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The Wisdom In Native American Herbalism
Bear & Company 1996, 2001, 2006 ISBN #159143058-5 "Sacred Plant Medicine" is a life work for Stephen Buhner in many ways, not the least of which is that he is "living" the world of sacred plant medicine, not simply reporting on it. Buhner addresses his subject with respect and great humility, and asks the reader to do the same. In her foreword, Brooke Medicine Eagle notes that a paramount task for two-leggeds (humans) at this time is re-acquaintance with the sacred, and that one path in this journey is that of sacred plant medicine. This journey is an experiential one, deepening ones sense of self and of All Of Our Relations. This journey is available to all that wish to walk it, all races, all creeds. The ancients lived from their heart, not from their brain. To work with sacred plant medicine, one must return to this way of being. One must be willing to let go of their beliefs, and be willing to acknowledge that each and every person and thing in this universe is a living being, with a way that is all its own, and that is connected to each and every person and thing around it. If there is a secret to sacred plant medicine it is this - that plants are living beings. They have their own voices, and their own songs. They will share their wisdom if they are approached with respect for who and what they are. If we take the time to not only honor them, but to communicate directly with them, they will communicate back. Plant communications can come in visions, or in dreams, or in simply "knowing". Each plant has a purpose, an area of life that it addresses. It carries its own "song" - a song that can be heard by anyone who is (a) willing to listen, and (b) ready to hear. Buhner tells an amazing story from his own life in the original reface to this book. He talks about the ten years that he spent developing a relationship with 35 acres of land outside Boulder, CO. The reason that he left this area had nothing to do with the land, it had to do with local politics. Too many people moving into the area, combined with the micromanagement attitude of the government of the city of Boulder. We can all nod our heads here - how often have we each seen this, and how much land has lost its sense of self, and its sense of purpose, because of this. Buhner speaks about how he has come to present things, such as capitalizing the word Earth, because the Earth is a living being. Plants are referred to as "relations", because we are all related. He also notes that throughout the book the spelling of specific tribes and societies may change, and that this simply reflects his use of the spelling as taken from whatever reference he was using in any specific section. He also echoes Brooke Medicine Eagle's thought that it is our birthright to enter and understand the sacred territory of plant medicine. Buhner's path, as reflected in this book, goes back to his great-grandparents, to their lifestyle, and their way of thinking and living. His great-grandfather was formally trained as a physician, in the time before the advent of many of today's antibiotics and medicines. His healing was the herbal healing of his time - which has now come home to his great-grandson. (At one point in the book Buhner reflects that he will no longer seek advice from western medicine and its practitioners, but instead will rely with a whole heart on the sacred plants that he has come to know.) The wisdom held within these pages comes through Buhner's personal experience in healing himself, and through the quotes from Native American Elders throughout the book. From different cultures the same story is spoken: that plants are sacred, that they are here to heal us, and that the manner of use for each plant is very specific. Each plant has a sacred song, and those who are drawn to it will hear it. This song then becomes part of the ritual when using the plant for healing. One of the most definitive points in this book is that the plants themselves are only part of the healing. How they are gathered is part of the healing. How they are prepared is part of the healing. Their connection with the healer is part of the healing. The heart and intent of the healer, along with the medicine inherent in the plants, is what accomplishes the healing. There is such a thing as "selling" a plants song. Rather than listening for the song themselves, some healers will "buy" a plants song. The combination of the plant and its song, without a connection to the healer, will not bring about a healing. Heart and intent have to be there. Buhner discusses how to develop a relationship with plants, how to create a Sacred Medicine Bundle, the place of the Pipe, and of the tobacco Give-Away. He describes the wildcrafting of medicinal plants, and how to make the plants into medicine. He discusses ceremony, and the making of a personal Medicine Wheel. There is a chapter on the four sacred plants of the Rocky Mountain Region, with a separate chapter on plants and their medicinal uses. This is an excellent reference book, as well as a wonderful book for beginners who want a true understanding of how to begin working with plants.
Bonnie Cehovet
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