A month ago I had a conversation with friends about their origin stories in dance. One mentioned the first bodily acknowledgment of this affinity happened when they got goosebumps from hearing music. Of course, this person did not expect dance to touch their life so strongly, nor did they necessarily choose the circumstances that introduced them to this beautiful way of releasing, being, and moving. What really hit the nail on the head was their recounting of a recent discovery that their relatives had also moved to the West Coast to dance. This ancestral gift is written within their genetic map and provides a modality in which they can align in mind, body, and soul. What a fucking blessing.
“Wow! I wish I knew about something that was passed down to me ancestrally,” I had said. “No one in my family that I know of is musical.”
Singing professionally (specifically in the classical world) had been a dream of mine since middle school, and had a slow and painful death during the past couple years. I could go on about the racist institution in which I had found myself blindly investing my energy, self worth, and money to obtain “success,” but the work left me drained and caged in limitation. I felt so incredibly lost and empty without a clear path. I now believe that singing is indeed an ancestral gift, but instead of performance halls, I would much rather sing alongside landscapes, plants, and nature.
Interestingly enough, my wish came true the next day when I received a Plant Spirit Healing session from a woman named Susan Draffan of Shining Spirits in Ojai, CA. The images and messages came to me so quickly that I had to scribble everything down in my notebook. When the session was over, Susan and I discussed what had come up for us over the phone. I was hesitant to share my notes, but as I did she responded to each message with a resounding “yes!”
She revealed the plant allies that had come to her during my session, one of which is the alder tree. Alder, she told me, is extremely protective and can grant second sight and Truth seeing. I googled some images and stared in disbelief. During one of my weekly hikes, I had taken a picture of the bark of the trees that grew beside a stream and told my husband, “Look! They have eyes everywhere. They see everything.” Those trees turned out to be white alders.
Memories and images flooded me when this incredibly loving and earth-shattering coincidence was confirmed. Both my late father and late brother had been landscapers, and I had grown up perusing through plant catalogues and dreaming up my perfect garden. My grandparents, as well as my father, grew and harvested crops and orchards. I used to tell people that I wanted to be a botanist in 6th grade, and realized that my own “singing origin story” involved plants: my father had signed me up for voice lessons because he heard me singing to the flowers and trees on my way home from the bus stop. My affinity to plants is an ancestral gift.
Previously, I would never have spoken, let alone write, about something that I do not quite understand. I feel that I am being supported to channel for the green realm, a subject that is at a scale beyond comprehension, and I humbly thank you on our behalf for listening. Listening is an ultimate act of love.
The following are lessons that came to me during my healing session:
As a plant, there is no going back on decisions nor second guessing actions; if you start as a seed underground, there is only darkness and the senses. When the conditions are right, the seed knows to germinate. There is no thought of “Should I go now? Is anyone else doing this? I’ll wait this one out and try next time.” I am being nudged here to mention that humans have built-in compasses that see in darkness. It is the heart, which rose can be called upon to protect, heal, and open.
When plants go above ground, they use their senses to grow in the best possible direction. There is no going back into the seed coat for protection. If there are obstacles, they either grow the other direction, climb, or find ways to not only survive but thrive. When the needs and wants of a plant are met, or when they feel safe, they sing a song and show their soul through pure joy and bliss: flowers.
Plants are the ultimate teachers of living in the moment and adjusting. They came from an asteroid to earth (this was deduced from a vision in the session, I am unsure if this interpretation rings true) and adapted to the forming environments in order to experience the different climates. They want to remind us that our time here is loaned to us by Mother Earth. We are equipped with gifts such as our bodies (we can manipulate and move matter, heal, experience), our voices (to speak for ourselves, to amplify others, to share knowledge), and our minds. Most people do not use these gifts in a way that aligns with their souls, and our plant allies yearn to guide us into alignment.
Plants have been our allies since the beginning, and we would not have been able to survive without their love. All forms of cultures have been carved by plants. This includes the obvious such as spices, ingredients, and cuisines, but also the not-so-obvious language, music, and ideals. In many ways, they are not only our guides but also our ancestors. Many people have forgotten this, as well as their ability to work within multiple dimensions.
This disconnect worries the green kingdom, which is manifesting in the numerous ways the world’s ecosystems and life are being harmed. They urge that I bring voice to this issue and spread awareness that they are here to nurture us and aid in our collective healing. If you do not know where to start, I recommend simply acknowledging them in your everyday life. This mental switch will be invitation enough for an alchemical partnership to blossom between you and your plant allies, and spring is an auspicious time to start.
I would like to finish with a message the plants have whispered to me over and over: “You are not alone. There are many people who are helping to create the same world and have the same goals as you. With love, life always finds a way.”
You will always find a way.
You will always find a way.
