"Liberation must come from within" -Sandra Cisneros

Today's episode we hear from herbalist Paris Iha. She focuses on herbal allies for, during and after abortion. She also discusses and dismantles perspectives around the distinction made between abortion and miscarriage and offers a little history lesson on the topic through an herbal lens.

Paris: A woman has already made her decision to have an abortion. Regardless of what that decision looks like, we are there to support her. She may be sister, client, friend; certainly she is maiden, mother and crone. And we are in solidarity with her.

Once someone has reached out and we have committed to being in their support sphere, we are with them through it.

(I use the words woman, she, etc. and sometimes gender neutral people get pregnant too, so being pronoun sensitive, but for purposes my personal connection to abortion story I often use woman or she)

A woman's womb is potently aligned with the womb of the earth; Her sacred cycle is the earth's sacred cycle.

"Herbs are a first choice medicine for many women's health problems…I think herbs act in a particularly impressive way on women's health because there is a natural affinity between women and the plant world. Plants spring from the heart of earth; they are nourished by the seasons and whims of Mother Nature. Beautiful, strong, and powerful, herbs are in sympathy with women's spirit… Herbs can also be used to support and nourish the female system when a woman chooses to use allopathic medicine." - Rosemary Gladstar

Paris Rae Iha is a clinical herbalist intern and apprentice, wild-crafter, rock-climber, perennial adventurer, activist and artist.

Herbalism has been Paris' chosen path now for over six years, weaving her passion for healing with just a touch of magic. She believes herbal wisdom to be the birthright of all peoples as it fulfills an intrinsic aspect of human nature—the connection to our wild-ish-ness and the formation of meaningful relationships.

Paris' first encounters with plants as medicine came when she made a choice to shift her lifestyle to embrace lunar rhythms, thus living more closely with her innate cycles and with the earth as a gardener.

This inevitably gestated Paris into the sphere of the healing agency of plants where she discovered something she had been yearning for; a deeper sense of self through the community of plants, our planet, and of the people who tend to them.

In her practice, Paris seeks to guide her clients in formulating and supporting existing wellness goals, finding their allies, and fostering connection to their innate sense of healing. RESOURCES

• http://www.samanthazipporah.com/
• http://www.sisterzeus.com/
• https://jezebel.com/5873380/how-to-help-a-friend-through-an-abortion
• https://exhaleprovoice.org/sites/default/files/ProVoiceCounseling_Abridged.pdf
• www.lightonthepath.earth
• http://hawthornherbclinic.com/herbalist-intern/paris-rae-iha/
• www.herbrally.com/herbalistdirectory/paris-iha