I saw Mary Poppins Returns with my mom over the holiday, and I told her afterwards that I thought the movie had been “good medicine” for me. I had just stumbled across the wonderful card deck and associated book, Medicine Cards by Jamie Sams and David Carson, (with beautiful illustrations by Angela Werneke), which was like a reunion with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. I had seen the deck and read the book before, but I rediscovered it in an Ashland bookstore and bought myself my very own set. (So excited about this!! No, I will not play it cool!)

The cards each portray an animal and the book provides teachings that we as human beings can learn from each, a distillation of this animal’s ‘medicine.’ In the introduction of the book Medicine Cards, I came across this definition of ‘medicine’ in the Native American tradition:

‘To understand the concept of medicine in the Native American way, one must redefine “medicine.” The medicine referred to in this book is anything that improves one’s connection to the Great Mystery and to all of life. This would include the healing of body, mind, and of spirit. This medicine is also anything that brings personal power, strength, and understanding. It is the constant living of life in a way that brings healing to the Earth Mother and all of our associates, family, friends, and fellow creatures. Native American medicine is an all-encompassing “way of life”,  for it involves walking on the Earth Mother in perfect harmony with the Universe’ (13).

To my mind, Mary Poppins, in any of her many iterations (P.L. Travers fictional character, Julie Andrews’ portrayal of this character, Emily Blunt’s reimagining of the role), combines severity and playfulness and whimsy in a way that defies categorization. Her strict emphasis on order is coupled with her staunch commitment to play and imagination, and her contempt for grown-ups who have forgotten how to see and appreciate the magic and wonder intermixed with the ordinary things in everyday life. The movie was good medicine for me because I have been seeking in my own life the healthy integration of all my parts, including my adult self (who likes very much to have all of her ducks in a tidy row), and my childlike and imaginative part who feels overjoyed at the sight of a brand new box of crayons and who doesn’t want to brush her hair before she runs outside to play.

At times, I have feared that such an integration and wholeness was impossible, that I was either too childish, dreamy, and unrealistic to ever accomplish the work I so wanted to accomplish in my lifetime; or else that I was in danger of always being “the responsible one”, no fun at all and fated to slowly wilt and finally disappear beneath a growing pile of paid bills, emails, and completed checklists.

For me, the medicine of Mary Poppins is about using discipline, structure, and position power to protect time and space for play, imagination, lightness, wonder, and creativity. It is about reimagining adulthood and bringing forward the most enlightened and life-supporting manifestations of structure and discipline, plus adding in a spoonful of sugar or splash of delightful messiness when the moment calls for it. Mary Poppins is completely, irrefutably No Nonsense. But she is absolutely filled to the brim with whimsy. (But don’t tell her that I said that!)

Food for Thought:

• When was the last time you played?
• Do you make time to play regularly in your life? If not, what are the stories you have adopted about “play” in the context of adulthood?
• Do you see play as separate from work? Why or why not?

And here’s the reason I am spending all this time writing about this: I believe what I have shared here is related to the medicine that the planet needs right now. Good medicine for our time is

1. Discipline, firmness, and helpful structures that can assist us to organize our thinking, energy, and effort in an efficient manner (we have work to do, after all!)
2. Kindness, gentleness, play, and as much humor as possible. It is in the darkest times that humor becomes essential medicine.
3. Truth-telling and courage. We cannot confront the challenges we face if we are not willing to look honestly at what is happening and then take the steps necessary to bring about positive shifts.

So, no dawdling, friends! Jiggety-jog. Off we go.