about herbs.
Until next time!
All the love,
Pamela
Comments