These days it is very easy to find oneself in a state of nervous system overwhelm. The causes for this are many. Constant input streaming in at all times, stimulus and distractions abound. Working and earning a living to survive has replaced hunting and gathering, and our tribal ways of support and community have all but vanished from Western society. As far as evolution goes, this all happened very quickly. The isolation that is experienced by many due to this modern way of living is the cause of much suffering, as separation and isolation are not natural states of being for mammals. Our bodies are vessels capable of complex processes beyond our comprehension, yet they have not evolved over the millennia to cope with depletive life as we now know it. Whether we wish to accept it or not, it is the truth! Despite the extensive amounts of money and effort poured into medical research, there are mysteries of the human body that completely evade the understanding of the most learned individuals. One may argue that current research on the human body as a collection of isolated systems that can be understood in vitro is a woefully limited approach. A limited approach that yields limited results. Medical science has largely forgotten one of the most fundamental facts of human existence. The fact that we are not, in reality, isolated individuals. Quite the contrary. We are unique, precious, individualized parts of a vast and integrated whole.

Just as the individualized cells of our bodies collectively create the architecture of our being, so our individualized beings make up the architecture of our collective experience of reality. All of us are an interdependent whole, a collective living breathing organism. Remembering this simple fundamental fact will bring comfort to your soul. It will bring peace to your heart to remember the greater community of life on earth is dependent on your happiness, and vice versa. If we all begin to look at our own self care and self love through the lens of truth, we begin to observe the reality of the situation. By neglecting our own wellbeing we are actually harming the universal organism. We are all one interdependent mosaic of life that should be celebrated and acknowledged as such for our own psychological well being and the well being of all life on earth! As above, so below. This is the law of the universe!

It is important to acknowledge the ways our ancestors used to use ceremonies and sacred herbal rituals to celebrate and honor this interconnected and cyclic flow of nature. The oldest known written record of ritualistic use of cannabis dated back to 2727 B.C. from the ancient Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. Ancient Greeks and Romans used cannabis in herbal remedies, and use spread throughout the ancient Islamic empire into North Africa millennia ago. Cannabis has been used to soothe and connect people to each other and to their own bodies for ages, as it really was only demonized and marginalized in recent history. There is good reason why cannabis is so efficient at relaxing and disarming the human body. In order for our bodies to have evolved chemical receptors specifically designed to receive the various forms of THC and CBD, our species had to be exposed to it a lot, for an extremely long amount of time. We have co-existed with cannabis long enough to connect directly with it in our DNA. That right there is some remarkable proof of interconnectedness of all life.

One major step towards happiness that we all can take, no matter where we are on the spectrum of health, is to continually acknowledge and reconnect to the whole of nature that is our birthright. Connecting to your body and nature every day is more than a new age idea my friend, it is a deep intrinsic need ingrained in your ancient DNA. We are tribal beings, we cannot thrive in isolation. Bringing cannabis into your self care ritual revives the ancient plant wisdom already present in your human body. All you are doing is simply reconnecting with that which was already yours. Your ancestors would be proud.

With love and deep gratitude for all life on earth,

Nurse Lauren