One of the things that initially attracted me to aromatherapy and plant spirit shamanism was that it was not human. Plants are not humans yet their wisdom weaves with our own like ivy we are bound together. I try to make this my guiding principal when I am working with the energy of plants through aromatherapy blends and plant spirit journeys. I remember I am not the source but the channel.
The plant speaks and I listen, not always to words, sometimes images, sometimes sensations, poetry or dance. The messages and energies are very clear with me: humans cannot use plants from the lens of being human. We are too conditioned with our humanness so we work with our allies of plant, tree and animal for that which we cannot see.
When I create my writings, poems and dances about each oil or each plant, my vision is to speak not for the plant but from the plant. The voice is different, we have to shift our vibration and be open to information that presents itself in a completely different way. It could be the burst of joy of daffodils, the protective and healing mothering of nettles or the sensual entwining of honeysuckle.
Human centric questions like “What is Pine (pinus sylvestris) for?” translates as: How can I use Pine for what I think I need?
When I tune into the energy of each plant, the character and wisdom is very different yet underlying each plant is an essence that gets to be seen and felt first. Pine is a tree first, possibly a mother or a daughter tree and with a deep sense of community and the wheel of the year, pulsing with conversation. Hazel is joyful and wise, a storyteller and a holder of secrets. Rose is a gentle softening into the feminine, the heart and the soul. To use oils without getting to know their personalities and characters is to miss the point.
Trees are often amused with the things we think are important as their perspective is so different. Wondering why we worry with one thing when another is more pressing. Our timeline is tiny compared to theirs. The first learning that comes through plant wisdom is that it is not human and therefore sees the world very differently.
While the human may be focusing on their knee pain or headache, the plant will want to bring joy or purpose to the human and then offer suggestions about how the knee pain started. The Jasmine may want you to channel your inner goddess or the Oak tree bring you strength.
Frankincense may want the person to gain a deeper sense of their sacredness and the Dandelion may want that person to be more playful. When we have access to a perspective that shows us new ways of thinking, I believe that it gets to be heard and honored in its own language.
It is a language that speaks in experiences and knowingness, like an immersive theater of the forest or a plant orchestra from the stage of the stamen. To connect with aromatherapy is to enter into a different world and language. Opening to this with all senses open is the joy.
So much of our human history shows us this.
We have cut down so many trees,
poisoned our rivers,
our air and food.
We need to acknowledge and grieve our mistakes, grieve the thought that we knew best and redefine who we are now. We are not the holders of self- actualising wisdom. In my plant journeys, I am asking, what can I learn from you?
When we stand humbled, we can unlearn our information and relearn our wisdom. We can learn from our plant allies how to grow our food, cleanse and bring back sacredness with purification of the Willow and Nettle. From our conversations with Mother Gaia, we can start to tell new stories and learn the language of love written in the branches of the trees, unlocking secrets. We can surrender to the guidance flowing from the sacred waters from the ecstasy of the womb. We can return as children as the new Earth is birthed as the Goddess.