No tags yet.
Valerie Paquette, Registered Herbalist
December 16, 2021
I am entering new territory, and there is no map. I am guided by the Spirit of all things, of Nature, of Earth. I am entering into Sacred Contract to do my soul's work.
That sounds really amazing, and lofty, and like it is clear and deep and confident.
Except, I am human. And so I am filled with doubts and stuck sitting on my computer trying to explain what the hell it is that I want to offer the world. The World! Do you see the language? The pressure?
I move back into the small and simple, because really, that is where the Power is. What do I want from my work? What do I want to share with people? And a big one- how can I support the collective world to find healing? Part of me wants to freak out, asking these questions- but then I relax because it IS a calling, not a choice- I choose this, but was also chosen for this.
What I am meant to do is this: To help those precious souls who are ready to open to a greater light within their being. The light that already exists in all of us, and that can be expanded and honoured, to help us all live to our greatest potential. It does help the whole world, each bit of self work we do, each time we expand our light.
And there we are with the big picture again. Each step small step we take to help or heal has the power to change the world. How do we get there- expanding our light and moving into our truest selves? First we ground, and see the steps to get there emerge.
Step outside and breathe, and just like that we are in connection with the plants. I remember a beloved teacher leading a visualization about a planet that had no plant life, no trees. Take a moment and picture that, feel that.
To me, it is empty of Life and energy and color and spirit. Void of an essential part of us.
We all have this instinctive, birthright connection to the Earth and to the plants, whether conscious or not. We all feel them deeply, connect deeply. For those of us who use plant medicines (which is all of us in some form) it is something we recognize as a powerful healing force. They are here to support us. We are here to be in relationship with them, to honour and care for them.
Imagine bringing in the plants in Spirit form. Each of them has a unique energy and power -even a personality. When we blend the physical taking into our body with the energy of the plant Spirit, we can step into a relationship with the plants and meet them as complex beings, as we are. They are longing for that. We are longing for that. We collectively miss it.
This is the Beautiful and unique work I am meant to do with people.
To bring us, collectively and individually, back into connection with the plant world, and to bring the light in through plant spirit and plants in their physical form. To create and support healing that is only for each individual, exactly where they are, and what they need in exactly that time for their greatest good.
Sometimes that means a healing session, to clear old patterns. Sometimes we sip tea together, and feel the effects of the plant in our bodies, together. Sometimes I get messages from the plant spirits for them and so do they. We build relationships with the plants that are already calling their name. Sometime a healing song emerges. And always, we are taking the physical herbs in your life, and they work all kinds of magic, what we could expect and what is beyond explanation.
As I enter into this work, I feel everything fall into alignment. Although I have had the privilege of being a herbalist for quite a few years, there is something really magical emerging since opening to the Plant Spirits. I have always felt that herbalism can be studied for a lifetime and the learning never stops. This evolution opens that doorway even wider. The vast possibilities fill me with wonder and gratitude. I want to share this, yes, with the world, one precious human at a time.
I imagine more and more people becoming connected to the Earth. Until we all care so much we are better, stronger, truer people, living in sacred relationship with Nature, the Plants, and ourselves.