It was forty-five degrees at seven-thirty this morning, a reminder that even at the mid-point of August, fall is already fully in sight, winter distantly visible at the horizon.
In this place, August is a season of power — elemental, artistic, ceremonial: Even as the monsoonal storms disrupt our days, Native artists are preparing for Indian Market, while traditionals here prepare for pilgrimage.
And amidst this vortex of activity, another form of power is coming into its own: Medicine.
Here, we still use traditional medicine (and Medicine) as a part of daily life. And August is the time of year when many of the plants whence it comes begin to flower into maturity.
The prickly pear above is classified as a cactus, and to most of the outside world, it’s simply a sharp, spiny, unpleasant plant, one with the power to pierce the skin and cause inflammation and pain.
Those indigenous to the desert know otherwise.
Here, animals and people alike know that this spiky, spiny plant with the scarlet flowers is actually a source of food, of water, of medicine. Once defanged, the pads of the cactus can be peeled; the fleshy inside, which contains a substantial amount of water, can be eaten raw or harvested to use in prepared foods. In this part of the world, prickly pear candy and jelly are old methods of adding a little sweetness to the day.
What few realize, however, is that the inside of the pads is also a source of medicine. Pulverized and mixed properly, it can be used as a poultice to help neutralize pain and inflammation, and as a slight numbing agent. Of course, for the plant itself, the spines serve as Medicine of another sort, a form of self-defense.
In the next month or so, we will also see begin to see evidence of the presence of the being that serves, for many peoples, as a symbol of Medicine in all its forms: Bear. It’s true that for some cultures, Bear is a symbol of protection, a guardian, but for a wide variety of traditions, this powerful creature represents the power of healing. The link is said to lie in Bear’s great forepaws and shrewd instincts for finding necessary plants; with her long claws, she digs for roots and harvests surface material that may be used to heal sickness, infection, injury, and other forms of trauma. These connections have extended to include more symbolic forms of healing, spiritual and ceremonial — Medicine with a capital “M.”
Here, we are just beginning what will be an extraordinarily busy week, one in which physical and spiritual well-being will be a must. It’s a good time to remember Bear’s lessons, and to search out Medicine: in the healing power of the plants, an in the beauty of their flowers.
~ Aji
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