Following Seasons Botanicals

A NATIVE GOING NATIVE

July 2008

By Charlotte Tenney

Since San Diego is the land of transients and transplants, having been born and raised here is something of a distinction.  Cindy Christ can claim that distinction, and she has steeped herself in local plant lore and native Kumeyaay traditions, as well as starting an on-line hand-made soap business, “Following Seasons”, that allows her to share her love of all things botanical.

Cindy grew up in Casa De Oro, Spring Valley, back when it was mostly ranches, farms and open spaces.  Her playground was the open fields, where she became familiar with the wild plants of the chaparral on the hills and riparian flora of the creeks in the canyons. At an early age she was experimenting with making her own  “perfumes” by grinding aromatic leaves and flowers, or discovering which things could be edible.  By the age of fourteen, she was convinced that she wanted to become a mid-wife. She apprenticed herself to help out with house calls for natural home births and learned about holistic and natural plant support for healthy pregnancy.

The time spent led her to successfully home birth her own two children and to incorporate natural remedies and organic foods into their lives.  White Sage, Creosote Bush and Elder Flower are used for cold care and prevention; Nettles and  Oats are made into nutritious teas. 

Along the way, she completed a degree in Early Childhood Education and taught classes in that subject at Grossmont College.  Once the kids were grown and launched, she was able to go back to her passion, learning about and using the plants.  She developed a line of all-natural soaps and other products such as salve, lip balm, skin oil and bath salts that used pure essential oils and whole herbs, such as Incense Cedar and California Juniper Berries, that she wild-crafts on hikes in the hills. After much thought, she chose “Following Seasons” as her business name, since it reflected the cycles of her life, harvesting herbs and foods to use in “the following season” and how her life has progressed in natural “seasons” for each  stage.  In this latest season in her continuing love affair with plants, she  found that there were classes on Ethno-botany  being given by Kumeyaay College on the Secuan Reservation.  She began another season as a student so that she could add the ancient wisdom of the local Kumeyaay medicine woman to her repertoire.

As an active member, and on the Board of Directors, of the San Diego Herb Club, she is currently involved in the planning and organization of the annual “Herbal Information Faire” that takes place on National Herb Day, the second Saturday of October, at the “Trees for Health Garden” location in Balboa Park. And, of course, she will be present at the event to talk to people about the native San Diego County plants and how to use them for food, crafts, medicine and landscaping.  As Cindy cycles through the rhythm of her life seasons, she is fast becoming an important local resource of our local botanical history, and natural self-care information.