Introduction to
Spirit of the Herbs
Intro classes are open to all
13 CEUs - Accredited by NCCAOM
For a description, please see seminar series below
Here is the heart of my approach to teaching 5 element herbal studies. Included is a description of the difference between working with herbs from the paradigm of Western medicine, Chinese medicine, and Shamanism.
Listen to an excerpt for upcoming East Coast workshops:
Herndon, VA
(right outside D.C., 20 minutes from Dulles airport)
January 30-31, 2010
$250 - Registration
(or mail check - Thea Elijah, Box 493, Putney VT 05346)
About Spirit of the Herbs - A Seminar series:
What does the Five Element perspective bring to Herbal Studies?
Water: Fear to Wisdom
Wood: Anger to Visionary Creativity
Fire: Joy to Propriety
Earth: Worry to Thoughtfulness
Metal: Grief to Righteousness
In order for our diagnosis to be complete, we must be able to recognize the ways in which a person’s own spirit may be part of the pattern of disharmony. But this is not enough. We must also know the nature of the treasure at the client’s own depth. Illness is a mirror of health; the unique pattern of a client’s illness shows clearly the unique pattern of the client’s potential virtues. The herbal formulas themselves can teach us to know with accuracy who our clients are, in their perfection, and how we can best support them in uncovering the jewel of their own original nature.
Learning to bring a Five Element perspective to Chinese herbalism does not mean ignoring the vast resource of TCM information about the formulas and singles. It means gaining an understanding of the Five Confucian Transformations of Virtue, and how they apply to actual clinical situations. When the Five Element perspective is combined with an understanding of the Zang/Fu Patterns of Disharmony, it allows the practitioner to “read” the client’s illness as a map of spiritual as well as physical territory.
