Herbal Resources

There is some truly fantastic free herbal information available online. Here we’ve listed some of our personal recommendations for high-quality herbal blogs. Want the complete list? Take a wink at our roll call for the Top Herbal Blogs, Podcasts, and YouTube Channels.

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A Modern Herbal Online

The online, and conveniently searchable text of Maude Grieve’s classic book: A Modern Herbal. Features a treasure trove of European physiomedical and folk wisdom, sprinkled with herbal history. 
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Avena Botanicals Blog

The personal blog of Deb Soule—the herbalist and gardener behind Avena Botanicals, a handcrafted herbal remedies company that grows nearly all of its own herbs on a certified biodynamic farm in Midcoast Maine.
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Aviva Romm, MD

Dr. Aviva Romm—MD, herbalist, and midwife—writes compellingly about female wellness and children’s health. Topics include hormonal balance, vaccines, stress, supplements, and sexuality. If you’re looking for a blog that integrates western medicine and holistic health, this is highly recommended.
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Battle Ground Healing Arts Blog

The smart and well-researched blog of Dr. Jillian Stansbury, an MD who specializes in botanical medicine. If you like academic discussions that retain the folksy nuances of herbalism, you’ll like Dr. Stansbury’s writings.
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Blog Castanea

This one is penned by yours truly! Come join Chestnut School queen bee, Juliet Blankespoor, and friends for a decadent dose of botanical beauty and wisdom. Our blog is brimming with herbal anecdotes, medicinal monographs, gorgeous photography, and wild food recipes—all written with cheeky humor and true plant passion.
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Foraging & Feasting

One of our very favorite herbal and wild food blogs, written by Dina Falconi and illustrated by Wendy Hollender. You’ll find seasonal recipes for herbal beverages, leafy greens, savory dishes, and mouthwatering desserts, along with engaging writing on gathering and preparing wild foods.
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Gather

A botanically fabulous blog on herbal food, magical cookery, and seasonal celebration written by Danielle Prohom Olson and Jennifer Aikman.
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Herbcraft

The online hub of jim mcdonald, a self-taught Michigan herbalist who has an utterly charming and humorous approach to writing and teaching about herbs. Highly recommended.
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Herbs with Rosalee

One of my favorite blogs to share with herbal newcomers. Rosalee de la Forêt is a heartwarming online persona, and she writes extensively about herbs for health in a down-to-earth way.

Maia Terra

Written by Alyson Morgan, Maia Terra is a beautiful, delicious blog on herbalism, healing food, conscious mothering, organic gardening, and more.
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Mountain Rose Herbs Blog

One of our favorite herbal suppliers also has a wonderful blog—featuring medicine making tutorials, herbal and body care recipes, herb harvesting tips, plant profiles, DIY herbal projects, and so much more.
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Michael Moore’s Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

The archived site of Michael Moore, one of the herbal greats of our time. He’s left behind an incredible online legacy, where many of his teachings are available for free.
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Northeast School of Botanical Medicine 

The blog of long-time friend, teacher, botanist, herbalist, and comedian 7Song. This generous guy shares his teaching handouts online, which include seasonal wildcrafting lists for the northeastern United States. 7Song also has a review of botanical field guides for much of the country by region.
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Queering Herbalism

An online resource for links to queer, trans, and POC healers compiled by herbalist Toi Scott. This is also a great resource for writings on race, gender, and sexuality—including books, blogs, and articles.
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Sustainable Herbs Program

Created by writer, plant-lover, and anthropologist Ann Armbrecht, the Sustainable Herbs Program narrates the stories of the people and plants that make the herbal products industry tick.
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Take Care Herbals

Herbalist Rae Swersey’s blog. Rae focuses specifically on radical health care and community clinical herbalism that supports LGBTQQIA folks and underserved populations.
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Tieraona Low Dog’s Blog

Dr. Tieraona Low Dog is an award-winning author, integrative medicine practitioner, and herbalist who writes a wonderful blog that highlights herbs and supplements for natural health. 
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Way of the Wild Heart

The blog of Gail Faith Edwards, the founder of the Blessed Maine Herb Farm. Gail’s writings weave together plant-based wisdom, myth, and history—they seem to call forth a dreamier era.
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WiseWoman Healing Ways

The online writings of Robin Rose Bennett, an elder herbalist and author whose teachings are infused with intuitive wisdom and earth-based spirituality.
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Woolgathering & Wildcrafting

Get ready to be charmed—Asia Suler is simply one of the most enchanting medicine women we know. Her blog is a sanctum of earth magic, herbal musings, recipes, exquisite writing, and photography.

You can bet your bottom berry that you want the very best information when it comes to wild foods and foraging. We’ve included links to some of our most trusted online resources below. You can also browse our complete guide to The Best Foraging Blogs, and check out this article on our Favorite Wild Foods & Foraging Books.

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Backyard Forager

An excellent recipe resource for common and abundant wild foods.
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Black Forager

Not technically a blog, but still a must see! Alexis Nikole, aka Black Forager, is a YouTube, Tik Tok, and Instagram sensation. She sings, she forages, she knows her stuff.
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Blog Castanea

Our very own blog! Come join us for a hearty dose of botanical beauty and herbal wisdom. Blog Castanea is brimming with herbal anecdotes, medicinal monographs, gorgeous photography, and wild food recipes.
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Eatweeds

A blog based in the UK, written by ethnobotanist Robin Harford. Robin’s blog is a fantastic resource featuring a podcast on wild foods and foraging, traditional and modern herbal monographs, herbal recipes, and botanical videos.
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Eat the Weeds

The blog of Green Deane, “the most watched forager in the world.” His website is an impressive accomplishment, featuring information on more than 1,000 wild foods and herbs.
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Forager’s Harvest

Samuel Thayer is one of the finest writers on wild foods! His books on the subject are excellent, but you can also catch some of his writings online.
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Foraging.com

An online guide organized by region for finding foraging teachers, classes, events, clubs, and schools in the United States. The site also includes a survey of online plant databases and a lengthy book list.
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Foraging & Feasting

One of my all-time favorite wild food blogs, created by Dina Falconi and illustrated by Wendy Hollender. Dina shares her always mouthwatering seasonal recipes for herbal beverages, greens, savory courses, and desserts, along with engaging writing on gathering and preparing wild foods.
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Hunger and Thirst

Foraging, feasting, and adventure in the Rocky Mountains. Beautiful wild foods photos, humorous writing, recipes galore, and fun!
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United Plant Savers

A site dedicated to protecting the native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada (and their native habitat) while ensuring a renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come. 
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Wild Abundance

An impressive blog and skills school that focuses on wild foods, herbal medicine, and organic gardening.
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Wildman Steve Brill

An author and teacher of wild foods in NYC, Steve Brill is a thorough and detailed writer. Highly recommended.

Ready to grow a lush medicinal garden or potted plant paradise but need some supplies? In addition to the links below, see our expanded list of herbal seed suppliers and nurseries in the United States and Canada, including small-scale and regional suppliers.

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Alliance of Native Seed Keepers

The mission of the alliance is reforging the spiritual bonds between Indigenous peoples and plants. You’ll find medicinal and culinary herb, flower, and veggie seeds. 
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Fedco Seeds

Based in Maine, Fedco is a cooperatively-owned seed and garden supply company offering a wide variety of medicinal and culinary herbs, native plants, and edible shrubs and trees—especially cold-hardy varieties.
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Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Large selection of seeds and plants, with plenty of organic and non-GMO options. A great employee-owned company for sourcing general farm supplies, garden tools, soil amendments, and more.
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Mountain Gardens

High quality seeds and bare root plants available by mail—with a specialty in Appalachian and Chinese medicinal herbs. 
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Peaceful Valley Farm Supply

A well-loved source for organic seeds, plants, and soil amendments. Plus they have a large selection of garden tools and seed starting and growing supplies.
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Prairie Moon Nursery

An excellent resource for native plants of the eastern and central United States. As a bonus, the company is cooperatively owned, their website has loads of germination and cultivation info, and they offer super affordable prices and organically grown plants (although not certified).
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Richters

Canadian nursery based in Toronto with a huge selection of herb seeds and plants, including rare and hard to find herbs and cultivars. 
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Southern Exposure Seeds

Heirloom herbs, flowers, and veggies, with an emphasis on varieties bred for the heat and humidity of the southeast.
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Strictly Medicinal Seeds

Amazing selection of medicinal herb seeds from around the world, with a very informational website that includes highly helpful cultivation information.
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True Love Seeds

Offers a selection of rare, open pollinated, and culturally important herb, vegetable, and flower seeds. Also sells dried bulk herbs.

Want to immerse yourself in learning herbalism, community-style? There are plenty of in-person and virtual options to choose from across the country!

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American Herbalists Guild

AHG is an association of herbal clinicians and practitioners. Membership includes many educational benefits. Annual conference held in changing locations.
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BotanicWise Women’s Herbal Gathering

Formerly the MidAtlantic Herbal Conference, this is an east coast annual gathering. 
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Breitenbush Herbal Conference

This conference takes place every year at an exceptionally dreamy location: Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon. 
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Chesapeake Herb Gathering

An annual event organized by Wild Ginger Herbal Center that brings together intergenerational herbal and healing communities.
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Gullah Geechee Herbal Gathering

A one-day annual conference for BIPOC & people of Gullah Geechee heritage that explores historical and cultural uses of botanical medicine in the Gullah/Geechee Nation and within the Diaspora.
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Florida Herbal Conference

Hosted by the Florida School of Holistic Living, this annual warm-weather conference is designed to build a bioregional herbal community. 
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International Herb Symposium

An iconic herbal gathering that has taken place in New England for 30 years. Founded by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, this conference features teachers from around the world.
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Medicines from the Earth

An annual conference held in Black Mountain, NC with a pronounced focus on advanced herbalism topics. 
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NOLA Herb Gathering

A conference embracing “self-care as health care” through the intergenerational and cultural uses of herbal medicine. Based in New Orleans.
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Northern California Women’s Herbal Symposium

An annual California conference spreading the herbal word since 1991.
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Southwest Conference on Botanical Medicine

Organized annually in Tempe, Arizona.
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Spiritual Herbalism Conference

An intersectional meeting place for different practices and practitioners of herbalism. Includes in-person and virtual events.
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Ylang Ylang Herbal Gathering

A week-long destination conference in Punta Uva, Costa Rica that explores cosmology, people, plants, land, liberation, birth and beyond.

Earth skills gatherings are ripe with opportunities to learn about herbs, wild foods, medicinal trees, local flora, and medicine making. They’re also an excellent place to connect with instructors who run their own classes and schools.

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Directory of Primitive Skills & Earth Skills Gatherings

This is a fantastic guide, helpfully organized by month—from Winter Count in February to the Falling Leaves Rendezvous in October.

Want to learn your local flora? Feeling excited about foraging? Smitten with the wonder of wildflowers? Botany and plant i.d. will soon be your forever friends. Below is a list of botanical databases, herbariums, and online floras. You can also check out our recommendations for the Best Foraging Books and Regional Field Guides.

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Biota of North America

The most detailed plant distribution maps of North America, including historical and current ranges.
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Botany Every Day

Marc Williams’s online course in field botany, which follows the book, Botany in a Day, by Thomas Elpel. This course carries on the teaching tradition of Frank Cook, who originated the idea and offered the course annually until his passing in 2009.
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Calflora

A flora database for the state of California.
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Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States – Weakley’s flora

This is a downloadable free flora, with print copy available for order. It’s the most comprehensive current flora for the southeastern U.S.
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Go Botany

This is a downloadable free flora, with print copy available for order. It’s the most comprehensive current flora for the southeastern U.S.
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Harvard University Herbaria

Browse intriguing herbaria from around the world.
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Jepson’s eFlora of California

Online updated version of this seminal flora.
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Phytography – botany word of the day explained

“A photographic glossary of botanical terms” – just the thing for all you botany geeks!
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Plant Biographies

A searchable database for the etymological origins of botanical scientific names.
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Plant Database of the USDA

Searchable database (by common or scientific name) of plants found in the United States. Includes photos, illustrations, state distribution maps, and sometimes county distribution maps.
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The Gymnosperm Database

An online database of information on conifers and their allies.
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Tropicos

Missouri Botanical Gardens database, filled with nomenclatural and specimen data. This system has over 1.2 million scientific names!

These are some of our own go-to sources for bulk herbs, essential oils, and medicine making supplies. Be sure to check out your own local apothecaries and herb farms first!
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Alcohol & Glycerin for Medicine Making

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Organic Alcohol Co.

Sells a range of organic alcohols, including organic cane and grape alcohols for gluten-free tinctures.
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Apothecary Bottles & Jars

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SKS Bottle & Packaging

Offers a wide selection of fancy bottles and jars for medicine making.
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Specialty Bottle Company

An affordable source of bottles, jars, and other handy containers.
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Bulk Herbs

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Frontier Co-op

Bulk herbs, culinary spices, bottles, presses, strainers, and tea infusers.
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Harding’s Ginseng Farm

A source for wild-simulated cultivated ginseng and organically-grown goldenseal from Maryland.
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Harvest Moon Botánica

A Black-owned women’s collective offerings bulk medicinal herbs, oils, and spiritual healing tools. Located in Kansas City, MO. U.S. shipping only.
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Island Herbs

Operated by herbalist Ryan Drum. This is one of the few places you can buy bull kelp (he simply sells it as ‘kelp’). He also offers sustainably wildcrafted bulk herbs.
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Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

Specializes in sustainably harvested seaweeds from the North Atlantic.
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Mountain Rose Herbs

Bulk organic and ethically wildcrafted herbs, culinary spices, fancy salts, essential oils. bottles, presses, seeds, extracts, books, and more.
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Oshala Farm

A certified organic family-run farm in the beautiful Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon that specializes in cut-and-sifted bulk herbs. 
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Pacific Botanicals

Growers and Suppliers of organic bulk herbs. Will ship fresh herbs seasonally.
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Rosemary’s Garden

Herbal apothecary founded by Rosemary Gladstar in the 1970s. Carries essential oils, organic herbs, tinctures, tea blends and a wide variety of personal care products.
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Sacred Vibes Apothecary

The online and brick-and-mortar apothecary of herbalist Karen Rose. Her online shop is packed with bulk herbs ordered from A to Z, tincture formulas, and herbal smoking blends. Shipping in the U.S. only.
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Zack Woods Herb Farm

Certified organic medicinal herb farm in Vermont that sells high quality, small-batch bulk herbs from a number of staple medicinal plants.
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Essential Oils

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Floracopeia

High quality, organic essential oils and aromatics.
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Mountain Rose Herbs

Bulk organic and ethically wildcrafted herbs, culinary spices, tinctures, essential oils. bottles, presses, seeds, extracts, books.

Choosing the right herbalist to work with is a personal and important decision. The links below can help you connect with possible care givers. We also suggest asking around; word of mouth goes a long way in the herbal community. Can’t find an herbalist in your neck of the woods? Many herbal practitioners offer phone and/or video consultations.

Find an Herbalist

Use the American Herbalists Guild directory of registered herbalists to find a registered herbalist near you (searchable by state).

Earth Seed Holistic

A roll call of Queer, Trans, and/or BIPOC herbalists, doulas, and healing practitioners.

Free and Sliding Scale Herbal Clinic Directory

Herbalists Without Borders lists clinics in the United States, Canada, Europe, the UK, Australia, and East Africa.

Queering Herbalism

A classic list of POC, Queer, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming herbalists and healers.

American Botanical Council

Publishes the quarterly Herbal Gram, which focuses on medical herbalism and the herbal industry. Website has many searchable databases related to scientific research on medicinal herbs.

American Herbalists Guild

The AHG is an association of herbal practitioners. Annual conference held in changing locations. Membership includes many educational benefits. 

Herbal Roots Zine

An herbal e-magazine for children! Planting a seed of knowledge for a lifetime of herbal wisdom.

Medical Herbalism

Medical Herbalism is a journal for clinical herbal practitioners. Free e-journal issues are available via this link.

Plant Healer Magazine

Plant Healer is the paperless quarterly e-journal of the new folk herbalism movement – it’s a downloadable, beautifully illustrated, full color PDF publication. An annual condensed print version is also available.

United Plant Savers

A stalwart organization devoted to protecting the native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come.

Not quite sure which of our online courses is the best fit for you?

Take a peek at our Course Comparison Chart to get started on your herbal journey!