who are we?

About Moon + Mirror

formally known as Atabey

Moon & Mirror grew out of the Atabey Herbalism Apprenticeship year-long program founded by lara pacheco in 2015. Atabey refers to the Taino Cosmic matriarch and from which all life proceeds. She is mother Earth but also represents the dwelling place of the dead. Inspired by our founder lara pacheco’s ancestral lineage, the Atabey Apprenticeship was a space where folks could begin to learn the foundations of herbalism through a decolonized lens. 

After five years of running the program, lara invited a few former apprentices to form a council so that the program could be held by a collective in 2020. The council then began transitioning the program from lara's leadership into collective stewardship and into a BIPOC-only affinity program in 2022. In 2023, lara and Jessi Ramirez transitioned out of leadership and the program launched under a new name - Moon & Mirror under the guidance of three council members - Meredyth Grange, Nev Faull and ridhi d’cruz. The name is intended to acknowledge and honor the ways in which the Moon supports, even magnifies, our connection with our emotions, with plants, and with the ancestral realms. 

Moon & Mirror ran for a year as a 7-month long herbal immersion program for folx of color before going on a hiatus for two years. In 2024, Meredyth Grange transitioned off the council. In 2025, Flynne Olivarez joined the council for a year before transitioning off in 2026 along with Nev Faull.

Currently, ridhi d’cruz is the root organizer with Moon & Mirror and is transitioning/moonsetting the program by the end of 2026.

What is the intention of the program?

The goal of both Atabey and now Moon & Mirror is to support people in decolonizing and unlearning the ways we've been taught to interact with our bodies, our minds, our spirits, the land, and each other. This program invites participants to reconnect and reclaim their ancestral healing ways & deepen into their personal and collective healing journeys with the support of plant medicine.