LoriAnn Bird

I seek to bring awareness to the relationship of the living world—to these rhythms and celebrations—that have always existed. We fell asleep and it’s time we wake up to our shared responsibility. We all once were in deep relation to the moon, the stars and water. We recognized that everything was living. We were taught this respect. And it’s towards this remembering that I’ve been in service ever since.

I have been invited to build wild and native gardens with cities and school boards. I teach students, young and old, about our more-than-human kin (our Plant Relatives), their medicines, ther spirit and how to see them as part of our inner ecosystems, as our teachers, and our families. I collaborated with other stewards of Mother Earth and community builders like the David Suzuki Foundation, Provincial Health Association of BC, Village Vancouver and YWCA.

Tending to my own garden along the way, I strive to stay grounded. And in creating workshops, and sharing with others, it taught me that there is a reciprocal relationship to nurture here. And in community, I was able to play with others, who shared that they learned and how their lens changed, and that they equally saw the world just as me: alive.

I am a Indigneous Métis herbalist, educator and I am passionate about life and all its beings. The pages of this book are filled with ancestral teachings. They are the conversations, stories and recipes captured for others to read and discover. None of this information is mine, but gathered, passed along, and presented to you can build your own cultural relationship with our more-than-human-kin. How do we repair our connection and relationship with Mother Earth? How do we get curious about her living creatures and fall back in love with the web of life? How do we move from our mind and sit in our hearts to feel the beauty around us and within us. This gift.