“The ancient Athenians had a word for this experience of intangible, non-kinesthetic touching. They called it aesthesis. It is the moment when a soul exchange occurs between a human being and something from the wildness of the world. Always, at the moment of encounter, there is a slight pause as the impact of the other being is felt. Then a sudden, deep breathing-in takes place as the exchange occurs—an inspiration. (The Athenians were very clear that inspiration comes from the world and not from inside the person.)
When we unexpectedly come upon a great rock formation or an elder tree, we feel the presence of something alive and strong and old. Something outside the human. And for a moment we are held in the feeling of that presence…but, at the same time, we are also beheld.
And very quickly, there is that intake of breath, that inspiration. We breathe them into us and they breathe us into them. This is not a river, it does not travel in only one direction. They need us just as we need them. We are all in this together. We are not alone here.
As we travel through these difficult times it is important to remember that. For the wild things of this world are working just as hard as we who care for this Earth are working. They are responding to the alterations in climate, imbalances in Earth functioning, just as we are. What is happening matters to them, too.”
Earth Grief – The Journey Into and Through Ecological Loss, Stephen Harrod Buhner

Like most children, I viewed the world as ensouled. — every “thing” having a personality and a spirit.  I never lost this animistic world view completely.  For more than a decade, I expressed it through the arts in New York City.  Over time, I felt the pull toward immersion in nature, moved to a small island in the Caribbean, where I opened an art gallery and immersed my self in the living ocean every morning and every night.

Life took me to the Hawaiian rainforest, where my husband and I opened an off-grid eco-resort in an old Hawaiian community where animistic practises were daily occurrences.  Plants were ancestors; we danced to honor the volcano and water; no one questioned that nature was to be honored and respected.  This immersion in a living animist community further fleshed out my world view.

I eventually came to live in the Boreal Forest with the intention of recognizing, honoring, and connecting with the spirits of the land where I live through observation, ritual, and action. This intention informs all the decisions I make in my work as an herbalist, an olfactory artist, and in my businesses.

“Esprit de la Nature” grew out of my Husband’s, Sylvain Pilon, and my sustainable living project “Quebec Terre a Terre” located in Quebec, Canada.  For many years, we lived a life of voluntary simplicity off-grid in the forest; cutting wood, carrying water, deeply connected to the cycle of the seasons.  Due to Government regulations, we were eventually forced to leave our small cabin for part of the year.  We still return to the land every spring, to wildcraft in the forest, tend the multitude of fragrant plants in our gardens and welcome people visitors, until we leave again as winter approaches and the road to the land closes out.

Through the years. I have developed my own harvesting rituals and practises that include acknowledgement and reciprocity.  As much as possible, I use organic, local ingredients.  I have formed relationships with other harvesters, makers and importers who share my concerns for in regards to pollution, species extinction and environmental degradation.

I have also spent considerable time thinking about and finding solutions to packaging and packaging waste.  We make origami boxes and packaging, use biodegradable, reusable glass and metal containers; collect plants for natural wadding; reuse cardboard boxes and use natural packing tape.  I have been able to reduced my use of plastic to a few items for which I have not yet found alternatives.  Namely, the dropper lids for my tinctures and the foam inserts inside metal bottle caps.  If you ever come across a solution for these two plastic items, please contact me!