The Sisters & Brothers of the Valley around the World - By Sharon Letts
Christine Meeusen was struggling with symptoms of menopause when a doctor suggested she use cannabis. Once helped, she then crossed over from the corporate world of finance, straight into the cannabis industry, first with a delivery service, then establishing an order of women in california's central valley, inspired by an ancient order from France: The Beguines.
The Beguines were a non-denominational order of women who once served the rural communities of France, beginning in the 7th century, pre-Christianity.
After some research, Sister Kate created six vows that make up the order’s mission:
A vow of servitude - serving the people by making medicine with the cannabis plant;
A vow of obedience to the moon cycles,(all medicine is grown and made within this cycle;
A vow of ecology, to protect the earth;
A vow of activism, to protect the plant and access to it;
A vow of living simply;
And a vow of chastity.
(Though they don’t believe you have to be celibate to be chaste.)
Records show the Beguines were Apothecaries, or medicine makers, using plants for remedies. They also were weavers and seamstresses, making clothing for their communities, with Sister Kate adding, “We can assume their garments were made from hemp.
”The Sisters in California serve some of the poorest agricultural working families in the state, including immigrants who have been working the harvests for decades. They do it for the greater good, for the healing that comes from what they believe to be God’s plant. Word of the order has spread throughout the world, with chapters now including men or Brothers. All supporting their communities and educating on the cannabis plant, in terms of its medicinal and spiritual qualities.
The Sisters’ products are all made from organic hemp, high in cannabidiol, or the non-psychoactive beneficial compound, CBD, grown on the farm in California. CBD is allowable for shipping across the U.S. and around the world
All the Sister’s products are from plants planted, with products made, by the cycle of the full moon in a spiritual practice, likened to a Japanese tea ceremony, with purposeful movement, honoring the plant at every turn.
Sister Flora - Brazil
Sister Flora is a civil engineer, studying Goetheanism (the study of German philosopher, Goethe), arts, ceramics, mythology, spirituality, spagyric, and plant medicine. She lives where she was born in Brazil, near the Capricorn Tropic - in what she says would be a really good climate to grow cannabis.
“I traveled to Portland, Oregon for a ceramics conference and was surprised by the way cannabis was revealing itself to be such a good alternative medicine for many diseases,” she said. “At that time I was ingesting some strong allopathic medicines for chronic back pain, as I have four metal screws and a plate in my L3 and L4 vertebrae.”
After ingesting a cannabis product, Sister Flora said she felt for the first time she might be able to live pain-free and without stronger medicine or having to fall back on pharmaceuticals.
Two more friends joined her for their love of the plant and the desire to make medicine, all eventually becoming Sisters, Demeter, Ceres and Flora.
“I had seen an interview on the Sisters in California on YouTube, and sent Sister Kate an email,” she continued. “In April of 2018 I was able to visit the farm.
”Sister Flora identifies with four of the core beliefs of the order: feminism, activism, anarchism, and pacifism - the perfect combination to help Brazil go forward with acceptance and legalization of cannabis.
Cannabis is still illegal in Brazil, and Sister Flora said they have a lot of work to do in the coming decades to educate about its many benefits. Some are getting Habeas Corpus from the court, allowing them to grow a certain amount of plants, and to be able to make their own medicine for home use. The Sister’s paperwork is currently pending.
“Our desire is to live in the countryside, cultivate many medicinal plants - not just cannabis - and make medicines for ourselves and for our community; to sell at a fair price for the people, and to teach other women how to cultivate and make their own medicine.
”Community outreach has already begun with a tile panel being constructed in a public square where they live. The installation will have sacred female images, including a Sister of the Valley making medicine.
Sister Rosa - Nordic Enclave
Her given name is Lina, but she prefers to go by her Sister name of Rosa. Born and raised in Sweden, her journey began when she visited the first order in California, writing about them for a class in social anthropology.
“I fell in love and became a Sister myself,” she said. “I now run a small enclave in Stockholm, Sweden, with five Nordic Sisters. Two of them are actually in other Northern European countries - Denmark and Belgium - and are currently looking to start their own enclaves. “In studying about the Sisters for her thesis, she became immersed in the Sisterhood and it resonated with her.
“I came to appreciate the anonymity of the habit and the importance of working in a community, rather than trying to stand out as an individual,” she added. “I also came to appreciate the importance of working for a common goal, rather than working for yourself.
”Her hope is that the order keeps expanding, and becomes home for many more women, women who identify with being women, and now, a new phase of adding Brothers to the order.
“Right now, the Nordic Enclave is simply a community of women who hold moon ceremonies,” she said. “So, we are not working on any projects. As for the laws, Sweden is stricter than pretty much any other country in Europe. We had a high court ruling recently, finding a man guilty of a minor drug charge, for ingesting CBD from hemp, with low THC - outlawing CBD, requiring it to be 100 percent THC-free.
” Sweden’s hard-line drug policy has changed little since being installed in the 1950s, following America’s lead in the now failed Drug War that went global. With a recent NATO ruling opening the door for global cannabis research, those wishing to be in the international cannabis industry are hopeful.
Important to note, Sweden has the highest rate of deaths among serious drug abusers than any other country in Europe. Further to this, the need for education on cannabis as a viable replacement for painkillers.
“Sweden has a history of not admitting they are wrong,” she concluded. “We pretend we’re right until the very end, then do a 180 degree turn and act as if nothing ever happened. So, I do suspect this will change - it’s just taking longer than we hoped for.
Sister Marilyn, Brother Joel - Tranquil waters, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Sister Marilyn of Wisconsin, aka: Mary Beth Larscheidt, is a nurse, a certified aromatherapist, and integrative health and lifestyle coach. She’s married with four grown children.
She came to the order as family, being a cousin to Sister Kate, through her husband, George. Brother Joel is Sister Marilyn’s son. “Sister Kate’s mother introduced us, as I was already making essential oil products, and Sister Kate was making CBD salves,” she explained. “She thought we would make good partners.
”Sister Kate’s mother lived in Milwaukee, and was very close to the family before she passed.
“My son, Brother Joel, has been interested in cannabis for several years, and especially interested in CBD,” she continued. “Last January we spent a week with Sister Kate at the farm in Merced, California, and learned about the business and making the salve. I began experimenting with infusing essential oils into salves and giving them to friends and family. Many people liked them, so we partnered with Sister Kate.
”While CBD is legal in all forms, THC material and products are not.
“We are looking to serve senior centers, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes,” she added. “Our products are very effective for people with chronic pain, arthritis, anxiety, insomnia, or stress-related issues.”Brother Joel excels at electronics, customer service, and marketing; keeping up the brand’s social media sites, as well.
“We’d like to start a blog or podcast,” Sister Marilyn said. “Being an integrative lifestyle and health coach - and a nurse - I really believe in promoting self-healing and self-care with our products and good lifestyle habits.”Brother Joel has been studying cannabis and its healing Sister Marilyn, Brother Joel benefits, and both are looking forward to expanding its product selection in 2021.
For more information on Tranquil Waters visit, www.sotvtranquilwaters.com
Sister Maria - Zealand
Like Sister Kate, Sister Maria has an impressive corporate background. Once working for PepsiCo International out of London, she was an event manager for large scale events. “I came to New Zealand specifically to work on The America Cup in 2001,” she said. “After having two children, I spent a few good years being a full time Mummy.
Once the children began school, I began working part time, then became General Manager for Wisdom Montessori Pre-School in Paeroa, where I live.”Sister Maria said she found the Sisters of the Valley (SOTV) on Facebook in 2017, and immediately began reading everything she could about them.
“After visiting the ‘Weed Nun Headquarters,’ as I call the farm in California, I found that the Sister’s way of life and beliefs were so in-line with my own beliefs, I was keen as mustard to get stuck in and see if I had what it took to be a Sister of the Valley.”With New Zealand’s failure to legalize cannabis from its 2020 ballot, and just three cannabis products available with a doctor’s recommendation in the county, Sister Maria said the prospects of she and her family staying and doing good work were slim.
“The strongest CBD product is at 1000 milligrams at a cost of $349 NZD, but finding a pharmacy that carries anything is nearly impossible,” she explained. “This doesn’t include the price of a consultation with a doctor - which can be as expensive and as difficult as finding the medicine.
”With the challenge at home, Sister Maria set her sights on moving she and her two teenagers to California, where they felt they could make the most difference. Then COVID hit, making the Visa situation unattainable for the time-being.
“Education to the public is key in New Zealand in dismantling 90 years of propaganda about the plant,” she continued. “We definitely have our work cut-out for us here. Once in California, and all the Sisters and Brothers are together, we will continue our mission of getting medicine to the people in need around the world.
”Until she and her kids can get to America, they focus on environmental challenges at home, mainly with Climate Change and the effect of ranching and milk production in the area. “Our area produces most of the beef and milk for New Zealand, and they don’t like environmental groups like us at all,” she said. “Just as with cannabis, education is key and we’ve had a stall at the local market each Saturday since 2 017.”Once in California, Sister Maria said she’ll settle into feeling comfortable to smoke the plant freely, as well as learn about other forms of natural medicine.
“My dream is to serve with my knowledge of Chinese and Native American natural medicine, so we can grow a range of products, keeping in-line with ancient knowledge and traditions from all cultures, made by hand, with intention.”
Brother Matt - United Kingdom
The first Brother in the order, Brother Matt, hails from the United Kingdom, running a Sisters of the Valley store online, serving the UK from the Highlands to Cornwall, Wrexham to Worthing, and Birmingham to Brighton. Customers also reach out for help from Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Italy.
Brother Matt first found the Sisters of the Valley online in 2016, while searching for relief for his own bout of psoriasis, shying away from the traditional steroid cream.“I found them while scrolling through Facebook, actually,” he shared. “Spiritual women on a mission to heal the world with cannabis - it warmed my heart, and I thought I’d give their salve a try. Within a week of using the balm the psoriasis disappeared. I was amazed and began corresponding with Sister Kate in California.
”His mum suffered from arthritis and after weeks of trying to convince her that it was safe to use, and it wouldn’t get her high, she used it and had her first night’s full sleep in seven years.“Now, no one would guess she has arthritis,” he said. “In no time she was able to do away with the splint she had had to wear. She puts her good health down to the Sisters’ infused oil.
”After two trips to California to visit the farm, Brother Matt became ordained, taking his lifetime vows on his second trip.“Sister Kate invited me to California,” he continued. “I didn’t even know that there was a role for Brothers. The Mothership, as we call the California farm, is a very tranquil setting. When you walk into the Abbey you can feel the energy and love.”A second woman, Sister Harmony, was also ordained, but there are several women who identify as Sisters, as well as a few Brothers in the UK.
“Many of the customers who write to us through the online store are desperate for help, and it’s very humbling being able to help them with their ailments,” he said. “Sometimes they just need someone to listen to them, to encourage them to start taking back their lives through a nutritious diet, natural medicine, and wellness techniques.
”Challenges have included having its bank account shut down, with assets frozen by the British banking system.“After two years we were able to get the account reopened and the thousands of funds returned,” he said. “All is well now, but it was stressful, to say the least. Sister Kate was calm through the entire ordeal.
All she cared about was me - could I pay my bills, was I alright. We can only assume the account was flagged due to the fact it’s hemp, or CBD. Even though it’s legal to import.”
Sister Kate had already been there, done that with banks and in dealing with local authorities in California, fighting for their very existence. Not her first rodeo, as we say in the states. Banking is always an issue in the cannabis industry, stateside and globally. No other multi-billion dollar, rapidly growing industry in the world is without a bank account. In the States, legislators are working to remedy the situation, as one state after the other legalizes the plant.
Sister Luna, Sister Camilla - Mexico
Sister Luna and Sister Camilla first heard of the order in California upon the launch of the documentary, Breaking Habits, at the Cannes Film Festival in France, profiling the order in California.
The two were about to enter postgraduate degrees in Mexico - Luna in biomedicine, and Camilla in Social Sciences. “We stayed on the farm in California for two weeks, and Sister Kate asked us to be members of the order, living in Mexico,” she said. “We were the first Spanish speaking Sisters to be accepted. It was very emotional and we couldn’t answer right away, but were very happy to accept.
”The Sisters are living, working and attending University in Tijuana in Baja California, just across the border from California. Tijuana, like Mexico City, has a thriving cannabis community, while ordinances are still being worked out, the Sisters began teaching plant medicine workshops this year.
“Our main activity is finishing our postgraduate degrees, with a focus on activism,” Sister Luna explained. “We also want to teach people who want to learn the plant’s many medicinal uses. We present the plant as sacred.
”Sister Luna has a Master’s Degree in biomedicine, with her research and projects focusing on vaccines to fight cancer. Sister Camilla is working toward a PhD in Social Sciences, with her research project on a transfer of scientific knowledge to the cannabis industry
“Before starting the projects we decided to work on postgraduate studies, since we always like studying and learning,” Sister Luna said. “But we also want to demonstrate and prove that the projects we have are serious.
”The seriousness of their work is meaningful, as they hope to garner respect for their work with cannabis in Mexico, while helping to do away with the negative stigmas associated with cannabis use.
“Our goal is to have credibility and seriousness,” she added. “Our postgraduate courses are indirectly focused on cannabis, since it’s not yet direct research on the plant, but in the future, when we finish our courses, we will focus on research issues within the cannabis industry from what we’ve learned.
”The connection between science, cannabis and society is an important one to the Sisters, eventually wanting to set up a research center for medicinal plants, including psychedelics, gaining widespread acceptance in the U.S. today.“Our grandmothers in Mexico used many herbs, including cannabis to heal,” Sister Luna explained. “They used many teas and herbal remedies - in ritual and practice. The most traditional remedy that we know of is an alcohol maceration that’s smeared on muscles for pain.
”As far as legalization goes, Sister Luna said they are aware of the skills of the Mexican people in growing cannabis already. The products are already here, the plant is already being grown in mass quantities, with many interested in the industry on many levels.
“Sadly, the people of Mexico have a lot of knowledge in growing cannabis, but they have been the last to benefit monetarily in the illicit market,” she continued. “Hopefully, in the legal market, this knowledge can be put to good use and the people can earn a living wage in the cannabis industry in Mexico.
”For more information on the Sisters of the Valley visit, www.sistersofthevalley.org Follow them on Twitter @sistersofcbd and Instagram @sistersofthevalley and YouTube at Sisters of the Valley
Written and Published By Sharon Letts in Weed World Magazine issue 151
See more stories by Sharon Letts HERE
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