Are you interested in the world of plants, herbalism, plant medicines, and wild edibles? Do you want to deepen your connection to plants and the green world around you?  Have you ever wondered about the stories of plants coming to people in dreams or revealing songs or visions?  Do you wonder about what kind of connection your ancestors had and to what plants?

I'm excited to announce that author and wilderness skills guide Nate Summers and I will be offering a Free Deepening Your Connection to Plants Webinar Wednesday May 25 at 1pm ET.

 In the free webinar, we will share simple and easy ways to connect to plants in your local bioregion.  This can enhance your journey to deepen your relationship plants no matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned herbalist. 

In this unique discussion co-presented by Brooklyn Public Library and the Lenape Center, as part of the Lenapehoking exhibition currently on display at Greenpoint, the Lenape Center’s Curtis Zunigha and Brooklyn-based herbalist Liz Neves will discuss plants used in traditional healing practices of the Lenape people. They’ll discuss the use of medicinal plants in both a historical and modern context, including ceremonies, wildcrafting practices, and making medicine with plants that grow throughout New York City/Lenapehoking.

This program is presented in partnership with the Lenape Center.

Curtis Zunigha is an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma. (www.delawaretribe.org) He is currently the Cultural Director for his tribe and an acknowledged expert on Delaware/Lenape culture, language, and traditional practices. He has over thirty years of experience in tribal government, community development, cultural preservation, and telecommunications. 

Mr. Zunigha is Co-Director of The Lenape Center, a non-profit organization based in New York City which promotes the history and culture of the Lenape people (aka Delaware Indians) through the arts, humanities, and environmental activism. (www.thelenapecenter.com)

Experience the joy of discovering the healing plants that grow near you in every season and ecosystem. 

Learn about the wild medicinal plants thriving in our region from Liz Neves, author of Northeast Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 111 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness (Timber Press) – so much more than a field guide and unlike any other book like it for connecting with healing plants in this region!

Liz will show you how to make healing remedies with herbs found in the Northeast, supplied by Furnace Creek Farm. Signed copies of Northeast Medicinal Plants will be available for sale during this event.

“Both a field guide and one of the best herbalism how-to books I’ve ever read… a must for anyone interested in herbal medicine, foraging, and self-sufficiency.” ~ Leda Meredith, author of Northeast Foraging and The Skillful Forager.

Liz is an herbal educator, dream guide, meditation instructor, mom, and 18-year Brooklynite who leads monthly healing plant walks in Prospect Park through MINKA Brooklyn.

Awakening the Dreamer is a transformative educational program developed by the Pachamama Alliance that explores the challenges facing humanity at this critical moment in time and the opportunities we as a human family have to create a new future.

In Awakening the Dreamer, you'll look squarely at the state of the world—where we are and how we got here—and then explore what role you can play in bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.

Awakening the Dreamer was created in response to an invitation from the Achuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon to work in partnership to shift the dominant culture of consumption and alienation to one that honors and sustains all life.

You'll start with an examination of the ways in which the current "dream" of the modern world is impacting the environment, our relationship with one another, and our own sense of purpose.

You will explore how this all came to be, and confront the powerful unexamined assumptions that are at the heart of the current crisis we are in—as a species and as a planet.

You’ll hear about the new story emerging at this time in history—a story that recognizes how profoundly connected everyone and everything is.

You will come to see that a new future is possible and that a huge, unstoppable movement is already emerging and in action, committed to creating a new story for humanity.

You’ll look at actions you can take, on your own and with others, and new ways of being that are consistent with your vision and stand. And, you will have the opportunity to go deeper with the programs of Pachamama Alliance’s Up to Us engagement pathway.

Join us for an inspiring and engaging experience!

This is an event in support of the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, peacefully resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline. Details of what we'll be doing are below the contact form.

If you are interested in attending or helping us organize, inquire below. Thank you!

An alternative Thanksgiving ceremony*

Out of a realization that the bodies of all human beings are over 70% water, and that we are all called to be water protectors, we plan this Thanksgiving, to gather with family, friends, and neighbors to give thanks for the mystery and miracle of water. It is threatened everywhere.

We will gather in Prospect Park and make our way to the boathouse together.

We'll hold a simple ceremony to express that we realize we all play a part in the desecration or healing of water. Originally, before human despoiling of water, all water was pristine.

We'll express gratitude for the heroic courage, endurance, and inspiration of the Water Protectors encamped at Standing Rock to resist any further despoiling and polluting of the Missouri River by private corporate invaders on their lands, which are historically protected by the Treaty of 1851.

We'll reflect on how fictitious aspects of the Thanksgiving story have also diminished the true meaning of what all peoples long to do at the end of a harvest season – gather with loved ones to express gratitude for the sheer miracle of food and existence.

We are awakening to the profound desecration that has been done to water everywhere. To help change this pattern of destruction and disrespect, we'll:

• Collect donations for the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, here is a list of current needs (particularly the Medic Healer Council)
• Write letters to Pope Francis to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery that ultimately led to the colonization of this continent and the genocide of the people who lived here for thousands of years prior to European conquest
• Share food with deep gratitude for the energy that goes into growing, distributing, preparing it and the energy and nourishment it provides us

*This action is inspired by a recent newsletter from Genesis Farm in Blairstown, NJ. Many of the words used are theirs, and with permission, are blended with my own above. I greatly admire their work and, though they said I didn't need to give them credit for the words above, I felt it only right to mention them here. Check them out if you feel called!

Say yes to love! says Aki Baker, co-founder of MINKA, the new healing space in Prospect Lefferts.

"...with deep love that we invite you to "Welcome Home," our first open house at MINKA on Saturday, June 18th. Doors open at 11 a.m. for one-on-one 30 minute magical sessions with our MINKA family of practitioners. FREE introductions to a few of our top courses offered at MINKA begin at 1 p.m...and of course, we will end with a dance party at 6 p.m....what did you expect?!"

I'll be leading a 30 minute free intro for Herbs for Meditation, a class I'll be offering at MINKA in the near future.

RSVP HERE!

MINKA Brooklyn
1120 Washington Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11225
{Steps from the Prospect Park Q/S stop}

OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE

It's going to be a full day of magic, healing and love! Take a look below and see you on the 18th :) 

FREE COURSE INTROS (1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

• 1:00 - Herbs for Meditation
• 1:30 - Being an Alchemist: The Art of Transformation
• 2:00 - Introduction to Meditation
• 2:30 - Arm knitting for Meditation
• 3:00 - Flower Essence Certification Level 1 
• 3:30 - Transformational Coaching for Healers and Creatives
• 4:00 - Introduction to Astrology
• 6:00 - Dance Awake Party 

ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS - All day, 30 minutes, $30
morning (11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

• Vortex channeling (small group from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.)
• Cranial Sacral
• Shiatsu and Energy Healing

afternoon (2:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.)

• Reiki
• Tarot Reading
• Higher Self Reading
• Flower Essence Therapy
• Raindrop Therapy (a combination of reflexology and essential oils)
   

In our modern way of living, where we are more familiar with computer screens than the plants growing outside our windows, there is a great loss. A loss of connection with the natural world that leads to common and easily remedied illnesses. By learning to connect with healing plants we can restore a sense of belonging and bring physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness to our families. In our brief time together we’ll talk about ways to develop a relationship with medicinal plants as well as taste some herbal infusions that are safe and effective for healing common ailments, from tummy aches and headaches to insomnia and stress (ailments which are often all interrelated!). 

This is a talk for the Holistic Mom's Network, Brooklyn Chapter.

FREE

Held in Information Commons room #4 at the Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library.

Apologies! We've had to cancel due to illness. Merry Beltane, all!

Spring is in full swing and life is rich!

Beltane is the halfway point between spring and summer. There is a sense of expansiveness and sweetness as the solar hours extend into the evening, and the flowers share with us their beauty and intoxicating aromas. Now is the time of fertility, the time to plant seeds for future harvests. 

Celebrate with us! Special guests and activities include a grounding movement meditation led by Vanessa Chakour of Sacred Warrior and May Day ribbon hand kites with Kate Muth. We'll also make an herb-infused honey together and take part in fun nature-inspired activities for all ages. 

We'll meet in Prospect Park (see map below) and finish with a potluck picnic. 

$10 suggested donation. Please bring a small (4 oz) jar if you'd like to make and take home herbal honey.