What is your souls purpose and how can we find it? In this weeks episode we have on return guest, Miles French to talk more about the Shamanic path. In this episode we talk about the living the shamanic way, overcoming trauma, shadow work and much more. This was a very deep and heartfelt episode, one of my favorites. I hope y'all enjoy and find benefit from it!

FULL VIDEO EPISODE ABOUT FINDING YOUR SOUL's PURPOSE AND SHAMANISM IS LIVE ON YOUTUBE!

ALSO Check out this months most popular episode on Sacred Fungi with Mushroom Expert Jeff Chilton: VIDEO LINK CLICK HERE

About Our Guest:

Miles French is a first year naturopathic student at the National University of Natural Medicine. Miles has been deeply involved in shamanic healing work for some time, and is currently apprenticing with a two-spirit shamanic practitioner of mixed heritage, who traces lineage through Nahua and Bine’zaa ancestry of South Texas and Mexico.

His teacher, Jai, is the founder and lineage holder of the Balanzu Way, a shamanic healing tradition built to support modern people in re-connecting with indigenous ways of being, and in radical inner transformation and healing work. Miles is also active within spiritual and shamanic communities within Portland. His life's work is to bridge integrative primary care with shamanic methods of healing, and to support people in reconnecting with authentic healing modalities in their own lives.

If you'd like to learn more about Mile's shamanic mentor visit here: http://jaimedina.com

This week I continue readings out of the Red Book written by Carl Jung about visions and spiritual insights he received over the course of greater than a decade. If you have not yet listened to part 1, check it out here (click here).

In this section Jung describes a ghastly vision of his descent into the underworld, and all the terrible insights he gained as he passed through what many spiritual teachings refer to as the "dark night of the soul". We all face times of darkness, of great suffering, when we feel that all meaning is lost and we cannot find our way back to the light. These sections describe Jung's encounter with Hell and his way out of it that brings the birth of a mysterious new spiritual force that brings him back to the light.

Sections Read: Chapters 5-8; Descent into Hell in the Future, Splitting of the Spirit, Murder of the Hero and The Conception of the God

The Red Book, Liber Novus. Written by Carl Gustav Jung. Translated by Mark Kyburz, John Peck. Editting and translations from Sonu Shamdasani. A publication of the Foundation of the Works of CG Jung & Philemon Series.

These sections are read under fair use for educational purposes and I receive no monetary benefit from this, and do it simply to share the great insights of Carl Jung. I recommend you purchase the original work and take time reading it slowly, as there is much mystery within it that can bring us closer to spirit.

How do we overcome the stress of our hectic lives in a natural way that is supportive to the body? A potential answer is the wonderful world of adaptogenic herbs like rhodiola, siberian ginseng, and ashwagandha. These are herbs you may have heard of, but how do they truly work and how can they help us adapt to the stresses of modern life?

With us this week is licensed acupuncturist and herbalist Grady Nesbitt to talk about  what stress is, how it effects our hormones & neurotransmitters, and how adaptogenic herbs act to help us overcome stress. 

FULL VIDEO EPISODE CLICK HERE

In this episode we explore:

Cortisol rhythms & how adaptogens help balance this crucial "stress" hormone

The "Holy Trinity" of adaptogenic herbs: Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, Siberian Ginseng and their unique effects, energetic uses and how to dose

How the Stress response becomes "adrenal fatigue" and how to get out of it

Personal experience with adaptogens for cognition, athletic performance and adaptation to stress

The HPA axis role in stress and how adaptogens influence this neuroendocrine system.

If you'd like to learn about more about the specifics of adaptogenic herbs and the research behind them check out this free article

Be sure to check out our new podcast landing page and natural mental wellness blog

If you're interested in learning more about Grady Nesbitt's work or to schedule a acupuncture/holistic health appointment visit his website (click here)

"The years of which I have spoken to you, when I pursued the inner images, were the most important time of my life. Everything else is to be derived from this. It began at that time, and the later details hardly matter anymore. My entire life consisted in elaborating what had burst forth from the unconscious and flooded me like an enigmatic stream and threatened to break me. That was the stuff and material for more than one life. Everything later was merely the outer classification, the scientific elaboration, and the integration into life. But the numinous beginning, which contained everything, was then."

Carl Jung, founder ideas such as archetypes, the shadow, the collective unconscious and many other ideas that became part of common and mystical culture.

In this weeks story hour listen in as I narrate the beginning sections of the Red Book, arguably the greatest and most mysterious of Jung's works that was written over a decade. The book describes his personal experiences, visions and prophecies that came from the conversations with his soul. This work is one of the most beautiful, poetic and enigmatic things that came from Jung, and was the basis of all his psychological theories.

If you are interested in learning more about Carl Jung, in particular his theory of personality types read more at Holistic Psyche (click here)

Chapters 1-4 read: Refinding the Soul, Soul and God, On the Service of the Soul, the Desert and Experiences in the Desert.

The Red Book, Liber Novus. Written by Carl Gustav Jung. Translated by Mark Kyburz, John Peck. Editting and translations from Sonu Shamdasani. A publication of the Philemon Series.

Mushrooms are a sacred medicine used for food, healing and mystical experiences! In this weeks episode we have on mushroom expert Jeff Chilton to talk about the fascinating world of healing mushrooms. He shares with us how mushrooms have been used for sacred ceremonies in various shamanic cultures, his experiences growing mushrooms on a farm (over 2 million lbs in a single year), the psychedelic experience and the basics of mushroom cultivation.

Jeff Chilton is the founder of Nammex, an organic mushroom farming company, and has studied in the field of ethnomycology for decades! He has many fascinating stories to share about how he got into growing mushrooms large scale, why he traveled too china to learn more about mushrooms and personal experiences with psychedelic fungi.

There are countless myths about the struggles and joys of love throughout the ages. In this weeks Story Hour I narrate the ancient myth of Cupid & Psyche and share other romantic tales from the mythological literature. The story of Cupid & Psyche is a beautiful tale about love, betrayal and redemption that stands the test of time.

The Herbal Hour Podcast wishes all our awesome listeners a Happy Valentine's day, may y'all find the love that you truly deserve!

For Full Video Episode Click Here

What is the vital force and how does it apply to healing with herbs? What are traditional ways of looking at how plants work, and the theories of how they exert a therapeutic effect? What is green allopathy and how can alternative practitioners avoid it?

Check out this weeks episode with Brynn Anderson of the herbal products company Vital Force Herbs. She is a long time herbalist, medicine maker and even a kindergarten teacher! Here's her website vitalforceherbs.com

We delve into many topics related to philosophies and theories as to how herbs can help us heal, plant energetics & spirits, and the future of herbalism!

Speaking of herbs: check out these new articles on herbs for anxiety, depression, stress and other aspects of natural mental wellness. They go quite in depth, allowing all the educational information you could want about herb effects on our minds. 

Click Here for Herbs and Natural Approaches to Mental Wellness

In Episode 22 of the Herbal Hour Podcast we have a special treat for y'all! This week we explore the mysterious world of medicinal mushrooms with the mycologist and medicine maker, Jason Scott!

We delve into the alchemical technique of spagyrics is and how it is used to make herbal extracts in a holistic way, the medicinal benefits of some commonly used mushrooms such as Reishi and Lions Mane, and speak on evolutionary theories and fun facts about mushrooms!

WATCH FULL VIDEO OF EPISODE 22 MEDICINAL MUSHROOM ALCHEMY

**CLICK HERE Herbal Hour Podcast Channel**

Jason Scott is a Mycologist and Spagyricist based in the Pacific Northwest, founder of Feral Fungi where he produces Mushroom Spagyric Tinctures, and founder of AlcheMycology. His works have been published in Radical Mycology and in Verdant Gnosis! To check out his work visit Jason's website about alchemy & mushrooms and pick up a spagyric medicinal mushroom extract at his herbal supplement website Feral Fungi.

This week I share the story of a personal tragedy and how it changed my life. This is dedicated to anyone who has lost anyone dear to them, whether a family member, a significant other or has faced death themselves.

The title "the Wound is Where the Light Enters" comes from a famous Rumi poem, the great Sufi mystic. Here it is in full:

I said: what about my eyes?

God said: Keep them on the road.

I said: what about my passion?

God said: Keep it burning.

I said: what about my heart?

God said: Tell me what you hold inside it?

 I said: pain and sorrow?

He said: stay with it.

The wound is the place where the Light enters you.

~ Rumi

I also speak about why I started the herbal hour podcast and the mission behind my new website holisticpsyche.com, which is a place of knowledge for all things natural mental wellness. From posts on herbs for depression, anxiety and stress to personal experiences that have defined my journey to peace of the soul, ever growing towards a Holistic Psyche.

Here is a link to the full written story "the Wound is Where the Light Enters" 

Music credit: 

On My Way by Ghostrifter Official | https://soundcloud.com/ghostrifter-official

*Click here for full video episode*

This week we have on an emergency medical technician, Amanda Norton, to tell stories about her experiences working on an ambulance and how she found naturopathic medicine. She is currently a student at National University of Natural Medicine in her final year, and previously studied anthropology.

This is an incredibly interesting episode, she shares stories of paranormal events that occurred while working as an EMT, how her husbands strange food intolerances led her to Naturopathic medicine, what anthropology taught her about healing and then get on an epic tangent about gun control!

Herbal Hour Video Podcasts Channel  has a bunch of other great recorded video episodes on topics such as changing habits, starting a holistic business, natural cancer therapies with a Naturopathic Physician and many more! Listen in on Apple podcasts and Spotify as well and show your support by liking, commenting and subscribing if you enjoy the show!

HolisticPsyche.com is now live with tons of information about natural mental health including herbs for depression, anxiety and insomnia and personal experiences related to my journey to a Holistic Psyche.