I am of two minds when I find something that is AWESOME. The selfish part of me wants to keep it to myself like a beautiful, happy secret...but then the nagging guilt sets in, at which point I start feeling compelled to share this wonderful thing - because what kind of awful, garbage monster would I be if I kept this to myself? Such were my feelings when I discovered a new-to-me blog, The Woman Who Married A Bear, written by woman whose expertise is relevant to my interests - earth activist, plant sorceress, tarot reader and all around badass - Milla Prince.
Milla Prince, plant witch and noted badass.
Y'all. Some real talk, if you will.
I didn't grow up with very healthy associations with food. My family didn't treat it as medicine, but rather food was often viewed as some kind of ruthless enemy, lurking in the shadows, waiting to fuck up your body in some awful way when you succombed to consuming it. Eating was not an act of pleasure or joy, and on the rare occasion in which you did eat something that you actually enjoyed, it was shameful and viewed with suspicion. It won't surprise you to learn that we did not garden as a family and we sure as shit did not go foraging for edible plants. That said, these are things that have interested me as an adult. For the last ten years I have endeavored to repair my relationship with food by growing some of my own and even foraging for mushrooms. I am learning how to identify edible, wild plants and (thanks to Jill McKeever, who has workshopped several plant medicine classes with Oracle) also how to keep myself healthy with our little herb homies. I am learning How To Plants, Y'all. (Look down. I know what these are now!)
Milla Prince's blog and instagram account have brought a special joy to my life. As I learn more and more about the medicinal and nutritional properties in certain plants (and how to identify them!), I have found her site to be a tremendous resource and an integral part of my plant education. Milla writes so eloquently about her culture, her experiences and the knowledge she has gained therein. I have found myself captivated by her stories of tradition and folklore. This incredible woman is all about connections, plant-based or otherwise - and I happen to love that sort of thing too, so I enjoy all of her non-flora content as well. If you, like me, are interested in developing your knowledge of plants and herbal medicine, or simply are curious about energetic connectivity (and or sartorial excellence in power-clashing prints), I HIGHLY recommend that you check out her work! (I would be remiss if I didn't mention her wonderful herbal shop, Fireweed & Nettle, which you should also check out!
++ This podcast is fantastic, btw, Milla Prince discusses witchcraft, her childhood in Finland and the tradition of plant healing with which she was raised. Have a listen, you won't be sorry.