Sasha Daucus & Golden Light Center

In the above video, Sasha shares how she became a bioregional herbalist in the Ozarks. It is part of the My Ozarks series that she helped create.
My Ozarks is a collection of short, intimate portraits of real people, places and experiences in the Ozarks.

Sasha Daucus of Golden Light Center is a regional expert on plants of the Ozarks, especially medicinal and edible plants. She began as a professional herbal practitioner and teacher in the Ozarks midwifery practice of Golden Light Center in 1984. Much of her early and ongoing inspiration as a healer and teacher has come through the bioregional movement and the Ozark Area Community Congress (OACC). For the last several years she has developed the practice of Earth Listening, which uses simple connecting techniques in order to listen more deeply to intuitive wisdom and the ‘other-than-human’ world.

For nearly 50 years, Golden Light Center has been contributing to the health and well-being of the Ozarks. Founded in 1974 by Mau Blossom as a homebirth midwifery service, the practice became one of the foremost alternative and complementary health care clinics in the region. When Sasha joined, she expanded the service to include classes on herbs, Reiki, Ayurveda, and other complementary healing techniques. Since Mau’s death in 2007, Sasha and Golden Light have transitioned into focusing on local and regional organizing especially related to the natural beauty and ecological well-being of the Ozarks.

Sasha recently worked on staff with Ozark Vitality representing Regenerative Tourism on a multi-year project completed in 2022. The project used digital media to introduce those outside the area to the many natural and cultural experiences, and unique artisan products, available in the Ozarks. The My Ozarks mini-documentary film series was one major part of that project, and remains ongoing. The series’ goal is to increase interest in the Ozarks and awareness of our shared history and to expand cultural and ecotourism in the region. In doing this, we can generate economic opportunities for artisans, entrepreneurs, and cultural practitioners across the region, enabling them to earn a living without leaving the communities they love.

Since the close of the Ozark Vitality project, Sasha has been working as a field researcher for the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, helping to prepare for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2023. Her role has been to assist with creating the Ozarks section of the festival, in particular as a plant knowledge specialist of the Ozarks.

Sasha is currently a coordinator of OACC.