Foraging adventures: Sweet Gale.

Back in June 2022 we ventured out into the wild ranges of our homeland. here is a little recap and some snippets from our adventure.

Our friend Dieteke recently came back from a vision quest in Scotland. After munching up her stories and homemade scones we especially connected over the topic of rekindling our connection to local/native plants. Because as grateful as we feel towards the teachers that have guided us across cultural barriers, we are currently on a quest to retrieve our own culture heritage. With this common interest we decided to go out together. With Dieteke as our guide, the three of us went out on a foraging quest. She wanted to introduce us to ‘’Mycelia Gale’’, also know as ‘’Sweet Gale’’, ‘’Bog Myrtle’’ or ‘’Wilde Gagel’’ in dutch. This native plant has a number of traditional uses - practical and spiritual - in northern and western Europe culture, like the olden usage of the herb for brewing beer without the needs for hops.

After conquering the swamp-like wetlands (which is her favorite habit to grow in) we were welcomed with her incredible sweet aromatics. Before taking a few branches of the bush with us, we took some time to connect with the plant itself. I find it inspiring to see how each one of us does this in their own way; As I was guided by a dragonfly (my spirit animal) to a gagel bush, Sjir sat down in the high grass to have his moment with mama nature, all while in the distance Dieteke was wandering around, singing her songs. Once we felt it was time, Sjir and I sprinkled some bits of the love.bound bundle between the branches of the gagel bush as an offering. Thanking nature for her medicine, wisdom and beauty. Which brings us to one of our rules when going wild foraging— We thank before we take.

Unfortunately Gale has declined sharply in our country, mainly due to drainage, desiccation and loss of habitat. So if you ever come across this plant friend and want to work with her, always make sure you ask the plant for permission and don’t over-harvest. Overall this day was another experience I collected that made the vision of love.bound even more clear. I am excited to venture on and deepen my understanding of my ancestors so we can keep sharing these plant experiences and aiding others in finding their place in nature through the plants

In love,

luka.

✺ Blog cover art is by: Alysa Adkins