Seasonal Wisdom- Autumn & Gratitude

It is not just this culture that celebrates this season by offering gratitude. Cultures around the world have felt the pull to show respect for abundance, for life, and also death as part of the great cycle.

Autumn is a transitional time between summer, the season of abundance and winter, the season of scarcity.  It is a time when we gather, store, take stock of all that we have harvested. And as the leaves fall, the air becomes crisp and everything around us becomes lighter, dryer and retreats inward, human beings have no choice but to acknowledge death as a necessary precursor to new life.

Many traditions, from Hindi to Jewish to Celtic, consider this time to be the beginning of a new cycle, a new year. Offering gratitude not only for the harvest, but also for ancestors and those who came before is also a common theme. In Mexico and Latin America the Dia de los Muertos honors loved ones who have passed. In Korea the festival of Chuseok celebrates abundance of the harvest as well as the ancestors and is marked by gathering with family, thanksgiving and prayer.

It’s a natural to be reminded by the change in season that loss is a part of life, which helps us to stay grateful for what we have.

I would like to offer personal gratitude for the plants, who continuously offer their sustenance and medicine. I’m also so grateful to our employees at Tonic who work hard to keep us going and make our store a warm & inviting space. And for our ancestors, both familial and the collective ancestors. To all of the people, plants and animals who paved the way for us to be here now, including the indigenous people of this region, the Massawomeck, who inhabited these lands prior to the arrival of my ancestors, and who are an important part of our collective history.

And finally, to our customers, for your continued support for the past 6 1/2 years. Thank you for choosing to support us over Amazon, Walgreens or Vitacost. Thank you for giving us such encouraging feedback on our products & drinks. Thank you for valuing your own health and wellbeing, and for turning to the plants for balance.

To show our gratitude, we are offering
15% off all retail products & bulk herbs this Friday (Black Friday/Native American Heritage Day) & Saturday (Small Business Saturday)
Stop in for complimentary mulled cider and a storewide savingsFor those of you who are not local, you can also get
15% off all products on our online store

Use Coupon Code GRATITUDE15 at checkout

---

Coming in February: Community Wellness Council

In partnership with Sacred Garden School of Herbalism, Tonic is the host of a new low-cost Community Wellness Council.Beginning February 17th, the council will meet above Tonic Herb Shop on Fridays with the goal of providing safe, effective & affordable herbal care for individuals in our community through in person consultations to discuss the client’s health concerns. The council is part of the Sacred Garden School’s advanced herbal training program. Students and an instructor collaborate to conduct the interview and to come up with customized herbal recommendations tailored to the individual’s needs.

If you are interested in being a client, you can learn more about the program here:
https://tonicherbshop.com/wellness-council/

If you are interested in being a student, you can learn more about Sacred Garden School’s herbal programs here:
www.sacredgardenschool.com