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Interviews
(Part 3 of 3)
/ˈpaSHən/
With so many changes to our lives, this last year has had people thinking:
Are you passionate about working with herbs? What would your life look like if you could be a trusted source of healing for yourself and others during these uncertain times in our world? Would you feel proud knowing you could ease the mental load of your community through your knowledge of herbal medicine?
That’s what the women at WRC did! Here, in our last segment, the women talk about all things plants and passion! Passion for why they began their walk down this path and passion for how they have dedicated a big portion of their lives to learning about, and using herbs in their daily life. Is this something you can relate to, or is maybe unfolding in your own life?
In Part 1 and Part 2, the ladies talked about mental health challenges, connection, and gratitude. But what initially sparked their passion to pursue the study of herbalism?
Chelsey (Communications): “After spending time traveling in places where folks seemed to know so much about the natural medicines that surrounded them, I realized how little I knew about the plants that surrounded my home. Coupled with some health issues, it brought me to start volunteering at a local herb apothecary, where my learning journey began.”
Farrah (Wild Rose Manager): “I always found peace in the outdoor spaces, particularly the forests, that I couldn’t explain. As I got a bit older, a curiosity in the plants growing along my hiking trails started my journey into plant medicine. I was hooked as soon as I picked up my first book, started to study and connect those plants to their medicinal uses and realized what they could teach me in the process!”
Carley (Communications): “When I went to school for Holistic Nutrition, I loved the herbal medicine course that was a part of the curriculum. After attending a very profound plant medicine retreat I realized that I wanted to work more closely with herbal medicine and become an herbalist. I began working at an herbal apothecary for 1.5 years to gain experience and then enrolled at Wild Rose College. I’m currently working toward my Clinical Herbalist designation.”
Dionne (Communications Manager): “It’s completely due to my love of plants. I’ve worked with plants and flowers as a greenhouse labourer, a floral designer, at a cidery, and so much more. I just always wanted to do more with them. So when I “discovered” herbalism, I realized this is really at the heart of what plants are for me. It’s truly what I was looking for all along.”
Katie (Student Services Coordinator): “Herbalism encourages me to help people and keeps me spiritually connected to the world around me.”
Nicole (Education coordinator): “It happened at a time in my life where I was really into books and games where herbalism and plants kept popping up. I went as far as I could with the traditional healthcare options available to me and got curious if there was anything to herbalism in real life, to make more progress with my health issues.”
Becky (Education Manager): “Studying herbalism came about through a random strike of inspiration, I never had any idea where it would take me, only that I was called to do this! Now it’s embedded in all aspects of my life and I can’t imagine my life without this knowledge.”
The practice of herbalism is an act of love and connection between you and the plants. It inspires ideas and hopes for ancient healing to become prevalent once again.
What inspired the start of your herbal journey? Are you a herb student, aspiring herbalist, or someone who just loves, admires, or grows green things?
Let us know in the comments below. We read each and everyone, we promise!
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2 thoughts on “The Women of WRC Talk Plants & Passion: Part 3”
I am inspired by your stories! I am interested in learning herbalism but I am concerned with the online platform. How do you make the information practical without touching and smelling the herbs and seeing them growing at different stages? I have always thought herbalism was something that should be taught outside and learned with all the senses.
Thanks so much for your feedback! And great question, thanks for asking!
Herbalism is absolutely a hands-on experience, and we encourage that as much as possible for our students. There is no replacement for looking at plants, growing plants, making medicine with plants, tasting plants, and connecting with an herbal mentor where possible. It is definitely a tangible art and a science.
However, access to a herbal mentor is a huge barrier for many folks looking to study herbalism, as well as the time and cost required to do an in-person 3-5 year program. Thankfully, much of your herbal foundation can be done online. There is a lot of academic learning as another important “arm” of your foundation—such as anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, botany, etc. This is the beauty and convenience of the on-line platform.
Many of our students have gardens (whether patio, community, or backyard) and are very involved in a hands-on way (however that looks through them) throughout their programs. They augment their on-line studies with real world learning and crafting herbal products. There is a lot of support for this in the Wild Rose Community. Wild Rose students have the opportunity to also learn in-person from a mentor with our Clinical Apprenticeship placements.
If you have any other questions related to any of our offerings—please reach out to our awesome College Coordinators at [email protected] (or you can schedule a discovery call at 1-888-953-7673) and they will be more than happy to assist you!
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