death & grief queer meet-up: herbalism for tending grief

"Though they're dry and in jars, the plants whisper even so reminding me, reminding us… We are not alone, not now, or ever." -Rosemary Gladstar

the holidays are an especially tender time for grief. join us Saturday November 22nd from 12:30-2:30pm at Pachamama5453 for an afternoon of herbalism that supports tending to and caring for the ways that our grief shows up.

herbalism is the practice of being in relationship with plants as medicine and allies; embracing our roots as humans in reciprocity with the land. during this interactive workshop we'll learn about the herbs who ease our nervous systems and soften the edges of our grief. this is a great introductory activity for folks who are interested in just getting started or have dabbled. we'd also love to welcome herbalist and folks who have established relationships with herbs to share! herbalism offers tenderness to our wounds and invites us the space to pause, rest, breath and embody. sharing herbalism won't be to fix or resolve our grief but to discover how plants can support us and our loved ones through softening, slowing down, filling our cups, and making new herbal allies!

we'll be collaborating with special guests and beloved friends, Alejandra and Andrea of Four Directions Cuisine, 5453 Pachamama Indigenious food science, and The Rooted Andina, who are so generously providing a beautiful place for us to gather.

Chef Andrea is also offering delicious blue corn cookie packs to pre-order and pick up at the event!

Pre-Order includes a 6 pack of blue corn sugar cookies (gf). place your order with sky at [email protected] now through Nov 20th. Available for pick up during our meet-up.

about our special guests:

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” - Audre Lorde

Alejandra (Tobar Alatriz) (she/her) is a queer, immigrant storyteller, healing justice practitioner and entrepreneur. In 2014, she co-founded the People’s Movement Center which met its sunset in 2019 and was a healing justice space centering BIPOC and LGBTQ bodies in South Minneapolis, MN. She is the founder and Director of United Bodyworkers and Artists studio, recently based in St. Paul, MN and is now in virtual and pop-up existence and held with Sun Yung Shin and Sara Wernick Schonwald. She was recently a board member (as well as founding collective member) of Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center and a founding cooperative member with The Fields at Rootsprings, the only Black, Indigenous, People of Color-run retreat center in Minnesota. Alejandra brings 20+ years experience in creative place-making, performance, organizational development, facilitation and training with communities across the country.

(Tobar Alatriz) descends from people of Chile and Mexico and has been deeply influenced for the folks living on the unceded traditional territories of the Dakota people, also referred to as the Twin Cities, Minnesota. She currently lives near the front range of the Rockies, Colorado.

Find more at: https://immigrantalejandra.com/

Chef Andrea Condes is an Andean chef from Venezuela. Adopted by US Americans, she spent 29 years in the US disconnected from her Indigenous culture. While living in Wisconsin, Andrea started to reconnect with Native Indigenous cultures through food. She visited and learned from knowledge keepers within Oneida Nation and left with new relatives who included her in their community.

This education has continued over the years and helped to shape the education garden, Pachamama5453. Co-founded with Alejandra (Tobar Alatriz) in Arvada, Colorado, the duo hosts an array of educational classes and workshops for youth, families and adults in the area of Indigenous sciences. Their most recent collaboration with Anythink Libraries was a workshop designed for families where participants learned how to start their own window sill herb garden utilizing repurposed household items such as milk jugs or egg crates. This also doubled as a lesson in diverting waste from landfills to lower individual and household waste putting in an effort to reduce stress on the global environment.

As an entrepreneur, Andrea translates her experiences into food menus, educational workshops, speeches, and even a self published book, on a mission to keep traditional stories and knowledge alive without the colonial lens. Four Directions Cuisine is in its eighth year of business in Colorado, continuing to grow and make an impact in both local and national communities. Our four main business pillars are sourcing Indigenously, sourcing locally, education, and community work.

Four Directions Cuisine: Providing culturally grounded catering, private chef and education services. more at https://fourdirectionscuisine.com.

The Rooted Andina + Pachamama5453: Elevating Native Indigenous culture through food and education. Our mission is to create a full cycle system on one plot of land as a way to exhibit Indigenous sciences, agriculture and foodways as well as facilitate cultural education through immersive food experiences and workshops.

IG: @fourdirectionscuisineWork Highlight: Fall menu and educational events available for booking (lunch+learn, cooking demo, cultural education)

about the host: sky (they/them) is a queer disabled community organizer, video editor, herbalist, farm hand, hospice volunteer, handpoke tattooer, and death educator with ancestors of european and afro-indigenous backgrounds. their intention for death & grief queer meet-up is to bring those moving through grief together, normalize conversations of death & grief, and offer resources to queer community. sky's education in herbalisim is certified with the colorado school of clinical herbalism and continued education with sacred vibes apothecary and bones bugs and botany. with over 400 hours of herbalism education outside of their independent study, sky’s focus is crafting custom supportive tea blends for queer & trans community. sky has had the privilege of completing programs in other healing modalities including vinyasa yoga, loving-kindness meditation, and flower essences. In relationship with mahayana buddhism, sky deeply believes in cultivating spaces from a foundation of compassion with trauma informed, anti-oppression values and embodied practices. connect about a custom tea blend at [email protected]

what to bring:

• a cup
• something to write in and with
• layers & blankets
• a mask

COVID-19 - please test for covid prior to the meet-up. please wear a mask. since we'll be trying teas together, we'll need to take our masks off at certain points; so it's important to test negative to protect each other. please stay home and take care if you're feeling any symptoms of sickness. please don't come if you are testing positive, even if you're not showing symtoms. let's keep each other safe.

date & time: saturday november 22nd, 12:30-2:30pm

tickets: tickets are sliding scale from $5-25. funds go towards bulk herbs and the generous support of our special guests for food and supplies.

tickets are free for those who identify as BIPOC, PoGM, SWANA, AANHPI, & Melanated.

no one will be turned away for lack of funds, if ticket pricing is an obstacle please reach out to sky for a free ticket at [email protected].

*updates like address will be sent to the email you register with.

location: Pachamama5453, Arvada, CO

carpools can be arranged! please reach out if you'd like to attend but need a ride.

accessibility: please reach out if we can meet any accessiblity needs.

physical space:

The land has been sectioned out into three plots:

Front: Indigenous science education – Pachamama5453

Center: The house

Back: The Rooted Andina – outdoor gathering space

• there's a driveway leading to the backyard
• there's one step up to the patio
• there are 2 bathrooms
• there's one step leading into the home for bathroom access
• we will be inside outdoor tents
• there will be space heaters
• there will be dogs in the home

lighting:

outdoor lighting will depend on weather.

sound:

mid volume with chatting

parking:

• free parking along the residential streets of the neighborhood

COVID-19:

• negative covid test is required
• masks are required but we will need to take them off from time to time
• we'll have some tests and masks courtesy of COVID Safe Colorado if needed.
• if you’re feeling unwell, have symptoms, and/or test positive this time, please stay home and take care. we’ll have more opportunities for you to join us in the future!
• reach out if you test positive and need resources.

ASL:

• we don’t plan to have ASL interpretation at this meet-up but please reach out if this will make it accessible for you.

supports: bring what you need to be comfortable! sunglasses, ear plugs, fidget toys, comfort items, etc. are all welcome.

Medic*tion: medicine is important to bring if you have any food or environmental allergies or sensitivites.

please be prepared to mask (unless you have a disablility that prevents you from doing so) and take a covid test for this gathering. some masks and tests will be provided. feel free to reach out with any additional accessibility needs or concerns at [email protected].

about death & grief queer meet-up: it's our intention to provide cozy spaces for trans & queer community to gather in mutual grief. we focus on a variety of themes and activities each month to explore what community grieving can look like. while we’re not a support group, our intention is to build community, learn new ways to express and understand our grief, and cultivate joy while de-stigmatizing conversations of death, grief, & beyond. if grief circles are new to you this is a great place to start. folks can share as much or little as they want, no expectations. we’ll absolutely be supporting each other but this isn’t a support group. we don’t have therapists or social workers monitoring or mediating. we don’t provide solutions or advice to grief. rather, we gather to listen, make space to share, and practice being in mutual grief together while making friends, building community, and finding ways to express our grief without “fixing” or changing feelings.find

Info: we'll start by getting familiar with the land with Alejandra who will introduce us with a tour and show us how to pick our own herbs for tea.

Info: sky will show us how to make medicinal strength water infusions (teas) and share an educational presentation about nervines (herbs for the nervous system). we'll take some notes, pass around dried herbs to smell, and sip the herbal infusions we picked from the land.

Info: we'll break into groups to try some different infusions while recording our experiences. be ready to taste a range of intensely bitter and delightful herbs!

Info: after trying some teas we'll come back together to share our discoveries.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Pachamama5453, address sent with sign up, Arvada, United States

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