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Journal
of an Herbalist
| By Karima Burns, MH, ND |
25/2/2002
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Client:
Samira
Issue:
Samira came to me asking for help with anxiety and depression. Her daughter had
recently moved out, she had then moved to a new home, was busy welcoming guests
and trying to organize her new space. Since the move she had become
uncharacteristically anxious and depressed and was beginning to panic at the
severity of her situation. Before she checked herself into a hospital she wanted
to check to see if there was anything she could try herself first.
Samira’s
Program:
In
most cases of depression and anxiety I usually advise that clients perform a
two-part program. First, the person must take an herb or other remedy to ease
their symptoms and then they must find the source of their imbalance and fix it
through therapy or other alternative methods. However, Samira’s case was
unique in that she was already taking two other medications for an existing
heart condition and another antibiotic for a recent development and was
suffering greatly from “cluttered spiritual space”. Many people suffer from
this without knowing it and are greatly relieved after performing a simple
“space clearing”. A “cluttered spiritual space” is what happens when the
space around a person becomes filled with other people’s thoughts, items and
memories and is not cleaned or organized. In such a space a person feels
stressed, anxious and perhaps even depressed because without knowing it they do
not have enough space for their own thoughts, things or memories.
Churches,
mosques, temples and even storekeepers around the world perform “space
clearings” on a regular weekly basis using various types of incense such as
frankincense, myrrh or other scents. The Pope and other spiritual leaders
frequently “bless” places or locations. “Spring Cleaning” is also a type
of space clearing. However, most people I know don’t perform space clearings
enough in their homes. It is a forgotten “ritual” in our modern society.
Each of you is a guardian and is responsible for his ward. The ruler is a
guardian and the man is a guardian of the members of his household and the woman
is a gaudier and is responsible for her husband’s house and his offspring. So
each of you is a guardian and is responsible for his ward.”
This
guardianship of the home is a very important responsibility of women and should
be taken seriously. I gave Samira the following guidelines for doing a
“Spiritual Space Clearing” on her new home. She called me a week later to
say that she was completely “cured”. She didn’t even need the herbs.
Initial
Space Clearing and Monthly Maintenance:
1.
Clean your home, room or office space as usual.
2.
Put items in the space where they belong. If items do not have a space they
should be: given a space, given away, sold, or thrown away. Allah (swt) loves
harmony in the universe and we should also create harmony in our homes for, “such
as myrrh and frankincense (which are favorites in Egyptian mosques). The prophet
(saws) himself loved scents in the mosque and at home. He said, “There are
three things of this world that I have been ,made to prefer: prayer, women and
scents.”
To
disperse scent with fresh herbs take a ceramic or glass bowl and fill it half
with sand. Make a little hole in the sand and fill it with sage leaves or other
herbs. Set them on fire and walk slowly around the house with your “fire”
distributing the smoke. Concentrate especially on the corners and entryways of
the rooms.
3.
Buy some fresh fruits – including at least one or two unusual ones and place
them in a basket in your kitchen. Fresh fruits and other natural items in the
home create awe and remembrance of Allah which naturally brings ease to one’s
mind. Allah said to Muhammad (saws) in the Hadith, " I have created the
skies and the heavens simply as a beautiful sight…"
Sources:
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Alinsworth,
Claire. “Secret At Heart Of Red Wine Revealed” The Scientist. December
29, 2001.
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Boyce,
Neil. “You Can Get The Heart-Boosting Benefits Of Grapes Without The
Alcohol” Current Science. January 3, 2002.
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Klarreich,
Erica. “Wine Fights Heart Foe” Nature. December 20, 2001.
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Miller,
Greg. “Passive Smoking Shown To Disrupt Heart” Discover. July 27, 2001.
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Veggeberg,
Scott “How Cancer Spreads After A Night On The Tiles” New Scientist.
December 29, 2001.
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