Artemisia & Rue

25/01/2026

First Line of defense defense to stop the closed-circle distress and spin:
1. Fresh plant tincture of Milky Oats
2. The Serenity Prayer
3. A self plant brushing with fresh Basil.🌿

Most of the internal stress we experience comes from what is happening on the inside. This is true.

It’s not to discount difficult life circumstances or even worse.
And there are so many things that happen that we can’t control…

There is freedom to be found in not being able to control everything.

Do you know the Serenity Prayer?

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

It is a huge stress reliever and problem solver.

I am a serenity seeker. I hate how stress feels in my body and even more the discomfort of having my mind running on the hamster wheel. We call it “closed-circle distress”.

When the same stressors or situations get locked inside of you and your mind runs it through your nervous system over and over. During the day and at night when you are trying to fall asleep.

It sucks! But you can quiet it down and get out of the stress loop.

If you take Milky Oats, say the Serenity prayer (often!), and make brushing yourself with Basil a real practice, you can cut the spin and stop the suffering.

I’m sharing this because people are stressed and it is real. I want things to be easier and softer for you.

❤Sending Blessings,
Shelley Torgove, Clinical Herbalist

🌿Life is hard enough on the outside, don’t let the internal spin add more to it.

23/01/2026

I have a fun story of synchronistic happenings to share with you today. It's part of my storytelling to soothe the soul. It reminds me of the magic that happens in life and I hope it makes you smile.

You’ve probably heard me reference the saying, “It’s gotta work in heaven and on earth.” I learned that from my teacher, Rosita Arvigo, and over time, it became more than a phrase. It’s something I come back to when life is hard, because in the difficult seasons I don’t just need what’s practical. I need what steadies my spirit. I need what helps me come back to myself.

This story goes back to 1993, when I was attending herb school at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine, studying Western herbalism and plants of the desert southwest with Michael Moore and Donna Chesner. I had just finished studying herbal medicine in San Francisco. I was 21. And I “just happened” to visit Denver between my studies, where I stumbled upon a book at the Tattered Cover bookstore called Sastun by Rosita Arvigo.

I had no idea that book would shape the course of my life.

I loved it. Everyone loves Sastun. If you haven’t read it, it’s worth reading. But what really stayed with me was the part where Rosita shared the importance of saying prayers while collecting plants, what she called the herb-gatherer’s prayer.

It went something like this, and I’ve adapted it a little over time:

“In the name of God the Father, God the Mother, and the Holy Spirit, in the name of Ix Chel and Kuan Yin, and all the guardians of this circle, I am the one who walks in the mountains seeking the medicines to heal the people. I give thanks to the spirit of these plants, and I have faith with all my heart that this will help in the healing of my clients.”

I started repeating that prayer over and over during our outrageous herbal adventures with Michael Moore. Whether it was learning new plants in the Ozarks, gathering Yellow Pond Lily in the freezing cold lakes in Montana, or wildcrafting in the deserts and canyons of the West, that prayer was with me. It wove its way into my soul and became part of my herbal practice. Eventually, I couldn’t even remember where I had learned it. It had just become ingrained in me.

Years later, I found myself sitting in a large circle in Belize with a group I had brought to study with Rosita. And Rosita began her teaching with the exact words from that prayer, the same ones I had been silently repeating on my herb walks for years.

I was so taken aback that I had to stand up and leave the circle, tears running down my cheeks. How is this even possible? What are the chances?

I still can’t fully explain it, but it happened just like that.

Rosita taught us that we must give thanks to the spirit of the plant before we clip the leaves, dig the root, or gather the berries. Otherwise, the spirit of the plant stays behind, and the plant will only offer physical healing, not spiritual healing. Without the prayer, the plant doesn’t know it has been called in for healing the spirit.

And when I share that, I’m not trying to sound mystical for the sake of it. I mean it in the most real way.

There have been times in my life when I didn’t need more information. I needed comfort. I needed something to hold me when I was scared. I needed something to soften the tight grip in my chest. I needed a way to come back to the part of me that still knew what was true.

This is one of the places plants have met me again and again. Not just as remedies, but as allies.

Sometimes it really is as simple as making a cup of tea and whispering a prayer under my breath. Sometimes it’s stepping outside for five minutes with my feet on the ground. Sometimes it’s the scent of a plant shifting something in me so quickly that I remember I’m not alone.

Spiritual healing with plants has saved me more times than I can count. It’s part of how I stay steady. It’s part of how I listen. It’s part of how I find my way back when the world feels like too much.

So if you’ve been feeling pulled toward the plants, if something in you is craving that kind of connection, I want you to trust it. The plants are not only here to support the body. They are here for the spirit too.

Deep healing of the collective spirit,
❤ Shelley Torgove, Clinical Herbalist

23/01/2026

22/01/2026

Find your cosmic cup of tea and drink a lot of it. What feeds your life force is not negotiable.

I don’t feel “fine” in the middle of this mess. I feel the weight of the world and the pain people are carrying. I’m not someone who unplugs from what’s happening. I tune in. I pay attention. I read. I listen. I stay aware. And honestly, it’s not easy to do that and still feel good in your body.

For me, it requires the equivalent of drinking four cups of nettles for every cup of coffee, just to balance the acidity. But of life. I mean it like that. When the world feels intense, I have to use all my tools. I have to intentionally choose what sustains my spirit.

So I’ve been leaning into writing. Drawing. Going out to buy paints and playing with color. I’m leading my cleanse, so I’m doing that too. I’m staying close to what brings me back.

The world feels intense. Everything is shifting. Plans change. People change. Life keeps stirring the pot. And still, the teachings remain and the medicine of it all is always here.

And I’ll be honest, I’m in a season like that too. There’s a big change on the horizon for me and José. I’m not quite ready to share the details yet because things are still coming together, but it’s happening. And it’s one of those changes that reminds you how alive life really is.

In the middle of all of this, I feel grateful for everything I’ve learned, and for the opportunity to keep sharing what has been so generously shared with me. I keep returning to the plants, to the path, and to the work itself. The work that steadies me and brings me back to what matters.

Lately I’ve been thinking about the power of storytelling as a way of remembering. A way of honoring what’s real. Because when the world feels uncertain, stories help us stay connected to what’s true.

So I’ve been walking down memory lane and reflecting on the moments that shaped me into the herbalist, teacher, and woman I am today. I keep picturing the opening of an organic rose, petal by petal, so we can see what’s really on the inside.

This is me grounding in the truth. Honoring the stories that grew me. And opening space for something new to be born with courage, strength, an open mind, and huge willingness. Change is the name of the game. Grounded change is what I’m after. More stories coming.❤️

22/01/2026

I am having a crazy thought run through my mind that I am going to share. The mind is a real trickster.

I’m coming to Colorado this Summer, June 27-July 12, to teach some community herb classes, lead herb walks, see some clients and BE an herbalist in Colorado.

I have offically been living in Mexico for three years.

AND a big feeling grabbed ahold of me and this was its voice: “what if people don’t even remember me, what if I’ve been gone for so long that they won’t care?”

But I know my Colorado community does care and will be excited. AND I care and am beyond excited!

Now that I got that out of my head, i can move on with my planning. 😎😇

I’ll keep you all posted.

Photos as reminders to self, YES Shelley, you did live and work in Denver for 30 years.

It’s time to go back to plant some seeds and dig some roots. 🌸🌿

08/01/2026

👉🏾 My bet is YES! That YOU are actually ready to learn Maya Abdominal Massage from Maya teachers in the context of Maya culture and how it is currently practiced today by the Yucateco Maya?

👉🏾 Mid-April Sobada Maya Training in the Yucatan.

Join us! With Jose Feliciano Ake Kinil and Marcelina Kinil Cano and Shelley Torgove. 🌸🌿🌟

Pre-retreat opportunity: Bodywork 101 Training for non-massage and bodywork professionals. This means herbalists, doulas, nurses. YOU know who you are. ❤️

A 6-Day Immersion Retreat with José Feliciano Ake Kinil & Shelley Torgove Valladolid, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico April 17–24, 2026