Hi friend,

I've been updating my "Herbs for Resilience" class in preparation for announcing my new-and-improved Herbs for Living course. It's surreal to be writing about resilience as I see pictures of the devastation throughout the southeastern U.S. No amount of herbs can prepare you for your home being destroyed.

When I follow my daughter around in our yard, I scuff my feet into the dusty soil. We've been in a drought since June, and I've been praying for rain. I had been desperately hoping for a solid rain from that hurricane. We got a little, but not enough to make the soil wet. And yet elsewhere, towns are destroyed. I wish, so badly, that rain could be distributed evenly to those who need it, but it doesn't work that way.

I continue plug away at my computer while mules trek supplies into mountain communities. Elsewhere, people are strategizing how to get basic supplies to survive, and my daily life is unchanged. It is surreal, and yet this is always the case.

Western North Carolina is home to many herbalists and herbal businesses. As a small business owner, I can't imagine how hard it will be for them to forge a path forward. To lose all your property, months of income, and be faced with the task of rebuilding... my heart is so sad for them.

If you're able to donate, these are some worthy organizations:

• ​Wild Abundance Disaster Relief Fund​
• ​Beloved Asheville​
• ​World Central Kitchen​
• ​Herbalists Without Borders​
• ​Herbalista Free Clinic​

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Meanwhile, I'll finish updating both "Herbs for Resilience" and "Herbs for Grieving" -- classes that, alas, continue to be relevant. I hope to make a grand announcement next week. Stay tuned.

​

with love and roses,

Amanda

Community Bulletins

• It's time to sign up for next year's CSA share! Buying your share in the fall helps farmers to purchase seed and other supplies that they need for spring. If you're local, my husband runs a great CSA.​
• There are some great events coming up at our local Frenchtown Bookshop. Two that are especially notable:
• ​Oct. 5th, book signing by local author and magical teacher Brightflame (she's also a CSA member of my husband's farm!) In "The Working" a coven of modern-day witches must defeat a looming ecological catastrophe. This is exactly the sort of book I've been craving. I can't wait to read it.
• ​Oct. 17th, Author Event with Maria Rodale. I had the honor of talking with Maria about her book "Love Nature Magic" last summer on our local radio show. I loved her book -- it's about her experience with shamanic journeys and her garden. It's so cool that she's coming to Frenchtown!

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