The nature of nature is simple, thrive at all costs. My childhood seem to ring with this truth. I grew up in the very hot San Joaquin Valley of California. My parents raised me on a 5 acre ranch, a farm perhaps, or you might say it was a self sustaining property. My father was so fond of plants and animals, a visionary hot-headed guy who was troubled by his own high ideals and expectations. Meanwhile, my mother, exhausted with 6 children, was a practical herbalist, experimental culinary artist, a traditional victorian minded Mexican woman and jack of all trades. Together my parents cultivated a space to be wild, full of children, and life. I have strong memories of appaloosa horses, rattlesnakes, fruit trees and flowers.
Flower Medicine
As a child, you normalize what is shown to you. When I grew up, I thought nothing special of the remedies that were given to me for illness, beauty or tonics of wellness. I have distinct memories of my mother waiting for the cactus to produce flower buds, or tying a string around corn silk and then asking me to hang it in the sun to dry, or to collect marigold petals so we could highlight the color of my hair. I would get caught up later in life and forget. I actually set it aside. In my late 30s, I realized that I needed to return to these medicines as I would suffer from reactions to western medicine. However the world had changed and these plants would become genetically modified for size and color. Finding my medicine now became a very fulfilling task. I was in a good war against the amnesia of my ancestral teachings. I vowed to remember!
Changing my mind
In a good way, I changed my mind. I realized that the world saw all things as objects of commodity. Even plants and animals, children, and more. Bringing back some aspects of tradition might be seen as simpleminded, even outdated, even if the world depended on it! Ironically, in my temporary departure, I spent much of my time learning technology, studying the arts and traveling the world.
After 20 years of staying the course, I noticed that more and more people, especially those who have lived enough life, began to pursue the return of age-old practices. Being modern does not mean to do away with the past, but simply to improve upon it.
Ask a guerrilla gardener what pushes her/his heart strings to change the world....watch this superb video and website (visit me later)... Ron Finley, The Gangsta Gardener
