What is the Wise Woman Tradition?

A name coined by renowned herbalist, Susun Weed, the Wise Woman Tradition describes an ancient wisdom. In her words, “The Wise Woman tradition is invisible. Without healers, without diseases, without cures, without certificates, without guarantees, it exists.”

It is about respect for nature, in all of its forms. It is about embracing simplicity and using what nature has given us to nurture our bodies. It is not about “fixing” anything. It is about honoring our bodies and our whole selves. It is about health as an endless spiral that is constantly changing and requiring our attention.  In the Wise Woman Tradition, we believe that our health is in our own hands.

Susun says, “The Wise Woman tradition maintains that health is best defined as flexibility and that deviations from normal (that is, problems) offer us an opportunity to reintegrate parts of ourselves that we have cast out, emerging healed/wholed/holy. Illness is understood as an integral part of life and self-growth, with healer, patient and nature as co-participants in the healing process…”

“The Wise Woman Tradition reminds us that wellness and illness are not polarities. They are part of the continuum of life. We are constantly renewing ourselves, cell by cell, second by second, every minute of our lives. Problems, by their very nature, can facilitate deep spiritual and symbolic renewal, leading us naturally into expanded, more complete ways of thinking about and experiencing ourselves.

The Wise Woman Tradition encourages us to work towards good health from the inside out. And to remember that our healing choices influence not only ourselves but the entire planet.”