Historic Use, Contemporary Application

The beauty of the trees,

the softness of the air,

the fragrance of the grass,

speaks to me.

The summit of the mountain,

the thunder of the sky,

the rhythm of the sea,

speaks to me.

The faintness of the stars,

the freshness of the morning,

the dewdrop of the flower,

speaks to me.

The strength of fire,

the taste of salmon,

the trail of the sun,

and the life that never goes away,

they speak to me.

And my heart soars.

-Chief Dan George

Have you been in the woods and heard the sounds? Have you ever wondered what a bird might be saying? What might it be like to understand the animals? What about a rock, a tree, a flower or insect? That would be a powerful experience wouldn’t it? Did you ever feel that if you understood the wind that it was carrying messages as it passed through the trees or grass? If you could only understand! Maybe even the moon and the clouds showed you a sign if you could just interpret the meaning.

Sometimes, when a bird cries out,

Or the wind sweeps through a tree,

Or a dog howls in a far-off farm,

I hold still and listen a long time.

My world turns and goes back to the place,

Where, a thousand forgotten years ago,

The bird and the blowing wind

Were like me, and were my brothers.

My soul turns into a tree,

And an animal, and a cloud bank.

Then changed and odd it comes home

And asks me questions. What should I reply?

-Hermann Hesse

At one time human beings and all other life forms, including plants, were powerful allies connecting in a heartfelt thought form to communicate what was best or necessary for all species. This communication was the norm and not considered out of the ordinary. It was not uncommon for human beings to spend time in nature and receive enlightenment or to receive spiritual guidance. Sacred groves of trees were revered and plants were used ceremonially to connect with the divine. People used plants in combination with the elements to connect with unseen energies and spirits. In particular plants were burned as incense or smudge whose smoke carried their gratitude, thoughts and prayers to the heavens. Additionally, brews, teas and various medicines were concocted to feed the body, mind, and soul and to heal various ailments. People were able to understand plants not because plants could actually speak but because of an automatic translation (mind speak/heart speak) that occurred to make communication possible.

When the animals come to us,

asking for our help,

will we know what they are saying?

When the plants speak to us

in their delicate, beautiful language,

will we be able to answer them?

-Gary Lawless

When the planet herself

sings to us in our dreams,

will we be able to wake ourselves, and act?

They understood and respected the power of nature. Human beings knew their place and knew that they too were (are) part of nature not separate. Indeed they recognized the interconnectedness with all species on earth. People received messages via dreams, visions, feelings, signs, rituals, rites of passage or while in meditation. Sometimes information needed to be clarified or interpreted and was presented to wizened elders, shamans, and medicine people: those that understood how to use its power to benefit people and their environment. In contemporary society mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional clutter often block peoples’ ability to receive genuine transmission from the natural world. But, alas nature finds a way.

Like a fisherman who “gets a bite” while upon still water, when people are in a place that cleanses or unblocks their receptors they too “get a bite”. Do they hear, feel, or know it? Sometimes they do, sometimes they do not, but when these “bites” of clarity continue they realize there is more happening in their environment than meets the eye. These “bites” also occur in everyday places such as the shower, while doing dishes, chopping vegetables, walking, jogging, even while driving on the freeway. Nature finds a way to speak to human beings, entering during the repetition and routine of everyday life. The challenge for us is recognizing or receiving the communication.

Everyday people surround themselves and their home environments with symbols and objects that bring the outdoors inside. Like an impressionist painting intensifying nature, people use plants and other natural objects as potent supplements to preserve a sacred moment of time. The “real deal” that does not occur in the woods, the desert or mountains instead happens at a glance and gives the human spirit the boost it needs. Hence the spark of the historic connection remains.

"Every natural object is a conductor of Divinity."
-John Muir, Naturalist

We are also able to connect with our past by using scent in today’s home environment. There is an aromatic renaissance occurring and people are choosing fragrance for its uplifting and cleansing effects on themselves and their families. We use scent in our homes, our vehicles, on our bodies and in various working environments. Many people are choosing specific plants for their effects on mood, after an illness, in between patients/clients, a bad day at the office, to combat road rage or to alter a room’s energy after a highly charged discussion, just to name a few.

I go to nature to be soothed and healed,

And to have my senses put in order.

-John Burroughs

There are many ways to apply plant-based products in one’s home. One can use traditional burning methods such as incense, smudge or scented candles. Various styles of diffusers for essential oils have become popular as well. All are excellent mediums. Another contemporary method to dispense plant energy and scent is to choose a mist or spray.

People feel the life force that plants possess and know that in choosing to use natural methods and products their daily lives are happier, healthier and safe. By making the conscious decision to use natural plant based products one acknowledges and accepts that plant energy is real, potent and can make a positive difference in one’s environment.

Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.
-Juvenal, Satires

"There's a war going on. A war against the earth, against mother earth. I wonder whose side you on? You either on the earth's side or you not. One or the other. If you are, everything in the world knows it, eh? Every animal, every tree, they know it. And they show themself to you. Open things up to you, watch over you, make things happen for you. Whisper in your ear so you feel in your heart what to do."

Quoted from an article in Parabola magazine. Web of Life, Volume 29, number 2, Summer 2004. Article: "Living Like a Natural Person" by Tom Harmer. The quoted excerpt is from Tom Harmer's conversation with Okanogan Indian elder Clayton Tommy, Jr.

Incidentally, a Chickadee was listening in during the above conversation between Tom Harmer and Indian elder Clayton Tommy Jr. The photo above at right is a Black Capped Chikadee, Poecile atricapillus.