Vitalism

The story Vitalism unfolds like a Tree of Life, each branch bringing its special gifts fully connected to the source. For those of you who are not familiar with Wood’s work in this area, let me say that it is perhaps the most significant document concerning the development of “alternative” healing modalities to ever appear. If you have ever been confused about whether to approach an illness with herbs, homeopathic remedies, flower essences, or Anthroposophical medicine, please read this book. Wood clearly traces not just the origins of each approach (excluding Anthroposophical medicine – keep reading to learn why I mention it), but their relationships to one another. Wood reveals how herbalism as a body of knowledge sprang forth as the medieval mind entered the spiritual/physical contemplations of the High Rennaissance; how Hahnemann took that viewpoint yet another step when he developed homeopathic preparations from the then-standard herbal Materia Medica; how the many different schools of homeopathic thinking came into existence and gave us tremendous insight and knowledge; where and how flower essences fit into the scheme of things; and how an untutored, intuitively brilliant American farmer set the course for the revival of Western herbalism. This is what Rudolf Steiner intuitively knew as he set about reuniting herbalism and homeopathy within Anthroposophic medicine. Having this knowledge (wonderfully lively reading, by the way) will inspire and free you – unhesitatingly and highly recommended!

Note: Vitalism is a reworking of Wood’s The Magical Staff, and contains a substantially rewritten and expanded chapter on the elusive, yet extremely influential American herbalist, Samuel Thomson.