Medicine Stories

Myth is the power of place speaking, and the story threads that made meaning and held guidance for our ancestors can be found anew and re-woven for our times. When we tap into the mythic imagination, we remember the calling that brought us into the world. IN THE INTRO: Dreaming the ancient ways Sisters of rock and root IN THE INTERVIEW: The Loss of the Voices of the Wells: the sacred contract between humans and the land, and how the desecration of women and the destruction of the earth are interwoven The loss of lineage results in the loss of our stories The sophistication embedded in ancient myths, and how we’ve been raised misunderstanding the old stories Stories have an independent existence outside of the human mind and reside in the imaginal realm A myth is the power of place speaking The Otherworld is an overlay, interwoven with this one How the heroic journey is killing the planet Archetypes are universal, but expressed in myth through different cultural filters The wise old woman of the world, and the Cailleach that informs much of Sharon’s work Cultivating the mythic imagination & courting the world soul The meaning of “calling”: every one of us came here to do something that matters The stories that we loved as children hold meaning for us Discerning coincidence from synchronicity Grounding the imaginal realm Bodyfullness v mindfulness The root of the word “enchantment” means “to sing into”- becoming re-enchanted is singing yourself back into the world Telling stories to the land, and the sacred responsibility to engage with the earth LINKS: Sharon’s website (books, online courses, and more) Medicine Stories Patreon (enter the giveaway!) This Mythic Life podcast The Boudica book series by Manda Scott Wisdom of the Mythtellers by Sean Kane The Cry for Myth by Rollo May The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling by James Hillman My website MythicMedicine.love  Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Every woman throughout time has taken some kind of plant and some kind of fat, put them together and used it as medicine. Herbal body oils are the One Remedy to Rule Them All. And no one knows more about making and using them than Kami McBride. IN THE INTRO: Ancient sacrament, modern necessity Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils online course IN THE INTERVIEW: How herbal oils came into Kami’s life and immediately replaced petroleum based products If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth, don’t put it on your skin Kami’s favorite herbs for oil making Mugwort as a deepening, driving, carrying herb St. John’s Wort for bruises, burns, cuts, eczema, growing pains, inflamed skin, muscle pain, nerve pain, neck tension, spasms, back pain, insomnia, anxiety, relaxation, children’s health, smashed fingers and a million other things How oiling nourishes and calms the nervous system If the skin is dry, then the nerves are dry- this dehydration makes us feel agitated and irritated and anxious (and is exacerbated in summer and fall), “Oil is the antidote to nervousness” The skin is an immunological organ- why oiling is so important for supporting optimal lymphatic and immune system health Using oils with kids Earlobe oiling! Game changer Herbal oils for sleep support- goodnight insomnia When you study herbalism you’re also learning about the earth and the human body No one can tell you how much of an herbal preparation to take- even doctor’s dosage recommendations are guesses (know thyself!) How herbal body oiling helps you develop deep listening to and knowledge of your body Embedding self care into the culture All the places where Kami keeps little bottles of oil for immediate access How oils helped revive Kami’s ailing great aunt The skin as a reflection of internal health How making an herbal oil is different from making an herbal tincture MAKING OILS: Learning to make shelf stable and potent herbal oils  How to know which herbs to use fresh and which to use dry Preventing spoilage when making fresh plant oils: the 5 things to pay attention to (FLAHM) Using alcohol in your oil making for greater potency and preservation The most controversial of all oil making questions- should you solar infuse your oils? There’s not just one way to make your herbal medicine- herbalism is vast If you’re making a blend, should you make separate oils and blend later or just put all the herbs into one jar? Should you oil your face? And our skin care practices “Every woman throughout time has taken some kind of plant and some kind of fat, put it together and used it as some kind of medicine” Why making your own oils will save you SO MUCH MONEY Oils are the least amount of effort for the most return home remedy and are such an effective and easy place to start your herbal journey All the first aid uses for herbal oils LINKS: Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils online course Mythic Medicinals St. John’s Wort Oil Dr. Vasant Lad and the Ayurvedic Institute Medicine Stories Patreon  Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? Quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)  

Embodying the blessing of being a child of diverse lineages, being rooted first in our ancestral stories and second in our cultural narratives, embracing our inherent worth as we step into the work we came here to do, and so much more... IN THE INTRO: Imaginal remembering How primal human posture has greatly diminished my pain Gathering the stories of your elders IN THE INTERVIEW: Tamira’s childhood experiences with the unseen, and how that was (not) held in her family We are accountable to our ancestors The process of remembering and learning to be in daily, direct communication with those who hold the container for our lives Being a bridge between our children and the ancestors- incorporating small ritual into our lives and sharing our peoples’ stories Our children are the ancestors returning as the new faces of the lineage The evolution of Tamira’s ancestral healing journey as a black woman in the south with both African and European ancestors Seeing today’s -isms as rituals of disconnection that feed shame and hatred and anger, which further fuel racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. Remembering that black and white are not ancestral categories and stepping back to view the larger historical narratives of our people The story of the harmonizing of two of Tamira’s lineages, one of West African descent and one of European- what was shown to her during the ceremony and how the healing changed her life (we cry) Victimhood, blame, forgiveness, and how our redemption is tied into one another’s Claiming first the identity of being a child of your ancestors before being anchored in the (very real and valid) identities the world assigns you Ancestral connection banishes imposter syndrome- you belong with and to your people always, they’re holding the container of your life so that you can bring your medicine forward (and when we feel this belonging this we are much less likely to perpetuate cultural and personal harms) Holding space for childrens’ grief, and the generations of unmetabolized grief wreaking havoc on our culture LINKS: Tamira’s website (teachings, podcast, ancestral healing sessions) Tamira on Instagram: Get Your Chit Together Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses!) My website MythicMedicine.love  Christine Kent’s Whole Woman website and her interview on the Honey Talks Podcast Ruby Sales TEDtalk: How We Can Begin to Heal the Pain of Racial Division Martin Prechtel The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Through untold eons mammals have evolved a beautiful birth-giving physiology based around a complex cascade of hormones that are released during labor. We give both mother and baby the best chance at a peaceful, ecstatic birth and postpartum period when we remember and respect this ancient dance. IN THE INTRO: Complex parenting topics: sleep, immunity, birth IN THE INTERVIEW: Sarah’s mainstream doctor grandfather and how she got interested in natural birth The exquisitely designed ancestral/mammalian hormonal blueprint of labor  The impact of (unnatural, external) stress on a laboring woman and how it disrupts the optimal hormonal flow Creating optimal conditions for birthing and for bonding The hormonal consequences of bypassing the natural physiological onset of labor (such as by induction or scheduled C-section) How feeling unsafe (at a subconscious, limbic system level) disrupts the flow of birth The irony of how we treat animals in labor v how we treat human women in labor The ecstatic, altered state of mind we enter into during labor  What first time mothers need to know but are often not told Fear and mystery in birth The body is designed to transcend the (natural, intrinsic) stress and pain of labor and they play a critical role in bonding The role of vocalization in labor Newborns need placental blood: cord clamping and how our cultural beliefs around that have changed over time What “No hatting, no patting, no chatting” means for the postpartum period Ancestral family sleep and motherbaby biological regulation: the many reasons that co-sleeping is best for babies and the science that backs it up The fascinating phenomenon of some birth attendants being able to smell the moment before the baby is born LINKS Dr. Buckley’s website Dr. Buckley on Facebook Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses!) My website MythicMedicine.love  Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering book Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing report Medicine Stories Podcast Episode 30: The Innate Intelligence of the Immune System with Cilla Whatcott Medicine Stories Podcast Episode 48: Matriarchy in Action & Ancestor Assisted Birth with Emilee Saldaya Jeanine Parvati Baker CO-SLEEPING RESEARCH- James McKenna’s Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre-Dame Sara Wichkam’s website Midwifery Today’s website  Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Soft power, honoring our elders, and banishing imposter syndrome by remembering that we’re in service to the earth. IN THE INTRO: Honoring the lineage of plant healers that led to this podcast Intuitive breast care w/ herbs What every herbalist should know IN THE INTERVIEW: Kneeling to the earth- herbalism isn’t about you, please don’t be afraid to share your voice How Rosemary’s name (which came from her two grandmothers) set her on her path from an early age Plants that carry soft power & the medicine of rosemary (the plant) What Rosemary learned about plant healing from her Armenian grandmother The necessity of recognizing our elders How Rosemary came into teaching herbalism to others during the American herbal renaissance of the 1970s How herbalists seem to come to the same conclusions as one another over and over again, and realizing that it’s because we aren’t figuring new things out but simply stepping back into the ancient human/plant relationship and the knowledge that comes with that The importance of monitoring, conserving, preserving, and cultivating wild plants and how United Plant Savers has changed the face of American herbalism How plants that grow in abundance tend to be super nutritive plants that our ancestors used in daily life as food and medicine, and how rarer plants tend to have more specific medicine and were used more sparingly in acute cases The ongoing Fire Cider controversy and what happens when folks choose trademarks over traditions Life transitions, looking back on Rosemary’s incredible legacy, and looking forward to what’s next LINKS: Rosemary’s websites: www.sagemountain.com and  www.scienceandartofherbalism.com (<-- click the Patreon link below to get a $75 off coupon code for this course by 7/31/19) United Plant Savers: Medicinal Plant Conservation Free Fire Cider Queen of Heaven & Earth Herbal Breast Oil and Episode 33 w/ Anja Robinson Root Cause Medicine & Breasts as an Intuitive Center Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses!) My website MythicMedicine.love Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)  

Mariee Sioux’s music is medicine for the living and medicine for the dead, a direct portal both to and from the ancestors and the land spirits. In this interview she shares profound stories of hurt, healing, and visions gifted from the otherworld. IN THE INTRO: Making grief more beautiful and more bearable How to enter the Giveaway of the Grief in Exile album Songs played during this episode are- Wild Eyes Black Snakes Grief in Exile Two Tongues IN THE INTERVIEW: Mariee never dreamed she’d be a musician & how that ended up happening Mariee’s connection with her indigenous Mexican and American maternal ancestors and her Hungarian and Polish paternal ancestors Songs pouring through you and the magical process of bringing something into being When the ancestors choose one person in their lineage to drop their stories into Ethnic stereotypes and what people will say to your face Mariee’s work with the Nisenan, the native people of the lands she and I live on, and how growing up here she literally never knew there were remaining tribal members here “I experienced so many spirits on the land that hadn’t been grieved” Some deep medicine stories- how this podcast has changed Mariee’s life (so much interweaving serendipity, since her music opens and closes every episode) How datura embedded into Mariee’s consciousness and how that plant relationship touched her life, even before she’d ever worked with the plant physically The amazing ancestral vision Mariee was gifted that supports the music and voice medicine she carries in this lifetime The different ways that people who come from lineages with unmetabolized grief and trauma [all of us] carry that ancestral inheritance How magic and the synchronicities start showing up once we commit to following our soul calling A digression on the Aquarian archetype LINKS Hear Mariee’s music and order Grief in Exile: www.marieesioux.bandcamp.com Nisenan Tribe: 1) www.nisenan.org, 2) Ancestral Homeland Reciprocity Program, 3) California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP), 4) Tribal Chairman Richard B. Johnson’s book History Of Us: Nisenan Tribe of the Nevada City Rancheria Sophia Rose’s interview with Mariee at Garden Party Past episodes mentioned- 19. Reclaiming Kitchen Wisdom & Ancestral Healing w/ Darla Antoine and 3. Becoming the Medicine & Seeing the Wide Arc of Time w/ Sophia Rose Medicine Stories Patreon (enter the giveaway!) My website MythicMedicine.love Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Humans have been joyfully engaging with rose medicine throughout the ages. This luxurious herb works on so many different parts of the body and spirit because of its many healing properties. Let's talk about them. Click here to get the beautiful PDF Bringing Rose Medicine Home, featuring 6 rose recipes from 5 herbalists, plus my 3 favorite rose products. An overview of rose's abundantly generous physical & energetic medicine Wild v cultivated roses Which roses are best to use, and which to always avoid  A healing message from rose that came to me recently, and the synchronicities that followed "Rose unwinds the stuckness that is often rooted in old grief, old trauma" Rose Delight Honey recipe from Kami McBride Rosebud Tea recipe from Rosalee de la Foret Rose is medicine for the whole heart Rainbow Heart Beams Elixir Giveaway! Discount on the Wild Rose Surprise Box from Rebecca Altman The Big (podcast related) Realization that came as a result of rose showing up in my life Upcoming guests & subjects LINKS: Medicine Stories Patreon (the Bringing Rose Medicine Home PDF, the giveaway, and the coupon code for the Wild Rose Surprise Box!) Take the Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Sophia Rose on Episode 3: Being the Medicine and Seeing the Wide Arc of Time Kami McBride on Episode 20: Herbalism, Menstruation, & Innate Knowing and Episode 39: Kitchen Herbalism: The Body Remembers Lola Venado on Episode 21: The Medicine We Carry Rebecca Altman on Episode 36: Magic Makes Us Human & Plants Keep Us Rooted Kami McBride's book The Herbal Kitchen Rosalee de la Foret's book Alchemy of Herbs Lola Venado's podcast Branch + Bone Medicine Show My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Remembering that our ancestors can guide us because they've done this all before, relating ancestral healing & communion to our sexually traumatizing culture, helping people without assuming that we hold knowledge of what it is they need, and so much more... IN THE INTRO: Lilac water Creating apart from perfection IN THE INTERVIEW: The sweet vulnerability of praying out loud Bespoken Bones and the magical process of naming things Discarding the expert paradigm- “I don’t know what you need to know” When jealousy is pointing you toward what you want to be doing Navigating the pathway of harm to healing Discerning the well from the unwell dead/ancestors Trancestral healing & the blessings and the powerful magic of complex gender The difference between our ancestors of blood and our ancestors of heart Engaging trauma as an alternate state of consciousness in which deep healing can happen and potent gifts can come forth Coming back into sexual wholeness We’re living in a sexually traumatic culture Sexual liberation is not a state we permanently get to, it’s a path and a process and a practice Most of us don’t feel like we can bring our whole, authentic selves to our relationships Shame, you know we talk about shame The throughline of selfhood LINKS: Pavini's websites: Emancipating-Sexuality, Trancestral Healing, and the Bespoken Bones Podcast PlantMakeup's Instagram lilac water post  Dr. Daniel Foor's Practical Animism online course My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

You come from a long line of healers, midwives, songstresses, herbalists, dancers, birth-givers, artists, and wise folk.  You are a direct descendent of powerful visionaries and earthwise geniuses, and their ancient knowing resonates today deep in your marrow. These are not empty platitudes or the wishful thinking of modern spiritual yearners; these statements are genealogical fact. In this episode I talk about: Why these statements are true How knowing our ancestors helps us to know ourselves 3 ways to connect with your ancestors LINKS: My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon (find the written version of this episode) Take the Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

We are in relationship with plants, animals, fungi, mountains, metals, fire, bodies of water, spirits of wind and weather, deities, human ancestors, star people, and others we don't have words for, whether we are conscious of it or not. In this conversation Dr. Daniel Foor and I talk about reclaiming kinship through earth-honoring ritual, getting right with your ancestors and with the land you're living on, finding your own unique medicine, and so much more. IN THE INTRO: Making animism practical $300 herbal medicine giveaway! (ends May 1st) IN THE INTERVIEW: Living humans are only one kind of person Animism isn't necessarily spiritual- that other beings also exist and that we are accountable to them is just fact The distinction between animism, shamanism, and indigenous ways Food and the psychological implication of realizing that both animals and plants are people Understanding the human dead as part of the sacred ecology of place The impacts of colonization on trusting our own knowing Being consent-minded and respectful of boundaries: how to hear no from (and say no to) the spirits/ancestors "Colonialism is a massive systemic consent violation" Expanding our vocabulary for the sacred by recognizing the incredible diverse of bodies and wisdoms of the world Contextualizing our devotions amidst the current crises the earth is undergoing (we need to get really good at grieving, but also not lost in it) Finding your own medicine and soul level calling Hierarchy is an intrinsic part of nature Seeing where you're at as the Holy Land (even if you're in suburban Baltimore) Everyone has an ancestral connection with plants (let go of your story that you're not a "plant person"!) Earth as deity (and exploring how we project a gender binary onto the this ancient, complex, multivalent being that is dreaming us up) Down to the water to pray: grief, the erotic, ancestors, food, healing Understanding deeper layers of magic at your specific place Considering inclusive ways to think about deities, archetypes, and weird old gods Harmonizing ritual skills with cultural and political advocacy- not compartmentalizing an animist approach to just our spiritual life, but taking it out to the wider world as well Daniel's three steps to get your life together (so real) LINKS: More info on the Practical Animism Online Course Enter the $300 giveaway by taking my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Patreon Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)