Herbs speak to us in a very primal manner, they connect us with Mother Earth in a very basic and universal way because they are so freshly removed from her bosom and still retain the undiluted effect of her close presence. Inasmuch as herbs and the many possible ways that they enhance and affect our lives are an extension of Mother Earth, they are also a way of connecting with that archetypal presence that so enchants us, that draws us in with the promise of solace, comfort, and wholeness, even, of belonging, and the possibility of union with the divine. It is an innate understanding within each of us that true healing lies in the reconciliation of our ego, the layers of self that separate us from one another, with the ground substance of being personified by Mother Earth.