Relationship and community - indigenous and ancient wisdom

Now couldn't that be what we all need in the world today?

I spotted this in the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery, spread over two levels, in the South Australian Museum Adelaide North Terrace. This is said to be the most comprehensive Aboriginal Cultural Gallery in the world, and I found it a wonderfully fascinating experience.

I explore the issue of relationship and indeed relatedness in the context of community in my book Healing This Wounded Earth, devoting a whole chapter to this very important healing influence...explaining why it is so important and what we can do to promote real healing community.

So often I find evidence that the world's indigenous tribes carry much wisdom that we would do well to heed. We ignore the ancient wisdoms at our peril. We may think we know best but we surely do not. 
And by one of those happy coincidences which are surely meant to happen, I just heard news of "The  Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit being organised by the Shift Network. Here is a free online gathering of some of the best the world can offer of indigenous wisdom - running from 18th to 20th November 2014. Please follow the link to see what will be covered and to sign up if you are interested.

Fascinating Facts

I am enjoying my latest edition of Resurgence, the attractive magazine, edited by Satish Kumar, which is "at the heart of earth, art and spirit." On its website it is described as "a magazine for people who care about the environment, love reading, enjoy new ideas and are looking for inspiration on sustainable living." It is beautifully produced and a pleasure to read, with its wonderful illustrations, its poetry and its high calibre articles.

I have always worried about having to take pharmaceutical drugs - have never been sure about the long term side effects, which so often are little known.

But perhaps I need never have worried, or not so much anyway? According to an article in the Resurgence July/August issue by Joanna Eede a recent analysis of the original sources for the 1031 drugs approved world wide from 1981 to 2002 concluded that none were totally synthetic. The "majority of medicines are still based on structures found in Nature, and Nature still provides the best chemical leads ...for compounds that have a medicinal value for humans. "

And where does such knowledge come from in the first place? From the indigenous tribes, who have always relied on the plants around them for the prevention and treatment of illness, and have been in tune with the ecosystems around them for thousands of years.

If we ignore such ancient wisdom, drive such tribes and their ecosystems to extinction, we risk losing a vast fund of knowledge and perhaps losing cures that are yet to be discovered.

The photo is a view of the herb garden at Hever Castle in Kent, summer 2010.