Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom

In this episode, world-renowned herbalist, teacher, and author Rosemary Gladstar reflects on a lifetime of relationship with the plant world through her book The Generosity of Plants: Shared Wisdom from the Community of Herb Lovers. Drawing on more than five decades of practice, Rosemary shares stories, insights, and teachings rooted in herbal healing, gardening, and wildcrafting, illuminating the generosity, intelligence, and sacred presence of plants. Often called the “godmother of American herbalism,” Gladstar is a central figure in the modern herbal movement and the author of many influential works, including Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide, offering listeners a rich, contemplative exploration of plant wisdom and community.

In this episode, New York Times bestselling author and environmental thinker Paul Hawken explores the deeper story of carbon through his latest book, Carbon: The Book of Life. Moving beyond the familiar climate narrative, Hawken reveals carbon as the elemental force that animates all living systems—plants, animals, fungi, agriculture, and human life itself—and invites a more integrated, life-affirming relationship with the natural world. Founder of Project Drawdown and Regeneration, and author of influential works including The Ecology of Commerce, Blessed Unrest, and Regeneration, Hawken brings decades of insight into how re-imagining our relationship with nature can help shape a just, resilient, and hopeful future.

In this episode, mythologist and storyteller Michael Meade reflects on the ancient sources of wisdom that continue to surface amid the polarization and rapid change of modern life. Drawing on his deep background in mythology, anthropology, and psychology, Meade weaves together timeless myths, cross-cultural ritual, and contemporary insight to illuminate the stories we are living now. Author of Awakening the Soul, The Genius Myth, Fate and Destiny, Why the World Doesn’t End, and The Water of Life, and creator of the Living Myth podcast, Meade is also the founder of the Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, where he brings mythic understanding into service of cultural healing and community renewal.

In this episode, renowned scholar Elaine Pagels explores the hidden histories behind the figure of Jesus, drawing from her groundbreaking new book Miracles and Wonder. Blending rigorous historical scholarship with vivid storytelling, Pagels examines how stories of Jesus’s miracles, resurrection, and divine birth emerged, evolved, and came to shape a world-changing movement. A longtime professor of religion at Princeton University and recipient of the National Humanities Medal, Pagels reflects on why these narratives proved so enduring and what they continue to reveal about the spiritual questions at the heart of Christianity today.

In this episode of Branches of Wisdom, guest host Tami Simon—founder and CEO of Sounds True—joins master shamanic healing practitioner Julie M. Kramer to explore the spiritual call to healing, which often arrives through dreams, illness, synchronicities, and life transitions. Julie, founding instructor of The Art and Practice of Shamanic Healingprofessional training, shares how to recognize this call and develop the skills needed to serve others, drawing on her decades of teaching and practice. Together they discuss core spiritual healing techniques Julie teaches—including soul retrieval, psychopomp work, compassionate depossession, and curse unraveling—and how spiritual healing can be thoughtfully integrated into a multidisciplinary approach to well-being.