BOOK REVIEW —
A SHAMANIC HERBAL — Plant Teachers and Animal Medicines—by Matthew Wood
Healing Arts Press—Rochester, Vermont – 2024
This is really a surprising and very interesting book. The correspondence between the animal totems and the plant world is of great interest to herbalists and those who work with the animal spirits in their healing modalities.
To be true. To be yourself. Not putting on a mask to meet social conventions and dictates. Being able to escape norms to affirm the truth. Having the courage that gives us people like Julien Assange and his work in Wikileaks, Nelson Mandela and the liberation of the people of South Africa, Jesus Christ and the redemption of his followers.
It’s summer! The garden and forest love this hot, humid weather. The plant growth is visible day by day. I’ve beautiful and abundant wild flowers growing everywhere on my small family domain. They’ve come uninvited, yet their beauty is welcome.
My thoughts today turn to love. A topic in which I have very little expertise, except on the universal and unconditional level of my work as a spiritual healer.

One of the basic principles of human existence and happiness here on earth is love and family. The modern world has taken its toll on the circumstances in which families evolve, but this continues to be one of the fundamental values of most human beings. One of the most complicated challenges facing us in our societies today, is finding the right partner to start a family.
One of my passions in life is understanding health and healing and assisting others in knowing how they can access their optimal health potential. Really simple things can be done on a daily basis to work towards optimal health.