To heal our hearts sometimes we need help. Sometimes, the weight is too heavy to bear on our own, and that’s okay. Plants are our allies. When the pain of a traumatized heart center becomes so great that it takes over and is all-consuming, plants are teachers that can help guide us on our healing journey. They help teach us love, which in turn helps us heal. If you feel you’ve lost yourself or lost sight of the boundaries you carry within yourself, turn to these herbs:

sirenita

BOBINSANA

for heartbreak and grief.

Bobinsana is a powerful heart medicine that grows along the slow-moving basin of the Amazon River. South and Central American people have used this potent yet gentle plant to open their hearts to greater self-love and love for others. Bobi is often referred to as “Sirenita del Los Rios,” which translates to mermaid of the rivers because she brings the feminine energy of the water to heal the heart. 

RELATED: Heal Your Heart With Bobinsana

heart blood

CACAO

for grounding.

Mayan love potion

DAMIANA

for passion and euphoria.

Damiana helps manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, lethargy, and insomnia. It is used to relax the body and improve energy levels simultaneously. The origin of the common name damiana is from the Greek word daman or damia meaning ‘to tame or subdue.’” It is considered an adaptogen herb by many, and can help build the body’s defenses against stress.

Turnera diffusa

mayflower tree

HAWTHORN

for protection of the heart.

Crataegus

While Hawthorn is an exceptional healer of the physical heart, it is also used to tend to the emotional heart. Hawthorn has a calming effect and can help open the heart space. Opening the heart can be challenging because we can feel more vulnerable in certain situations. But we can rest assured knowing Hawthorn’s thorns, which demand respect, prevent vulnerability among its surroundings. This protective property extends into the energetic medicine of the plant, providing a protective and safe space for heart opening and healing. 

sweet

JASMINE

for acceptance and forgiveness.

lady lionheart

MOTHERWORT

for nurturing.

Motherwort is a mint with a reputed big heart who likes to impact the hearts of others. She is known for taking melancholy vapors from the heart and gladdening and strengthening it in return. She softens and opens it up while providing comfort, tranquility, and peace; often described as akin to receiving a warm, comforting embrace from a mother.

One of Motherwort’s most well-known traditional applications is as a cardiotonic and trophorestorative, meaning that it helps to balance and nourish the cardiovascular system as a whole.

Leonurus cardiaca

lion tail · heart

uwaga

PASSIONFLOWER

for softening the heart.

The first to recognize the benefits of the passion flower is the Cherokee Native Americans, a tribe indigenous to the plant’s native lands (now Tennessee). The Cherokee word for passion fruit is “u-wa-ga,” meaning ‘apricot vine.’ The Cherokee use it extensively, especially for its natural sedative properties.

queen of flowers

ROSE

for love and romance.

While all plants have the potential to help heal the heart center, these herbs in particular are renowned for their heart wisdom. They have been used since the dawn of humanity and have their own unique teachings to share.

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PIN ME

Backed by thousands of years of tradition, lunar gardening harnesses the power of the magnetic and gravitational impact of the Moon. The Earth is one big gravitational field influenced by celestial forces. Just as the Moon pulls the tides in the oceans, our ancestors believed the Moon also pulled subtle bodies of water, like moisture in the soil. Ancient cultures structured their world around the Moon as they watched it disappear and reappear in the night sky.

The Aztec Priests had a 260-day lunar calendar that they used for agricultural guidance. The survival of the Egyptians depended upon knowing when the Nile would flood, which provided irrigation for their crops. The Celtic Druids, Chinese, and many North American indigenous cultures relied on a 13-moon calendar to plant, forage, and harvest medicine and food.

It might sound like superstition, but there has been some modern-day research done on the topic. Maria Thun, a biodynamic farmer, has tested planting by the moon cycles for years and claims that it does improve planting yield. Due to the lack of scientific research regarding the direct effect of lunar phases on plant physiology, much of the evidence comes from documentation performed by farmers and scientists that have repeated Thun’s methods and found similar outcomes. Of course, a successful garden does not require following the phases of the moon, lunar gardening is thought to facilitate positive results.

Over the course of the 29.5 day lunar cycle, the moonlight goes through fluctuation. For half of its cycle, between the New and Full moon, the Moon grows in illumination creating the Waxing period. Then, from the Full Moon to the New Moon it begins to decrease in illumination, creating the Waning period.

Waxing Moon the light of the moon

The general rule of thumb is to plant your annual fruits, vegetables, and flowers that bear above-ground crops like peppers, melons, and corn during the waxing of the Moon. From the New Moon to the Full Moon the light grows and the gravitational pull is strong. This is when the soil releases, energy draws upward, and the Earth exhales.

Waning Moon The dark of the moon

The general rule of thumb is to plant root crops like carrots and potatoes, along with perennials and transplants, during the waning of the Moon. From the Full Moon to the New Moon the light and gravitational pull decrease. This is when the soil absorbs, energy draws down, and the Earth inhales.

Moon Sowing

The ancient Greeks believed the New Moon was a time of fertility and rebirth because the moon and sun were joined together in the same part of the sky.

When the moon is New, or dark, it exerts a strong gravitational pull on the earth, and tides are high.  The groundwater level beneath the soil is lifted the same way tides are lifted, and in this gravitational pull, the roots of plants experience a growth spurt. From the New Moon to the Full Moon sap flow increases in the above-ground parts of plants. These are the most suitable phases for sowing and transplanting annuals and biennials.

The Waxing Crescent phase will appear just a few days after the New Moon. This phase provides fertile and wet soil conditions. Moonlight is increasing and the gravitational pull is at its strongest drawing water up, which aids in germination.

•   Sow/Plant: Plant above-ground bearing annual crops that produce their seeds outside of the fruit like lettuce, broccoli, celery, and grains. It is also a good time to plant annual grasses and green manures. *This is the second-best phase to sow or transplant fruiting annuals.
•   Tend: Graft, apply liquid fertilizers, mow, and prune foliage (to encourage growth).

During the first quarter, the sun and moon are at a right angle to Earth, causing a lower gravitational pull. But the moonlight is strong, creating healthy leaf development. The leaves grow at a faster rate than the roots, which set down strong legs during the first week of the lunar cycle. This allows the plant to “reach to the sky” during the progression to the full moon. Plants that grow well during this time are those with larger leaves such as squash, melons, and beans.

During the Waxing Gibbous phase (First Quarter to the Full Moon):

•   Sow/Plant: Plant annuals that produce above-ground – fruiting plants with “inside seeds,” like tomatoes, beans, grains, flowers. It’s also a good time to sow annual grasses and green manures *This is the second-best phase to sow or transplant leafy annuals.
•   Tend: Graft, apply liquid fertilizers, mow and prune foliage (to encourage growth).

– Traditional Iroquois saying

The moon has peaked. On the night of a Full Moon, it is time to rest, celebrate, and meditate. It’s also a good time to pick medicinal herbs and plants.

From the Full Moon to the New Moon the sap flow in plants becomes more concentrated in the root area and gradually slows through the Waning period reducing germination and regrowth.

During the Waning Gibbous phase (Full Moon to the Last Quarter), the gravitation pull is high, creating more moisture in the soil. Plant roots experience another growth spurt, while leaf growth remains relatively static. In the Waning period this is the best phase for sowing and planting:

•   Sow/Plant: Plant below ground root plants like beets, carrots, onions, and potatoes. It is also a good time to plant perennials, fruiting trees, bulbs, and transplants because of the active root growth. Just like root vegetables, perennials’ root systems have the ability to store carbohydrates and nutrients which is vital to their longevity.
•   Tend: Harvest all crops, take cuttings, divide plants, prune dormant plants, apply solid fertilizers, transplant, mow, and prune foliage (to hinder growth).

As the moon goes dark and gravitation pull falls away, plants experience a time of balanced rest, where the rate of growth slows in both roots and leaves. The last quarter is considered a resting and maintenance period. It is a time to avoid planting and focus on improving the soil, by weeding, mulching, making compost, and so on. 

Some say it is best not to partake in any garden chores during the last few days of the Last Quarter. The time right before a New Moon signifies the death of the old before the start of the new. 

During the Waning Crescent phase (Last Quarter to the New Moon), moonlight has decreased along with gravitational pull:

•   Barren Phase: Avoid sowing seeds.
•   Tend: Harvest and store crops, apply solid fertilizers, transplant, destroy weeds, prune foliage and mow lawns (to hinder growth).

We have completed a full moon cycle and are starting anew. On the night of a New Moon, it’s time to rest and set new seeds of intention for the next cycle.

To get a better sense of the Moon’s movement, this video is a great visual:

Moon Phase Animation by Phil Heart

APOGEE

MICROMOON

Apogee Summer Mood

The Apogee is the point where the Moon’s orbit is the furthest from the Earth. Author Maria Thun described it as, “When the Moon recedes from the Earth in the course of its monthly cycle, the effect on plant growth can in some ways be compared with that time of year when the Earth is furthest away from the Sun, i.e. midsummer; the tendency in the plant-world is then to run to seed, whereas the growth forces decrease. Thus the effect of the Moon’s apogee on the seed plants can still be comparatively beneficial. For the sowing of leaf crops, however, this time is definitely unfavorable. Carrots sown during these days easily become woody. The only plant to react positively to being planted at apogee is the potato.”

Perigee Winter Mood

The Perigee is the point where the Moon’s orbit is the closest to the Earth. This has a much different effect. It invokes a winter mood because the Moon’s water element inhibits the Sun’s relationship with the Earth. Sown seeds might germinate poorly or the crop itself might be negatively affected due to too much water manifested in the upper plant. This can be positive for leafy crops that thrive with a surplus of water. According to European traditions, any work with soil or plants on the day of the Perigee should be avoided as the Moon’s influence is too strong at this time.

PIN ME

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Don’t you find it strange that we drift into a lucid coma for approximately eight hours a night, slip through the veil of reality, experience inexplicably complex hallucinations, and then suffer some degree of amnesia upon waking up? We’ve been told dreams are random and our brains’ way of making sense of activity that goes on while we sleep. But what if the “nonsense” in our dreams is pointing to something meaningful? What if dreams are the language of the soul?

From ancient times, dreams were seen as the visual expression of the soul and the means through which otherwordly beings communicated with humans. Some cultures believe dreams are like oracles, bringing messages from the “gods.” Others believe dreams are a means of seeing into other worlds or that the contents convey meaningful messages or prophecies.

Oneirogens + Dreamwork

For centuries, humans across cultures have looked to oneirogenic plants to access the dream realm. Oneirogens are naturally occurring substances that induce and enhance states of dreaming. Traditional cultures work with oneirogenic plants to practice oneiromancy (interpretation of dreams) to seek cures, wisdom, and visionary experiences. Their dream-inducing effects make them a great tool for dreamwork.

Dreamwork is one of the most illuminating inner work practices out there. It is believed by healers dreams serve two main functions. One, to help us work through our issues or karma. Two, to help us fulfill our destiny, purpose, or dharma.

Quick tips on practicing dreamwork:

•  Before falling asleep, set the intention that you will remember your dream(s) in the morning.
•  Request guidance. If there is a particular life situation that is troubling you ask your inner wisdom for insight. Meditate on your question(s) prior to falling asleep.
•  Keep a detailed dream journal. Log your dream(s) first thing in the morning when your mind is fresh.

Mugwort

Artemisia Vulgaris

Mugwort is said to be a powerful medicine of the divine feminine and has a strong affinity with the moon. When Mugwort is taken shortly before bed people have reported improved dream recall, enhanced dream creativity, and even lucid dreaming. In Korean tradition, mugwort hot baths or mugwort steams are taken late at night to promote vivid dreaming.

Mugwort is believed to initiate clarity of the dream experience and bring awareness to the dream’s purpose in waking life. It is also known as a visionary herb that opens one up to prophetic dreaming. 

Mugwort Herb

Dream Catcher Botanicals – dried herbs
Boreal Medicine – tincture

Aztec
Dreamgrass

Calea Zacatechichi

To this day, the Chontal Natives of Oaxaca, Mexico use Mexican Dream Herb also known as Aztec Dreamgrass to heal and connect to the divine.  Traditionally, it has been known to clarify the senses and help bring about clear prophetic dreams that are oftentimes positive guides to a better life. ​​​​​​

A study revealed (see sources) that Mexican Dream Herb increased the number of overall dreams experienced, the ability to recall the dreams experienced, and the intensity of hypnagogic imagery experienced while falling asleep. Other effects included spontaneous lucid dreams and increased dream realism.

Note: Calea ternifolia and Calea zacatechichi are synonyms.

Mexican Dream Herb

Dream Catcher Botanicals – dried herbs

Tian Men Dong
Wild Asparagus Root

Asparagus Cochinchinensis

Tian Men Dong is cherished by Chinese Taoist monks for its heart-opening effects and ability to stimulate “flying dreams.” It is nicknamed “The Flying Herb” because Taoists claim it helps one fly through the universe at night. The flying symbolizes the freedom that can be experienced when one has attained harmony.

Although it has pretty flowers, either dried or fresh (more potent) root is brewed into a tea for its dreaming effects (do not eat raw).

Please Note: Tian Men Dong is not Shatavari (similar in species and often confused). Shatavari is used in Ayurvedic practices as a herb for women’s health.

Tian Men Dong Herb

Dream Catcher Botanicals – dried herb

Bobinsana

Calliandra Angustifolia

Bobinsana is a powerful heart medicine that grows along the slow-moving rivers of the Amazon basin. For many generations, South and Central American people have used this potent yet gentle plant to open their hearts up to greater self-love and love for others.

The plant speaks to us through our dreams. It can induce colorful vivid dreams, lucid or prophetic dreaming, and increase dream recall. The medicine works deeply in the dream realms to bring healing, insights, and realizations about one’s life.

Bobinsana Herb

Dream Catcher Botanicals – tincture
Dream Catcher Botanicals – bark
La Shamana Faby – tincture

Xhosa African
Dream Root

Silene Capensis

African Dream Root is respected for its intense dream-inducing effects and enhanced quality of sleep. The Xhosa shaman of the South African river valleys have been using this plant medicine for centuries.

Traditional practices whisk the root until it creates a foam that is then consumed for its effects.  Shamans say that if you want a certain question answered, with the help of African Dream Root, the answer will come to you in your dreams from the wisdom of your ancestors.

African Dream Root Tinctures & Teas

Dream Catcher Botanicals – tincture
Dream Catcher Botanicals – dried root

African
Dream Bean

Entada Rheedii

The African Dream Bean is traditionally used as a good luck charm and to induce lucid dreams for communication with the spirit world. It improves sleeping states by increasing depth, length, and awareness.

The inner meat of the bean is removed from the hard outer shell and the meat is chopped and dry roasted (never consumed raw) before being used in tea.

African Dream Beans

Dream Catcher Botanicals – whole beans

Blue Lotus

Nymphaea Caerulea

The Egyptian dream flower, or Blue Lotus, helps expand the mind. The plant is a very effective sedative known for its relaxation and aphrodisiac properties. The absolute oil of this plant is so potent that just massaging it into the skin can instantly absorb the alkaloids inducing its effects.

For millennia, Blue Lotus has been used as a sleep and dream aid not just by Egyptians but also other cultures across the world including the Mayans. The flower is said to help one achieve more vivid and lucid dreams as well as have a more deep and restful sleep.

Please note: Blue lotus’ legal status varies based on country/state.

Blue Lotus Herb

Dream Catcher Botanicals – tea blend
Anima Mundi – flower loose leaf tea
Hyper Boreal – flower loose leaf tea
Dream Catcher Botanicals – lotus x4 tincture
The Holistica Shop – tincture

Vervain

Verbena Officinalis

Vervain is an intensely bitter herb said to have a balancing effect on the nervous system, moods, hormones, and the digestive systems. It is commonly used to treat headaches and insomnia. 

In the eyes of the Druids, Vervain is one of the most sacred herbs that has long been used to increase awareness, both while awake and during sleep. It’s a powerful sleep-enhancing herb that can produce vivid and lucid dreams. Some esoteric beliefs claim it has defensive powers that can ward off bad dreams.

Vervain Herb

October Fields – tincture
Four Acre Wood Apothecary – tincture
Grassroots Herb Supply – dried herb

Maidenhair Tree

Ginkgo Biloba

The tree that outlived the dinosaurs. Ginkgo trees are the oldest gymnosperms leftover from the Quaternary Glacial Period and are often referred to as “living fossils” in the plant kingdom. In the 11th century, Chinese Buddhist monks who regarded the tree as sacred began cultivating it.

Generally, Ginko is used to support memory growth and increase brain function. It promotes lucid dreaming by improving blood flow and nutrients to the brain, which in turn improves memory, brain speed, and critical thinking. This results in more vivid dreams and increased dream recall.

Gingko Biloba Herb

Grassroots Herb Supply – dried leaves
October Fields – tincture
Earth Wise Organics – tincture

Creating a relationship with a plant’s vital energy ensures a symbiotic partnership that can offer a spiritual connection. Plants can be powerful medicinal allies when used responsibly, however, it is important to realize they are a tool and not a cure-all. Healing can require multiple courses of action, which takes time, effort, and a new way of thinking and behaving.

Herbal Blends

Blended Teas

Aryanyani Botanicals – Dreamwork Tea
(Blue lotus, White lotus, Lily, Mexican dream herb, Roman chamomile, Mugwort, Wormwood, Melissa)

Woodland Herbal – Purple Haze Organic Tea
(Kenyan Purple Tea, Butterfly Pea Flower, Blue Lotus Flower, French Lavender, Violet Flower, California Poppy, Mugwort, Mexican Dream Herb, Sun Opener, Valerian Root, Blueberry, Violet Leaf, love)

Dream Catcher Botanicals – DreamScape Tea
(Blue Lotus, Galangal, Immortelle Flowers, Linden Flowers, Mugwort)

Blended Tinctures

Healing Mother Herbals – “Sacred Sleep” Tincture
(local raw honey, 80 proof vodka, fresh passion flower, chamomile, and valerian)

Woodland Herbal – Celestial Dreams Tincture
(blue lotus flower, mexican dream herb, calea zacatechichi, mugwort, rose petal, german chamomile, valerian root, ashwagandha root, damiana, ginkgo, california poppy, vegetable glycerin)

Dream Catcher Botanicals – Dream Drops Tincture
(African Dream Root, Guayusa Leaf , Mugwort Leaf, Organic Orange Extract, 40% Organic Cane Alcohol, Certified Organic Glycerine and Mountain Spring Water)

Sweet Dreams!

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Every day we are blessed with the gifts of the earth from the air we breathe to the soil that sustains us. Without reciprocating these gifts balance in the biophysical world cannot exist. Sacred reciprocity acknowledges a mutual exchange of energy that creates harmony and balance amongst all life. It is a belief written by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a professor and citizen of the Potawatomi Nation. The concept comes from the Quechua word, ayni – (eye-knee) meaning “today for you, tomorrow for me.” Quechua is the Indigenous language of the ancestral peoples of the Andes, specifically Peru. Ayni is a principle of receptivity and gratitude, marked by a lifestyle of giving back in an inhale-exhale type relationship with the natural world.

Throughout time, humans have recognized that rituals and ceremonies are designed to offer something back, physically or metaphysically. Our ancestors have taught us that responsibilities and gifts are understood as two parts of a whole. Our well-being is dependent on the well-being of the earth, therefore, we have reciprocal duties and responsibilities to maintain balance. Acknowledging everyone and everything that sustains us in a heartfelt exchange of gratitude can take on many shapes: a ceremony, nurturing life, or simply paying attention.

1. Paying Attention

The earth asks that we observe and listen to it. It is an ongoing act of reciprocity. By paying attention we open ourselves up to a deep relationship, as information and energy are exchanged between the observer and the observed. As Robin Wall Kimmerer says, “Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart.” When we pay attention we gain a greater appreciation for life. 

2. Tending the Land

GARDENING

A garden is a space to grow food, medicine, and other plants. How the gardener chooses to interact with the land through their intentions, actions, and behaviors is what makes up a gardener’s rituals. Through these rituals, the gardener will improve the health of the land not only for the direct benefit of growing food but for the whole ecosystem and beyond.

LAWN REGENERATION

Lawns are an American obsession derived from European aristocracy as a symbol of great status. The issue with lawns is that they are monocultures, lacking in biodiversity, that require excessive water and chemical usage to maintain. Rainwater runoff can carry pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers into our waterways via the sewer system.

Create an ecosystem instead of a lawn. Increase biodiversity by growing food in a garden or planting wildflowers, native grasses, and clover (often viewed as a weed, but it’s actually part of the legume family) instead of grass.

COMPOSTING

Composting is a vital part of the circle of life. This is where transformation happens. Organic matter is diverted from landfills and instead broken down into productive soil that provides many essential nutrients for plant growth.

MAKING and SCATTERING SEED BALLS

Seed balls are made of native plant species and are scattered where they are needed. This requires knowledge to ensure invasive plants are not being spread. Use the United Plant Savers list to perform research before making seed balls.

3. Offerings

Offerings are an opportunity for a person or group of people to express gratitude from their heart with their own hands by growing, crafting, or gathering things from the earth.

DESPACHO OFFERING

Despachos are an Andean ritual. The simplest way to understand a Despacho is an expression of gratitude to the earth in the form of a prayer bundle. This involves biodegradable paper or cloth laid flat on the ground or on a table as the foundation for biodegradable offerings: flowers, feathers, nuts, seeds, beans, cacao, chocolate, rice, grains, leaves, shells, stones, and herbs. Offerings made to a Despacho are offered to the earth in one of three ways: given to a body of water, given to a fire, or buried in the ground. They are filled with prayer, intentions, and vibrations of those participating… a living request to bring energy shifts and healing in exchange for the continued love and care of the earth.

NATURE SHRINE or ALTAR

For something with more permanency, create a shrine or altar inside or outside of your home to honor the living earth. In the druid tradition, a shrine is typically dedicated to a specific aspect of nature, while an altar is typically more of a working tool where you might engage in various kinds of rituals and practices. The same materials used to make a Despacho offering might be used in a shrine or altar along with divination tools, candles, incense, plates/bowls, paintings, beads, handmade objects, ect.

Please remember to consider the impact of your offering on the environment.

4. Non-Physical Offerings

Non-physical things make wonderful offerings as well.  Performances, like drumming, dancing, singing, story-telling, and so forth can be a great offering of your time, energy, and spirit. The intentions and gestures of these performances or ceremonies activate beneficial responses in the seen and unseen worlds, the energy manifested goes beyond what is tangible.

5. Land Cleanups

A great way to get involved is by attending cleanup events hosted by communities, parks, and local organizations. Cleanups don’t need to be official, go with a friend or by yourself, organize your own cleanup, or bring a trash bag with you on walks. Every piece of garbage that is taken away to be recycled or deposited in a landfill is one less dangerous item for wildlife.

6. Commit to Learning

Commit to learning and honoring the lineage and preservation of the land you are inhabiting. Acknowledge the original inhabitants by researching and learning more about the history of your community. Visit native-land.ca for more information.

Whether the gesture is big or small the intention is what matters most. These loving acts create an opening to experience our unique human identity as caretakers of the earth, our home.  

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Not everyone will experience the seasons the same, but no matter where you are on earth you will notice sunlight, weather, and the environment change as one season shifts to the next. The cycles of the sun, moon, and earth energetically create periods of growth and beginnings, building energy, peaking energy, descending energy, and quietude that are consistent, inevitable, and part of the human experience.

We’ve been living by the four seasons – winter, spring, summer, and autumn – which align with the equinoxes and solstices, however, this phenology wheel includes the solar cross-quarter days that occur midway between these astronomical events. By adding the cross-quarters we gain four more seasons, giving us a total of eight seasons that represent the biological responses conditioned by the earth’s orbit around the sun. This is similar to the Wheel of the Year, an annual cycle rooted in many ancient traditions that also observes eight seasons.

There is a sacred tempo that is evident in each new phase of the year. We once honored the rhythms of nature with celebrations and gratitude, but we have seemingly shifted to one year-round productivity-focused cycle that centers on the self. The intuitive nature of paying homage to the natural flow of each season has been suppressed by modern-day’s dissociation from the natural world. But it doesn’t have to be. The seasons are embedded within us and we can follow in our ancestor’s footsteps by honoring the seasonal shifts through thanksgiving, reciprocity, and gathering.

The Season of

Rejuvenating

The season of rejuvenation begins on the winter solstice (c. December 21st). The north pole is tilted away from the sun, making it the shortest day and longest night of the year. The warmth of summer has left the ground, the land is frozen, and a blanket of snow covers everything in sight. As day-length increases, life waits.

It’s been called the “Persephone season,” when the daughter of Spring is dragged to the underworld and everything rests. Animals are hibernating, plants lay dormant, and birds have flown south. This season represents death and the afterlife. As bleak as this might sound it’s actually a season of imagination, dreaming, and hope as we prepare for life ahead. Think of it as the start of a new journey.

For gardeners, we start to feel this season come to an end when we prepare to start seeds indoors.

The Season of

Awakening

February 1st marks the awakening when growers start to see a significant shift in day length and plant growth. The land is preparing to burst forth in productivity with the promise of spring’s return. The earth is ripe and fertile, ready for us to plant new seeds of intentions for the coming year. This season is a great time for purification. Candlelit rituals are commonplace as we welcome the growing light of the waxing sun. Ask yourself where you want to focus your energy, what seeds you wish to plant, and what you need to support yourself.

The Season of

Planting

The planting season, or the greening, represents birth and begins with the spring equinox (c. March 21st). The land is slowly transforming from brown to green. It’s a time of fertility, growth, play, and creativity as buds unfurl, animals start their mating dances, nectar begins to flow, and pollen wafts through the air. The energy of this time isn’t only about physical fertility, but rather how we might sow seeds for creative projects, relationships, and more. There is an expansive energy available to us all during this season.

The Season of

Blooming

High Spring (May Day) marks the beginning of the blooming season. We are experiencing the vitality of life in full force. Passion, love, joy, and pleasure are in the air as masculine and feminine energies unite in harmony. Sexuality is pervasive through this season. Ancient customs recall celebrations in which lovers met in the fields, the forests, or along the shores for trysts and escapades. The energy of earth is at its peak with the first summer berries and medicinal herbs ready to be picked.

The Season of

Drying

The drying season begins on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year (c. June 21st). It represents abundance, culmination, and fulfillment as we start to reap the benefits of our hard work. You can think of it as the climax of the annual cycle. The rain is infrequent, growth shifts from expanding foliage to making seed, and many fruits ripen. Crops are in full growth, close to maturity as we edge nearer to the first harvest. During this season there is time to celebrate, relax, and enjoy the warm days.

The Season of

Harvesting

By summer’s end (August 1st), we see the fruits of our labor. The first harvest of grains brings us prosperity and we give infinite thanks for earth’s abundance. It’s a time of generosity, thanksgiving, and fruition. The light is softer, the forests turn red and gold, and the land is bursting at the seams with food that will sustain us through the long winter.

The Season of

Composting

With summer’s strong heat becoming a distant memory, and the earth’s fertility weakening from the retreating light, we enter the season of composting. It begins on the autumn equinox (c. September 21st), which marks the point where we move from the light half to the dark half of the year as the sun continues to wane.  This is the second harvest, in which we pick baskets full of fruits and vegetables before plants start to withdraw. While we gather and feast during this time of abundance, we practice remembrance, letting go, gratitude, and reciprocity.

It’s important to clear or transform the things that are no longer needed or serve us so we can move forward. Similar to when a tree drops its leaves each season, and they eventually turn into soil that sustains a whole web of life.

The Season of

Resting

The winter months are a season to be endured and survived. To keep spirits up, our ancestors studded the dark with lights and festivals. The resting season begins on Hallow’s Eve (October 31st). This is the third and final harvest festival of the year. We have gathered the last nuts and berries before frost and snow take over.

On Hallow’s Eve, the veil between worlds is thin allowing us to honor our ancestors and remember those who have passed.  It’s also a time when our intuition is heightened and we can ask ourselves what wisdom is brewing, what have we learned, and how have we grown. While we retreat into ourselves as the resting season continues, we become yet another year wiser. The lesson we learn from the sun cycles is that in order to be abundant and produce a harvest, we must rest – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

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Photo by Adrien King via Unsplash.

The ecological crisis that is weighing on us is a devastating consequence of modern-day’s dissociation from the natural world. By following the concepts of rewilding, we can site ourselves as part of a large complex natural ecosystem. It’s an ecological idea that revives the wilderness along with our own wild nature so all species can thrive.

Rewilding in Environmentalism

Rewilding in environmentalism is a progressive approach to conservation. It’s a concept that gives the land back to nature. This approach has the power to heal ecosystems, mitigate climate change, and allows nature to self-sustain and thrive. Species are protected from extinction, habitats become more biodiverse, and natural processes are reinstated.

Trophic Rewilding

Trophic rewilding is an ecological restoration strategy that introduces species to restore top-down interactions that promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems.

When Yellowstone re-introduced the wolf a domino effect of positive ecological events occurred. Wolves had roamed all over North America in abundant populations for hundreds of thousands of years, but in the 1870s onward they began to be hunted. By 1926 the last wolfpack was killed at Yellowstone to comply with the policy to eliminate predators. Over time, Yellowstone’s ecosystem fell out of balance. The elk population erupted and overgrazed vital tree species like willows and aspens. The loss of trees resulted in dam and riverbank erosion along with population decline in animal species like songbirds and beavers who relied on the trees for their homes.

Pack of Wolves // Photo sourced from Unsplash.

In an imperative attempt to save the National Park, 31 wolves were relocated from Canada to Yellowstone in 1995 and 1996. Scientists were in awe just how quickly their predictions of transformation transpired. Coyotes, who once ran rampant, declined in population along with the elk who were now living in a predator rich environment. Within two decades the willow and aspen trees rebounded bringing back other animal species that once flourished. The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone resulted in a trophic cascade throughout the entire ecosystem. This event has become celebrated as one of the greatest stories of rewilding.

Biophilic Design

Even urban areas can rewild. Biophilic Design is a concept that advocates intermixing natural and human-made elements in a built environment to contribute to the health and productivity of the people within. Natural light and airflow, plants, water, living walls and roofs are all features of biophilic design.

Biophilic Design // Photo sourced from Business of Home.

Biophilic design has many benefits other than beautiful aesthetics. Air pollution is exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels in industrilized cities. The World Health Organization reported 7 million people die each year from the effects of air pollution, the greatest environmental hazard to human health. Biophilic design has the potential to mitigate health hazards associated with air pollution by improving the air quality.

Rewilding creates opportunities for resilient new nature-based economies.

Rewild University

Cities are also associated with higher rates of most mental health problems. People are at higher risk of depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, loneliness, and stress. Studies have shown interacting with nature has cognitive benefits and contributes to one’s overall wellbeing.

This brings me to…

Human Rewilding

Human rewilding is looking to the natural world and establishing ways of living that are more in tune with our human biology. It’s viewing the traditions of our ancestors as the foundation of health and wellbeing, and finding ways to incorporate them into our present-day lives.

There are scientific studies that have proven the physical, emotional, and mental health benefits of exposure to nature. One hypothesis argues this is because our ancestors evolved in the wild and relied on it to survive, therefore we have an innate desire to connect to nature. Another hypothesis suggests that nature replenishes our cognitive resources which restores our attentiveness and ability to concentrate. Different reasoning proposes that spending time in nature stimulates a physiological response that lowers stress levels.

Earthing // Photo sourced from Unsplash.

There are many ways to practice human rewilding:

1. Perform daily rituals (like yoga + meditation).
2. Forest bathe, also known as Shirin-yoku.
3. Move your body.
4. Plant a garden.
5. Eat seasonally and locally.
6. Learn bushcraft and ancestral skills.
7. Celebrate seasonal shifts.
8. Practice grounding, also known as earthing.
9. Ice bathe (or just go for a swim).
10. Cook open flame.

Even the simplest of tasks like building a fire with our hands to provide warmth can remind us of the relationship between nature and self. A relationship that was once more intimate. A relationship that once celebrated ingenuity and capability that is so easily taken for granted in our modern world.  ☾

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A message from 10+ Indigenous leaders and organizations

Regenerative Agriculture & Permaculture offer narrow solutions to the climate crisis.

The following is an Indigenous-led collaborative post that I am supporting as a co-publisher. We invite proponents of western ecological agriculture (e.g., regenerative ag / permaculture) to go deeper and encourage their peers to go deeper – to not just ‘take’ practices from Indigenous cultures without their context, but to also encompass the deeper Indigenous worldviews… inspiring a consciousness shift that hopefully will support us to go from a dominant culture of supremacy and domination to one founded on reciprocity, respect, and interrelations with all beings – including, of course, among all humans.

Introduction

Regenerative agriculture and permaculture claim to be the solutions to our ecological crises. While they both borrow practices from Indigenous cultures, critically, they leave out our worldviews and continue the pattern of erasing our history and contributions to the modern world.

While the practices ‘sustainable farming’ promote are important, they do not encompass the deep cultural and relational changes needed to realize our collective healing.

Where is ‘Nature’?

Regen Ag & Permaculture often talk about what’s happening ‘in nature’: “In nature, soil is always covered.” “In nature, there are no monocultures.” Nature is viewed as separate, outside, ideal, perfect. Human beings must practice “biomimicry” (the mimicking of life) because we exist outside of the life of Nature.

Indigenous peoples speak of our role AS Nature. (Actually, Indigenous languages often don’t have a word for Nature, only a name for Earth and our Universe.) As cells and organs of Earth, we strive to fulfill our roles as her caregivers and caretakers. We often describe ourselves as “weavers”, strengthening the bonds between all beings.

Death Doesn’t Mean Dead

Regen Ag & Permaculture often maintain the “dead” worldview of Western culture and science: Rocks, mountains, soil, water, wind, and light all start as “dead”. (E.g., “Let’s bring life back to the soil!” — implying soil, without microbes, is dead.) This worldview believes that life only happens when these elements are brought together in some specific and special way.

Indigenous cultures view the Earth as a communion of beings and not objects: All matter and energy is alive and conscious. Mountains, stones, water, and air are relatives and ancestors. Earth is a living being whose body we are all a part of. Life does not only occur when these elements are brought together; Life always is. No “thing” is ever dead; Life forms and transforms.

From Judgemental to Relational

Regen Ag & Permaculture maintain overly simplistic binaries through subscribing to good and bad. Tilling is bad; not tilling is good. Mulch is good; not mulching is bad. We must do only the ‘good’ things to reach the idealized, 99.9% biomimicked farm/garden, though we will never be as pure or good “as Nature”, because we are separate from her.

Indigenous cultures often share the view that there is no good, bad, or ideal—it is not our role to judge. Our role is to tend, care, and weave to maintain relationships of balance. We give ourselves to the land: Our breath and hands uplift her gardens, binding our life force together. No one is tainted by our touch, and we have the ability to heal as much as any other lifeform.

Our Words Shape Us

Regen Ag & Permaculture use English as their preferred language no matter the geography or culture: You must first learn English to learn from the godFATHERS of this movement. The English language judges and objectifies, including words most Indigenous languages do not: ‘natural, criminal, waste, dead, wild, pure…’ English also utilizes language like “things” and “its” when referring to “non-living, subhuman entities”.

Among Indigenous cultures, every language emerges from and is therefore intricately tied to place. Inuit people have dozens of words for snow and her movement; Polynesian languages have dozens of words for water’s ripples. To know a place, you must speak her language. There is no one-size-fits-all, and no words for non-living or sub-human beings, because all life has equal value.

People are Land. Holistic includes History.

Regen Ag and Permaculture claim to be holistic in approach. When regenerating a landscape, ‘everything’ is considered: soil health, water cycles, local ‘wildlife’, income & profit. ‘Everything’, however, tends to EXCLUDE history: Why were Indigenous homelands steal-able and why were our peoples & lands rape-able? Why were our cultures erased? Why does our knowledge need to be validated by ‘Science’? Why are we still excluded from your ‘healing’ of our land? 

Among Indigenous cultures, people belong to land rather than land belonging to people. Healing of land MUST include healing of people and vice versa. Recognizing and processing the emotional traumas held in our bodies as descendants of assaulted, enslaved, and displaced peoples is necessary to the healing of land. Returning our rights to care for, harvest from, and relate to the land that birthed us is part of this recognition.

Composting

Regen Ag & Permaculture often share the environmentalist message that the world is dying and we must “save” it. Humans are toxic, but if we try, we can create a “new Nature” of harmony, though one that is not as harmonious as the “old Nature” that existed before humanity. Towards this mission, we must put Nature first and sacrifice ourselves for “the cause”.

Indigenous cultures often see Earth as going through cycles of continuous transition. We currently find ourselves in a cycle of great decomposition. Like in any process of composting there is discomfort and a knowing that death always brings us into rebirth. Within this great cycle, we all have a role to play. Recognizing and healing all of our own traumas IS healing Earth’s traumas, because we are ONE.

Where to go from here?

Making up only 6.2% of our global population, Indigenous peoples steward 80% of Earth’s biodiversity while managing over 25% of her land. Indigenous worldviews are the bedrocks that our agricultural practices & lifeways arise from. We invite you to ground your daily practices in these ancestral ways, as we jointly work towards collective healing.

• Learn whose lands you live on (native-land.ca), their history, and how you can support their causes and cultural revitalization.
• Watch @gatherfilm and Aluna documentary.
• Amplify the voices and stories of Indigenous peoples and organizations.
• Follow, support, donate to, and learn from the contributors to this post.
• Help republish this open-source post: https://bit.ly/IndigenousWorldViews

Contributors

@CulturalSurvival / Galina Angarova
Māori Waitaha Grandmothers Council & Region Net Positive / Tanya Ruka
@NEN_NorthEastNetwork / Seno Tsuhah
Society for Alternative Learning & Transformation & African Biodiversity Network / Simon Mitambo
Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development / Bern Guri
@EarthIsOhana @LoamLove / Kailea Frederick
RegenAgAlliance.org / Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
@Linda.Black.Elk / Tatanka Wakpala Model Sustainable Community
@GreenstoneFarm_LA / Greenstone Farm and Sanctuary
@CulturalConservancy / Melissa K. Nelson PhD
@NatKelley
@GatherFilm
@AGrowingCulture
@Terralingua.Langscape
@FarmerRishi
@KameaChayne

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