Hi, there, I'm Aileen. Welcome to my kitchen.
Speaker:I just finished steeping a big steaming mug of salabat. Salabat is a
Speaker:fresh ginger tea. I blended mine with some honey and lemon.
Speaker:When I drink salabat, I remember my mother preparing this for me whenever
Speaker:I had a sore throat or was recovering from a cold or in
Speaker:chilly winter days. It can be left as is or sweetened,
Speaker:but the key is to have really good strong ginger.
Speaker:It's so delicious and simple and you can drink it any time.
Speaker:It's the soothing heat of this recipe that makes me think about healing,
Speaker:and that brings me to the topic that we're gonna learn about today:
Speaker:The legacy relationship between art and medicine. I've brought together
Speaker:two leaders who have deep embodied wisdom on this topic. Rowen White is
Speaker:a seed keeper and farmer who works to cultivate a culture of belonging
Speaker:in our food system. Geeta Maker Clark is an activist physician and healer
Speaker:working to radically re imagine what it means to be healthy.
Speaker:Settle in and enjoy the conversation. We're in for a conversation today.
Speaker:Geeta and Rowen, you both wear so many different hats in different settings,
Speaker:and today, we're here to talk about this conversation around weaving together
Speaker:this legacy of art and medicine. And this conversation between you two,
Speaker:I feel like it would just provide so much truth and so much
Speaker:firsthand witness to how this weaving happens and what it can look like.
Speaker:So before we jump into that, I want to center your minds with
this question:So much of life, as you know, lives in the details,
this question:and rhythm, sights, sounds, and smells. How do the two of you start
this question:your day? Geeta, you wanna kick us off? Yeah, so for quite some
this question:years now, I've started my day with a smile. When my eyes open and
this question:I become conscious of my awakeness, I make my face into a smile
this question:to send a message to my cells that we're alive and that we're
this question:going to have this blank canvas of a good day in front of
this question:us. And then after that, I just say a very quick small prayer
this question:that's gratitude for being alive. It's really just a moment of grace and
this question:gratitude. Usually, after a cup of hot water,
this question:I'll go and pray for sometimes a few minutes or longer,
this question:if I have that, and get the day moving, usually, with getting set
this question:up to see patients or whatever the family's needs are. Rowen, how's your
this question:day begin? Well, I'm a dreamer, so I usually reach right for my
this question:journal to jot down the images or the feelings, the viscera of being
this question:in dream time. I'm really grateful for honing that practice over the years
this question:because I feel like even if it's a crazy dream or it's just
this question:a combination of interesting landscapes and humans, I always feel like there's
this question:things that bubble up later when I re read them and think,
this question:"Oh, I was working through that," or, "This was coming through."
this question:So that's a big practice. And I think it sort of depends on
this question:whether it's a work day or rest day. We have our seed kiva
this question:here on the land, which is our seed bank and kind of a
this question:seed temple. So I oftentimes walk out there for a little quiet time
this question:away from family and kids. But sometimes, it's like grab my planner and
this question:make sure I got my top three things I need to do that
this question:day and just really get myself in line for being prepared for the
this question:day. If I have enough time, I love to do morning pages,
this question:which is just sort of like free write of just getting it all
this question:off so we can start the day in a good way.
this question:And I'm a morning person, so I'm usually the first up. And as
this question:a mom, yeah, just having that quiet time where I can just,
this question:I guess I always say, put my head on straight for the day.
this question:Something I'm noticing from both of you is coming to this place of
this question:mindfulness, whether that's reaching for a journal or taking that time to
this question:settle in. And that brings me to this question:
this question:What memories come to mind for you when you hear nourishment?
this question:And how do you carry that forward? That's a beautiful question.
this question:I love that word, "nourishment" so much. It speaks to something so spiritual
this question:and so deeply comfortable and sort of this multi layered, multi dimensional
this question:sense of deep wellness that comes from that word, whether it's food or
this question:nourishing relationships. But when I think about memories around nourishment,
this question:I think back to times where I really have felt the most comforted
this question:and cared for. And I think so much of that has come from
this question:the love with which that nourishment was offered. After college, I had moved
this question:to India for several months to start a mobile health clinic,
this question:and I ended up being through a non government organization that was based
this question:on a farm. And I ended up spending a lot of my time
this question:cooking for the farm workers and the staff of the non profit.
this question:And that memory of feeding hundreds of people, really, lunch and dinner,
this question:and cooking entirely with the produce that we had harvested on the farm
this question:with many other women in the kitchen, just laughing, but also working very
this question:fast and hard to get pounds of rice cooked, and loads of squash
this question:and tomatoes and egg plants, and all these spices, and the okra,
this question:and everything sauteed together, and then go down the rows of just pouring
this question:food onto these banana leaves for everyone. I think about that visceral
this question:memory of serving others and serving people who are doing such good work,
this question:but also, the togetherness and love and laughter with which we created that
this question:food. That memory was the embodiment of what I still hold so near
this question:and dear about that feeling of nourishment, of just
this question:being loved, and cared for, and well fed, and having it be fresh
this question:and of the earth. Geeta, you said it so beautifully, which is that
this question:nourishment is so much more than just having a belly full.
this question:It's the whole holistic feeling of the way in which we care deeply
this question:for one another. And I come from a long line of women who
this question:come from big families who never can cook just a small little meal
this question:for two or three, but always cook for the masses. I grew up
this question:having my mom drag me around to all these community events where food
this question:was always this anchoring grounding point. There was always a meal.
this question:And then I raised my kids the same way, which is that them
this question:growing up in the indigenous food sovereignty movement. Whenever we'd go
this question:to a conference or a gathering where I feel like everybody is always
this question:saying, "I really just come here 'cause the food is so good."
this question:But why is the food so good? Obviously, it's the ingredients.
this question:But there's something there which, Geeta, you spoke to so beautifully,
this question:which is that part of the agreement that these traditional foods have with
this question:us as humans is that they bring us together. And all of the
this question:laughter and the storytelling that happens behind the scenes with all the
this question:women gossiping back in the kitchen, and the collective energy, that comes
this question:into the food, and that's a huge part of our value system in
this question:the native kitchen. We keep a good mind and we keep that good
this question:presence as we prepare our food. And so I just love knowing that
this question:in the same way that my mom ensured that we were in places
this question:where we ate really good food cooked by aunties and grandmas,
this question:that my kids, too, the food memories that they're gonna carry and bring
this question:into their adulthood and bring into their endeavors in their life are gonna
this question:be so profound because you always say it's written on the heart.
this question:Those flavors, the nourishment is written deep in there.
this question:So as you've been reflecting on family lineages and experiences that have
this question:shaped you, what are some of the most important lessons that you've learned
this question:from elders, from within your cultural lines or ancestral connections that
this question:you feel are shaping and guiding your work today? You know, I've been
this question:walking this, what I call the seed path, the path with reclaiming and
this question:restoring relationships with ancestral foods for over 25 years now. And
this question:the elders who were generous and benevolent enough in the beginning of my
this question:journey to entrust me with seeds and knowledge and cultural memory,
this question:they always reminded me that the garden and the earth were growing us
this question:as humans, right? They were helping us to find our way home.
this question:We, as indigenous peoples, we live in a post apocalyptic reality right now.
this question:We had everything completely upended and overturned because of colonization.
this question:And so these foods and seeds and that
this question:visceral memory, that blood memory that foods awaken and rehydrate is,
this question:what's gonna help us to not necessarily go backwards to what was,
this question:but to be able to see the future of what's possible for landscapes
this question:of nourishment for our people. And so our sovereignty and liberation as
this question:a people, as indigenous peoples was inherently and inextricably connected
this question:to the restoration and revitalization of our food. In addition to that,
this question:cultural restoration had to be an integral part of bringing back those traditional
this question:foodways. If we were to realize this dignified resurgence that our ancestors
this question:had prayed for, and that we, as living descendants, pray and hope for,
this question:is that we can't forget that there's this cultural element to the revitalization
this question:of our foods, and the language and stories, and all those rich cosmologies
this question:that remind us of who we are. Those traditional foods that our ancestors
this question:a long time ago came into agreement with, when we take them in to our
this question:bodies, they actually go into our bodies and inform us in ways that
this question:we can't think into. We can't decolonize or undo harm in a cerebral
this question:or an intellectual way. It's actually very much about how the body remembers
this question:how to be resilient, how to be vibrant, how to be living in
this question:a way that's culturally sane. And so those foods are our messengers and
this question:they go inside our bodies. And so I've seen it, I've seen elders
this question:and community members move through significant intergenerational trauma
this question:through the visceral multisensory experience of growing food, preparing
this question:food, cooking food, sharing that food. And I think my elders and people
this question:who've mentored me along the way just reminded me that in order to
this question:move in that direction, we can't compartmentalize and reduce our actions
this question:to being a seed keeper, a farmer, or a chef, that they have
this question:to be all holistically woven together as we move towards that vision of
this question:what the future of nourishment can be. It's so beautiful to hear your
this question:stories around your elders. My parents came from India to the states,
this question:and everyone else stayed behind. Our whole community and culture was having
this question:to be held dearly and carefully by this little small family that half
this question:of whom were born here in this country. My brother and I,
this question:and we're working hard to assimilate, really, into the culture of living
this question:in whiteness. So when I think about the depth and richness of what
this question:you're describing, I realized that so much of the
this question:wisdom that I was able to get from my family really came directly
this question:from my parents. And the fortitude and resilience that it really took for
this question:them to hold tightly and carefully, and with such tender preservation to
this question:make sure that we continued the rituals and the foods and the traditions
this question:that they had held so dear when there was really no one else
this question:around us to hold those things up. So when I think about what
this question:I learned from them, was that you need to make time to be
this question:together with your family and with your food.
this question:So much of what Indian women and Indian aunties do is create experience
this question:around food as a place of comfort and as a place of love,
this question:but also as a way of healing. So much of the medicine that's
this question:offered is offered through spice, through herbs, through food. Those memories
this question:that I have of trying to grow up in a culture that very
this question:much did not look at food that way, and also a medical system
this question:where I was being trained that did not value food in that deep
this question:healing sensibility, it just is poignant to think about the responsibility
this question:that's really put upon immigrants who come here to hold those things and
this question:to pass them on. Yeah. Just to add to that, Geeta, is that
this question:in a lot of ways, there's a similarity even with those of us
this question:who are indigenous to this very land because of the impacts of assimilation
this question:and acculturation that happened. And so for me, I'm grateful to those elders
this question:who, I think against all odds, recognize that there were seeds and stories
this question:and ceremonies that needed to go underground during a time of great cultural
this question:upheaval here. And my parents and grandparents and even great grandparents
this question:struggled with keeping them alive even in our household. And so in some
this question:ways, as a young woman, coming back around to seeking out those elders
this question:and those people who kept the seeds of that cultural memory alive,
this question:when many of us, as indigenous peoples, couldn't do that because up until
this question:1979, it was illegal to do a lot of those things.
this question:So I agree that I think there's the fortitude of those who,
this question:against all odds, like your parents keeping the seeds of those things alive
this question:when the forces of whiteness and assimilation are so strong. There's a violence
this question:there, you know? Thinking about even just the roles that both of you
this question:play as seed keeper and as physician, and a number of other community
this question:hats that you're wearing, what you're sharing about literal seeds that hold
this question:memory, as well as seeds of practice and memory;
this question:in the work that you're doing and that you're part of and you're
this question:seeing, what does it mean if we had a values based food system?
this question:Even though we are all indigenous to Turtle Island, each community has its
this question:individual values and unique cultural expression. But there is an underlying
this question:sense of values that really crosses many of these different tribal communities.
this question:We talk a lot about what does it mean to push back against
this question:the exploitative and extractive, and how do we create an embodied movement
this question:that, in all actions, pledges that we will not invest in economic systems
this question:or political systems that actively harm what we love. Because we do really
this question:approach our community movement work in a way that says that we carry
this question:our communities in the same way that we carry our children,
this question:right? We are relatives of that land, we are descendants of that land.
this question:We're actually lineal descendants of the foods and seeds that we eat.
this question:They're actually embedded in these beautiful ways into our cosmologies and
this question:into our ceremonies. And in some ways, I think the most compelling English
this question:word that could encapsulate an understanding of it is this concept of kincentric,
this question:like K I N, kincentric foodways. So we've really been working in community
this question:to flesh that out and to really speak into what is a relational
this question:kincentric food system or landscape of nourishment look like.
this question:And I actually cringe when I hear the word "food system"
this question:because I think that it's so sterile. It feels so reductionist.
this question:And that's where I am inviting our community all the time to think
this question:about what are the ways in which we can speak about food that,
this question:at its heart, has a culture and belonging and has a culture of
this question:care. And so that's, I think, a big part of the value based
this question:landscape of nourishment, where people understand who they are in the mycelial
this question:web of life. They understand that there's inherent responsibility to not
this question:only ensure that we, as humans, are fed and nourished and sheltered and
this question:clothed, but that we're in right relationship with all of our other relatives.
this question:I really think it's all about moving beyond this era of Anthropocene and
this question:moving into this more symbiotic relationality again. And I think a lot of
this question:the times, because we've been so colonized and deeply conditioned by extracted
this question:capitalism and hierarchical leadership, that oftentimes, we default into
this question:solutions that are actually just a mash up of harmful
this question:systems that don't actually help us in the long run. Yeah, yes. Ditto, Rowen.
this question:I think from where I sit, another somewhat archaic term of a healthcare
this question:system, which is another term that I also really buck up against because
this question:whenever we start talking about these intrinsic human primal aspects of
this question:our being, like our food and our health, and we try to
this question:fit that ethereal power into a system, we would start running into problems
this question:right at that moment. And it's not to say there shouldn't be strategy
this question:to be able to take care of the billions of people on the
this question:planet now 'cause we do. But to your question around a values based
this question:system, I think the two terms almost don't belong in the same sentence,
this question:to have value in a system. I think that we need to have
this question:a whole different framework that can hold a devotion to land and farming
this question:and farmers and seeds and soil. And also understand the relationship that
this question:this plays into community building and equity, and being in good relationship
this question:with one's own health. And in healthcare, I think the system itself has
this question:become so gangly that it's not even understood by the people who are
this question:working within it. We can't even figure out the system that we've created
this question:and how to make it work for the people it was created for.
this question:And so there needs to be a more fluid, and
this question:to use your term, Rowen, a mycelial sensibility. The minute we start systematizing,
this question:we just separate. And there was a time in all of our ancestral
this question:paths where these things were all combined and they worked quite beautifully.
this question:But power struggles and colonization often have fooled us into believing
this question:that these are all separate entities. Peace, y'all. I'm Mark Winston Griffith,
this question:an alumnus of the Castanea Fellowship Program. As the Executive Director
this question:of the Brooklyn Movement Center, I was looking for a community of peers
this question:who also saw a world where food truly became a source of health,
this question:equity and well being for all. Castanea brought those very leaders together
this question:and invested in us to make it happen. Since then, I've collaborated with
this question:a cadre of Castanea fellows on a national initiative to hold philanthropy
this question:accountable, and have tapped into game changing support for my food systems
this question:work here in Central Brooklyn. So I'm looking forward to what's ahead in
this question:my professional, as well as my personal journey, along with following impact
this question:I know my friends from the program will continue to make.
this question:Learn how Castanea can support your journey. Visit castaneafellowship.org.
this question:That's C A S T A N E A F E L L
this question:O W S H I P.org. You've both spoken to this illusion of
this question:separateness. From your vantage points, how do you see the possibility of
this question:bridging stronger relationships between different roles so we could have
this question:a more just food system or food kinship network? How do you see
this question:those collaborations being made more possible? We're at a point in time
this question:in the movement, especially for many black indigenous bodies of culture,
this question:we're moving out of the immensity of the trauma and moving into a
this question:place where we're resourced to be able to think about what does it
this question:mean to not just be in survival mode ourselves, and to begin to
this question:do that bridging work and that connectivity work. I think we're also at
this question:a time in history where we're actually experiencing
this question:a leadership crisis. And the reason why I say that in this particular
this question:instance is because I think that we need a more facilitative type of
this question:leadership that can actually take a step back and begin to weave those
this question:pathways and to begin to restore that mycelial network that once existed,
this question:but again, because of the impacts of colonization in all of the ways
this question:in which it shows up and deadens those pathways and gets us into
this question:a more reductionist point of view, is that when we have brilliant leaders
this question:that are hosts, as opposed to heroes, and can host and facilitate intercultural
this question:conversations, interdisciplinary spaces where we begin to practice strengthening
this question:that connective tissue between the arts and horticulture, or spirituality
this question:and devotional reverent practice. And as Geeta was speaking about, these
this question:were all deeply, deeply interwoven aspects of intact culture and cultural
this question:sanity. And I get really excited because I love thinking in all the
this question:ways in which we can facilitate unexpected conversations between people
this question:in that spectrum of seed keepers talking with chefs, and farmers talking
this question:with doctors, and engineers talking with medicine people. There's all these
this question:ways in which we can strengthen that connective tissue, but it does require
this question:us to cultivate leadership where it's more about strengthening the skills
this question:to be able to host conversations where we see the common ground alongside
this question:one another. We live in a time where a culture of divisiveness and
this question:separation and difference has been supporting this very extractive and exploitative
this question:system, and so I get really excited. One growing edge of my work
this question:is to work with emerging leaders and teach them how to hold space
this question:and nurture them for seeing what is on the horizon and how we
this question:can cultivate that more holistic way of living again. I think the biggest
this question:epidemic of our time is pathological individualism. It's just so many people
this question:thinking that we're all doing it ourselves. And I think in the United
this question:States, especially, it's so deeply entrenched in American culture. And so
this question:I think all of us here in the circle here are working in
this question:radical ways to restore that connective tissue of interdependence, and that
this question:there's a whole breadth and range of different humans getting together who
this question:may not have otherwise had the chance to be able to circle up
this question:and help teach one another. Yeah, I'm so with you on that.
this question:That reflection of that pathological individuality, how it shows up in the
this question:physical body is really profound. I think that our mental health has suffered
this question:so deeply around this idea that we are supposed to be thriving through
this question:our own individual efforts, which is a true impossibility. We are herd animals.
this question:It's truly impossible for us to succeed completely on our own,
this question:and yet, it's a strong value in our country and in all of
this question:our systems that we've created, that your health and your education and
this question:your income and your way of being in the world should be something
this question:you achieve through your own effort. That sets us up for divisiveness and
this question:separation because we know there's not equitable resources for all of us
this question:to even be able to achieve those things individually or even in community,
this question:at times. I see people who are really physically sick. I think this
this question:interdisciplinary work, this cross pollination that all of us here have
this question:experienced in our work is so rich. It's so uplifting and empowering in
this question:a way that staying within our own communities, whether professional or even
this question:just within our own cultural communities cannot quite provide until we step
this question:out and start doing that cross pollination work. And
this question:yesterday, I was teaching my Food is Power class, and I was able
this question:to come in with my medical students and go to the south side
this question:of Chicago and teach with and beside middle schoolers around how to think
this question:about food as medicine and food as power. And reminding them that they are
this question:experts of their food, that they are our food experts, and they are
this question:teaching us and we are teaching them. For me, it's just very,
this question:very powerful to see medical students and middle schoolers together in an
this question:interaction that does not involve a child being sick and coming to the
this question:doctor, or a medical student going out into the community to provide free
this question:care. They are working truly together and seeing each other as people working
this question:towards the same thing, and in this case, this is just creating a
this question:meal together. And also chatting about, "Okay, how did you
this question:get on the path to become a doctor? How did you get to
this question:medical school?" It's in those conversations, it is in those brilliant sparkling
this question:moments of actual face to face community connection and interchange that
this question:we can realize that the hierarchies built around us to make certain people
this question:feel more powerful than others are, you know, they're creations, they're
this question:imaginary. I just feel so moved when I see these students of different
this question:ages and different spaces working together because I don't know what impact
this question:they're having on each other, but I know that they are.
this question:And working with youth, I think, is one of the most powerful things
this question:that we can do to start creating a different vision of what's possible
this question:because they can see it. Knowing that both of you are so involved
this question:with cultivating leadership, mentorship spaces, holding space, I wanted
to ask you:How do you encourage young folks who might be emerging
to ask you:into their political consciousness right now? You know, as Rowen, as you
to ask you:had shared, this is just such an exceptional time that we're in as
to ask you:a society, as humanity. And Geeta, you were sharing about just this depth
to ask you:that can happen when you bring people together in a room.
to ask you:What have been some things that you've wanted to impart or encourage the
to ask you:young folks who are navigating where to go to next, if they want
to ask you:to have a connection to food work? Yeah, it's a great question.
to ask you:You know, when I came into this work, I was 17,
to ask you:and the movement that is now in 2021,
to ask you:in the late '90s, was not what it was. There was a lot
to ask you:of elders who were shocked that somebody like myself was interested in pursuing
to ask you:this as my life's work. But in the last 20, 25 years,
to ask you:we've seen a significant culture shift, and I think that is because many
to ask you:of the foresighted elders and leaders of the movement recognized that we
to ask you:cannot build a movement that doesn't have all of the generations involved,
to ask you:that this is inherently important that we bridge the generations. I'm raising
to ask you:teens now, and I'm learning a lot from a practice of being a
to ask you:parent of teenagers in recognizing what incredible leaders that we have
to ask you:right amidst us. Somebody said to me recently, which I was profoundly impacted,
was:If you're over 40 and you don't have a mentor who's under
was:25, that you're missing out on a significant cultural shifts that can happen
was:because these young people are coming in, wired, in a way that can
was:create significant culture change on the horizon. Even though we do have
was:elders and mentors who are 60 plus, we can't forget that we have
was:to look to those young ones because they have this radical imagination that
was:we can tap into as we dream into the future. And there's also
was:an aspect of young people and teenagers, which they are naturally bucking
was:up against the system. And if we can make the movement seductive,
was:in a way, to teenagers to really push that resistance and move towards
was:liberation, I think we can harness that radical energy and that imagination.
was:And that's what I've been really loving, seeing in our indigenous food sovereignty
was:movement, is the young people coming in with a fire, having inherited an
was:extremely broken system and society, and we give them the tools to be
was:able to transform that rage and sadness and grief and anger into a
was:more beautiful and abundant and nourishing future. And we say, "You have
was:a place here. In fact, you have a really significant role in this
was:movement," and we empower it and amplify and uplift them in that way.
was:I'm absolutely with you on that. I feel so blessed to work with
was:college students and medical students who I feel are growing into a future
was:that they can see, but just by way of me being where I
was:am in my life, I can't at this moment. It's astounding,
was:really, to realize the power that our youth have to make significant change
was:much faster than we have been able to or that our elders have
was:been able to. And so I do think it's quite a blessing,
was:but I also feel like I'm taking careful care of cocoons that are
was:filled with imaginal cells that have turned to goo, and are in between
was:the caterpillar and the butterfly. They're just in that metamorphic goo
was:of brilliance and wisdom, and also, that we can see beyond what comes
was:next after that step, and that we can shepherd and steward our youth
was:into their own brilliance without holding over them a constricted and restricted
was:view of what's possible. But as a minority voice in the system,
was:in terms of talking about bringing food and nutrition to the topmost tier
was:of what's important in health, to convey that this is a necessary part
was:of their education if they're going to take care of people and people's
was:health, there are ways in which I think each of us have something
was:that light us up that we're so passionate about, and that's where we
was:can transmit our light. Yeah, I agree, Geeta. It's interesting 'cause the
was:Gen Z generation, even my kids are showing me this amazing Black Forager
was:on TikTok who teaches... Oh, my God! Yes! Teaches about how... I just
was:saw her, too! She's so amazing! She's cool. And I always think about
was:something going viral. We actually talked about it in our household,
was:that something going fungal like mycelial, like how can we these... How
was:can we change the metaphor, especially after COVID 19? Yeah. Yeah, right?
was:Oh, yes. Maybe we can learn how to do that metaphor,
was:right? Yeah. Right. But yeah, it's culture work. It's deep culture work
was:for us to be able to find humor and find the joy and
was:pleasure in all these different ways. And so I think they have their
was:finger on the pulse of some tools that blend old and new to
was:be able to help us raise the consciousness around the importance of our
was:connectivity and relationship to the earth and to plants and to food and
was:to medicine and all of these things. Yes. Yeah, it's really inspiring,
was:deeply inspiring. It is. It's so fun. That's the one thing that I'm
was:like, "Wow!" I feel like I'm so serious compared to some of the
was:way that young people are presenting the same work in these really enlivened,
was:beautiful, fun and super short snippets that are easily digestible and totally
was:seductive and engaging to people," and I think that's brilliant. I think
was:we are of a sort of swath of a generation that felt like
was:you had to go really deep and really long for really extensive periods
was:of time to be able to create expertise. And they're showing us something
was:different. And there's a part of me that wants to say,
was:"No, that isn't how you build expertise in TikToks." You know, they're too
was:short and they're too produced. But I'm watching through my teens and through
was:my medical students how much new information they're able to take in that
was:way, and then decide where they wanna go deep.
was:And that is brilliant to me. That's the key to learning. It's totally leaning.
was:Yeah. Yeah, and it's actually generating the capacity for us to change narrative;
was:the role of narrative, and the role of story, and the role of
was:being able to create a platform where everyday voices can be uplifted.
was:We can see ourselves in that young woman who's finding food right outside
was:of her doorstep and learning about the plants that are right in her
was:midst. And young people can identify and see themselves in her.
was:It's amazing. So what are the ways in which we are creating pleasure
was:practices in our work that really, again, bring in that multisensory joy
was:into our work? And I'm continually inspired and amazed by the young folks'
was:ability to do that. Power to the youth. This is so incredibly juicy.
was:And we're coming to the end of this conversation, but I just want
was:to ask any advice or encouragement from the both of you on one
was:simple thing that you think anyone can do that can make a huge
was:difference in their own homes or on local communities. I've apprenticed
was:myself to seeds, and I see that they are these intimate immensities. They're
was:so small, but they're so amazing and magnificent, and create ripples beyond
was:their little bodies. And what I like to invite folks who are listening
was:is to remember that each and every one of us descend from people,
was:maybe even just a generation or two removed from people who had a
was:deep storied relationship with plants and land and the Earth.
was:We have the capacity, through joyful pleasure practices, of reconnecting
was:with seeds that perhaps were ancestral to our people, that can help rehydrate
was:and re enliven and restore a sense of connection and identity to the
was:nourishment that passes in our body. And my body of work called Seed
was:Seva, which is getting people to apprentice themselves to the life cycles
was:all around us, we always begin with people just choosing one food that
was:perhaps was a food that fed their ancestors, which is actually what got
was:me onto this path of being a seed keeper myself, was asking myself
was:that question and, what responsibility do I have to be one link in
was:the stewardship chain? And so connecting with an ancestral food is a really
was:deep and powerful way of bringing it into something real and visceral in
was:your own life. Also, another aspect of that is connecting to the indigenous
was:peoples upon whose land that you reside. Many of us are very aware
was:in the social justice movement of land acknowledgements. But take it one
was:step further and begin to build relationships with those peoples in the
was:way in which you can leverage resources, perhaps passing the mic,
was:and centering and amplifying their thought leadership. Take land acknowledgements,
was:indigenous land acknowledgements that step further and begin to build those
was:reciprocal relationships with the people whose land you reside upon.
was:That's powerful, Rowen. You know, a lot of my work really revolves around
was:the idea of what medicine really is, what it really means to us
was:as humans, and what it's meant to us over generations and over epics
was:of time. And that word, "medicine" includes so much that we can access
was:every day and in every way. There's food that is medicine,
was:and there are plants that we know are strong medicine. All plants have
was:medicinal qualities that can be discovered by any individual.
was:If you ask some questions or just take some time to look back
was:into your own family story, finding what those medicines are and what they
was:have meant to you and your culture over time is one way to
was:easily and quickly and affordably access medicine that is all around us.
was:I ask people to take back that word, "medicine", and to really
was:find the medicines in your own life that hold great potential for healing
was:for you. In my life, personally, I really feel like love is the
was:strongest medicine that holds me up every day. And it is possible for
was:us to be loving every day. It is possible for us to show
was:love through random acts of love and kindness to the people you love
was:and people you don't know. And using your influence and your talent,
was:whatever it may be, to help people around you; this transformational daily