Xylia Willow

Xylia is a 3rd generation herbalist, artist, naturalist, transition doula & eternal student of the earth. She is the lead medicine maker, herbalist, & apothecary manager at Pilar’s Wellness Collective in Costa Mesa, where she teaches, formulates, translates herbs to the people & hosts regular plant walks in collaboration with their local nature preserve. She is also the Herbal Pharmacology teacher at the Art & Wilderness Institute, where she stories native ecology & herbal medicine of the Southern California region. Xylia has had the immense honor of studying with many amazing herbalists such as Shana Lipner Grover, Susun Weed, Marija Helt, Juliet Blankspoor, Sam Coffman, and many more.

Xylia has been a self-studied student of Thanatology & transitional practices since 2016 & a death worker since 2020. Her death work has found focus on supporting those who’ve lost loved ones to sudden & unexpected death, especially overdose deaths. In conjunction with this work, Xylia is a harm reduction outreach worker for organizations such as the Harm Reduction Circle & the Solace Foundation. 

Xylia’s ever evolving work is rooted in radical compassion, reciprocity & a true love for the human experience. 

Tuning your senses to the wonder that lives in every seemingly mundane space is what inspires Xylia daily. She employs this philosophy in every space she is in as it is always opening new doors & windows to learn & grow.