Braiding Traditions | Myth, Magic & Herbal Medicine
Written by Seraphina Capranos
It was the late 1990s when, at 19 years old, I found myself in a circle of multi-generational teachers who taught me how to heal. The sound of the drum and the lift of the song woke something up in me as we sat in a circle singing and sharing our life stories. It woke an ancient remembering; that there is a power and natural magic that arises when women gather.
I was overcome with a warm, calming feeling that I hadn’t yet experienced; it was a deep feeling of belonging. It seemed to come from the edge of my memory and slip into full view as the scent of the warmed nettle and motherwort tea was placed in my hand. This was home; despite being hundreds of miles from my life back in my hometown. I was raised by a mom and grandparents who only used natural medicine in the home, so that wasn’t new. But I hadn’t yet met women my age who shared this way of life too. It was powerful to share in the magic and mystery of this way of life with peers. With community.
When women gather, we share stories, and we heal. I learned that braiding together of myth, magic and herbal medicine are natural agents of change, and wake up a soul’s remembering in the hearts of women. Here’s why. . .
. .: Myth :. .
Myths and folktales speak to us deeply, beyond the surface level. They can reveal hidden truths and also hold up a mirror for us to see our lives from a new angle. They awaken wisdom that is timeless, deep in our bones. They capture symbolic knowing in the way our psyche understands.
Reflect upon your own life. What are the themes, and are there particular fairytales or myths with which you resonate, or notice repeatedly come up in your life? For me, the story of Persephone would emerge during a difficult break-up or death of a loved one; just when I was cast into the underworld. I would pour over various renditions of this ancient tale looking for the clues for how Persephone rises, becomes the Queen of her domain, and returns to bless the land of the living once more.
Some say cosmic intelligence speaks to us through symbols and archetypes. Ask the universe to reveal to you the folktale or myth that may hold answers to your burning questions. Then let go and listen….
.:. Magic .:.
Ritual and ceremonial practices are an embodied way to enter into conversation with the sacred order of all things. Just as the ancient Greek women practiced the Thesmophoria as a way to grieve, pray, and bless the land and their bodies, people still, all over the world enact rituals and ceremonies as a way to engage with the power of life. From weddings, funerals, and blessingways, the human soul is made for ritual.
The whole world is made from the interplay of consciousness, and this consciousness is always communicating with the Great Weaver - God, Goddess, Creatrix, whatever you want to call it. The more we open ourselves to listening to this consciousness, the more we can begin to speak back. This deepening of consciousness is one way to align oneself with heart coherence. The result? We build a deeper relationship of trust with our intuition.
Have you noticed you are drawn to ceremony and ritual? What particular ceremonies or rituals speak most to your heart?
. .: Herbal Medicine :. .
People and plants have been in a deep relationship since time immemorial. We’ve co-evolved together, our human lives have depended on plants. Plants have shaped human history. Just a few examples of significant plants that have changed the world whose names you may recognize are; foxglove from which we derive digoxin a heart medication that saves lives, Peruvian Bark where the drug quinone is derived to cure malaria, Willow that contains compounds that form the basis of aspirin. And of course, there’s also the coffee bean, the tea plant, cocoa (chocolate), tobacco and the cotton tree. But plants also change and improve our health beyond the physical. Plants are conscious. And their consciousness changes our consciousness. There is a vital force and a power in plants that is both practical and intuitive and has a way of waking us up. What are 3 ways plants have changed you? And if you haven’t yet had the transformational relationship with plants, what is your soul asking for you to heal, or change now? Are you ready to listen?
To learn more about the wise woman tradition and the braiding together of multiple ways of knowing, sign up for ‘From The Wild Edge’ a program that weaves Myth, Herbal Medicine, Modern Science & Ritual together.
