Earth Medicine: A Revival of Sacred Cultures and Religions
Earth Medicine
By Nancy Oakes
PART ONE
Humanity has crossed over to a new era, a time when human beings are reuniting with their inner power, and breaking the chains from the old paradigms of patriarchal mind control. We have again come out of the dark ages into the light, and have discovered a new respect for the old ways of holistic medicine: earth medicine. Therefore embracing the traditions and cultures of the Earth people.
OPPRESSED CULTURES AND RELIGIONS
Heresy! The first known usage of the term in a legal context was in AD 380 by the Edict of Thessalonica of Theodosius which made Christianity the state church of the Roman Empire. Upon this declaration if the Orthodox Church found any hint of female divinity, or resistance to the new religious authority they at once found heresy. Persecution and death of Gnostics, pagans, witches, midwives, indigenous medicine people, shamans, or all earth people who worshipped the Creatress pursued. Those whose traditions, and ceremonies were a direct link to a spiritual connection to the earth, moon, sun, stars, fire, water, and air, were destined to be eliminated. Further other cultures and religions, including Hindu, Buddhist, Aztec, Inca, Hawaiian and Native American cultures were held in great suspicion. Therefore labeled pagan and heathen, and declared in violation of the church’s code of heresy.
EARTH PEOPLE
GODDESSES, GNOSTICS, DRUIDS, PAGANS, WITCHES, SHAMANS
In antiquity, pre-Christian Europe, there was an indigenous people living all over this planet who worshipped gods and goddesses, nature, their ancestors, and held the Earth’s primal elements as sacred. Their traditions and ceremonies included astrology, mathematics, literature, arts, and music. The one thread that linked them was that they considered themselves to be direct descendants of many sacred gods, and goddesses. Their Goddesses were recorded as powerful women, warriors, Creatress of Earth, and humankind. The very words pagans, heathens, witch, and medicine people, have been tainted over the centuries by the Christian ideology. Misogyny has been characterized as a prominent feature of the mythologies of the ancient Christian world, as well as the reason for their various rules and regulations regarding the role of women in the church. In addition, many influential western philosophers have been described as misogynistic.
It is appropriate to say the pre-Christian world consisted of people who did not worship in a building, but were found in groves of trees, or at a river bank, or in a circle dancing in the moon light. The image of those sacred people in ceremony to the earth and in sacred universal splendor does not seem frightening to me; however they were seen as a threat to the new church. Without a patriarchal authoritative established system of rules and regulations to punish them, they lived in harmony and joy with nature. The Earth people had free access to healthcare, with guidance from their medicine people. The medicine people had knowledge, and the purpose of all the plants, and trees; and shared the healing properties freely within their communities. Most often they used spells and white magic producing relief from ailments and disease. The babies were delivered by a woman who practiced midwifery.
The witches, elders, and medicine people had the formulas for potions to heal everything from minor wounds, asthma, backaches, burns colds, constipations coughs etc. Holistic medicine is also based on the belief that unconditional love and support is the most powerful healer and a person is ultimately responsible for his or her own health and well-being. Other principles of holistic medicine included the healing of not just the body, but the mind, spirit, and emotion, through a sacred process of direct spiritual connection to the Creatress, and nature.
HEATHEN WORSHIP, NO FEAR OF THE AFTERWORLD
The early church considered the earth people childlike, and did not understand their non-materialistic lifestyle. Another characteristic of Heathen religion is the respect given to ancestors. Unconcerned about the future, few suffered from anxiety, or depression. Based on their connection to the natural world, and their spiritual understanding of their purpose of life they lived without fear of religious punishment. They were also uninterested in the sophisticated rules and codes of conduct demanded by the new Roman religion. The original Heathens were the pre-Christian North European people, who lived a thousand or more years ago in the lands around what is now called the North Sea. This included the people of Anglo-Saxon, England, Scandinavia, Germany and Frisia (Friesland).
Much of the ancient magical practices of the earth people were passed down from generation to generation to reveal information about the past, present, and future including: astrology, augury, cartomancy, chiromancy, fortune telling, geomancy, I Ching, omens, scrying, and tarot reading. All such practices were forbidden, ridiculed and encouraged to die out by the Christian church. These ancient traditions of magic were safely protected, and have enjoyed a revival worldwide.
SACRED TREE MEDICINE
The sacred knowledge of holistic medicine included trees by the medicine and earth people. There are hundreds of trees worldwide used in earth medicine, I have listed a few below. Year round the bark, twigs and roots may be used to treat common ailments. Some simple rules were learned, and the knowledge passed down from generation to generation. (This knowledge was of great importance to the early Church, thus the reason for torture of witches and medicine people.) Currently many modern pharmaceuticals are derivatives of tree bark, and twigs including aspirin.
Pine trees are revered worldwide as healing agents. Any pine, or other evergreen such as spruce, larch, and cedar, will have antiseptic properties useful as a wound wash. The most palatable pine for internal use is the white pine. Its needles and twigs are simmered into a tea that is rich in Vitamin C. The tea is used for sore throats, coughs, and colds. Chinese herbalists boil the knot of the wood because of the concentrated resins found there. Pine baths aid in kidney ailments, improve circulation, and are relaxing to sore muscles. The aroma of pine is soothing to the nerves and lungs. Pine tea also makes a wonderful foot bath.
Willow tree bark has salicylic acid, which is a natural form of aspirin. Willow bark tea treats muscle pain, inflammation, diarrhea, fever, arthritic pain, and headache. Used externally it makes a wash for cuts, ulcers, and poison ivy. Willow bark in teas and capsules is sedative and eases insomnia. It reduces the risk of heart disease and may delay cataract formation.
Hawthorne, the fall berries and spring new leaves and flowers make a cardiac tonic that benefits virtually all heart conditions. Use caution when combining this herb with other heart medications to prevent a sudden drop in blood pressure. As with all holistic approaches use caution when combining herbs, and follow the rules of your holistic practitioners.
Addition information- http://www.survivalistdaily.com/using-trees-as-medicine/
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About the Author
Nancy is the CEO of the “Spiritual Life Style Center.” She is a member of the Free Cherokee, and an adopted member of the United Lenape Band. Nancy is currently involved in the study of psychology, and cultural anthropology. Her passion is “A humanity free from the addictions of drugs and alcohol. She is also an activist for the Freedom of Tibet, and the preservation of sacred life on this planet. You can contact her at her email address of nancy.oakes1@aol.com, www.lovetothelight.weebly.com.
