Healing with the Flowers

Last summer I had the pleasure of attending and documenting, “Healing with the Flowers” a women’s retreat at Village Acres Farm with Wilding Hope and Plant Family. Village Acres is a multi generational organic farm located in Cuba Mills, PA. Wilding Hope is a flower farm operated within Village Acres, by florist Pheobe Brubaker. Plant Family is a small herbal apothecary shop founded by Sara Rose Bryant. Sara Rose is a local herbalist, body worker and all around magic maker.

We spent the balmy afternoon meandering through the farm land and dipping our feet in Lost Creek while talking of plants, medicine, biodiversity, local ecology and history of the land. Sara Rose led a group yoga class and we harvested medicinal flowers to create herbal vinegar and tinctures. This was followed by an organic and utterly delicious plant based meal and a floral work shop. While we enjoyed designing bouquets in the shelter of the old family barn, the clouds rolled in and Lucy Goosey the single resident fowl alerted us of the impending storm.

Set at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the spirit of Sara Rose and Pheobe’s collaboration was palpable and paid homage to the many women of the land that had come before them. It was whimsical, cathartic and grounding. And, in the midst of the most intense storm of the summer we left feeling like our cup overfloweth (with knowledge and flowers).