Comments on: The Care-Taker of Plants: Invasive Species, Natives, Healing and Wholeness http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-care-taker-of-plants-invasive-speces-natives-healing-and-wholeness.html Traditional Western Herbalism with Kiva Rose Tue, 22 May 2012 17:08:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: AarTiana http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-care-taker-of-plants-invasive-speces-natives-healing-and-wholeness.html/comment-page-1#comment-12062 AarTiana Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:22:05 +0000 http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=924#comment-12062 This is an amazing post Jessie! I am reminded about Skeeter Pilarski and his lessons on Permaculture at the 2008 MT Herb Gathering. He spoke of the Native populations of this land, before European settlers arrived (well, officially). It is true that many tribes controlled certain plant growths - encouraging some, while discouraging others. But they didn't do it by force. They did it by having a relationship with the land - telling Great Spirit what they needed, and taking "instruction" received from these places and trusting to implement what they learned. I love how you speak about discernment, since that is a necessary step, but I also feel that direct spirit communication is most helpful in these situations. I have no doubt Jessie and Kiva practice this every time they go for a plant walk! This is an amazing post Jessie! I am reminded about Skeeter Pilarski and his lessons on Permaculture at the 2008 MT Herb Gathering. He spoke of the Native populations of this land, before European settlers arrived (well, officially). It is true that many tribes controlled certain plant growths – encouraging some, while discouraging others. But they didn’t do it by force. They did it by having a relationship with the land – telling Great Spirit what they needed, and taking “instruction” received from these places and trusting to implement what they learned. I love how you speak about discernment, since that is a necessary step, but I also feel that direct spirit communication is most helpful in these situations. I have no doubt Jessie and Kiva practice this every time they go for a plant walk!

]]> By: Dessa http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-care-taker-of-plants-invasive-speces-natives-healing-and-wholeness.html/comment-page-1#comment-11070 Dessa Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:38:32 +0000 http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=924#comment-11070 Very insightful words. Here we deal with the Ailanthus altissima or Chinese Sumac. It is referred to as the Tree of Heaven but it is systematically taking over. Thank you for your words. They have given me a lot to consider. Very insightful words. Here we deal with the Ailanthus altissima or Chinese Sumac. It is referred to as the Tree of Heaven but it is systematically taking over. Thank you for your words. They have given me a lot to consider.

]]> By: Jane-Singing Deer http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-care-taker-of-plants-invasive-speces-natives-healing-and-wholeness.html/comment-page-1#comment-11053 Jane-Singing Deer Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:18:23 +0000 http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=924#comment-11053 Oh, a very thoughtful, articulate post. Thank you for sharing your experiences -- that it isn't always easy to decide what to do when working with ecological restoration. So many questions arise whenever we approach a task thoughtfully, with humbleness, with heart. I also appreciate how you carry the work of stewardship into one's personal life. As always, the natural world and our involvement in it, our relationships with aspects of it, reveal so much regarding other realms of our life. Questions asked in one realm can certainly be applied to other realms of our lives ..... Thank you! Oh, a very thoughtful, articulate post. Thank you for sharing your experiences — that it isn’t always easy to decide what to do when working with ecological restoration. So many questions arise whenever we approach a task thoughtfully, with humbleness, with heart. I also appreciate how you carry the work of stewardship into one’s personal life. As always, the natural world and our involvement in it, our relationships with aspects of it, reveal so much regarding other realms of our life. Questions asked in one realm can certainly be applied to other realms of our lives ….. Thank you!

]]> By: Animá Lifeways & Herbal School » Blog Archive » Canyon Update, and Link to Wolf’s New Piece on Invasive and Native Species http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-care-taker-of-plants-invasive-speces-natives-healing-and-wholeness.html/comment-page-1#comment-11005 Animá Lifeways & Herbal School » Blog Archive » Canyon Update, and Link to Wolf’s New Piece on Invasive and Native Species Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:37:15 +0000 http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=924#comment-11005 [...] Near the nettles patch is a batch of invasive horehound, a lovely plant that nonetheless tends to outcompete our native varieties.  You can read an article I wrote on the gut-wrenching considerations of when to intercede and when to allow introduced species free rein.  As in all Anima teachings, the conclusion is that we need a combination of sensitivity and responsibility, along with a willingness to accept that we have a decided if not always so deliberate impact on our co-created world.  To read this piece, please turn to it here by clicking on its page on Kiva’s Medicine Woman Blog. [...] [...] Near the nettles patch is a batch of invasive horehound, a lovely plant that nonetheless tends to outcompete our native varieties.  You can read an article I wrote on the gut-wrenching considerations of when to intercede and when to allow introduced species free rein.  As in all Anima teachings, the conclusion is that we need a combination of sensitivity and responsibility, along with a willingness to accept that we have a decided if not always so deliberate impact on our co-created world.  To read this piece, please turn to it here by clicking on its page on Kiva’s Medicine Woman Blog. [...]

]]> By: nishaan http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-care-taker-of-plants-invasive-speces-natives-healing-and-wholeness.html/comment-page-1#comment-10993 nishaan Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:50:05 +0000 http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=924#comment-10993 Dear Jesse, You have written many similar thoughts and emotions I have contemplated while doing woodlands restoration (such as the question of playing God and the plant/human immigration correlation). I am a lay herbalist who is an advocate for restoration...I have spent many hours feeling duplicitous in my actions. I have put a lot of time thinking about this... along with day dreams of replanting our invasives back into their native lands in order to restore the thousands of plants I have dug up/cut down...maybe a bit dramatic but I would if I could! Having a sacred reverence for plants, while at the same time pulling them out from their roots can be hard to justify to one self! I have worked with very wonderful and sensitive people who in good jest would roll their eyes at my seemingly overly philosophical proclivities. It is so nice to hear someone else who has thought very seriously about this with their mind,heart and spirit. You have really helped me to reaffirm some things. Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece and perspective :) . Dear Jesse,

You have written many similar thoughts and emotions I have contemplated while doing woodlands restoration (such as the question of playing God and the plant/human immigration correlation).

I am a lay herbalist who is an advocate for restoration…I have spent many hours feeling duplicitous in my actions.

I have put a lot of time thinking about this… along with day dreams of replanting our invasives back into their native lands in order to restore the thousands of plants I have dug up/cut down…maybe a bit dramatic but I would if I could!

Having a sacred reverence for plants, while at the same time pulling them out from their roots can be hard to justify to one self!

I have worked with very wonderful and sensitive people who in good jest would roll their eyes at my seemingly overly philosophical proclivities.

It is so nice to hear someone else who has thought very seriously about this with their mind,heart and spirit.

You have really helped me to reaffirm some things. Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece and perspective :)

.

]]> By: Susan http://bearmedicineherbals.com/the-care-taker-of-plants-invasive-speces-natives-healing-and-wholeness.html/comment-page-1#comment-10991 Susan Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:44:19 +0000 http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=924#comment-10991 Beautifully written and expressed as usual! THIS is lovely: "Even the most ardent lover of such medicinal and ornamental vines must recoil – and hopefully reconsider their principle of non-judgement and noninterference – in the face of such lamentable destruction of existing plant communities." Yes, the restoration is painful. We in Florida face nearly insurmountable problems with invasive plants, both exotics (Melaleuca, Schinus, Cogongrass) and native plants out of place (rampant Laurel oaks in pine forests where fire has been excluded). Sad to say, the expediency of herbicides dominates the approach of the conservation land managers. I would rather see jobs created for people to pull plants -- bringing people back into the equation. It is a very difficult problem. And then we must ask ourselves if WE are one of the "weeds" on the planet. Thank you so much for your clear-eyed articulation of the problem! Love and peace to the canyon dwellers... Beautifully written and expressed as usual! THIS is lovely: “Even the most ardent lover of such medicinal and ornamental vines must recoil – and hopefully reconsider their principle of non-judgement and noninterference – in the face of such lamentable destruction of existing plant communities.” Yes, the restoration is painful. We in Florida face nearly insurmountable problems with invasive plants, both exotics (Melaleuca, Schinus, Cogongrass) and native plants out of place (rampant Laurel oaks in pine forests where fire has been excluded). Sad to say, the expediency of herbicides dominates the approach of the conservation land managers. I would rather see jobs created for people to pull plants — bringing people back into the equation. It is a very difficult problem. And then we must ask ourselves if WE are one of the “weeds” on the planet. Thank you so much for your clear-eyed articulation of the problem! Love and peace to the canyon dwellers…

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