You know, I've often thought how nice it would be to communicate my thoughts
and ideas about nature, the natural world, and how it relates to health and wellness.
It hadn't occurred to me, until recently, that a newsletter and blog are the perfect
mediums! Hey! Now I have both of them.
Since I've also written a lot during the past number of years, and since
what I've written
is often nature based material, I've decided to join the
writing, nature, and wellness
categories in this newsletter.
Subscribe to Natural Healing Talk!
You'll receive the bi-weekly newsletter. When I have a new eBook,
regular type book, eCourse, or any other product, I may send a special email.
However, primarily, new products will be announced on my web pages
and in the newsletter.
Enjoy!
Natural Healing Talk
March 30, 2006, Vol., 1, # 2
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Contents
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Editorial
Feature Article
Featured Web Link
Ethnobotanical Note
Advertisements
Barter Section
Quote
General & Unsubscribe Info
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Editorial
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Hello Everybody,
I hope you've had a pleasant two weeks since the first issue
of this newsletter was released. Personally, I'm getting more
enthused about spring, with each passing day.
Last night, at about 2 a.m., while relaxing with a cup of black
tea, I started thinking about how great it'll be to put my kayak
in the water for another season. Then, I got to thinking about
my first outing of last spring, when I followed a stream to
Leipsigaek lake. Aside from the wonderful stillness and peace
afforded by the stream, the highlight of my trip was a large
beaver house, situated where the stream widens and enters
the lake.
Later, as I sat in my kayak admiring the view, I saw a beaver
return with a freshly cut stick and place it to one side of the
house. Eventually, I was able to enjoy the activity of three
beavers, swimming and playing about in the water. Suddenly,
a beaver smacked its tail against the water and dove,
resurfacing well away from the others. Actually, this was the first
time I had witnessed a beaver batting its tail against water. The
sound is quite loud, and must serve as an alarm to other beaver
in the area.
The natural world offers us so many treasures, such as the one I
described, above. Those treasures are healing and nurturing in
many ways. I call the beaver incident, "beaver therapy," because
it's given me something to draw upon and remember, ever since it
happened. I remembered it on several occasions this past winter,
and the memory presented pleasant spring-like feelings,
even in January!
Seek out your own natural experiences this spring; experiences
that you can carry with you, like a medicine tonic, into the coming
year.
All the best,
Laurie
p.s. You can see a small picture of the beaver house on my blog at
Nature Writer's Digs. There are larger pictures on my Medicine Maker Blog.
But, they take longer to load.
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Feature Article
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The Nature Healing Process
Given the right conditions, the body and mind will heal
themselves of dis-ease. This, I think, is a fundamental
truth of nature. The problem is to recognize and remove
conditions attributing to the problem, replacing them
with conditions conducive to wellness.
How do we do this? There are many answers to this question.
Of course, that's not surprising, considering the vast differences
in people, and the way they respond to dis-ease and to life in
general. That's why many Native healers would not use the
same plant(s) or procedures to treat people who seemed to
have identical illnesses. They recognized the differences in
people, and treated each person as a unique individual.
I want to talk about one process that I think will help most
people to treat dis-ease, and restore balance to their lives.
It's surprisingly simple, and should not be over-looked because
of this fact. I'm speaking about "special places" in nature and I
devote two chapters to the topic in my book, Medicine Walk:
Reconnecting to Mother Earth.
Frequenting special places on a regular basis, allows us to
develop a closeness to nature, and to those forces that give
us our existence. We're able to make a deeper connection
to the root of our being, than if we were in a room, an office,
or similar human-made structures. The process is quite simple.
First, find a place in the natural landscape, where you feel
relaxed and at ease. Where you feel safe and, ideally, have
privacy. Visit your special place on a regular basis -- weekly,
or several times a week. Use it as a place of relaxation and
peace; where you can let go of problems, and listen to the
sounds and other sensual impressions of the natural world.
Do this on a regular basis, and you will find that your special
place becomes a valuable part of your life. This may seem
silly at first glance, but it's like having your own team of
counsellors with you, in the animals, the birds, the trees,
the plants, and even the rocks!
Believe me, finding and using your special place(s) is a
valuable life skill. If anyone has questions or would like some
guidance in this respect, please contact me. I would be happy
to assist you in this process.
Good medicine always!
Laurie
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Featured Web link
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The recommended web link for this issue: Useful Wild
Plants Inc. -- Botany for the Real World "The Useful
Wild Plant (UWP) Project sets a standard for studying
plants throughout the world." So, what does this site
describe as useful wild plants? They list several points
in response to this question, including the following:
"They're what we'll use in the future as renewable sources
of oil, fuel, food, pharmaceuticals, and more. They are our
most important resource for the future." Check out this site
at Useful Wild Plants.
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Ethnobotanical Note
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Plantain -- This genus contains over 200 species. The
plantain featured in this note is the well known, Common
Plantain, Plantago major, L. It's often referred to as "white
man's plant" or "white man's footsteps," by Native people,
wherever it grows in North America. This is because it was
widely introduced across the continent. However, I notice
that the 1998 edition of, The Flora of Nova Scotia (p. 713),
lists it as "Partly native, partly introduced from Europe." I'm
not certain what this actually means, except that perhaps
the introduced variety crossed with a native variety of plantain.
The Mi'kmaq and probably the Maliseet used it to treat wounds
and sores; for this purpose, the leaves might be crushed or
applied whole to the wound, and tied in place with a bandage.
The leaves and/or seeds were steeped in water, and the
concoction drank to treat stomach ulcers. In some cases,
this tea was mixed with warm milk and taken internally.
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Barter Section
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Bartering is a great way to exchange goods and services. If
anyone has something they would like to list here, please inform
me before the next issue. It's a free service! Send item notice
to Barter. I reserve the right to edit item descriptions.
First item!
I'm bartering a medicinal plant field walk in exchange for a pie:)
Yes, that's right! I love pie. It should be apple, blueberry, or any
other berry pie. The field walk date will be Sunday morning, May 7th,
from 10 a.m., to about noon. When we return, we'll make tea and eat
the pies! At least one person has to bring an apple pie, or the field
walk's cancelled;) I love apple pie. The tea and coffee is on me! The
field walk will occur at my place in Hebbs Cross, Lunenburg County,
Nova Scotia,weather permitting.
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Quote
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Never eat more than you can lift.
Miss Piggy
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General Info
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Natural Healing Talk -- Copyright 2006,
Laurie Lacey, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved
worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s).
All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents
provided as is. Advertisers are solely responsible for ad content.
Please feel free to use excerpts from this newsletter
as long as you give credit with a link to my page at:
Wild World of Plants and Natural Healing Talk
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Laurie Lacey -- writer, painter, life skills coach, with extensive
background in traditional plant and tree medicines. My sites
are at Wild World of Plants and Laurie Lacey's Paintings.
Also, I have a blog at Nature Writer's Digs
and an RSS feed at Feedburner.
Disclaimer: The material in this newsletter is for
information purposes only, and is not meant to replace
professional medical advice and treatment. Any use of
information in this newsletter for treatment or self-treatment is
strictly the responsibility of the individual(s) involved
in said treatment.
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