The Kingdom

Kabbalah + Intuitive Herbalism + A Secret Sale

“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” -Genesis 1:12

Central to the mystical practice of Kabbalah is the concept of the Tree of Life, a kind of cosmic infograph depicting God, existence, and the microcosm within each human. The Tree of Life has nine branches on it, each corresponding to both a specific divine energy and our very own chakras.

Within the framework of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, our material, 3D world is depicted as the lowest “sephirot” (i.e. branch) named “Malkut” in Hebrew. In English, Malkut translates to “Kingdom”, and corresponds to the root chakra.

Now, reflect on this for just a second. I mean: what an incredible word for our world!

In contrast to this ancient Kabbalah take on things, our modern world of woo seems to has a fraught relationship with the Kingdom, seeing it as anything but.

The New Age movement— and its coaches and practitioners— seems to be picking up some of the most unfortunate aspects of Puritanism: that the human condition is inherently low vibration (i.e. sinful), the body is a flesh-prison for the soul (and must be purified), and renunciation of all things 3D (i.e. worldly) is the only way to ascend (i.e. go to heaven).

What a strangely fundamentalist, constricting and self-loathing Dark Ages-turn for spirituality in our seemingly modern world!

Scrolling through social media or chatting with the woo-savvy at workshops and events, it seems like literally everyone wants to bounce from our 3D Kingdom: ascend to higher dimensions, retreat from society, jump timelines, or just go back to the Pleiades on a spaceship. There’s an overwhelming sentiment that the Kingdom is an illusion— “Maya”— or serves as a literal prison for our souls.

Why do so many see such spiritual famine around them? Why don’t they seem to experience the veritable feast available to us all in this beautiful fantasia of vegetable and mineral, flora and fauna, sense and feeling?

The Kingdom is full of magical food, herbal medicine, incredible animal life and a direct, tangible spiritual connection to the “tapestry of the divine”.

I mean, if 3D reality isn’t good, why would God go through such trouble to make it with such care? And why would so many things about it make so much damn sense?

Perhaps it’s our perspective that needs changing.

Perhaps the natural world— and our root chakra, which connects to the earth and its plants and animals— is waiting to delight in this Kingdom with us.

Miracles are everywhere

I love Anthony Bourdain, and I miss new episodes of Parts Unknown more than I could ever properly articulate. One of the things I most loved about Bourdain’s work was his childlike sense of wonder about the physical world: he explored cultures and cuisines and sights and sounds and smells with an open mind and a willingness to experience whatever miracles the Kingdom had to offer, as is evidenced in this clip:

In this short clip, Chef Rene Redzepi of “best restaurant in the world” NOMA comments to the farmer, “You’re touching [those leeks] like they are jewels”, to which the farmer replies, “They are jewels.”

This is Kingdom thinking.

Leeks are jewels and barnyard cats are enchanted lions and all of the sustenance and medicine and beauty possible is in dazzling array all around you, all of the time.

One specific miracles of the Kingdom I’ve personally gravitated to lately is the medicine that comes from the plants of the earth. The study and implementation of these plant-based remedies is broadly referred to as herbalism: the study or practice of the medicinal and therapeutic use of plants, now especially as a form of alternative medicine.

It’s worth noting that most all of our modern, western medicines (in the form of Big Pharma prescription and over the counter drugs) were originally developed from compounds found in plants, too. And when one considers that herbalism— European, Ayurvedic and Chinese— was the medical standard for at least 7,000 years, it begs the question: how “alternative” is herbalism, really?

My answer? Not that much. It’s a core part of the Kingdom all around us.

“Wait, this shit actually works?!?”

So, I continue to be the Mr. Magoo of shamanism.

But the good news is that, despite being a (very) slow learner, I do eventually learn.

Case in point: for the last year or so, I’ve been taking steps to get off of and detox from birth control, as well as cease taking all over-the-counter medications.

The detox from synthetic hormones, when coupled with the accumulated stress and adrenal fatigue of a very rough three years on planet earth, has been really harsh on my body and my outlook. Despite getting support from holistic and functional medicine experts— as well as focusing on proper nutrition an supplementation— I was literally still “in it” as recently as three weeks ago.

And then the storm dissipated. I felt like myself. I looked like myself.

What the hell happened to cause this shift?

Well, simply put: I shifted my perspective to Kingdom thinking, and started a very focused, daily practice combining meditation and Intuitive Herbalism.

To start, I sat down with my herbalism books to dig deeper into remedies for adrenal recovery, intuiting that it was time to dig a layer deeper than the hormone-focused work of the last year.

I made a list of all the adrenal-supporting herbs out there, ordered the few I didn’t have, and then proceeded to make an herbal tea of the mixture— and selected TOTEM Flower Essences— for consumption every afternoon after a 30 minute Shamanic Journeying or Yoga Nidra Meditation practice.

Obstacles that had been plaguing me for the last year— like sudden fatigue, extreme-onset bloating, and irritated, red skin— literally disappeared within the first 48 hours of this new herbal tea and flower essence addition. And this ish has stayed away, as have my PMS-driven cravings, cramps and joint pain. My mood is notably better and I shift into relaxation mode at the end of my workday much faster.

And to think: I didn’t have to change my whole diet or enter ketosis or fast for a week or start injecting peptides or go to a retreat in Bali to do it.

All I had to do was drink some pleasant, flower-essence infused, inexpensive herbal tea.

I was so inspired by this shift that I kicked it up a notch. I’ve been bringing in more aromatherapy— particularly the scent of Japanese cypress, called Hinoki— into my afternoon meditation practice. I’ve been sleeping in without an alarm clock whenever possible, retooling my calendar to enable a slower start to the day. And I’ve been re-learning the lost art of slowing down, relishing in the first pick for our TOTEM Book Club.

I’ve also started making my own herb-infused body oils, inspired by a recent visit by the lovely Colleen Soisson: Ayurveda expert extraordinaire. I’ve now replaced my body and face lotions with lavender and juniper and rosemary body oils, created with the highest quality ingredients— including my home grown herbs from the TOTEM Flower Essence garden!

If the body oils prove to have impact for some volunteer guinea pigs this winter, keep an eye out for a new TOTEM product in the spring!

The Kingdom, right? It really is all here, all around us, waiting to help us do magical healy things— as soon as we’re done spinning our wheels and being stubborn.

Despite doing this woo work for a long time, I am still genuinely surprised every time these simple, ancient tools— like herbalism— work. Maybe it’s my inherent skepticism— after all, if this stuff worked so well, why would we take medications from pharmacies?

Sigh. I know that I should know better.

Three cheers for the slow learners among us!

50% Off Intuitive Herbalism Sessions

Harnessing the inspiration from this incredible personal experience, I’m currently offering 50% off of Intuitive Herbalism sessions for clients who book in November and December. Just go to the booking website HERE and the proper amount will be reflected in the PayPal link on Calendly.

An Intuitive Herbalism Session offers unique insights and pragmatic next steps for anyone seeking to level-up across: personal development, stress relief, mind+body health and wellness, spiritual growth, and energetic healing. This session will include shipping a custom-made herbal “remedy” formulated specifically for the client, potentially including a concentrated herbal tincture, loose leaf herbal tea blend, and/or herb oil for personal massage and self-care.

These herbal “remedies” will be made by me using organic items secured from the TOTEM Flower Essence garden. I may also make recommendations for other herbal supplements outside of what TOTEM has in stock, referring you to trusted apothecaries to fulfill your order.

Take it from me: November and December is our season of self-care. And based on my recent experience unlocking incredible healing through herbs, all I can say is: expect everything the Kingdom has to offer, and you’ll get it;)

Secret Sale on Etsy

Our long-running 50% off Etsy sale is no more, but don’t despair! I’m offering a SECRET SALE to all TOTEM clients, subscribers, friends and family.

Simply use the code “HALLOWEEN” at checkout to get 50% off through mid-November. This discount code will apply to TOTEM Flower Essences and some services.

This is meant to be a special “thank you” to you lovely people that support TOTEM all the time, so if you’re curious about our Etsy Shop or want to take advantage of this *secret* discount code, check it out HERE!

And please remember: our flower essences are grown from seed and made by hand in rhythm with nature and her seasons, so our current stock is limited. While we may be bringing new TOTEM Flower Essences online and for sale, others may sell out and stay sold out until Mother Nature blesses us again in the Spring!

Thank you for your support!

Your feedback and ratings and reviews about the TOTEM Flower Essences have been so encouraging and absolutely essential for us getting the word out— THANK YOU!

Thank you for taking the time to send notes, rate and review on Etsy, and for posting testimonials on social media. We are a one-woman operation here at TOTEM, and your endorsements and referrals are the literal life blood of this spiritual practice. It keeps me going when I’m hand-bottling hundreds of flower essences— or fighting with the squirrels out in the garden!

I’m so incredibly grateful that so many of you have found our TOTEM Flower Essences effective and supportive!

-Rachel

---