How to reclaim a powerful relationship with the plant spirits of your land
This week’s show is with Wendy Dooner. Wendy Dooner is a Medical Herbalist and Shamanic Practitioner from Scotland who is passionate about reconnecting women with the innate healing wisdom of nature and their bodies.
Wendy graduated from university in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science (honours) degree in Herbal Medicine (Phytotherapy) and, more recently, a 3-year advanced Shamanic Practitioner course. Weaving back together the threads of science, magic and spirituality in herbal medicine has been a major focus of her practice recently and is a cornerstone of her teachings; she now practices what she has called Shamanic Herbalism. Through her online courses, workshops, or one-on-one consultations, Wendy ensures that this wonderful blend of ancient wisdom and modern science reaches all her students.
At the heart of Wendy's practice is her profound connection with her native medicinal plants. She believes that these plants hold the answers to many of our modern ailments.
In her practice, Wendy doesn't just prescribe herbs; she introduces her clients to a world where plants are people; they are teachers, guides, allies and elders. She believes that every plant has a story to tell and a lesson to impart, and it's her mission to facilitate these transformative conversations between nature and the individual.
She lives happily in a small community in the foothills of the Cairngorms in Scotland with her husband and 2 young sons, where she forages in the wilds of the moorlands, grows herbs in her messy garden and skateboards at every spare opportunity.
In this show, Lian and Wendy explored how we as healers and guides serving others can connect with and work with the healing spirits of the plants in our local land, the life-changing impact that’s had on us both, reciprocity and permission, and how plants can show us the maps of life and the way back to ourselves.
I’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment below.
What you’ll learn from this episode:
Wendy’s story of beginning with a scientific, materialist approach to healing before then being called into a deeper spiritual connection is an arc that so many of us seem to be called to as healers and guides
When we pay attention, the plant of our land are communicating with us constantly, they can teach us deep truths about the universe (such as Wendy’s experience with the hawthorn giving her an embodied teaching about death and rebirth) or show us important breadcrumbs on our path (as the oak did for me, propelling me onto the shamanic path)
Creating a true relationship between humans and other beings and spirits based on respect and reciprocity is vital - making offerings, asking permission, and asking what plants are beautiful ways to begin this kind of relationship
Resources and stuff that we spoke about
Visit Wendy’s Website:
Follow The Center of Shamanism in Social Media:
Facebook: Wendy Dooner
Instagram: @wendy.shamanicherbalist
Thank you for listening!
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Thank you!
Lian & Jonathan