St. John’s Wort — Hypericum perforatum

Astringent, yet sweet and oily. It isn’t quite pungent but rather balsamic, an aromatic fragrance infused into the taste, a spiciness in a way, it’s quite unique. Bitter and relaxing, not sedative but deeply calming while a warmth trickles through and completely permeates into my center, like a blanket of comfort that holds me and brings me in touch with the Earth. 

Comfort, presence, embodiment, stillness, a well of vitality begins to bubble up from deep inside, like a fountain showering vitality out from the the depths. A flowering upwards and outwards to all hidden places, just as the warmth from the center of the planet radiates and provides for all life on the distant yet completely connected surface, the skin of the Earth. It is calming indeed, I can feel the nervine quality mixed with the trophorestorative nature of the nervous system, this coating, soothing, and protecting anchors my spirit, that which encourages and allows the capacity of the spirit to go where it needs to go, to be with what is. Foundational nourishment mixed with its systemic enlivening warmth encourages proper unfolding and navigation of the spirit, regulating all of the processes of my body. A penetrating anchor for my spirit combined with profound relaxation, comfort, full embodiment, expanded awareness into the heartfield, clarity of the mind, awareness of information coming in, knowing myself and being fully present with all that is, engaged, alive, now. No franticness nor hurry, things take as long as they take and that is just fine, happy to be with all of it, whatever it is. 

And yet I feel a bit of pressure in the mind as well, it is certainly not directly hot in nature, but it calls forth a stimulation from the core of my being, a churning of molten fires, an increase of metabolism, each cell vibrates and radiates and calls forth its willingness and choice to engage in all of the tasks demanded by each moment of being in this body. Here I am, in myself, an integrated sense of self, rooted in this body and in relationships to all the world around me. Feeling the touch of the heavenly realm that I am submerged within, the field, the fabric of time, the web of creation that I am inescapably a part of; I am an interconnected piece of all, truly no separation is possible. And I possess the potency, strength, and fire of my burning spirit that is held strongly inside this vessel, to go forth and draw life in, to consume and combust incoming life with exuberance. There's no need for passiveness nor fear nor apprehension, there is no rush nor hurry, to choose to be present and engaged with the most fundamental nature of who I am. I am a unique conglomeration, a culmination of the celestial forces that comprise the field. I am here, condensed, attached, and rooted into and in love with this physical body for as long as it carries me.

This medicine calls to me from the depths, to connect with the source of all creation, that limitless potency, with the truth, with the universal lifeforce energy that animates all things, the yang of the universe, while still held by the yin, this remedy is balanced in certain ways. There is such a profound polarity radiating forth from this medicine in every aspect of it being. But above all it helps to remember and once again find that fundamental light of creation that I am, that I hold deep inside of my being. There is an initial choice, the spark of choosing life at the moment of conception. I accepted and claimed my place on this planet in that moment, and nothing can ever obstruct this truth, it is always there for me to orient from. I possess invincible innocence, as does every single being sharing this planet. In each breath I may choose to resist, or, to be; to draw in the world, to remember before any trauma and conditioning that I am a powerful being, a conscious unique condensation of creation, a condensation of cosmic forces mixed with earthly substance, this container that holds my spirit. I chose life as a child, but in the confusion, chaos, and worldly experiences I became less certain whether I actually wanted to be here, I responded with a subconscious retreat out of my body, back into the field where we all come from, a mental seat of consciousness. This created a feeling of separation and pain for I was disembodied, yet not released fully back to the spirit world. Non-engagement, fear, avoidance, discomfort, hiding, anger, these became my habituated response patterns each day. I am here for experience, to learn, and it is only by being in my body that I may engage, heal, change, and respond; this mortal life holds my opportunity to grow, but only when I am fully in my body. There is never actually any separation, I am love, I am creation, I am these forces, I am a spiritual being that is rooted into a physical body, connections hold me here. 

It is through overflowing my vessel with lifeforce energy that healing occurs, not by removing the unwanted, the diseased, but to be filled, whatever comes in then always goes out again, awareness without overwhelmed. No place for anything to get stuck, my channels filled to inform me of the resonance of life, yin engenders the yang. Be in this body, feel this heart, boundless limitless love, remember the truth of pure raw original nature, core essence that is untaintable. Through the breath I continually choose and accept the celebration of life as I draw it into my heart, and orienting from this opens all channels like a fountain flowing outward, one direction only, endlessly renewed by the source of creation that I am always connected to, energy flows freely in love. Love is energy, flow, the fountain, and it is my true essence, as but a singular manifestation of creation I am. I respond to all change fully rooted in love, celebration of creation itself, my life a prayer to creator, being free of the bound unserving ego and conditioned patterns, habituated reactions based in fear, fear of the unknown, the uncomfortable. This medicine brings me completely in touch with this connection to flowing lifeforce, where presence of absolute truth is demanded, to connect with this universal light, the Sun embodied that I hold inside. And during times of challenge and uncertainty and darkness I must call upon my own inner light for guidance, for transformation, for courage to engage with the world around me even when the exterior Sun is dim and I cannot see the light in the world. To have faith, to always remember and always be able to connect with this universal light. Separation is only an illusion, it does not exist, truth is always available for me to orient from and connect to, that feeling, the way of being which was so clear to each of us before worldly conditioning and hindrances and obstructions. Let the light shine pure and clear though a clean body that holds the potency of brilliant vibrations, to resonate consciousness of the highest state possible in each moment, to remember the light and always act from this place of clarity. This medicine is solar energy, of the spiritual warrior, choice, acting from the higher self, orienting from true original nature.

This medicine calms and shifts and drops me into a deep state of the heartfield, of awareness, of stillness. But it also deeply and systemically nourishes, it is one of the primary nervous system trophorestoratives of the western materia medica. To be a nervous system trophorestorative is to nourish and support that which mediates, moderates, and regulates the functions and processes of the entire being, of physiology. The nervous system is the yin aspect of the shen, of that which allows for the coming and going of the spirit, to be aware of, to perceive, to touch the world, to bring it in and to have the capacity to receive contact with the web of creation, to be aware of what we feel. It stills and calms, able now to be with the world by a nourished nervous system, it regenerates any dryness, atrophy, and releases held tension and stagnations of coordination, of responding movements. It nourishes liver xue and yin deficiency, heart xue deficiency, yet also fundamentally stimulates digestion, spleen qi deficiency, all post natal qi deficiency, this capacity to receive and engage with the world, it’s core essence is liver qi. 

The tea is far more bitter, incredibly astringent, topically drying, is only very mildly sweet and feels less nourishing but is deeply calming, relaxing, specifically the nervine bitter alterative qualities come through. The infusion is for a deep neural gut relationship reset, via direct contact with the digestive system, with the membrane of the exterior world; the place where we meet and engage with all consumed experience, at the borders of self and non-self, to remake the way we choose and engage. Coordinated responses to life require us to be in a peaceful harmonious spiritual state, parasympathetic, to be able to receive anything new and digest it. Pacifying, calming, yet sparking that foundational digestive fire and response that claims yes, I choose life.

St. John's wort is fundamentally a liver remedy, it is liver qi which guides and directs, it is wood energy, ether energy. It is an alterative, fundamentally encouraging and protecting the liver from toxins in the world, to maintain the constant exchange of homeodynamis, to maintain balance. It brings energy into the liver, it protects the fundamental functioning of the liver, while deeply nourishing the nervous system to facilitate the capacity for communicating with digestion. In this it is instincts, intuitive knowing, foundational truth, connection of perception and willpower and acting from true essence. It is for digestive insufficiency when things are not regulated, when the spirit is scattered, in stress, burnout, fatigue, when we are lost, aimless, and angry about it, when out in touch with the world and with oneself, when not in a relationship with one's fire, passion, soul, destiny. In this state it is impossible to know how to engage in the world, how to digest experience, how to touch and receive life. Stillness, deep calm holding, physically building up, regulating, yin tonic, while simultaneously protecting the liver, for metabolism on both sides; it is fundamental liver energy, the guiding and directing all energy throughout the body, liver qi. Yet it’s also a specific for puncture wounds, it gets in deep. Is doesn’t directly cleanse all of the waterways like strong bitter alteratives do, it doesn’t bring more external substance to the liver to be processed, but rather this remedy connects this deep fundamental spark of creation; the liver is the hottest organ in the body, it guides all processes, it chooses to engage with life. Fire and water create source qi, our own little Sun, primordial creative lifeforce potential. The fire must burn cleanly, pure and hot, and it burns the fuel of the water, unified together they are one. The meeting of the heart and kidneys inside the deep reservoirs under the Earth, in the lower dantian, this is the spark of creation, the emanation point of what it is to be a human being in this body, the spirit held in this body by virtue of consuming essence. And it is the liver that must direct and guide this source energy. 

This beautiful remedy helps ensure that one's vital force is indeed choosing this process, this potency, heat, passion, aliveness, the combustion of the potential inside each of us. That which then shines forth and radiates outwards and touches the world all around us, to be in relationship and contact, to share the joy and passion of our own unique inner light with the world around us. And to be earnest, open and thriving, not a victim, not frustrated nor blocked, not dry, weak, and thin, not overburdened, burned-out, chronic fatigue, long-term processes that result from using too much essence, the inner fire burning too hot without a healthy balance of regenerating and restoring, responsible and intelligent combustion. Do not submit to the modern world’s agenda of doing more than it is physically possible in each moment, we need clarity and nourishment to be able to receive the light, the joys, the individual sparks of the Sun as they manifest in each individual being that we engage with each day. To receive others, feel them, let them into the heart completely, let the world touch us, let challenge always be met with lessons and curiosity; there is potent medicine in each and every experience. May we have the capacity and strength and resilience to meet each synchronicity fully, and to trust it and follow it to the end of the rainbow.

I am a concentrated node of meaning woven into the fabric of consciousness, completely connected, contact is available whenever I choose. I am made of earth materials, animated by the same cosmic forces that comprise all of creation. It's a choice, to live from this place of trust, connection, the spark and joy, the love that I most fundamentally am being; I am a spiritual essence having a physical experience. This innocence is my untenable right, and it is by embodying that I have the capacity to draw in the strength and power of the light of creation, that it may fill and nourish my vessel so that I may be with all that is. Surrender, absolute surrender is the only way to navigate the river of life, by being in the river, aware, present, responding, not scrambling for the shore with the rapids come. Destiny is not a set thing, the fabric of time weaves ever onward but we still get a say, to guide the boat. The fundamental spark and embodiment of the Sun that this remedy imparts in us engenders trust, to follow the golden threats of synchronicity wherever they lead. We do not know what this life holds, but that's not what it's about, rather it is engaging and learning and being present with whatever is. The events that happen to us are medicine if we choose to be with them but we need the Sun of our own unique truth to choose to be with what is, to choose to learn and grow in this life. There is an innate responsibility in this life, to transcend the victim mentality and shift into guiding how the unfolding occurs. To take every single thing that happens as meaningful, as intentional, as divine intervention, as having specific medicine we each need to grow and learn. Embrace it all, the highs and the lows as equally valuable experience. To be so rooted into this body on this planet, to be empowered to act righteously when one is truly called, responding through love, this is the way. St. John’s Wort empowers an expanded heartfield in connection to all my relations, soul nourishment, original essence orientation, abolishing fear through wild abandon of control by completely connecting and trusting into the strength and flow of creation.

This medicine is deeply polar, amphoteric in the highest sense, it shifts and adjusts itself based on what is needed, it is fundamentally about depth, puncture wounds, connection to source, healing, a balance of yin and yang, guidance, direction, choice. It is reconnection, re-coordination, deep, still, calming, nourishing, anchoring of the spirit for the capacity then to regulate, holding and healing, and foundational resetting the neural gut, being how one responds to external experience brought into the being. To receive the world, to take all of the information in and know how to engage with it, to know how to process life experience the food and fluids that we bring in, the yin materials, from the body and not the mind. At times we get lost and overwhelmed, our inner light becomes dimmed, how to engage with the world becomes foggy, digestion suffers, mental capacities become unclear, and uncertainty flourishes, a lack of awareness of how to engage the world. At times we do not fully embrace and choose and say yes to life in each moment. This remedy connects the upper and lower, dropping and shifting into stillness, into the heart, through clear open channels the world is brought in from the heart orifices, the doors of perception, to be felt. And then a response of heat and fire is called forth, vital force potency, of choosing to be, not waiting in numb complacency nor frustration, for taking an active role in the unfolding destiny of our lives. To be in relationship with the world and with one's own true inner light to then be able to radiate that light out into the inner waterways, into transformation, and ultimately upon the hearts of all those that we share this life with. Sunshine falls upon the entire Earth and all who share in this terrestrial existence. This medicine deeply regulates the capacity of the solar plexus and the third eye chakra, perception that is in service to the heart, the warmth, truth, willpower, choice, and fire of our own joy and light that we have to share with the world. Things take as long as they take to unfold, and they cannot be done faster, we're here to be present and enjoy, let it be.