When I started Raven Sun Apothecary, my intention was to make healing essentials accessible to more people than any business model could.

In my culture, skuyá means to give because others are in need. Plain and simple.  

It took me over a year (probably longer) to come to the conclusion that I needed to start selling my medicines if I were to continue offering them to others without commodifying the gift, to continue offering them “free of charge.”

It’s always made me feel a bit queasy. That’s why I’m once again shifting how I’m operating Raven Sun Apothecary.

Now, as a traditional trading model of exchange focused on reciprocity, relationship-building, and resource sharing rather than just economic profit! 

In the last 4 years, I have freely given hundreds of medicinal offerings to elders, protesters and those struggling with the basic means to co-exist in the extractive world of colonialism and crapitalism that we are all forced into.

All my medicines are transmuted from plants, no chemicals, no lab equipment. How could I charge something for what the Earth has freely given to us? Aren’t we supposed to be in relation with that offering by then re-purposing and re-gifting it to ourselves and others?  

I was able to fund such activity by extremely generous people offering what they could, and of course, by working my survival job. 

Then, I got fired after the governmental agency (First Things First, the Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board) I worked for found out about my arrest following a protest against police brutality. 

Funny how that very same agency was supposedly “fighting” for the strength of “all” families across what is now known as Arizona, knowing full well the police-state is only here to protect *certain* families of a particular class, race and identity. KNOWING FULL WELL HOW THE POLICE-STATE SEPARATES FAMILIES!

I understand at times people need to just be able to receive something through payment without carrying the weight of “owing” something back, because that’s not reciprocity either. That’s why you’ll still be able to trade with me via currency at my apothecary-supported pay-what-you-can scale. 

For transparency, that scale means I am using funds from my survival job to support the offering getting to you or your loved one/s.

For the gift-exchange aspect of the trading, we will have an honest conversation about what constitutes a reasonable exchange - not based on the “cheapest” comparable service i.e. someone offering their service based on where I could find it “for cheaper.” Rather, in a way that honors both our gifts.

Some trades I am interested in are:

• Website/trading post platform building

- Platform expansion (how to get my trading post on other platforms in a way that doesn’t require me being chronically online)

- Digital and Physical Art! Handmade wares and garments

-Graphic design for online postings, informational cards to be sent with care packages

-Prints, posters, paintings, etc

- Garden/farm grown edible and medicinal plants

- Spiritual guidance, divination readings, etc 

- Bodywork, acupuncture 

- Mechanic for a Toyota Tacoma and Honda Super Cub

- ETC!