plant women
with the earth in her hands
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I’m sitting in my loft office listening to a gentle rain on the roof. It’s a dreary start to the day, and the cloud cover has taken over any glimpse of the rising sun. I’m on day two of my moon and it feels supportive to the energy in my body, helping me slow down and go inward. Despite practicing the shifts in my cycle for several years now, I still meet resistance sometimes.
As I’m listening to the rain on the roof I think of how grateful I am for it watering the plants. If you’re a gardener, I'm sure you'll understand — when nature does the watering for you, it just feels so good.
This also got me thinking about being a plant woman and how I pay attention to the weather, how I find myself thanking the rain so often, how I watch the way the sun moves across the sky, and how much light is getting to the plants (or how little).
When you're a plant woman, you walk a little more slowly through the woods, taking note of all the plants -- the ones you know by name and the ones you don’t. You have an ever growing curiosity to know the names of the plants, to understand who they are and what our relations might be.
When you're plant woman, you want to know the medicinal qualities of plants, how they help us heal, and you're a student to nature's medicine. You turn here first, because nature guides your philosophy of true healing.
When you're a plant woman, you love the feeling of soil on your hands and you ask more questions about its texture and color.
When you're a plant woman, you try to work in harmony with nature. You’re grateful when there’s abundance to share from the harvest, and wonder if you’ve planted enough to nourish yourself throughout the rest of the year.
When you're a plant woman, you notice how awake you are to the seasons. You notice how summer feels like a race to keep up with all the growing things, and in contrast how winter feels like a quiet time, mixed with planning and anticipation of getting back to the hustle of spring.
In all the seasons you notice the changes, and somehow as each one arrives you welcome it because it’s just what you needed at that time.
In the fall, a reprieve from the hustle of summer. A welcomed wind down.
In the winter, a deep sinking into rest and a time of reflection before you start to emerge again.
In spring, the energy in your body and mind wanting to move and take all those plans on paper and start putting them into trays and soil, waking up with the garden, and feeling all of nature emerge awake.
To all the plant women, to all the people who grow things, may we continue to deepen our connection with the cycles and seasons, with all of nature, with all its gifts and uncertainties. May we continue to grow... with the earth in our hands.
New experiences for plant women at Forest & Flowers Retreat coming soon. Details here.
Note: The “plant women” title was inspired by the book I'm listening to on Audible called, “The Earth in Her Hands" and the author, Jennifer Jewell, who refers to the extraordinary women working in the world of plants as "plant women."
Thank you for reading.
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