Intimidated by herbs?

The phrase "At this point, herbs seem so foreign to me." caught my attention. As far as medicine goes, I would say, "pharmaceutical drugs seem so foreign to me". But there was a time when herbs did seem foreign to me, also. I remember the first time I joined a food coop in the 70's and saw the shelves filled with healing and culinary bulk herbs. It arose my curiosity and I wanted to smell and taste them and find out their stories.
I loved the taste of root beer and Sassafras went home with me that day...

Maybe your friend would like to experience the dried herbs this way. Then she could go to a herb garden or farm and start making some real plant connections...

Crazy humble nice...I can wear that tag!

Hmmmm..... this is good.  It is hard to feel a sense of belonging in the human herb world, it has been for me.  I still question if herbal works is truly my calling.  I love her words, "I feel a bit like an outsider but I am open to shifting that."  Open and shifting... I hadn't considered those possibilities until I read those words.  It always seemed to me like the world might possibly shift to include me, if I was lucky.  But mostly, I have always expected to be pushed out.

I love the magic that Carolina describes... the plant world called me and I listened.  The magic is what kept me listening.  The recipient of many magics floating around.  It fills my heart and mind with wonder.  Plant energy.

There is another magic which I think I was looking for all along, but I didn't know it- the magic of scientific observation.  Learning the constituents, the botany, learning about the ecology, comparing my observations with written works I find, becoming more attuned to how the plants affect me... I pursue this magic when time allows, and it is a solitary journey for me, but I never feel lonely.  Out in nature, learning and observing, that's when I feel most alive. Then I go through spells when I can just listen and listen to herbalists talk about the plants. When I stop to consider that I potentially have the rest of my life to learn about these things I get so happy and excited that I could cry.  It means that life will never again be dull. It means that no matter what, there will always be something to live for, and then it doesn't matter to me if I belong.  I do it for me, and no one else.

Thank you, Amanda! I like what you have to say, "It's about learning who you are and what you have to offer, and believing in yourself and your place in this particular space of the world. It's about feeling worthy to claim that space fully and own it! At least that's what it is for me."

You know before I started making use of this PoppySwap forum, I didn't know any crazy humble nice people in the herb community.  My experiences are mostly limited to my local community, which I have not explored extensively.  Not to say that they don't exist, but my experiences trying to connect to my community over the years have been painful.  Presently, I am accepting that we live in a mostly harsh global society, and most people are not lucky enough to be sheltered from the insanity of it all, so I am at a point where I am just learning to take it all in stride and not take it personally.  The painful experiences I had in my community are reflective of a global pain, and I am rethinking what I can do to help.  I am rethinking how I want to use my words to make a difference.  I learned that lesson here on PoppySwap.  Every single word that is exchanged on this forum is medicine that has taught me something very valuable.  Just by speaking up, it becomes clear what I don't know and how much I need to learn, which used to be scary.  This forum has been kind to my ignorance.

I think that, being human, it is natural and necessary to desire connection with other humans.  I need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance from my herb community.  I know who I am, I believe in myself, and I feel that my work is a reflection of that.  What I am missing is a sense of community and friendship.  I'm glad I took a chance on this forum, and said exactly what was in my heart to say, because I have been met with unconditional love, crazy kindness, honesty, generosity, and most importantly, the possibility of community and budding friendships.  Before I started writing on this forum, I had started to believe that these things didn't really exist.  Now, I have some evidence that they DO exist, and it makes me feel a lot better.  Tenderly, my desire is to grow and be loved, to keep learning, and to have something of worth to give back.  I would like to help to create for my local community what PoppySwap has become for me.  I think I am a strong individual, but community gives me a sense of comfort and support.  Maybe that's the point?  Until recently, I really didn't have the experience to say for sure.  Now, I am finding my voice within a community atmosphere.  I have always spoken from my individual perspective, but as I learn, I realize that my voice is changing in consideration of a broader spectrum.  I'm learning, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

I can believe in myself all I want, but without validation from my community, belief is nothing more than fantasy or delusion.  A fine balance between belief in one's self and support from my community seem vitally connected.