Repost from Summer 2009/gathering past essays for a book. Stories from our garden “weedwalk” !
The June 7th workshop on the wild weeds/herbs–Your Magic Garden: From Muggles to Mugwort— was a success! There were 9 of us which is great for a personally sponsored event such as this and everyone was very excited, going home to scout out the wild weeds on their own property, after we went on a weed walk right here identifying and learning about 28 healing plants. Everyone was amused and somewhat intrigued by the greeningspirit notion and practice of sitting and listening/talking to the plants in an inter-species dialogue, a semi-shamanic skill.
This will be an ongoing series each month, everyone inspired in between to further investigate in their own way, in their own yards and neighborhoods.
Margie, a research Librarian, called yesterday to tell me she found a book at her library that she took out immediately . It is called The Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities. I will install Margie as our “dark arts” reference Mistress. (Margie has always been a forager, eating violet leaves, red clover blossoms, wood sorrel etc for her vitamins.) She really is a woman of good intent and a faithful Episcopalian but it’s good to be well-rounded.
Amidst a stand of lily-of-the-valley in her yard,Leyla discovered mugwort and is planning to make a tea from this herb of dreamers and wisewomen. Altho we do not use lily-of-the-valley in this country’s folkloric herbal tradition, it is a premier cardiac ally, used by skilled practitioners in Europe. I suggest she honour this plant in spirit, for good-heartedness and kindness. Mugwort, however, is an herb of the wise elder woman and the herb of dreamers, as well as a digestive aid.
Julie who is once again set back and in pain with fibromyalgia is given over today to the simplest of tasks to mindfully and respectfully gather nettles for a tea, paying attention especially to the plant’s message to set up proper personal boundaries, even “stinging” when necessary to defend and preserve the sacred “time out” needed when you are depleted and in need of silence and stillness for healing.
Carolyn who is NOT a gardener but came along for the ride said the experience confirmed for her that she hates tromping through the woods and being outside where it’s buggy but that she really wants a puppy.
We don’t seem to be able to find Elaine, assuming that she is still out in her wild fields singing to the blackberry vines from whose berries she makes her famous blackberry cordial.
Helen, emerging Wildwoman, lives with a husband who is an engineer by profession. I am told that engineers love straight lines and linear thinking. Helen, who went right home with excitement to meet and greet her very own wild plant allies, is very frustrated to realize that her whole yard is “way too cultivated” and there is not a corner of wildness there having been put to order by her partner’s dedicated use of chemically engineered products of wild-weed eradication. She alerted me that she will be sneaking around my place after dark to dig up some wildness from here to bring over there and tuck in to un-obtrusive corners.
Martha has reported in: She says that she found herself smiling throughout the whole weedwalk with great delight and excitement because she kept thinking “THIS is what I have been looking for! ” Having gone through a very major health crisis a number of years back, she has been concerned about keeping her body healthy and whole, yet still cautious about invasive medical techniques or relentless drug therapies that don’t allow much personal involvement and participation in keeping oneself healthy. She is looking forward to learning more about the nourishing and healing gifts of the plantword and the wild weeds.
Ruthanne, who herself has a magical mystique about her in every way, was very intrigued by the idea that there are plant “spirits” in the garden just waiting for communication with us, if we learn how to slow down and listen. I think she found it a very comforting concept that these faeries, devas or “friends” are here, with a very old wisdom to teach us new things.
I myself am re-reading The Medicine-Maker’s Handbook, an enchanting guide by an enchanting premier herbalist/educator, James Green. I am delighted by his warmth and humour and wealth of knowledge which is down-to-earth, accessible and full of love for both the plants and people.
Our second class in the series will be in July…and we hope to have some new attendees to share with! The theme for this class will be on “Communicating with
From Christine, the Greening Spirit
As one of the herbal ladies at Sunday’s workshop, I must comment on my progress! Of all the herbs we discussed, stinging nettle got my attention the most. Stinging nettle grows along my circular drive at home and I now understand that it presented itself there for a reason…this was the only way it could get my full attention. When Christine suggested that this plant asks us to PAY ATTENTION! BE MINDFUL! and most importantly, BE RESPECTFUL! when around it, we best listen or else we be will stung.! The stinging nettle is modeling for me qualities I need to learn for myself to establish healthy boundaries. Since Sunday I have picked nettle WITH RESPECT in the pouring rain, brewed tea with it, laid 4-foot long stalks across my dining table for all to see, placed 1 stalk in a pretty vase, and have started sketching the nettle leaf, eaten steamed nettles and have yet to take a bath with it, floating in the tub….and this is only the beginning of our relationship, Stinging Nettle and me! Today over a family luncheon my sister who understands my struggle with fibromyalgia looked across the table at me and said “You look SO much better” and in fact, I DO..with great thanks to Stinging Nettle, my new friend and plant ally. What are we going to learn next, Christine…!
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I went out to listen to my plants. Here’s basically how the conversation went:
Plants: (All in unison) GO AWAY!
Wes: Well, this is a fine mess. Here I’m trying to follow Christine’s advice and be a friendly kind of guy and listen to you and what do you do? You hurt my feelings. This is not therapeutic at all.
Plants: How do you think WE feel?
Wes: Beats me.
Plants: You haven’t poisoned us…yet…but you chop, you pull, you stomp, you mow, you dig, you throw us in the woods, you put stuff on top of us that messes up our photosynthesis thing…you’re right up there with the bulldozers!
Wes: What? This is crazy. This sounds like the prelude to the movie The Yard That Ate Wes and His House. I don’t have to listen to this!
Plants: You’re very disrespectful!
Wes: Well, I’m gonna tell Christine that YOU’RE very disrespectful and listening to you is not fun AT ALL! If I have to get her over here to give you a talkin’ to, I’ll do it! Don’t think I won’t!
Plants: Don’t do that. We like Christine. She has what we call a “plant ear”. Those earrings of hers are actually vines. They amplify the sound. She’s graceful and musical. You’re just a buzz saw.
Wes: Aaaaaah! I’m going inside to see what my houseplants have to say about this.
Plants: They hate you, too. You never water them. Your water-at-the-last-minute-and-then-let-wilt philosophy has caused them to become bipolar.
Wes: Okay, I’m going to my bedroom and close the door. Leave me alone!
Plants: It won’t do any good. Now that you have an ear for us, you’ll always hear what we have to say.
Wes: Egads!
Plants: Weesss, the nettles are coming to get you…poison ivy is growing your direction…you can start scratching if you like…Weeessss…the dogwood has started barking…mugwort may be your only out but there’s no mugwort here…ha-ha, ha-ha, ha-ha…
Christine, you’ve opened up a Pandora’s Garden here. How can you help me. Can you send me a friendly garden? It’s a JUNGLE OUT THERE! HELP!
Very, very respectfully,
Wes
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Here I am, Christine! I have been wandering among my blackberry brambles and other wild plants, if only from my porch in this cold, wet weather. I have lots of wild lettuce, and wild carrots are coming along. It sounds like a salad to me! And, I have found a second purple widow’s tears growing near the first one. The faeries knew I wanted purple!
The wokshop was fascinating and I think everyone needs to attend. I’m looking for mugwort and yellow dock – I’ll bring samples to you of what I think may be mugwort.
Greeningly yours, Elaine
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Dear Chris,
Father’s day night/summer solstice: the tree branches are swirling around in this unusually windy weather (seems like a hurricane’s a comin’!). Looking at the photo of me with the ‘garden sprites’ , I think, in comparison, how peaceful and calm that night was, as I weeded and communed with your sacred garden space, little knowing that I was surrounded! How it shocked me to see that picture… WELL, I know that your land is magical, so I’m not really surprised that the air itself would have a life (or LIVES) of its own!
A Nettle report: ( I’m putting a cap. on nettle because that’s her name.) Since I am challenged with fibromyalgia, its is imperative that I know not only my ever changing limitations, but also my healthy boundaries. Keeping people and or situations at bay at times is necessary. This lesson is hard won as I am not usually one to refuse to be helpful or connected. Well…Nettle is helping me to change all that! She is teaching me to stand in my truth and to make sure that people respect the integrity that I feel in myself. If I must ‘sting’ in order to be heard, so be it. I just never knew I had it in me. Mind you, this is not and attack (like yellow jacket hornets) , it is an assertion. Thank you, Nettle, you and I have become fast friends. And thank you Chris, for the introduction!
Love and Wonder always, your friend, Julie Jewelweed
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