Tree of Life + Health: A Mycelial Network of Health

My purpose in the previous article was to orient you to the Vital lens which all of my work is filtered through.

You Belong to Life.

The patterns of finding Health reflect the patterns inherent to Life thriving.

The Ecosystem of the Tree of Life is a model for weaving the pattern of Health + Thriving into our own Lives.

Tying back into the Ecosystem from a gardening viewpoint, Soil health is everything. If you tend to the Health of the Soil, Plants can thrive. 

How do we tend our own Soil?

What quality of Soil is our Tree of Health

growing in?

An essential collaborator that allows the Plant Community to survive and thrive within an Ecosystem is the Fungal Community. More specifically their Mycelial Network. Mycelia are the roots of the Fungal Community and they create vast networks within a healthy soil system. This network coordinates the exchange of nourishment and information to and from Plants. Without this symbiosis the Plant Community would wither. 

The integral role that Mycelia plays in Soil + Ecosystem Health became central in my professional work and research as a Gardener. This understanding would come to shape my work in Human Health.

In studying anatomy + physiology from a vitalist perspective, my teacher Sajah Popham referred to the digestive system as the root of our health. This resonated with me immediately and spoke directly to what I had learned in the extensive personal and professional research on nutrition. Food can be medicine and is a foundation for the Health of our Tree. 

As I explored more broadly into my studies, my personal experience and experience with clients also broadened. Learning about the Nervous System has always fascinated me, originally from a psychological + emotional perspective and through further study from a physiological perspective.

The Nervous System is what coordinates our digestive processes. Without this essential  coordination, digestion and more importantly absorption would not function. This coordination does not end with digestion. It coordinates our blood flow. It coordinates our respiration and the hormonal cascades of our Endocrine System. 

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The Nervous System coordinates all of our physiology. It is our interface with the World around us and allows us to dynamically survive and thrive within it. 

Shortly after learning the extent to which the Nervous System effects our physiology, I was introduced to ways of learning about my Nervous system through visceral + embodied practices. Herbal Body Oiling, Somatic Movement Classes and Somatic Experiencing within a Counseling space were three essential explorations. My own health shifted in positive directions. My perspective of our Nervous Systems widened and came to Life.

The Nervous System within our Physiology corresponds with the Mycelial Network within the Soil of the Earth. 

Our Nervous System is the Soil of our Health.

Tending to our Soil, which is our Nervous System will determine the quality of our Health, system wide. 

Synchronistically people reach out for support with their Nervous Systems. A majority of the client support I have offered is in this area of health. Together we have seen anxiety calmed, energy levels returned, digestion improved, and sleep restored. Nervous System tending has become central in the lives of my client community as well as my own. 

Awareness of Nervous System Health informs dialog in this space. Continuing Education + Exploration of this essential element will be centered in my work. A Network of Practitioners who can offer complimentary support of the Nervous System, is a deep Resource I am building for my client community. This support is needed to remember healthy relationship with the world around us.

Tending to the Nervous System is vital to Health and to the purpose of my Practice.