by Beth Lischeron

There comes a time in one’s life when all points converge; the threads grow into a visible body of dancing events and enough accidents of serendipity occur that one begins to recognize both pattern and flow. If one is fortunate and awake one may take part in enough acts of conscious creativity to see there’s more to this process than meets the eye. Call it the fruit factor – lemons (the bad luck that leads to lemonade stands) and bananas (the things Cosmic Coyote tosses around that usually lead us to abrupt transitions, usually onto our backsides).
The fruit factor played a major role in my biggest life transition. After a decade in Japan as a bona fide NHK journalist (moonlighting as ecologist, cultural event organizer, and educator in indigenous traditional ecological knowledge), I was back in BC with some considerable challenges: burnout, single parenthood, and making my way in the Cowichan Valley, with little hope of finding work in my field(s). Lemonade, anyone?

I immersed myself in herbalism, making baby-care products for wee Kate, and working with the late Theresa Thorne, a Cowichan elder steeped in forest knowledge; gradually a line of totally natural products emerged from our native forests and fields. Theresa introduced me to an indigenous mint that became part of Dragon Balm, a rub now used by other Cowichan elders to relieve asthma attacks, and people wanted to know what “the company” was called. My Japanese nickname was Dragonfly (which stuck); my Aboriginal Australian friends taught me about the Dreamtime of creation, et voila Dragonfly Dreaming was born not long after Kate.
The Cowichan Valley has had its share of banana peels of late, largely due to the collapse of the primary resource extraction economy. Four years ago, I introduced the Cowichan Lavender Initiative to (among other things) connect artisans and agritourism. Through lavender, we can protect agricultural land, deepen our growing reputation as Canada’s Provence, and create a community of sustainable, permaculture-based creativity – what I call “slow food, deep beauty, broad art” – and healthy, diverse, economic
growth.
The annual Cowichan Festival of Lavender is part of the initiative; 1,400 people came to our third festival in early July to enjoy the beautiful forest herb farm of Pat and Henri Andersen, partners in the Land Conservancy. Professional artisans and groups like the Buy BC Wild team from the Centre for Non-Timber Resources at Royal Roads University underlined the natural connections and interdependence of forest and field in this rural area. Foodies like James Barber and Bill Jones had suggestions on adding both lavender and wild foods to our cuisine and I have a few cooking scars to prove that I can – and did – make lavender lemonade for the multitudes.
Other Dragonfly Dreaming projects also reflect these multidimensional connections. Along with lavender, I’ll soon be distilling forest products (aka waste) into essential oils and hydrosols. Creating a lavender
demonstration garden on my property is also in the works, integrating wilderness areas, horticultural therapy, and permaculture.
Of course, working with other local organizations and businesses is a vital aspect of the overall plan, co-operatively tackling challenges we couldn’t manage alone to raise each of us to our highest potential. During Shop the Wild we will celebrate wild foods, native plants and florals, First Nations traditions, and arts and crafts. It is truly exciting to be involved in this movement, as I firmly believe that the concept “buy the goods your neighbours help to build/grow/create” will take on more and more weight as petroleum prices rise; it’s one thing at the gas stations, but when it’s factored into transport of goods.
And so, the patterns emerge, the weaving becoming ever more complex and beautiful. My French ancestors used to say, “Il faut reculer pour mieux sauter,” or, “Take a good look around before making a big leap forward.” For me, this leap is grounded in traditional ecological knowledge, entrepreneurism, permaculture, art – possibly driven by an insane level of passion – and a healthy respect for the fruit factor. The recipe seems to be working so far.

Beth Lischeron lives on Vancouver Island. Dragonfly Dreaming was founded in 1996. Past lives include professional actor, writer, event coordinator, narrator, TV news editor, executive director, and pork butcher’s Saturday girl. She now divides her time between parenting and numerous jobs, and is currently breaking in her second distilling unit. Contact Beth through www.dragonflydreaming.com or 250-743-8036. The web site will be updated after the still is broken in.
For more information on Shop the Wild Festival, August 28, Royal Roads University, Victoria, visit www.shopthewild.com or email ntfp@royalroads.ca