A few things that I know for sure ...

Plants have always intrigued me. I can remember tending to my own collection of houseplants when other teens at that time were glued to their Ataris (remember those?). I seemed to know instinctively how to care for the plants, i.e., pinching back to cause the plant to bush out more, how to encourage roots, how to make compost tea ... I suppose growing up a country girl had its rightful claim as well. But as I would lovingly caress the leaves of my first Swedish ivy that a boyfriend had given me, I knew that plants would be a part of my life. I never had a clue to what extent! (Note: The plant survived much longer than the relationship!)

My interest in plants as ornamental turned to utilitarian when I began reading Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series. Do you recall Clan of the Cave Bear? In this story series the main character -- Ayla -- learns the knowledge and art of gathering plants for medicinal use. This skill became her calling -- her purpose. It secured a place in society for her. The vast array of plants that these nomadic peoples encountered provided for every health contingency. Not having the modern technology of our current society, healers treated with a divinely inspired knowledge. This knowledge is available to us today if we choose to embrace it. While we may never develop the skills that Ayla possessed, it is possible to incorporate plant medicine into our own lives.

Those of us that live a simple life in harmony with nature are envied. I've pondered this fact and have come to realize that our lifestyle and utilization of plant medicine is not unattainable. The people that envy us really have no idea how to get here from where they are. They don't know how to simplify their own lives, to clear it of the modern stresses, to incorporate the values or rhythms of Mother Earth.

To add yet another twist, we tend to be a bit of an eccentric, even eclectic group of individuals. Walking a path of individualism is not easy in the conformist-dominated society of our world today. Following another's choices in lifestyle breeds discontent which in turn will fuel a search to find one's own life path. One has to take personal responsibility for themselves. Too many people have become codependent on someone else to make their life decision for them. This, to me, is too much like sheep that are brainwashed into following a leader -- thinking they know better than you and me.

To return to the concept of an earth-centered lifestyle and incorporation of plant medicine, there is one premise that I feel is essential and that is that the human body has an ability to restore itself to health. Considering the fact that we are a product of Mother Earth, witness her own restoration of a woodland if left uncultivated over time. Likewise, over a suitable period of time the body can literally replace damage with healthy new tissue. By adhering to a process of detoxification and making healthy lifestyle choices you can come a long way back from an ailment that an allopathic doctor has said that you just had to live with. It is through understanding why you are suffering from an illness that you can strive to create an environment conducive to healing and to avoid further damage. After all, most chronic diseases are the result of an unhealthy lifestyle. I can personally attest to what effect unhealthy choices can do to the body. I struggled for too long to adhere to what my allopathic doctors said I must do in order to cope with an incurable illness and the damage it had done. As more and more chemical medication was prescribed for me and my side effects/reactions become more intolerable, I was then told that surgery was the next option. This invasive "solution" terrified me and I began to seek. I wasn't certain what it was I was seeking at that point, but in keeping an open mind, I allowed the necessary transformation from the allopathically governed illness to become an illness that I could in fact do something about.

My interest in plants for medicinal purposes was intensified, fueled by my own need. In coming to terms with my lifestyle choices, I was inclined to pursue my heritage. This search of my ancestry and study of the customs that sustained my forefathers has created the lifepath I am destined to follow. I really feel that by studying our own heritage is how we understand ourselves and those "pulls" we feel deep within. The past is our link to ourselves. I believe it's instinctual memory and if we listen we will hear the echoes from the past vibrating in our soul!

We are commissioned by the Great Spirit to a particular purpose. My purpose developed from my own need for restoration. My place in society -- my calling -- is to seek the knowledge to lead others to restoration and balance. I know how Ayla must have felt.

TAMMY SOUTH WHITE FEATHER FARM 4837 STATE RT. 121N MURRAY, KY 42071