How to Heal Yourself with the Plants Growing Around you Now
Healing yourself is possible, even in rich dark nights of the soul. In episode #53 of the Belly Dance Podcast A Little Lighter, Ceremonial Botanical Bodywork practitioner Rachel Fisher shared some plant healing practices that we can try on our own. Rachel also talks about being a belly dancer in a circus, becoming friends with Rachel Brice, and how she got 250,000 followers on social media and then let them go.
Here is some healing botanical wisdom from Rachel Fisher:
I think a lot of us are dissociated and in shamanism, that is called soul loss. When a piece of your soul scatters from life’s traumatic events. How do you retrieve those pieces? Belly dance is such an amazing tool for that. For me, dance has become more of a prayer than technique or performance.
This is how I use plants in my ritual:
Brush Yourself with Plants
Just brushing yourself with a plant that you’re moved by or crushing it and smelling it.
Put it on your heart and your body before movement.
Incorporating it in the movement is so profound on how it can change your mood. Or open up other things in your mind and your heart. And this is accessible to us all.
Just look at what’s growing around you outside your door. A lot of times the compassionate plant spirits grow near you for a reason. What you think might be a weed growing outside your door could actually be a very healing plant. Sometimes if a plant isn’t even edible, it has a healing property putting it on the body. It’s so simple.
Give Gratitude to the Plants and Brush Yourself with Them
Just like any relationship you don’t want to just take. When we go into nature, both of my children go and grab a rock or stick that they like, and they offer it to the plant before they take. If you take a piece of it, cut it in a way that’s not going to hurt the plant.
In my lineage whispering is a way that they hear. Actually whispering gratitude to the plant is a way they receive it.
I work a lot with lemon balm. Gathering a bunch and brushing on the abdomen is very powerful. Even beating your stomach like a drum. Finding all those places that feel stuck and sensitive. That’s such a good plant to gather bunches and use plant brushing your whole body.
So that is often a way that I prepare my space to dance, because now where I am in my life, dance has become more of a prayer than a technique or performance.
Bathe with Plants
A big part of the ceremonial work too is plant baths. Just cutting up the lemon balm into teeny pieces with an offering in your heart. What your prayer is. You can whisper it with the plant and put it in a foot bath. Or put it in the bath that you take. Bathing with the plants is insane. So transformative. I can’t even tell you.
Part of the practice is taking this plant bath and pouring it over your head. It’s like a baptism. Or it blasting your stomach with it. Anywhere you’re having a problem. It’s a transformative experience, the spiritual plant bath.
Make an Elixir
I like making an elixir with lemon balm. You can take it as needed. Like droppers throughout the day, and see how it works with your system. That elixir is an amazing medicine for anxiety, grief. It’s a safe effective nervine medicine.
Putting fresh lemon balm in a mason jar, brandy or vodka, filling that up halfway and then honey that you like. Put the alcohol in first and then the honey so that the honey doesn’t stick around the plant material Do you wash it before you put it in the jar? No. Put it right in. You can rinse it if you like, because honey and alcohol will preserve it. Shaking that up and then leave it in a dark closet for about eight weeks. When you want the tincture, you strain out the plant material. And you can put it in a tincture bottle.
It’s a great medicine for these times. Healing the nervous system. It’s one of the best herbs for that.
Remember This When You Are Outside:
Sometimes inedible plants have a healing property from just putting them on your body.
Compassionate plant spirits grow near you for a reason.
There is medicine everywhere. Even if it is just an herb garden you grow in your house.
This is accessible to everybody. We can become our own healer.
If you pay attention to the plant, you can observe what it’s healing nature would be for you.
You can go deep with what you think is a weed growing outside your door.
This may seem a little out there, but there is legitimate medicine available in little simple practices.
***If you live in an area with ticks, please check yourself for ticks thoroughly each time you are near plants taller than cut grass, especially in the spring or whatever season they are active in your area. Tick-borne diseases are no joke.
Gift Yourself a Plant Healing Experience
1. Find a plant that speaks to you. Make an offering of a stick or stone to the plant before you cut it. Cut the plant in a way that will not hurt the plant or consciously break off of branch or a leaf.
2. Whisper your gratitude to the plant.
3. Brush yourself with the plant. Hold it to your heart. Crush a leaf and smell it. This can be profound. It can change your mood or open something in you. Brush your whole body.
4. If you have places that feel stuck and sensitive, gather a bunch of the plant. Beat on those parts of your body like a drum.
5. Take a spiritual plant bath. Even a foot bath. Bathe with the plants. Consciously cut it up into small pieces and put it in the water, whispering your gratitude or your prayer. Pour it over your head like a baptism. shoot water at your body where you are having problems.
6. Lemon balm is a power plant. Make it into an elixir. Put fresh lemon balm in a mason jar, brandy or vodka, fill that up halfway and then honey that you like. Put the alcohol in first and then the honey so that the honey doesn’t stick around the plant material. You can rinse it if you like, but there is no need to wash the lemon balm. You can put it right in because honey and alcohol will preserve it. Shake that up and then leave it in a dark closet for about eight weeks. When you want the tincture, you strain out the plant material. And you can put it in a tincture bottle. You can take droppers throughout the day as needed, and see how it works with your system.