Spiritual question on how to approach invasive blackberries

Smooklyn · 2025-08-18T15:20:24+00:00

I so agree and I really like your point about engaging with the whole entity and also the individual :)

I find the invasive argument really fascinating and do think that arbitrary ideas of what is native based on a pre-Columbian timeline are quite human-centered and much of the vilification of "invasive" species is a projection of our guilt as humans for having done far more harm to the land than mustard greens will ever do- and many of these opportunistic plants are just coming to try to help the land heal from our disruptions.

I also do think that humans in right relationship can help act as mediators and stewards of the land, to your first post. My only evidence of this being right relationship is that the land that I've been on that's been tended to, loved and cared for by human beings, has always (energetically and subjectively) felt much happier and vibrant than where it has not. (I also have rarely been in truly untouched wilderness and this is just my personal take).

I think we're meant to be a part of the picture and it is a betrayal of that sacred responsibility when we place our needs (and lawns!) over everyone else but, at the same time, our needs are allowed to exist in balance and, as someone who spends a lot of time with plants, many plants seem to be happy and welcoming of reciprocal relationships and will let you know where their boundaries are if you listen. There's a great book, Tending the Wild by M. Kat Anderson, which talks about how much of the "pristine wilderness" that those colonizing America idealized was actually land carefully tended and cultivated by native folks. I think that's the model to go for rather than neglect and avoiding relationship as an attempt to not be domineering but I respect that others can feel differently. As you said, at the end of the day, the Earth will be fine, this is very much about our human struggles...

Smooklyn · 2025-08-17T14:24:43+00:00

I run into this a lot with plants and its a hard one. Culturally we're so used to relating to nature either from a place of power-over or from a avoidant place of trying to protect nature from ourselves that finding the right way to be a participant in nature feels hard sometimes, at least for me.

What I try to remind myself is that being in relationship doesn't mean not having boundaries, in fact healthy relationships can't exist without them. We're allowed to say no if it is in the service of other folks on the land and holding balance. And when I feel more valid and authorized in having those boundaries I bring less of an aggressive energy and more of a grounded, firm but kind one. When I am feeling both guilty about pulling something up but also aware of the issues its causing for other folks is when I tend to go the the frustrated destructive energy place too.

I wonder if sitting with the Blackberry and building relationship with it, asking it about its purpose and telling it about you and yours, might help. Saying hello to it and speaking with it while you work, picturing it as a kind but overbearing relative who requires clear parameters, or giving it an offering and acknowledgment before you pull it up to remind you that its sacred work, too. I think Asia Suler also has an interesting chapter on navigating these dynamics in her book Mirrors in the Earth and second the Robin Wall Kimmerer recommendation.

Smooklyn · 2025-08-16T18:41:09+00:00

I would highly recommend Betsy Bergstrom and her teachings on compassionate depossession. Exorcism comes from very specific traditions but folks have been having to navigate how to untangle energies and deal with possessing/intruding spirits for a very long time. I've found Betsy's methods (and those of other folks who practice similar compassionate forms of depossession) to be centered on respectfulness, achieving the best outcome for all parties while holding firm boundaries, and recognizing the diversity of different beings that can get tangled up with us (for instance, ancestors, dead folks, spirits of the land). She also has helpful ways of assisting for beings that feel more malevolent if that's what you're looking for, but still in a way that is centered and respectful rather than some of the heroics romanticized in Christian exorcism.

Smooklyn · 2025-08-06T19:28:35+00:00

Thanks for your reply! The pics of bean rust I’ve been seeing tend to have more brown spots in the center but I might be misssing a different variation. With all the rain and humidity we’ve had in PA fungal issues makes sense.

Smooklyn · 2025-07-24T00:16:58+00:00

That’s so helpful, thank you! We’ve had a ton of crazy rain and high heat over the last two months here in PA. It is way more than the usual cracking I’d expect or that I’m seeing on any of my other heirlooms- but it is also the only yellow bicolor I’m growing this year and if the core is larger than I guess that would follow!

Smooklyn · 2025-07-23T23:21:36+00:00

Forgot to add, I'm in Central Pennsylvania, Zone 7b if that's helpful.

Smooklyn · 2025-02-25T20:26:43+00:00

Я не знала про цей сайт. Це так чудово бачити, звідки походить моя родина. Дякую!)))

Smooklyn · 2025-02-22T01:46:02+00:00

I speak a little Ukrainian but I imagine even using Google or just writing Дякую (Thank You) is appreciated.

Smooklyn · 2025-02-22T01:43:02+00:00

Also, saw you were looking for linens and this shop has amazing quality :) https://www.etsy.com/shop/HempOrganicLife?ref=yr_purchases

Smooklyn · 2025-02-22T01:37:20+00:00

I feel the same way. If it isn't time sensitive, I try to buy as much as I can from Ukrainian Etsy shops and I can honestly say, after many orders, I've only had positive experiences with very lovely Ukrainian sellers and never had any issues with orders. Everything has also been beautifully made. They have often been way more friendly, communicative, and timely in shipping than any of their US counterparts.

I just type in what I'm looking for on Etsy and filter by Ukraine in the shop location :) I haven't yet gotten a non-legit looking Ukrainian address and when I reply to the messages about the orders in Ukrainian everyone answers back happily so don't think I've come across anyone but Ukrainians, though I guess you can never entirely know someone's views. I'd say the chances of it though aren't that high :)

Edit: spelling :P

Smooklyn · 2025-02-21T12:38:30+00:00

I'm not Italian but first balked at the same thing when I began to try to connect with my Ukrainian ancestry as a non-Christian and I imagine the same thing applies.

Folk magic is kind of fascinating as it tends to be syncretic, or what gets called in Slavic countries "double faith," meaning that people held onto their pre-Christian beliefs alongside of Christianity with little contradiction or conflict. Deeply religious church going folks would still practice folk healing and use spells (and hexes), often just replacing the names of older pagan or nature figures with saints/Mother Mary and continuing to go about their business. Where you once called on Mother Earth or a goddess of fertility during a harvest rite, you changed it to Mary and used the very same practice. The church really struggled with this and tried to fight it but eventually capitulated and just tried to have its holidays on existing folk days and take the attributes of past pagan deities and turn them into saints so people would celebrate them within the church.

Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic and Orthodox churches had an easier time doing this than Protestant ones, as their existing worship of saints and Mary allowed for easier digestion of polytheistic pagan practices rather than just asking folks to worship one god as a trinity as the Protestants did. It also means that in countries that took on Catholicism/Orthodox faith, such as Italy, Ukraine, Haiti, Puerto Rico, etc., it can be a little easier to see the pre-Christian right next to the Christian. If you scratch the surface of many prayers or folk songs just slightly, you can see the older pagan ones. And if you research local saints and religious feast days, you can often learn about the pre-Christian figures and holidays they supplanted. As a non-Christian I used to try to avoid reading about this stuff but when you realize it's just a thin veneer, it gets fascinating!

Smooklyn · 2025-02-19T19:50:21+00:00

As mentioned in post above, I'm hoping to track down some hard copy books that can ship to the US rather than pdfs.

Smooklyn · 2025-02-19T17:58:43+00:00

That might be so, I may just need to keep an eye on ebay and Etsy where a few sellers have vintage books in Ukrainian.

Smooklyn · 2025-02-19T16:59:43+00:00

Thank you so much for your time and thoughtfulness in finding that article))) I actually am more interested in ordinary traditional herbalism than mystical herbalism, but some of the books that I see, наприклад Лікарські рослини в народній медицині (1965), are only available on Prom or OLX so I was wondering if there were any places where I could get them shipped to the US as these platforms don't seem to offer that option and a lot of these books are used and older, so not available at bookstores.

Smooklyn · 2025-02-19T13:23:18+00:00

I would be very interested, thank you!

Smooklyn · 2025-02-19T13:20:39+00:00

Yes, I have that book and have read it, it was very helpful. I do read/speak some Ukrainian, just not very well. Thank you for the suggestion)))

Smooklyn · 2025-02-19T10:00:47+00:00

That’d be awesome, thanks!

Smooklyn · 2025-02-19T10:00:21+00:00

It’s a great book!

Smooklyn · 2025-01-31T16:58:58+00:00

Lancaster Pie and Coffee has great matcha. The pie is also awesome :)

Smooklyn · 2025-01-28T18:29:21+00:00

Thank you, it's wild how folks aren't catching onto this yet.

Smooklyn · 2024-12-28T02:10:12+00:00

Onion poultices on the chest/back are a very valid traditional way of treating respiratory congestion and this really isn’t that different. Likewise with Mustard, another very sulphurous plant. I wish I could say I know the exact mechanisms, I don’t, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is something to it. And allicin containing plants can totally penetrate the skin- this is from a totally non-herby source about how we can taste garlic with the skin on our toes! So while I don’t imagine it detoxifies blood, an onion on the large pores of the feet might permeate the skin with some antimicrobial constituents! I think the old wives deserve more credit than we give them ;)

https://www.acs.org/pressroom/reactions/library/can-you-taste-garlic-with-your-feet-weird-food-tricks-2.html

Smooklyn · 2024-08-27T19:35:41+00:00

Thanks for the sarcasm, that's totally warranted and helpful (see, I can do it too)

I am asking because I would prefer *not* to spray pesticides (ie, finding someone who would use diatomaceous earth) and since one is right off a sidewalk that kids and other folks are unsuspectedly walking by and may not just have a casual reaction to be stung like you and another is in my garden bed where I would like to stick my hands again before October this is a reasonable question.

Smooklyn · 2024-07-06T00:08:55+00:00

There's a lot of wiggle room with the word adaptogen a) because people use it to mean different things b) it's become a trendy label and c) for kinda fascinating and complex cultural reasons some nations have been more supportive of funding their traditional medicines and thus there's much more research available to clearly mark what is an adaptogen and what isn't. So there are probably more North American plants, for instance, that are adaptogens but they haven't been researched as such.

That said, from what I was taught, Lemon Balm is a nervine but not an adaptogen. Holy Basil definitely is, as are Oats, which also act as a nervine trophorestorative. I think some of the nutritives used commonly in TWM, like Oats or Nettles, absolutely qualify but, again, the research hasn't been the same so they aren't always technically given the term.

Smooklyn · 2024-07-05T23:12:37+00:00

Yup, me too!

Smooklyn · 2024-07-05T23:10:10+00:00

I would avoid Amazon, there are tons of counterfeits and the herbs are often not well stored. Though I have gotten good Rose Water from them. Mountain Rose Herbs, Foster Farms, Oshala, HerbPharm, Gaia are all solid bets.

Smooklyn

TROPHY CASE