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Plant Meditation Club
Connecting with plants through meditation and sharing experiences gives us insight into how herbs want to help. Receiving others' meditative experiences is a valuable gift! As a group we can contribute to the body of knowledge about plants. New and/or lost information will be discovered.
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What are you health, life, and emotional vibrancy goals? Explore our herbal teas, tinctures, oils, and flower & gem essences. Want to work one-on-one with our founder Lily Arati Michaud? With 15+ years of experience in herbalism and medicine, she here to support you on your wellness path.
This week we meditated on Plantain seed, 車前子, Chē qián zĭ, Plantago asiatica.
Plantain seed, Chē qián zĭ, areas for further experimentation: plantain has often been seen as a "cure-all". I consider herbs like this to have an affinity beyond the physical. Is it in the realm of crime solving (who was responsible for this tummy ache or heart break?) or crime absolving (by perspective greater than convention)?
Taste:
This seed had a distinctive, but for me, hard to pin down taste. I got tastes from "it's sweet bro" to peppery to soapy. I feel like there are some volatile oils in it that are not very familiar to me. Regardless of which direction it went in, it was mild to moderate flavor to me.
I have a special love for botanical illustrations of plantain. It is a simple, weedy plant yet not unpleasantly so (in my opinion). I love seeing how elegant it looks when treated with care by the artist. Good luck making dandelion look this good. Notice that on the leaves, rather than veins and a midrib, this plant has ribs that run along side each other.
Meditation 1:
My daughter: I saw a persimmon, mango, pickle and quesadilla, all pinned to a cork board with red string—like an investigation board.
Me: I see my arms are plantain leaves (my favorite, thin variety, Plantago lanceolata). They curl out to my daughter next to me and to other people I think about. They curl out with my consciousness. The plant explains this is enmeshment. My daughter has hiccoughs--it is hard to meditate. I pull my senses in to deal with both the distraction and the outcurling of my energy. I see my head energy shaped like a triangle going into the base. My head is very heavy. It is nearly black, dark brown, like the seeds we made tea from. My head is sinking, leaning back heavily, pressing hard from the weight into the back of the sofa. I pull the energy of my mind interior, into my base. I see small white roots—like an inverse crown.
Meditation 2:
Me: Aha moment: This plant is good for getting to the root, for investigation. All lines on my plantain arms go straight to the root—there no branches or middle pathways to navigate. I see a man corrupting his daughter by showing her explicit pornography, he is training her to think of this as normal. This is corruption. There are many things perceived as corruption. There is gross corruption like this example. What is corrupt to one person may not be to another. For example two men falling in love may be seen as a corruption of desire and the flesh to some, but to others and themselves it could be a love that saves them from a life of misery and hurts no one. Some see any deviance from societal rules as corruption. An act that goes clearly goes against a positive societal norm may indeed be a net positive. One may see themselves as corrupt--because there are aspects of their choice that are potentially or realistically problematic, but from a broader perspective their motivations and outcomes are more important or beneficial than their problematic deviance.
The plant says “when we connect at the base level—such as by giving birth or being with a lover—we can easily become enmeshed, and our actions come out of our base/the root (chakra 1) area of our body.
What is our base?
We build tiny roots around the base—the plant asks “what is the purpose?”. I am very conscious of these little roots. The base is the nexus.
If we stay at our center/base, it/the nourishment (implying also the people we want to be close to) will fall into us. “That is how I am built," says plantain. Stay at the base and what we need will fall into us.
My daughter: I hear a song about someone being cheated on. It was a mystery who cheated on whom. This mystery is akin to "who did the murder?" and which food was responsible on the pickle-mango-persimmon-quesadilla crime board. These are all examples of doing an investigation and getting to the root of the matter.
Summary and traditional use:
I cannot say how much I love this plant! I have a fondness for it as a Western herb. I use it as "gardener's bandaid for owies in the garden including stings. I chew it and apply it to stings. it works wonderfully even when the body is having an extreme reaction to the sting. The seed of the Chinese varietal has been observed to have many benefits for the physical body. It works through the Lung, Bladder, Liver, and Bladder channels. It can resolve various issues with mismanagement of fluids, including any type of edema, urinary dribbling, and diarrhea. It also improves liver heat stemming from yin deficiency. My experience of the dark brown/black heavy head felt very yin nourishing.
The part that got me was all the imagery and awareness of releasing us from our "prisons". My experience of healing many chronic health conditions (including emotional dis-ease) is they often stem from patterns or past reactions that imprison us. For this plant to have an affinity towards opening those chains could indeed give someone the impression they are a cure-all. What is the root of the problem? The acid of a pickle? A moral quandary?
Invitation:
I would love to hear your experiences. Join us for Plant Meditation Club here, or share your research and/or personal or clinical experiences in the comments.
Greetings! I filmed this video during the new moon in taurus, 2024. The month of May is full of Taurus energy which is all about enjoying life on Earth, including your physical body and all sorts of Venusian delights. Here are some herbal formulas to support your embodiment goals.
In this video I am sharing two products made with herbs traditionally used to support embodiment/living a fuller life. When we pull out of certain areas of our body to avoid pain, depression, or other feelings the flow of energy is not as supportive to health. When you have space, try leaning into challenging feelings. Experience and acknowledge what you feel with as little judgement as possible. Then see if you can imagine allowing new good feelings as you continue to work with the difficult ones. The better you are at holding space for yourself, the better you will be with honoring what other people are going through.
Humanity Tea, for those struggling with living in their hearts and emotions. Perhaps you have been told it is wrong to express emotions (common with males and females depending on culture). Burying emotions can lead to alcoholism and substance use disorder. The herbs in this tea blend, hawthorn, yerba santa, agrimony, and thyme, help integrating deep emotions and help with being brave and strong.
ASMR tincture, if you are out of your sex life due to trauma or fatigue the herbs in this tincture are here for bringing stamina and life back! Often trauma and bad experiences give us the feeling "let's not go there". I observe this leads to energetic imbalances that can perpetuate health problems. Healthy engagement with your sex life (whether that is solo or partnered) is good for your health. ASMR stands for ashwagandha, shatavari, maca, and rose. The first three herbs have been traditionally used to bring sexual energy and enjoyment into your life. They are herbs that encourage sensual expression and appreciation, slow down and enjoy feeling. Rose is there to make sure you keep your heart in the equation. Sex or sensuality without love and support will sooner or later feel less than full/embodied.
This week we meditated with Lapis Lazuli gem essence.
Of note: Use for mastery of a subject--this can come out in craft and voice, such as speaking on the subject.
For further inquiry: Is lapis lazuli good for breast health?
Experiences:
•Download of processes around playing as a method of perfection/mastery. Developing the mind, developing craft, developing voice/articulation, creating a playful interior world that is shared. Growing communication.
•Very, very warm heart, burning. Reflections on change in personality, realizing the reaction to relationships resulting in negative personal tendencies, that may not be inherent to their personality, but situational.
•Two people trying it when tipsy: one becomes immediately sober, as in clear headed. The other immediately feels high.
•Seeing breasts, all sorts of breasts, bouncing breasts, milk shooting out of breasts. At one point a woman has a round darker pink area on her breast, a sore, when she touches it, it disappears as if her finger was an eraser.
•Dream of becoming like a cat (boss energy: does little work and gets served) and using lapis. Lapis lazuli encourages mastery through repetition with the goal of perfection. It is joyful to work in this way, not stressful or drudgery. Whatever the work it helps to bring more joy and perfection to the process.
Historical Use and associations:
This gem (as a stone for meditation or presence, a wearable stone, and/or gem essence) was historically seen as a power stone and used for manifesting, throat chakra support and speech. This gem is helpful for autism (voice), lymphatic system, and thymus (Gurudas, Gem Elixirs and Vibrational Healing). Heals emotional wounds (Star Riparetti, Bliss and Blessings). This stone is used to clear deep emotional wounds, develop stability and power of the mind. It "helps clear your own darkness and illusion, your own subconscious, to truly identify with your own god-self." (Raphaell, Crystal Enlightenment).
Breast health: Due to the relationship between emotions and the breasts and the lymphatic system running through the breast tissue, it makes sense lapis lazuli could support breast health. Furthermore the lymphatic system is dependent on movement of the body to circulate. Unlike other body parts the breasts typically do not move unless bounced. The cultural goal tends towards restraining breast movement in brast. Bouncing would help lymphatic movement and health in the breasts. It warrants further investigation whether lapis lazuli in combination with bouncing or other breast movement for promoting breast heatlh. Breast cancer risk is reduced in women who nurse for a total of a year or more (lifetime total). Nursing is another way that breast tissue receives more circulation than in normal bra-restrained living.
Invitation:
Have you had an experience with Lapis Lazuli, either the stone itself or the essence, or through dreaming? Please share your insights in the comments. Interested in learning more through experience?
Interested in participating in Plant Meditation Club research, we'd love to have you! Check it out here.
The astrology during the month of May 2024 is full on for enjoying your body (Taurus is living in the moment, except for their background financial planning, lol). There will be four to five planets in Taurus this month: Sun (until 5/20), Moon 5/6-7, the new moon is on 5/7, Venus (through 5/23), Mercury (5/15 through 6/3), Jupiter (until 5/23), Uranus (begins its transit through gemini on 7/7/25). That's a lot of Taurus energy which is normally a bit conservative. However with Uranus, planet of new thought and freedom, in the mix and the eccentric energy of Pluto in Aquarius being highlighted as Mars in Aries sextiles it, the energy is there to invite new ways of being sensual into your sexual world. It's the May vibe.
Smoking Herbs to enjoy:
Sexy Smokes herbal smoking blend, with organic damiana, blackberry leaf, rose, hibiscus, and mullein is wonderful for tapping into the sensuality within and releasing negative ideas or experiences that are holding us back. With rose it keeps the heart engaged. Astral in Body herbal smoking blend, with organic yarrow, mugwort, blue vervain, and mullein, helps connect us to non human energies like the moon, fairies, and other worldly energies, all while keeping us in our body. It is a little eccentric! Calea came up in this discussion, it is an herb that is still considered experimental. It is a dream herb traditionally used to uncover the source or path to resolve for an illness or to locate a lost loved one. It can be used for other serious dream quests or to connect with the elements.
Our Clear Mind herbal smoking blend is super light. It is popular as a stage smoke. Brown Bear Herbs' Clear Mind was used in the movie Oppeheimer, among other films. This blend was formulated to help artists and writers who smoke while they work. Since the herbs in it are supportive for focus, this herbal cigarette is a favorite for easing ADHD and anxiety symptoms (per customer reviews). Clear Mind herbal cigarettes, or our Clear Mind roll your own smoking herbal smoking blend, is centering and clarifying for contemplative moments.
We use organic and/or wildcrafted and tested herbs in our products. The spearmint in Clear Mind makes it a lovely alternative for those trying to get off of menthol cigarettes.
Trying to smoke less, quit smoking tobacco, or smoke in a less risky way? Mullein is an herb that was traditionally used for lung herb, it was even smoked! Learn more about mullein in the video.