Community Highlights: Meet Merrill Page of EARTH MEDICINE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Merrill Page.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Medicine. What is it really? And how do we use it? Then, what do we do when it fails us?
I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a doctor. A doctor, a linguist, a writer, an adventurer who moved seamlessly through cultures, and a healer as well. But just a year into pre-medicine as an undergraduate at Stanford University I learned that it’s not reasonable “to be” all of it. Healers and doctors are not considered in the same breath. I would have to make a choice.
So I became an observer. I observed not just myself, and the choices I made daily to meditate, exercise, eat well, swim, get my hands in the dirt, go to acupuncture, but also observe the incredible people around me. I could see who was truly thriving, and who was not. I made connections between how people lived, and how brightly they shined, And I learned that it was the young adults who make grounded, often more spiritual and earth-based choices that were the one’s who glowed.
So instead of finishing my pre-med, I migrated into the world of metaphor and got my degree in English and Spanish Literature. I studied language, art, culture and the art of making home in the Latin American Studies department. I helped to build the first organic garden at “The Farm” as Stanford is also known, and ate most nights in the house where they made their own bread and grew their own food.
Fast forward thirty years and I find myself the founder of EARTH MEDICINE INSTITUTE. A synthesis of earth, it’s elements, and a deep knowledge across cultures of how we actually heal, I help others find common ground between diverse therapies, and how we use them to heal, both ourselves and the planet.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The struggles along the way!?? Staying clear and grounded ;-). Finding the right partners. Paving a path in a world that often opts for convenience and doesn’t have time for understanding or embracing other ways. Not always being understood or feeling supported by my family.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
EARTH MEDICINE is a nonprofit organization that seeks to bring together like-minded individuals across a spectrum of healing modalities to make connections and find common ground. We create literature (including 2 Earth Medicine Books and a monthly newsletter), offer classes, workshops and retreats, and have created a platform for practitioners to offer their expertise to a larger audience.
We specialize in Energy Medicine (across modalities) including Craniosacral therapy, Ayurveda, Acupuncture, Massage as advanced bodywork, Intuition medicine with medical mediums as a bridge for individuals seeking health across the mind body spectrum. The goal is physical embodiment. The means is everything along a spectrum from prayer, remote healing, meditation and therapeutic energy sessions, to diet, exercise, and lifestyle education.
What sets us apart is a grounded, well-educated approach and extensive understanding of how it works. What sets us apart is our language and the desire to connect with a mainstream audience who may not be familiar with the energetics behind healing. We week to bridge the gap between western medicine frameworks and alternative medicine options. We know that alternative modalities will be most successful when people know how and when to use them. We also want people to understand the long-term and expansive impact of their choices in self-care, to know that what they choose for themselves, when aligned with their best version of self, impacts the environment and the planet in positive ways.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I am quite practical!! Single mother of four boys, athletes and artists alike, keeps my feet on the ground and my hands in the kitchen, or paying bills much of the time. So while I teach and seek to inspire on a more esoteric level, I do it from a place that’s quite sober and discerning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://earthmedicinetaos.org
• Instagram: omerrillpage
• LinkedIn: merrill page
• Other: https://merrillpage.com

Image Credits
Stephanie Schwartz, Carrie Bradburn