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The Unplugged Family Activity Book

Herbal Adventures

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Rachel Jepson Wolf
Oh, what a day…We spent the afternoon gathered i Oh, what a day…We spent the afternoon gathered in ceremony around a prehistoric stone circle, and setting out in solitude to sit in contemplation. We connected with Cailleach, goddess of stone, winter, the passage between worlds. It was a day that went deep, and left us feeling grounded, grateful, + thoughtful. -with @wildroutesireland
Walking into this mossy ring fort and standing ben Walking into this mossy ring fort and standing beneath the boughs of these ancient hawthorns , we fell into deep contemplative silence. Without needing to be told, our hearts knew we’d stepped across a threshold into an ancient, sacred place. Some five or six hundred years ago, these wizened beings were young hawthorn sprigs, waving gently in the wind. Today their undulating, twisted branches are home to thick moss and unfurling ferns; countless insects and warbling birds. What other travelers have journeyed here in the past half-millennium? Did they, too, drop into stillness upon entering this sacred grove? I imagine that they did. -County Clare, Ireland
Activists and conservationists take many forms. Th Activists and conservationists take many forms. The soft-spoken but passionate forest steward, Father Anthony, has devoted his life to both his God and to these magnificent trees—in his care for some 50-plus years here at Glenstal Abbey. A forester, Franciscan, and lifelong environmental activist, Father Anthony was a delightful surprise and gracious host for our forest ramble.
It’s difficult to express the stillness and smal It’s difficult to express the stillness and smallness that we occupy in when we stand in the company of trees like these. A thousand-year-old sacred oak, a remnant grove of old growth forest. Here, where Druidic and Pagan roots sink deep—sometimes invisible; sometimes in view—beneath the newer Christian traditions. And I wonder what might unfold if we applied the same fervor and passion that we have used to oppress and dominate each other and the Earth to instead restore and heal this planet, our species, and our fleeting moment in history. The trees have lessons for us, if only we slow down enough to hear them.
A little medicine-/magic-making here in West Irela A little medicine-/magic-making here in West Ireland… We distilled a hydrosol of foraged and garden abundance. Hawthorn and Rowan; lavender and mint; fennel and oak, mingling in codistillation. Back home, the summer got away from me and I didn’t pull my still, so I enjoyed this alchemical process that much more.
Ireland, at last! After a couple of travel days Ireland, at last! After a couple of travel days I’ve landed at last with @wildroutesireland on our herbal tour of the wild western coast. After barely leaving the house for the past 1 1/2 years, it’s taken this nervous introvert a bit of adjusting to be out in the world (and traveling!) again, but now that I’m settled in, I’m diving in with an eager heart. Today we enjoyed a grounding opening ceremony, a bit of Irish song, and a lovely mushroom walk in a moss-carpeted forest (including identification of both edible + poisonous species) with mycologist + forager @cesare_morciano. It feels like an enormous exhale after holding our breath for so long. Tomorrow we make hydrosols in the morning, head to an ancient yew grove and we’ll circle ‘round one of the oldest trees in Ireland: the Brian Boru Oak—some say it’s 1,000 years old. I can’t wait to share some of this with you if you join me here next summer! What a beautiful and life-changing journey that (and this) will be. (See my last post for dates and a few details about that upcoming adventure!)
Oh, ya'll. This feels big. It's time to officially Oh, ya'll. This feels big. It's time to officially announce the Wild Ireland Herbal Retreat: taking place July 12-22, 2022. ✨ I've been dreaming of this–literally and figuratively—for years And I can hardly wait. Oh, but I have more news... With our upcoming journey in mind, I'm heading to the west coast of Ireland tomorrow 🤭 where I'll meet up with Tara and Chris of @wildroutesireland, the guides and teachers I've found for us to work with next year. I'll be joining them on a fall tour to get a taste of the sites, programming, and accommodations we have to look forward to. 💫 For the next few weeks, I'll be sharing stories, photographs, and inspiration from this beautiful, untamed land. I've sent lots more details out to everyone who signed up for the Ireland Herbal Retreat Mailing list, so pop to your inbox for more. (Pssst... Didn't sign up yet but want in? Drop a note to retreat@lusaorganics.com and ask me to add you! I'll send you today's email asap.) Retreat registration opens later this fall! Who's ready?
My college best pal + her daughter invited Lupine My college best pal + her daughter invited Lupine + me on a 3-day backpacking trip in northern Minnesota. With an abundance of “can-my-body-even-do-this?” trepidation and nerves, we said yes. My anxiety was already spiraling when we arrived at the Superior Hiking Trail, as I wrestled with a recent decision I’d made to buy an airplane ticket for an upcoming trip (something I’ve only done twice in the past two decades), a choice fraught with conflicting emotions. Climate anxiety, generalized anxiety, backpacking anxiety—it all mingled into an undistinguished churning in my belly and my heart. But it was time to go. So Rescue Remedy in hand and packs on our backs, we did. For a few exhausting, exhilarating, unforgettable days, we immersed ourselves in the northwoods. Within moments of setting down the trail my anxiety was gone (truly GONE), absorbed by fir and tansy and birch. Out on trail far from comfort or convenience, each day was taken step-by-step and moment-by-moment. As I hiked I reflected on Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and I mused that perhaps worry is the thief of now. The northwoods are a devastatingly beautiful place, but even there we couldn’t escape the undeniable signs of climate crisis. Leaves already turning color and falling (or shriveling still on the branch) after a summer of extreme drought; creek beds dry; a 22,000+ acre forest fire raging just 25 miles away. One day the fires drove us onward from our planned evening’s rest, doubling that day’s miles as we searched for safer camping further from the roiling orange and purple clouds of smoke. After our unexpected 6.5 mile push, I watched exhausted as ash spiraled from the sky to land on our knees as we filtered water. Though we are back home, safe and contented in our own beds, the Greenwood Fire (and countless others) continues to rage. And perhaps worry is the thief of now, but also a call to action for us all. To plant trees; drive less; fly less; consume less. To fight for climate action and make wise + thoughtful choices. As for my own upcoming flight, it’s time to plant more trees. Lots more. It’s not enough, but it’s a start.
The past year or two have really been… something The past year or two have really been… something. Anxiety, whether on a grand scale (climate, racial, social, pandemic) or smaller scale (motherhood, finances, work, clutter) can throw us off our game and leave us reeling. In my own life, anxiety has a tendency to spiral, where one worse-case-scenario after another ricochets around in my brain (all day, and, excitingly, sometimes all night). It’s time to tame this tiger. Today I revised and published a blog post I originally penned back in 2017. (Ah, life was so simple then. (wink, wink) Who knew anxiety could get this big, this fast, and for this many reasons?) The tips I share have helped me for years to get a handle on my anxiety, whatever it’s roots. Try one of these tricks or try all ten, and see if they help loosen that knot in your belly, if only a bit. I’m cheering you on, friend. You can do this. Link in my bio.
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