I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank-You, I love you.
The above Hawaiian Hoʻoponopono ritual/prayer can be translated literally as "to make right" or "to make good". I owe an apology to a few plants and some of my early apprentices who may have heard me say, “that is just a pretty flower no use!” as I pointed to a daffodil, tulip or buttercup. I cringe when admitting that.
In my late teens and early twenties I rejected the concept of beauty, believing it was my duty as a good feminst. I was a strong independent woman who was determined to do things my way, and beauty was part of the societies expectation of women. I was all about the utilitarian, possibly influenced by ALL my planets in Virgo (yep 9 of them). I was practical. I thrived on being practical. Practical shoes, practical car, practical clothes.
This was still my approach when I begun to study herbalism. I studied all the botany, etiology, and properties of the “seemingly” useful plants. I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank-You, I love you. If plants were medicinal they were useful to me and if they were pretty and showy, I had no use for them. My somewhat misled, but utopian youthful feminist reckoning led me to denounce beauty. I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank-You, I love you.
Also, does this sound heroic? Yep, my beginnings in natural healing were indeed heroic until Susun Weed guided me to the “Wise Woman Tradition” and the path I have walked for the past quarter century.
Later on, on a visit to the Grand Canyon, during the time I was obsessed with the story of Everett Reuss and carried his book “Vagabond for Beauty” everywhere. I spent some time on the NavajoLand reservation where I was introduced to the “the Beauty Path” and the traditional Dine (Navajo) Blessing. (The word Dine means “The People”)
In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again
Hózhóogo naasháa doo. Shitsijí’ hózhóogo naasháa doo. Shikéédéé hózhóogo naasháa doo. Shideigi hózhóogo naasháa doo. T’áá altso shinaagóó hózhóogo naasháa doo. Hózhó náhásdlíí’. Hózhó náhásdlíí’. Hózhó náhásdlíí’. Hózhó náhásdlíí’
(Traditional Navajo Blessing)
I first heard about Walking in Beauty from the Dine (Navajo) Nation. It comes from a ceremony called ‘Beautyway’, which helps ‘the patient’ to re-establish the balance in their life when they are ill, depleted, sad etc. A healing prayer.
To Walk in Beauty means to walk in harmony with all things (people, objects, animals…with life!).
When I think of someone walking and working in harmony with all things I think of Hillary Waters Fayle whose intricate and beautiful handwork you have seen scattered through out this post. Hillary is an artist, a professor and sister biophiliac, I was lucky enough to recently interview Hillary (twice, clearly I couldn’t get enough of her!) Her love and respect of nature was apparent the moment we begun talking and I am excited to share the interview with you all and grow the Dreaming in Green community of women who live, work, play and pray at the intersection of art and herbalism.
Please please enjoy the interview w/ Hillary Waters Fayle
During the interview Hillary mentions her beloved Night Blooming Cereus plant ally and it immediately made me thing of one of my favorite photos by American photographer Sally Mann, (also from VA)
Talking with Hillary and studying her art and our conversation so soon after revisiting the groundbreaking work (1984) by Rozsika Parker’s The Subversive Stitch for the last post For the Love of Dandelions led to a deep dive into the history of the decorative arts
Le Corbusier was quoted in saying “ There is a hierarchy in the arts: decorative arts at the bottom and human arts at the top. Because we are men.” (1918) (We will circle back to this in future posts)
'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be beautiful or believe to be useful'
- William Morris
A couple of decades ago at a Green Nations Gathering in New York State Martin Prechtel (author, artist, musician) was the keynote speaker, he quoted a variation of the above quote by William Morris along the lines of keep nothing in your house that you do not know who made it or was gifted to you by a someone you love. It was one of those defining moments.
Did you know that William Morris’s daughter May Morris was also a successful artist and advocate for the decorative arts?
When I asked Hillary a quote she lives by she quoted John O Donahue “Beauty is that in the presence of which we feel more alive.” Thankfully it has been many years since I dropped my utilitarian approach to life and herbalism and value the inherent medicine and beauty in all things.
Here is where you can find out more information on todays featured artist Hillary Waters Fayle
Her popular Domestika course can be found here Extraordinary Embroidery: Explore Alternative Organic Material
Instagram @hillary.waters
This week June 5th -June 12th 2023
Since returning from the MidWest Herbal Conference at the end of May, I have been catching my breath- May was busy!
Friday June 9th The Wall Gallery Art Opening, Northampton MA (The Wall @Rhyniainc is a small gallery wall on which i curate monthly art shows promoting local artists)
Weekend June 10-12th NYC visiting the Katonah Museum Art, Minature World Exhibit exploring the relationships between Joseph Cornell and two pioneering artists—Ray Johnson and Yayoi Kusama—bringing their works together for the first time.- so excited!
And the poorly reviewed “Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby” at the Brooklyn Museum. Gotto see for myself!
I especially appreciated your thoughts on valuing the pragmatically useful above the beautiful, especially in regards to our journey as feminists. I related to that as well. Feminism did lead me to reject some ideas of beauty, especially beauty standards for my own body that didn't really arise from me or from nature, but too often it seemed like there were rigid ideas about what feminists weren't supposed to do that replaced them--like, you don't have to shave your legs or underarms, but you also get questioned if you do. It can be quite a challenge to get to what one actually wants.
But beyond our own bodies, yes, I believe the "merely" beautiful is important, and feeds us.
I adore her work! Off to listen.