David Crow – Medicinal Plants and Spiritual Evolution

Detoxification is an ongoing process in the human body supported by nutrients from food plants. Medicinal plants, when used wisely and according to the individual body type, season and health condition, can gently and safely support detoxification of the organs and tissues, just as plants cleanse the elements of the biosphere.

In this module, you will discover:

• How collective consciousness creates the conditions of the biosphere, and the role of plants in purifying the world.
• Concepts of toxicity and detoxification in Ayurvedic, Tibetan and Chinese medicine.
• How plants detoxify the body and mind.
• How medicinal plants differ from pharmaceutical drugs.
• Principles and practices of safe, effective detoxification for different body types and ages.
• Nutritional and dietary preparations for detoxification.
• Important medicinal plants that protect against environmental toxicity.

Detoxification, whether of environmental poisons or toxic addictions, has profound implications for our health, happiness and fulfillment and can play an important role in our individual and collective spiritual evolution.

In this module you will learn:

• How detoxification promotes our individual and collective spiritual evolution.
• The four aims of life according to Ayurveda, and how detoxification removes obstacles to them.
• The physical, mental and emotional levels of detoxification.
• Ayurvedic concepts of Ama: therapies to cleanse pathogenic toxins from the body and mind.
• How nutrition, sleep, breath and movement are the foundations of detoxification.
• Herbs for detoxifying the digestive and respiratory systems.

Pain and suffering are both a catalyst and an obstacle to spiritual evolution, and medicinal plants can be highly effective in not only treating illnesses and addictions, but also in transforming pain into a spiritual path.

In this module, you will discover:

• How herbs and meditation can transform trauma and addiction into a spiritual path.
• Medicinal plants and meditation practices that help eliminate and manage pain.
• Herbs for releasing addictions and easing withdrawal.
• How to use medicinal plants with meditation to heal your mind, stabilize emotions and resolve painful memories.
• Spiritual detoxification practices from traditional cultures.
• Herbs that detoxify and protect your liver and brain.

“Rasa” is the vitality of plants concentrated in their juices, flavors and smells; “Ojas” is the refined nutritional essence of the body that supports immunity and vitality and gives happiness and contentment. Knowing how to use plants that are rich in Rasa to support Ojas is the basis of rejuvenation, which in turn is the foundation for long life and spiritual accomplishment.

In this module, you will discover:

• How the essence of plants nourishes and rejuvenates the body and consciousness.
• The ways rejuvenation supports spiritual development.
• Important and practical principles of rejuvenation therapies.
• The nature of Ojas and its importance for immunity, vitality and happiness.
• How rejuvenating the body can help overcome karmic obstacles.
• Meditations that enhance rejuvenation.
• Herbs and foods that increase Ojas, vitality and immunity.
• Herbs that rejuvenate your brain and support mental clarity and focus.

The foundation of the food chain is flowering plants. Agriculture, food plants and the quality of nutrition in a society are both causes and results of its level of collective consciousness, and therefore an opportunity to develop a deeper spiritual relationship with plants and the soil they come from.

In this module, you will discover:

• How flowers and pollinators are connected to human consciousness and spirituality.
• The relationship between flowering plants and the health of the biosphere.
• The six tastes and the role of sweetness in rejuvenation.
• How to develop a spiritual relationship with food.
• Spiritual practices used in traditional agriculture.
• How GMOs affect the pranic intelligence of food plants, human health and consciousness.
• How to get high-quality nourishment in the age of food and chemical sensitivities.

Classical medical systems such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine offer sophisticated, systematic approaches for rejuvenating the body and mind. Using nurturing therapies and medicinal plants rich in nutritive compounds, we can restore strong immunity, overcome fatigue, and increase the length, quality and enjoyment of life.

In this module, you will discover:

• 4 levels of herbal treatments according to Chinese and Tibetan medicine, and the ultimate goal of healing.
• 2 levels of alchemy according to Taoism.
• Rasayana (rejuvenation) and Vajikarana (aphrodisiac) therapies in Ayurveda.
• Herbs that enhance meditation, support healthy brain functions and slow aging.
• Specialized rejuvenation formulas from Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.

Spirituality, health and the well-being of the earth are intimately connected. Spiritual practices develop sensitivity, insight, empathy and other qualities that are necessary for ecological sustainability, which in turn provides the conditions for individuals and humanity to develop and manifest spiritual qualities.

In this module, you will learn:

• How spiritual traditions are rooted in nature, and how spirituality is ecological.
• The 4 global benefits of medicinal plants, and how these support the manifestation of human potential.
• How medicinal plants can support the manifestation and expression of life purpose and spiritual consciousness.
• How natural medicine is a spiritually and ecologically transforming force in society.
• How using medicinal plants can develop awareness of biological unity, the basis of ecological spirituality.
• Ways your relationship with different plant communities can become a path to cultivating ecological spirituality.
• How medicinal plants can be used to support your meditation practice.
• Why and how classical meditation practices are relevant for the modern ecological crisis.
• How to meditate on unity with plants through the breath.

Human life is dependent on sunlight photosynthesized by plants, and plants are dependent on the energies of the sun and moon. Understanding this biological dependency develops reverence and spiritual sensitivity toward plants and the elemental sources of life.

In this module you will discover:

• How sunlight becomes consciousness, and how plants are the bridge between spirit and matter.
• How we are solar-powered beings dependent on plants, and what this means for the future of humanity.
• How the flow of nutrients through the body is the basis for our emotional and mental sense of self.
• Meditations on sunlight and metabolism to develop your awareness of biological unity.

By understanding the intelligence of medicinal plants and how this intelligence functions in the biosphere and human body, we can bring these 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.

In this module, you will discover:

• The role of plants in creating and maintaining the ecosystems of the earth and your body.
• How the pranic intelligence of medicinal plants supports the healing intelligence of the body.
• The 5 root causes of diseases, and how they are solved by the intelligence of plants.
• How gardens support community health, food security, environmental healing and spiritual growth.
• The most important medicinal plants to cultivate for individual, family and community well-being.
• How to study the elements and energies of medicinal plants through taste, smell and body sensations.
• How to meditate on the 5 elements to realize biological unity with nature.

Many plants are legendary for their abilities to produce visionary states, profound insights, and reveal transcendent realities. Because of their great power these plants can damage the body and mind if used improperly, but if used wisely they can be important allies for spiritual growth.

In this module, you will discover:

• How visionary power plants have been used through history.
• The Vedic Soma cult, the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries and the impact of entheogens on civilizations.
• The relevance of visionary plants to the modern world.
• The “four containers” for the safe and effective use of power plants, and the dangers of using plants outside those containers.
• Contemporary ritual traditions of botanical sacraments.
• Who entheogens are useful for or not, and when and where they should be used.
• The benefits and problems of using medical cannabis; when and how narcotics support spiritual evolution or not.

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 to reinforce positive mental and emotional states.

In this session, you will learn:

• How the breath is the most direct path to cultivating ecological spirituality and experiencing biological unity.
• The vital links between olfaction, memory, moods, creativity and emotional states.
• The relationship between sensory intelligence and spiritual evolution.
• The concepts of Shen (Spirit) in traditional Chinese medicine and its relevance to spiritual awareness.
• How to use medicinal plants and meditation to transform stress, depression and anxiety into a spiritual practice.
• How to use aromatic plants and essential oils to calm, balance and uplift your body, mind and spirit.

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

In this module, you will discover:

• The tradition of homa, Vedic fire ceremony, for uniting heaven and earth.
• The “sacred scents” and “wish-fulfilling gems”: agarwood, sandalwood, frankincense, palo santo and others.
• The immunological and psychological benefits of the sacred scents.
• How to use the sacred scents to calm your spirit, uplift your heart and deepen meditation.
• How the botanical wish-fulfilling gems create spiritual synchronicity.
• How to use ceremonial plants to repel negativity, remove obstacles and attract good fortune.