Herbal Studies – Part 7 Further Study

EXPERIMENT NUMBER ONE

The next time you start to feel unwell, ask yourself what each one of the three traditions would advise you to do - e.g. You feel a headache coming on. The Scientific tradition says take a pain killer. The Heroic tradition says give yourself an enema. The Wise Woman tradition says take a nap. (For more information on the three traditions, see the chart in my book Healing Wise.)

EXPERIMENT NUMBER TWO

Instead of doing what you usually do for some problem (e.g. headache), do something different. Choose something from the same tradition you usually use, or from a different tradition.

EXPERIMENT NUMBER THREE

Become more aware of the "nourishment of your senses" as Gurdieff put it. What do you look at? Listen to? Smell? Touch with your skin? Taste?

EXPERIMENT NUMBER FOUR

Nourish yourself in a new or different way. You might: eat something - or eat somewhere - that you've wanted to try but never dared. Go to a museum, or the opera, or the ballet, or a Broadway show. Visit with a cherished friend. Listen to music that touches your soul. Sit in meditation and burn subtle incense.

EXPERIMENT NUMBER FIVE

Make a list of ten things that nourish you that are now in your life.

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Make a list of ten things that could nourish you if they were in your life.

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FURTHER STUDY

1. Become more familiar with the Scientific tradition: Read one or more issues of Scientific American and/or Science News.
2. Become more familiar with the Heroic tradition: Skim through Back to Eden or any current book on detoxification.
3. Become more familiar with the Wise Woman tradition. Read:

Healing Wise, the Wise Woman Herbal. Susun Weed. 1987, Ash Tree Publishing.

Herbal Rituals. Judith Berger. 1998, St. Martin's Press.

Healing Magic, A Green Witch Guidebook. Robin Rose Bennett. 2004, Sterling.

The Secret Teachings of Plants. Stephen Buhner. 2004, Inner Traditions.

The Village Herbalist, Sharing Plant Medicines with Family and Community. Nancy and Michael Phillips. 2001, Chelsea Green Publishing.

ADVANCED WORK

• The three traditions of healing are not restricted to healing of course. You might have recognized these three attitudes in your profession. Wonderful articles have been written on the "Three Traditions of Teaching" (the Scientific relies on tests, the Heroic on punishment and reward, the Wise Woman on freedom to experience and express) and the "Three Traditions of Therapy" (the Scientific refers to manuals and prescribes drugs, the Heroic blames the unconscious, the Wise Woman nourishes the spirit and builds wholeness) and even the "Three Traditions of Cooking" (the Scientific uses a thermometer and a recipe, the Heroic blackens and heavily spices everything, and the Wise Woman uses what is in season where she lives).
• Apply the three traditions to your profession.
• Read about the history of herbal medicine. Suggested books:

Green Pharmacy, the History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine. Barbara Griggs. 1997, Healing Arts.

The Magical Staff, the Vitalist Tradition in Western Medicine. Matthew Wood. 1992, North Atlantic Books.

Witches, Midwives, and Nurses, A History of Women Healers. Barbara Ehrenrich and Deirdre English. 1973, Feminist Press.