We are surrounded by plants and fungi. We literally could not live without them.
Since the beginning of time, before agriculture, our ancestors used these plants as food and medicine. The infamous ice man, dated to have been alive 5,300 years ago was found with medicinal fungi in his leather pouch, and indigenous cultures have long oral and written accounts of their use. They have kept us alive as long as we have existed, teaching us lesson after lesson, helping us understand who we are.
Pharmaceuticals have attempted to use these plants only in the physical realm, forgetting they exist in the emotional and spiritual realms, extracting only certain molecules, often reproducing them through chemical processes to isolate those benefits, or cultivating large monopolies of plants from one side of the world to bring them to the other.
But some of us have not forgotten.
We have not forgotten natures intelligence for she does not grow randomly in random places.
We have not forgotten her ability to create purpose in every aspect of an organism, even where we have deemed it useless or misunderstood its function.
We have not forgotten that every place has its own medicine.
We have not forgotten that not all plants live to serve us.
We have not forgotten how to respect them, their spaces, and their purposes.
And some of us are remembering once again.
We are remembering how every place has plants that can virtually cure all.
We are remembering how where a plant grows, and how it looks can indicate where it can help us grow in our bodies and lives.
We are remembering how to connect with the plant spirits and individuals.
We are remembering how to extract their medicinal properties using natural methods.
We are remembering how the plants interact with the species in their ecosystems and how not to disturb them.
We are remembering to not over consume a plant or use it as an end to all our suffering.
We are remembering which energies the plants contain within them.
We are remembering, and this time, we will not forget.