Hello plant lovers.You've probably noticed a shift in some of my recent emails and blogs.  Specifically, they're a little more politically charged these days.If you've ever attended one of my workshops or classes, no doubt you've heard me poke fun at the absurdity of capitalism or the wound of colonization that has removed our connections with the land and the plants where we live.But for the most part, you needed to be a student or client to hear me speak so matter-of-factly about how and why herbalism is a tool for liberation.The truth is the wildfires scared the crap out of me this summer.I realized that deep in my heart, I've always wanted my work with herbs to do more than just heal one person at a time.  Don't get me wrong, I love working one on one with clients and with small groups of students.

But right now the world needs warriors of all types working to restore justice and sanity.  

And I have a vision of herbal medicines playing a big role in that.  Creating the new world requires lots of healing.  Or else we'll end up re-creating the same oppressions, right?So, I've created this new class for the web so that it can reach farther than anything I've done before.  It's not going to heal everything that's wrong, it's not even about trying to fix anything.  Instead, it's a class specifically to support the people who are trying to fix things.

Do you know who Paulo Freire was?

He was an educator, philosopher and visionary most famous for Pedagogy of the Oppressed (pedagogy means theory of education).   His focus was all about how education not only needs to be democratic, but also needs to facilitate the liberation of all oppressed people (because it's a living expression of oppressed people struggle for justice and freedom.While putting together a free webinar to help introduce the new class I’ll be offering, I came across a quote of his.  What he said put my recent transformation into an entirely new perspective - it was a big “Aha!” moment that I want to share with you.Here's the quote …

[box]“Merely rebellious attitudes or actions are insufficient, though they are an indispensable response to legitimate anger. It is necessary to go beyond rebellious attitudes to a more radically critical and revolutionary position, which is in fact a position not simply of denouncing injustice but of announcing a new utopia. Transformation of the world implies a dialectic between the two actions:

1. denouncing the process of dehumanization and;
2. announcing the dream of a new society.

On the basis of this knowledge, namely, “to change things is difficult but possible,” we can plan our political-pedagogical strategy.” Paulo Freire[/box]

The personal and professional transformation that's happening within me right now is moving beyond my rebellious attitudes towards the radical transformation of society.This means that it's not nearly enough to simply complain - fun as it is - about the profiteering by pharmaceutical corporations peddling largely toxic &/or dependency-creating chemicals disingenuously sold by overworked doctors trained in the narrow-mind, reductive worldview espoused by so-called western "medicine".See, that was fun!  But for my work to truly support our liberation, I need to have fun AND also articulate my dream for the kind of world we can create.This this new class is dedicated to All Those Who Care Deeply About This World...

Herbal Self Care Class for Radicals, Activists and Organizers

How to sustain yourself and your activism using the healing and wisdom of plant medicines

It's important to me that the content of this class has real, practical and easily applicable to your life and healing.  I'm not simply going to rant for 6 two hour webinars.With an awareness that the industrial capitalist system is mining your energy and health for profit, you’ll learn how to use herbs to nourish and support your health.  You’ll need your energy and strength to uproot the system.It's going to be a riot!  If you'd like to learn more about how healing with herbs can support you and your activism, I invite you to take a good look at this program....There are 6 web-classes that are my answer to the question:

what do you really need to be well, to fortify your body and your spirit?

You'll learn about herbs to help you...

1. Relax from stress and anxiety
2. Have enough energy because you're getting good sleep
3. Why Nature Connection is essential
4. When You're Triggered - Bringing you out of panic and stress
5. Preventing and Treating Adrenal Fatigue and Burnout
6. Creating a new social healing model

Sign up now to get the Early Bird Discount - save $30.  It's only for the first 20 who register (less than 10 spaces remaining) --> Sign up herestrength & wisdom.garliqPS.  In my opinion, one of the most important struggles of these times is happening right now in northwestern BC.The Unist’ot’en Camp is a resistance community whose purpose is to protect sovereign Wet’suwet’en territory from several proposed pipelines from the Tar Sands Gigaproject and shale gas from Hydraulic Fracturing Projects in the Peace River Region.So, the Unist’ot’en Camp will receive 15% of the revenues from this class.You can read more about their struggle here → UnistotenCamp.comPPS.  The free webinar I mentioned will be announced within the next week. Since both my kids have gotten colds in the last week, it may be especially relevant to you also…  How to best avoid getting sick while living in a system designed to make you sick - Why "immune boosting" herbs may not be the best approach to preventing colds and flus.PPPS.  For BONUS POINTS (worth the eternal admiration of your activist geekiness)...

Do you know where this image is from?  

If you know where this came from, please post your answer along with an image that expresses even further activist geekiness to the FB event page for the Herbal Self Care for Radicals, Activists and Organizers