On Friday, August 8th, Amanda Furbee and I had a wonderful time serving mocktails and pizza to women, nobinary, and gender nonconformists at Rahab's Sisters in Northeast Portland. The above photo shows me and Amanda with two volunteers (Mary on the far left, me, Amanda, and Cari on the far right). It was a really chill night. I hadn't been to the new venue yet, it felt good!
Amanda shared herbal knowledge and mocktail making wisdom. I talked to the diners and let them know about the two flower essences I offered. I put their choice in their drinks and then gave out bottles for those who wanted to work with the energies more.
Here is the recipe for Amanda's mocktail:
5-6 Tablespoons dried raspberry leaf
1 L water
2 c lemonade of choice
2 c soda water
This floral sipping vinegar (from the Herb Shoppe, support Amanda's work!)
Fresh raspberries
lemon slices
- Take your Raspberry Leaf and add to approximately 1 liter of boiling water. And allow to steep for about 6-8 min. Remove tea bags from liquid.
- Add Lemonade, 2-4 droppersful of the Floral Sipping Vinegar and ice to the Raspberry Leaf infusion and shake it up a bit.
- Pour into individual glasses and add soda water.
- Garnish with the lemon slices and raspberries.
- Enjoy!
Here is are the two flower essence blends I offered to sample and take home:
Better Luck This Time
For joy and attracting better luck.
Blueberry (abundance), Citrine (abundance), Orange Blossom (joy/renewed optimism), and others.
Change, yes!
When you need to get out of controlling patterns or away from controlling people.
Rhodochrosite (for changing deep patterns), werewolf root (change or die, for navigating controlling people in our lives), tobacco (for releasing addictions, or patterns that are controlling and limiting our lives), and others.
Feedback from the Evening
Talking to the people in attendance I was suprised how how many people wanted the Change, yes! flower and gem essence. Most! I heard from many people in attendance than they had had many concussions from intimate partner violence (aka domestic violence). This is an important check in about assumptions people may have about people living on the streets or in very reduced circumstances. How can we expect people to support themselves financially when they are not at their full brain power? Concussions can last a couple weeks to months, to years. Without comprehensive health support (emotional support, acupuncture, different rehab therapies, etc) they may effectively be permanent.
The law and law enforcement system does not support IPV victims. There are many beautiful people trying to support this population, however the amount of resources and supports they can provide are limited by a legal system that refuses to control the perpetrators. Mary, for example, is in school for social work and also works with Rose Haven, a resource for abused and/or houseless women. I did an interview with Eva Stanganelli the Advocacy Director at Rose Haven in April. She explained to me that the population did not involve the police because the police typically make things worse for them. That there are beds available for women and children on the run, but often the waitlist is months long. Many victims of abuse do not feel safe staying in a home that risks their life or their children's lives, until a safe space opens up, thus leading the to risky options like living on the streets, or in cars. Why aren't the police more helpful? According to many sources, around 40% of police families experience domestic violence. Many authorities that should should protect, are actually sympathetic to the crimes in question because they are perpetrators too. The court systems typically discredit victims, and many laws, written at a time when women and children were the property of men, remain in effect.
For these populations to be supported and protected, we do need volunteers offering emotional support and dignity (like the folx at Rahab's Sisters and Rose Haven), we need fun events like pizza and mocktail nights (with herbal cigs to go too). But most of all we need an overhaul of our legal system. Lawyers, legislators, activists, and lobbyists this is a call to action.
We cannot continue asking the most vulnerable members of our community to pull themselves up by their bootstraps while cognitively challenged and running for their lives (or living in hiding for fear of death). And this is to say nothing of the children, which are often harmed and controlled by perpetrators of IPV to manipulate current partners and ex's. This is not just a personal problem for these women, this is a longstanding pattern of our global culture condoning violence against women and children, the blood of which is on all of our hands. We live in a democracy. Let's act like it!
Do you want herbal support for doing this tough work? Burnout and overwhelm happens. I would be delighted to help you do this important work on a sliding scale. Contact me here.
This event would not be possible without the following groups:
Domino's Pizza, who provided pizza for 120--thank you Domino's!
Rahab's Sisters and their volunteers! Rahab's Sisters is a local non profit providing radical hospitality to women and gender-diverse individuals marginalized by poverty, houselessness, sex work, violence and substance use.
The Herb Shoppe A local non-profit herb shop and clinic, run by Amanda Furbee.
Herbalists Without Borders Click to join and get support for your community projects.
and Brown Bear Herbs :)