At this point of change and crisis there are no convenient maps, no guide books, only the occasional road sign suggesting directions. The limitations of thought and perception that have proved so useful for so long are now only a source of pain and crisis. But crisis is opportunity, and through the pressure and discomfort of our individual and social lives, the cracks are appearing in the shell of human life. A quantum leap in consciousness and possibility is occurring, and, as Marilyn Ferguson puts it: “Our past is not our potential.”*
A wind of change is blowing from deep within the spiritual roots of humanity, moving us forward, waking us up. What this change means is hard to say, although certain outlines may be discernible. While the problems remain the same, the quality of our approach to them will be enhanced by viewing them as wholes within wholes. The key may be in working with a non-judgemental inclusiveness, discriminating between what is or is not appropriate among parts of the whole rather than criticising differences. As humanity has been told for millennia, love is the key. And we each have a role to play in this exploration of the new, in the revealing of our new parameters, in humanity’s groping towards the light.
One of the ways in which this profound spiritual transformation is manifesting is in the area of cultural values and attitudes, leading to a ‘paradigm shift’, a shift in the pattern of thoughts, perceptions and values that form our particular vision of reality. It encompasses the complete vision of what society considers to be its reality. The way science is being transformed by this shift has been briefly touched upon, but the cultural impact is profound and often painful. The whole of our world—whether individuals, civilisations or the biosphere—is undergoing a crisis of birth and transition. The pain of this growth should not be avoided; the cultural transformation cannot be prevented. It would seem that through the trauma of the birth process lies the escape from crisis and collapse.
Within the chaos that seems to be surrounding this time of transition, our response to it can be completely free and open. In some fields there is an active growth towards the new vision which shows itself in certain areas of science and the arts, in the development of communities and the broad expansion of human growth and spirituality. However, in other areas the old vision and old paradigm are grimly being held on to, causing much pain and suffering as the old patterns no longer provide help or guidance within the new situation. Politics and economics, whilst trying valiantly to stem the tide, are fields of thought stuck in the old fragmented perceptions. Unless there is a movement towards more inclusive policies and attitudes, an embracing of the fact of our one world, there seems little hope of cure for our megacrisis. However, from within the new paradigm the outlook is totally different. Whilst not being easy, there are many directions in which our culture can move. The spirit of wholeness that holism offers to humanity can act as a beacon lighting our way as we stumble home.
The vision of Gaia offers a way in which the consciousness of humanity can resonate with the planetary whole. The vision and purpose of the spiritual drive of humanity can consciously synthesise scientific striving and allow a dynamic interaction between humanity and other realms of nature, within the embrace of the being which is the planet, which is Gaia.
Through the right flow of energies within a system, a body, an ecosystem, comes ecological harmony, comes healing. In this book I wish to share a vision of herbal medicine as a manifestation of Gaia at work, providing that which we need to ensure health and vitality in our physical bodies which in turn allows us greater involvement in the whole. Holistic healing offers an abundance of relevant, valid techniques, something which simply reflects the diversity of human consciousness. There is no need to separate herbal medicine from other holistic forms or even allopathic medicine; they are all valid as agents of healing. This book focuses on herbs as a healing tool, as ecological healers that are gifts from Gaia to humanity.
‘He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herbs for the service of man’
Psalm 104:14
Herbs, which comprise much of the realm of plants, are an interface within the body of Gaia. They are an interface between two realms of nature. Where humanity and plants meet, a synergistic energy can be created and exchanged. At such a point inner and outer ecology may resonate and become attuned. We have then an ecologically-integrated process that heals and harmonises the inner environment (the human body) whilst being produced by an outer harmonised environment (nature).
Flowering plants first appeared in geological history during the Cretaceous period, about 135 million years ago. It took them only a very short period of time to diversify into the main flowering plant families we know today. This baffled botanists for a long time until they recognised that the plants evolved within the context of an ecological whole and not as isolated individuals. They evolved within the ecosystem they lived in. The rapid diversification took place through the interaction of plants and insects. The interface between plant and animal realms provided the evolutionary drive.
With the concept of Gaia in mind, we can see that evolution is an exercise in cooperation as well as one of competition, both processes forming a web of interactions and producing the complex tapestry of today’s ecology, an interwoven dynamic system. The ecosystem can only be understood as a whole—as one integrated and self-maintaining unit. All that is needed for the maintenance of any part of the whole is supplied by it; in fact has to be supplied by the system, since there is nothing outside it. If the system did not take care of itself, it would not be viable and could not survive.
A specific example is the phenomenon of secondary plant products. A number of plants produce a range of complex chemicals that play no identifiable role within the metabolism of that plant; we call them secondary plant products. The only way to explain their function within the individual plant scientifically is to assume that it is a very complex way of isolating waste matter accumulated from the metabolic process of the plant, and this would be totally out of keeping with the genius of the realm of plants for efficiency and design.
Secondary plant products such as the alkaloids, the glycosides and many other groups have a strong and marked influence on human and animal physiology. They are the agents that distinguish herbs from other plants, as pharmaceutical chemists are finding out. This is not merely a fortuitous accident. It is in fact the hallmark of Gaia. By eating plants we are linked to a circulatory system within the biosphere and to the energy source of the sun, since plants synthesise their own nutrition via sunlight. The secondary plant products are taking part in this circulation to reach us and to facilitate homeostasis. In a profound and ingenious way, our food can be our healing.
The realm of plants provides everything our body needs for a balanced and integrated existence. However, we are more than just a body; we also have consciousness, which brings other factors onto the stage. We not only have to take our animal body into consideration, but also our emotions, our mind and our spiritual nature. Harmony is no longer simply a matter of right diet or even right herbs, but also a matter of right feelings, right thoughts, lifestyle, attunement, actions—harmony of right relationship to our world and ourselves. Choice comes into the healing process when we see which of these areas we need to work with most.
It is impossible to generalise about the relative value of techniques that work with the physical body, with the emotions or spiritual energies. All have their role and can work together for healing to take place. It can be said that health lies in correct diet,