Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Why I offer the Lady's Slipper Ring Home Study course & Herbal CSM



Marketing is so annoying.

I was talking to my close girlfriend last night and found myself in an honest kind of rant. 

She asked me about my Lady's Slipper Ring.....

"Hey! Your membership is open again for another year!"

"Yep :) it is!", I reply.

"Are you excited, or nervous?" She inquires.

"Both" (of course)

You see, there's a world of fancy marketing plans out there, and many of them are very slick, very savvy, and very effective. 

They are also designed by folks who know all about marketing and get paid to do that with their time, and can tell everyone all about it. 

I raise kids. I harvest plants. I make medicines and oils and fragrant delights - instead  of weaving a string of drip campaigns into your email box every day, laced with this deadline and this incentive and this push and shove. 
I bend time in order to make dinner for my family, and escape soccer practices to get into the woods. I move mountains in order to keep homeschooling my kids, and I try like hell to make sure that every way I choose to spend my time is in alignment with my values. 

Perhaps I should apologize, because I'm not giving you a proper spiel to be properly coaxed and convinced. I don't actually want to sell you something that requires lubrication. 

Perhaps you want more information, or more insight and my lack of big showy buttons and videos make me small and hard to find.

And maybe you just want the truth from the horses mouth, without the airbrushed words and glittery splash pages. Maybe you just want to hear what I really think, and why the Lady's Slipper Ring is what I choose to put out in the world. 

So here it is, black and white:

I offer this work because I've been to hell and back. A few times. I know the fight to remain heart centered.

This is the work, the insight and loving kind of contemplation that got me through my dark nights of the soul.

These are the affirmations I needed when I wanted to throw in the towel. 

Mornings when I wished with all my heart, that I didn't even wake up, the thread of life was held to my heart by the smell of the plants. By the grounding of vetiver and cinnamon on my feet, I was able to walk that hard day. I was able to let the tears fall with a little more compassion. 

I do this work because honesty can set us free, but sometimes the truth is hiding under a pile of shit.

I do this work because I'm in service to the plants - it is my duty to share their sensual, intuitive powers. It's my thank you to them for resuscitating me time after time after time.

It's the Echinacea roots that carried my grief when I could no longer. 

It's the Bloodroot that called me a medicine woman before I could. 

It's the Pine tree that climbed my bones first. 

It's the Oats that sowed me. 

I'm not a doctor, I'm not a psychologist, I'm not a naturopath. 
I'm not a therapist.

I am a woman 
who's been to hell and back
and these are the tools that carry me through
the challenges of being woman, authentically and wholly
beautifully and dynamically
and I want women to 
not only
know these tools, 

but always have a fragrant oil to put on before bed
to have a healing salve in their bag
and feel the support of the plants
in their bodies and lives

and know you are not alone
as you give
and give
and give
to your families, 
your lovers
your communities
your work

it is you that shines greatness and sweetness
and cannot bear fruit without water 
at your feet.

And so I have not spent time and labor on fancy technological email patterns, and perhaps this is a mistake. 
But instead I have gathered primrose and mullein and artemisia for you, for your body, your pleasure, for your health and joy. 
I have climbed trunks for resins so that you may soothe your weary ankles, and collected the tiniest of skullcap flowers from nearly invisible patches of meadow. I splash through swampy frog streams to reach the bluest of the vervain, and balance precariously on the shoulders of my girlfriend in the thick of the forest so that I can reach enough Elder flowers to last the winter. 

And I will continue to fill my baskets with unruly beauty so that you may always know yours ... your beauty, and your basket full with nourishment. 

In service of the Green Goddess that is in all,

Ananda Lakshmi
for the

Lady's Slipper Ring, Pleasure Medicine Membership UPDATE - LSR 2012-2013 is FULL. Please sign up for the newsletter to stay connected.




beauty blessings
xoxo











5 comments:

Unknown said...

You're incredible. And I don't think you need fancy marketing... only yourself and the ground under your bare feet and that uncanny ability you have to communicate what's in your heart freely and truthfully. Thank you for this, Ananda. You're totally right, I think it's why a lot of us do what we do. <3

Cat said...

"Mornings when I wished with all my heart, that I didn't even wake up, the thread of life was held to my heart by the smell of the plants. By the grounding of vetiver and cinnamon on my feet, I was able to walk that hard day. "
This moved me so much Ananda. In my case, those mornings I was pulled onto my feet by the soft coos of a wounded dove who needed me, by multiple pairs of inquisitive brown eyes and hungry bellies ; by traumatized little beings who were slowly coming back to trust and to life under my care - the animals, from the time I was a little girl, alone and afraid, have come to me again and again and rescued ME by simply needing what I could give them; love, awareness, presence, respect. I am now learning from the Green World - but really it is not the means that matters, but the authenticity you bring to your work, and I strive to bring to mine. "To keep everything we do in alignment with out values" - yeah, it's HARD, especially in "business". I was supposed to be a rockstar in my field by now- but oops, I'm just not a "businesswoman". Well, the truth is the world needs more of us who stand true to our vision and bring the world the gift of authenticity and love. You are amazing - all the more so for sharing this entry.So often I feel the need to do similar and I pull back; you inspire me! I would say "I hope you will always be who you are" but the truth is, I know you will. And that, for all of us lucky enough to know you, is a gift.

Ananda said...

Such sweet words, sisters, thank you. What I love and admire so much about our plant medicine community is that we just show up and speak from the heart, and I want to continue that honest tradition as much as possible. And I think mentorship in general is about being whole - all of our polarities - not necessarily a perfect leader type. It's about growth right?
You ladies both inspire me, thank you <3

ChristineMM said...

I love hearing you speak the truth from your heart.

Wanted to let you know the link to buy the memberships
Is a dead link. I tried to use it to read more.

Ananda said...

Hi Christine!

Thanks for the heads up. This post is from September - Lady's Slipper Ring enrollment just finished and I haven't quite sifted through the previous posts for edits yet.

I am happy to send you all the information via email if you desire.
Much love to you and yours. Jay is such a dashing young man now! (Where does time go?)

Ananda