Product Description

Ancient shamanic practice compelled the magician-healer first to make contact with the spirit of the plant to ask for its help before administering the herbal cure. This practice is alive today in Mexico among the traditional Indian shaman healers-principally the elder Huichol Indian shaman and plant spirit healer Don Guadalupe Gonzales Rios. Elliot Cowan reveals these ancient practices and guides the reader in the effective use of the wild herb plants in the area in which he or she lives. the result is a wonderful psychic and spiritual approach to holistic healing --This text refers to the paperback edition of this title

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22541 in Books
• Published on: 1991-01-01
• Released on: 2007-10-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 164 pages

Review
Traditional healers use plants in their techniques; but Cowan learned that leaves and plant parts are relatively ineffectual: he maintains that it's the spirit of a plant that does the actual healing. Cowan contacts these spirits and asks for their help: his different herbal remedy method is imparted to readers, here. -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author
Born in 1946, raised in Chicago, Winnipeg and San Francisco. Anthropology degree, Pomona College, post-graduate work in ethnographic documentary filmmak9ing at UCLA. Began to study and practive herbalism in 1969, then studied acupuncture. Licentiate, Bachelor and Master of Acupuncture degrees from J.R. Worsley at the College of Traditional Acupuncture, Leamington Spa, England, and served on the faculty there, 1979-80. Currently Cowan is the apprentice and designated successor of Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios, an elder Huichol Indian shaman and plant spirit healer. Cowan lives in Santa Barbara, California, and spends much time in Mexico and giving workshops and lectures around the world.

Customer Reviews

Extremely Profound
I am a psychotherapist. Although traditionally trained, I'm drawn to holistic means of healing the psyche. I agree with another reviewer, that this book is not just about plant spirit medicine. It is much bigger than that. To me it is about all healing and about being in relationship with one's self, plant spirits, others, All That Is. Unlike the other reviewer, this book proved to be much greater and more wonderful than I expected. I was deeply moved by it, finding myself tearful at times. It profoundly resonated for me. In my opinion Cowan has tremendous depth and truly gets what's going on. He really speaks to the heart. If you're looking for a herbal recipe book "use this herb for this ailment", you'll be disappointed. If you want to get a strong sense of the loving & amazing power of plant spirits to assist our healing, you won't be able to put it down. I read many books on personal growth and healing. This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time.

Awaken your own shamanic capabilities
This book is an accessible, sincere and inspired guide for anyone who is curious about how to recover the human's innate ability to be in communication with the non-human world - which apparently just awaits our intention to do so. Eliot Cowan shares his own fascinating journey of discovery in a way that also offers to the reader ideas for how to do the same. His message is not, "look at me, I have special abilities," but "look into yourself and see what is there just waiting to be revived." The disastrous psychological, ecological and spiritual situation humans find themselves in as a result of having stopped engaging in "the great conversation" with nature, as author Thomas Berry puts it, can begin to heal if we try hard, now, to apply ourselves to the wisdom available in such books as Plant Spirit Medicine. We have a responsibility to read and utilize such information as Eliot Cowan makes available here. --Tayria Ward, Ph.D.

Connect with the Divine in Nature
Plant Spirit Medicine is a fascinating look at what an ordinary person can do with a sincere desire to heal.

Trained as an acupuncturist, Eliot blended his skill in 5 element methodology, herbalism, and basic shamanism to create a gentle, non-invasive way to restore harmony in the mind, body, and spirit.

Plant Spirit Medicine is the ability to see beyond a persons symptoms to the real cause of the disease, where the person is out of balance.

Balance in 5 element methodology is the relationship of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood from the viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine .

Though to deep to explain here, Eliot dedicates a chapter to each element and well as specifics on plants and how to contact them and the healing power of dreams.

My favorite part of the book is Eliot's frank portrayal of his teachers and experiences during his apprenticeship in the Huichol ways as well as "talking shop" with other shamans and plant healers.

This book is a gift to humanity.