A Big THANK YOU! and 2017 In Review
As 2017 draws to a close, I am taking a moment to reflect and wind down. This has been a tumultuous year, to put it mildly, but I must say that I am heartened and overwhelmed with gratitude as I recall the many ways Earthseed Detroit’s work has been supported far and wide!
#Delve Vision Board Session
I am thankful to all who extended invitations for herbalism classes, plant walks, and/or vision board sessions. It means a lot to me to share the knowledge that I am gaining and the tools that have been helpful in navigating personal growth and development. Plus, it is so fun! There is nothing more enjoyable than “talking tea” with folks who are interested in alternative approaches to the medical industrial complex in which we find ourselves. Engaging a bunch of youth on a “weed walk” through D-Town Farm or helping them craft their own first aid salve with the Detroit Independent Freedom Schools lets us imagine a future of healthy young people who know how to care for themselves and their families in innate and indigenous ways. We are remembering ourselves.
Plant Identification at D-Town Farm's Children's Day
Teaching and learning with community in the Seasonal Herb Series classes and working with Karla Mitchell (Exhalation Integrative Wellness) with the Urban Apothecary Pop-Up shopping events and around the formation of the Detroit Herbal Medics chapter of The Human Path has been promising and I am excited to see where 2018 takes these efforts.
Earthseed Detroit taught over thirty (30) workshops, learnshops, and plant walks in 2017.
(Wow. I really had no idea!)
Seasonal Herb Series Workshop
2017 was a relatively slower year for medicine making due to time constraints, however Detroit Elixir & Salve products were received very well at the 2017 Great Lakes Herb Faire. This was the first year as a vendor and I was able to share a table with three other awesome Detroit herbalists: Talitha Johnson of Amour All Naturals, Anjela Newsom of Intuit Herbals, and Adela Nieves of Nobel Snow Naturals. On the first night of the faire, I taught a workshop on herbs and dreaming. We had an enchanted evening of dream pillows, incense, soft music and sharing about the magic and mystery of certain herbs. Thank you to the coordinating team for the Great Lakes Herb Faire. As I say repeatedly, this event is one of my most looked forward to events of the year and I am impressed by what I have seen come together since its inception three years ago. It truly gets better each year. I also have to give a big shout-out to my self-appointed apprentice, Adrienne Ayers. With her help, all the products were poured and labeled up and ready to go. I appreciate her generosity of time and am pleased to contribute toward her goal of learning plant medicine.
Adrienne Ayers helping with medicine making
On another note regarding products and community wellness, a huge thank you to Adela Nieves and all who are working for community empowerment coordinating efforts such as the healing justice space at the 2017 Allied Media conference and the assembly of herbal care packages for Puerto Rico after the hurricane's devastation to the island.
Earthseed Detroit was able to donate over sixty (60) medicinal tinctures toward healing justice spaces and efforts.
“Detroiters Send Love and Healing to Puerto Rico”
https://wdet.org/posts/2017/10/21/85936-detroiters-send-love-and-healing-to-puerto-rico/
Hurrican Maria Update Newsletter http://www.decolonizepr.com/assets/cepa_frequencies_1217.pdf
This was also an intense year of learning for the Urban Farmgirl! I completed the Herbal Medics Basics with Herbal Medics University/The Human Path in April and received Wilderness First Aid Certification in May along with eleven other Detroit community healers. I am currently working to finish the first apothecarist class under Herbal Medics University. These classes are intense but rewarding so I already know 2018 is about to be game changing.
Earthseed Detroit was very social in 2017. I am really enjoying connecting via social media and learning new ways to use these platforms. The Earthseed Detroit Youtube channel is still forming its personality and, instead of saying the contents are “random”, I would say it’s reflective of my “vlogosphere” of interests, from herbalism to food to sustainable living to personal growth and development. I see more clearly delineated content categories forming over the coming year and maybe even a playlist or two. I foresee a re-energized presence on the Earthseed Detroit Blog as well.
Here are a few healthy/herbal media links from 2017 to check out:
Herbal How To:
Making Fresh Cleavers Tincture
https://youtu.be/ApVtSnjC1oM
Herbal Media Coverage:
2017 Lavender Festival
https://youtu.be/ce21FwyCEi4
Food Justice Everyday:
Let Me Eat Cake - A food justice moment
https://youtu.be/-qn1B9Wt01M
From Earthseed Detroit Blog:
Homemade chicken broth
/earthseeddetroit/2017/01/gallus-gallus-domesticus-giving-its.html
Adventures in Zero Waste
/earthseeddetroit/2017/04/adventures-in-grocery-shopping-talking.html
Lastly, some of you have been hearing about this forever, for others this may be the first you’ve heard, but 2017 also marked the beginning of a long-held, dear dream of mine: the creation of a healing, nature based, retreat space. While still under development, I would like to thank those groups and individuals who shared the space this year for important annual visioning work for their organizations, hosted healing days for women’s groups, led plant walks and herbalism classes on the land and most importantly, helped me to envision and believe in the possibilities ahead!
A Toast!!
It feels good to stand back and look at the reach and scope of this work. I started the Earthseed Detroit blog, waaaaaaay back in 2009, during a layup after back surgery. It kept me busy and every now and then an actual post would surface. I had no idea what it would eventually come to represent. For a long time, I wasn’t sure of where I was heading. At times, it was downright frustrating and scary. I am still figuring this thing out but it feels really good to be more settled into purpose and I wouldn’t rather do it with anyone else, YOU!
Fire Cider Making at Oakland Avenue Farm with Hazon Detroit
I remain committed to justice centered work and community empowerment. Over the past ten years this has happened through poetry, multi-media design, environmentalism, cooking, gardening, youth work, art, dance and more. Everyone of those experiences is a stone in this path . I look forward to connecting with you in the new year. Let’s see what we can cook up next!!
With sincere appreciation,
Lottie V. Spady
Earthseed Detroit
Thank you to all who have helped make this year's work possible!
Adela Nieves, Traditional Healing Practitioner
Adrienne Ayers
Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
Detroit Independent Freedom School Movement
Exhalation Integrative Wellness
Organizing Committee
Herbal Medics University - The Human Path
Intuit Herbals
Jim McDonald, Herbalist/Instructor
Sage Smoke
Sanaa Green, nature lover and founder of In the Center of Her Power
Sanger Leadership Center at University of Michigan
And to ALL of my friends, old and new: customers who have purchased Detroit Elixir & Salve products, participants in the Seasonal Herb Series, #Delve Vision Board Session visionaries, Earthseed Detroit blog readers, Youtube subscribers, Facebook followers, Instagrammers, Snapchatters, and Twitterers!!
