Wildflowerwalker

and what it teaches us about the layers of healing

The legend…

Once upon a time there was a beautiful sea nymph called Thetis.  So beautiful was she that the great God Zeus wanted to marry her.  But then he learned that there was a prophecy that Thetis’ son would be far greater than his father.  Of course Zeus couldn’t have that, so Thetis ended up marrying King Peleus. 

King Peleus and Thetis had a great wedding known to this day in history for seeding the Trojan War.  For while they invited all the gods and goddesses, they didn’t invite Eris, the goddess of discord.  She was so enraged by this slight that she threw a golden apple amidst the guests labelled ‘for the fairest’ and so began a long chain of events, but that is another story.  

Peleus and Thetis went on to have a child called Achilles. 

Yet there was more to the prophecy about this child, which Thetis well knew.  For besides becoming a great warrior far surpassing his father, it was prophesied he would die relatively young in a great war.  So when he was born, Thetis being a waternymph took her babe by the ankle and dipped him headfirst into the river Styx – the vast river that separates the mortal realms from the underworldand the abode of the dead.  This she knew would render him invulnerable.  

The boy grew up and besides becoming a skilled warrior, he studied under Chiron, the centaur known for his healing wisdom. 

When the Trojan war broke out, Thetis knew that this was the war of the prophecy, and once again wanting to outwit fate, she sent Achilles to a foreign court dressed up as a woman and hidden among the courtly maidens, so that he would not be called into the war.  But another warrior noticed the way Achilles touched a sword and called out the warrior hiding within the maiden clothes.  Without too much convincing he bade Achilles join him to fight in the war. 

Now the Trojan war was long.  For nine long years, both sides did battle, neither managing to quite surmount the other.  The gods were drawn into the battle and there were endless ups and downs.  

At one point, Telephus tripped over a vine and was wounded by Achilles blade or arrow and lay bleeding out.  Nothing seemed to staunch the wound.  Having a key role in the war, an oracle was called to assist.  

She stated that the wound would only be cured by the source of that which had caused the wound.  

Like cures like. 

A bargain was struck between Telephus and Achilles.  If Achilles would heal him, then Telephuswould lead them directly to Troy.  They needed each other. 

So Achilles took his spear and shaved off some rusty shards and mixed them with Yarrow (for remember he had learned some healing wisdom from Chiron) and rubbed this potion into Telephus’ bleeding wound.  Lo and behold the bleeding finally stopped and Telephus was healed.  

Thus threefold, the cure was effected by the cause.  

The war continued and eventually, Achilles received an arrow directly in the tendon that now bears his name.  For the gods knew 

that Achilles heel was the only place where the River Styx had not touched him, being where his mother Thetis had held him as she lowered him into its underworldly waters.  Thus Achilles, the almost invulnerable warrior died.  

To this day, Yarrow bears his name – Achillea millefolium, a herb well known for its capacity to stem haemorrhages and to heal both battle wounds and the womanly battles of childbearing, not to mention achilles tendon problems!   

Yarrow supports not only the physical healing of wounds, but addresses the wounds of the psychestored as unhealed trauma.  The inner wounds that can bleed our lifeforce endlessly, held in the body until we are able to reach the root cause and facilitate true healing.  

Just as in Telephus’ case, Yarrow not only heals the external wound, but goes deeper to address the metaphorical spear/arrow that caused the wound, and yet even deeper still to reach to the parts (in this case Achilles) which wielded the arrow – the root cause.  

Achilles and Telephus came to an agreement in the end which benefitted both parties.  Making amends with our inner warring parts so that we can become whole once more is deeply embedded in Yarrows potent medicine.  

But most of all, we are reminded from this legend, that the cure is held within the cause.  

The three layers of healing and Yarrow’s part in each

In the story there are three part to the sacred healing mixture:

1. The herb Yarrow – a great wound healer and haemorrhage stopper on the external realms (yet also much more on the psychological and spiritual level as we’ll see) 

2. Shards of the spear or arrow that caused the wound

3. Achilles himself – he who directed the spear/arrow that caused the wound

While Yarrow is one component of the healing salve in the story, knowing Yarrow’s potency and deeper medicine, it’s not hard to see how the story of Achilles layers Yarrow’s properties throughout. 

Besides healing the external wound, Yarrow asks us to look deeper to the weapon and the wielder of the weapon for a total cure. 

The spear/arrow

Besides being deeply homeopathic (using a part of the spear to cure the wound it caused), we can also look at the spear/arrow in another way. 

Spears or arrows are not only battle weapons, but symbols of direction, clarity, pointedness, focus on a target. From another aspect of Achilles’ story, we see how the arrow was directed (by the god Apollo) to specifically touch the only place of weakness in Achilles’ otherwise invulnerable body. 

Taking stock of our weak areas is an important part in any healing. To build up, to strengthen and to simply know our limits in order to care and tend to ourselves effectively. For example, we won’t receive a virus or pathogen (a metaphorical weapon) deeply into our body if our immune system is functioning optimally. 

Achilles – wielder of the weapon that causes the wound. 
The Perpetrator – The shadow self

Yarrow medicine has a great deal to do around the shadow aspects of ourselves as well as what has been suppressed. (Read more about Yarrow’s deeper teachings in Plant Spirit Teachings of Six Healing Herbs)

At the deepest layers of healing, we need to meet the shadow aspects of ourselves – those parts of us that we don’t want to see, that we’d rather project onto the external world. Sometimes, like Telephus, we need to make a deal with these inner perpetratror aspects so that we can heal fully. 

This is not to say that sometimes people do horrible things and we may be wounded by them. Sometimes doing deals and finding healing with the actual person is not at all possible, appropriate or recommended. 

But that doesn’t mean we can’t find deep healing by doing the inner work. By meeting the shadow aspects within and coming to terms with them, to find a new harmony or broker a deal between the warring aspects of self. 
Assistance may well be required with a trusted trained professional in body deva work, jungian therapy or somatic therapy. 

Working with Yarrow assists the process while at the same time offering healing care and support. 

If you know more about Yarrow, you’ll see other aspects of her shining through this legend – like Achilles dressed as a maiden! 

If you’d like to learn more about the deeper plant spirit teachings of Yarrow, it’s one of the herbs we dive into in the Shamanic Herbalism Flower Training – a pathway of plant spirit teachings that will connect you more deeply with your soul essence, nature, plant allies and the greater web of life. It is enrolling now until July 13 and it will be the last time it runs at this low price (the price hasn’t changed in the 8 years it’s been running).
We’d love to have you as part of the next group if it speaks to you if the herbs and flowers have been calling to you!