Getting what you need...

From Prairie Star blogger, Lisa...

The word “access” seems like a common, everyday, utilitarian kind of word.   Look it up in the dictionary, and you’ll find the following definitions:

• To obtain, examine, retrieve
• A way or means of entering or approaching
• Opportunity or ability to use
• The right to obtain

We prefer this very simple definition,

• Being able to get what you need

As a student of herbalism, I often found myself searching – for information, for fresh herbs, for formulas, for recipes, for photographs, for descriptions of plants, for tools, for books.   Often the answer seemed just beyond my reach.   For me, that journey often took me beyond my comfort zone – to a place where I become as a child, learning to speak, making mistakes, trying, speaking again, and having an occasional breakthrough to a new level of understanding. 

Now, I find that managing my own health and wellness is a similar journey.  As I get older, I encounter new experiences that again take me to a place that I’ve never been before – making me a bit uncomfortable.  Maybe you’ve experienced this too.  Fortunately, it just takes getting connected to a trusty source of information.

Here at Prairie Star, our mission is to provide access to “getting what you need”.  It’s part of our core.  Each of us has our own definition of what we need.  It might be about:

• being able to find that yarrow tincture that you’ve been reading about, or
• attending a material medica class where you learn how to identify and use a local medicinal botanical, or
• going on a prairie herb walk and discovering the land and its traditions, or
• connecting with an herbal practitioner to assist you on your healing journey, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, or
• networking with a community of like-minded individuals who share their knowledge and energy.

While we are manufacturers of herbal products, we encourage people to develop a personal relationship with our lovely medicinal herbs.  We find ourselves connecting with herbalists, including clinical practitioners, growers, and students.  And, more importantly, with an ever-growing group of health-aware individuals who are looking for a more holistic approach than what they are currently receiving in our existing healthcare system. We are proud to be part of a growing and vibrant midwestern herbal community, that is able to support each other's needs.

Our vision at Prairie Star is like a compass that guides us on our journey.  We take very seriously our four directions.  Our belief is that much of what we need to be healthy and thrive is provided by the natural world around us. We eagerly anticipate spring as the season of new beginnings.  For me, it brings the sense of pure joy that I felt as a child, when the world around me became new again.  It is my most favorite season, and I find myself checking my garden every day to see new growth.   I hope that you, too, feel invigorated by the season, and supported by our ever-expanding community.