I found it a fascinating invitation, and began to curiously engage them from then on. Every time I came home I would greet them, leave little offerings of tobacco or other gifts, I began speaking with them, singing to them, giving them a hug on my arrival... One day on coming home I touched them in greeting. As I walked in I saw one of them left a sticky kiss of resin on my sleeve. Now I knew the needles of the this tree are a powerful smudge when burned, yet I hadn’t considered what other parts of the plant did.Excited by this little gift, I wanted to see if the resin held the similar properties, and if so how it was different from the leaves.

I fired up a piece of coal and dropped the resin onto it, heading outside to stand under the trees while the resin began to bubble and smoke. It took a moment for the smoke to slowly waft up towards me. As it hit me I was suddenly engulfed with this most exquisite, unexpected aroma. If felt aged and feminine, an ancient smell that held warm wisdom in it. Taken completely by surprise, my heart burst open in delight and I stood in rapture at the base of the trees, moving the smoke between myself and the cedars… And into this open space of gratitude the tree spoke to me. It said:
 

The Spirit of a plant lives in the sap
Power is in the leaves
Medicine is in the bark
Connectivity is in the roots
And Love is in the fruits
 

It gave me a moment to digest this, showing how these principles largely govern the allocation of qualities across the plant kingdom, giving me examples to illustrate this. It seemed so logical, so simple. With time these principles have come to guide how I navigate the use of herbs and herbal interactions, finding this information to be impeccably consistently.

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With time this teaching continued to unfold to show how these principles extend across all natural bodies, from the molecular, biological, human, and earth as a whole… From micro to macro levels these same principles apply. In knowing this simple formula, self-evident as it is, we can utilise it to guide how best we grow and evolve. 
 

This potent insight continues to inspire and inform as levels of understanding drop deeper. Combinations become formulae, and these ingredients are the building blocks of creation. As we arrange the correlating parts of our selves, we can design our alignment and engage different elements of what it is to be human in enlightening ways.

After working with The Cedar Teachings herbally for some time, it was revealed that these same principles flow through all the kingdoms, from microcosm to macrocosm. The same pathway of functionality found in plants moves through humans, animals, the planet as a whole, and each cell therein. These correlations of principal are shared in the online course. 
 

This then is the doorway to the rest of the teachings, and begins to act as a bedrock for understanding the Five Pillars of Medicine….