Welcome dear ones,
This is Blackbird Sings and today I'm coming to you with a talk about how to navigate change and uncertainty with the help of plant allies.
Be welcome and enjoy.
Plant ally work is really about building a relationship to a being that is different from us and learning how to communicate with this being on a different level of consciousness.
Plants have no spoken language and so the way how we connect to plant allies is through our hearts.
It is an intuitive way of communication and for this we need to rely on all our senses,
Intuition and inner vision.
Some of you may be highly sensitive,
That means that you can feel energies,
But this work is for everyone.
Even if you feel you're just a normal person and have your five senses,
This is far enough to start doing this work.
And the more you engage in connecting in that way,
You will or you might also find out that you have other senses and discover other ways of knowing that you were not aware of that you had before.
So if you think of a plant as a different type of intelligence to which we can connect through our intuitive abilities and our heart's ability to tune in and to receive its messages,
Our minds,
Our brain helps us then to decode it and to put it either into images or words or sounds that we can make sense of,
Because our brain is mainly a sense-making machine.
So really we are using all our intelligences in the work with the plant allies and I can guarantee you it's a very rewarding journey because we also experience ourselves as expanded in that state in a way that we become aware,
As I mentioned already,
Of our abilities to go beyond spoken language and it opens up a much broader view of the world around us and an understanding of our connections with the whole web of life.
So how does communication look like?
It is definitely different from what we experience with other beings that have language,
Even animals who can express themselves through sounds and through body language.
The work with plants is different in that way that we really have to rely on our inner senses and trust what we receive.
Let me give you an example.
As you sit with a plant,
It might be that you receive certain sensations in your body.
In that case,
It is important to notice where is it.
Is it a specific organ or limb or part of your body?
What kind of sensation is it?
What's the temperature?
How does this sensation make you feel?
What's the emotion that it evokes?
Sometimes it comes as an image that suddenly appears in your mind.
It could be a memory or a symbol,
A color.
It is the way of your brain to start interpreting what it receives.
It means that something is happening that you've tuned into and received something.
Some people receive words.
Others are really able to see like movies in front of their inner eye.
Or you might think you didn't receive anything,
But then you have a dream in the night.
Or the next day or in the weeks that come,
You start getting messages in other ways,
Like a song on the radio or somebody who suddenly calls you and talks about a book they read about this plant or other kinds of synchronicities.
This work is not always linear and we need a lot of patience when working with plants.
They are basically in a different time space in a way,
If I can say it so.
And we need to really slow down to the pace of life when we want to work with them.
They follow the spiral of life and the cycles of the earth and of the moon.
And they invite us through their gentle alignment with these earth and cosmic cycles to step also back into a cyclic way of living.
And this is one of the parts that I really love about working with the plants,
That they brought me back into living in deep alignment with the moon and the seasons.
And they guided me into eating more with the seasons and making my medicine with the seasons,
Observing the changes around me as I walk through the forest,
As I go foraging,
Or as I'm on the farm,
I'm growing herbs or flowers.
It really helps us to ground ourselves deeper into earth and her cycles.
And it is something that our animal body really appreciates,
Because it's so relaxing.
And in this relaxation,
Our creativity can flow and healing can happen when we step out of the fight and flight of the triggering that we receive from all sides.
Especially in times of uncertainty,
These practices can help us to ground ourselves.
And the message of hope that I want to give to everyone who's navigating change,
Uncertainty,
Fear of the future,
And even fear of the present,
Is to give you hope.
And by the practice that I'm going to share with you now,
I want to offer you something that you can carry with you,
That you can do anywhere,
No matter if you live in a city or close to a forest or park.
It would even just be enough if you have a potted plant at home that you can connect with,
Or just even sit and think of a plant.
All of it is possible.
And my promise to you is that this work can be deeply rewarding if you commit to it and allow the process to unfold naturally,
Without forcing it and without expectations.
Of yourself as well.
Approach it with childlike curiosity and joy,
An open heart,
And an open mind.
The most difficult part in this work is really to not let our mind interfere with doubt,
With its fears and with its sometimes overbearing need to know everything better and to explain everything.
Because we are stepping here into a realm where you might not be able to explain what you're experiencing.
But I would like you to acknowledge your experience and to let it sit with you and to allow it to unfold in you and to receive the blessings that the plants are ready to give to us.
So let's get ready for some practice.
Now,
How would you choose the plant to work with?
Let it choose you.
So let's say you could start by going for a walk in a place in nature nearby and just allow your eyes to wander and start feeling if a certain plant,
A tree,
A flower is calling to you.
And that would feel mostly like it attracts your,
That it attracts your attention,
That you see it and something about it pulls you towards it.
This is what we call the call of the plant.
A plant has hooked into your consciousness,
Into your field,
To draw you in.
So allow this hook to happen.
If you're at home and you have some plants,
You might look at each of them and try to feel which one would like to volunteer to work with you today.
If you don't have access to any plants and are maybe looking for an image,
Try to find an image that really speaks to you.
Or maybe a plant just appears in your heart,
In your mind,
That you're like,
Oh yes,
That's the plant.
So this is the first step,
Identifying the ally that wants to work with you.
And allow for a calm space where you can really take your time and relax.
I know this can be difficult when you are in a park or public area.
So maybe choosing a time when there are less people can be helpful in this.
As a next step,
I invite you to look at the plant,
To use your eyes,
To observe and to notice things that you feel special about them or that characterize them.
Look at the color,
The texture,
Its shape,
The shape of its leaves or flowers,
The way it grows.
Maybe you feel inspired to move your body in a certain way when you look at them.
Maybe you feel inspired to hum a tone,
To speak some words,
To say hello in any way that feels appropriate to you.
Because just as with humans,
As we approach each other,
We introduce ourselves and we ask if it is appropriate to come towards each other at this moment in time.
So let's extend this to the plants.
In your heart,
Hold the question of,
Is it appropriate for me to be with you right now?
Are you okay with it?
And feel if it is a yes or no.
If it is a no,
Then thank them and set the intention to find a different ally that wants to work with you.
If it is a yes,
Relax and settle in.
Take your time to explore the plant with all your senses.
If it is appropriate,
You can touch them,
Maybe taste,
Just make sure that you always know if the plant is not toxic to humans.
And always feel if it is appropriate,
If the plant consents to it.
And this can take any time you want.
I invite you to really enjoy this process and take your time.
You may want to draw the plant,
Whatever feels right in this moment,
Trust it.
And follow the flow of whatever happens,
While being completely present with the process.
What I mean by that is to feel in your body what you're feeling.
Even the slightest sensations might be a hint of the energy that the plant holds,
Which you are interacting with.
It is also a good idea maybe,
If you want to continue this work,
To have a little notebook where you write down things.
The emotions that you experience,
Images that come to your mind,
All of it can later make sense.
My experience is that I often overlooked small hints at the beginning,
Sensations in my body that I just didn't notice or pushed away and later made sense when I learned more about the plants and also their medicinal and healing abilities,
That I felt a certain sensation in an organ to which they are related to.
So even small things that may not make sense to you now can be a hint of you perceiving more of what this plant is about.
You are now interacting with the energy field of the plant and that means that the plant is also interacting with your energy field.
As you establish your first contacts to the plant,
Your next step can be to approach the plant with a question in your heart,
Something that is on your mind at the moment,
That you haven't found any resolution to,
And it can be anything.
Maybe it's about a relationship,
About your work,
About your path forward.
It can be about the world as well,
How to navigate these difficult times right now.
You can ask them really anything.
Set this intention to ask this question.
Hold it in your heart and sit with that question with the plant and allow the answer to unfold.
Trust your senses.
Trust that what you receive is right.
Don't allow your mind to censor it as it comes to you.
Be open and curious.
Look at them with the eyes of love,
As you would look at a dear friend,
A family member that you love.
Use the same gaze of love that you use for humans or for pets maybe as well,
For the plants.
This opens up the channel of communication and of reciprocal relationship.
I invite you to experiment with these practices,
To take them with you to the forest or into a space where you can be alone and be with the plant and take your notebook,
Your drawing pad,
Or whatever that calls you to record what happens with you and spend some really quality time with the plants.
Allow yourself to relax into it and to enjoy it.
As this is a work that aims to reconnect us to the web of life,
Which is a web of reciprocity,
Think of a way how you can leave a little token of gratitude and this can be very simple.
It can be some water that you give your blessings to,
It could be a beautiful stone that you place in the pot with your plant,
It could even be that you create an artwork.
There are so many ways for us to show our gratitude and to give our thanks to the plants we work with.
Let the creativity of your heart guide you into how you would like to thank the plant and I'd be curious to hear from you how this initial contact went,
If you experienced anything.
Just trust the process,
Be patient and enjoy the journey with the plants.
Thank you for listening.
