The Shift Catalyst – Plant Medicine

By Stephen Dinan, founder and CEO of The Shift Network

We’re still catching our breath after presenting our annual Plant Medicine Summit — the first Shift Network summit that surpassed 100,000 participants! (Actually, over 132,000 registered!)

Hosted by our good friend, David Crow, this groundbreaking summit featured a global gathering of leading ecological experts, health practitioners, and inspiring educators who explored the intersection of medicine, ecology, and spirituality in the plant kingdom.

Attendees discovered how plants purify, rejuvenate, and evolve us — as well as sharpen our minds, extend our lives, and deepen our connection with this blessed planet.

The Plant Medicine Summit may have ended on Friday, but the good news is that you can still get lifetime access to every one of the 32 recorded talks by such speakers as David Crow, Dr. Jill Stansbury, David Winston, Sara Crow, Arjun Das, Acharya Shunya, Michael Tierra, and Holly Bellebuono.

These thought leaders shared practices and insights for working with medicinal herbs, flowers, mushrooms, aromatic ceremonial plants, and essential oils to revitalize your health, your community, and the Earth.

Receive lifetime access to recordings and transcripts of these profound and practical teachings — as well as an incredible collection of wonderful bonuses — by purchasing The Plant Medicine Summit upgrade package. Click here for more details and to lock in a 50% discount. But hurry — this discount ends Monday, March 26, at Midnight Pacific!

These Plant Medicine Summit talks will benefit anyone who’s intrigued by the healing and evolutionary benefits of botanical medicine, as well as professionals across multiple disciplines who work with herbs, plants, oils, energetics, or the environment.

Whether you’re experimenting with herbal gardening, supplementing your diet, seeking to treat a disease, or looking for tips on working with clients, you’ll find eye-opening sessions that will inspire, educate, and empower you.

I’m confident you’ll be as amazed as I was to discover more about the curative and evolutionary powers of medicinal plants — many of which you can grow in your own garden or pick up in your neighborhood.

Ultimately, the plant kingdom is a vast life-giving resource for healing our bodies, balancing our emotions, and awakening our consciousness.

As you’ll discover during the eye-opening sessions in The Plant Medicine Summit, by honoring plants as our sacred evolutionary allies, we unlock the potential to heal not only ourselves but our beautiful planet as well.

We’d love to hear your answer to the question, What did you learn during The Plant Medicine Summit that you can apply to your daily life? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.

Awakening Your Kundalini

We are pleased to share with you this powerful 12-minute video clip from Raja Choudhury’s first class session for his electrifying new course, Awakening Your Kundalini.

In the clip, Raja explains the origins of Shiva and Shakti, which are also referred to as consciousness and matter, yin and yang, and countless other ways of describing the dualistic foundation of the universe. He also shares solemn divine chants, touches on sacred geometry, and defines why Kundalini energy is the Goddess incarnate within each of us.

It’s easy to see why excitement is mounting for Awakening Your Kundalini. More than 520 people have already registered — and you can join them by clicking here. It’s also exciting that Raja will be actively engaging with participants on the course Facebook page for a full hour each and every day.

Online Mini Workshop: Unmask Your Ego: An Archetypal Activation with the Goddess Kali

Inspiring Women With Soul founder Devaa Haley Mitchell will be leading a special online mini-workshop on Wednesday, March 28, at 5:00pm Pacific.

During the workshop, Devaa will explore the identities or ego “masks” that most of us walk around wearing in order to navigate the world more easily.

And she’ll show you how to work with the Hindu Goddess Kali to help remove these masks — with grace and ease! Kali’s transformative energies reside in all of us AND can help us to dissolve the ego patterns and masks that no longer serve us.

To register for this free event, click here.

During the session, you’ll also have a chance to learn about Devaa’s newest online program, The Feminine Fire Empowerment, and ask your questions too.

Facebook Live Q&A: The Living Enneagram

Jessica Dibb will be leading a special Facebook Live Q&A call on the sacred qualities of the nine Enneagram personality types on Thursday, April 5, at Noon Pacific.

Please join Jessica to hear thoughtful and compelling questions about the guiding wisdom of the Enneagram from the Shift community. You’ll also experience a powerful practice to help you LIVE the positive aspects of your Enneagram type!

Click here to get a Facebook Messenger reminder when the event goes live.

Plant Medicine Summit Recordings
Here are two of our favorite talks from the recently completed Plant Medicine Summit. Click here to visit the summit website and sign up for free to hear these two talks.

Growing Your Own Herbal Medicine: A Self-care Home Herbal First-aid Kit in Your Garden

Join Chanchal Cabrera, medical herbalist, master gardener, and horticulture therapist, as she shares her wisdom on how to take control of your own health by growing the herbs you need. She shows you how to grow a personalized herb garden and offers advice about the size and color of plants that are most suited to your needs and the seasons, describing which plants to grow for health conditions such as immune disorders, sleep challenges, and digestion issues. And she discusses techniques for harvesting your herbs and keeping them safe.
 

Adaptogens, Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief

Join David Winston, clinical herbalist and ethnobotanist as he discusses adaptogens as the new wonder herbs, which are thought to be effective for treating a wide variety of conditions — increasing our strength and stamina and offering stress relief. He addresses questions such as: What makes an herb an adaptogen ? How can they be useful for improving your health? And what are the advantages and disadvantages of these herbs?

Gluten Intolerance: Treating the Cause, Not the Symptoms
Interview with Dr. John Douillard, DC, CAP, Creator of LifeSpa

In this 48-minute interview, Dr. John Douillard sheds light on digestive distress, how to treat the root causes of gluten intolerance, and the herbal remedies that support digestion.

During this information-packed session, you'll discover:

  • How long humans have been eating wheat
  • Opinions on whether gluten is a poisonous protein with opioids that addict us to wheat
  • The main reasons for this epidemic non-celiac gluten sensitivity

To listen to Dr. John Douillard’s interview, click here.

Global Shift Meditation
Free Event on the First of Every Month

Join The Shift Network, The Gaiafield Project, and people around the world for Global Shift Meditations on the first of each month. On March 1, we featured Sarah McCrum, a coach for leaders and business owners whose topic was “Relax: A Powerful Response in Times of Great Change.” Click here to listen to the free recording and to register to receive future free recordings.

Your Voice

We want to know: What did you learn during The Plant Medicine Summit that you can apply to your daily life? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.

The Roots of Celestial Herbalism: Plants as Messengers of the Stars
By Arjun Das

At a time when time was called infinity and the earth was the frame of our steps, Man knew his true passion: as stars and the soil. Absolutely nothing has been more enchanting for all our time than the magic of the seed, an alchemy of photosynthesis, the miracle of germination, a multicolored fruiting, and a freshness contained in the sap. At the same time, instinctively the sage showed gratitude for this moment of true pleasure with the sky and then honored the Sun and the Moon.

To read more, click here.

My Herbal Path
By Dr. Mary Bove, ND

When I was a child I dreamt of being an archeologist who travels to Egypt to ride camels and discover a pharaoh’s tomb.

When I went to college I majored in psychology but when I graduated four years later I knew I was a “prisoner of herbs.”

As a girl, my mother introduced me to the world of scents with the magical rose jar that sat on the living room shelf.

To read more, click here.

Cocklebur Fruit and Seasonal Allergy Relief
By Tamara Wolfson

There is often great medicinal value in what we think of as our weeds.

As the warm days and early spring weather is triggering pollen bursts in the plants of the Bay Area, it’s time to collect our natural remedy allies to help reduce the uncomfortable symptoms of hay fever; red, drippy, itchy eyes, congested sinuses, sneezing and runny noses, headache, dizziness.

One of our effective Chinese medicinal herbals for this is cocklebur fruit, Fructus xanthii or cang er zi. It is one our amazing go-to plants to help clear and dry nasal passages, in addition to itchy rashes, and even pain.

To read more, click here.

Seed Rematriation: Food as Medicine
By Rowen White

The seeds are coming home to us. Across Turtle Island, there is a growing intergenerational movement of Indigenous people proud to carry the message of the grand rematriation of seeds and foods back into our Indigenous communities.

Some having been missing from our communities for centuries; carried on long journeys in smokey buckskin pouches, upon the necks of peoples who were forced to relocate from the land of their births, their ancestral grounds. Generations later, these seeds are now coming back home; from the vaults of public institutions, seed banks, universities, seedkeeper collections and some laying upon dusty pantry shelves of foresighted elders, seeds patiently sleeping and dreaming. Seeds waiting for loving hands to patiently place them into welcoming soil once more so that they can continue to fulfill their original agreement to help feed the people.

Click here to read more.

Emerald Rivers
A mystical, poetic ode to nature
By David Crow

I dreamed the world was a garden, a fragrant forest, a windswept prairie, a blossoming grotto floating in the folds of time. Sunlight roared across the sky, leaving trails of song like chimes announcing the cycles of the day. Gossamer threads hung from shimmering trees, tracing patterns of mysterious perfection among the layered leaves. Travertine pools of champagne waters cascaded off the earth’s verdant edge into the wonders of a shining firmament.

To read more, click here.

How to Heal Core Wounds, Transform Patterns & Live From Your True Essence Through the Enneagram With Jessica Dibb

According to renowned Enneagram teacher Jessica Dibb, the Enneagram doesn’t just reveal your challenges and “weaknesses,” it offers you a path for transforming them. And working more deeply with your Enneagram type can reveal your core wound — and the gifts that emerge as a result of your continued (and compassionate) self-awareness.

In a 15-minute video, Jessica reveals the core wounds for each Enneagram type and shares how you can be fully present, loved, and engaged in a life of meaning and purpose.

To watch the video and read the blog post, click here.

Click here to register for Jessica’s FREE video event, Discover the Living Enneagram, on Wednesday, March 28.

Discover the Mayan Calendar: An Ancient Guide to Balance, Healing, and Sacred Living With Grandmother Flordemayo

Did you know the Mayan Calendar offers sacred wisdom for your life... including guidance that can help you heal yourself and our precious planet?

And, actually, it’s not just one calendar, but multiple calendars — as well as a living guide for ceremony, prayer, and ritual — that reveals the cosmic energies at play and how they may affect us on any given day.

In a 7-minute video, Grandmother Flordemayo shares how the 13 sacred centers in our body are represented in the Mayan calendar, why the month in the Mayan calendar is 20 days and how these days have “tones,” and much more.

To watch the video and read the blog post, click here.

Grandmother Flordemayo’s never-before-offered 7-week course, Universal Wisdom From the Mayan Calendar, begins on Wednesday, April 4. For more details — and to enroll — click here.

An Herbalist’s Entry Into the World of Plants (aka Plant Geek 101)
By Holly Bellebuono

Many years ago, I walked across the long bridge over the Watauga River in Sugar Grove, North Carolina. The rural valley was dotted with farmhouses and barns, and wildflowers blanketed the riverbank.

I turned right at the abandoned yet structurally sound Farthing farmhouse and entered what appeared to be a last remnant of old-growth hemlocks, towering and quiet. Rhododendron grew beneath them like little plump balls of green, and here and there a sheep or a cow lay at the foot of a massive hemlock trunk.

Click here to read more.

Let’s Shift the Consciousness of Congress
By Theresa Gasper

There came a point when I simply cared too much to remain on the sidelines.

I’m not sure how I got there, but I I’m here now and I’m all in.

I try to connect the dots, to find the first one and go from there to explain how all this unfolded. It seems like every time I get back to the beginning, there’s yet one more dot to go back to. So how do I begin the story of my journey to run for U.S. Congress, especially after I’ve spent most of my adult life telling people I would never run for office?

To read more, click here.

How Can Men Support Women to Speak Up and Be Seen?
By Cara Cruickshank

As Hollywood and other major industries continue to reel from revelations of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace, men are doing some soul-searching and asking questions:

"How do we know when we've crossed the line?"

"How do we know where the line is?"

"How do we know how to behave around women at work or on a date?"

"How do I not be THAT guy?"

To read more, click here.

"Courageous Vulnerability: How Can Men Support Women to Speak Up and Be Seen?"
Sunday, March 25, 6:00pm

This one-night-only nonprofit fundraiser in honor of #metoo, #hertoo, #timesup and Women's History Month includes performance and conference panel with poetry, world music, dance, discourse, light appetizers and dessert, Featuring an expert panel with audience Q & A. Presented by Cafe de la Culture, Musical Ambassadors for Peace, 100 Thousand Poets for Change, and 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco. Click here for more information.

International Golden Rule Day
Thursday, April 5, 2018

Join us on Thursday, April 5, for a 24-hour global virtual celebration of the Golden Rule; a universal principle shared by nearly all cultural, spiritual, religious, and secular traditions on Earth: Treat others and the planet as you would like to be treated.

Over the course of 24 hours, people from many corners of the world will address “Why the Golden Rule Matters Now” as they share how people, organizations, and governments can use this common principle to create a better world for everyone. Join us and experience conversations, music, stories, and art inspired by the Golden Rule. DIscover new ways to apply the Golden Rule in your life and community. Join a global community for calls to action!

Click here to find out more.

ReGen18
San Francisco, May 1–4

How can we build regenerative systems that work for all people and the planet? Join in this vital conversation at ReGen18, May 1-4, at Impact Hub San Francisco. Focusing on regenerative agriculture, urbanism, networks, and innovative finance, ReGen18 will explore shifts in thinking and practice that can transform our organizations, our communities, and our world.

ReGen18 is an action-focused event, bringing together the best minds in the global regenerative movement. Share and learn with practitioners, researchers, and theorists. Environmental investors and social investors will come together to blend ideas and create transformative new partnerships. Together we can create unprecedented change.

Everyone working in the regenerative space, along with those who are new to it, are invited to join this groundbreaking event. Come be a part of the movement to innovate and scale solutions that address our world’s greatest environmental and social challenges.

Click here to register at a 30% discount.

Gathering for Humanity
Sante Fe, New Mexico, May 16–20

Hosted by Shift faculty Grandmother Flordemayo and Master Mingtong Gu among others, the Gathering for Humanity is a powerful and timely 5-day retreat conference for unity and awakening at this pivotal moment on Earth.

A mandate of Spirit through universal healer Mayan Grandmother Flordemayo, the Gathering is an urgent calling to all of humanity committed to increasing the light and coherence on the planet. Join indigenous elders and other spiritual voices in guidance, blessings, sacred ceremony, and higher wisdom.

Hosts, honored guests, and musical guests will weave their gifts through the healing and activating energies of the land in a retreat environment to transform and realign body, mind, and spirit

Click here for more information.

Magdalene Easter Moonrise Service
Sunday, April 1, from 7:00pm to 10:00pm
Marin Unitarian Universalist Church, 240 Channing Way, San Rafael, CA 94903

Telling a more feminine story of Easter through sacred rituals, Scholars, and sacred music, featuring Priestess Christy Michaels, Kayleen Asbo, Diane Melchizedek, Rev. Irene Laudeman, Denise Ruelas, Christine Tulis, Dan Craig-Morse and many more, including The Shift Network’s Devaa Haley Mitchell and Stephen Dinan.

For information, call (415) 879-0155 or click here.

Awakened World Global Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage around the world from May 11 to June 11, 2018

Join Dharma Teacher Dawa Tarchin Phillips on a special 30-day pilgrimage around the world to the 7 chakras of our planet. Designed with care and intention, this is the first time in history a pilgrimage around the world and through the 7 chakras of our planet is offered to the public. The intention of this journey is to experience the sacredness of our planet beyond the usual divisions and separateness, and to awaken to the unifying consciousness that connects all life on Earth. Click here for all the details and to discover how you can be a part of this Incredible journey.

How Many Slaves Work for You?

Slavery was abolished long ago… wasn’t it? There are still millions of slaves in the world… deep within the supply chains of the products we love. Take the survey to understand your own slavery footprint.

For several years, The Shift Network has hosted Indigenous leaders from around the world and invited them to share their sacred knowledge, rituals, and practices to guide us in a way of living that is sustainable, healthy, and just. We’re thus delighted that the Global Indigenous Wisdom Library makes this “virtual council” of leaders and their wisdom available for everyone, everywhere for free. The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a collection of audio and video interviews featuring Indigenous leaders from around the world sharing prayers, sacred songs, prophecies, spiritual teachings, and pathways to healing, as well as concrete examples for birthing a new era — one in which all members of the human family are treated with respect, understanding, compassion, and justice. This sacred wisdom is important medicine for us all.

The production of The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a gift from The Shift Network, designed to inspire, inform, and involve you by highlighting the voices and important messages of Indigenous leaders from around the world. We want to give a heartfelt thanks to Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr. (“Brother Phil”) for his partnership in helping create this Indigenous Wisdom collection. And we thank all the speakers who have contributed to this body of knowledge. To discover more, click here.

Book by Stephen Dinan: Sacred America, Sacred World. Infused with visionary power, Sacred America, Sacred World is a manifesto for our country’s evolution that is both political and deeply spiritual. It offers profound hope that America can grow beyond our current challenges and manifest our noblest destiny, which the book shows is rooted in sacred principles that transcend left or right political views. To order your copy, click here.

If you would like to submit something to The Catalyst, please see the submission guidelines: click here.

2018 Catalyst:
(#6, 3/25) (#5, 3/11) (#4, 2/25) (#3, 2/4) (#2, 1/21) (#1, 1/7)

2017 Catalyst:
(#25, 12/10) (#24, 11/26) (#23, 11/12) (#22, 10/29) (#21, 10/15)

  

2018 Issue 6 • Mar 25

The Shift Catalyst is a bi-weekly ezine for conscious change, powered by The Shift Network.

If you received this Catalyst from a friend, click here to subscribe.

• Shift Network Update
• Featured Media
• Featured Articles
• Profiles
• Movement News
• Action of the Week
• Shift Spotlight
• Shift Philanthropy
• Partner Spotlight
• Featured Artist
• Allies of the Shift
• Back Issues

Like Us. Collaborate!

Sign the Charter for Compassion for International Golden Rule Day. After reading it, think of one way you can advance the cause of compassion today. Going forward, try to keep compassion top of mind until expressing compassion becomes as natural to you as breathing.

Discover the Living Enneagram: 3 Experiential Practices for Transforming Shadow Into Essence in Your Relationship, Work & World — A Free Video Event With Respected Enneagram Expert Jessica Dibb. Access a powerful, mystical bridge to Divine intelligence and your true essence... and discover how to embody these healing qualities in your daily life. Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 5:30pm Pacific

Applying the Power of Celestial Herbalism: Using Plant Medicine, Ayurveda, and Vedic Astrology for Detoxification, Healing & Spiritual Growth — A Free Video Event With Pioneering Ayurvedic Teacher, Medical Astrologer & Brazilian Healer Arjun Das. Discover how you can elevate your power to heal with plants by harmonizing with celestial influences, Ayurvedic constitutions, and individually tailored remedies. Saturday, March 31, 2018 at 10:00am Pacific

Clear Your Clients’ Limiting Beliefs: 2 Powerful & Surprisingly Simple Ways to Quickly Free Your Clients From Self-sabotaging Patterns — A Free Virtual Event Featuring Creator of the Clear Beliefs Coach Training & Author of Creating On Purpose Lion Goodman, PCC. Expand your ability to identify, surface, and dissolve the root causes of resistance, self-sabotage, and feelings of inadequacy, in your clients. Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 5:30pm Pacific

Discovering the Feminine Way of Plant Medicine: Healing Through the Wisdom of Natural Remedies, Rhythms & Relationships — A Free Virtual Event With Herbalist, Gardener, and Author Deb Soule. Open to the feminine way of relating to plant medicine by incorporating reciprocity, lunar and solar rhythms, and plant ‘spirits’ into your approach to herbalism. Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 10:00am Pacific

The Shadow Quest: Illuminating & Reclaiming the Gifts of Your Unconscious — With Renowned Global Change Agent Tim Kelley & Leading Transformational Teacher Beth Scanzani. Discover shadow integration practices to illuminate your unconscious patterns and bring forth more of your gifts and make more empowered choices to enrich your life.
New 5-month Live Video Training Starts Thursday, March 29, 2018

The Feminine Fire Empowerment: An Archetypal Initiation Into Your Passion, Power & Freedom — With Transformational Leader & Inspiring Women With Soul Founder Devaa Haley Mitchell. Ignite your primal feminine energies to create a life aligned with your inner truths and powered by aliveness, creativity, and love.
New 8-week Live Video Training Starts Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Universal Wisdom From the Mayan Calendar: Aligning With Cosmic Forces to Navigate Your Life With Vision, Truth & Love — A Virtual Wisdom Council With Grandmother Flordemayo, Universal Healer and Member of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. Experience the wisdom of the Mayan calendar through ritual, prayer, and ceremony with a revered wisdom keeper to live a more sacred and heartfelt life.
New 7-week Live Audio Training Starts Wednesday, April 4, 2018

More Upcoming Events: (all subject to change)

March
Mingtong Gu 7-week course
Mark Matousek 7-week course
Raja Choudhury 7-week course
Jean Haner 7-week course

April
• Jessica Dibb 11-week course
• Arjun Das 12-week course
Energy Medicine Summit
• Deb Soule 7-week course
• Rabbi David Ingber 7-week course

May
• Sarah Marshank 7-week course
• José & Lena Stevens 7-week course
• Caroline Casey 7-week course
• Mirabai Starr 7-week course
• Mark Matousek 21-week course
• Robert Thurman 7-week course
Women's Money Summit
• Robert Moss 9-week course
• Raja Choudhury 21-week course
• Linda Backman 10-week course

June
• Donna Eden 12-week course
• Terry Patten 7-week course
Enneagram Global Summit

SevaChild, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is saving tens of thousands of impoverished children in India from Vitamin A deficiency, the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness. SevaChild’s network of over 2,000 volunteers travel to remote areas throughout 18 of India’s 29 states identifying and registering at-risk children. They educate parents on the benefits of Vitamin A and administer the vital nutrient, twice a year, to thousands of children. All of this relief is delivered at an annual cost of less than one dollar per child.To find out more and make a donation, click here.

United Plant Savers’ mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come. To discover more, click here.

Historical Dream
Image of a Progressive Society

Historical Dream was born from the idea of a nationwide love of diversity. In our minds, it’s like an emblematic olive branch that reaches across the past to bridge a present and future America. Notice the olive branch that is nestled in our company logo. Evidence of Americans, from various cultural backgrounds, who helped shape our progressive society are everywhere...

Historical Dream was created to continue the reverence of our many progressive leaders during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. We do this by artistically displaying historical images on apparel, jewelry, home accessories, and more. Click on “Shop” in the menu bar to connect to our eStore to find items to buy that celebrate historically diverse images that resonate with you — jewelry, apparel, pillows & home accessories. Click here to visit the website.

C.C. White
“This IS Soul Kirtan”

With her beloved, signature burst of color (Red Head Wrap), C.C. White’s distinct “Soul Kirtan” performances have won her wide recognition as “The Queen of Soul Kirtan.” Embodied in one exotic, soulful being, her unique, soul-flavored chant performances effortlessly enrapture audiences, lifting their vibrations sky high with powerful, soaring call-and-response vocals and masterful musicianship. Led by the raw and beautiful sonic experience itself to rise up in ecstatic chant and dance, audiences are inspired and shaktified by the pure devotion radiating through C.C.’s exciting stage presence.

From quiet and angelic, to powerful and earth-moving, her heart and entire being is within every chant! C.C.’s critically acclaimed CD, “This IS Soul Kirtan!,” which debuted on top of the iTunes World Chart, features a thrilling blend of Kirtan, Old School Soul, Reggae, Southern Blues, Gospel, R&B, Jazz, and a bit of Latin flair. She continues to tour all over the world, delivering a divine message of love and hope, and embracing audiences with her huge heart and moving, uplifting voice.

Click here to visit C.C.’s website and listen to samples of her music.

Solar Action Alliance

Peace Through Commerce

Evolutionary Leaders

The Foundation for Conscious Evolution

The Shift Movie

Humanity's Team

Green America

The National Peace Academy

Sacred Centers

Center for Sacred Studies

International Cities of Peace

Agape International Spiritual Center

Gaiafield Project

Click here to apply for inclusion above.