Teens and herbal spirits

Identification of the medicinal plants was part of the workshop

Direct Identification of the plants in the field.

A group of twenty students from Encounters with Canada, Canada’s largest youth forum, traveled by bus to my home in Wakefield on September 29^th for a herbal walk and introduction to herbal medicine.  They are students from different parts of the country (120 to 148 teens from age 14-17 each school week) that gather together for a week in Ottawa to enrich their horizons with a diversity of experiences. (www.encounters-rencontres.ca)

I am still impacted by the freshness and openness of the new generations. They are thirsty for knowledge that supports new ways of thinking, or simply to be exposed to the alternative to live their life closer to nature. They were researching, they were inquisitive and they were able to experience the different flavors of the herbal garden.

But what was most striking to me was to experience the herb spirits being happy, alive and receptive to this type of exposure.

We humans have the habit of thinking that we own the planet and that other beings don’t exist on it. It is however, a very narrow way of thinking. We have actual beings that support our daily routine, our inner functions and inspire us to be whole in health and wealth.

I am proud to bring your attention to a dimension that is ready to be acknowledged and to serve you. The green kingdom of fairies, gnomes and little people, are now residing in the underground for the winter. They had a big celebration after a busy summer of producing our food. It is now time for us to thank them and to acknowledge their effort to supply their green juices to us.

The topic of herbs is not only for healing or food, but to induce a reverence, gratitude and humbleness in our self. We are really nothing without them. Our life on earth will be dry, cold and lifeless. Our existence will be flat with no diversity, stimulation or inspiration to grow. As a matter of fact we will not have a model of what growth is. Plants and plant keepers give us the notion of growth, the steps of growth and its natural sequence.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to interact with the herbs consciously and to invite you to celebrate their medicine with them.