Foraged & Gathered

& Gathered

By Shawn Michael Foley A large part of my witchy practice is communing in nature. More specifically taking note of the plants, trees, & botanicals that are in season around me. As a floral artists & creative energy coach by trade I started foraging years ago to enhance my artistry. My connection between artistry & spirituality through the medium of botanicals grew and is now a staple to my spiritual growth. This past month I was on a garland kick. Wild pecans, acorns, & oak leaves were ever plentiful in my neighborhood where I walk the trails. I’ ve found when it comes to sharing artistry it’ s best to guide by demonstrating.

My 3 Quick tips for foraging: 1- Identify before you harvest Most smartphones now have a built-in plant identification guide. Although it’ s not 100% fool-proof it helps you to identify plants in your area. Make sure what you ’ re harvesting is not protected, endangered, toxic, or rare in

your area. 2- Only take what you need Only take what you need and never more than 1/3 of what is growing. You want to leave some for others and for local wildlife that may rely on what you ’ re harvesting. This also ensures the plants will have enough left to repopulate themselves. Some species are very slow growing and over harvesting can end up wiping them out. 3- Gratitude Always thank the plants, earth, & nature (or any guides, deities, etc. you work with) for your harvest to honor the energy of nature ’ s life cycle.

Wild Pecans

I love how much natural variation wild pecan shells have. I harvest these as they fall naturally from the tree (or the squirrels discard them) and gather them throughout late summer and autumn.

How to make a Pecan Garland video

How to make an Acorn Garland video

How to make an Oak Leaves Garland video

There are so many different types of acorns out there and I like to mix them up when making garlands. Acorns can be uncooperative with sitting still while drilling them. Be very careful and take your time so you don't injure yourself.

This technique works well with both fresh oak leaves & preserved. I collect oak leaves after a windy day. The wind helps knock down old branches & clusters of leaves. Let nature do the hard work for you. When using fresh leaves let them air dry for a few days in a dry place (I use my patio or garage) before working with them. I drilled them to make "beads" and worked them into garlands.

Acorns

Oak Leaves

Chestnuts

I will confess I purchased a bag of these at the grocery store about a year ago and completely forgot they were in my pantry. I found them and noticed they were about half the weight they were when I got them whereas they had dried out. Instead of discarding them I decided to make garlands with them to have on hand for my next art piece!

How to make a Chestnut Garland video

Shawn is the founder of Fleurvana+ & Fleurvana Interactive Magazine and is well known for his Human Form Project, an anthology showcasing unique and sensual floral designs enhancing the natural beauty of the human body.By fusing his floral design background and his Reiki Master Teacher training, Shawn created his coaching platform Fleurvana. He also teaches retreats & workshops on enhancing design skills, developing, and expressing signature design styles.