Welcome to the Plant Spirit Podcast on connecting with plant consciousness, and the healing wisdom of Nature. If you'd like to learn more on how to communicate directly with plants, visit www.learnplantlanguage.com. To register for the free workshop, that's www.learnplantlanguage.com. I'm your host, Sara Artemesia and I'm absolutely delighted and deeply honored to introduce our guests to the show today. Rosemary Gladstar is an herbalist and author who has been practicing living, learning, teaching and writing about herbs for over 45 years. Often referred to as the Godmother of American Herbalism. Rosemary is the author of 12 books, and co founder of both the international herbs symposium, and the New England Women's Herbal conference. She's also the founding president of United Plant Savers, and the co founder and original formulator of Traditional Medicinals Tea Company. In 2018, Rosemary was awarded an honorary doctorate from the National University of Naturopathic Medicine. And she's also the author of the popular home study course, The Science and Art of Herbalism. So Rosemary, thank you so much for joining us today.
Rosemary Gladstar:It's really an honor to be here with you. Thank you.
Sara Artemisia:It's such an honor to have you join us. And I'm really excited for our talk about our dear plant allies and friends. And so I'm curious if you could actually just start out with sharing a bit about our ancient relationship with the plants it feels so deep, we've been intertwined with them since the very beginning of our existence. And I'd love to hear you share about that.
Rosemary Gladstar:Thank you. Yeah, well, I think you just summed it up, right? They, they have been here since the beginning of our existence. And I always like to point out that it doesn't really matter what creativity, what creative, how the world began, which tradition that you believe in whether, you know, it was the native tradition of the Turtle Island rising out of the waters, or the biblical tradition, the mythology of the Earth being created in seven days, whatever the creation story is that you believe in the plants were always here before humans, so they actually are our elders, and we've evolved in relationship to them. And they've actually through the beginning of time, they impact us in every way that we know of, you know, from, we recognize them as food for certain whether you're a carnivore, an omnivore, a vegetarian, or it doesn't really matter, the basis of all of everything that we eat is plant based, which is always really interesting when you think about it, because plants are actually absorbing sunlight, you know, they're, they're eating pre digested sunlight. And so when we eat, when we eat from them, we're eating sunlight, I always love that, you know, just to pause for a minute and realize that we're actually eating pre digested sunlight, it's pretty awesome. And then medicine, as most people are aware, in our oldest system of healing, it's still the most widely used in the world is herbal medicine, but it even on much, but many other levels, you know, food and shelter, our clothing, you know, our our finest clothing is made from various parts of plants. And then on the deepest level, our spiritual health is also dependent again, it doesn't really matter what spiritual paths somebody follows, or their religious belief. Plants are a part of every one of those traditions, you know, it's pretty incredible when you think about it, and then they end they weave themselves into every single one of our holidays, every one of our celebrations, plants are apart from the moment that were born until the moment that we die. Plants are they show up for us, right? They're there, they're brought, you know, when people were born, the plants are brought to the mother and at birthdays, and all love celebrations, plants are part of that. And then when we die, you know, we're honoured with plants. So there's just this ancient, ongoing relationship and it's not diminished at all. In our modern times. It's as strong as it's ever been. It's just that so many people today, unfortunately, are disconnected from it. But as we're seeing, there's more and more connection to it again. And that's I think, because well my personal belief in that is one is that we need that in order to be human. We need to have that relationship and that interweaving ourselves and our recognition of that weaving with all of life. But it's also because I feel this to be very true from all the messages I get is the plants also really need us. In order to stand up for anything you have to really know it and love it. So the plants are really calling us to them. When we think it's because we need them for all the things, you know, make our little medicines and take our medicines and stuff. But they're, the gardens are in danger. And so they've asked all of us who have that connection in our blood with this. It's an ancient connection to really come forth and stand up for them. So pretty amazing, really, when you when you just pause, even for a moment and recognize how impacted our lives are by everything we do by the plants. So, yeah.
Sara Artemisia:Yeah, that they're with us on every level interwoven in every single thing that we do. Thank you so much for sharing that. I'm curious to within the past couple of years, that has been really challenging for a lot of folks. How, in your experience, do plants help us weather the storms of life?
Rosemary Gladstar:Yeah, well, once they do that, in I think, any number of ways, our responsibility is just to invite them into our worlds. So one is just a physiological level. You know, that's a lot of the places where people start, you know, they're looking at what can this Plant Medicine do for us. So there's these plants that actually are known and there can be pretty potent at it to make us feel calmer, and more relaxed, which is, the more we're centered into our body. And the more grounded we feel, the more we are able to weather the storms of life. And so we have plants like Kava and St. John's Wort and Milky Oats and Skullcap. You know, there's a whole group of plants that are just known to help calm us and relax us. So they do it in that way. But I think, again, especially if the topic that you know, you have invited into this whole summit is on the deeper level, it's how they lift us up and open our spirits and remind us really, of how to ground and how to center and how to find our roots. Because these times are challenging, there's no doubt about it. But I mean, when you look back in history, I'm just I always am curious to see well, what time was it really challenging, it just was different sets of challenges. And these are the challenges that we're dealing with, and we're looking at. And when you look at how the plants have survived, they provide amazing lessons for us. So plants, I mean, I think plants are looking at what's happening now there's climate change, etcetera. But it's something like meteorites landing on the Earth, and changing everything right. And those plants had to adapt or another example is right here, where I live in New England. I mean, 10,000 years ago, which is a drop in time, as far as the history of the plant planet goes, there was a glacier that was like five miles deep here. And it changed the entire face of the world. And yet, of this world that I live in, it just it was an entirely different set of plants. And yet, when you look out, the plants are not they are surviving or thriving. Here, it's just different. They were able to adapt or ones that weren't moved on, and a whole new set came in. And when you really get in touch with that, it changes how we're looking at what we're looking at, it gives us the ability to really understand something more than what we just see, we have to deal with what we're seeing what we're dealing with, for sure. But we're given these tools that are ancient, and that have helped humans and animals and plants survive forever. So on the physiological level, they're very helpful. You know, there's a whole group of plants that can lift our spirits, you know, herbs like Roses, and Camomile, there's practices that we could do every day, using the plants. Really simple things that don't take a lot of time that really can make such a difference in whether our day is stunning, and we feel great in it, or whether we just feel powerless, right? So they can do that for us other physical and emotional level. But the deeper place that I look at is what are the teachings that the survivors and thrivers have to teach us these plants that are our elders, and then have lived through things that we really can hardly even imagine. They're not even part of our history at all, you know, like, that huge meteorite or those, that those glaciers of the volcanoes of the West Coast. So we're having terrible fires there. There's, there's just it's awful in the climate, I'm not meaning to derive any of that. But when you look at the largest volcanic eruptions for thousands of years there, and the plants still carried on. But to me, they just are one of the great models and great teachers for me in learning how to be a better human and learning how to be to live here in community with diversity, and learning about survival and how to route down. Route down and reach up. You know, that's what the plants teach us.
Sara Artemisia:Yeah, I totally feel that and particularly with what you're talking about those aspects of resiliency, of adaptation of rooting down reaching up, what are some, maybe even just one simple practice that you'd recommend for folks to really connect with this? What I like to call like mirror teachings of the plants where the plants show us how, in my experience, they show us how to be more human in that way.
Rosemary Gladstar:Well, I could do one but can I do a couple? Because I have
Sara Artemisia:Yeah, I love that.
Rosemary Gladstar:Breathing, you know, just breathing because every single breath that we breathe, we're talking about a codependent relationship right here. We couldn't breathe without the plants, they provide the oxygen for us and vice versa, they need the carbon that we breathe out the carbon dioxide. So every breath that we're bringing in, if you can just do this breathing with the plants, you're breathing in, you know, this, this ancient energy that's like living on the sunlight. And that's what you're taking into your being, and then you're breathing out a gift to the plant. So it's just every breath we take in and breathe out is really a gift with life around us, provided for us for the planet. So that is to me just, you know, you just take five minutes, and people are always talking about conscious breathing, how incredibly empowering it is, and centering. And so we're talking about that kind of breathing, but taking it one step more, where we're recognizing what a gift from the plant world that this is for us. And even when you're breathing in your breathing, you know, all of their healing incredible properties into your being. That's pretty awesome. Yeah, and then there's a lot of different practices, you know, with the plants I, what I tried to share and live in my own life is that this is a great time right now to do plant infusion and plant immersion, you know, just immerse yourself every way that you can during the day, to invite those plants into your life. Because, you know, they're going to take care of you physically, they help you feel better, and then they lift us up, they actually start to feel a joy. So, you know, it's things like for me plant infusion, maybe just drinking lots of herb tea, you know, choosing those herbs that we know are going to be deepening and strengthening and opened us up. And then bathing in the water or doing foot baths and handbags. That also can be such an incredible healing, you know, we can do it just as a, I going to take a bath with herbs and keep it really simple. But you can also do it as a simple ritual where you light a candle and a flame and give thanks for the water. And thanks for the plants and then put yourself into that bath and allow those herbs to just enter you because that's what you're doing. You're sort of immersing yourself in a junk but tea, and then letting when you pull out the plug, you know, just give thanks for everything you want to let go up and let it flow back into the waterways of the world. So I think it's just practices that. So every day we get up and we get to choose the practices that we want to feed during the day. And sometimes it's very difficult. Believe me, I'm not saying this. Like I think it's easy, it's very hard for people and and it's been very challenging for me as well, I think that's why I can speak so joyously and openly about it, because I can really see how these plants can really impact us in very powerful ways. But we have to open up to the relationship. That might be the the other key thing is, every time that you receive a gift from them, you always want to remember to get back, you want to remember that the plants are speaking and calling to you, because there's also something that they need as well. And so then you create this reciprocal relationship with them, which is the best kind of relationship to be on right with anything, anybody. Anybody at all.
Sara Artemisia:Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that. I mean, so key there, the the reciprocity, the reciprocal relationship. And then I love what you just shared, that visualization of immersing yourself in a giant cup of tea is so lovely. I just picture like the self steeping in the tea, right, where there's just this, almost like connecting with the plants by osmosis or merging with them and just how beautiful that is with how beautiful and loving their gifts are. And in that vein, I'm curious which herbs on plant allies, in your experience are particularly helpful for helping us really to brighten and lift our spirits?
Rosemary Gladstar:Yeah, I mean, there's classic ones. And you know, they're classic, because they just have that ability. You know, they I think they just do it in the way they grow. So there's always the Roses. Roses really lift the Spirit. They opened us up as a lot of times, you know, I mean, I used to feel this way about Roses. I think other people do. They just seem so pampered people might think they're kind of pricy flowers, you know, they, but they're actually one of the most ancient flowers on the Earth. And they are very evolved beings. They have self protection, you know, they're thorns, which is a very important I love plants that have prickles and thorns because they're very incredibly sensitive beings, and they've just created a way to protect themselves, and yet their beauty still shines beautifully. So flower, the Roses actually have medicinal properties. You know, they're used as for the nervous system, and they're oftentimes splendid in teas that help people feel more relaxed and grounded and centered, but they also just lift us up. And it's amazing. I use the I use the Roses a lot in my tea formulas when I'm making tea formulas that are for the heart and lifting our spirits so they're really excellent. And then I would also say we get almost any flower does that Violets and Borage flowers. A lot of it is how how you feel about the flowers too. You know how they make you feel like, you know, you look at a Little Violet. And for most of us, we just sort of spring away, you know, it's like, oh, it's so beautiful. And then there are herbs like Lemon Balm and Milky Aats, St. John's Wort, and Hawthorne, all of those are herbs that just work their way into our heart and help our hearts to stay open when oftentimes, they've been closed down. And they do that on a physiological level. You know, when you study their chemical constituents and what their actions are in the body, they have a physiological action. So you could say you're taking them as medicine. But really, again, when you look at how that our ancestors used them, and then just spending time with them, you just feel how they lift your heart up, Linden does another one. It's used as a nervy. You can drink the tea, it's calming and relaxing, helps you feel knits you together, I always say has a way of just knitting our core essence together. And so Linden does that too. But then when you just stem under Linden tree, I mean, you're, the world is celebrating, you know, the bees are swarming, the scent is just exploding. The tree itself is just so full of joy. And that lifts us up. It's like a spiritual being. And then I just have been playing with a new one, a new flower. And I'm so in love with it. It's the Blue. It's the butterfly, pea flower, right. And I've just been I've been making it, you know, just looking at it. I don't know if you can see this, but it's just absolutely stunning Blue and you can make tea and add it to your bath water, you can drink it, it's also has a lot of medicinal properties. But again, for an eye, those are always important to me. I love I wanted to research and study that. But then I just drink it and I just create so much makes me happy. You don't have this absolute gorgeous Blue tea. And I would say right now especially for children who are feeling very stressed out in the world. It's a delightful key to serve children because it's like magic. Have them make them themselves. And then they have this beautiful indigo Blue tea. And then you add a little bit of Lemon to it and it turns bright fuchsia in your cup. When I'm having a lot of fun with him putting him a lot of my plants. There's many others you know, I would say herbs like Calendula. Calendula is especially good because it's also this bright, Jolly flower, you have this beautiful flower that lives up to the sun. It's fed by the sunlight, it's like the sunlight. And that but it's also very resonate, right. And those Resins are very grounding for us. They ground us on this Earth and they it's a strong flower. You know, it's very beautiful, but it has such strength in it. So Calendula is another one that I put in with this lifting of the heart, helping us lift up and open our hearts, to the world and to the plants and one another at a time that for us seems very challenging.
Sara Artemisia:Yeah, thank you for sharing that. And I love that you brought in the piece about the grounding with the Calendula, the thorns of the Rose that this lifting up and out and open expansiveness is not one of leaving the Earth that it is very much about being rooted and connected in with the Earth is so important. I love that though with the butterfly fee. The color too is so beautiful, so beautiful. I'm curious, in your experience to how does working with the plants really help us connect to a sense of joy and self love and really embracing the self as well?
Rosemary Gladstar:Well, yeah, that's so interesting. You know, I noticed that so many years ago, I would, I would say, you know, I've hardly ever met a grumpy gardener or grumpy herbalist. I mean, they can be grumpy. But once I go into their apothecary up to their garden, harvesting baskets, there's just a joy that happens. And I think, personally why that is, is because what we're working with is filled with such joy. And it's not like plants lives are easy. You know, you look at the Cedar trees along the edge of the lake, they struggle or the Bristlecone Pine on the top of the seat, the mountain tops that there's no soil, there's bitter cold, they know they struggled, so many of these plants are really struggling. But nonetheless, in their struggle, they are so uplifted and so joyful, there's so much radiance coming off with them. And maybe radiance is even a better word joy. And that is transmitted to us, you know, you go into the garden, and you can spend a lot of time you know, looking at the bugs that are eating your cabbage, or you know, the plants that are eating the bugs that might be eating your flowers, but when you really focus on the plants themselves. It just feels joyful. And that joy is part of how the plants are opening us up to joy. And also, I think if we really are tuning into what they're reminding us and that becomes our responsibility to listen to what they're trying to say, to learn how to interpret what they're saying to us. You know, they're reminding us that life is a struggle, and if we can't find joy in it, you know, a way of being present here now and emulating our own joy, then that's the problem. Because as I said most plants, I mean, they don't even have a choice of where they're going to grow. Plants just float to the air. And I guess maybe we don't have a choice either, right? We're just planted somewhere and up in somebody's belly and are born, and here we are. But we have the ability to walk and change and go get food. And plants are just going to trust totally, you know, they're going to just stress that everything they need is brought to them, and they're going to do their very best with it, they're going to do their best to not again, not only survive, but really to thrive with it. And so, yeah, and it's interesting, also, you know, there's a group of herbs that have become very popular, I know, you know about them. But, you know, it's only been in the last 20 years that we really have heard much about them. And those are those adaptogens, and every one of those adaptogens. But not everyone, but almost all of those adaptogens have to adapt themselves to very harsh climates. And so we take them because they have physical properties and help us adapt to the stresses of modern day life. But really, what we're really taking this is ability to adapt to our situations, you know, just like the plants are. So they're, they're constantly doing that to us both on all those levels on the physical level, the emotional level, spiritual level. They're integrating us if we just wake up to it. Yeah, I hope that answers your question.
Sara Artemisia:Totally. Yeah. And I love what you shared about the radiance, aspect, and just how when we really listen to the plants, and what their messages are, and that we can go in through any aspect, any doorway to discover that for the physiological aspect, emotional, mental, spiritual, the central aspect with the baths like any aspect of the plants, that when we really tune in and listen to them that we can see and feel that radiance reflected in our own being, and just how incredibly powerful that is. I'm curious to do you have any other tips that come to mind right now about ways that we can incorporate herbs into our daily life during these stressful and challenging times? I know for myself, these past couple of years, I don't I don't know where I would be without the plants, there's been a lot of challenges. And anytime I feel that sense of challenge or stuck, or I don't know what to do here, I go outside, and I talked to the plants and ask for their help and support and guidance. And that has provided a sense of peace and solace and rooted resiliency that I am so grateful for. And yeah, I would love to hear any other tips that you have to share about that.
Rosemary Gladstar:Yeah, I think how our days go is, so how we intend them to go. But of course, I say that knowing that we don't have any control over what comes out what comes at us. But what we do have controller is how we relate to it. So what I like to do, and what I have found to be very helpful for other people is to create like, just daily, very simple, what I would call ritual, just very simple activities that you do, you know, during the day that bring conscious intention, really that's all when I think of rituals, I'm just thinking of stand up and greet the day, you know, say good morning to the sunlight. Take two minutes and take a nice herbal oil and just anoint your body with it. The more is an anointing, not so much that Oh, anything sensual or anything. It's just this anointing with the herbs on your body. When you shower, have a little shower bag. So you're actually taking those herbs and massaging your body and, and again, you know, drinking your teas. It's a it's more than just the physical aspects of this infusion, you know, that's going on. So it's really those words, immersing yourself in the world of the plants, so that it allows them and every opportunity to help lift you up. Flower Essences, I think are incredible. They're you know, Flower Essences. They work for everybody. No, they really don't. There isn't any form of medicine that works for everybody, which is why we have so many choices. But for a great deal of great many people that essences, their energetic medicine, so they start these little tremors and people like these little, little tiny lines begin to open up and these verbs begin to infuse them. So the Flower Essences I think can be remarkably helpful. Having just your favorite little herbs, they can be like an essential oils or they can be in little tincture bottles or just sprays even out here in my office. I always keep like, here's here's a Mugwort spray, you know, I just keep it I spray the area with it when I come in. They always have a few tinctures and flower essences around and it's, you know, it's the consciousness that I'm taking that it's like I'm inviting these plants into my life. So I would say that just creating these little these little practices that maybe all together the whole day, if you added up the amount of time that you spent even including the tea it might be 15 minutes, you know, making the tea. It might be like 15 minutes out of your day, but spread throughout the day. It can make an enormous difference. The main times I would say is in the morning time in the evening if you could take five minutes to relate to the family, your children, everything you have in your house and definitely your plant relation. You could do that little herbal bath or, you know, again, maybe just even a very quick meditation just close your eyes and envision that plant that you want to have in your dream world that night when you go to sleep. And if there's nothing else that we can do, you know, if we feel that we don't, we don't have the herbs with us, we don't have the flower essences, using our mind, you know, using that envisioning, we're actually calling a planted, I always like to start all of my classes just by inviting people to breed in the colander ancestors, right, so we have Hardy group of herbalist, some that we can see and some that we had, and then also to envision their plant ally or the plant that they're relating to for the day and just to have them present with us. And that often will shift the whole way that we meander through our day. It's not like we can control all this stuff coming at us, you know, you go out and walk up ice slip that often end up breaking your leg or something, but then how we react to all of that can be impacted by our conscious intention. And plants can certainly certainly help redirect a lot of how we greet how we're getting through our days. Yeah.
Sara Artemisia:Yes, thank you for sharing that. I totally feel that with the intentionality with the plants coming in to help guide and support in that response time. So it's not as reactive but more coming from a place of intentional response. It's so important. Other things that you just shared that I love, the power of simple rituals that it doesn't need to take a lot of time and that if we, as you were talking, I was getting this sense of just kind of sprinkling in the herbal infusions throughout the day, how that sort of sets this tone or invitation of even just a light herbal infusion of the self throughout the entire day. And just how powerful that is over time, like cumulatively, how incredibly impactful that is, of course, love the flower essences. And then the other thing that you also shared and alluded to is really that not every single avenue is going to resonate and work for every single person. And so really, what are the ways that we most easily individually each connect with the plants and to honor that and go with that. Maybe that is through flower essences. Maybe it's through gardening, maybe it's through oils, or adornments, or painting or whatever those ways are that the plants are holding their arms out open saying come connect with us in any way that brings you joy in any way that feels good. And yeah, thank you so much for sharing that. It's so so important.
Rosemary Gladstar:We're seeing that in the herbal world today in the world today. Yeah, we're seeing that there are so many creative ways that people are stepping up to respond to the plant. So you see it in, you see it an art, a clothing, the way people are using the plant dyes are using the images of the plants on the clothing and then you see it of course in the medicine world, there's just so many creative medicines in the cosmetic world you're just seeing this tremendously beautiful, beautiful products for people to put on their skin. Cooking. I mean, I was just looking at some of some amazing like herbal remedies or herbal cooking that was using Violet flowers and, and also the Butterfly Pea flowers, you know, so there's just as a lot of that is coming from the younger generation. It's really beautiful to see. Yeah, so there's just so many ways and, you know, not it's not necessarily that one is better than the other you know, used to be when people talked about being an herbalist, they it was always thought that meant being a medical herbalist or clinician, and I'd always point out actually herbalism is just people who love and work with plants, they've been called to step forward and be an emissary for the plants really like just a channel and that can be any form in any form. And oftentimes, it's informed that don't resonate with us it's interesting to get to see a lot of the conflict that's been created because of people not liking the way certain people are channeling. So I find that really unfortunate because once again when I looked at the plants that really isn't their teaching at all but yeah, it's just a process just the the ways that we're going through but all at all I would say it's really remarkable to see the way that people are stepping forward to represent the plants and be lifted up by them as well. It's
Sara Artemisia:It's so amazing. It really reminds me just awesome. listening to you share there it reminds me of how in my experience with the plants every plant is well blooming from the inside out how incredibly powerful that is. And for example like look at a Rose and Violet it's like a Violet isn't trying to be a Rose, Rose isn't trying to be a Violet and thank goodness for that because each of them in their own beautiful way is so incredible and it's like if a Rose was trying to be anyone else that just wouldn't I'm like that wouldn't work would look like Roses so incredible with who she is. And the same thing with Violet and just how powerful that is when we can take that, that medicine in internally on such a deep level of recognizing like, what is my medicine? Like what is my gift to bring forward into this world from the inside out that each of us has this unique blessing and gift and unique connection in the way that we're connected with the plants to share and or even just be very, you know, in a very close personal relationship with them, it doesn't even have to be external, just like what is the thing that is truly happening at the core level, and to really honor that with the plants that that is such a huge invitation from the plants. So yeah, thank you for bringing that up. Yeah. And clearly, it's been a lifelong journey for you with the plants. I'm curious to hear. How would you say that the plants really support you in your life's work?
Rosemary Gladstar:In my life? Well, I think that they guided me in everything, you know, I was very young, I always felt very, very fortunate that I grew up with a grandmother who worked with plants and herbs, just like you did. For you mentioned your mom. But so when I was very young, I just felt like they just channeled through me, you know, I just felt very humbled by that, and just so open. And so I feel like it's a very, very give and take relationship I they've asked me to do things that are not always easy, like, public speaking, I never, ever wanted to get up and talk in front of people. But I just felt like, well, this isn't me, I can just get up and do this. The same thing with I'd never ever founded a nonprofit, I never thought I would, but it was just necessary. So it's just, it was more like being like a chattel for them to work through. And then how that served me was it made me feel like I was living a life purpose. So in that sense, yes, it's never a one way kind of relationship, I felt completely fulfilled by my relationship with the plants and supported by them in every way. But again, I think it's good been take relationship. I know when people are really sick, and the plants have come in and work their healing magic on them, then it's good for people to stand up for them, you know, and just talk about that. And especially now, it's not so hard, because everybody's interested in plants. But even 20 or 30 years ago, you know, it would be more of an argument than a discussion, because there was a very small groups of people using plants. Now, when you tell people that you've had this amazing experience, and the plants have killed you, they're always very interested, right? Because herbalism has become more acceptable.
Sara Artemisia:It is, and, and a lot of that is in large part to the incredible work that you've done. And the fact that you did listen to the call of the plants that you heard it, the two things there that you first listened to it. And then you honored that, that you honor the messages that came through and just how incredibly powerful that is. So yeah, thank you so much for living your life in service and reciprocity, the plants. It's absolutely amazing and beautiful what what you have done in partnership with them. It's absolutely incredible. So yeah, please tell us how can people find out more about you and your work?
Rosemary Gladstar:Yeah, well, mostly I work to home, I run a home study course, which I actually have been running since I started in 1981. It's still done kind of the old fashioned way, I still correct the homework. I don't do all the lessons, but I do all the final lessons of all my students. And students still have to send in their homework for us to look at, you know, on the internet these days, people, they want everything really fast, right? So then they get this course. And it's like, oh, we really have to do something here. So we always find most people absolutely love it. But it's surprised because we can tell to our students that a lot of them have been, it's a different kind of training today for people you know, they want go through real quick, I can do this in two weeks, maybe it's like no, it usually takes about a year to go through the course. And you're gonna learn all the deepest parts about herbalism. And primarily how to develop relationships with them, as well as all of the practical things. So that's what I really have been investing most of my time in and but really what I what I have been mostly doing is redeveloping my relationship with the plants and cultivating them, right and in my 70s. Now my mid 70s. And I feel like I'm full circle again. You know, I started off just, that's what I did. I ran through the fields and played with the plans and listened to him and was fed and nourished by them. And I feel like I'm back at that place again. I just want to hang out with the plants and learn and yeah, I mean, I will listen. But I think that there's so many people being called into action that my job right these days is just to support everybody else. So that feels really good to me.
Sara Artemisia:Oh, wonderful. Well, Rosemary, thank you so much for joining us today. It's such a joy, delight and deep, deep honor. So thank you so much.
Rosemary Gladstar:Thank you, Sara, thank you for hosting such a wonderful conference, I think your Summit. I think what really elevates this one is that your whole purpose is just to help people develop you know that heartful relationship with class and I, I really think you know, we were talking about this earlier in this discussion is that there are so many ways that people have manifest as clinical herbalist, as scientists as researchers, you know as folk herbalist, traditional herbalist. There's just so many ways. But the most important thing and where we fit so deeply is when we really develop the heart on heart relationship with the plants. And that's what your summit is all about. So I'm so honored to have been a part of it. Thank you. Thank you.
Sara Artemisia:Aww. Thank you so much. And thank you all for tuning in. And thanks so much for listening and joining us today on the Plant Spirit Podcast. I hope you enjoyed it and please follow to subscribe, leave a review and look forward to seeing you on the next episode.