Paula's Herbals & Wellness
  • Pelvic Floor
    • 1:1 Private Training
    • Small Group Program
  • Stress Recovery
  • About

Mid Atlantic Women's Herbal Conference 2013

10/9/2013

0 Comments

 
This past Saturday, I attended an herbal conference that snuck up on me. It’s been on my calendar, as had the early-bird registration date, for ages. And suddenly, it was time to be there.

At the conference, I was asked how I found out about it, to improve their marketing efforts next year. Ummmm… I couldn’t remember. Maybe through the sponsoring farm? Am I a CSA member? Well, yes, but I’m pretty sure I discovered the CSA in researching the conference. (This gives some perspective- I probably signed up for the CSA in March or so. My share-buddy confirmed, I found the CSA for us through the conference, not the other way around.)

Well, however I came to be there, they were glad I was. And boy, so was I!

I plan to tell you more about the vendors, because they deserve their own special mentions and I got some really great stuff. And I can’t wait to tell you about meeting the wonderful, fabulous… but I‘ll wait and tell you her name later. Suffice, for now, to say that I met a real-life Herbal Rock Star, and a favorite Rock Star of mine at that.

Today, I want to tell you about the conference itself, and encourage you to put it on your calendar for next year. Right now, go ahead, the first weekend in October, I’ll wait. (Add a reminder, for about the first week of July, so you can look for early bird registration!)

This was the 3rd Annual Mid-Atlantic Women’s Herbal Conference, and the first such event for me. Apparently, 4 years ago, the founder went to a conference in New England where it was announced that the next year, the location was moving 2 hours even further from her home outside of Allentown PA. So she decided to put on her own conference, with the help of some good friends and a hard working team, within a year. And they did!

Also, apparently, the first 2 years were COLD. This year, it was NOT! We had a fantastic day, at least 80 degrees, sunny, breezy, and dry. A storm passed near us in the afternoon and while we stayed dry, the cloud cover cooled us off and gave a beautiful evening.

We were gathering at a farm about 30 minutes west of Allentown PA. Most of that 30 minutes was spent on a breathtaking country road. After I exited the highway (Route 78, for you locals), I drove along a twisty windy two- lane road that kept to the top ridges of the hills, and gave spectacular sunrise views over farmland and into misty valleys. After a while I went down, down, down alongside a farm with terraced ponds, that fed a creek, that my road continued to follow. Here it was darker, and damper, and more mysterious, and still beautiful. It was a very long road! And I was very glad they had given us the latitude/longitude coordinates, since there wasn't a real "address"!

The land we gathered on, I believe, is a secondary site for Red Earth Farm that hosted the conference. It had some hoophouses, and a large pole building and some port-a-pottys, and fields. Tents were set up to hold us- one for registration, one for vendors, and three for classes. Food vendors were in and near the large ‘barn’ building opposite the tents, giving us a center courtyard with a fire pit. I had plenty of time to register and browse the vendor tables, and begin spending my money.

Charis, the founder (think CHarisma, or CHaracter) spoke for a while, telling us about the history of the conference so far and introducing the day’s teachers a little. She also read a piece to us that was beautiful and inspirational, and pre-written because by the time Saturday had arrived she was pretty well fried! I hope she posts it online, so we can reference it and quote from it. It was about being a woman, and a healer, and the community that we share through our callings, based on the conference theme “Woven Roots and Strong Shoots”.

Then we had a quick vendor break, and our day began. 3 classes, an hour and a half each, with 15 minute vendor breaks in between. Each of the 3 tents had a class going on, and I just showed up at the tent I was interested in. First I attended “Herbs for Easing Stress, Building Resiliency and Restoring Joy”, then we had our lunch break. Next, I went to “Lungs, Leaves, Prayer and Breath” on “nourishing practices for the fall and winter seasons”, and finally “Detoxification and Weight Management”.

The keynote was on “Women Embracing Plants, Traditions and Community”. The speaker, Kate Gilday, told beautiful stories about family camping trips when she was a child- one of 10 kids!-, and of Guatemalan women who learned healing arts in her community in the early 1980’s to take back to their traumatized villages, and of coming to find out she was a hippie, a gardener, and an herbalist.

There was a strong emphasis on community all day, of understanding that we all felt similar desires to help someone- maybe ourselves, maybe our families, maybe our communities, but that what we have in common can support each of us on our journeys. Charis told a story of a practitioner she invited to come and teach at the conference, who lived 60 miles from it. It’s too far, she was told, I’ll just stay here and keep doing my own little thing. Charis admonished us that while that’s fine, what we do will always remain a “little thing” unless we form a greater community and benefit from one another.

It was a wonderful day, and I do think I benefited from everyone there. I met nice people, learned some interesting things, and ate some great chicken-cashew chili. Please come next year! You won't regret it, whatever the weather.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Fun Fact: I'm an herbalist and a movement coach. Not a doctor, or a pharmacist, and not pretending to be one on TV.

    This is a public space, so my writing reflects my experiences and I try to stay general enough so it might relate to you. This does not constitute medical advice, and I encourage you to  discuss concerns with your doctor. Remember, however, that the final say in your wellness decisions are always yours- you have the power to choose, you are the boss of you.

    And, some of my posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them I'll earn a few cents. Thank you for supporting my work. 

    This website is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical, mental health or healthcare advice.  The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any illness, medical condition or mental or emotional condition.  Working with us is not a guarantee of any results.  Paula Billig owns all copyrights to the materials presented here unless otherwise noted. 

    Categories

    All
    DIY
    Exercise Your Systems
    Food And Digestion
    Foot To Forehead
    From Paula
    Garden
    Herbcraft
    Immune
    Local
    Meet Your Herbs
    Meet Your Self
    Move
    News And Events
    Paula The Herbalist
    Pelvic Floor
    Pilates
    Release & Relief
    Seasonal
    Stress
    Your Wellness

    Archives

    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

Picture

info @paulaswellness.com 

Disclaimer

This website is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical, mental health or healthcare advice.  The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any illness, medical condition or mental or emotional condition.  Working with us is not a guarantee of any results.  Paula Billig owns all copyrights to the materials presented here unless otherwise noted.  
Photos from specialoperations, specialoperations
  • Pelvic Floor
    • 1:1 Private Training
    • Small Group Program
  • Stress Recovery
  • About