<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><div class="moz-text-html" lang="x-unicode"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><p align="left"><font size="4"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Greetings fellow Botaniphiles, <br>
</span></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="4"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Spring
has arrived in all her fertile glory! It is has been a very dramatic
seasonal shift... it's hard to believe that we had torrential rains and
no power earlier this month. Temperatures are already reaching nearly 80
F, though we are still seeing noticeable morning frost. <br>
Winter damage continues to show up on many plants here, with no clear
rhyme or reason of exact cause, other than the combined result of the <i>erratic</i> and <i>extreme</i>
weather these last months. We are still in the process of saving what
we can and assessing how this will affect the availability of certain
plants this year, especially some <i>Trichocereus</i>. <br>
</span></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="4"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Winter's intractable events have had a real impact on our plans for the year—so we must <i>continue to limit <u>retail</u> shipping</i>
as we endeavor to deal with the damage and complete nursery
renovations. We've recently begun shipping the retail back-orders placed
during our winter hiatus, but this is complicated by the damage to our
stock and very large number of back-orders. Some such orders may be delayed a
little longer as we allow for certain plants to better recover prior to
shipping. We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience. <br>
</span></font></p>
<p align="left"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3"><font size="4"><font color="#ff0000"><b>Note:</b></font> New <i>retail</i>
orders will not ship until later this summer (beginning
around late June). None of this is ideal, but I'm doing what I can with
the circumstances. <i>See below for our 2023 retail shipping schedule.</i></font></font></span></p>
</span></font><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3"><span style="line-height: 150%;">
<div><font size="6"><font size="4"><font style="" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3"><font size="4"><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font style=""><font style="" size="6"><font style="" size="4">A new <font size="5" color="#008000"><u><font style=""><b>Plant Mini-Auction Fundraiser</b></font></u></font> has begun!</font></font></font></span></font></span></span></font><br>
I'm attempting to honor the many requests for more regular plant
auctions—a small auction (10 plants) has been posted today and runs until this Sunday
evening. Our hope is to be able to hold one such mini-auction every 4-6
weeks. Due to the winter adversities, a <i>number of plants will only
be available via auction this year, and many of these only as a one
time offering</i>. </font></font></span></span></font></font></font></font><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: large;">Know that auction purchases directly fund nursery repairs and renovations as well as our continual research and conservation work.</span></div>
</span></font></span><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;">
<p align="left"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3"><span style="line-height: 150%;">
</span></font></span></p><div><font size="3"><font size="6"><font size="4">
<b>See partway down our homepage for the </b><b>auction terms and listings</b>: </font><font size="4"><font size="6"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><font size="4"><font color="#0000ff"><b><a href="http://www.sacredsucculents.com/">www.sacredsucculents.com</a><br>
</b></font></font></span></font></span></font></span></font></font></font></font></div><font size="3">
</font></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="3"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><font style="">
<div style=""><font size="4"><font color="#ff0000"><b>Please read the full terms before bidding.</b></font> <b><i><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" color="#9900ff">All bids should be directed to our other email:</font></i></b> <b>benkamm@monitor.net </b><br>
The auction closes this Sunday, April 30, at 6:00pm PST. Auction plants should ship within a few days of payment.</font><br>
</div>
<div style=""><br></div>
<div style="font-size: xx-large;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><font size="4">Our <b><font color="#351c75">Specimen Plant List</font></b> is updated for April, see just below the auction on the homepage</font></span></font><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><font size="4">.</font></span></font></div>
<div style="font-size: xx-large;"><font size="4"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><font size="4"><br>
</font></span></font></div>
</font></span></font></span><p></p>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><p><b style="font-size: large;"><u><font color="#990000">2023
Shipping Schedule* for <i>Retail</i> Catalog Orders</font></u></b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><font size="4"> (see
the top of our </font></span><a href="http://www.sacredsucculents.com/" style="font-size: large;">homepage</a> <span style="font-size: large;">for catalog PDFs)</span></p></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><p><span style="font-weight: normal;">
<b style="font-size: medium;"><u>Winter & Spring</u></b><font size="4">: All retail plant & seed orders </font><i style="font-size: medium;">postmarked</i>
<i style="font-size: medium;">by</i><font size="4"> April 10 </font><b style="font-size: medium;"><font color="#800040"><i>commence</i> shipping April 17, <i>more or less in
the order they were received</i>.</font></b><br>
<u style="font-size: medium;"><b>Spring & Summer</b></u><font size="4">: Retail orders postmarked </font><i style="font-size: medium;">after</i><font size="4">
April 10 will </font><i style="font-size: medium;">begin</i><font size="4"> 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="4">: Schedule to be announced.</font><br>
<br>
<font style="font-size: medium;"><font color="#ff0000" style="color: rgb(128, 0, 64);"><b>*</b></font><b style=""><font color="#ff0000">The exception</font></b></font><font size="4"> to this limited shipping schedule
for the year is: </font><font color="#ff0000"><b style="font-size: large;"><i style="font-size: medium;">books, Specimen List Plants</i><font style="">, and </font><i style="font-size: medium;">Auction Plants</i><font style="">—</font></b><b style="font-size: large;"><font style="font-size: medium;">these orders we will
continue to ship throughout the year as they are received.</font></b></font></span><br><font size="4">
___</font><br>
<font size="4"><br>
<b><font color="#008000"><u>Upcoming Event</u>:</font></b></font></p>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"><font size="4">
</font><p><font size="4">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>
</font>
<font size="4"><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><br>
</font></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><p><font size="4"><b><font color="#008000"><u>Other news</u>:</font></b></font></p><font size="4">
</font>
<p><font size="4">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 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>
____</font></p>
</span><p></p>
<font size="4">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><font color="#134f5c"><b>New book available for order:</b></font></span>
</font><div><font size="4"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><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>
</span></font></div><font size="4">
</font><div><font size="4"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><br>
</span></font></div><font size="4">
</font><div style=""><font size="4"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Even
though our catalog offering of books is greatly reduced these
days, <b><font color="#0000ff">zx</font></b>, 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>
</span></font></div><div style=""><font size="4"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><br>
</span></font></div><div style=""><font size="4"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Regards,</span></font></div><font size="4">
</font><div style=""><font size="4"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><br>
</span></font></div><font size="4">
</font><div><font size="4">Ben Kamm and family,<br>
</font>
</div><div><font size="4"><br></font></div><font size="4">
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="4"><br>
</font>
</div><font size="4">
</font><div><font size="4"><b>Shipping for Books</b></font>
<div>
<div><font size="4">To determine shipping costs, add up the
number of lbs in parentheses ( ) that is listed after the
price.</font></div>
<div><font size="4">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="4">Books only sent Media Mail – add $4 for the
first lb, $0.75 for each additional lb</font></div>
<div><font size="4">Please email us for international shipping
costs</font></div>
<font size="4"><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></div></span>