The Spiritual Properties of Herbs
When most people hear about herbs, herbal medicine, or herbalism, their minds immediately go to the capsules, tinctures, and teas found on the shelves of health food stores. This form of herbal medicine is ancient- and is a powerful way to address any and all health concerns when in the hands of a qualified herbalist, but this is far from the only way we work with herbs- even in a clinical setting! In my practice as a clinical and spiritual herbalist at my herbal apothecary in Salt Lake City, Utah, the herbs show up in some often unexpected ways. I’d like to share a few of those magical ways with you here.
The difference between clinical herbalism and spiritual herbalism
At the basis of how I practice herbalism is a profound spiritual connection to both the plants and to the natural world. I am an animist, which means that I walk through the world trying to experience the personhood of all beings- not just humans. I try to allow for animals, plants, and even places and events to have spirit- consciousness that makes them sovereign citizens of the world who deserve my acknowledgement and respect. This kind of animism is the world’s oldest spiritual perspective, and it’s underneath all of the most ancient mystical traditions we know.
So, my work with herbs approaches them not as things, resources, or tools, but as spiritual persons who have a wisdom, magic, and medicine all their own- which they are often very happy to share with we human folk, thankfully. Me being a person and plant also being persons means that we can connect, relate, and commune in a way that simply cannot happen between a person and thing. Plants hear and they speak- in their own ways, of course.
When we experience plants in this way, we soon realize that the ways in which they can help us as allies in this world go far beyond the limits of the physical body. Since most people think of herbal medicine as onlybeing relevant to physical ailments, this is where things get really interesting.
THE WALL ISN’T REAL
As medicine has evolved over the ages, a false wall has been constructed between the medicinal application of plants and the older, more folkloric magical application of the same plants. This wall tells us that the medicinal side is more powerful, real, and effective while the magical side is fantasy and illusion. The fact is that along the grand timeline of humans working with plants, this wall has existed for a mere moment. The magic and medicinal are rooted in the deepest expressions of herbalism across time and place.
ANYTHING, ANYWHERE
This means that, in the right hands, plants can be moved into any aspect of our lives to bring their wisdom. We might need this in our physical bodies if we’re dealing with an illness, or maybe in the atmosphere of our minds, or even the cascades of our emotions… but the plants can just as easily move outward into the story we live- into the narrative of our lives where we work, play, have relationships, succeed, fail, learn, and grow. There is no place where the herbs cannot flow when we invite them in properly.
GUIDES AND GUARDIANS
One of the most profound ways we can work with plants is as allies on the journey. When we connect with the spirit of specific plants, we’re given a link to a non-human person with talents, influences, and perspectives that are radically different than our own. This adds so much to our lives, and gives us access to profound insight, healing, and wisdom. Plants are often quite happy to walk alongside us as we navigate the human experience.
WHAT IS HERB MAGIC?
You may have heard this term herb magic. It usually means that plants are being worked with to create desired changes through their magical virtues rather than through what we more commonly think of their medicinal virtues. The fact is, as rooted in our ancient ancestral herbal traditions, that everything the plants do for us is both medicinal and magical: magico-medicinal. They don’t distinguish between physical healing and spiritual healing, and neither should we. From the perspective of the plants, situations are either harmonious and beautiful, or they are disharmonious and chaotic. Whether this disharmony is happening in the functioning of your cardiovascular system or in an interpersonal relationship, the plants just want to help bring the beauty.
Check out this class on The Magical Properties of Plants…
I post classes like these every Friday on my YouTube channel.
The best way to experience the spiritual properties of the plants is to work with a qualified herbalist who can help define the right plants for your spirit and guide you into a connection with these non-human allies. Exceptional herbalists allow for the magic, medicine, and wisdom of the plants to show up in clinical sessions, medicine, remedies, and protocols alike- ensuring that you receive the full benefit of all spiritual herbalism has to offer.
