Five Ways You Are Already Doing Plant Magic
You drink tea or coffee
Whether you drink your tea or coffee black or white, or you prefer green, white or herbal tea, if you drink a beverage using hot water and a dried or roasted plant material, you are doing plant magic. Drinking tea and coffee comforts you when you feel sad or tired and, in the right quantities, makes you feel uplifted and relaxed. Both beverages offer wisdom and clarity in times of need. Coffee was a sacred brew to traditional peoples. Magical in its own right, it stimulates your mind, improves your social skills and, according to some studies, prolongs your life. Now it’s worshipped all over the world and every Starbucks or local coffee shop can be seen as a temple to this particular plant’s enchanting powers. Tea was supposedly discovered “by accident” 5,000 years ago in China! But I think plants have been “accidentally” dropping into boiling water for even longer. From a “cuppa” in England to a momentary ritual to commune with an herb friend, teas grace our lives with companionship and stability. Next time you prepare a cup, take a moment to thank the plants for the magic they bring to your life on a daily basis.
2. You eat fruits and vegetables
Unless you are on a carnivore diet, you probably consume plants in some form of fruit or vegetable. These green and colored foods give us energy and life force. Fruits are literally the swollen ovaries of plants - how magical is that! Digestion is a kind of overlooked magic in and of itself and it literally allows us to transform plants into the energy that our bodies need. Plants don’t always want to be eaten, and studies have shown that it is best to eat local, organic produce. I also prefer to avoid genetically modified plants, which I think are less suited for consumption, but in general, plants offer us the magic of their fibers to consume and transform into muscle, blood and bone. They are sweet, tasty and pleasing to the eye. They quench our thirst and satisfy an empty belly. If you grow your own fruits and vegetables, you participate even more intimately in their magic. Humans have literally grown up and evolved alongside plants, so our existence is intimately entwined with theirs; they take care of us and we take care of them. Next time you enjoy a salad or bite into a fruit, thank the plants for brightening your life and giving you the sustenance you need to survive.
3. You use perfume or plant-based cosmetics
If you use perfume, you are aware of the power that plants have to influence your sensory and olfactory systems. You may put on a special scent to go out, to attract someone new or to positively influence your entourage. You probably like certain smells better than others and you know which ones have certain effects on your mood, in your car or your home. You can’t get enough of the smell of your favorite soaps or shampoos and always buy the ones that smell the best to you. Plant smells attract, or sometimes repulse, and you probably already use this to your advantage. You are already doing plant magic when you do these things because you are using the power of the plants’ volatile oils to influence and improve your life. Maybe you also buy plant based cosmetics or make natural creams at home. If you do this, you are participating even more actively in the power of plants to enhance the quality of your life. They may cure a skin ailment for you or make you look younger. Plant derived materials are in most of the cosmetics we use. Next time you spritz your aura or put a cream on your face, acknowledge how the plants are helping you do your magic.
4. You bring plants into your home
If you bring plants into your house in any way, and most of us do, even if it is just once a year at Christmas (when we bring in a whole tree), you are tapping into a plant’s ability to enhance or change your environment. You may give flowers to a friend on their birthday, literally translating into plant language your loving thoughts, making them feel loved and special for days. Your friend will use them to hold on to the special feeling that a birthday brings. Certain flowers as gifts have special meaning, and your culture may have a shared agreement around this, such as yellow roses indicating friendship, for example, or red roses meaning passionate love. We may use flowers to alter or enhance a relationship, conveying thanks and appreciation or even adoration. You may look up the meanings of the flowers around you in your house to bring extra meaning to your space, or you may talk to your potted plants for companionship and a feeling of compassion. You may notice how certain plants and flowers make you feel when you share space with them. Becoming conscious of this may allow you to purposefully change your mood or the ambiance of the spaces around you. When you pick out a bouquet for a loved one, you are doing plant magic, and the plants will find a way to thank you by bringing more vibrancy and meaning to your life.
5. You spend time in green spaces
If you sit in parks, you know the benefit of making time to spend time with the green life on our planet. You may commune with trees, the shrubs in your yard or on your balcony, buy herbs or garden. All of these ways of interacting with the plants around you bring a sense of peace and fulfillment. You probably feel sad when you neglect a plant and it dies. You may feel you don’t have a green thumb, but even if you think no plants want to survive by your side, you can still take solace in the green spaces in your city or the open fields and forests outside of your town. Acknowledging how plants improve your mood and your life can make you choose to spend more time with them and engage in this special form of plant magic even more. You can choose to consciously breathe with them, noticing how they supply you with oxygen. You can try talking to a favorite tree to see if it replies, or give it a hug. But even if you don’t do these things, you are already doing plant magic when you stretch out on the grass and breath in the special smell of moist soil and green growth. Take these sensations into your body, and celebrate all the ways plants bring you joy and enhance your life.
That’s it! You are already doing plant magic!
If you would like more tips on how to consciously engage with the power of the plants around you, or just simply recognize all you are already doing to weave plant magic in your world, sign up for my bimonthly blog where I talk about my plant communication experiments and our cosmic connection. Plants allow us to feel more connected to the whole of creation, and we can learn to stretch down our roots and reach up to the heavens like them.
I offer flower-powered creative coaching, if you want to see how the plants can enhance your creative life, and I’d love to talk to you about your personal plant connection and creative projects in a free exploratory session. Simply sign up here!
Lots of green love and plant companionship,
Amy