I have been working with plants as support for emotional and spiritual healing in different forms for almost a decade. I first ventured into this world through flower essences, working with Diana Pepper at Tree Frog Farm. I then started taking herbalism classes through Wildroot Botanicals and began exploring “micro-dosing” tinctures and working with plants as teas to support the system as it unwinds patterns. This led to an intensive on Plants and Planets by Sovereignty Herbs and Ritual Botanica where I started to bring my relationship with astrology to my relationship with plants. As above, so below. What I discovered in my explorations is that the wild intelligence of nature has profound abilities to support psycho-spiritual healing and the development of consciousness. They are our teachers, supporters, healers. And they do this through the relational field – the “this treats that” mindset about plants only goes so far… it is more about our opening ourselves to the relational intelligence of the plants and allowing that to change us.
Through all of this exploration I found the most profound way to relationally connect with plants is through essential oils. Through my training with Aromagnosis in aromatic shamanism I experienced how essential oils bypass the thinking brain and take us deep into the inner realms of our consciousness. The plants hold profound space for a depth of inner work that is possible when we have a wise intelligence that is holding us in our work. In my ancestral and spirit work we rely on supportive powers to hold ritual safety. Plant allies can play this part and essential oils are a very direct way to connect with their support. The work I am trained in comes to the transformation of consciousness from a Jungian perspective meaning that we work with the alchemical forces of psychological transformation, shadow work and inner parts work (inner gender, inner child) to go through a process of evolution with the plant spirits as the allies and guides for this work. This work looks like dropping into a guided meditation with the essential oil as a support. I usually work in-person for this work, because, well, smell-a-vision is not something that has been invented yet, but if you have access to essential oils or are open to purchasing some to partake in the work, I welcome working remotely as well. If you would like to learn more about working in this way, feel free to contact me or set up a free initial consultation.
0 Comments
I hear the voices of nature, the ancestors, and other unseen beings. When these abilities first emerged along with visions at the age of 26 during an internship in India, they caused fear and confusion resulting in hospitalization. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I now leverage my experiences with altered mental states to support others to come into their own relationship with their own experiences of hearing voices or unusual beliefs.
I am certified in intentional peer support for mental health, which means that my approach is to understand the worldviews of the folks I work with, walk along side them as they find their own right relationship with their mental health experiences and share from my own experiences in ways that might be informative or inspiring. Peer support is not about having the answers, I do not have them, it is also not therapeutic, I'm not a licensed therapist, but it is about sharing our experiences in ways that open new levels of acceptance which can emerge into resilience, hope and possibility. I am also trained in the Maastricht interview protocol by the National Paranoia Network, which is a process of understanding voice hearing and unusual beliefs that cause paranoia. These interviews result in the creation of a document that can be shared with other health professionals as a tool for self-advocacy within the mental health system. They often result in significant personal insight into these experiences and highlight approaches to gaining more resiliency. I view my own experiences as "spirit contacts" but others may view their own experiences differently. Working with me does not require that we share the same worldview - I support each person in finding their own meaning and relationship to their unique experiences. I work on a sliding scale basis to make this work accessible. Please contact me or set up a time for an initial consultation to start working with me in this way. I’ve been thinking about creative life cycles with this full moon. We have just passed the cross quarter Celtic/Pagan holiday of Lughnasadh or Lammas, which celebrates the harvest (especially of wheat). For those of you that remember way back to the cross quarter holiday of Imbolc in February, this was the “quantum activation” of the growth process that has become the harvest that we now pull in from the proverbial fields of our lives. And February is Aquarius season, so with this Aquarius full moon we are having a hint of new beginnings even as we harvest the fruits of this abundant season.
I’m reminded of the critical nature of the soil as birthplace of new plant life. There are some gardening techniques that really honor the biodynamic nature of the soil and some that even work to preserve the mycelial network in the soil. To me the microbiome and the mycelial network in soil are very Aquarian. They are like little neural networks of communication about the health and fertility of the soil and are critical for any new growth. Aquarius is an air sign, so not readily associated with earth, but I can see how it holds the communication aspect of air in how these networks of beings hold wisdom about the larger creative process of the larger whole of the land and its fertility. Be prepared to work on grounding the energy of this air/ether and fire moon/sun combo! The full moon in Aquarius is bringing us the energy of something more than air, it is the energy of ether. Ether is the vibration of electrons flitting in and out of quantum reality. It is the quick exchange of information as knowingness flits between realities. We are living in what is called by some the Aquarian age and this describes the way that we are connected to each other and ideas through the electronics that weave through our lives. Aquarius energy lives at the root chakra and is the place of quantum activation of the new cycle of creation. We are now seeing the fruits of what was planted during Aquarius season back in February. The sun in Leo brings the harvest of those seeds. Leo offers a maturing sense of fire, this is fire in a more adult form, energy moving to the crown chakra and our sense of spiritual connection or knowing. Leo is a flashy energy that demands attention, but also can be very connective, illuminating the beauty in all that beholds its fire. A mature Leo will have a clear sense of their sovereignty not as rampant individualism, but as in how they relationally interweave with the community around them, supporting all to emerge into their shining best selves. This sun/moon combo is almost as if just as we start to take in the harvest, we start to glimpse the beginning of the next creative lifecycle. We have to simultaneously tend to the roots as we take in the fruits. Pay attention to what this moon is telling you about where your energies might turn to especially in 2023. So this is a great time to reflect on what has been growing or fruiting in you. What are you harvesting in your life? What passions are burning in you? And what whispers on the wind are you hearing for your mid-range creative endeavors? And remember to bring these reflections into the body, perhaps using breath to move ideas and impressions down into your belly or doing this reflection while walking or hiking. Whatever you can do to remain earth-bound will be helpful for this full moon! |
AuthorMy thoughts on the path of deep animist relationship Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|