Eli's Herb Farm

When I left Sense of Wonder camp this morning, I went searching for Eli's herb farm. Eli Weaver was a garden apprentice of mine for the past two summers, before that she was a garden apprentice at Goldthread Herb Farm. This year, she's started a small herb farm and will be supplying me with some of my herbs!

I love the progression of color in this photo! Borage, then Calendula, then Yarrow. Beautiful, isn't it?

Two-Woman Bow Drill

Today at Sense of Wonder camp we started practicing using a bow drill set to start fire. We got lots of smoke, but no coals yet. By Thursday, we plan to build our cooking fire this way. All of the girls had lots of fun!

Rites of Passage

A class in the Reclaiming Tradition

Cultures across the world celebrate their own Rites of Passage to mark important stages and events in the lives of individuals. This core class in the Reclaiming Tradition will use pairs and group trance, dreams, myth, storytelling and ritual to step into the mystery and explore personal change, healing and transformation. Supported by guides and allies, tracing the otherworld route to our own places of power, we will move in and out of trance and dream states to explore and deepen our understanding of the process by which we change, as we each become the main character in our own myth. We will learn and use powerful techniques of focusing and directing attention to further deepen our initiatory experience together. The class will culminate with ceremonies honoring our transformation. Class facilitated by Sarah Preston Campbell and Jen Frey.

When: Six Friday evenings, between July 9 and September 3, with no class on July 30, August 6 and 20. 6:30 to 9:30.

Where: Radiance, 9 W Grant St., Lancaster PA, across the cobblestones from Central Market

Cost: Sliding scale $185 to $150

Prerequisite: Elements of Magic class, or equivalent experience.

Contact: Sarah by July 2 at 717-290-1517, or stop by Radiance to register, and receive the information needed to prepare for the class.

The Dance of Fertility: Reconnecting With our Cycles

Like the earth itself, a woman's body passes through cycles of fertility and infertility. Sometimes our bodies are moist, cool and fertile and sometimes our bodies are dry, hot and infertile. Each month, our bodies give us signals to let us know where we are in the cycle. We can keep track of the signals and use the knowledge to prevent or achieve pregnancy or gauge overall health.

Join us for this 3-part class as we learn to listen to our bodies using the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM). We will explore what happens during a menstrual cycle, learn to chart our own cycle, and use those charts to achieve or prevent pregnancy and to gauge overall health. We will discuss herbs and other natural remedies to support our reproductive health.

Classes will be held Thursdays, July 8, 15 & 22, 6:30 -8:30pm at Radiance, 9 W Grant St, Lancaster, PA. Call 717-290-1517 or stop in to register in advance. Cost for the class is on a sliding scale: $80 to $60.

Natasha Herr is co-owner of Homegrown Edible Landscaping Co. She studies with certified fertility educator Katie Singer, author of Garden of Fertility and has used FAM successfully for the last 3 years to prevent pregnancy. She is in love with the magic of fertility and is passionate about teaching others how to reconnect with their bodies.
Sarah Preston Campbell is a community herbalist, owner of Herbs From the Labyrinth, LLC and co-owner of Radiance in downtown Lancaster. She is passionate about women’s health, and sees myriad reflections between the health of our own bodies and the health of the Earth body.

Please note: FAM is not the Rhythm method. The rhythm method relies on estimating fertile time based on the assumption that most women ovulate around 14 days before their period. While this may be true for some women, stress, diet and other factors can delay ovulation in any given month, rendering the rhythm method inaccurate. In contrast, FAM relies on the daily observance of fertility signals in order to pinpoint exactly where a woman is in her cycle. There is no guesswork involved- only the facts!

Fun at the Baltimore Herb Festival

This past Saturday, we set up our booth at the Baltimore Herb Festival. We've been selling our wares there for 6 or 8 years, each year on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. It's a lovely festival, held in Leakin Park. And this year, we even had a tree behind our tent for some shade!

We had a visitor early in the morning while we were setting up, and then a return visit at the end of the day. A very friendly toad.