HERB CORNER
Spirit, Plants, Animals and the Amazing World of the Patuxent River BY GRANDMOTHER RABIAH NUR
“Wait until you see this place,” my friend Caryl Henry-Alexander said to me. “You are going to love it. I want to introduce you to Fred Tutman. You are really going to like him; you have a lot in common. Fred is the Patuxent Riverkeeper.” As she drove us to the place where my life would change, I was soaking in the beauty of the countryside, listening, feeling, and seeing the bountiful gifts of nature. As a medicine woman of mixed Indige - nous roots (no tribal affiliations), I have used my gifts for over 50 years to connect people with the Earth as the sentient being She is, and with the bounty of other beings who grow from Her being. We were going to be part of a ceremony I was asked to lead at the river. I never imagined this river and its Spirit would have such a pro - found effect on me, which has bonded us deeply and in ways I can only touch on. Patuxent. The name is spoken thousands of times without an awareness by most, I would say. Whose name are we calling when we say it? Is there even a thought to whose name is attached, and not to just the river alone. So many other things bear this name without a thought to the people who once lived along this river — out of sight, out of mind. There is no more tribe, having disappeared long ago, leaving behind their name, Spirit, a few artifacts, and the names of places and a magnificent river as a reminder for those who reflect. So, my journey began. I have been blessed to spend several years at the river leading cer - emonies, healings, and having made friends with those who live there and have been guided to unfold some of the abundant treasures that are freely given when a relationship develops out of mutual respect.
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