Meet Aubrey Gardner | Medicine Woman & Earth Guardian Goddess

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aubrey Gardner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aubrey, how has your work-life balance changed over time?

This is a beautiful topic and balance is a word that I have cultivated a deep relationship with. We live in a system that encourages us to constantly be working in our summer, always going, and leaving little time for rest. This system can become toxic, we become sick, ungrounded, and depleted. I lived in that system for many many years, we were all raised into it, and at times I can fall back into it. I ended up getting really burnt out and it took me some time to recover and feel whole again. Over the past 2 years, I have deepened my relationship with Mother Earth and Grandmother Moon, and have observed them in all their seasons, and learned that rest is the most important gift we can give ourselves.

Ask yourself, what does balance look like to you? I used to work work work and then rest, and I have found that when I flow with the seasons, the cycles of the moon, and show myself rest when I am on my bleed, that I rise and am re-birthed with this source of chi that allows me to be vast and I can do so much more than the old ways of moving through life. I listen to my body, and ask myself “What would feel most nourishing right now?” My heart responds, “it’s time to go outside and lay on the Earth Mother” or “take a bath and allow the waters to cleanse you”. When I don’t feel well or am feeling too overwhelmed, I step back, slow down, cut back tasks and compost what doesn’t serve me, so that I can heal and feel restored. I have found that living this way is an act of love and it has offered me so much freedom in my life to do what I desire.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

What I am most passionate about is helping people heal themselves through deep connection with Mother Earth. I love designing sacred gardens for people, while also teaching them how to plant seeds and tend to their garden in a way that feeds their spirit and Mother Earth. I’m also deeply passionate about bringing healing to my community through creating food medicine and sharing folk herbal remedies such as teas, herbal potions, sacred smokes, salves, body oils, flower and gem essences, and adaptogenic herbal broths. We used to live in communities and support one another; I am passionate about bringing community together through gatherings around food, teaching how to create Earth medicine, and hosting women’s circles. The plants want to heal us, they’re ancient wise ones and our greatest teachers!

How I got to where I am today has been by praying for what I desire, being grateful for the life I am living, and letting go and trusting that I am 100% supported by the Divine and the Goddess. I began seeing more clearly about 5 years ago when I wasn’t sure where my life was going and I decided to let go and trust the flow, and that is when I found myself awakening, sprouting like a seed that has been dreaming through the winter months. In 2020 is when I found The School of the Sacred Wild, an apprenticeship in Folk Herbalism, Regenerative Gardening, Plant Spirit Medicine, and Holistic Healing, and in August 2022, I received my certification. My garden experience has accumulated over the past 3 years, spending time tending to an herbal medicine garden and many organic food gardens in the local area, while also learning Permaculture and Regenerative gardening principles from my mentor, sister, and director of the School of the Sacred Wild, Marysia Miernowska.

Getting to where I am now hasn’t been easy, I have had many ups and downs, uncertainties, fear of failure, depletion from over working and unhealthy work environments, but this year has been full of trusting and watching my visions unfold. I started my business last year in 2021, but it wasn’t until this year that Sacred Sunflower was truly birthed and is beginning to blossom in ways I couldn’t have imagined. The plants have really supported me over the past two years by grounding me, supporting my mental health, healing my nervous system, teaching me healthy boundaries, showing me how to Mother myself, and helping me see that I am a divine and creative being.

I believe my purpose here is to be a guardian of the Earth and help people to remember that she is our first Mother, she always provides for us and is so generous in Her love. My prayer is that the world may find the beauty in Her and begin to rekindle their relationship with Her. She can heal us, but only if we slow down and listen.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A dear friend is visiting, I am beyond excited to show her around Phoenix. We rise with the sun and bike to A.T. Oasis Tea and Coffee for homemade food served by one of my favorite couples Aisha and Abdul. We then head to the farmers market to get fresh local produce, sweet loving honey from the kindest bee keepers of Beetanical Garden, and handcrafted bread from Noble Bread, they create such delicious bread that is organic and created using ancient techniques. We go explore the diverse world of indoor house plants at Pueblo in downtown Phoenix, grab lunch at the Giving Tree Cafe, a vegan eatery that has a beautiful vibe, is all organic, gluten free, and soy free and everything on their menu is made in house fresh. Plus, they incorporate some herbal medicine in their menu. We also check out a favorite dinner spot in Tempe called Cafe Lalibela. I’d love to take her to one of my favorite herb shops, Desert Sage Herbs in Chandler, where I pick up my herbs to create my blends and medicines, while also chatting with other herbalists in the community. Exploring wild places is at the top of my list of to dos, and the Bureau of Land Management land is people’s land, we have tons here in Arizona and all of it is just gorgeous and worth exploring!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to express my deepest gratitude to my parents who have held me, worked hard to provide for me as small business owners, and have shown me radical love throughout my life; my ancestors for bringing me into this life and who continue to support me even though they aren’t here in the physical realm; my angels and spirit guides for protecting me and Mother Earth for showing me the most unconditional love and returning me to wholeness; my sister, friend, and mentor Marysia Miernowska, director of the School of the Sacred Wild, for teaching me these ancient ways of working with the plants and riding the regenerative cycles of nature; and to my most beloved partner in this life, Samuel Oden, who has always supported me, loves me in all my seasons, and encourages me to live the life I desire.

Website: www.sacredsunflower.com

Instagram: @sacredsunfloweraz

Other: email: sacredsunfloweraz@gmail.com

Image Credits
Credits go to ~ Samuel Klecka (photographs of myself) Barbara Gardner with Cakes by Whisk (photograph of the garden) Myself (photographs of products)