The sacred everyday

Getting in touch with the natural world in which your ancestors lived could open your eyes to a mystical, hopeful new reality, writes ritualist Rebecca Campbell

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Western civilization has indoctrinated us to regard 'the exotic' as superior and what's hard to find as valuable, but if we look closely at our immediate surroundings, we may discover that what we're seeking, what we're hungry for, has been waiting for us there all along. We just need to open our eyes to see the sacred that's already here.

When I began my herbalism training, my mind was blown open as I observed my own relationship with nature, the land, and the plants I consumed.

One of the herbs I worked with frequently was nettle, which is a powerful, nourishing plant. At first, I ordered nettle leaf online and had no idea where the plant came from or what it looked like. Next, I found a local herbal shop, Starchild, and a month or so later, I began seeing nettles growing in a lane on my morning walk. I'll never forget the morning I opened my front door and saw nettles growing through the crack in a paving stone! It was an extremely humbling moment as I realised that nature was already providing but I didn't have the eyes to see it.

I had the same experience when I was diagnosed with pelvic prolapse following my daughter's birth. I pulled together a healing regimen that included drinking and bathing in herbal infusions made with a plant commonly known as lady's mantle, which I hadn't worked with before. I bought some lady's mantle from Starchild and began drinking my infusions daily, and I also looked at pictures of the plant and connected with its spirit as I drank it.