The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [22]
At a time when your insides are smiling, like one of my friends once said, “At a time when you’re just feeling happy for no particular reason,” go sit with one of these plants; initiate enchantment. You will feel a mutual attraction touching some undomesticated, wild part of yourself. Be still and take the opportunity to listen to the sounds of Nature that surround you. Be still for as long as it takes to reunite with your deep sense of well-being. In this mutual state of consciousness plants will further respond to you. Smell the scents that are flowing around and into you. Feel everything breathing in rhythm, connecting you with Nature’s intelligent beauty. Feel your absolute freedom and that of all other beings present. Touch the plant. It is vibrating in its place of absolute well-being, as are you. Feel the plant’s leaf. Let your sight drink its colors. Touch the ethereal softness of its flower’s petals. Let it experience your vitality and gentleness. These are the “initial words” of your communication.
Be open to all possibilities. Be open to your feelings and your visions. Dissolve any sensual separation you might feel with the plant by letting all intellectual objectivity flow away with the breeze. Instead, focus on yourself sitting with the plant, and within this subjective passion let your spirit mingle and blend with the plant’s spirit.
Ask the plant to give you its name. Dismiss all you think you know or might have been taught about the plant; instead, allow its name to come to you. Keep the name silent within you, like the name of a clandestine lover.
Ask the plant for its song. Every plant has a song. It may give it to you to sing or to recite as poetry (or for the time being it may give you a portion of its song as a simple word for use as a mantra to focus on in meditation for later realization of the plant’s power). You may also receive an image or a nature symbol to draw or paint or weave or sculpt. Songs and visual images are given to you for your personal medicine-use of the plant. Keep them intimate; hold their energy and knowledge in your heart and mind. These gifts are the ultimate harvest.
After giving you its name and song, the plant may give you other gifts by telling you what it will do for you as a medicine ally. Later, share these gifts with others if you wish, but don’t exclaim them as universal truth. These are truths shared between you and the plant; they have been given specifically to you. It is your medicine.
Extend visions of well-being to the plant and to its community. They are your allies and you can always speak to them of that which you want.
Once you have communicated with a plant entity, briefly or at length, having received its name and any gifts it extends to you, continue through the succeeding days and nights to visualize and meditate on the plant’s image and energy. You may be given more during these meditative states or during sleep in a dream. Expect this. It has been a long time since most of us have made ourselves available for intentional conversation with plant spirits. There is much to be communicated between plant and human species, and it is a joy for both to do so.
Later, go dancing. Dance to the rhythm of the drummers and the shakers; close your eyes and visualize and feel the energy of this plant. Dance this energy; like attracts like. In this state of consciousness, other nature spirits can come to you as you dance, or later that evening.
Remember,