radical self-care: a doula’s guide to herbalism
rochelle jamila is a doula, movement artist, and energy worker from tennessee and the mississippi delta. we first connected while we were both residents at earth arts center in brooklyn, ny a few years back. we’ve recently come together in shared dreams of healing cooperation and land liberation.
i’m very grateful for our vision collision and all that we have brewing. but first up, beginning wednesday, july 1 and running for three consecutive weeks, rochelle will be holding a course on using herbalism for self-care.
describe your vision for Black futures
My vision for the Black futures/ the Afro-future is one where we are healing and liberated with the Earth. I envision a future where we cooperatively live in harmony with the Earth and have joy each day. I envision a future based on abundance rather than the scarcity capitalism has taught us. I envision a future where my children and their children are free.
what is your objective as a healer and artist
My objective as a healer is to support others as they remember their divinity and their connection with Nature. Remembering who we are, undoing capitalist programming is a necessary step towards liberation.
talk to me about the point at which dance, birthwork, herbalism and reiki meet
For me everything I do ties back to Nature and is a conduit for bringing us home to the spirit of Nature. In the most practical way plant medicine nourishes our physical bodies so that we can be grounded and steady. It also nourishes the spirit and teaches a deep reverence for nature, because we learn that Nature can heal. I view dance as an ancient technology where we tap into the energies of the Earth for expression. It’s a kind of energy work, just like Reiki. Movement transmutes, morphs, and shifts energy in and around our bodies. When we dance together, we can shift our collective vibrations. Birthwork is the beginning of it all. Birth is the most sacred space. Birthwork is so important because it is a moment where many women and birthing people can experience our divine power. Our bodies are capable of this incredible feat of creating and sustaining life. Birthing people are the embodiment of mother nature.
what does self-care look like for you?
Self care looks like slowing down and listening to oneself. Self-care means deeply nourishing our bodies and spirits. Feeding ourselves, touching ourselves, resting, looking inward. Pouring into ourselves so that we can show up for our loved ones and communities.
i’m curious to know your thoughts on the spirituality of womb healing — i’m thinking about patriarchal trauma and the way we hold generations of wounding in our wombs; what ailments can this manifest as, what comes of healing besides physical relief…
So many thoughts. We (womb owners) are taught to be ashamed of our wombs and reproductive bodies from the earliest age. We are taught to fear or resent our blood and birth. Pause and ask yourself your first exposure to birth. Was it a tv show with a screaming pained woman? We are conditioned to apologize and feel embarrassed for having a cycle. We are taught to be utterly terrified of the possibility of pregnancy and birth. So I think the first step in embracing our divine feminine power is embracing the womb energy. The womb is this fertile creative center. We must learn to embrace and love our cycles. Our emotions towards our cycles often manifest as physical ailments. I believe that PMS is way too common because in our patriarchal society bleeding people are not encouraged to live in harmony with our moon cycles. On the other side, when we love on our wombs and do the work to harness the womb and root chakra energies, we can heal wounds going back many generations. By listening to and healing our cycles we begin to walk in deeper alignment with our ancestors, our purposes, and harness our divine power.
who are you intending to serve in your practice?
My work centers Black and Indigenous people and bleeding/ birthing people, but I serve all those who have been marginalized and maligned by capitalism, hetero-patriarchy, and white supremacy. Honestly that’s everyone. Everyone has been wounded on a spirit level by these systems. Any and every person can benefit from plant medicine, energy healing, dance, and womb work, but some people are more ready to do this work than others. I am here to support those people. We (Black & Indigenous and birthing/bleeding people) are my priority because so many of our traditions were stolen or repressed. Reminding us of the magic within is very important to me. The powers that be benefit from us not remembering.
who or what inspires you?
I am always and forever inspired by other Black women and femmes. I am inspired by my mother and my Nana. I am inspired by the resilience and love found in my hometown of Memphis and the Mississippi Delta. Some of the Black writers who have illuminated my path are bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Octavia Butler, Malidoma Some, and Luisah Teish. I am inspired by fellow healing practitioners who are diving deep into the waters of our ancestral wisdom. Finally, I am inspired by the many teachers/ sisters/ friends who are constantly teaching me. There are too many to name but they know who they are.
“caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” — audre lorde
