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Book Review
It’s not often that I come across a book that provides real value in the plant medicine world, but Tina Kat Courtney’s book: The Superhero Healing powers of Psychotropic plants is one of those great works! It’s unfortunate that most people have no time or energy to read a book anymore therefore I will introduce the main lessons from this book in this article for you to enjoy and learn from.
If you are a curious explorer of the plant medicine path and you are called to work with sacred plants, this book will give you a great introduction to various plant spirits, their personality, superhero powers, and their gifts to bestow upon you. One of those gifts is the understanding that healing is within you and you are the real healer.
How can Sacred Plants support our Awakening
Kat starts the book reminding us that the consciousness of plants is not second to humans, but rather they are the greatest teachers and healers we have available to us to remind us of our divinity and omnipotence. They unlock the right side of the brain, transforming separation consciousness into unity consciousness, and automatically shifting our value systems, to create a more connected and sustainable life on this planet.
Following this introduction you can read more about each plant spirit and their specific energy based on Kat’s extensive work and experience with these sacred plants for over two decades.
Freedom in society
“The fear of altered spaces from those who seek to control the masses has always been more about the immense freedom they allow us to tap into, not the purported dangers that are often emphasized. Society is easier to control when the prevalent emotion is fear; psychedelics help us break out of fear-based mentality, and bring in genuine autonomy.”
The difference between Spirit and Soul
Something I always wondered about was also answered in this book, highlighting the difference between the spirit and the soul. According to Kat the Soul is the individualized part of the spirit, a feminine force or Akasha that embodies separation, while Spirit is the divine masculine force, in other words unity consciousness. This perspective really resonates with me.
Focus on the integration process
There is a great emphasis on the integration process when working with sacred plants. A great reminder to time to integrate your plant medicine experience, do your shadow work, apply the homework the plants gave you and apply your insights in your everyday life.
A different perspective on disease and healing
“Healing is always, always a holistic process. Disease is not a monster to go to war with. It’s information. It’s a sacred reflection of deep wisdom, sacred lessons. If we haven’t learned the full reason for the illness or blockage, it will come back in one way or another. Physical disease manifests often because of trapped emotions.
Feeling is healing. It’s that simple. And that complex. Emotions are energy in motion. When we stop feeling, those emotions and energies get trapped inside us. Be real about your feelings. Let them pass through you and be free. Then make the changes in your life that support this new healthier perspective. Empowerment is when we each are taking our health and well-being into our own hands.”
What is the Golden Shadow
I absolutely loved that Kat pointed out in the book that the shadow does not mean bad or negative, it just means hidden and just as sacred and divine as love. She also highlights that there is another side of our shadow called Golden Shadow that holds your untapped powers, talents, and gifts. Connecting with this aspect will support you to step into a full, authentic version of yourself.
Everybody Wants to Be a Shaman, Except Those That Are
I appreciate another voice of ethics and integrity in the plant medicine space, because it is so important to understand the tremendous responsibility you hold as a medicine carrier or integration therapist to remain ethical and work with pure intentions!
“In the end, it’s integrity that matters. A true healer inspires us to do that same kind of work.”
Who You Trust on the plant medicine path
If you want to know how to discern a shaman from a charlatan and what questions to ask, this is the book for you! In this book you will learn what specific questions you can ask to find out if your ‘Shaman’ is a professional, trained and ethical guide who will keep you safe and protected on your plant medicine journey rather than causing you any harm. And above all Kat reminds us that our safety is always our responsibility. It’s important that you listen to that wise inner voice when something doesn’t feel right.
Why So Many Shamans Abuse Their Power
“Because it’s not a job. It’s a goddamn lifestyle. It’s a balls-out full-on commitment that is all-consuming and will ask ALL of you. More, actually. Don’t ever, ever work with a shaman who doesn’t work tirelessly outside of ceremony on his or her own path. shamans go dark because this is duality, and that is its core job—to bring us our lessons of expansions through trials and tribulations.”
Lessons learned
Dive into this book to gain deeper understanding of how to work with sacred plants in a sacred and responsible way. This book will remind you of the deeper truths that resonate within us all. This is awakening.
“The universe is always, always in balance.
People hurt others because they hurt inside themselves.
Compassion cuts through that animosity with a burst of healing light.
What you don’t know can actually hurt you.
Extracting a single alkaloid from any complex plant structure does not honor the consciousness and wholeness of the plant.
Man made doesn’t have Organic consciousness.
Darkness is an angel in disguise.
Ayahuasca in particular has a sense of humor that is off the charts.
Hell is whatever we fear and resist.
Attachments cause suffering.
The magical power of your breath.
music is another tool that can immediately transform our energies.
That we are loved beyond words. That we are love.
We are capable of handling and transforming any experience.”
Enjoy reading this book and gain insight and deeper understanding about working with Sacred Plants!
