Standing Land Herbalism, is found in reverence and respect for the healing capacity of whole plant therapeutics, the plants themselves, and the possibility for healing inherent in all people.
Susan Staley is a joyful witness to the ways in which plants support her communities and humanity at large. Recognizing this relationship with plants offers us valuable insight into the possibility for transformation and greater health. As a community and clinical herbalist, Susan works to bring people and plants closer together. Her life-long engagement with whole-food nutrition and creative pursuits lead her to Vermont, where in 2008 she began to study and celebrate the ancient art and science of herbal medicine. Susan completed training at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in the practices of Family & Clinical care. She values the environment of the herbal clinic for the safety it offers people to explore more deeply their life’s journey of health and how the plants can meet them on that journey. Susan continues to study and discover the depth of working with plants to support people (and our planet) at this dynamic time on earth. You can find her in both the clinic and the classroom at the Burlington Herb Clinic.
The name 'Standing Land' holds various significance. Primarily it is a powerful reminder that human beings (and plants) are literally composed of the earth in which our two feet find support. We and the earth are one and the same, and yet it is the earth that remains after we are gone. It is of great import to remember this in our daily lives and to give thanks for the nourishment, strength, and healing that this connection affords us. At this time on our planet the areas of wild lands where vibrant ecosystems thrive are rapidly decreasing. 'Standing Land' is an acknowledgment of these wild lands that remain standing around the world, and the smaller gardens and wild spaces that sustain us. Lastly, it is a call and a commitment to standing with and for this land, this earth, that offers us all we need to live.