Stephanie's Studio

When I was doing research for my first book  "Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones,"  I came across fascinating documentation of African American tree whispering. Essentially, tree whispering occurs after spending long periods of time with a particular tree and coming to understand its language. Since that time over a decade ago, I've explored the topic more deeply and have incorporated it into my novel. I also dedicated  "A Healing Grove: African Tree Remedies and Rituals for Body and Spirit"  to the magickal possibilities of trees. I get tree whispering at a gut level. Growing up, our home was enveloped by trees and I could see them from across the lake. I had the assistance of trees while practicing dance steps. I did my homework in a special tree, to which I also retreated when necessary. I now live in an urban suburb. Each day, seemingly, more land gets swallowed up by new construction for condos and townhouses. Still, trees and plants have a huge pre...

Today for the letter T, I am writing about my relationship to trees, as part of the A to Z Challenge, by sharing the Preface to my book "A Healing Grove: African Tree Remedies and Rituals for Body and Spirit." Seeing the Forest for the Trees I owe my early camaraderie with the woods to my patience, my willingness to search, and my love of mystery. The trees became my friends after my family moved from an urban suburb near New York to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey. My father’s logic for moving from the city to the country seemed counter-intuitive. Most African Americans had begun the sojourn from the South and rural areas to cities in the early decades of the twentieth century, but in the late 1960's we moved to a rural community in the Delaware Valley . Whereas both sets of my ancestors had lived in Virginia, my father’s people having lived in the original shires of that state since the mid-1700's, our families left those rural communities to seek ...

In a previous blog post, I told you some new developments were in the air but also said they  weren't  resolved. Today I want to share some news of upcoming events that are a cause for celebration. New Book Deal I am so happy to announce my 6th nonfiction book has found a wonderful publisher to call home.  "Mama Nature’s Spiritual Guide to Weight Loss: How Earth Rituals, Goddess Invocations, Incantations, Affirmations and Natural Remedies Enhance Any Weight Loss Plan,”   will be published in late 2014 by Punkin House. Punkin House is an author-centered publishing house that will be moving more into publishing the types of spiritual and metaphysical titles I write. The publisher has a personal business style that includes being approachable while remaining a hands-on business woman. She is also a deeply spiritual Shaman and Yogi. From what I understand, Punkin House picked three authors to work with during this submission season. I am honore...

If you know anything about my books ( A Healing Grove: African Tree Remedies for Body and Spirit ), you will know that I spend a lot of time and thought writing about herbs. As a magical herbalist, I write about the magic, mythology, folklore, and healing properties of herbs. In "A Healing Grove" I dedicated the book to trees so a tree is our point of departure today.  I have decided that on Friday’s I will turn this blog into my Natural Healing Corner. Here I will talk about all the qualities of herbs I love as well as nature’s healers like stones, crystals, water and fire. I am partial to Fridays. Not in a TGIF sort of way but for its connection to the goddesses, particularly Venus.  I call it the Natural Healing Corner because in a conversation with an octogenarian African American woman from the south, she mentioned that they (meaning Black folk) didn’t have doctors when she was growing up; just Natural Healers. Today, I want to focus in on Linden Flower, ...

A couple of years ago, I wrote a book devoted to the healing energy of trees called, “A Healing Grove.” Way before I wrote that book, I created this drawing in situ at the Oak Park Conservatory.  I remember it was to be a gathering of local artists to paint and draw, using the conservatory as an open studio.  It was a cold night outside and it was quite damp, dark and cool inside since we were there after regular hours.  I was a little disorientated at first because of all of the different tree energies and plant life pulsating in the ecosystem themed rooms.  I settled in on the tropical room because it seemed to speak the clearest language. I’ve always loved palms and banana trees as well as other fruit trees.  They give us so much in terms of sustenance, shelter, art and craft materials, spiritual resources for healing, ceremony and ritual. I enjoy using banana papers in my studio, as well as palm waste paper and fig bark pressed into paper.  I have u...