Weed Wanderings herbal eZine with Susun Weed

August 2004
 

Wise Woman Wisdom ...
The Weeds Shall Inherit the Earth

by Lady Barbara

 

More than once lately, I’ve been asked to define ‘weed’…..We USED to say it’s “any plant we have no use for”……then we added “Yet”…….

Over the years I’ve fine-tuned MY definition to “any plant who DECIDES where it is going to come up and sets up housekeeping and FLOURISHES”. There ya go. Independent brats, these WEEEEEEEDS. But they have a lot to teach us about persistence, adaptability, being a SURVIVOR.

The more we brutalize and just trash this blessed planet of ours, the LOUDER the weeds try to teach us of these things. The whole thing plays out as the MowMen do their jobs and keep cutting all the roadside plants to the same HEIGHT. All the interesting plants give up and leave and the real cockroaches/earth-healing plants (bittersweet, Virginia creeper, poison ivy, mugwort) catch their breath and come roaring back with a VENGEANCE.

I had an altercation with one of the MowMen as much as someone can, speaking from a car to a guy with weed-whacker. He was LEVELING a wonderful stand of Wildflowers behind a shopping mall, BEYOND the guard rail. It WAS the most beautiful river of Queen Anne’s lace, little thistles, Chicory, Bird’s foot trefoil, red clover, white sweet clover, goldenrods and yes, St John’s wort. I had my eye on two BIG stands of it.

I’ve been duking it out with these clowns for my whole 30 year career as a professional gardener. I knew enough not to shriek, “What the HELL are you DOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” As calmly as I was able, I managed to JUST find enough voice to ask WHY someone had asked him to DO that. The answer was “We do it every year”. No, no way, man. These things BLOOMED last year. He said well, yeah, they STOPPED back THERE last time. I tried to explain that this was one of the BEST stands of Wildflowers in the county, and they’re not bothering ANYbody, and BY THE WAY…..Do you know what you’re STANDING in there? Saint John’s wort. The Whack-Monger shrugged. I was in such a frustrated RAGE I was losing my voice. So my parting volley was to ask him to TELL his supervisor that ONE person was utterly HEARTBROKEN that they were doing that. And I drove off. I accomplished NOTHING. He finished his JOB. Weeks later I went back again. The bittersweet looked like a Street Gang hanging out with the Poison Ivy. The bird’s foot trefoil made a comeback and Queen Anne REFUSED to be dethroned…..but St John LEFT. Not one single leaf came back. Hypericum is LIKE that. I’ve seen it happen and I’ve seen others write of it. When the wildness of a place is dishonored, Hypericum up and LEAVES.

Mugwort/Cronewort is one of my FAVES. She’s just a protest march with roots. Marches RIGHT up the edge of the pavement and DARES anyone to try to take her down. And they DO take her down and she roars RIGHT up again. Big surprise she’s called Cronewort. More and more it feels like it’s up to us women with silver leaf undersides to knit our roots together and HANG ON. Somewhere Susun noted that the emergence of Mugwort/Cronewort, Artemesia vulgaris, tells we haven’t trashed it all YET.

Lots of purists howl and holler about barberry taking over our forests, bittersweet climbing and choking our trees (notice how it can also turn a dead utility pole into a LIVING tree), the uselessness that is a lawn being INVADED with a mineral-rich, liver-tonic called dandelion. The fact is, WE are creating an ENVIRONMENT where only the scrappy weeds CAN survive….We poison everything including our own livers and the world sprouts dandelions. We destroy trees at a totally alarming rate and bittersweet turns ANY structure back into trees. We compact the soil and Plantain gives us Mother Nature’s bandaids. We won’t stop building McMansions on every square foot of ground and that ground SCREAMS in Poison Ivy. We spend gazillions of dollars on Arthritis meds when the answer may just be in Goldenrod oil. Right there on the roadside. The cure for Lyme disease could be right beneath the roadside Teasels.

So NOW what do we do?

I’ve thought about getting folks to put red yarn on plants they care about that are in harm’s way: the Elderbushes, the Joe Pye Weeds. It may not STOP the MowMen, but it might tangle up their weed whackers. I’ve noticed that once I introduce a person to one of our Valued Weeds, like, say, Mullein, they begin to see it EVERYwhere. If the world MUST have neat roadsides, for goddess’ sake PLANT COLTSFOOT. Daylilies SEEMED like a grand idea, but I saw them taken off at the knees in FULL bloom.

But beyond that, I think it’s important to know that every time you acknowledge our roadside friends, all their brothers and sisters FEEL that. So go say good morning to the Goldenrod! Kiss a dandelion and wear the yellow pollen on your nose. Nurture your Queen Anne’s Lace like it was an expensive nursery perennial. Deadhead the spent blooms and she’ll keep going through October (in the eastern US), Show a little kid how to use a Plantain leaf on a mosquito bite.

Introduce your Friends to your friends.

Blessings, LadyB


CONVERSATIONS with YOURSELF with Lady Barbara
to find out more go to www.susunweed.com/Workshops.htm#ladyb
August 14, 2004
I am an herbalist, hypnotherapist, and belly dance teacher
with a rowdy reverence for life's dancing.
The first step to caring for yourself is the ability to listen to yourself and trust your inner wisdom. Using the tools of Self-Testing, Guided Visualization, "Granny Unconditional" and Reading Symptoms, LadyB will set you on the path to becoming your own greatest ally. 1 day: $50-$75. $25 deposit.

Register for this workshop at
www.susunweed.com/Workshops.htm#register

DEFINE NOURISHMENT with Lady Barbara
to find out more go to www.susunweed.com/Workshops.htm#ladyb
August 15, 2004
Nourishment goes far beyond just what we put into our mouths! Learn to expand the nourishment you absorb from what you DO eat, but also to nourish yourself through BellyDancing, 'ingesting' music, using visualizations and discovering exactly what in your own life can truly nourish you and GOING for it.
1 day: $50-$75. $25 deposit.

Register for this workshop at
www.susunweed.com/Workshops.htm#register

To register for Wise Woman Center workshops, send deposit (see specific workshop for deposit amount) and indicate which workshop you want to attend and contact info: Wise Woman Center PO Box 64, Woodstock, NY 12498
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Susun Weed is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books--recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians--are used and cherished by millions of women globally. Topics include childbearing, breast health, menopause, wellbeing, and more.

The Wise Woman Center exists to re-weave the healing cloak of the Ancients. This land is sacred, it is a safe space for women, and a place for the teachings of the Wise Woman Way. The Goddess lives here, as do goats, fairies, green witches, and elders. There are many classes, workshops and intensives that are offered at the Wise Woman Center.
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PO Box 64 Woodstock NY 12498
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