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Writer's pictureRachel Maree

Heal the Whole Person - Tolle totum

Updated: Oct 9, 2021


I’ve been reflecting on the Principles of natural medicine, as I tend to do working with herbal medicine. I think each week I’ll write a download of them here, and see how they are playing out in my life outside the world of plants. Oh wait a minute, I don’t have a life outside of plants. Yayyyyy! I find these principles overlap with my other favourite principles; the Lores of Permaculture. A favourite past thyme of mine is to find patterns in aspects of my life to see truth express itself in different angles & lights mmmmmmm.

This is the one I’m loving today.

Heal the Whole Person - Tolle totum" in herbie lore. A natural medicine principle

I synchronise this with…

"Everything Gardens" in Permie Lore. A permaculture principle.

What this means is that everything has an impact on its environment. Tolle totum. Treat & heal the Whole.. I'll explain why below..

To 'remove or take away all' as it literally means. Sounds like a funny idea - how is this treating the whole person? First me must know who a person is. And what a way to uncover how you're misidentified yourself, and how to re-identifying with your truth. For me it brings up ideas of stripping yourself right back to total rock bottom, and rebuilding from stronger foundations

'Take it away, take it alllllllll away!’ Natural medicine is no gentle teacher.

Reminds me of my Initiation in Gabon “Who am I if not these ideas made of mind matter which I cling to; oh yeah, nothing, I am literally made of the stuff of no thing *sighs of relief* - pressure’s off! I can’t fail if I questionably don’t even exist. Nothing to lose when you’re made of nothing.”

Flashbacks of Bwiti rites of passage aside, what it actually means is to remove all hindrances in the way of healing. To do this we must see the whole person as a integrated unit, not just a sum of the parts. This involves taking all aspects of Self into consideration; nope we're not just great hairy apes roaming around consuming mindlessly though some of us do appear that way true. We actually have so many complex layers interacting; the physical embodiment density (that of matter), the logical & rational mind realm that overlays & aids in materialising matter a kind of communicator portal realm between spirit & body (that of mind), and then there’s a spiritual metaphysical Self that is so permeable it’s both of and not of us, it can guide from without rather than within and is the juju source of all creativity - however lacks any kind of logic since it’s literally mindless (the realm of spirit). When these layers align, POW, what an ecstatic state of truth embodiment. Balance. Plant medicine works to harmonise these spaces.

So basically ‘Take it all away’ and by this I mean take it all into consideration.


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