Listening to Hawthorn : A Heart-Opening Podcast
Clever ones, I'm on a podcast!
But how did I get there?
First, let me introduce you to Natasha Richardson, the wise herbalist behind London-based Forage Botanicals.
Natasha Richardson of Forage Botanicals
She got in touch with me about a year ago as she was going to be visiting my part of the world and suggested we meet up. I'm so glad we did because a) she's a very clever herbalist, b) she's very funny, and c) she's creating incredible healing spaces infused with the sort of slow down, get connected, and find yourself energy we need these days. Yeah, I signed-up for her fan club on the spot.
A little while ago Natasha started a beautiful herbal home-study course called Listen which is like walking into a dream-garden of herbal wisdom with some very practical tools for the developing herbalist. She also has a podcast of the same name that is free for everyone whether or not you are part of her Listen community. Each podcast features a single herb and an conversation with an herbalist about the healing qualities of the plant being discussed. A few months back she invited me on to share my thoughts about Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) which I thought was very fortuitous since I have just spent the past few years in relationship with the plant in the context of my own family's healing needs.
I also felt a moment of slight overwhelm because this would be the first time I would be on someone else's podcast (I record podcasts of my own for the Lunar Apothecary) and while I would happily stand up and speak in front of a room full of folks, one-on-one stuff has always been way more intimidating (I'm going to say it has something to do with my Leo Moon - discuss). But Natasha is such a kind spirit and so much fun to talk to and I had first learned of Hawthorn's healing gifts through a conversation with an enchanted Hawthorn herbalist so I knew that my nerves needed to take a backseat to some necessary storytelling. The whole podcast was, in fact, a Hawthorn-style conversation as my nervousness gave way to laughter gave way to insight. And now I've done my first podcast interview and hope to do more (with less "ums" and "you knows").
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) via wikipedia
You should immediately download the whole Listen series - I have had so much fun listening to it myself and how many times do we get to sit in on conversations between passionate plant people talking shop? It's amazing! And if you love the free resource that Natasha is providing, be sure to support her other work, whether signing up for her Listen herbal home-study course, one of her amazing workshops or give yourself the gift of clarity on your healing journey by scheduling a wellness plan. Looking for some visual inspiration? Be sure to connect with Natasha via her dreamy instagram.
So without further delay listen to my personal story with Hawthorn, it's healing gifts during times of transition, and how it helped me to have some incredibly heart-opening experiences with my own family.
Have you had any experience with Hawthorn?
Post your stories in the comments below!
