Your body is nature: a guide to connecting with nature wherever you live

Our bodies reflect the patterns of nature. Each of us has an innate rhythm that responds to the time of day, the flow of seasons and the ecosystems we inhabit. Herbalism treats both the human body and nature as an ecosystem versus machine that resonates with the environment it inhabits, utilizing energetics to manage these connections.

This article by herbalist, Sajah Poplum, discusses the role of energetics in herbalism and suggests techniques to more deeply connect with nature no matter where you live.

By Sajah Poplum, School of Evolutionary Herbalism

The body can be understood as either an ecosystem or as a machine. 

The more you understand that your body is but a mirror to the natural world, the more you see the elemental and energetic cornerstones that form and direct health and wellness, as well as imbalance, in the body. By vowing to forever be a student of nature, nature vows to forever be your teacher. 

Energetics: Your body is nature

Our bodies are of nature, and the plants that we work with are of nature too. This perspective serves as a critically important foundation when working with plants and using them to provide healing for people. 

The degree to which our bodies mirror nature expands far beyond what you might consider initially. Our whole body, organs, organ systems, tissues, and entire composite being, including the mind, body and soul, form a mirror image that reflects the natural world. The wisdom of nature as an ecosystem versus machine is encapsulated in the ancient alchemical axiom, “as above, so below,” and the concept that we are a microcosm of the greater pattern of the macrocosm. That in fact, they are one and the same. 

When we allow this to sink in, it can profoundly influence the way in which you approach working with a client, how you select and use an herbal remedy, and how you view the healing process that ensues after administering a remedy. 

Nature as an ecosystem versus machine 

You’ll encounter two main approaches to healing when you study and practice herbalism…. CONTINUE READING…

An herbalist’s guide for connecting with nature