03 Sep Braiding Sweetgrass
In ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’, Robin Wall Kimmerer weaves together a practical understanding of indigenous teachings with environmental science, and stories of parenting. Her eye as a biologist, love and respect for plant, creature, and place meet her heart as a mother living through challenging times.
Recognising the richness of her heritage, (she is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation), she invites us to grasp what has been lost through the deliberate repression and separation of Indigenous American people from their children in former generations, and what is now being reclaimed.
The stories in ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’, both handed down, re-told, and told anew, with her fresh perspective show the importance of living in right-relationship with land and the more-than-human world. The profound knowledge learned from nature is not exclusively for Shamans. This book reveals a way to experience deeply through observation, paying attention and inquiry. I was enchanted.
As I read this book, the significance of the ‘Honourable Harvest’ – taking only what you need – sunk in deeper as I foraged for berries, leaving half for other creatures and regeneration. This is book written with beautiful words that drew me in through descriptions of relatable encounters with nature. The sweet and sour of her insights make me look more closely as I step through the forest, nestle my feet in moss, watch rain-drops. I will drizzle maple syrup with a new reverence.
She does not shy away from these changing times:
“If grief can be a doorway to love, then let us all weep for the world we are breaking apart so we can love it back to wholeness again.” I am left feeling inspired and hopeful that we may learn to live in wise community with others of all species.
You can find Grief Tending events, which foster connection with nature and each other here.
Sarah Pletts is a Grief Tender and Artist who offers workshops in London and online, sharing rituals where grief on all themes is welcome. For more information about Grief Tending events see here.
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