Medicinal Plants and Spiritual Evolution with David Crow

Spiritual traditions arose from a deep relationship to the cycles of nature and its universal healing powers. For indigenous cultures, everyday life was built on the foundational awareness of the human biological relationship with the surrounding environment as well as the greater cycles. Cultivating awareness of our intimate relationship with plants and the elements of the earth develops a relational and integral understanding of ecological spirituality as a basis for natural compassion – which builds a collective awareness and natural effort to protect and restore the life sustaining powers of the biosphere.

During this session you’ll discover:

• An exciting perspective on our spiritual evolution and the powerful role ecology plays in it.
• The evolution of light into consciousness which builds natural compassion.
• How to transcend superficial identities at the root of global conflicts.
• A profound realization of shared humanity grounded in nature.
• What it means to be in sacred relationship with the biosphere.
• Ways your relationship with plant communities serves as a path to cultivating ecological spirituality.
• An understanding of your dependency on plants, cultivating an awareness of biological unity.

By understanding the intelligence of medicinal plants and how this intelligence functions in the biosphere and the human body, we can bring plants into our lives to enhance our immunological, neurological and emotional intelligence, medically empower ourselves and support our spiritual evolution – both individually and in communities.

During this session you’ll learn:

• How to harness the medicine from plants as agents of nature’s self-organizing intelligence.
• Powerful ways to treat elemental imbalances of both the body and biosphere with medicinal plants.
• The 5 root causes of diseases, and how they are solved by the intelligence of food and medicinal plants.
• Which are the most important herbs for you to grow in a home medicinal garden.

The foundation of our food chain is flowering plants. With genetically modified foods and mass monoculture production, we’ve lost a natural relationship with flowering plants. In societies across the world, we see imbalances in our agriculture, food plants and the quality of nutrition – which are both a cause and result of our collective consciousness. Now is an opportunity to develop a spiritual relationship with food and rebuild a solid and sustainable alliance with plant diversity and flowering plants.

During this session you’ll discover:

• The evolutionary nature of angiosperms and the creation of a flowering plant.
• The biological relationship between flowers, nectar and the essence of food plants.
• Ways to work with nutrient essences as the basis of consciousness, immunity and contentment.
• What GMOs have to do with the disturbance of botanical intelligence and the threat to all spiritual evolution.
• Universal themes of spiritual agricultural traditions that enhance our spiritual relationship with food.
• The importance of the ecological basis of seed sharing and genetic diversity.

Many plants are legendary for their abilities to produce visionary states, enhance meditation, support healthy brain functions and slow aging. These plants have been applied in botanical medicine to reverse health imbalances and to maintain long-term wellbeing. And their visionary capabilities have been harnessed in sacred ritual and sacramental ceremonies as important plant allies for spiritual evolution.

During this session you’ll learn about:

• The legend of Soma as well as this plant’s effects on brain chemistry.
• The impact of plant allies on Vedic traditions and development of Chinese medicine.
• When and how substances support spiritual evolution, including entheogens as visionary plants that awaken higher consciousness and elevate the spirit out of the mundane world.
• Contemporary ritual traditions of divine botanical sacraments.
• The 4 levels of herbal treatments, according to Tibetan medicine.
• The 2 levels of alchemy, according to Taoism.
• Rasayana (rejuvenation) and Vajikarana (aphrodisiac) therapies.
• How Human Growth Hormone, endorphins and serotonin impact our day-to-day wellbeing.

The olfactory system transmits the intelligence of botanical aromatic molecules directly to the brain. The link between the breath, the limbic system and the healing powers of plants provides us with a powerful yet easily accessible tool to enhance meditation, concentration and memory and reinforces positive mental and emotional states.

In this session you’ll learn:

• How breath is the most direct path to experiencing biological unity.
• The link between the atmosphere, breath, brain and consciousness.
• How sensory intelligence is related to spiritual evolution.
• The impact of climate change and extreme weather is a message from nature to pay attention.
• The vital links between olfaction, memory, moods, creativity and emotional states.
• To use aromatic plants to calm, balance and uplift your body, mind and spirit.
• The concepts of Shen in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Prana Vata in Ayurveda.
• How stress disorders, depression and anxiety can be opportunities for spiritual evolution, and ways that plants may serve as teachers in these processes.

Many plants have been used for millennia for their aromatic powers to uplift the mind, balance the emotions, enhance immunity and remove pathogens, thereby removing various kinds of negativity, stimulating creativity, manifesting intentions and supporting spiritual evolution.

You’ll discover:

• How to engage the tradition of the Vedic fire ceremony, homa, involving aromatic offerings to please the celestial devas (intelligence of the atmosphere), as a practice for uniting heaven and Earth.
• Charaka’s prophesy of global warming from 2500 years ago and its vital message for today.
• Ways epidemics are the result of corrupt governments.
• The wish-fulfilling gems and how to use these botanical gifts to enhance spiritual practice.
• The sacred scents as important ceremonial plants used for prayer, protection and blessings.
• The nature of the “primary plants” and how to use them to receive medicinal and spiritual benefits.
• What is sattvic synchronicity and how it can be created with ceremonial plants and scents.

Pain and suffering are both catalysts and obstacles to spiritual evolution. Medicinal plants can be highly effective for not only treating illnesses and addictions, but also for transforming pain into a spiritual path.

In this session you’ll discover:

• The role of medicinal plants in removing the obstacles to the Four Aims of Life in Ayurveda.
• How to cure illness, detoxify, increase vitality, strengthen immunity, improve mental functions, balance emotions and become free from addictions with medicinal plants, essential oils and food.
• The joy of bringing the powers of fresh herbs into our homes, including the basic herbs that support Soma and rejuvenation.
• How to develop a closer relationship with the intelligence of plants, including the role of nutrition, ojas and Soma in creating contentment, comfort and happiness.
• The importance of high quality natural food, the flow of nutrients through the body and our inseparability from food production methods.
• Basic herbs that support Soma and rejuvenation.
• The importance of essential oils for balancing moods and mental states.
• Powerful insights into the key sacred scents that support meditation, prayer and intention.
• Detoxification and spiritual evolution.
• What medicinal plants do that pharmaceutical drugs do not.
• The two roots of illness in Traditional Chinese medicine.
• The role of nutrition, ojas and Soma in creating contentment, comfort and happiness.