Red Earth Herbal Gathering: Recognizing Women as Healers

On Saturday August 19th, women will gather at the Pachamama Farm & Wellness in Longmont for the 2nd annual Red Earth Herbal Gathering. Astrid Grove, one of the organizers, says it’s an opportunity to recognize the role women have played as healers throughout the generations.

“We often learn it from our mothers, our aunties or our grandmothers, and a lot of that in someways is being lost. We’re not spending as much time with our family and the elders in our community, so this is another way to gather together and teach each other all the things that we’ve learned from our families and our friends and our teachers.”

l-r Amanda Klenner, Astrid Grove, Jessica Bates

The gathering is in a ceremonial space, there will be an opening circle, participants enter through a gateway where they are smudged and set intentions for the gathering. It will include a coming of age ceremony for girls aged 11-15.

Amanda Klenner who will be teaching a workshop, says we are surrounded by herbs that are medicinal, but we just need the knowledge to be empowered to use them. “People think it’s much more complicated than it is to make herbal medicine. It is so simple to dry some leaves and make a tea. It is completely simple to chop up some herb and add some alcohol and make a tincture.”

Jessica Bates says that the gathering welcomes all women, including female-bodied, female-identified, trans-feminine, and queer women, but also recognizes the men who have made it possible. “Behind the scenes is (sic) so many men who are helping us out who are carrying us through this, who are helping watch our children while we’re doing tons of work, who are really holding us here. ”