When you think of the most iconic poems in the English language which ones come to mind?
For me it is Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Maya Angelou’s, “Still I Rise”, Langston Hughes, “Harlem”, Walt Whitmans, “Song of Myself”, Emily Dickinsons "Hope is the thing with feathers” Lewis Carrol’s “Jabberwoky” some Shakespeare and
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
– William Wordsworth
As a result of memorizing that poem in elementary school daffodils have always been as ambassadors of hope and happiness for me.
I love the summer months, I’v got Mediterranean blood flowing through me. However as I’ve gotten older I have fallen for Spring and her promise. A promise of warmth, rebirth, light, fertility, and green growth. Whether we get a major April snow, or cold wet weather, Spring never fails to provide color therapy, following the more monochromatic and drab Winter months. I think the Daffodil is one of Springs gifts to us, which people take for granted and don’t fully appreciate. It’s true they are a naturalized plant not a native (Daffodils were originally native to parts of south and western Europe, such as Spain, Portugal, Wales and England, and northern parts of Africa, like Morocco.) but they bloom before any Spring Native plants and disappear before the native plants need the real estate! They are not invasive. It is true that they are poisonous and not super attractive to pollinators though the wild types such as Narcissus poeticus and N. jonquilla do supports bees and butterflies. Daffodils can “poison” other cut flowers. Roses and tulips are particularly sensitive. When daffodil stems are cut, they release a kind of sap that blocks the uptake of water by other flowers, causing them to wilt faster. They also releases sugars that hasten mould and bacterial growth. To avoid this, all you have to do is soak your cut daffodil stems in clean water for at least six hours before mixing them with other stems. This will neutralise the sap.
In the UK, daffodils are sometimes called “Lent lilies”, because they tend to bloom between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Although the Amaryllidaceae family (which houses daffodils) was once combined with the Liliaceaefamily (which houses lilies), daffodils are not actually a type of lily. They don’t belong to the Lilium genus, but rather the Narcissus genus. There is an old superstition in England held by Devonshire folk that it means death to bring into the house a single daffodil, when this flower first appears in the spring. There must be a bunch of them.
The daffodil symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings. It’s one of the first flowers to bloom at the end of winter, announcing the beginning of Spring and signifying the end of the cold, dark days. The flower essence is a great way to bring some joy and lightness into your early spring days.
Daffodils are often referred to by their botanical name of Narcissus which are a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae.
There are a couple of ideas about the origins of the name Narcissus. One thought is that the name originated from the story of Narcissus, a hunter from Greek and Roman mythology who was lured to a stream and drowned when he fell in love with his own reflection. He was renowned for his beauty, and just a little bit self-obsessed. As daffodils often grow on the banks of rivers and streams, it’s said that they grow from the place where he died. It is thought the term ‘narcissist’ originates from the story of Narcissus. Alternatively, the name may also originate from the Greek word “narkao”, which means “to be numb” or “I grow numb”. This is also the origin of the word “narcotic”. This may stem from the plant’s toxicity.
Narcissus have been grown in China since around 600AD. A number of families began to cultivate varieties of narcissus. During the cultural revolution, narcissus were destroyed as a useless plant. Over the course of the last few decades, daffodils are being grown again and have been successful at flower exhibitions in Shanghai and Taiwan. Daffodils are also a symbol for Chinese New Year. The white and yellow flowers of narcissus symbolize gold, silver and wealth in China. They also mean good luck. Their early blooms are associated with the Lunar New Year as the may also be kept indoors during the winter.
There are some medicinal uses touted for Daffodils. Early medical texts include daffodil recipes for treating anything from cuts and bruises to digestive problems. Please remember daffodils are toxic to both people and animals. All parts of the daffodil contain lycorine, a toxic chemical that can cause nausea, stomach pain and vomiting.
Interestingly, daffodils also contain an alkaloid chemical called galantamine, which is known to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. While the compound can be synthesized nowadays, daffodils are still grown and harvested for this chemical and used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s.
I’ve been inspired to work with daffodils in my “art that breathes” creativity practice for sometime now. This year I made some daffodil ink and then some daffodil pigments using the laking process. Which you can see in the mosaic of photos below. Making botanical inks, dyes and pigments is part of the Botanical Art Studio Program which meets one friday per month from May-December. I am also drying some to use in a larger multi media weaving project I am planning this Summer.
“In a world lost in delusion, a single daffodil quietly announces the arrival of spring.”
― Meeta Ahluwalia
Many moons ago, (273 to be exact!) I was in India outside of Dehradun studying Food Politics at Bija Vidyapeeth, the learning center associated with Navdanya, the movement spearheaded by Vandana Shiva, my hero. Navdanya is an Earth Centric, Women centric and Farmer led movement for the protection of Biological and cultural Diversity which practices the philosophy of Earth Democracy as one Earth Family ( Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam) with no separations between nature and humans and no hierarchies between species, culture, gender, race and faiths.
Navdanya means “nine seeds” and also the “new gift” (for seed as commons, based on the right to save and share seeds In today’s context of biological and ecological destruction, seed savers are the true givers of seed. This gift or “dana” of Navdanya (nine seeds) is the ultimate gift – it is a gift of life, of heritage and continuity that we bring to you through more than 3 decades of service to the Earth and humanity.
It was utterly a life changing experience, along with the fact that I was pregnant at the time with my daughter. I spent a lot of yesterday revisiting some of the books/work of Vandana Shiva whose work I find came across in the very late 1980’s early 1990’s.
“In nature's economy the currency is not money, it is life.”
― Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace
In high school I loved human geography, it was one class I looked forward to, and remember being taught about the Green Revolution , I was captivated and still have my final project. Of course it was approached from a colonial/white savior point of view which I was not yet able to understand or verbalize, but the deeper I went, I could just feel that something was not right. It was the same year that Bob Geldof spear headed the collaborative single “Do they know its Christmas time” and the “Live Aid” concert. Those images and thoughts of the Green Revolution haunted me for several years until one afternoon at Folyes bookstore in London I noticed the following book “The Violence of the Green Revolution: Third World Agriculture, Ecology, and Politics” by Vandana Shiva. Suddenly it all fell into place and I understood the the dissonance between what I had been taught and the reality of what happened. It was one of those jigsaw pieces that finally fit into place and made other thoughts connect.
Vandana Shiva was also the first person I heard use the term “Eco-Feminism” in her book Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development though the term was coined over a decade earlier in 1974 by a French Woman Françoise d'Eaubonne.
“The end of consumerism and accumulation is the beginning of the joy of living.”
— Vandana Shiva
Recently I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the crisis of capitalism and marketization of herbalism and the path forward. We have all heard about the dark side of the herbal industry thanks to Ann Armbrecht’s “The Business of Botanicals” A provocative read about the global business of herbal products and whether / who it actually heals.
*Ann’s book is required reading for all herbalists/herbal students. Here is a “For the Wild podcast w/ Ann Armbrecht
There is also another “dark” side of the business of herbalism which hasn’t been discussed as much, and that is valuing our herbal teachers. Just this year I have had to decline several opportunities to teach at conferences all over the country because the amount I am offered in compensation does not begin to match what it would cost to attend the conference to teach. Teaching classes takes hours of preparation and years of study (and cost), and accumulating experience.
I am not alone and have spoken to other established herbal teachers who are in a similar boat especially those of us who are teachers and do not also sell herbal products. I understand that everyone is struggling and these conferences are not as lucrative as they once were, I am certainly not pointing fingers at any conferences in particular just suggesting that perhaps the model is outdated and urge us all to explore, discus and get creative and see whether there is another way forward to re-invent these conferences, instead of perpetuating the old model which is ultimately devaluing our work. Maybe we need to return to a simple question what is the intention of an herbal conference? Is it education? Is it exposure to herbal community? Is it the herbal market place? Is it all of the above?
“We’ve moved from wisdom to knowledge, and now we’re moving from knowledge to information, and that information is so partial – that we’re creating incomplete human beings.”
— Vandana Shiva
The apprenticeship I have been teaching for the past 24 years (a 10 month weekly in person program), where students are taught the art and science of bioregional herbalism as they experience one complete growing season, did not get enough students to run this year. Times are changing, unfortunately, in this age of instant gratification, and dopamine rich experiences; long form in-person education seems to not be as appealing. People are too busy to commit, and too short on attention spans. At the same time people are feeling more disconnected, lonely and anxious than ever before. Things are out of balance and the power seems to have turned to products being marketed to help you with (insert what ever you are feeling). I don’t need to tell you that a trendy mushroom coffee brand who spends thousands of dollars on marketing, or herbal elixir named “Happiness” will not alone make you feel better, perhaps as part of a protocol. There is no instant, magic solution. Reaching your optimum health physically, mentally and spiritually is a slow and individual journey, a long term commitment to yourself and the Earth. One which is easier to commit to in community when you have witnesses and people cheering you on as you meet various milestones! It takes slowing down and taking the time to process, not always taking the easy or fastest route, learning to communicate and learning from the plants directly on their time.
ADD rabbit hole: Are kids taught Aesop Fables these days? When I think of values I was taught as a kid so many came from the moral at the end of an Aesop fable. For example The Hare and the Tortoise, slow and steady wins the race.
There is a lot you can learn on you tube; how to fix your dishwasher, change your oil, how to make elderberry syrup but you cannot learn a whole profession, you cannot differentiate between black and red elderberries in the Spring, its hard to tell the difference between bugleweed, dead nettle and ground ivy unless you have used your senses to take it in, coltsfoot blossom could be mistaken for dandelions without careful observation. There is no way around it you have to put in your 1000 hours of practice. Becoming an herbalist is a life long journey. We can certainly learn foraging tidbits, medicine making recipes, gain so much inspiration from instagram but there is a lot about herbalism that is not easily videoed into a 2 mins aesthetic reel.
“Earth Democracy connects people in circles of care, cooperation, and compassion instead of dividing them through competition and conflict, fear and hatred.”
— Vandana Shiva
My essential Earth Day Reading List
The Vandana Shiva Reader (Culture of the Land) Vandana Shiva
Silent Spring. by Rachel Carson
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia Butler
The Business of Herbs by Ann Armbrecht
Partner Earth by Pam Montgomery
The Milkweed Lands by Eric Lee-Mader and Illustrated by Beverly Duncan
The Next Great Migration by Sonia Shah- this one is my next read!
What are your some of your favorite essential Earth Day reads? I am giving away a copy of Vandana Shiva’s biography “Creative Disobedience” on instagram all you have to do to win is follow, like and comment on the post and I will pick a winner.
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Spring and Summer Classes Round up:
**Postponed to Mid May** Beginner/Intermediate Herbal Apprenticeship begins (still room!)
Friday May 3th Botanical Art In Studio Program 2024 begins
Sat May 4th May Day Craft Fair at Blazing Star Herbal School
Sun May 5th New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill Boyleston MA
Intro to Cyanotype workshop
Wed-Thurs May 15-16th Provincetown Art Museum
Fri May 17th Provincetown Art Museum
Intro to Cyanotype Photography: Printing from a Digital Negative
Sun May 19th-May 23rd Snow Farm, Williamsburg MA Guest teacher
Books in the Woods Retreat (Handmade Book Club event)
Wed June 12 Westborough, MA Library
Intro to Eco-printing(free)
Fri June 21 Shepherd Maudsleigh Studio, Newton MA
Daylong Eco-Printing Intensive
Sat June 22 Shepherd Maudsleigh Studio, Newton MA
Day long Artist Book Making w/ecoprinted papers
Sat June 29th Creative Retreat in the Garden, Cyanotype, Conway MA
Sun June 30th New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill
Intro to Eco Printing workshop
Wed July 10th Westborough, MA Library (Free)
Artist Book Making demo(free)
Sat Aug 24th Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University, Boston
Intro to Eco Printing (free)
Fri August 30th Creative Retreat in the Garden, Eco Printing with Flowers on Paper Conway MA
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Thank you for all your info and insights. Here in the PNW, my local herbalism teacher is having the same issue. Not enough signing up. There is so much going on in peoples lives, it becomes difficult to prioritize and pare down. We want to do all the things. Simplifying is the key, and like Vandana Shiva said: our cycles of consumerism and accumulation need to change.
Here is a daffodil that is new to me: Narcissus Art Design.
thank you for this Tony(a). I have always enjoyed the early arrival of daffodils, excellent to read of all the connections and stories associated.