The philosophy of the European alchemical tradition and its practical application in spagyric pharmacy is central to the Evolutionary Herbalism model. Explore the potency of the synergy of clinical herbalism with alchemy.
Herbal medicine is and has always been, the peopleโs medicine.ย Just as thereโs significant variation in the people and cultures that fill our world, thereโs
On this weekโs episode of The Plant Path, Whitney is joined by herbalist Rosalee de la Forรชt. They have a discussion around wildcrafting practices; how to build relationships with the plants that grow around you by learning how to honorably harvest, tend, and care for land in your bioregion; how to work with the wild plants around you for food, medicine, and healing; and much more.
In part 2 of The Elements in People and Plants, we explore some the Elemental patterns as they exist within the botanical kingdom.
Distillation is one of the primary alchemical processes used in the production of true spagyric extracts. The 2 primary methods of distillation used are for
When youโre studying alchemical herbalism, the first step towards making spagyric medicine is with making what is called โthe seven basics.โโ This process is achieved
I use the term โenergetic architectureโ a lot in my work- for itโs a phrase that to me truly encompasses the concept in alchemy of correspondences, or the philosophy that everything in life is interconnected, related, and the above and below are ultimately One. But what does that mean? And how do we use that philosophy practically? Energetic Architecture is a universal pattern of energetics that weaves together science, religion, and medical traditions from around the world. Essentially, it consists of three primary layers, or patterns, of energetics: the 7 planets, the 5 elements, and the 3 philosophical principles (Alchemy) or doshas (Ayurveda). When one looks at traditional models of the world, there is usually always some form of a 3 fold pattern, a 5 fold pattern, and a 7 fold pattern.
When weโre thinking about herbal medicine making, some of the topics that generally come up amongst herbalists are linear in their approach to how we prepare herbal medicine. What part of the plant do we use? Should it be fresh or should it be dried? What percentage alcohol should we use? Is it better as an infusion or a decoction? What are the chemicals in the plant, and how do we best extract them?
When we talk about herbalism and alchemy, it can often seem like we talk only about the past. We know herbalism and alchemy have been
Thereโs something that Iโve been thinking a lot about lately. Iโve been looking at the state of the world and everything thatโs been going on politically and culturally. With the fires that weโve been having out here on the West Coast, it feels like things are heating upโliterallyโon planet earth right now.
Jupiter. The king of the Planets. Here I outline some of the general characteristics of Jupiter and a few botanical correspondences and how to think those through.
I had the pleasure of teaching a few workshops at the 2015 NW Herb Symposium on Whidbey Island, Washington. I decided to do a 2
In the world of alchemy, there tends to be a lot of focus on the specific processes of preparation: distillation, fermentation, calcination, dissolution, etc. and making sure they are done correctly, as well as timing the preparations in accordance with the astrological and planetary influences. But what can be easily overlooked is the importance of the prayer behind the work itself.