When she was 7 months pregnant, Amy Mea Woodruff's best friend was murdered by a stranger in her home. Amy speaks about this experience publicly for the first time, sharing the alternative grieving pathway she quickly carved out for herself as she sought to nurture and protect the life growing inside of her while simultaneously mourning the loss of her beloved soul sister.

Experiences from her past that had grounded Amy deeply into herself were an anchor throughout this process, including the conscious use of psychedelics and a longstanding practice of learning about and connecting with her ancestors.

Amy (aka Daughter of the Sun) is a mother, craftswoman, land steward, budding flower farmer, and the founder and organizer of the Spirit Weavers Gathering.

In the Intro:

My experience with Spirit Weavers (from skeptic to enthusiast)

My first psychedelic experience

In the Interview:

Amy (Mea)'s two (& more!) names

Claiming your lineage and invoking your ancestors by speaking their names aloud

Amy shares the story of her best friend Cheree's murder and her grieving and healing process

My and Amy's journeys with forgiving the people who caused the deaths of our loved ones

Diving deep with Amanita muscaria & the time/space collapse (we also each speak about our relationship with cannabis)

Naming the land that raised us and listening to indigenous women

Amy's feral childhood, Choctaw & Cherokee ancestors, and the wild foodways she grew up with

The challenges and rewards of founding and running the Spirit Weavers Gathering

Stewarding land and listening to nature

LINKS:

Amy's blog post expanding on this conversation and sharing photos of Cheree and of her ancestors

The Spirit Weavers Gathering

Alela Diane

Hawane Rios talk

Lyla June on the For the Wild podcast- On Resistance and Forgiveness in the Final Years of Patriarchy

Stay on the Spirit Weavers land in Southern Oregon via HipCamp

Music by Mariee Siou (from the song Wild Eyes)

Mythic Medicinals herbals

Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy?

Medicine Stories Facebook Group

Medicine Stories Patreon