Radical Herbalism

My last weekend in England was spent in the company of a group of amazing herbalists and herb lovers at the Radical Herbalism Gathering. (www.radicalherbalism.org.u
I am still buzzing. Sometimes you need to go over an ocean and plant yourself down in a group of strangers, to be reminded of the continuity of the human experience. To be surrounded by such compassionate folks who see true health as inseparable from social and environmental justice, to see first hand that these issues are being discussed and shared and worked towards in many corners of the planet gave me a little shot of hope.
Working for social change can wear a person down. I remember when I was a younger girl, asking my mother how she could day in and out keep fighting the unwinnable fight, bear to live in a country such as ours, where crimes of humanity were committed on the regular, where business was valued over blood, where true equality seems a pipe dream. She just looked at me and said it was called “living in the belly of the beast,” and that what keeps us going, even in desperate times, was that the people you meet doing this work, the community you get to be a part of, makes it all ok. The shared inspiration keeps our flame burning strong.
And that is how this gathering made me feel! Here is a collection of photos from my weekend in the lovely Shropshire countryside with a group of lovely folks.
~Herbalista Lorna