Category: Nature + Moon + Tea

Connecting with Plant Allies (Guest Post by Beth Katherine)

*Note: As a student of herbalism studies, I’ve been learning lots of fascinating things about forging a magical relationship with plants. So I am excited about today’s guest post. In this post,  the fierce and beautiful priestess-mermaid soul, Beth, shares some profound insights about plant allies and her connection with the Western Red Cedar. ❤ Jodi

 

CONNECTING WITH PLANT ALLIES by BETH KATHERINE WATSON

Most of us are unfamiliar with the idea of a ‘Plant Ally’ – but the term has been well known and well loved in many parts of the world for thousands of years.

 A Plant Ally is a plant that an individual is uniquely drawn to – at times, it may even feel like this plant is calling them. When the individual takes notice of such a plant, and consciously chooses to explore their relationship with it, magic ensues. Forming a true relationship with a plant ally, as Susan Weed says, takes years and years. From sleeping under the stars with said plant, to watching it unfold season by season, as it grows and changes, to internally taking it’s medicine, to simply meditating with it to hear it’s wisdom and have conversations, there are numerous ways of getting to know your plant ally.

It’s a lifetime journey in many cases – getting to know a plant ally is a commitment, it’s a love story – yet the process is worth it, for in my experience, connecting with a Plant Ally elicits many of the same feelings as a human to human love story. We’re all souls after all.

An individual can have many plant allies over the course of their life, and we are not limited to getting to know just the plants that speak to us. Sometimes, it is a worthy endeavour to spend time with a plant that seems a little more foreign to us. More often that not, though, it’s the ones who we’ve been interested in for quite some time, that have the most to give.

Although I’ve had a few different plants come to me, through dreams, books, or meditations – namely Yarrow and Juniper – there is one that stands above the rest, simply because it has interwoven it’s way so completely into my life.

This plant is the Western Red Cedar.

I took notice, specifically, of the beautiful Cedar tree, on a trip to the West Coast of Canada, back in 2011. Although I was not into plant medicine at the time, something struck me about the tree, and I decided to take a few of it’s branches home to Southern Alberta with me, so I would not forget the magic of the coast.

I ended up hanging the branches next to my bed, where they stayed for over a year. I did not know then, that I was undertaking an significant act of initiation with a plant ally – keeping it next to you while you sleep.

Over the next few years, I took many more trips out to the coast, continuing to notice the Cedar tree, and watching my love for her grow.

Upon finally moving to the Pacific Northwest last year, I became more fully, and more consciously aware of my desire to be around Cedar. At that time, I had begun my studies in Plant Medicine, which is a continuing journey, to say the least.

I knew that the best way to investigate a relationship with a plant was to meditate together, as had been taught to me by the plants themselves, as well as the herbalist teachers I was starting to surround myself with.

Connecting with Cedar - Pic courtesy of Beth
Connecting with Cedar – Pic courtesy of Beth

So last year, I started to spend more time with the Cedar, and still, the journey continues. I’ve made dreamcatchers from her, kept her under my bed, beside my bed, over my bed. I’ve smudged with her, drank tea from her leaves. I’ve made essences from her bark, and her spiritual medicine. I’ve read with my back against her trunk, and taken photos of her striking beauty. But through all of this, the most important act I’ve done with the Cedar, is to meditate with her.

“Cedar, like all plants, holds incredible wisdom. Each plant has a different frequency, and therefore, each plant has a different gift to give.” ~ Beth Katherine

The incredible thing about Cedar, is that she has a rainbow of gifts. The Natives of the Pacific Northwest thought of her as somewhat of a Grandmother – a kind, wise, and elderly all purpose healer. They made clothes with her bark, drank her tea, built with her wood, and in many ways honored her as the pillar of their culture.

My own experiences with Cedar have shown me, time and time again, of her kindness, her intrinsic wisdom, her ability to repair the auric field, and cleanse and revitalize anyone who comes willingly enough near her medicine.

Cedar Plant Ally - Pic courtesy of Beth
Cedar Plant Ally – Pic courtesy of Beth

There have been many things she has taught me, and some of them have completely changed the course of my day, my week, or my outlook on a certain situation. One blog post is not enough for these stories, but hopefully, the truth of these words inspires you to investigate your own relationship with plants.

Have any been calling to you? Has the Dandelion reached out to you, with it’s sunny disposition, and deeply rooted way of persevering? Has the Wild Rose sung to you? Offering it’s connection with the Great Mother, and gently caressing your cheek with it’s pink tones of love?

There are so many plants around us, and yet, we often take little to no notice of them. Over the next few weeks, especially as we emerge into spring, I challenge you to become more aware of the plants around you. Are any of them drawing you in? It’s a subtle process – the plant world is deeply embedded in the otherworld. But once you begin the journey, you may find that it’s possible to develop a lasting love affair with a plant.

And that is one relationship you might be deeply willing to invest in. 

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Connecting with Cedar - Pic courtesy of Beth

Beth is a fierce, deeply spiritual and creative priestess-mermaid  soul. She is a intuitive mentor based in Tofino, BC, Canada. Beth helps young women develop their gifts, trust their intuitive guidance and launch their life purpose into the world. She is passionate about doing her bit for Mama Gaia and the oceans when it comes to environmental issues. Beth is also  a Women for Whales ambassador. You can connect with Beth via her website: http://www.bethkatherine.com, like her Waves of Fire  facebook page or follow her on Instagram

Sound and Silence in the Wind

“The sound of the wind through a great loom of trees is silence.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes

I sit down to meditate on my first morning in the bushveld.

Silence. Nothing but silence around me.

The air is teeming with energy as it settles. I am painfully aware of the silence. Back home, even in moments of deep stillness, the distant hum of traffic in the background is ever present. I’d become so used to it, I’d blocked it out. I didn’t hear it anymore, or if I did, I decided that it sounded like the ocean.

Now that I am made aware of the stark different two, I remember what real silence was. It is almost unnerving.

A breeze picks up. A gentle gust rushes through the long bush grass and something in the sound calls to me. Another gust comes. Again, I am taken by the sound it makes as it shakes the tall blades of yellow grass.

Yet another gust of passing air rushes over, this time rustling the leaves of the acacia thorn trees before me. The sound is different to before. A lower note it seems.

I move from my meditation spot and sit under the trees, listening to both the sound of the light breeze passing through the leaves and the silence in-between. In my mind’s eye I see a vision of the energy generated by the sound pouring down into my aura. It feels light, soft and fluffy like a cloud. It feels…peaceful.

Moving to the edge of the path, I listen to the grass. I am aware of how different the sound is to the wind flowing through the trees to that of the dancing grasses. It seems the wind, the trees and the grasses are musicians at play, coming together to conjure up different notes of the same song – a beautiful timeless ballad called Peace.   

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Space Clearing for a Fresh Start & How to Make Your Own Smudge Spray

I’m a firm believer in the idea that your home should be a sacred sanctuary that nurtures your Spirit. It’s important to me to be able to enjoy my home and to feel that my space supports me spiritually. I love having spaciousness, Nature and sacred spaces to encounter Spirit in my home. From time to time, when the energy in your space becomes stagnant, de-cluttering and clearing out stagnant or negative energies is an important part of making a fresh start and getting things to flow again. What better time to do some space clearing than at the outset of this New Year?

Smudge bundles work wonders, however my husband seemed to be affected by the smoke when I burn them. So sometimes I use smudge sprays. Clearing sprays are easy to make and I seem to sense a so much loving light and angelic essence filling my space when I work with them. I love using a combination of essential oils, crystals, salts and plant allies. It’s great to imbue the spray bottle with sparkling white light to Reiki energy as well.

The great thing about smudge sprays is that you can mix it up and tailor-make it according to your needs.

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How to Make Your Own Smudge Spray

 

You will need:

  • 1 50ml glass bottle (I prefer glass bottles, but plastic ones will also do)
  •  Essential oils (preferably sage, and one other of your choice)
  • Spring water or Filtered water
  • Crystal stones
  • A pinch of Himalayan Rock Salt or Sea Salt
  • Alcohol

 

I’ve seen many people using amber or cobalt glass bottles. I prefer a clear bottle because I like the sense of clearness and light that I get from it. I personally avoid plastic, but if you would like to use a plastic bottle then feel free to do so.

To make the smudge spray, fill ¾ of the bottle with spring/filtered water.

Add 4 to 8 drops of sage essential oil. Sage is a wonderful plant ally that is known for its powerful sacred clearing medicine and spiritual healing properties. (To my understanding, it is not advisable for pregnant women to use sage essential oil. So avoid if you’re pregnant and investigate other options.) In addition to the sage essential oil, you can also add 2 to 4 drops of another essential oil of your choice, especially if you’d like to give your spray a nice scent. Try cedar or lemon together with the sage oil to enhance the sacred clearing properties of the spray or something like lavender or geranium for a pleasant scent. I often I work with the healing energies of flowers, so I add a few drops of rose essential oil. I then apply a little Flower Essence Reiki to charge the spray with white rose energy. White roses help purify negative energy in your space and your aura. Sometimes, I add a fresh sage leaf and a few white rose petals into the bottle too. This further activates the clearing medicine of these beautiful plant allies.  

Add a dash of alcohol. You can use spraying alcohol which is usually available at most craft stores or a dash of a clear spirit such as vodka. Alcohol helps to preserve the spray, but you don’t have to use it if you don’t like having alcohol in your products. Avoid if you have sensitive skin that reacts to alcohol.  

Put a pinch of Himalayan Rock Salt or Sea Salt into the bottle. This amplifies the sacred clearing properties of the spray.

Next, draw on the healing power of crystals by either putting a small quartz crystal inside of the bottle or placing a few large crystals around the bottle and letting it stand so that it becomes charged with the crystal energy.

Finally, take a moment to be present with your smudge spray. Charge it with cleansing white light or Reiki energy. Call on your angels to imbue it with healing angelic light and love. Archangel Michael and Archangel Jophiel are wonderful Too give the spray a Goddess touch, I often let my bottle outside on a full-moon to charge under the moonlight.

And then you are good to go. Happy Space Clearing!