A Live Online Workshop
with Joanne Zerdy, PhD
The Context:
We’re existing during a period of polycrisis, and not for the first time. In our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities, so many of us live with a prevailing sense of fear, worry, injustice, and overwhelm. Between the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing genocides, the breakdown (intentional or otherwise) of social institutions, and rising costs (financial & emotional) of daily life, many of us quickly move from a place of balance to one of emotional dysregulation. We know imbalance will not sustain wellbeing, nor should it prevail as a model for the children and young adults with whom we engage. How do we find our way back to balance?
Finding a Path:
Several years ago I truly awakened to the power of the world around me. Since widening my gaze and deepening my understanding, plants have informed, energized, nourished, healed, guided, and inspired me. The more hectic or sorrowful that I feel, the stronger my urge to be near plants. Can you relate? Plants have shown up to help me in every aspect of my life, from grieving to parenting to community work and, of course, within the planning and cultivation of my family’s medicinal-food-pollinator garden.
My study of herbalism, permaculture design, and therapeutic horticulture invite me to see, feel, and think the world anew and renewed. The “natural world” (of which we are an inextricable part) has witnessed and moved with human-made crises for centuries. Thus, it feels like a good place to turn during periods of social upheaval, alienation, fatigue, and stress.
Why Compassionate Warriors:
Who is a Compassionate Warrior? The compassionate warrior is one who draws from a deep well of strength, persistence, and empathy to power a life-practice of caring support for self and others. I first encountered the term reading Pema Chödrön. (Learn more HERE)
I’m thinking especially of parents and caregivers, teachers and librarians, body workers and healers, counselors and therapists, justice activists and community organizers, and doulas of all stripes. In a nutshell, those who guide, mentor, support, encourage, and tend to this world and what it can become.
Most likely, we can ALL benefit from an intentional slowing down in compassionate company to learn about some plant friends and easy ways to invite them into our daily lives. So, if this is an idea to which you feel drawn, please follow your intuition and join us. *Like all of our offerings, this workshop is Trans-Inclusive!
Workshop Details:
In this two-hour virtual workshop you’ll learn about a handful of plant allies with an affinity for our nervous systems. I’ll also share some ideas for incorporating the plants into your daily life. Since learning is an inheritably collaborative enterprise, I look forward to learning from each cohort of participants!
You’ll also receive 3 herbal tea sachets from Finlay’s Garden (my wee online apothecary named in honor of my firstborn) - one of which can be used for the tea-drinking meditation that we’ll practice during the workshop. Along with the tea, you’ll receive a pair of hand-stamped Creative Reminder cards that you can complete during or after the workshop. These cards aim to extend this practice of care, quiet, and compassion beyond our gathering.
Online Sessions:
Please choose one of these upcoming dates:
Monday, December 1 - from 10am-12pm EST
Friday, December 12 from 12-2pm EST
Saturday, January 3 from 4-6pm EST
Wednesday, January 21 from 7-9pm EST
*If none of these times work for you, please reach out to me at grow@invitingabundance.net - so I can find an alternate date that aligns with your schedule :)
Registration:
Like much of our work at Inviting Abundance, this offering is available on a Sliding-Scale Basis: $40-$80 USD
*If this registration amount poses a financial burden that would prevent you from joining, please reach out!
