Empowerment comes in many forms.  One thing I know for sure is that understanding and having basic knowledge on how to use the plants around us is incredibly powerful.  It provides Health Freedom.  Understanding the plants around you is EMPOWERMENT.

There is a lot in this world we cannot control.  But when we know how to listen to our body…  How to connect with the Earth… How to bring the Earth’s nourishment into our kitchen and our bodies….we have freedom.  

Most of us are taught from a young age to give our power over to an authority figure.  To listen to someone else regarding what’s best for our bodies.  I was one of those children.  And I’ve spent over 15 years finding my way back.  I’ve spent over a decade now teaching people how to cultivate true well-being.  And the last two years diving deep with women in my course, Medicine Woman. And most importantly, I now am teaching this wisdom to my two children.

In my home, I am the medicine keeper.

I take on the role of understanding the plants that we grow and also the healing plants that naturally reside outside our door and in our climate. I forage, grow, harvest much of our herbal medicine needs. And over the years I have gained the wisdom on how to use those herbs. How to make them into simple yet powerful medicines for our family.

Take garlic for example. She’s such an easy herb to grow. Every November, you can find me in our garden gently pushing garlic cloves into the moist soil. Layering straw over the top and letting those cloves do their thing all winter. In the Spring they begin to peek their green shoots out of the soil. In the early summer I harvest the garlic scapes to make pestos and soups. In the late summer, I harvest the garlic, hang it up to cure and store for the year to come. Throughout the winter and the coming year, the garlic becomes soup and dozens more delicious meals. That garlic is also a potent medicine for us. she’s the first thing we take when we are feeling sick. Chopped up with a little honey….down the hatch and she gets to work fighting off viruses, stomach bugs and more. A relationship with one plant, provides powerful medicine for our family.

In my home, you’ll find hanging herbs, baskets of garlic and jars of potions.

My family comes to me with any ailment, skin rash, bug bit, wound, you name it. And I love taking on that role. It gives me great purpose. And honestly, it helps me feel less fearful of the world in general. I know how to care for my family in many ways without going to the drug store or the doctor’s office. Not to say there isn’t a time and place for the extra help. But what a gift it is to be able to care for myself and my family MOST OF THE TIME from our own home.

To me, being the Medicine Woman of my home means I’m embodying the connection to the earth and bringing that connection into our home.

I’m showing my children what it is to take responsibility for our own well-being. To understand our body and how plants can help us.

When I look out into the world today, I see a lot of fear. Fear of the unknown. Of the future. Of losing the world as we have known it. I believe so much of that fear comes from feeling disconnected. Of course, anyone can be the medicine person of their home…women and men alike. I personally work with women and so this blog is a focus on us….the givers of life. When we are connected to the Earth and we understand how to work with it, we become more confident. Less fearful. More empowered. And along the way, we also can heal and find ourselves healthier and even wiser than we once were. Healthy strong women nourish the world.

Head on over to learn more about my Medicine Woman program. This program is a deep dive into plants, gardening and bringing it all into the kitchen to nourish and heal ourselves and our family.

Gaia Blessings!

Audrey

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