Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – Good Medicine
Posted By Randy on July 25, 2012
We live and exist in an ocean of divine consciousness. The plants and trees partake in this consciousness and energy. When we travel the forests and fields, or canoe the lakes, rivers, and streams, we are surrounded by healing energies that nourish the body, mind, and spirit. When the medicine maker declares that we are surrounded by medicines, it means that we are surrounded by medicinal plants and trees, and also, that we live in this ocean of healing energy. ~ Laurie Lacey, Mi’kmaq Medicines – Remedies and Recollections (Revised Second Edition)
Mrs. LFM and I have had the privilege of knowing Laurie Lacey for a little shy of two years, and yet, when one meets a kindred spirit on the Path, duration of the relationship is of no consequence. To say we share “opinions” in common would widely miss the mark. Rather, when one recognizes the Way of the Wild sincerely and profoundly expressed in a fellow traveller, the “getting to know you” phase becomes wonderfully abbreviated in favour of getting on with more important pursuits. While the Way of a thing reveals itself to a person according to his or her current level of understanding, commitment to study, and openness to reality, in embracing the Way of the Wild – the Way of Nature – in all Her profundity, there is no room for “opinion”, and Nature’s Way is the source of all Ways. To quote Miyamoto Musashi –
If you know something, you know something. If you do not know something, it does not exist in your world …. Everything is revealed to all men as they desire it to be revealed to them, by their own definitions alone.
I’ve been spending quality time with Laurie through the revised second edition of his Mi’kmaq Medicines – Remedies and Recollections since it came into our possession last Saturday, and have found within its covers far more than a treatise on the natural remedies and medicine practices of the Mi’kmaq people. This is a new incarnation of his earlier Micmac Medicines, published in 1993, and that according to Laurie was originally written as, “… a cultural resource and personal experience narrative, rather than a presentation on how to prepare the medicines for personal or clinical use.” In fact, in the preface he reveals, “When I began my work with Mi’kmaq plant and tree medicines back in 1974, I planned to do it for a year, then move on with my life. At the time, I was a university student researching Mi’kmaq medicines for my honours degree thesis. Now, thirty-eight years later, I continue my work with traditional medicines – speaking, writing, giving medicine walks, and demonstrating the medicines to individuals and groups of people at community events.”
As one who writes and talks a lot about my experiences, revelations, and hard won knowledge in pursuit of an ever deeper understanding of Nature and Her Truths, and who seeks to educate others who are open to the Way of the Wild, I consider Laurie Lacey to be a living treasure that all such people owe it to their corner of the World to seek out and learn from, even if only by reading this book. Mrs. LFM and I have the advantage of knowing Laurie first hand, sharing time with him in the field, and knowing the sound of his voice – reading this book the imagination carries the boon of actually hearing him narrate it because its every turn of phrase is so … him.
Every chapter treats a different aspect both of his quest for knowledge in this field, and the special places in which the knowledge was, and can be, revealed. Along the way, Laurie never fails to give homage to the people, animals, plants, places, and Spirits of all four that have guided him in his journey. The sections that describe specific plants are illustrated with simple line drawings that some may criticize as simplistic and lacking in the detail necessary to recognize those plants in the field. Speaking as one who actually knows some, but by no means all, of the plants involved (we need a LOT more Medicine Walks with Laurie before that claim can be made), of the ones with which I am personally familiar, I can say without reservation that the art work perfectly captures the essential essence of the plant. That having been said, Laurie recommends that this book be used in conjunction with a quality plant identification manual, and that plants be harvested, prepared, and used with respect, intelligence, and caution.
Laurie never preaches, but one revelation that I had subtly driven home to me by this book was the degree to which the medicine traditions of the Mi’kmaq were driven underground, although thankfully never obliterated, by forced Christianization and attempted “civilization”. Further, Laurie specifically addresses how this pattern has continued in its newest form – government regulations in the name of “health”. He stands firm in his position that we must use, “… every means at our disposal to preserve and pass along traditional medicine knowledge,” and that its study and practice must be absolutely free from the interference of, “… government bureaucrats and agencies who are biased in favour of pharmaceutical drugs and the allopathic system of medicine.”
He further states –
The individual’s right to make an informed personal choice must be respected. Just as important is that aboriginal plant and tree medicines are steeped in cultural tradition, so attempts to regulate them are challenges to the survival of the cultures themselves. It is the responsibility of medicine makers to reject and ignore regulatory efforts, and to be governed solely by the medicine traditions and inner ethical standards.
Laurie is an animated and enthusiastic man in his passions, but at the same time, his default manner is to be calm and soft spoken. In this, he reveals himself as a fierce, committed defender of the Truth, and in his words I hear echoes of what I consider appropriately absolute and unyielding opposition to all attempts at subjugating the Way of the Wild on every level, from any source. I know with certainty that he detests conflict as it has come to roost in today’s world, but that he will not shy away from it when the cause is just and necessary. In this, he has unrelenting allies here in the LFM camp, I can assure you. As the adage goes, “The thorn defends the rose, yet it is peaceful and does not seek conflict.”
Mi’kmaq Medicines – Remedies and Recollections has the LFM stamp of approval. If you seek Wisdom, it belongs in your library.
Well, Randy, I can’t thank you enough for the great review. It’s simply wonderful to get such a positive response to the book, especially from someone such as yourself and Mrs. LFM. I must tell you how nice it is to know the both of you, as kindred spirits on the Path – the Way of the Wild! Thanks, again!
As one Wild Man to another, you are very welcome Laurie, We call it as we see it and never blow smoke up anybody’s kilt, not even Sweetgrass smoke.
Looks terrific and definitely on my list to buy. I’m way behind the curve on knowing my plants.
Get it Gary. I might even know a guy who could be convinced to sign it for you.