Plant kin for Transformations, and navigating our way through liminal spaces, uncertainty + change
Cosmic shifts :: Plant Medicines for grounding, transitions & finding our way in the in between ♥
We are in a time of much uncertainty. A time of birthing new ways, rooted in Tradition, in Harmony, in Earth based kinship ~ while simultaneously creating space for all that no longer serves to be dismantled, burned, released.
As we navigate this Eclipse portal, all that is not meant to stay, not aligned, will fall away. Let it, Kin. That doesn’t mean it is easy. Endings & even new beginnings we have longed for can be painful. We may be asked to rest, to trust, to create space, to integrate. To be comfortable with uncertainty & our lack of “control.” When we let Spirit, Ancestors, Creation guide, we are asked to listen + follow that guidance. Even if we don’t quite understand what it means.
We often cling so tightly to *knowing* that sometimes we don’t leave space for the magic to unfold ~ for the synchronicities, for intuition (dreams, ancestors, the Plants) to guide our path…. The Land helps me remember.
Aanii, Shíx Pachway, kin. As we collectively navigate so much, we can look to one another, to the Land, the Plants, for guidance & co-regulation. Attuning to this harmonious vibration.
I was speaking to a close friend & the words, “Cosmic confusion” came to describe how the energies have felt in some ways lately. I’ve heard from so many folks that they aren’t quite clear on their path forward, on their purpose, on holding hope. Wading through uncertainty & really creating space for what is trying to come together. Sometimes this requires us to release, or let go of, in order to create that space. In order to invite what is for us, to be, to find us, to actualize.
Many (15!) years ago during a one of those times where everything crumbles, I remember vividly having the ‘aha’ moment that certainty is an illusion. “Control” is an illusion {of course, there are absolutely aspects within ourselves we can control}. We often cling so tightly to *knowing* that sometimes we don’t leave space for the magic to unfold ~ for the synchronicities, for intuition (dreams, ancestors, the Plants) to guide our path… we close doors without even realizing it.
Clinging to this desire for certainty can lead to a lot of pain when things fall apart (a beautiful Pema Chödrön book by that title). When we realize we don’t have control over some external factors. It’s been my experience that often times if I allow things to come together, if I can stop assigning a story, and just be, I realize the Universe, Spirit, Ancestors are working to create that alignment in ways I can’t even see or fathom. Sometimes the process can be painful, though, it is more painful when we cling or judge…
The Land helps me remember. Growing a garden. Spending time on the Land. We strengthen that blood memory & remember that we are part of Creation, that we have some choice yes, and, that there is the Great Mystery as well. Guiding. As cliche as it is, we can plant the Seeds, we can give them the right nutrients, love, Sun, etc. and yet ~ we cannot control all of the outcomes of how they thrive. Our time in this physical plane is short, but our energetic imprints, our Soul, expands beyond time + place.
What do we do when we are in that uncertain place? What do we do when we feel like our ground is unstable? When we can’t quite get our footing. We are not exactly who or where we were, yet aren’t exactly who or where we are to be either. We can’t quite SEE the path ahead… we are in the process of becoming, yet, we aren’t that *version* of who we are yet. We are in the in between. The void. Transmutation + Transformation.
We wait. We have patience. Trust. Surrender. We sleep & rest as needed (and as we are able in these systems that demand productivity).
We share our tears as offerings, allowing those emotions to flow & not get stuck in our bodies. We return to the Land, to Ceremony.
We make offerings to the Land, to Spirit, to our Animal helpers, to Ancestors. We fast, feast & nourish our relatives. We focus on that nourishment + nurturing, building, tending to harmonious relations.
We take action as needed, where needed ~ small steps as we feel called. Sometimes looking at the big picture can feel overwhelming, starting where we are & listening to what is being asked of us can be helpful.
We remember our original instructions here, our Spirit. We call our Spirit back into our bodies (for kin with chronic illness &/or trauma, I see you.). We go to Ceremony. Drum. Sing to the Stars + Water.
For me, dropping any ‘stories’ or narratives & just allowing the emotions space to be, to flow, can help. Not assigning judgement to them, to myself.
As well as movement! Or Salt + Floral baths paired with some gentle stretching. Memories & past life/this lifetime trauma can get stuck in our muscles, our fascia… move/shake it out as able!
Making sounds, singing, humming, yelling if safe to do so can help to move that energy as well ~ moving it through our throat energy centres & thyroid
Of course there are so many more ways, these are a few that have held me. Of course, asking the Plants to guide & show us is often supportive as well. A vision I had with Mullein kin a few years ago is shared below, as well as some of my favourite Plant Medicines to help guide us when we feel ‘lost’ or on unstable ground. Please also know there are Plant kin around you ~ in your community ~ who may also be supportive. Listen to those whispers…
Mullein Teaching
While sitting with Mullein a couple of years ago, they shared part of their Medicine. That of the Guide. Trusting the path, moment to moment. Aligning in each moment, each breath, vs. being able to see the full picture. They are potent Medicines when we are navigating shadow spaces, liminality, the ‘in between.’ Mullein showed me standing in a thick, pitch black forest (think New Moon & no light pollution ;)). I couldn’t see anything. Just my feet. Mullein lit the path, but only enough to take a step… that’s it. The rest was Trust. Trusting the Medicines, myself, the path I was being guided on even. It was going moment to moment. If I could align, attune, deeply listen & be in Harmony with Creation/my most aligned + authentic self in each *moment* ~ the rest would fall into place. Mullein illuminated enough for me to see to take those steps needed in the right direction… to guide especially when things felt murky, or unclear. They are one of my favourite Medicines to work with during these times. Also an Ancestor Medicine, I have found they help us connect to Spirit, to our Ancestors (seemingly regardless of lineages).
May we find courage, patience & trust to be with the uncertainty ~ to wade through the muck, and allow space for all that is coming to be, before we may be able to see it fully ♥
Plant Kin for Liminal spaces, Transitions & Uncertain times:
There are so many Plant Medicines that may offer support. If you feel called to a particular flower, plant, tree ~ it likely is for a reason. While it can be sweet to cognitively understand, sometimes we are asked to just enjoy the connection, to explore & be, without ‘overthinking.’ Many of these may be worked with as a flower essence, some may be worked with in infusions, tinctures or even as Smoke Medicine. As a reminder, this is a very brief overview of some Medicines. Please ensure to seek more information regarding proper dosage, preparation, methods, protocols, interactions, indications, contraindications etc. And where possible, connect with the Plant themselves for deeper relations + understandings ♥
✙ Mullein: Holding the flame as we navigate through the dark, guiding us on our most aligned path. When we need some clarity & fire to act. Soothing our lungs, helping us to release any long held grief & Ancestral patterns of grief held deep in the body.
✙ Shooting Star Flower Essence One of my favourites for Star seeds, Star kin. For folks who sometimes dissociate & feel more ‘at home’ in the Stars, Spirit ~ they help us ground here & remember our purpose, our original instructions. Remembering our purpose + path {remembering purpose does not equal vocation}. Embodiment. Shooting Star Essence.
✙ Nettle: Mineralizing, nourishing our Blood, our Bones, tonifying our tissues. Sustaining our energies so that we may continue to show up. They remind us to pay attention to where we are walking, *how* we are walking here.
✙ Walnut Flower Essence: Beautiful for change, transitions, going through times of uncertainty. Find in Transitions Flower Essence.
✙ Burdock Root: Integration & assimilation of thoughts, ideas, emotions, identify shifts, physical nutrients, and/or patterns. Strengthens our ability to receive. Helping us to really Root into these new ways of being.
✙ Hellebore Flower Essence {*only as flower essence}: A flower kin that has been showing up, loudly, for the last couple of years. Helpful for Shadow work, and really being in our Heart space. Healing. Helping to release limiting patters & beliefs we may be holding on to. Gentle, yet direct & strong.
✙ Elderberry: Always a close kin, many know them mostly as Immune support. They offer protection + discernment. Helping us as we walk in two worlds. In between worlds. Discerning trust, and holding that protection Medicine to not take on energies that are not ours, or may be harmful. Nourishing our blood & blood memory. Elderberry Elixir
✙ Datura {*only as flower essence}: I love them. Helping us to truly release old ways {when ready}, patterns that are no longer serving us & step forward into Harmony. Supporting literal Death of Body transitions as well. Helps us see new realities, possibilities & create change. Datura Flower Essence
✙ Angelica: Angelica helps us to allow Space. To understand “emptiness,” hollowness, as a tool for divine channels. To befriend the in between spaces. Supportive when that emptiness, or void, feels painful or uncomfortable. Helping us to see new perspectives & expanded picture even if we don’t have full clarity.
✙ Bear Root/Osha: Lifting the veil off of our eyes. Are you ready to see last illusions? If you still feel foggy/unclear, Bear root may help {*over-harvested! Caution w this kin. I included them especially for Native kin}. They always remind me of the Stars, they call me home and remind me where I come from, my original instructions here.
✙ Wild Sarsaparilla/Auralia n: A blood & vitality tonic. If you’re feeling a little worn down from all of the deep work, call on Blood Tonics. Codonopsis is another fave. Focusing on Spleen energy (stopping rumination cycles/worry + receiving nutrients from Life), Qi, Vitality. When our Blood is nourished, we have energy for co-creation, for play, for joy, for action, for rooted dreaming. Red dates, Hawthorn & Yellow dock are other lovely Blood builders.
✙ Linden: Relaxes our Hearts & Nervous system; allows space through calming our Hearts to rewire new patterns in our nervous system. Moistening to over heated or dry tissue states. Allowing us to come from our Heart centres. To hear & speak with our Hearts, with Creation.
✙ California Poppy: Easing any pain, discomfort we may feel in being with whatever is arising at this time. They also may help with disturbed sleep. Reweaving long held patterns that no longer serve, and helping us to really embody Ancestral + Cosmic wisdom on this plane. California Poppy Flower Essence
A couple of my favourite Xalish Medicines offerings for support during shifts, uncertainty, grounding, protection & nervous system nourishment are: Green Vitality with Nettles, Fountain of Youth Blood + Kidney tonic Elixir, Elderberry {Immune + Boundaries} Elixir, Cosmic Weaver Flower Essence with California Poppy + Shooting Star & Blood + Bones {Ancestral} Essence with Obsidian.
Truly though, any Plant, Flower, Tree, Element who calls you may offer support. Sitting with the Earth, with the Water, reminds us how to honour uncertainty, how to shift & align with the rhythms of the Cosmos, how to get out of our Heads a little bit… dropping into our Hearts & pelvic bowl, our creative energy centers.
The message that keeps coming through is: Rest. You don’t need to have every answer. Don’t push or ‘force’ knowing, direction. Find moments of joy, of service, of mutual care & nourishment. Be present. Eat flowers. Soak up the Sun. Root into the energies we are aligned with {for me, it usually is a Plant or Tree kin, lately it’s Mama Ocean + Seaweed}, what we are dreaming & just *be.*
xo,
Dr. Jacqui, ND
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If you'd like more in depth teachings on the Medicines, listening + communing with Plants through the Heart, ethical harvesting in Ceremony & Plant Spirit Meditations, see Working With Plant Medicines from the Heart
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