Kamden Cornell, Invasive Plants, and The Tameless Path – Ep. 8

Kamden Cornell is an apothecarist, wortcunner, and the author of the book The Tameless Path, which gives special attention to plants we might call “weeds.” They also run a shop called Heart & Vine Apothecary.

In this interview, we talk about invasive plants. What exactly makes something a weed? Why is the word “invasive” so scary? How can we manage them aside from herbicides?

It may surprise you, but weeds have value! Don’t worry, Kamden will tell you all about it.

This is, of course, my written highlights article for the episode. If you want the full scoop, go ahead and watch the video above. Otherwise, read on…

Background

Kamden describes their childhood as “non-conventional” — filled with Hermetics. Their grandfather studied astrology and alchemy. Their grandmother read cards and did aura healing. “It was cool. It was also its own kind of weird,” they said.

Academically speaking, Kamden has a background in biological anthropology, taught biology, and also studied massage therapy. In the midst of those studies, they met an herbalist who was teaching at the same school, and that relationship helped fuel the writing of The Tameless Path.

Outside of all the studying and learning, Kamden runs a shop,Heart & Vine Apothecary, where you can grab herbal remedies or ritual supplies. They also run local workshops on field herbalism and teach classes about alchemy, witchcraft, and tarot.

I was first introduced to Kamden’s work through the Botanica Obscura conference, where they gave a lecture titled “A Ladder of Thorns to Grasp the Crooked Rose.” I was impressed, so when I had a chance to grab a copy of The Tameless Path, I jumped on it.

The Tameless Path

I never thought I’d read a book about weeds. In fact, I had never really sat around and considered their magickal value, either. Acacia flower, juniper berry, dandelion leaf… those are all ingredients I’ve used in spellwork for years (and sometimes even in teas), but I’m not sure if it ever registered in my brain that they all can be labeled as “invasive” or “weed.”

Kamden also effortlessly weaves in sections about Alchemy, the Elements, Astrology, the Doctrine of Signatures, and Planetary Magick. Even though I’m familiar with those topics, I really enjoyed reading their perspective on things. Their knowledge and ability to articulate concepts are clearly present throughout the entire book.

For a more in-depth look, feel free to check out my full review; otherwise… continue here…

Invasive Plants

One of the most puzzling questions to answer is to determine what, exactly, makes a plant “invasive.” Sometimes it seems like it’s almost an arbitrary label that’s applied to things we simply don’t like. According to Kamden, however, there are technically three key factors. A plant might be considered invasive if it:

• Is non-native to the area that it’s found
• Has the potential to overtake large areas
• Causes problems for the environment or economy

But yeah, sometimes it’s just based on the decision to demonize (I use that word lightly because, hey, I’m a fan of demons) particular plants.

There are, indeed, some plants that have the capability to overtake the land or cause problems for the local environment. That’s not really their fault, however, because in most cases we (humans) decided to put them there. But where it really gets ugly is when you start to consider the economic or industrial reasons that plants might be labeled as invasive. We don’t like them because it hurts our wallets!

And that’s where this “inherent racism,” as Kamden puts it, starts to come into play. I’ll admit that it took me a little bit of quiet contemplation to really understand how the energy of racism could be applied to plants, but we’re basically programmed to view certain things as undesirable or unwanted… and it’s that same frequency of othering that gets applied elsewhere in society.

This topic runs deep, but if you just view plants as things that we grow for food, money, or ornamentation, then I don’t think you’ll ever get it. You really have to take more of an animist perspective and consider what type of cumulative effect this sort of energy might have on the plant spirit itself.

A Balancing Act

Okay, all of that metaphysical stuff aside, some of these “invasive” plants actually have a purpose. Kamden describes them as the circulatory system for the earth — they move around to help recycle and renew environments. They’re called “first stage successional plants.”

These types of plants are pioneers! They can grow in completely barren soil and survive in harsh conditions. As they do so, they help create the layer of soil that is necessary for other “desirable” things to later grow.

We’re just mostly oblivious to all of this happening because it doesn’t occur within a human lifetime. On the contrary, it takes hundreds of years… but it’s a cycle that is constantly interrupted by human agriculture. In fact, we routinely reset the natural order of things with our large-scale agricultural practices. Just some food for thought!

Medicinal and Magickal Value

Kamden’s herbalism teacher once told them “the medicine you need will be growing by your front door” — and that idea actually became a significant part of their journey. In the interview, they share a fairly personal story of how weeds like London Rocket mustard helped them through a particularly dark time in their life.

London Rocket

I find this idea rather fascinating. I love thinking that nature is sending little helpers — things that I need energetically, in the form of plants that might be seen by others as weeds. And I love it even more that they might be located nearby, just a few steps from my door.

But the problem, you see… is that I’m terrible at figuring out what plants are out there to begin with.

Identifying Plants

Yep. I’m terribly at identifying local plants. There’s quite a few that are growing on our back patio — and I know that at least one of them is invasive: oyster plant.

Oyster Plant

I can recognize this because it’s possibly one of the most obviously-shaped plants in existence (and very appropriately named). I’ve been noticing it a lot lately — maybe it has some personal value for me. Of course, it’s also toxic.

As for the other plants that grow back there? I have no idea. Kamden recommends befriending local plant specialists who can point things out in person. Earlier in the interview, they also recommend getting to know a local farmer (or several local farmers).

Obviously there’s no substitute for a local expert, but in lieu of that, Kamden said that the iNaturalist app actually does a pretty good job at plant identification. I think I’ll have to give that another try.

Finding Kamden Online

It’s pretty easy to find Kamden online. Just follow one of these links:

Singing an Offering

Kamden integrates music into their magickal practice in some of my favorite ways: breathwork, vibration, sound diagnostics, and singing a song as an offerings — and you might be interested in finding out to whom those offerings are given.

But you know this is an area where I don’t like to mince words. You’ll just have to listen to the full interview and hear Kamden explain it.

Conclusion

I can honestly say that I learned a significant amount of new ideas from Kamden’s book — and even more from my conversation with them. There was a lot more to this interview than I was able to cover in this short article, so I’ll once again recommend giving the full episode a watch or listen when you can. Maybe we’ll have to have a followup conversation after their next book comes out — and maybe by then, I’ll have a better idea of what’s growing in the backyard.

In addition to thanking Kamden for this interview, I also have to give a quick shout out to Crossed Crow for sending me a copy of The Tameless Path. Everyone’s willingness is so very much appreciated. Thank you Kamden and thank you Crossed Crow!

I hope y’all enjoyed this interview as much as I did. I’ve got more lined up for you soon, so stay tuned!

Hey, quit digging around your back yard and identifying weeds for just a minute. I have something to tell you. First, if you made it all the way down here, then I’d like to thank you, too. It’s really awesome when people read things all the way to the end. Also, it’s really awesome when people click links on this page. Some of those links are referral links to Amazon, so if you use one of them to make a purchase, Amazon will pay me a tiny commission. That’s all… you can now return to your plant-based activities.