Herbs and Plants - The Greening
Herbs/plants have been medicine for mankind since early times and as a species our
evolution has been so closely linked to theirs that its important to recognise that we owe
them a great deal. Herbs are plants but more than that so many plants not considered
herbs have been used by other traditions as medicines. When we only consider
herbs/plants in terms of their medicinal qualities or value them in terms of the
therapeutic effects then we fail to understand their true nature and our relationship with
them. Either we expand what we consider as medicine(s) (from the western reductionist
mindset) or begin a journey of discovery; to look deep into the soul of the living world.
When you start to look beyond or beneath the surface of accepted perceptions you start
to see, feel, and live a different experience of life and at the heart of this experience is
the pulsating heart of the Green Man/Lady.
How do you know that the journey has begun in earnest?
In truth this journey begun the moment you were born and it
never stops completely but it has been slowed so much in most
people to almost standstill. This was definitely the case for me
as well when I got lost in the modern world of aesthetic
distractions. All through this period of my life there was a
voice inside albeit so distant that it was like a flicker of a moth
across the dimly lit light of my childhood memories. There
came a time though when as I paid attention to this silent voice
something entered inside me and reawaken deep centres of my
nature. To give it a name I would say it was ‘Green Fever’.
From that time on I’ve been different or more accurately I’ve
been more myself. Now when I look at a hedgerow when out
walking I don’t just see a collection of plants I see a community of
plants that dance the illuminating dance of creation. Of course they are
as individuals unique expressions of plant life but together they become a co-creating,
co-habiting and uniquely organised community of life forms working together to
experience and share in Gaia’s ever changing pulsating dance of creation.
In this reductionist world of vaccines, chemicals and over inflated ego the emphasis is on
protection from the dangerous world of nature with its natural disasters, disease
outbreaks and non-linearity (unpredictability) we are real danger ourselves from being
set adrift. Fear is a great motivator but too much fear isolates. There is only one
injection we need to truly protect us and its colour is green, its texture is sapenous, its
effects are permanent and its nature is healing. All that we need is a humble heart, a
trusting nature and respectful approach. Of course nature has its dangers; many of us
learnt very young the qualities of fire but did that lesson stop us from enjoying the
connectedness, protection and community of the camp-fire on a dark forest night!? Sure
we realised early on that humans can’t breath under water but does that stops enjoying
the cooling, renewing and healing benefits of an afternoon swim on a warm summers
day!? The time has come for humans to shed the dark blanket of fear and suspicion of
nature and embrace the Greenness inside us. Without her that feeds our dreams,
imagination, bodies and spirits then life is just one big biological cycle with a start,
middle and end. We all know it to be much more than that, in fact our minds can only
scratch the surface of endless possibilities that hide within the womb of Gaia where the
only key to open the magician’s box is to experience it.
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