Honoring Plants used in Rituals

Rituals nourish the deepest parts of our Being. When we use plants during a ritual they facilitate the sacred experiences.

They powerfully and silently communicate a readiness and willingness to commune with Grace (Truth, Spirit, or God).

When we gaze into the past, we discover reverence, respectful appreciation and sacred celebrations held as a way of honoring plants.

“Every culture and religion uses plants in ceremony. Catholics and Eastern Orthodox churches use Frankincense and Benzoin to make the congregation holy. In Hindu tradition sandalwood is used similarly. Ritual and ceremonial use of plants includes incense, body painting (such as henna), the use of talismans, psychotropic plants, ritual baths, and ceremonial foods and beverages.”

-David Winston, RH

Plants are energy bodies created by spirit, therefore they carry unseen wisdom and knowledge. Each carefully chosen plant (used during a sacred ritual) is unique and transformative in the “powers” shared. When we lovingly cultivate, respectfully pay homage to plants they willingly share with us. Plants uphold and restore the physical world around us as well as our physical bodies.

We are so intricately connected, and plants understand this better than humans. Plants and trees communicate via an unseen web sometimes referred to as “Wood Wide Web.” We learn to commune with herbs and plants by observing and mimicking their example of symbiosis. When we decide to use herbs and plants during a ritual, we must approach the exchange in a mutualistic fashion. I honor you and you share with me.

When we decide to add plants to a sacred ritual or a full moon ceremony here are a few sincere considerations.

Realize:

That when we partake in a plant ritual the energetic and historical roots are incredibly vast and interconnected, far beyond comprehension

we are opening to spiritual, ancestral and sacred wisdom

It is an honor and privilege to share in the way

Before cutting a piece of a plant or herb:

Take a few deep breaths

Connect to the silence inside

Whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for the plant

Have faith in its healing powers

Remember respect is at the heart of working with herbs and plants.

Lovingly ask the plants permission

Just as the trees, plants and herbs function through a symbiotic relationship we too must honor and learn from their example - we must cultivate a mutualistic relationship where both sides benefit from the ceremony

Offer something in return to the plants or herbs being used (such as love or a donation toward conservation or Mother Earth)

And lastly give thanks for the way in which plants nourish and nurture our very existence

Namaste