Seed · Root · Bloom · Rot
Self-Care Series
Facilitated by Renee Pilgrim, R.Ac
We’re midway through our Seed · Root · Bloom · Rot self-care series — a four-part journey that uses the life of a garden as a metaphor for how we nourish ourselves at every stage of life. Facilitator Renee Pilgrim guides participants through the cycles of planting, tending, harvesting, and composting. Exploring how each phase can feed our growth and prepare the soil for what comes next.
Photo by Nicole Cooper
Week 1: Gathering Seeds
We began by seeking out seeds in everyday places, the tomatoes from the farmers’ market, the herbs in our kitchens, the flowers that volunteer in our yards. Gathering seeds is an act of intention-setting. It invites us to notice what’s possible, to dream about what we want to grow, and to plan how we’ll tend to those dreams with care and consistency.
Week 2: Nourishing the Root
From the soil up, we turned our attention to nourishment. Together, we prepared a rich vegetable stock using autumn roots (Kohlrabi, carrot, onion, and beet) and reflected on the ways we feed the roots of our own wellbeing. We spoke about accountability held with kindness, and the importance of sustaining ourselves and each other as we grow.
Week 3: Bloom
This week, we move into the body. Through gentle chair yoga, Renee invites us to embody our roots, to expand, reach, and honour the diverse, praiseworthy forms our bodies take. Blooming isn’t just about showing beauty; it’s about presence, embodiment, and celebrating what it means to take up space.
Week 4: Rot
Just in time for Halloween, we’ll explore the final stage: rot. In the garden, nothing truly disappears. Waste becomes nourishment for what’s next. We’ll reflect on what we can release, what no longer serves us, and how our mistakes and endings can become the fertile ground for new growth.
Seed · Root · Bloom · Rot reminds us that care is cyclical. There’s strength in pausing, composting, and beginning again. In tending both our inner and outer gardens with patience, humility, and hope.
Workshop Facilitator
Renee Pilgrim, R.Ac is from the rural North Atlantic of Turtle Island and draws on life as a forager, fisher, and follower of the seasons. Also a Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncturist, Renee connects care with the elements . Harvesting practical and accessible tools to help boost the immune system, manage pain and grow in abundance.