Zlata Baba

Zlata Baba, the Golden Hag of Slavic myth: she is sublime in her embodiment of the terrifying and brilliant aspects of Life. At times, she is the bringer of light in the power of tree splitting lighting, at other times, through subtle shimmer that allows a potent glimpse of subtle forms. Zlata Baba is an oracle. She guides our hand in transforming the skills for survival into artful craft.

Zlata Baba illuminates connections between the human world and the cyclic ways of the natural world. As we receive the benefits of her wisdom, she must be honored with gifts. In this agreement lies one of her biggest teachings- reciprocity and balance. Give and receive, borrow and return, is the aerated flow of Life.

Zlata Baba is the entity I envoke for my herbal practice. She is the guarding and guiding deity of the work I do in the world. She, like many of the other potent feminine figures in the world pantheon, has benevolent and malevolent forms. Her ambiguous nature is much like the play of healing and dis-ease, poison and medicine. Dis-ease is often our profound teacher, and asks us to listen closely to ourselves. Healing is a path that can open us to the suffering of others.