(Photo: Marina Kozrock)
As I was waiting outside Flower Power Herbs and Roots for Lata Chhetri Kennedy, an herbalist at the East Village store, a woman with wild red hair and oversized sunglasses approached me.
“You…” She trailed off, her eyes drawn to the two leather stools in the doorway. “Chair Karma! We have had very good chair karma recently. ” Without missing a beat, she picked up her stool and put it inside.
The flower power walls were filled with rose herbs and teas, herbal extracts and oils, flower essences, local honey, ceremonial herbs, and a library of herbal healing books. Dried flowers, wreaths made by local artisans, strings of lights, and foliage arrangements hang from the ceiling, making you feel like you’ve stepped out of New York City and into a C.S. Lewis store. Ta.
In its early days, Lata’s store was located on East 1st Street. She’s been in this space at 406 East 9th Street for the past 24 years (the store celebrates its opening anniversary this Tuesday, March 6th). During that time, neighboring businesses have come and gone. One of her few stores that hasn’t left the area is her Enchantments occult store. However, the store has changed ownership and storefronts over the past 20 years.
The magic Lata described is different from performance magic. This magic is rooted in occult rituals and theories, and the belief that through a deep spiritual understanding of your higher self, you can transform your surroundings.
Rata went around the wooden counter to the back of the store and rearranged it. She motioned for me to settle down in her one of her two mismatched plush chairs in the center of the room. Perhaps Karma found her two chairs. As we talked, she got up and walked around the store, bending bottles into half-moon shapes. Because, as she said, there are no straight lines in nature.
An herbalist, Rata’s research is based on earthly medicine. She trained with renowned herbalists Robin Rose Bennett, David Hoffman, and Susan Weed. She explained that her lineage of Green Witchery is not derived from Wicca or paganism, but rather from a love and appreciation of the elementals. Flower In her power, she trains her disciples to practice the tradition of the wise men. As Lata explained, this tradition is about connecting with the wise woman within yourself to find empowerment. This deeper understanding of herself is revealed through learning, practicing, and sharing plant-based healing and medicine.
Lata says that when green witches propose remedies, they do so only when they have absolute confidence in their suggestions, and they only dispense wisdom when it is in the best interests of the person they are empowering. He emphasized that. She explained that this allows individuals to take full responsibility for their treatment and allows them to learn and grow from their experiences. She also notes that the FDA does not allow it to be prescribed to anyone or anything. Because they are not doctors, the words they have to use include things like “traditionally used” or “if I had this problem.” We do not provide “suggestions,” “advice,” or “recommendations.”
One of the ways Lata and her disciples help people empower themselves is through nature walks. On these adventures, Lata or one of her apprentices takes groups of adults and children to parks, local gardens, and even East Village glades and discovers what natural weeds and herbs these spaces have. We will show you what is growing and educate you on the following: We will explain which plants are edible and their medicinal properties.
Lata sees her store as a center, a hub, not just for the immediate East Village community, but for the global community. Whether she’s raising money for natural disasters, facilitating lectures on medicinal herbs, or taking kids on herbal walks, she’s reminding us that now, more than ever, we’re connected; It is a physical reminder that our survival on this planet depends on our understanding. Earth. She is known for giving out medicinal herbs without taking her money, fulfilling her life purpose as an herbalist. She recalls that it sometimes made it impossible for her to pay her rent, but a good Samaritan and another Samaritan came to pay the rent and she was able to keep the store open for another month. do.
Many of Lata’s disciples used the knowledge they learned at the shop to create herbal products such as plant-based soaps, botanical perfumes, homemade herbal salves, and shea butter, which are now sold there.
One of these disciples was Amicole Malaesa, who stumbled upon Lata’s store on East 1st Street in the early ’90s. A sign in the window advertised herbal classes: $30 for 6 people. On a whim, Amikore entered the store to find out more. It wasn’t long before she started attending herbal classes with Lata. At one point, Rata was explaining the benefits of nettle (she says it’s rich in calcium, iron, and chlorophyll, and it’s an energy booster), and Amikore decided she wanted to see what this amazing plant was like. Begged. After Rata showed her a picture of the herb, Amikore was surprised to learn that she was quite familiar with it – or so she thought. She always knew it as the itchy weed, the pesky backyard plant she grew up with in Minnesota and her self-proclaimed enemy. Amikore said she swore that from that moment on, she was going to know everything there was to know about plants.
“I think she probably single-handedly transformed the herbal world in New York City,” Amikore said of Lata. “Shops have come and gone…and she has always been there. She has changed the lives of so many people, and in that sense, she certainly has made New York City the It took awareness to a new level.”
After taking several workshops with Lata, Amikore’s thirst for knowledge grew and she became Lata’s first employee at Flower Power. As the years passed, Amikore became immersed in the alchemy of these herbs, and she traveled to Senegal, where she discovered the process of making shea butter. Because of her experience, she decided to explore making her own organic shea butter using her familiar essential oils and herbs. With her Lata’s expertise and her guidance, she founded her own shea butter company and Lata now sells its products in her store. The two maintain a close relationship, and Amikore recently began hosting her own workshops at Flower Power.
“There’s a lot of love in it,” Amikore said of the store. “Everything she’s done to create a space for self-empowerment…that’s what this store means to me: community, love, empowerment, and safety.”
