Plant Spirits or Consciousness?
In the words of author Emma Farrell, Plant Consciousness is a synonym for Plant Spirit Healing. A form of communication between species of life, plant spirit healing involves asking the plants for guidance in matters of spirit, physical and emotional health.
Journeys with Plant Spirits: Plant Consciousness Healing & Natural Magic Practices. / Emma Farrell, 2021. Published by Bear & Co. a division of Inner Traditions International. 270 pages including, index, bibliography and notes. Illustrations in black and white. Find the book online, here.
In Journeys with Plant Spirits, Farrell investigates Plant Spirits from a deep commitment to matters of the human spirit. A personal inquiry, this journey explores her own heritage in the British Isles and the transcendent practices of other lands (especially in the Far East). Thus, you’ll find and likely feel at home with her choice of meditations from Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American, and the Celtic traditions.
For plant lovers and healers alike: if you’ve ever practiced meditation or been exposed to a variety of spiritual traditions, this beautifully written testament to spirit consciousness is for you.
Following are my impressions and review of the book.
Matters of Spirit
Why, you might ask, do plants and trees make matters of the spirit more evident to us? Author Emma Farrell discusses this question, pointing at first to the basic facts of existence, being human and living on this planet.
Farrell’s powerful statement about deep healing is about the lack of awareness we might have:
“… people don’t understand how deep they need to go with their healing, how much blockages are holding them back, or how detrimental their negative emotions are for themselves and others.” p. 87
Thus, Farrell urges us to go deeper and deeper into consciousness. We should examine ourselves, she indicates, with the plants as our guides. The result of our efforts alleviates painful life situations. Mental quandary, dissociation and disease can be addressed, perhaps eliminated. Forever.
Yes, miraculous change can happen. In other words, the plant spirit knows what you want before you begin to ask for things.
Communicating with Plants
In Journeys with Plant Spirits, readers are instructed to create and then personify a medicine wheel. Based on a symbol from the Celtic tradition, it’s composed of a cross with the orientation to north, south, east and west, bounded by a circle.
Two accessories accompany this tool. The first is instruction in ways of talking with your plant spirit. The second is the specific affinities of 13 plants. Together with the medicine wheel, Farrell’s ways of knowing these plants and their availability could be advantageous to those on a quest for the plant spirits.
Discovering an Archetype
At first, Farrell’s writing style impressed me as a sort of stream of consciousness and I felt overwhelmed, indeed a bit lost. To wit, I looked for a model of spirit consciousness and soon an archetype emerged. Could I relate to this archetype?
To my mind, the phrase “Ethical Warrior” from a chapter of that name represents an enviable standard or focus. I related to it immediately. For one reason, such an archetype seems to embody strength and courage, two characteristics I admire. To me it made perfect sense that ethical warriors would use practices like meditation, and a compass such as the medicine wheel.
I was hooked. I actually could not put the book down until I’d read all that the author desired to make known about plant consciousness and speaking with the plant spirits.
Begin with Your heart
In Farrell’s experience, the most direct way to communicate with plant spirits is this: begin with the heart. She advises beginning with a meditation that speaks to the heart, the heart chakra, or allows the heart to feel into a situation or purpose when our brain is too busy making assumptions and bringing up past experiences that block new or more valid ones.
Beginning your plant journey with the heart helps you find out about you. When preparing to meditate with the plant spirit of the small tree, Farrell reminds us that “Hawthorn offers insight into the emotions trapped by the barriers we build around the heart as we travel through painful life experiences”. p. 160
For more background before on plant spirits, there is a collection of 13 plant spirits presented in Journey with Plant Spirits. Included are Mugwort, Oak, Hawthorn, Nettle, Dandelion, Alder, Lady’s Mantle, Rosemary, Fireweed, Wormwood, Angelica, Elder, and Yew.
The plant known as Hawthorn is a small-statured tree of the Rose family of plants.
The recommendation of any herb or substance is given only as information. Therefore, please check with your health provider prior to using any herb.
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