The Animist Herbalist: Relationships, Reciprocity, and Kinship (Keynote from Plant Cunning, 2026)

Last weekend I had an opportunity to offer the Keynote at the Plant Cunning Conference in Central New York. This post is an adaptation from my keynote. The Plant Cunning Gathering was an amazing experience, and I highly recommend this conference to anyone who is interested in herbalism, magic, and permaculture! Thank you to AC and Issac for inviting me to share. This talk, titled “The Animist Herbalist,” synthesizes much of my philosophy about how herbalism can be a gateway to deeper spirit-filled, reciprocal connection. I hope you enjoy! At some point, I will also have access to the recording and will share that when I do. I will also take a moment (as I did a the beginning of my keynote) to acknowledge Jim McDonald, Lillian Wolf, Nate Summers, and Jon Young, whose teachings and writing have helped shape what I share here. Thank you. An Opening Story Back in 2023, I had a chance to go on a once-in-a-lifetime writing retreat with my friend, Sue Morris of Sue’s Salves. Sue was working…