There is a vast intelligence in Nature, which both precedes and envelopes human consciousness. By opening our doors of perception- the heart, the senses, the nervous system- we can engage in communion with this field and come to know the world in which we are embedded as sentient, responsive, and ever-adapting, just as our ancestors did. Stephen Harrod Buhner is an earth poet and the award-winning author of twenty books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He teaches about the sacredness of plants, the intelligence of Nature, and the states of mind necessary for successful habitation of Earth.  In the intro: The attentive noticing of the soul An herbalist's perspective on cold & flu Empowerment & herbalism Giveaway! In the interview: Stephen’s memories of his physician great-grandfather, and how DNA carries more than just physical information down through the generations The tendency toward high sensitivity in plant people Sensory gating channels & discerning meaning from the touch of the world upon us The doors of perception & how psychedelics, or “neurognostics”, effect them Plant perception and the neural networks in root systems- humans do not have a monopoly on intelligence The function of psychedelics in the ecosystem, apart from and long before human use The birth of James Lovelock’s Gaia theory and how real innovation & paradigm shifts can only happen outside of institutions How we can recover the intelligence of the heart in the direct perception of nature Visionary plant encounters & knowing plants through dreaming states Aisthesis- the exchange of soul essence between two life forms  The misunderstood nature, vast intelligence, and ecological necessity of bacterial & viral life forms The age of miracle drugs is over, just as so many people are stepping into the world of herbalism Herbs are much better able to deal with infections and disease than technological medicine is Stephen’s opinion on whether or not humans, and the earth, will survive What happened in the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918: “The thing we haven’t learned is the dangers of our hubris” True self-empowerment v reliance on outside medical knowledge The paradigm shift that happens when you realize that all around you are plants with exceptional medicine that you can learn to use The process of eldering and the point when the inevitability of dying becomes predominant  Herbal lineage, the march of generations, and young folks as the torch-bearers for the future of herbalism Links: The Foundation for Gaian Studies (Stephen's website) Stephen's books on Amazon  Extra Potent Elderberry Elixir My video An Herbalist's Perspective on Cold & Flu  Take my fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quiz Medicine Stories Facebook Group Medicine Stories Patreon Music by Mariee Sioux (from the song Wild Eyes)