Today we’d like to introduce you to Laven Marie.
Hi Laven, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The core of my business and my practice in all things is this: As I heal the world I heal myself; As I heal myself I heal the world.
I have been an herbalist for several years, originally learning from my mother who was taught from her grandmother, so part of my practice has been a generational effort. I have fond memories of my mother taking time out of what little freedom she had to teach me about herbs and spices and how they can heal and comfort the body. One that stands out to me was when we were walking on a little side street and she spotted a basil plant growing out of the concrete. she picked the soft green leaves from the top and crushed them in between her fingers for us to smell the bitter and aromatic oils. She told me how its good for settling stomachs and minds.
My mother taught me many skills, not just about herbal medicine, but also textile work such as knitting, sewing and mending, but also less tangible ones like patience and meeting others with grace and compassion. She instilled in me a deep appreciation for handmade things like jewelry, vintage furniture, clothes and all manner of art. She also taught me the importance of social justice. I grew up with a strong sense of justice, and she taught me to use my anger at these injustices to move mountains. To let it motivate me to take care of others and fight for what is important.
More recently I was called to be a death doula to care for friends and family, but it has been something I personally have been immersed in since I was a child. My mother fought cancer for most of my childhood, and the past few years several people I love have died. Some of these have been traumatic, but some of them have been healing and quite revelatory. The difference was preparedness, relationship with community, and holding fast to my values and practicing what matters most to me. I deeply believe in the transformational and deep bonding experience that can come from death and grieving, and I wish to guide others to feel those positive experiences instead of being afraid and avoiding death as much as possible.
Part of my background includes a degree in Biotechnology which gives me a strong skillset to practice and provide thorough research, experimentation and the ability to take critical feedback to learn how to make my medicines and services even better. I also see the value in folk practice and medicine, and the spiritual and religious influences that tie in to physical and mental health. My time in college was challenging, but gratifying as I love learning and being able to collaborate with others who have similar passions.
These days you will find me vending at or enjoying various markets, punk shows, and building community in intentional spaces that focus on social justice, making art, and of course, delicious food!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have faced many struggles throughout my life, and I believe it overall gave me a better perspective to come into my work.
I grew up in a working class household, where as I mentioned before, my mother was battling cancer. My brother and I spent a lot of time wondering if she would survive and sometimes not even being able to see her, or be able to spend time with her. Being auDHD also left me feeling isolated and misunderstood at school, and I found a lot of comfort in the natural world around me. I spent a lot of time walking around outside to talk to the trees and birds, and enjoy the pockets of wild that I could find around my home. As I got older I found myself in unhealthy relationships, unstable home environments and then in my senior year of highschool I moved across the country from Washington state to Florida. It was quite a cultural and environmental shock, but I have really grown to love it here and now spend a lot of time in reserves and nature parks around central florida. While living here I also experienced a traumatic death of a family member, and have moved a couple times out of and back to Florida in the interim (phew!). Despite all of this, I continue to choose kindness, and my resolve is iron strong.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Herbalism and Death work are simultaneously newer and ancient fields of medicine which I find endlessly fascinating. I like to find a blend of the clinical and the spiritual, which lends to a unique perspective that I find to make my products potent and effective. Many scientists and researchers are just now finding scientific proof of concepts and treatments that have been passed down for generations as effective and healing and its exciting to see what else we can find with this new tool of science and collective knowledge to bring even better medicine and health practices to the people. In a broader sense, being able to connect the physical and spiritual worlds is something that I love to share with my clients and friends as there is so much we can learn from both of these spheres of thought. There is knowledge to gain in these research experiments, but also a lot of wisdom from folk medicine as well.
Something I have come to know is that there is no healing without collective healing, and there is no enlightenment without community care. Spiritual and thought leaders who preach individualism as spiritual advancement are failing their followers and peers and forget that there really is no I, only we.
All the art and medicine and services I provide reflect this in a way that feels authentic and real to me. I have never been highly polished, or entirely put together, and my work and I are often unsettling, asking you to look inward and to ask yourself the hard questions. What is real to you? What is worth fighting for? What do you think happens when you die? My goal is to nudge you to go deeper, to find something real that resonates in the core of your being.
I take pride in my flawed presence. There is a certain kind of beauty in imperfection and all that I make reflects that. I’m not perfect, and I don’t expect you to be either. I want you to come as you are, in your pajamas, in your mismatched socks, in your two day old makeup or your ripped shirts, or your loud outspoken voice. I want you to shine as you are, without trying to be something you aren’t. I want you to be remembered and carry out a legacy that is meaningful to you and reflects what you believe, whether you think there’s a higher power or not.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Don’t Network! networking is transactional and superficial. You want to make friends. You want to build community, which means showing up consistently and being there for others, even when it’s inconvenient, even in some sacrifice to your time or energy or both. Talk to people! Even though its awkward and you might be tired or have a headache, just being there and concerned means the world to people. Showing up imperfectly is better than not showing up at all. A lot of times you will find that people will be more compassionate and gracious to you when you are honest, and genuinely try to be there with, and for them.
Don’t know where to start? Find a hobby you like and then go find other people who are doing it. Host a potluck and invite everyone, your friends, your neighbors, even the people you might be hesitant to talk to. Bring your neighbors cookies and ask them for advice. Bring food! people love free food! Even if you only have 10 minutes of free time, put your phone on silent, and talk to someone. ask them what their favorite song is and mean it. ask them why they feel tired or scared or what makes them get up every day. Never let apathy win over your urge to care.
All of these steps are a great way to find a mentor and to find a web of people you can depend on when things get bad. Just make sure you are there when the times get bad for others (when you are able!)
Pricing:
- all my herbal medicines are affordable as possible
- sliding scale prices are available upon request
- trades are also available upon request
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/stonehearth
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stonehearthapothecary/
