<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><p align="left"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Dear Sacred
Succulents supporter,</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">It has been a<i> very</i> wet year so far in northern California. Last week we had a short sunlit respite from the rain... now we're back
to torrential downpours and sleet! Those few sunny days
and spring was flaunting her fecundity with abundant blossoms of
almond, cherry, plum and narcissus. In the greenhouse, the
neotropical Ericaceae are beginning to unabashedly burst with
big bouquets of libidinous blossoms -- some of these
hummingbird-beguilers actually spurt nectar from their tubular
tips and puffs of pollen when the stigma is caressed! <br>
</font></span></p>
<p align="left"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We greatly appreciate the
patience of all of you who placed retail orders during our
hiatus these past several months. </span>In a couple weeks,
we will<i> temporarily</i> resume shipping retail orders. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Please read below for details.</i> </span>You
must mail your payment by April 10 for an order to ship this
spring. <br>
</span></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><font color="#800040">This winter has
been difficult.</font></b> Since the new year, we've been repeatedly
battered by large storms -- high winds, torrential rain, sleet
& hail, even freak snow, along with numerous power outages
lasting from 1 to 5 days. The storms damaged several nursery
structures, the deluge repeatedly washed out segments of our
driveway and parts of the nursery. For a couple days in
mid-March, half of our lower garden and the adjacent portion of
the nursery had a few inches of water<i> flowing</i> through.
In-between the storms we've had unseasonal warm & sunny
days, </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">with temperatures in the </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">60s
& 70s </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;">(</span></span></span><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;">° F</span></span>),</span></span> and frequent
freezing nights as cold as</span><span style="font-weight:
normal;"> 18</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">° F</span></span>. Such
capricious weather has caused a great deal of damage to our
plants -- the high humidity in the greenhouses </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">resulted in mold & rot issues
with some succulents, while we lost assorted leafy plants due to
the drying heat of </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">unseasonable </span>sun </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">unexpectedly
warming the greenhouses to over 80</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">° F</span></span>!</span>
Outside, the <i>Trichocereus</i> cacti have taken an irregular
amount of damage from the erratic climatic extremes.
Inexplicably, species which have historically been the hardiest
for us (<i>T. terscheckii, pasacana</i>, & the clumping
species and hybrids) have been among the hardest hit. Injuries
are still showing up on plants and we likely won't know the full
extent of the damage until late spring. In addition to all this,
it has been the worst cold & flu season we have <i>ever</i>
experienced -- since autumn, </span><span style="font-weight:
normal;">my daughters have brought some malady home from school
to share with the family </span><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>at least</i> once
or twice a month.</span> <br>
The absurd vicissitudes these past months have frustrated my
attempts to </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight:
normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">update the
website & catalog and have</span></span></span>
severely interrupted my usual winter propagation work, seed
cleaning and sowing. Efforts to finally </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">complete the nursery renovations
have</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> also been greatly effected</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span> -- in fact the storms
have necessitated <i>additional</i> renovations. With the
heroic help of my colleague, Matt Magee, we were able to
accomplish <i>some</i> work: in the big greenhouse we removed
the last significant 30' section of decrepit wooden benches and
rebuilt a metal one in their place, complete with a new 8'
propagation chamber on one end. We also constructed a new 25'
shade structure to replace one that was blown down in January. <br>
We are truly grateful for all the rain, the aquifers and creeks
are fully replenished for the first time in years! But we hope
that the last of the extreme seasonal weather will soon be behind us so we
can clean up from the storms, recommence renovations, and
finally get back to plant propagation.</span></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><b><font color="#800040">All of these
intractable events have had a real impact on our plans for the
year and the </font></b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><font color="#800040">availability of many plants.</font></b>
We had planned to fully resume retail operations this spring...
but alas, <font color="#800040"><b>circumstances demand that we once again limit retail
sales and shipping</b>.</font> Therefore, <font color="#800040"><b>if you want an order to ship this
spring, then payment must be </b><b><i>postmarked</i></b><b> by April 10</b>.</font> On
April 15 we will <i>commence</i> shipping the orders placed
between last autumn and April 10, starting with the oldest
orders first and working chronologically forward. There is
already a significant backlog of orders for us to work through,
so </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b><font color="#800040">please understand that an order
placed between now and April 10 is not likely to ship until
mid-May, <i>at the earliest</i>.</font></b> Retail orders placed after
April 10 will not ship until this summer.<br>
</span></font></p>
<p align="left"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font face="times new roman, serif"><b style=""><u style=""><font size="3" color="#990000">2023
Shipping Schedule* for Retail Catalog Orders</font></u></b><font size="3"> (see
the top of our <a href="http://www.sacredsucculents.com">homepage</a> for catalog PDFs)</font><br>
<br>
<b style="font-size: medium;"><u>Winter & Spring</u></b><font size="3">: All retail orders </font><i style="font-size: medium;">postmarked</i>
<i style="font-size: medium;">by</i><font size="3"> April 10 </font><b style="font-size: medium;"><font color="#800040">will <i>commence</i> shipping April 15 <i>in
the order they are received</i>.</font></b><br>
<u style="font-size: medium;"><b>Spring & Summer</b></u><font size="3">: Retail orders postmarked </font><i style="font-size: medium;">after</i><font size="3">
April 10 will </font><i style="font-size: medium;">begin</i><font size="3"> shipping in the order received around
June 19. The full summer schedule to be announced.</font><br>
<u style="font-size: medium;"><b>Autumn & Winter</b></u><font size="3">: Schedule to be announced.</font><br>
<br>
<font color="#800040" style="font-size: medium;"><b>*</b><b>The exception</b></font><font size="3"> to this limited shipping schedule
for the year is: </font><font color="#741b47"><i style="font-size: medium;">books, Specimen List Plants</i><font size="3" style="">, and </font><i style="font-size: medium;">Auction Plants</i><font size="3" style="">—</font></font><font color="#800040" style="font-size: medium;">these orders we will
continue to ship throughout the year as they are received.</font></font></span></p>
<p align="left"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height:
150%;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Our <font color="#800040"><b>Specimen Plant List</b> </font>is
finally updated, this is posted halfway down the
homepage: </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="line-height:
150%;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><a href="http://www.sacredsucculents.com/" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">http://www.sacredsucculents.com</a> Our plans for an Plant Auction in March
were delayed by the turbulent weather and plant
casualties. With a little luck, we'll organize a
small auction in April -- stay tuned.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I greatly
appreciate your understanding, patience and support through
these latest challenges! </span><br>
</font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></font></p>
<p><b><font color="#008000" size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><u>Other news</u>:</font></b></p>
<p><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">For several years I've been contributing plants to Steve White
and Jill Pflugheber's<i> </i>fascinating scientific art project,
<i><a href="https://www.microcosmssacredplants.org"><font color="#0000ff"><b>Microcosms</b></font></a></i>
-- wondrous images of American sacred plants produced through
confocal microscopy. They recently asked 50 artists and
researchers to share their thoughts on the project, you can <font color="#741b47"><b>read
the short piece I wrote for them</b></font>: <a href="https://www.microcosmssacredplants.org/commentary/ben-kamm/"><font color="#0000ff">https://www.microcosmssacredplants.org/commentary/ben-kamm/</font></a><br>
Peruse the comments of other colleagues such as Neil Logan, Manolo
Torres, Dennis McKenna, Luis Eduardo Luna, etc.: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.microcosmssacredplants.org/commentaries/"><font color="#0000ff">https://www.microcosmssacredplants.org/commentaries/</font></a><br>
___<br>
<br>
We have been saddened by the ongoing political turmoil and violence in
Peru. It's hard to envision a propitious path forward for the afflicted
nation, though one can yearn to see a country with
such sumptuous bio-cultural diversity <i>someday</i>
reclaim its heritage and become a beacon for the world. One small
ray of light was recently shared with us by venerable anthropologist
Doug Sharon: San Pedro cactus knowledge
and northern Peruvian curanderismo has been declared a
"Cultural Heritage of the Nation"
and given full legal protection in Peru!
</font></p>
<p><b><font color="#008000" size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><u>Upcoming Event</u>:</font></b></p>
<p><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Our close compadre, Matt Magee, is teaching a one-day workshop at
The Alembic in Berkeley, CA, May 14: <a href="https://www.livingtheceremony.com/ancestral-conversations" class="moz-txt-link-freetext"><font color="#0000ff">https://www.livingtheceremony.com/ancestral-conversations</font><br>
</a>About the workshop: <br>
<i>For most of history, human beings lived immersed in the
elements. Our senses were stretched out in a vast open
landscape; every plant, animal, and insect served to link us
more directly to this spacious animated field. Living this way
produced qualities of alertness and awareness that unfortunately
do not easily translate into our lives today. Without these
ancient forms of awareness, we lose access to many of
the essential resources of guidance and connection that have
shaped our health, spirit, and well-being for millennia. </i><i><span style="color: rgb(89, 89, 89); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;"><font color="#000000">This day-long
intensive is an invitation to rejoin these ancient
conversations. Participants will learn simple</font></span></i><i><span style="color: rgb(89, 89, 89); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;"><font color="#000000"> techniques
to </font></span></i><i><span style="color: rgb(89, 89, 89); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;"><font color="#000000"><span style="color: rgb(89, 89, 89); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;"><font color="#000000">cultivate
</font></span> their senses and reclaim ancestral forms of
heightened awareness, </font></span></i><i><span style="color: rgb(89, 89, 89); font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;"><font color="#000000">connection,
and nourishment. </font></span></i><br>
Matt has devoted his life to studying curanderismo, the immanent
wisdom of the natural world and the ecology of the sacred. Author
of the seminal book <i>Peruvian Shamanism: The Pachakuti Mesa,</i>
Matt has been a key member of our Andean expeditions and
co-teacher of our ethnobiology field courses. One of his many
gifts as a teacher is his capacity to share ‘spiritual’ concepts
in an accessible and practical manner; building cultural bridges
and facilitating the integration of traditional knowledge and
practices into modern life. <br>
Matt has created a series of fascinating and useful online
courses: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.livingtheceremony.com/courses"><font color="#0000ff">https://www.livingtheceremony.com/courses</font></a>
He is also available for private sessions (in-person & online)
to personally offer his uniquely diverse knowledge, mentorship,
and guidance: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.livingtheceremony.com/private-sessions"><font color="#0000ff">https://www.livingtheceremony.com/private-sessions</font></a></font></p><p><font face="times new roman, serif">____</font></p>
<font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font color="#134f5c"><b>New book available for order:</b></font></span>
</font><div><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><b>GROWING
PLANT MEDICINE: Volume 1</b><br>
by Richo Cech illustrations by Sena Cech<br>
Brand new book from master plantsman Richo Cech, a
much-expanded version of the his classic <i>The Medicinal
Herb Grower</i>. Draws on the author’s lifetime of
cultivating and living with an amazing diversity of medicinal
plants. Pretty much everything you need to know about natural
organic gardening techniques, from seed to harvest, for a
great majority of healing herbs. Newly augmented with
bioregional medicinal plant recommendations, garden plans and
materia medica. Arranged by plant families, alphabetically by
kinship and common name—covers families A through H. Volume 2,
which is in production, will cover the rest of the alphabet.
This is hands down the best reference for medicinal plant
cultivation there is. Delightfully illustrated by Richo’s
daughter Sena, full of personal anecdotes and life stories—not
only useful, this book is a joy to read!<br>
Softcover, 354 pages $29.95 (2 lbs)<br>
</font></span></div>
<div><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><br>
</font></span></div>
<div style=""><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Even
though our catalog offering of books is greatly reduced these
days, <a href="http://sacredsucculents.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/SS-books-products-22.pdf"><b><font color="#0000ff">we still have a few excellent titles
available</font></b></a>, and we remain the US
distributor for Jonathan Ott's work (we are currently working
with Jonathan to publish reprints and new titles in the coming
years.) <br>
</font></span></div><div style=""><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><br></font></span></div><div style=""><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Regards,</font></span></div>
<div style=""><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><br>
</font></span></div>
<div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Ben Kamm and family,<br>
</font></div>
<font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Sacred Succulents<br>
PO Box 781<br>
Sebastopol, CA 95473 USA<br>
<a href="http://www.sacredsucculents.com/" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">http://www.sacredsucculents.com</a>
</font><div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><b>Shipping for Books</b>
</font><div>
<div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">To determine shipping costs, add up the
number of lbs in parentheses ( ) that is listed after the
price.</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Priority Mail- add $8.50 for the first lb,
$2.25 for each additional lb. When ordered with plants just
add $2.25 for each lb</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Books only sent Media Mail – add $4 for the
first lb, $0.75 for each additional lb</font></div>
<div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif">Please email us for international shipping
costs</font></div>
<font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><b><br><font color="#741b47">
We do not take Paypal or other online payments. Still just
cash, check or money order to our PO box.</font></b></font></div><div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><b><font color="#741b47"><br></font></b></font></div><div><font size="3" face="times new roman, serif"><b><font color="#741b47"><br></font></b></font></div><div><font size="3"><b><font color="#741b47"><br></font></b></font></div>
</div></span>