Case Study : Healing with Herbs Ripples Out into the World

When people are drawn to studying herbalism it tends to be for a specific reason. Maybe they have some pain or discomfort they'd like to be free of, or they're looking to treat a specific illness in a family member.

Some folks study herbalism because they want to be prepared. Frequently, but not always, these are parents who want to feel prepared for when their children get sick. Perhaps describing these folks as having a "grandmother-type" energy is a more universal way of saying it.

Sandra Christensen is an example of someone with a 'grandmother-type' feel to her, but it has nothing to do with her age.  It's about how she is.  I noticed it pretty quickly when we first met. Even before applying to the Herbal Integration Course last year, Sandra emailed me to tell me that she was active in her community garden and wanted to create a medicinal garden full of native plants. And when she applied, she said that her greatest motivation for taking the class was to improve her son's health by making her own herbal remedies.

Can you see what I mean about her being a 'grandmother-type'? She's got her eye on supporting others, considering the needs of future generations and working for the betterment of the whole planet.

Do you know people like this? I'll bet you do. They're not always the one with the mic. Often, in fact, you find them just on the outskirts "keeping an eye on things", or behind the scenes. (Check the kitchen, these people love to feed people!)

I believe that the world conspires, on some level, to support these people. And that often creates unexpected results.

This is how it was with Sandra. Yes, she achieved her main goals. She has a full medicine cabinet of herbs that she gathered and processed herself. She's found herbs that support her son's health. She now knows many local native plants. And the community-based Backyard Healing Garden had it's first work party 2 weeks ago! (I'm really proud of you Sandra!)

But the thing I want to draw your attention to is the unexpected benefits that this class brought to Sandra. There are two remarkable shifts that she's permitted me to share with you.

Sandra shared the first shift at the end of our final class last year. It went something like this,

"the thing this class has really shown me is that healing is at the root of all the work that really needs to be done. That's how we can really help each other, we can heal together...This class gave me the space and time to have a relationship with plants and that shifted my relationship with people too."

I didn't hear hear about the second big shift for Sandra until a few weeks ago.

"Last year, I set the intention to be more quiet, to do more listening, and to turn inwards. It led to deeper transformations and brought me to new spaces and places I had not foreseen. A big part of my shift in 2013 was to take your Herbal Integration Course with the intention of exploring a new path that felt closer to my soul purpose. So please accept my deep gratitude for your inspiration and wisdom this past year."

There's a secret power that many people don't understand when they think about herbal medicine. It took me a while to clue in, too. It's the reason that these sorts of deeply personal changes happen for people when they study herbs in the right way.

You must develop an actual relationship with the living plant. And you have to see yourself as no better or worse than that plant, whether garden weed or old growth cedar.

There is a magical connection, a magical metamorphosis that can happen when we open our hearts to the living world with humility and a sense of wonder.

Sandra did this. And plant medicines have become rooted in her heart and soul, and they're growing outward from there destined to touch many lives.

And about that Herbal Integration Course...

I created this course specifically to help people develop a deep and powerful trust in local herbal medicines, along with building the skills to make these medicines in their own kitchens.If you're interested in feeling more connected with your life's purpose and the aliveness of the world around you, I invite you find out more.Check it out: Herbal Integration Coursestrength & wisdom.garliqPS.  To save $150 with the Early Bird Deadline, apply by next Sunday Feb. 9th (end of day).  This course filled up 1 week before the application deadline last year, so get your applications in today.  The class is already 1/4th full.  Apply here-->http://www.urbanherbschool.ca/courses/herbal-integration-course-2014PPS.  Tuesday Feb. 4th @ 11am PST, I'll be doing a free webinar: Connecting with Plants Using Empathy & Your Heart.  To listen live or to access the recording-->Sign up here