Your April 2026 Love Letter from Ardent Apothecary Take Seriously Your Joy
In thinking what to write today, I meditate on how "behind" I feel. This message was "supposed" to go out this morning. But grace is part of my practice these days, for myself, for community dealing with so many compounding traumas, and for systems in place that are not robust enough to withstand the tests of today's off-kilter world.
Each year Spring can feel like we are running to grab someone's coattails, and in these times where every small thing is tied to a larger thing, we are all a little blustery and scattered, like the blossoms whizzing through the air and blanketing our streets in raucous colors. The news from the homelands is moving and changing so fast we have no time to grieve one loss before another compiles on top of it with no end in sight. Our nervous systems are on high alert, our responses sharpened or numbed out.
Dangling coyly out of my window, Red Flowering Currant announces her majestic arrival over weeks--months even. Each showy fuchsia cluster of blooms unfurls slowly in an organized array of bodacious joyful flirty energy. She shares so many messages as I open myself to her wisdom while her essence dissolves on my tongue during weekly meditation. At night she blooms outside my window guarding my dreams. She brings all the bees (and hummingbirds) to the yard and smells like honey. While her blossoms are easily photographed, her largess is difficult to capture accurately, and so teaches me that a little bit of mystery is strategic in this technologicaI era.
I only make an essence when the plant has been calling me in, chatting me up. I planted this Currant 6 or 7 years ago and this was the first year it occurred to me to work with her in flower essence form. I like to begin a relationship without doing a bunch of prior research. It's kind of like hearing gossip about a person and then when you meet them it's hard not to hear the echoes of those stories coloring your interactions. Does that make sense? So I sat with her for several weeks before doing any online research.
Today she shared two messages, "unconditional love is the answer" and "get your house in order." Last week she shared "take seriously your joy" and "play is important!" What medicine to hear!! Who doesn't want a little structure and permission to play and a reminder to love unconditionally? Thank you Red Flowering Currant! Also that name is a mouthful! Who knows another, maybe more original name for this beauty?
When I researched other practitioners' stories with this plantcestor, resonant tales echoed of her ability to unearth, acknowledge and release fear to make space for joy and confidence. How cool is that?? How many of us continue to struggle with fear based decision making, or rather indecision making? I wouldn't have specifically pinpointed this quality in her, but oddly (or not...the more you keep working with plants) fear has been an emotion I've experienced an abundance of these first months of the year. Fear, anxiety and grief presented strongly enough that I had some serious health issues arise in February and March. I'm feeling way better now thanks to my amazing Chinese Medicine doctor (shout out Melinda Iglesias Wheeler!) and I'm so interested to now learn that Red Flowering Currant was supporting me even before I knew some of the details and specifics of her medicine! What a gift.
I'm hoping to bottle up some of this beauty for you in the coming weeks and she will be my first offering on the website! I'm curious if anyone would be interested in some online or in person plantcestor meditations with seasonal plant offerings? I've been doing it informally with my dear friend Melanie of Waterleaf Farm, but would be happy to formalize some classes if there was some desire from community to do so!
Thanks for reading my April love letter. Feel free to share my work with someone who might need it. My books are open for April, May and June. April 20-21st are pay what you can appointments so don't hesitate to get some care!
It is an honor to offer care in these times and I hope you make your health, the health of your community and the earth a priority this year.
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If you would like to donate to a pay it forward account so I can continue to offer BIMPoC and other marginalized groups low/no cost sessions feel free to make a donation via Venmo @Sarah-Farahat!
In Solidarity-
Sarah