Medicine Stories

In the Intro: Living among the California wildfires $200 herbal medicine giveaway! The beautiful complexity of the female body In the Interview: The intersection between herbalism & functional medicine Why "Just live like your grandmothers lived and you'll be healthy" doesn't work anymore Health confusion and information overload A name is a prayer: the meaning of Anja's name and how it ties into her life's path The gateway of birth & the role of a birth attendant Understanding the complex dance of women's hormones and what we can do to create better hormonal health (we talk about digestion, the liver, PMS, headaches, bloating, cramps, water retention, breaking out, PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, toxic overloads, xeno-estrogens, etc.) The importance of the lymphatic system The insanity of the truly toxic products that are marketed to women as real femininity Don't put anything on your skin you wouldn't put in your mouth A deep dive into breast health Reframing self exams: knowing the terrain of your own body, what to look for, and what not to worry about! The flexibility & resiliency of breast tissue Links: Anja's website Mana Medicinals My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses) The Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes) For the Wild podcast: The Myths & Misinformation of Wildland Fires

Why to always work with the ancestors first, diving deep into the meaning of the words we use, and more... In the Intro: A word about this podcast November Tarot Forecast The best bio ever In the Interview: The power of words & etymological knowledge Ancestral migratory paths The history of "queer" & being multisexual Sanyu's Belizean and Ugandan roots Why to work with our ancestors first and foremost What it looks like when a genealogy/research nerd pieces together an ancestor's life Placing our forebears in the wider socio-historical context of their times: discovering a great-grandmother's life through understanding colonialism and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade The feeling of being the first generation in a new land The ancestors & Tarot Being claircognizant When illness is a spiritually energetic leveling up The interweaving of Christianity and spiritualism Working with dreams Opening yourself to the wisdom & weirdness of the multiverse Naming things collapses possibilities Taoism rules The Plant Alchemy Deck Links: SanyuEstelle.com Life as Ceremony Magazine My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses) The Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

In which I ramble about some of my ancestral resonances, the blocks I've had around exploring parts of my heritage, and what happens when we step through the portal to the Otherworld and let the magic in... When different lineages call- following what pulls me in the moment My deep ancestry in the American south, and the sense of home I feel even though I've never been there Embarrassing confession: my first concert Connecting to our ancestors through music and dance My DNA results, how they've changed over time, and a comparison between the 3 different autosomal tests I've done (Ancestry.com, FamilyTreeDNA, LivingDNA) The best time to buy a DNA test The 5th great grandparents I just found through Ancestry's cool new feature DNA Circles A resource for old books on genealogy & myth/lore Finding the meaning of surnames When the portal to the Otherworld opens A message for you from the archetype of the Seer Links: My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses) The Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes) Forgotten Books Ancestry.com's Surname Origins page The Wildwood Tarot

The potent healing offered by seaweeds and mushrooms, the vibrational power of names, and the unique intelligence that lies beneath the surface of things... In the Interview: Conscious conception, evolving as a family, & choosing a new experience Naming children is giving them the strongest mantra they'll have throughout their lifetime Letting the land you find yourself on guide you to your medicine Seaweeds are regenerative cleansers for the ocean & earth- addressing the question of radioactivity and the safety of consuming seaweed How to sustainably harvest seaweed Breaking down the medicinal content of red, green, and brown seaweeds: which are immunomodulating, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, cancer fighting; helpful for digestion, thyroid issues, autoimmune diseases, liver issues, detoxification etc. Nutrients in seaweed: amino acids, iron, iodine, minerals & more- how they work in the body and things to consider The amazing regenerative, bioremedial, ecosystem healing properties of seaweed The Constellations approach as a divination practice Connecting to the maternal grandmother that Angela never knew The vital intelligence of sub-level (underground/under water) life forms Food is medicine: hot tips for incorporating seaweeds and mushrooms into your daily life The deep soul work that motherhood requires, and the challenges and gratifications that family life present Links: Angela and Yarrow Willard's website Harmonic Arts My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses) The Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

People of color have limited genealogical resources with which to find their ancestors, while people of European descent's ancestors gave up their ethnic identities in order to become "white". Both of these outcomes, which have cut most Americans off from their roots, are a direct result of racism and white supremacy. In this interview we discuss the history of colonialism in America and its effect on ancestral knowledge, and Darla shares tips and considerations for POC engaged in genealogical research and for white folks wishing to make meaningful cultural reparations. In the Intro: Free access to the Anti-Racist Genealogical Research webinar! In the Interview: Genealogy is America's favorite form of ancestral reverence (and the difference between genealogy and ancestry) The story of Darla's maternal indigenous grandmother and white grandfather The construction of whiteness in early America White bias in DNA tests and considerations for people of color interested in taking a test The history of the One Drop rule for black folk and Blood Quantum for Native Americans Ideas for people with settler ancestry who wish to make cultural reparations Manifest Destiny & how oppressors need to make up myths for why they deserve to oppress people Genealogy research self care ideas for people of color Putting our personal family stories in a larger socio-historical context Project ideas for making something tangible out of your genealogical research Breaking down autosomal, mitochondrial, and Y chromosomal DNA and what those tests show The importance of forming a research question when engaging in genealogical research Links: Darla's website Medicine Stories Patreon (get the free webinar here!) My website MythicMedicine.love The Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Your body is your ancestor altar, how hungry ghosts affect the living, the earth as the repository of ancestral wisdom, & more... In the Intro: Cleatus B. Wright , January 20, 1929 - February 27th, 1929 In the Interview: The hunger for our ancestors The story of Daniel's first ancestral connection, and the healing that followed The ancestors are the collective wisdom of our species in all its beauty and trauma Time collapses when in communion with the ancestors Not all of the dead are equally well The deeply embedded alcoholism in my fatherline Addiction as the hunger of the dead moving through the bodies of the living, and the act of taking the substance as a form of ancestral communion There are very few personal problems- a look at unmetabolized ancestral pain and systemic injustice The dead can change Ancestral forgetting as a function of the damage wrought by colonialism We don't arrive at healing by exiling those who commit harm: an approach for white folks wishing to address their slave owning/colonizing/oppressive ancestral legacy (rather than ignoring it or living in perpetual guilt) The role of the ancestors in social and earth justice The interweaving of ritual, genealogical research, and healing Synchronicity They are shaking us awake in the burning house- the growing sense of urgency coming to us from the ancestors at this pivotal point in human history The dead are in the earth, and the ancestors are animating the earth that is our bodies Approaching activism in a more ritual oriented way When a child is a returning of an ancestral lineage, mothering is my main form of ancestral reverence, and remembering that our children are the future ancestors of our further descendants Are souls that die suddenly lost in limbo? I ask Daniel a vulnerable question about my mom, who died in a car accident in November 2015 The most important way that we prepare for death is to be ethical and kind Animism: living humans are just one kind of person / coming into relationship with the wider web of being Links: Daniel's website AncestralMedicine.com My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon (podcast bonuses!) The Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Herbalism is vast, the second song of a plant, a powerful stone medicine story, and more... Maia Toll spent a life-changing year apprenticed to a traditional medicine woman in Ireland. She mentors spiritual wellness seekers, practitioners, and teachers through her online program, The Medicine Keepers Collective, and is the founder and owner of Herbiary, a natural products store with locations in Asheville, North Carolina, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Maia has taught botanical medicine at West Chester University and at the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research in the Peruvian jungle. She lectures at hospitals, universities, and herbal conferences and runs her own Deep Magic Retreat in the North Carolina mountains during the witchy twilight of autumn. She blogs to an international following at maiatoll.com and lives in Asheville, North Carolina. In the Intro: Coming into relationship with nature Become a kitchen witch Herbalism is vast In the Interview: The layers within A fantastical Herbal Opening to the second song of a plant How a health problem, an unraveling life, and a dream message set Maia on the plant path Apprenticing to a medicine woman in Ireland When having a diagnosis isn't helpful Deep self attunement for stopping illness before it becomes too big A major weakness herbalists face when we're ill The Healing Relationship Stone medicine & a story of healing with morganite How we create the sacred A meaningful swan sighting, union & transformation, and the myth of Caer We talk about how neither of us wanted to get married and now we're both wives, and also the stories of our wedding rings Links: Secrets of the Illustrated Herbiary FREE course! Maia's website MaiaToll.com My website MythicMedicine.love Medicine Stories Patreon (get The Kitchen Witch's Workshop online course here!) The Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Fay Johnstone is a Shamanic Practitioner, Herbalist and Reiki Master with a passion for helping people and plants grow together. She believes that restoring our sacred relationship with the Earth and connecting to our natural environment, seasons and cycles is essential in order for us to maintain our vitality, health and well being. Fay is the author of the book Plants that Speak Souls that Sing, a guide to transforming your life with the spirit of plants, inspired by Fay's five years as an organic flower and herb farmer. It's her goal to help us weave nature and enchantment back into our own lives to feel more in harmony with our true nature and sense of self. Fay offers workshops educating on Plant Spirit connection and Earth based ritual and shamanic treatments across the UK, online and from her home in Scotland. In the Intro: Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils online course (registration ends August 24th!) Becoming a plant spirit explorer How Stephen Harrod Buhner healed his chronic back pain Mugwort, oldest of herbs In the Interview: Returning to an ancestral homeland and taking up ancestral activities Being called by something invisible When something that feels like failure turns out to be a blessing How plants can connect us to the source of creativity Giving ourselves the time and permission for inner exploration and play Bringing enchantment and ritual to our relationship with plants A deeply transformative mugwort medicine story Generational forgetting & shame around using plant medicine A vision/visitation from the great-grandmother that Fay never knew Our bodies carry our stories Meeting the spirit of plants with the breath The benefits of not having a ton of plant knowledge Bypassing the brain to get to the heart Links: Fay's website Fay's Plant Spirit People Facebook group My website MythicMedicine.love Podcast bonuses at Medicine Stories Patreon Medicine Stories Facebook group Mythic Medicine on Instagram Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

The simplest and most potent form of herbal medicine that I know, so easy to make yourself at home, so powerful and immediately relaxing... Herbal Body Oiling is an ancient, ancestral practice that the nervous systems of modern folk are in desperate need of. When we think about taking herbal medicine, we tend to picture teas, tinctures, or some other way of ingesting the medicinal benefits of the plant through the mouth. But the skin is our largest organ and is incredibly absorbent, with direct access to the nervous, lymphatic, and immune systems. By keeping the body hydrated with fat (oil) as opposed to water (like in lotion), we keep these systems nourished, running smoothly, and functioning at the highest possible level. In this episode I talk about: The simplest yet most profound form of herbal medicine The healing effects of fat/oil on the nervous system Carrier oils, fresh v dry plant infusions, how long to steep, etc. Which fresh herb to use if you don't have a garden & there's nowhere to wildcraft Medicinal specifics of lavender, calendula, St. John's Wort, mugwort, and yarrow Oiling for pregnancy, babies, children, and motherhood in general Coming back into your self Don't get tripped up. Herbalism is your birthright. Just make an oil. Start where you are. It is enough. You are enough. Scented plants = volatile oil content = antimicrobial action = longer lasting oil Extending shelf life Whole plant infused oils are much more medicinal than just adding essential oils to a carrier oil The nervous system, being in a sympathetic dominant state (most of us are), and being an empath/Highly Sensitive Person The lymphatic/immune system & breast massage Self knowledge & being deeply familiar with the terrain of the only body you're ever gonna have Practical tips & techniques for making herbal body oiling a part of your daily life Oiling the face Should you use heat and/or sunlight in herbal oil making? The home remedy with the least amount of effort for maximum return Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy?

In the Intro: Books to live by Mitochondrial meanderings The deep ancestry of all humans In the interview: The sound of the thing you are called by, and choosing a name with multilayered meaning From outcast to leader What being the daughter of an immigrant taught Yaya about communication & self expression When you realize you're magic Making the radical choice to express the way you really feel (that way, if people hate you, at least they hate the real you and not a false impression of who they assume you are) (also, that way, you attract the exact right people into your life) Why dreams are real, our favorite dream teacher/writer, & how to work with your dreams (and nightmares) Fear is never the truth Magic, nature, and layers & layers of ancestral depth ("I feel like I have an intact ancestral identity in a way I didn't even three years ago") Healing chronic pain Sensory overload and how "there's a lot of undeniably magical things happening all the time, but life is loud" Navigating the world as an empath/Highly Sensitive Person A lot of chronic conditions are due to long term nervous system overwhelm Herbal body oiling How a radical diet change healed Yaya's endocrine (hormonal) and nervous system It's good to do things that our ancestors would recognize from their time on earth Shapeshifting mythical archetypes & fields of consciousness Discovering your own relationship with the plant realm Links: Yaya's website Active Culture Family The GAPS Diet My website MythicMedicine.love Podcast bonuses at Medicine Stories Patreon Medicine Stories Facebook group Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Mythic Medicine Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)