relational nourishment
essential food for these times
hi dear community,
these past couple of weeks, i’ve thinking a lot about nourishment. what feeds us, what depletes us. what bolsters us, what takes from us. as i’ve found myself struggling, feeling the weight of it all, not knowing how to carry it, feeling so so depleted - i’ve been asking myself: what do i need to be able to continue to show up?
nourishment is the theme for this week in come together: a long covid support group. we are reflecting on what nourishment is, what it means to each of us personally, and talking food, plants, practices to support our whole bodies. and, most importantly, we are talking about relational nourishment - ie. connection.
so much of what feels hard about the world, right now and always, is that we are often feeling alone in it all. isolated, enculturated into individualism. forgetting our interconnection. not living within systems that build + further interconnection, but rather further severance from each other and the earth.
and in this moment of extreme political pressure, when things feel so hard for so many people, and many of us are overwhelmed and afraid, i’m remembering again the truth.
relational nourishment is the medicine.
interconnection is the antidote.
and remembering that we are in this together is the fuel that help us keep going.
we deeply need each other.
we are animals alive on this planet, and we are social ones. we need touch, and laughter, and love, we need community and friendship, we need exchanges of care, support in our endeavors. And under systemic oppression, a violent state, and ongoing health pandemics, we need these things even more. we need these things even now. and we need to continue to weave webs of community outside of the state where we can offer this relational nourishment. people have been doing this for as long as there have been humans; and other animals have been doing this since even before humans existed. interconnection and interdependence is deeply necessary food for our survival. this is essential medicine for our aliveness.
finding each other, finding ways to support each other, even (especially) now is how we will make it. they are sowing poisoned divisiveness, after all.
gathering together, being with each other, offering mutual care, this is so deeply needed in this moment. whether thats organizing protests and direct action together, setting up meal trains for elderly or ill neighbors, offering childcare support to our friends, facilitating free community healing spaces, hosting skillshares, learning how to disembody internalized oppresion and work to dismantle its external structures - whatever it is, wherever your strengths, skills and callings lie, it is needed.
what might you offer to the web of relational nourishment?
what might you need to request for nourishment from community?
weave yourself in.
now is the time.
we will make it through this together.
PS - seeking community spaces to gather with others this Spring? scroll down for two upcoming seasonal offers. gather together with likeminded community as we strive to embody our values in our daily life, connect to our ancestors, nerd out about plants & bodies & land, and play our part in the spell of liberation.
Gather together in community this Springtime
*enrollment for that rare old Mountain Dew closes Thursday!*
that rare old Mountain Dew: Alcohol, Colonization, and the Irish American Diaspora
four week program | March 20 - April 17, 2025 | Meets weekly on Thursdays from 6-8pm ET | Online via Zoom | $666-444 sliding scale pricing | Discounted spots available | Register now | More info and sign up: that rare old Mountain Dew
Sacred Smoke Traditions of the Celtic Isles
info share & community dialogue | April 24, 2025 from 6pm - 8:30pm ET | Online & recorded | $66-$55-$44 sliding scale | Register now | Free for ATTUNE members | More info and sign up: Sacred Smoke Traditions of the Celtic Isles
Thank you for reading and being in connection with me. i deeply believe that through connection and deeply interwoven community, we are building the world to come.
with you for total liberation,
rowan
work with me
sign up for classes & community care offerings - I regularly offer queercare focused spaces as well as those for politicized ancestral reconnection work.
sign up for 1:1 care online - herbalism consults as well as specific Covid Care sessions [Note: my practice is currently full for the winter season. Email to hop on the waitlist for Spring openings!]
local to northern VT? email me to inquire about [in person, masked] somatic bodywork sessions!
stay connected
bluesky: @ofhawthornandyew.bsky.social
IG: @hawthornandyew
email: ofhawthornandyew@protonmail.com
home/body is a reader-supported publication. to support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. paid subscribers receive access to the home/body digital zine library, with downloadable copies of all my current zines. they are the first to receive new works through the library.
weave yourself in ❤️🔥 thank you for this gift of wordnourishment. community as actively practice (more than an idea or concept or thing to value) feels so prescient & precious these days — i’ve been considering the active balance between asking and offering. can i ask as freely as i offer? what can i give now, and now, and also now? activating the web, building a muscle for sharing, helping, feeding, receiving <3