Edge Dwelling Plants As Guides For These Liminal Times
This blog series is a further reading from my workshop, Underworld Medicine
Liminality is a special state of being or space where there are infinite possibilities. Liminal is defined as "relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process," or "occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold." Neither firmly anchored in the here or there, both rather existing in both at the same time. The hedgerow is a place of liminality, where the edges of the wild meet the edges human dwelling, and it is here we find ourselves in contact with other realities that seem contrary to what we thought we knew.
What happens here is not black and white, not played on polarity, not making any belief wrong or better than another, not even linear. The healing that happens here is not a binary. Rather, multidimensional and spiralic. It's not only a real place we can visit (a beach, a mountain, a forest, a cave are all liminal), but it is also a metaphor for the container of accepting the possibility that we are many things that we have yet to discover, and there is so much more to the world we live in then we know. So, I invite the possibility that this hedgerow can exist inside of us, as well as on the outskirts of the fairytale village.
Solanum dulcamara, aka Bittersweet nightshade. Considered invasive and is toxic
As this world is changing and shifting on a daily basis, we are at Hecate's crossroads, dwelling on the edge of the threshold, beginning a longer period of transition. The world is in a liminal place right now and there are so many shadows being exposed that require reckoning and accountability, on the individual and collective scale. There is a lot of learning happening...but we still have a long way to go.
Getting comfortable in the hedge
1. Develop relationship and reciprocity
What is foundational regardless of how you intend to be in relationship to the land you are on is...actually have a relationship with that land. Acknowledgement and respect is important in any kind of relationship. I offer some invitations for you to answer for yourself, knowing there is no wrong answer as well as perhaps witnessing that this is a work in progress. As being human is a work in progress, and as nature is in a constant state of becoming.
Approach with reverence and respect, as you are in the role of stewardship and living in integrity with the land sees that we protect and nourish rather then consume or exploit. Think of it as a relationship with a person.
What is my relationship to the land/earth/nature around me?
Do I harvest or take from plants with a need or a desire? How do I leave the plant in it's ecosystem after I leave? Is the plant worse off or better off because of me now?
What does this plant need? If I take, what can I gift back? Water? A song? More sun?
Asking permission and giving back to the ground and plants that give to you will most likely develop into a stronger spiritual relationship that offers more potent medicine over time.
1. A different kind of "harvest"
In the hedge we viscerally feel ancient earthly wisdom around us, and so too, no matter where we are working in nature with plants we are reminded that medicine comes in many forms. You don't have to take a tincture or harvest a plant in order to receive the healing qualities of that plant. In fact the safest way of working with any plant, even poisonous ones, is by meditation, or intuitive communication. You don't even need to be in their physical presence to do this. Which means that this form of healing is exceptionally accessible to anyone. This is often how I work with plants, and I have talked to many I have never had the pleasure of meeting in person yet!
Simply start with being in a meditative space, deeply breathing and grounding into the body.
Allow yourself to be receptive, and call out to the plant you want to connect with.
Release expectations, and simply be open to the experience. After a few breathes, notice if you feel any shifts in your body or in your thoughts.
Introduce yourself to the plant, ask if they would like to share anything with you.
Be patient, be open. You may not get anything, and that's ok too. Perhaps they aren't ready to talk, or perhaps they want to communicate to you through bodily sensations, emotions, or images.
This way we are asking the plant to share in it's own unique medicine, when they want to share with us. Think of it as another kind of harvesting healing medicine. Be open to what comes through, and be open if nothing comes through. You can always try again at another time, and you may be surprised by what it wants to share. If you notice any negative thoughts, self doubt, or begin to immediately start judging the experience then it is most likely your own internal voice and not the plant speaking to you. Take another breathe, relax, and be patient.
Meditation and trusting your intuition and this kind of experience takes time and more then one try. I've done this consistently for a few years and I still fall asleep or have nothing come through on occasion, which I now welcome as a necessary reminder of rest or that I'm forcing an expectation. Both of which are important lessons.
1. Embracing multiple possibilities
I've noticed that the wild, weedy, invasive, and poisonous plants - all looked upon with loathing by humans - have offered me the deepest medicine in healing very real wounds.
They have shown me how to honor and embrace the fact that I am more than one "identity," that I don't have to fit into anything.
They have heard me exclaim my fears, and shown me the reflection of an authentic life beyond being defined by them.
They have shown me what it means to be a human, with very real pains and trauma as well as unconditional love and desires.
They have shown me the importance of responsibility, accountability, and courage in the face of some of my deepest anxieties in order to shift out of limiting patterns.
The above noticing was by directly working with them, meditating with them, and even taking their flower essences. However, in my personal experience so far, I would say intuitively meditating with them is where I learn the most.
The wisdom gained in meditation aren't the medicine or the work itself. Our medicine comes when we do the work that is offered in meditation. Sometimes it doesn't have to be serious, maybe we're just clearing out the pipes.
The Heavenly Spheres In These Times: New Moon in Capricorn, January 2021
Today we have a New Moon at 23' Capricorn, conjunct Pluto, while Jupiter and Uranus are getting ready to square in the fixed signs of Aquarius and Taurus respectively. The Sabian Symbol for 23 Capricorn is "A woman entering a convent," which denotes there is a drive or perhaps demand to turn from our material lives and focus on our spiritual and emotional development. I would say this is not an ideal time to call in material abundance or a promotion, in fact I would not use this new moon to call anything into our lives besides a deeper relationship to our spiritual wellbeing and what it means to be alive right now. Pluto wants to submerge the Capricornian drive for sustainability into a place where the sun doesn't shine (as the solar rays are literally shining on the back of the moon today). There's a bit of a removal or banishing energy present here, which is where protection might be required for some. Retreating, recuperation, and protection, like the woman retreating to a conclave removed from the harsh real world. Sometimes we need step out of ourselves to look at and acknowledge what isn't working, what isn't sustaining us, and what limits we've reached.
Keep in mind this New Moon is happening almost as a direct mirror to the Saturn Pluto conjunction that occurred at 22'45" Capricorn exactly a year ago today. That transit, we found out in retrospect, was tied to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in China, and greatly impacted the entirety of the year and everyone around the world to the point of no return. This New Moon is certainly not as intense, however, it's a reminder we're still living with in the beginning of 2021. Perhaps this new moon is not an opportunity for starting over, but rather moving forward with the commitment of examination, consideration, discernment, reflection, and acceptance of our wellbeing beyond our bank accounts. Maybe this new moon just asks us to re-define what it means to be a human right now.
I have begun to look at the asteroid Hygiea (10) for remediation, because she can show us what we each personally need for holistic wellness (more on Hygiea in future posts). Currently, Hygiea is at 12' Leo and we'll see some squares from the other planets to her throughout the year, so the need to call on her for physical and spiritual upkeep and maintenance. This is heart medicine, needing to express our true needs, passions, interests, desires. Right now the invitation is for quiet reflection on those experiences where we reach our limit to see what we learn from them. No doubt we are hardened by the events of 2020 and the recent events of Jan 2021 at the Capital, so we may be torn between wanting to contribute something to the world right now and wanting to retreat from the horror of reality. This liminal space we may be in is super comfortable no doubt. Which is why these Saturnian and Plutonian plants might be helpful in navigating the day to day in times like these...
The following plants are reflections from my personal experience. They may be different than other's experiences, and I'm holding space for that. Constantly growing and learning. I invite you to reach out to a plant that catches your eye and see what happens!
Bittersweet Nightshade
My experience with this invasive plant is limited, however I can't stop thinking about it recently. Creeping into my mind as it creeps and climbs onto other plants and structures, Bittersweet Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) is tiny but has a powerful energy to it. Like many plants considered invasive, Bittersweet likes to grow in disturbed soils and grows along the edges of humans and nature, a true "edge walker."
The energetics of this plant remove us from being anchored to a linear timeline. It doesn't like being anchored, or "fixed" into a reality, identity, or time. Interestingly enough, the medicinal qualities of the plant have a slowing down and relaxing sedative narcotic, so it seems to stop time in the body. Talking with others who have meditated with Bittersweet there seems to be a common theme of "timelessness," and the claiming of "multitudes of self." You don't have to be one thing, or the thing. As I believe this plant can teach us lessons in authenticity, and not striving to be or look like someone else. Removing the need for performative acts all together and act in integrity.
It's medicine comes to me when I need to remember to not attach an expectation to a timeline that ultimately is contrived or arbitrary in the grand scheme of life. The first time I journeyed with this plant it presented itself to me as giant silvery sea serpent, not unlike the world serpent Jörmungandr in Norse mythology. It dove me into the shadowy depths and then I saw myself outside of myself. The serpent took its sharp talon and gently sliced me straight down the middle like an onion, revealing all the layers of my self hidden beneath the surface of what I portray on the outside. Each version or layer of myself that was being revealed like a Russian Doll was wearing a mask. I heard the serpent (the way Bittersweet's spirit showed itself to me) say that these versions of me were false, that we all try to fit into a society of people not showing their true selves either. It helped me cut through imposter syndrome, as well as the ways in which I may have laughed at my own expense in order to mask the pain I really felt in the moment. How I may have disassociated with my feelings in order to fit in. How and why are we playing pretend? Why and what are we disguising? It's invitation of authenticity reminds me of the Fool card in the tarot.
Willow
Willow is a tree that is linked to the Otherworld/Underworld in so many traditions and has a myriad of plant lore. This tree is liminal for its deep connection to both water and earth, often growing on the edge of a body of water, and most likely touching it's leaves into the other element of water. Like the angel in the Temperance tarot card, who have one foot on the soil and one foot in the water. It's about balancing or tempering between both the emotional and material realities. Often that material reality is mortality and it's ephemeral quality, including what we leave behind and what seems to leave us behind.
Willow as a flower essence is considered a "reactive remedy," as it tends to quickly and cathartically bring on healing awareness much quicker the more subtle plant energies. I find this essence extremely help for those who tend to feel numb or dissociated with their emotions, especially resentment and grief. I find Willow in relationship with the Moon, Neptune, and Pluto's rulerships because it intensely releases built up and held in grief and resentment in order for us to more authentically give voice to it and release it from the body.
In my personal experience, in only 2 days of taking Willow flower essence I've seen myself proclaim and release certain emotions I had yet to voice as well as finally have an emotional breakthrough when all the energy work I was doing prior wasn't cutting it. Over the past year in communicating with Willow it shows me the anatomical human heart, and the layers within, as it is like luggage. "On this side the heart holds onto all emotions we receive, and on the other side it carries the memory of what we released as well as still stores what we haven't yet cleansed." Where we've been used, rejected, or our love not received or returned, etc. Willow then continued to show me the pericardium, the protective water sac of the heart, as it was like the River Lethe of Hades. Water swirling with ghosts of memory, like a crab shell that is now restricting our growth. I heard the word "entombment," as if what we bury in the heart never leaves us but restricts our liberty like a ball and chain. It showed the pericardium bursting with a gush of water, saying "let the heart be free."
Willow is an indispensable plant for opening up and receiving ourselves through a safe container to do so. It compassionately allows room for forgiveness, while reminding us of the importance of accountability, as it so beautifully reminded me to speak the words that I've held for so long with grace and ease.
Yew
Another tree for these times, the Yew, is also a plant steeped in ancient and modern plant lore. Evergreen, toxic, and can live for thousands of years, the Yew is a sacred plant among several cultures. I grew up with two Yew hedges in front of my house, not knowing the fullness of what they really were until I was much older, but still loved imagining fairies living inside them as a child. Perhaps because of my personal history with them, this is one of my favorite plants and one have a deep relationship with.
Because of it's physical characteristics, Yew can be seen as very restorative and regenerative (very similar to the Olive tree), and is a symbol of survival, resilience, and lasting strength. In the Runelore of Northern Europe and the Ogham tradition of the Druids, Yew is considered a symbol of death, or put in modern terms, transition. Here is the liminality theme come round again. If Bittersweet was the Fool, and Willow the Temperance card, then Yew is both Death and the World cards of tarot.
Each time I enter the liminal space of connection with Yew I am given a ritual of initiation. As liminality, transition is a place of initiation into a new realm. Yew helps remove one of past attachments so the way forward has room for expansion. Since this tree lives so much longer then most trees it has seen so much, and can offer us perspective. Each time I connect with Yew, it helps move me forward with trust as well as offering proper burial for the things that can't move forward with us.
As we move forward together remember that personal healing is planetary healing, and planetary healing is personal healing. You don't have to be responsible for everything and everyone in the world, and even in your life, but you are responsible for your healing. It's in the way we integrate and move forward in the small moments of the day to day where true healing and true medicine reside.
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