I’ve heard it said that the medicine is everywhere, we just need to learn how to find it. Last week, I was taught a lesson that took my understanding of this concept to the next level. I had the honor of sitting down with two distinguished medicine workers from the high Peruvian Andes. You often hear us...
Spring is upon us and many of our medicinal weeds, herbs and edible wild foods are beginning to grow. Harvesting from the wild is truly a magical experience, and when done correctly, it can nourish the relationship of people and plants. Many of us herbalists have places we return to in the wild to harvest our...
There’s a saying that’s been following me around for the past decade, ever since I began to embrace the spirit path. “You’ve gotta pay to play.” This notion is usually associated with casino games, but it holds true for the metaphysical things in life too. The shamanic path is not for the faint of ...
Many people today appreciate the beauty of folklore in a multitude of ancestral traditions. Dance, music, songs, and many forms of exquisite art are viewed as the very foundation of human culture itself. Movement and music can often transcend the barriers of language, race, ethnicity and gender, and have a ...
Spring is here! Birds are laying eggs and joyfully singing in the morning. Wildflowers are popping up and fruit trees are blossoming as bees and butterflies swirl in the breeze. People are falling in love, planting seeds in their gardens, cleaning their homes and decorating them with flowers. Fertility, new ...
The great Lao Tzu of the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) once said, “If you realize that all things change, there is nothing you will try to hold on to. If you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve.” If you were to rank the most prominent human fears, the fear of death would most ...
When I open the medicine cabinet in our bathroom, what I see is mesmerizing. About 7.5 of the 8 shelves in there are jam packed with mysterious creams, tonics, and scrubs that my wife Michelle swears by as part of her beauty regimen. On the remaining half shelf that has been assigned to me (nomadic ...
When my husband moved out, I found myself depressed, alone, and without a sense of purpose—unless you consider sleeping until noon and then going on 12-hour eating benders a higher calling. For six months, I spent teary nights alone, recreating the pasta sauce he’d made for me on our first date. The ...
There was a time in my life when I was overcome by a genetic, incurable and terminal health condition. The most difficult part wasn’t the actual condition, even though it was extremely painful and debilitating. More than anything it was the lack of purpose, hope, and ability to relate with other people. I ...
I recently was reminded of the fear many people have of eating the wildness of the world. I had harvested some flowering rosemary for my students to offer folks at an upcoming event. I suggested they invite people to eat the flower of the rosemary plant – what a delight it is to pinch off the little ...
Everyone loses their spiritual way from time to time. We strive to be kind and conscious beings in each moment, regardless of the challenging scenarios at play, but old patterns can sneak up on us when we least expect them. Without some inner practices to turn to in our time of need, we can feel overwhelmed ...
When searching for sustainable happiness in modern society, we can encounter so many obstacles that for most people, it appears impossible to accomplish. Interestingly enough, for indigenous societies that are still in touch with their cultural heritage, happiness is a prevailing component of their daily ...