you are the medicine

Advice  from María Sabina, Mexican healer and poet -

​“Heal yourself with the  light of the sun and the rays of the moon. With the sound of the river  and the waterfall. With the swaying of the sea and the fluttering of birds. Heal yourself with mint, neem, and eucalyptus. Sweeten with  lavender, rosemary, and chamomile. Hug yourself with the cocoa bean and a  hint of cinnamon. Put love in tea instead of sugar and drink it looking  at the stars. Heal yourself with the kisses that the wind gives you and  the hugs of the rain. Stand strong with your bare feet on the ground  and with everything that comes from it. Be smarter every day by listening to your intuition, looking at the world with your forehead.  Jump, dance, sing, so that you live happier. Heal yourself, with  beautiful love, and always remember ... you are the medicine.”

This painting, titled Self-Portrait with Birds on My Head (2006), was created by Julie Heffernan, an American painter known for richly detailed, surreal self-portraits that blend realistic figurative imagery with fantastical elements like birds, flowers, and dream-like settings.