Fasting is the purposeful skipping of meals and starving of your body for short (or long) periods of time. Even though it is often seen as taboo to many people, the scientific evidence of it’s healing properties are amazing. When you don’t eat food, your body has more energy to spend on healing itself, rather than digesting the food and pushing it through your intestines.

When you spend this time resting and healing your body, incredible things can happen. People have been cured of their cancer from going on extended fasts. There is also a deeper level of fasting called a dry fast, which is no water entering the system. Eventually, this sends your body into a state of ketosis which is essentially a state of rapid healing. However, it’s very important to be careful when doing this, do your research first and listen to your body. It knows when to keep the fast going, and when to stop.

If you are feeling exceptionally weak and low on energy for extended periods of...

For thousands of years, Native Americans have used feathers in their smudging rituals and ceremonies. Smudging is a ritual to cleanse or clear a person, place, or object of negative energies, spirits, or influences. They are the tool you use to move the smoke around with ease and used to honor the mental element of Air.

Carry any feather for swift communications. Turkey’s feather is common and said to bring luck and protection. Most shamans keep a feather or two for healing and ceremonial work. There are many different feathers on birds that hold various functions for flight. Some are much thicker and shaped in a way that easily pushes air around. Others are smaller and softer, usually used for something like down pillows.

Be wary, feathers from wild birds often get eaten by mites with time. Simply passing them through the smoke of a sage smudge stick will kill off mites and preserve the feathers. There is also cedar smoke, lavender, palo santo and different types of sage...

Flax, also known as linseed, is an extremely versatile plant. The earliest evidence of humans using flax was as a textile comes from spun, dyed, and knotted flax fibers found in Paleolithic caves, 30,000 years ago.
This plant holds a wide variety of uses – from textiles to oil, and a large number of health benefits.

Flax seeds are packed with Omega-3’s – healthy fatty acids that boost your brain functions, mood and heart health. They also contain high levels of mucilage gum, which keeps food in your stomach longer and helps you absorb more nutrients.

Flax seeds are the richest known source of lignans, a group of chemical compounds found in plant-based foods. Lignans are known to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the possible benefit of reducing the risk of heart disease and lowering cholesterol levels. These are also vital for helping with bowel movements and unclogging our digestive tract. If you are feeling constipated, flax seeds are...

Ginger is a member of the Zingiberaceae plant family and is closely related to Turmeric, Cardamom, and Galangal. It can grow up to 3 feet high and produce 2-5 individual “sections” which can be harvested at any time of year. It is the roots of the plant which is commonly used as a spice.

This plant has a very long history of use in various forms both as traditional, and alternative medicine alike, in fact, it is one of the oldest medicinal foods.

Ancient Chinese and Indian healers have made ginger a part of their healing toolkit for thousands of years. Ayurvedic texts credit it as a “Universal great medicine”, old Indian proverbs say that “everything good is found in Ginger” and traditional Chinese medicine holds that it “restores devastated yang energy”.

This isn’t just ancient superstition though. Modern Western Science has confirmed its usefulness for treating a wide variety of conditions.

Ginger can treat Nausea, especially...

Henna, also known as the mignonette tree, is a flowering plant that is the sole species of the Lawsonia genus. Originally stemming from Persia, it comes from the Arabic word henna, which is the name for a small, thorny tree.

Henna refers to the dye that is created from the plant and the art of skin staining. This practice has been used to decorate women’s bodies for celebrations since the late Bronze Age, in the eastern Mediterranean. Ancient wall paintings discovered at Akrotiri, Greece show women with henna markings on their nails, palms, and soles.

It is now used commercially as a temporary skin stain and natural hair dye.

It is created by mashing whole leaves from the plant into a paste. This releases the lawsone molecules which are responsible for the staining of the skin. The powder is mixed with different liquids, including water, lemon juice, and strong tea.

Let it sit for an hour or two, and you’re good to go! The longer you leave it on, the darker it will get...

Hoods are considered sacred in many religions and belief systems. The use of hoods for spiritual practices span way back beyond recorded time. They have been practically used for shading our heads from the sun, but also hold different spiritual purposes as well. Wiccans would use the hood for cloaking and concealment. In medieval times, the hooded robe was used to conceal one’s identity when traveling to and from a sacred meeting.

If you were seen, you might be burned at the stake. Hoods have been a staple in many different sacred rituals throughout time. Dressing the same as your peers create a sense of unity for those involved. This is especially important with secret societies that needed to keep their identity hidden from the public eye.

In modern Wicca, the hood helps the witch filter out the mundane and go deep within to discover his or her magical powers. If you do not have a hooded robe, you can use a shawl or a black soft fabric to cover the head during the ritual.

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Kratom is a tree native to southeast Asia. Its botanical name is Mitragyna Speciosa. The leaves of this tree have been used as an herbal drug through history by the people residing where it grew naturally. It is used in folk medicine as a stimulant at low doses, and a sedative at high doses. It is also used as a recreational drug, a pain killer, medicine for diarrhea, and treatment for opiate addiction.

Many people also report that it is also an effective treatment for arthritis and fibromyalgia.

In the native region, kratom leaves are often chewed fresh. Dried leaves can also be chewed, but most people prefer to crush them up or powder them to be swallowed. The most popular form to take it in the US is powdered, mixed with Chocolate Milk.

One of the biggest positives for this medicine is to overcome opiate (such as heroin) addiction. Many people have reported that Kratom is very effective for this purpose. This is because Kratom contains alkaloids that act as opiate receptor...

The Lotus flower is regarded as a holy plant used only for the highest of spiritual purposes, a symbol of purity in Buddhist and Hindu traditions.

You can place a flower or its roots around a statue of Buddha as a spiritual symbol, and in support of enlightenment. It also represents a communion with the heavens, and thus if you feel you have offended them through the poor treatment of yourself, others, or the environment, you can offer a lotus as a form of acknowledgment to your higher self, and of your actions and karma.

Lotus oil, the essential oil, is also said to decrease carnal urges. A candle anointed with this oil was also believed to help the deceased elevate their souls.

In modern science, this flower has been discovered to Soothe your Stomach, Stop Diarrhea, Lower blood sugar and cholesterol, Relieve Inflammation, Get rid of Acne, Ease your period, Relieve coughing and even helps stop lung cancer cells from multiplying!

You can Boil lotus roots for 10 minutes and eat them...

Psilocybin Mushrooms, also known as Magic mushrooms, are mushrooms that contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. This plant is tremendously recognized as a sacred medicine; and has been used in ceremonies by ancient cultures all around the world, and many people described having deeply reflective or spiritual experiences that fundamentally shift how they view the world while on this mushroom. Another common expression is experiencing a sense of oneness, connectivity, and what can only be described as pure unconditional love.

Scientifically, studies have found that on a mushroom trip, the psilocybin creates new, natural neural-pathways in the brain that re-write old cognitive patterns and supports clearer thinking and better decision making.

A study was done involving 36 educated adults who had never tried psilocybin before. They were observed for eight hours in the laboratory while under the influence of the mushroom.

One-third of the participants said the...

The word Mandala means “circle”.

A Mandala represents wholeness, a cosmic diagram reminding us of our relation to infinity, extending beyond and within our bodies and minds. Mandalas are circular designs symbolizing the notion that life is never-ending. Many mandalas have spiritual significance to an individual or group of individuals. Hindus were one of the first people to use mandalas as a spiritual tool, but the mandalas most individuals are familiar with, are ones made by Buddhists.
Mandalas are said to affect the cognitive process in numerous ways. Specific arrangements of colors, along with vertical and horizontal lines, can have profound visual and psychological effects. This can be seen in its most basic form as optical illusions such as these.

Mandalas are used for meditation purposes allowing the individual meditating to become one with the universe, however, just looking at a mandala will likely not bring you to this state of mind without staring deep into it....