Ancestral Plant Medicine & Atava Garcia Swiecicki
**Events may have been canceled or postponed. Please contact the venue to confirm the event.
Date & Time
Sat, Apr 01 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Address (map)
302 W Matilija St
Join us at 5:30 pm on Saturday, April 1st as we kick off our 2023 event series with Atava Garcia Swiecicki. Atava is a healer, educator, and the author of The Curanderx Toolkit: Reclaiming Ancestral Latinx Plant Medicine and Rituals for Healing… available for purchase now at Bart’s!
This book will help anyone who has lost connection with their ancestors begin to incorporate the herbal wisdom and holistic wellness of curanderismo into their lives. Arranging ofrendas. Brewing pericón into a healing tea. Releasing traumas through baños and limpias. In this book, readers will learn the Indigenous, African, and European roots of curanderismo. Atava shares her personal journey as a healer and those of thirteen other inspirational curanderas serving their communities. She offers readers the tools to begin their own healing—for themselves, for their relationship with the earth, and for the people.
Atava Garcia Swiecicki is guided by her dreams and her Mexican, Polish, Hungarian, and Diné ancestors. She received a BA in feminist studies from Stanford University and a master’s degree from the Indigenous Mind Program at Naropa University in Oakland. Atava has studied healing arts extensively for over thirty years and has been mentored by herbalists, curanderas, and traditional knowledge keepers. She works as a clinical herbalist and teacher. She is the founder of the Ancestral Apothecary School of Herbal, Folk, and Indigenous Medicine on Ohlone territory in Oakland, and she currently lives in Tewa Pueblo territory in Albuquerque.
Bart’s Books is the world’s largest outdoor bookstore, serving the Ojai community since 1964. We believe that there is a book for everyone and that reading is the catalyst for a connection among passionate people. Bart’s hosts a collection of over 130,000 used and new books, ranging from rare out-of-print gems to well-loved paperbacks. Our curated event series brings authors to our courtyard for engaging discussions, author talks, and readings. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on our courtyard event offerings here!