WEBVTT 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:06.259 Welcome to the Plant Wisdom Circle. This is a 00:00:06.259 --> 00:00:09.460 space to share the wisdom of the plants, letting 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.580 their voices ripple outward into ever -widening 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:16.280 circles. Together we honor the plants as medicine 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.320 guides and living beings of healing consciousness. 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:27.309 I'm your host, Amy Tarepka. Hello, hello, welcome 00:00:27.309 --> 00:00:30.190 to the very first episode of the Plant Wisdom 00:00:30.190 --> 00:00:33.710 Circle. I'm so excited that you're here. The 00:00:33.710 --> 00:00:37.189 plants have been asking me to share their voices 00:00:37.189 --> 00:00:40.250 and their teachings for almost a decade now, 00:00:40.250 --> 00:00:43.549 and I am finally heeding the call. It feels like 00:00:43.549 --> 00:00:46.789 it's all in perfect timing. And in today's episode, 00:00:46.789 --> 00:00:49.950 I'll be sharing about the medicine and the teachings 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:53.840 of Quaking Aspen. and how she's worked with me 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:57.820 personally over the years, as well as insights 00:00:57.820 --> 00:01:02.700 that arose in our community ceremony, the plant 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:06.540 wisdom circle. And I offer these circles, these 00:01:06.540 --> 00:01:09.359 plant circles monthly for folks in Portland. 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:11.719 So if you are in town, you should definitely 00:01:11.719 --> 00:01:15.799 join us for one of those. So Aspen has been a 00:01:15.799 --> 00:01:21.200 huge initiator for me over the last 16 years 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:25.120 on my plant path on my medicine path and it feels 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:29.939 so fitting that this first episode is with her 00:01:29.939 --> 00:01:32.700 and it wasn't planned this way which makes it 00:01:32.700 --> 00:01:36.879 even more serendipitous and special but I had 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:41.560 this plant wisdom circle planned already with 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:49.930 her and this nudge this pull this very strong 00:01:49.930 --> 00:01:53.230 download that I needed to start this podcast 00:01:53.230 --> 00:01:57.150 happened after the previous plant was in circle 00:01:57.150 --> 00:02:00.969 with chamomile. And I was like, okay, it's the 00:02:00.969 --> 00:02:05.030 time. And then realizing that Aspen would be 00:02:05.030 --> 00:02:10.229 the first plant we talked about was just so perfect 00:02:10.229 --> 00:02:14.289 and soon you will understand why. But before 00:02:14.289 --> 00:02:17.610 I share more about her spiritual medicine, I 00:02:17.610 --> 00:02:19.810 want to share just a little bit about her physicality 00:02:19.810 --> 00:02:23.169 because it informs so much of her medicine. Aspen 00:02:23.169 --> 00:02:28.729 is a clonal species, meaning that the individual 00:02:28.729 --> 00:02:33.270 organism is the root system underground, which 00:02:33.270 --> 00:02:38.530 then sprouts up trees from that single organism. 00:02:41.419 --> 00:02:45.659 One organism, one tree can be a single tree or 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:50.099 up to thousands of trees. And the largest grove 00:02:50.099 --> 00:02:54.020 of Aspen is in Utah called Pando. And I had the 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:57.500 opportunity to visit this amazing being in 2018. 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:04.099 But they, as a single species, as a singular 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:09.750 quote unquote tree, actually has 40 ,000 trees 00:03:09.750 --> 00:03:13.449 that are considered one. And it's estimated to 00:03:13.449 --> 00:03:16.689 be anywhere from 9 ,000 to 80 ,000 years old. 00:03:17.330 --> 00:03:21.490 So one of the oldest, one of the largest living 00:03:21.490 --> 00:03:25.189 organisms on this earth is an aspen grove, is 00:03:25.189 --> 00:03:30.659 an aspen. tree. So that's why you'll see whole 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:34.219 swaths of Aspen turn yellow at the exact same 00:03:34.219 --> 00:03:38.159 time in the fall, because they are the same being. 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:45.400 So that is just one of the most special aspects 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:49.620 of her medicine. And you know, another physical 00:03:49.620 --> 00:03:55.219 signature is the way her leaves with the flat 00:03:55.229 --> 00:03:59.669 petiole. They dance in the breeze, they shake, 00:03:59.849 --> 00:04:02.330 they quake with the slightest movement of wind. 00:04:03.069 --> 00:04:08.669 And she also has the most smooth and beautiful 00:04:08.669 --> 00:04:12.430 white bark with a white powder that can rub off 00:04:12.430 --> 00:04:17.889 on your body when you hug her. She also has these 00:04:17.889 --> 00:04:21.670 black markings on the trunk where old branches 00:04:21.670 --> 00:04:25.040 fall off that often look so strikingly similar 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:31.319 to eyes. So these are just, you know, some little 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:33.139 drops of the physical medicine. If you want to 00:04:33.139 --> 00:04:36.920 learn more about, you know, how to identify her 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:40.759 or her actual physical medicine, you can look 00:04:40.759 --> 00:04:42.920 that up. There are so many amazing resources 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.680 out there for that, but this in particular is 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:49.300 about the spiritual qualities of the medicine. 00:04:49.579 --> 00:04:55.060 So I have been learning about plant spirit medicine 00:04:55.060 --> 00:05:00.480 since 2006. So nearly two decades, but it wasn't 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:05.139 until 2009 when I found my first teacher, Scott 00:05:05.139 --> 00:05:08.279 Close. And I just want to give him a huge shout 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:11.879 out here because I've learned so much about the 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:16.019 plants from him, how to develop a deep relationship 00:05:16.019 --> 00:05:21.470 with them and just so much of what I know. I 00:05:21.470 --> 00:05:25.949 owe to his space holdings and teachings. So thank 00:05:25.949 --> 00:05:30.209 you, Scott. But yeah, in 2009, I'd been hearing 00:05:30.209 --> 00:05:34.050 about his weekly plant circles for months, and 00:05:34.050 --> 00:05:37.839 I just never made it happen to go to one. And 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:41.240 one day I had this strong pull and I knew that 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:45.620 I had to go. And in these circles, we didn't 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:48.480 know what plant it was that we were talking to, 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:51.060 that we were taking. They're all non -psychedelic 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:54.980 herbs and we'd sit and have an experience. And 00:05:54.980 --> 00:05:59.139 then we'd share about our experience with the 00:05:59.139 --> 00:06:01.500 group and then learn who the plant was afterwards. 00:06:02.439 --> 00:06:05.519 In this circle, I had this incredible experience, 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:08.000 and I want to read you a snippet from my journal 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:14.360 of that first experience. So this was December 00:06:14.360 --> 00:06:22.660 1st, 2009. So I wrote, the energy of the spirit 00:06:22.660 --> 00:06:28.199 was very calming, yet efficient, like a busy 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:30.459 mother on a mission, but not making anything 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:34.459 rushed. I immediately felt I was letting go of 00:06:34.459 --> 00:06:38.240 areas I was holding in order to fully relax and 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.800 sink into the chair. Then came a shaking motion 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:45.779 up and down my body. This occurred often through 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:49.680 my time with her. I was also immediately feeling 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:52.420 like I needed to purge something from my belly 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:59.180 up and out my mouth. I felt often that the plant 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:02.459 wanted my mouth and my throat open to not let 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:06.620 it close, to let the energy flow out. A lot of 00:07:06.620 --> 00:07:10.040 purging, a lot of releasing, a lot of shaking, 00:07:11.620 --> 00:07:15.019 deep shaking of the stagnant within. And after 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:19.100 that, I felt an incredible, deep, deep peace. 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:22.839 It was a very calming meditation. It felt like 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:27.959 I was one with all. such a sense of openness 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:32.540 and interconnectedness. At one point, I saw an 00:07:32.540 --> 00:07:36.800 image of a white waterfall of fairy dust falling 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.360 into my mouth. It felt like a gift from her to 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:47.740 my voice. So, of course, this was Quaking Aspen. 00:07:48.540 --> 00:07:50.699 And I knew nothing about her medicine, but she 00:07:50.699 --> 00:07:53.939 became a very strong and powerful ally for me 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:58.459 and It feels like she is the one that shows up 00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:02.519 for me threshold after threshold, inviting me 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:04.759 more and more into my medicine and my purpose 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:07.839 here. So I really feel like she was the one to 00:08:07.839 --> 00:08:11.040 call me to that first circle to really get me 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:15.879 on this path with this teacher. And again, I 00:08:15.879 --> 00:08:18.079 feel like she's the one who's like, you need 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:22.639 to step into this new rendition of your work 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:27.139 and creating this podcast and speaking our voices 00:08:27.139 --> 00:08:32.080 to the world. So here I am. And yeah, in the 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:36.700 years in between, she's just helped me purge 00:08:36.700 --> 00:08:40.440 so much of what was holding me back from claiming 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:45.799 my path and welcoming me more and more into myself. 00:08:46.330 --> 00:08:49.950 and what I have to offer. And I remember one 00:08:49.950 --> 00:08:53.210 particular ceremony I received a song from her. 00:08:53.350 --> 00:08:57.450 And some of the lines were, you are our daughter 00:08:57.450 --> 00:09:01.509 now. Sing our song for the world. Sing it loud 00:09:01.509 --> 00:09:04.870 and clear. Sing our song for the world. Sing 00:09:04.870 --> 00:09:09.649 it loud and fierce. And then I am your daughter 00:09:09.649 --> 00:09:14.730 now. Mama Aspen, I will sing for you. Mama Aspen, 00:09:14.730 --> 00:09:18.649 I will sing my truth. So that was given to me 00:09:18.649 --> 00:09:22.629 from her after this beautiful ceremony of release 00:09:22.629 --> 00:09:29.149 and claiming my power and my voice. And yeah, 00:09:29.190 --> 00:09:33.830 just a beautiful, beautiful gift from her. And 00:09:33.830 --> 00:09:37.230 I received another song from her years later 00:09:37.230 --> 00:09:42.570 that was also about, you know, sing the song 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:46.080 of your heart, sing the song of love. And she's 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:51.080 so about that for us, allowing our voices to 00:09:51.080 --> 00:09:55.580 sing our truth into the world. So let's go into 00:09:55.580 --> 00:09:57.860 her teachings in medicine a little bit more. 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:03.860 There are a handful of themes that have emerged 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:06.000 over the many years of working with her spirit, 00:10:06.299 --> 00:10:08.879 both personally and in the groups that I've sat 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:11.259 with and the groups that I've held. And I'll 00:10:11.259 --> 00:10:14.820 talk about these and then share some of the specific 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:19.320 experiences from the plant wisdom circle. So 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:27.940 I see this tree as holding all three of the archetypes 00:10:27.940 --> 00:10:30.440 of the maiden, the mother, and the crone energies. 00:10:31.659 --> 00:10:37.960 Often this just light, playful, childlike spirit 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:45.629 and a very nourishing, supportive energy as well 00:10:45.629 --> 00:10:54.590 as this no nonsense, elder, crone, deep, interconnected, 00:10:55.009 --> 00:10:58.490 like take no bullshit kind of energy. So a lot 00:10:58.490 --> 00:11:03.779 of duality and such a variety of medicine depending 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:07.679 on whether you're kind of up in the tree and 00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:10.320 the leaves shaking in the wind and dancing or 00:11:10.320 --> 00:11:14.399 down in that interconnected root ball. And often 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:17.720 people experience some of each of these, but 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:20.980 you know, relationship with the plants and the 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:24.120 plant spirits is so deeply personal depending 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:27.820 on where you are and what you need and who you 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:32.019 are. So depending on this, you will sometimes 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:33.899 meet the crone, you'll sometimes meet the maiden, 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.580 you'll sometimes meet the mother, or receive 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:42.080 whatever medicine along that pathway you need. 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:47.320 And talking about the crone reminds me of another 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:52.759 time when a group of us was down in... southeastern 00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:56.519 Oregon in the Steens Mountain for ceremony with 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:01.600 the plants. I was supporting Scott again and 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:07.980 I had just led with a dear friend an Aspen ceremony. 00:12:08.139 --> 00:12:12.480 We were leading people to connect deep into the 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:17.639 root system of the Aspens and we were just feeling 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:21.580 that power that lives down there and how it feeds 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:26.419 us and we guided them through this beautiful 00:12:26.419 --> 00:12:28.480 ceremony and it was so powerful and I just remember 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:34.080 at the end I was feeling so charged up from this 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:38.299 feeling of being connected to this deep ancient 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:42.299 power of earth. And afterwards, you know, we 00:12:42.299 --> 00:12:45.480 all had time to be off on our own. And I just 00:12:45.480 --> 00:12:49.639 was walking and walking and walking through the 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:53.539 stand of Aspens and I found this huge boulder 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:58.080 to climb up onto and just lay myself down. I 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:03.360 felt intimately connected to the landscape. And 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:05.799 I just remember feeling like something had been 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:12.750 cracked open in me. in regards to my power and 00:13:12.750 --> 00:13:17.370 that power of mine that was just so intimately 00:13:17.370 --> 00:13:24.149 fed by the earth, because our own power is not 00:13:24.149 --> 00:13:27.129 just our own individual, it's just always being 00:13:27.129 --> 00:13:31.409 fed by relationship and we are then feeding earth 00:13:31.409 --> 00:13:35.389 and... the world by our our quote unquote power 00:13:35.389 --> 00:13:39.250 right so it's just moving through us through 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:44.570 our own personal dance of life and how we're 00:13:44.570 --> 00:13:48.409 um creating through this unique vessel but i 00:13:48.409 --> 00:13:52.190 was feeling into that and i just in my mind i 00:13:52.190 --> 00:13:57.450 saw this old crone aspen come to me shaking her 00:13:57.450 --> 00:14:03.389 rattle and She was serious. She was stern and 00:14:03.389 --> 00:14:06.110 just like you need a rattle You are a medicine 00:14:06.110 --> 00:14:08.230 woman and she was just shaking this rattle on 00:14:08.230 --> 00:14:11.210 my chest and I was like you need a rattle you 00:14:11.210 --> 00:14:17.289 need to be holding ceremony and using this rattle 00:14:17.289 --> 00:14:21.370 as one of your tools of medicine in your healings 00:14:21.370 --> 00:14:26.070 and in your space holding and I was like, okay, 00:14:26.470 --> 00:14:31.500 I I will find a rattle and She was basically 00:14:31.500 --> 00:14:34.620 like, it's coming, it's coming. And she just 00:14:34.620 --> 00:14:36.299 kept calling me a medicine woman. And that's 00:14:36.299 --> 00:14:39.460 a word that I hadn't used for myself yet. I hadn't 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:42.919 claimed that I was a body worker and energy worker. 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:44.779 And I was holding these ceremonies, but I never 00:14:44.779 --> 00:14:48.059 claimed that word for myself. And so her saying 00:14:48.059 --> 00:14:51.700 that with this rattle felt really potent for 00:14:51.700 --> 00:14:56.960 me. And then the next day we were in the sharing 00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:00.840 circle and I shared this experience with the 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:03.940 group and afterwards one of the participants 00:15:03.940 --> 00:15:08.679 came up to me and said, I think I have your rattle. 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:13.659 Someone had left it in our community house and 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:18.299 I knew that I had to bring it with me to give 00:15:18.299 --> 00:15:21.120 to somebody. And so he passes me this beautiful 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:27.730 rattle and it was just so... serendipitously 00:15:27.730 --> 00:15:30.509 perfect that Aspen told me I needed a rattle 00:15:30.509 --> 00:15:33.929 and then the next day one was delivered to me 00:15:33.929 --> 00:15:37.990 and it was just so so special but you know just 00:15:37.990 --> 00:15:42.850 this um feeling of that stern crone who's like 00:15:42.850 --> 00:15:46.610 this is the next step and are you going to claim 00:15:46.610 --> 00:15:51.049 it for yourself so that was really powerful okay 00:15:51.049 --> 00:15:57.000 so more about Aspen's medicine Often the experience 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:01.080 for me begins with the movement, begins with 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:03.240 the playfulness, the dancing, the creativity. 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:09.080 I most always feel some sort of quaking, shaking 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:13.500 movement in my body. And I want to share another 00:16:13.500 --> 00:16:17.620 really quick story about that. Another time I 00:16:17.620 --> 00:16:22.159 was sitting in circle with Scott and I had, you 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:25.320 know, this is many years later, worked with Aspen 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:28.860 a lot, had always had that quaking, shaking experience. 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:31.419 And it was another circle where we did not know 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:33.480 what plant we were going to be sitting with that 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:37.000 night. But the moment that he brought the tincture 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:39.220 out and started passing it around, I started 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:44.799 getting that familiar shaking, quaking up my 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:48.940 spine through my body. And I was just like, oh, 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:52.159 we're working with Aspen. And by the time the 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:54.980 tincture came around to me and I tasted it, I 00:16:54.980 --> 00:16:57.600 was, you know, like, oh, yep, this is the taste. 00:16:57.620 --> 00:17:01.200 This is Aspen. And it was just such a cool experience 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:06.220 to have her medicine of that shaking, that way 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:09.480 that she presents herself to come into the space 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:14.079 energetically before I even took the medicine 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:19.529 into my body. So again, there's almost always 00:17:19.529 --> 00:17:23.549 some sort of quaking and shaking or movement 00:17:23.549 --> 00:17:27.950 in my body. And then afterwards at some point, 00:17:28.049 --> 00:17:31.750 I usually go into a deep stillness and experience 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:35.509 being so held and so interconnected to all of 00:17:35.509 --> 00:17:41.450 life. And so Aspen really holds this connection, 00:17:41.809 --> 00:17:46.539 makes this bridge between the fluttery thoughts 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:51.440 of the mind to the deeper somatic experience 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:58.759 of the body. And really allowing thoughts that 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:02.940 feel like they're spinning or not grounded in 00:18:02.940 --> 00:18:06.680 anything to be moved into the body to be felt 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:12.500 to be expressed. So that yeah, we don't stay 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:17.579 in the the anxious rumination and anchor into 00:18:17.579 --> 00:18:20.339 that more deep embodied interconnected place. 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:26.839 And likewise, you know, helping if there is some 00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:31.220 sort of stagnancy of expression in the body that 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:35.480 needs to move will help kind of awaken shake 00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:40.890 up the body and the system so that we can express 00:18:40.890 --> 00:18:44.369 upwards and outwards. So it has this quality 00:18:44.369 --> 00:18:49.849 of connecting above and below the mind and the 00:18:49.849 --> 00:18:57.150 body so beautifully. And to go a step further, 00:18:58.670 --> 00:19:03.630 you know, helping us really connect this experience 00:19:03.630 --> 00:19:07.319 between our own singular expression, our own 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:11.460 singular voice to this deep interwoven relationship 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:16.339 with oneness. So Aspen has been pivotal for me, 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:19.180 again, in finding my unique medicine, finding 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:23.279 my unique medicine path, initiating me into my 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:27.299 own voice with the confidence to speak my voice, 00:19:27.940 --> 00:19:31.039 which has historically been shut down for a lot 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:36.670 of my childhood. So finding that unique soul 00:19:36.670 --> 00:19:41.410 expression, the courage to voice that while being 00:19:41.410 --> 00:19:44.970 deeply held in the knowing of our spiritual oneness. 00:19:45.670 --> 00:19:49.869 That the oneness doesn't negate our uniqueness, 00:19:50.269 --> 00:19:53.049 but enhances it. It gives us support to root 00:19:53.049 --> 00:19:56.210 into, it gives us encouragement and love in order 00:19:56.210 --> 00:20:01.579 to step into who we are. She has helped me really 00:20:01.579 --> 00:20:07.640 learn how to receive support, to surrender myself 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:13.259 into something wider, as well as again, claiming 00:20:13.259 --> 00:20:18.740 my voice. And these two things in her medicine 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:23.599 are intimately connected, inextricably linked. 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:28.069 We cannot have one without the other. So I want 00:20:28.069 --> 00:20:32.309 to share now a few experiences from the Plant 00:20:32.309 --> 00:20:34.789 Wisdom Circle. I'm going to share about my experience 00:20:34.789 --> 00:20:37.970 last year. I held a circle last year with Aspen, 00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:42.170 and I didn't take a ton of notes about other 00:20:42.170 --> 00:20:44.349 people's experiences because I wasn't planning 00:20:44.349 --> 00:20:47.509 on sharing them, but I have some of the themes. 00:20:47.650 --> 00:20:51.730 And then I'll share more intimately about what 00:20:51.730 --> 00:20:58.319 our circle found in this year's circle. Last 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:04.900 year, sitting with Aspen, I saw this ancient 00:21:04.900 --> 00:21:08.619 tree of life emerge in the center of the circle. 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:15.240 And I could feel the way my nervous system, after 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:20.460 doing so much working, busying myself, I was 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:23.839 a little buzzing. And my state was a little heightened 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:27.240 or activated. And I could feel the way she was 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:31.420 showing me the way that I had cut off from the 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:33.539 remembrance of being connected to all of life 00:21:33.539 --> 00:21:36.299 and all of the earth. I was moving as if I was 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:40.839 just an individual being. And she was reminding 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:45.440 me that I'm not alone and told me I'm never alone, 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:51.529 even when it feels like it. And I cried. I could 00:21:51.529 --> 00:21:57.509 feel just a deep emotional release from that 00:21:57.509 --> 00:22:01.509 feeling of being connected and supported. And 00:22:01.509 --> 00:22:05.029 there's a there's a particular feeling that I 00:22:05.029 --> 00:22:11.069 feel when I am deep in the forest or out in the 00:22:11.069 --> 00:22:18.019 mountain meadows just so open and deeply interconnected 00:22:18.019 --> 00:22:20.759 and feeling the forces of life and feeling the 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:24.940 forces of earth. There's a very particular feeling 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:30.500 I get in my body that feels just like, yes, magic, 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:37.059 this is it. And she told me, she brought that 00:22:37.059 --> 00:22:40.220 feeling back up in me and said, this is you. 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:44.660 and that I can always access this because this 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:48.200 is actually the force of my medicine coming through 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:52.960 me. And to remember this, that this is not outside 00:22:52.960 --> 00:23:01.059 of me, but generated from me. And I had never 00:23:01.059 --> 00:23:05.599 recognized that before. I'd always put that on. 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:09.579 the experience that I felt when I was with Earth, 00:23:09.640 --> 00:23:11.559 when I was with the forces of life, but she was 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:14.819 like, no, this is you when you open to it. And 00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:22.259 so that felt really big for me. And that, in 00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:25.940 that circle, other people's experiences, some 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:33.200 themes of surrender, of trust. Being told it's 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:36.539 not yours to hold. Being told you're not alone. 00:23:37.619 --> 00:23:41.940 The experience of moving from separate individual 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:46.539 nature to wider sense of connection. People feeling 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:50.880 this sense of joy, a play of creativity. Some 00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:54.500 grief and emotions being cleared. Someone had 00:23:54.500 --> 00:24:00.650 the experience of eyes everywhere. a lot of shedding 00:24:00.650 --> 00:24:04.490 and clearing and bringing a clearer vision and 00:24:04.490 --> 00:24:07.269 clearer perspective. And I thought that was so 00:24:07.269 --> 00:24:14.029 cool because of the eyes on the bark and other 00:24:14.029 --> 00:24:16.150 people just feeling very loved and supported 00:24:16.150 --> 00:24:19.869 and feelings of interconnection. So that was 00:24:19.869 --> 00:24:23.990 last year. So this all came through in people's 00:24:23.990 --> 00:24:30.430 experiences last year. And this year, I'll share 00:24:30.430 --> 00:24:33.009 my experience first and then share some of the 00:24:33.009 --> 00:24:41.650 other folks. My experience was this invitation 00:24:41.650 --> 00:24:45.970 to put my head back, tilt my head back and my 00:24:45.970 --> 00:24:50.670 throat open, similar to what I felt in that very 00:24:50.670 --> 00:24:54.849 first time with her. And what was interesting 00:24:54.849 --> 00:24:57.650 was when I shared this, several other people 00:24:57.650 --> 00:25:00.170 also had that experience of having their head 00:25:00.170 --> 00:25:04.750 tilted back like that. And there's lots of movement 00:25:04.750 --> 00:25:10.630 for me. I could feel the slow unwinding process 00:25:10.630 --> 00:25:14.269 happening in my body. And I could understand 00:25:14.269 --> 00:25:18.210 that she was unwinding all of these patterns 00:25:18.210 --> 00:25:21.910 held in my body. of inauthentic expression, you 00:25:21.910 --> 00:25:24.329 know, where I held myself back from saying exactly 00:25:24.329 --> 00:25:28.690 the thing I wanted to say or, you know, moments 00:25:28.690 --> 00:25:35.730 when I silenced myself or anything that wasn't 00:25:35.730 --> 00:25:39.589 just fully authentic expression, instinctual 00:25:39.589 --> 00:25:42.190 expression in the moment. She was just kind of 00:25:42.190 --> 00:25:46.480 unwinding. that in me and opening me up more 00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:49.119 fully and widely to receive and allow myself 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:52.960 to flow with life more easily. I stretched my 00:25:52.960 --> 00:25:57.240 arms open wide, expanding my chest and heart. 00:25:57.319 --> 00:26:03.569 And I think it was nearly everyone also. Talked 00:26:03.569 --> 00:26:06.650 about this movement happening for them. So this 00:26:06.650 --> 00:26:10.769 invitation for us all to stretch our arms out 00:26:10.769 --> 00:26:14.269 wide expanding our chest and heart and you might 00:26:14.269 --> 00:26:17.769 want to do this now to just bring the invitation 00:26:17.769 --> 00:26:20.190 of Aspen into your body stretching your arms 00:26:20.190 --> 00:26:24.250 out tilting your head up opening your mouth and 00:26:24.250 --> 00:26:29.130 throat and bringing in some Organic movement 00:26:29.130 --> 00:26:33.700 into your body how your body wants to move So 00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:37.259 I was also, after that experience, feeling the 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:40.539 medicine begin to move down, as often happens 00:26:40.539 --> 00:26:44.279 for me, begin to move down through my body and 00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:50.839 into my pelvis, into my second chakra and feeling 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:55.059 this connection to that deep creative force that 00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:59.660 is there in my second chakra and this sensual 00:26:59.660 --> 00:27:06.230 creation hub. of womb space and rooting here 00:27:06.230 --> 00:27:10.769 so I can express my words more connectedly. And, 00:27:11.009 --> 00:27:15.289 you know, this deep understanding of the creative 00:27:15.289 --> 00:27:19.970 connection between second and fifth chakras, 00:27:20.930 --> 00:27:24.970 between pelvis and throat, womb and throat. And 00:27:24.970 --> 00:27:29.910 after that feeling just so deeply held, deep 00:27:29.910 --> 00:27:34.589 peace. and an invitation to just fully release. 00:27:36.769 --> 00:27:40.109 So that was my physical experience and I'll share 00:27:40.109 --> 00:27:43.109 a little bit more about the words that she wanted 00:27:43.109 --> 00:27:46.690 to share with me or wanted me to share with you 00:27:46.690 --> 00:27:57.769 at the end. So other people, this person experienced 00:27:57.769 --> 00:28:03.240 a throat opening, similar to mine, but a sense 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:08.799 of playfulness and this innocent child expressing. 00:28:10.359 --> 00:28:12.880 She said it was a sense of self she hasn't felt 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:21.500 in a long time. So this invitation to express 00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:25.920 unencumberedly, like... you are the innocent 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:29.480 child and she was drawn to lie down because it 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:32.140 was easier to soften and to surrender into the 00:28:32.140 --> 00:28:35.400 pleasure of the body and felt this strong message 00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:39.420 to express as confidently and fully embodied 00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:45.940 as a child would. That was so beautiful. Someone 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:49.380 else had the experience of having their head 00:28:49.380 --> 00:28:53.039 up and back and just that very physical experience 00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:59.000 of opening the throat, and she was told, I am 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:04.740 unconditional love, and felt that the tree was 00:29:04.740 --> 00:29:08.299 mirroring that that she was too. So that both 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:11.859 the tree and her were both unconditional love. 00:29:13.619 --> 00:29:19.619 Another person felt this contraction into a deep, 00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:25.000 internal rhythmic and unwinding experience. seeing 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.319 sparkles of sunlight dancing and as the unwinding 00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:32.480 was happening, sensing into this trembling in 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:38.099 the body, this fear that needed to move out and 00:29:38.099 --> 00:29:41.579 to express that emotion through movement. So 00:29:41.579 --> 00:29:44.720 another just beautiful illustration of some of 00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:49.880 these themes of bringing that emotional experience 00:29:49.880 --> 00:29:56.529 into the body to express itself out. Another 00:29:56.529 --> 00:30:02.930 person asked Aspen, what do I do with fear? And 00:30:02.930 --> 00:30:07.910 Aspen responded, turn it to gold. We don't know 00:30:07.910 --> 00:30:12.009 exactly how, but this is what she said, turn 00:30:12.009 --> 00:30:19.650 it to gold. Someone else had the insight that 00:30:19.650 --> 00:30:23.029 creativity comes from the underground collective 00:30:23.029 --> 00:30:30.279 consciousness. someone else had this experience 00:30:30.279 --> 00:30:35.240 of this primal, sensual power, like a lioness, 00:30:36.099 --> 00:30:41.579 and allowing her body to just move, allowing 00:30:41.579 --> 00:30:46.460 body movement to move energy in that sensual, 00:30:46.720 --> 00:30:51.059 empowered way. And she was also seeing and sensing 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:55.539 a golden light and the message to her was just 00:30:55.539 --> 00:31:00.900 dance. Someone else had this really beautiful 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:05.539 insight into the relationship between Elk and 00:31:05.539 --> 00:31:11.700 Aspen and was shown this deep reverence and relationship 00:31:11.700 --> 00:31:16.039 and the message to tread lightly on everything 00:31:16.039 --> 00:31:21.589 because everything is you. And she saw all of 00:31:21.589 --> 00:31:25.269 the experiences of Aspen as neutral because they 00:31:25.269 --> 00:31:29.309 just are what they are. The experience of living 00:31:29.309 --> 00:31:32.809 as an Aspen, shaking her leaves in the wind, 00:31:33.890 --> 00:31:37.509 as being, you know, just kind of the same as 00:31:37.509 --> 00:31:41.009 being burned in a forest fire. And Aspen was 00:31:41.009 --> 00:31:43.509 just showing like all of these experiences are 00:31:43.509 --> 00:31:47.369 just what is, and that there's no good or bad. 00:31:47.589 --> 00:31:53.329 It's just life. unfolding and this dance of life. 00:31:54.509 --> 00:31:57.890 So that was really beautiful. Someone else had 00:31:57.890 --> 00:32:02.670 the experience of a great heaviness and a melting. 00:32:03.710 --> 00:32:07.049 and kind of being called into that root system. 00:32:07.150 --> 00:32:09.569 And she was like, I couldn't move if I tried, 00:32:10.190 --> 00:32:14.309 but could feel this subtle vibration pulsation 00:32:14.309 --> 00:32:17.990 within like chi moving throughout. So it felt 00:32:17.990 --> 00:32:21.309 like her experience was Aspen just kind of moving 00:32:21.309 --> 00:32:25.430 her energy body, helping work out, move out the 00:32:25.430 --> 00:32:28.670 energy, getting energy going and moving while 00:32:28.670 --> 00:32:34.569 being very deeply held. There is some gentle 00:32:34.569 --> 00:32:37.309 swaying, more mouth opening, more throat opening, 00:32:37.690 --> 00:32:42.849 fullness in the heart. And someone heard these 00:32:42.849 --> 00:32:49.450 words. You are what they don't say. You can find 00:32:49.450 --> 00:32:53.450 yourself where they don't speak. Say that again. 00:32:53.890 --> 00:32:58.450 You are what they don't say. You can find yourself 00:32:58.450 --> 00:33:04.410 where they don't speak. So this feels very mysterious 00:33:04.410 --> 00:33:10.329 and a good contemplation phrase to hold. And 00:33:10.329 --> 00:33:12.589 it feels like we could, you know, sink into that 00:33:12.589 --> 00:33:16.250 and make a lot of meaning in various ways out 00:33:16.250 --> 00:33:22.490 of that. So beautiful insight and wisdom, words 00:33:22.490 --> 00:33:28.509 and experiences. So yeah, just holding all these 00:33:28.509 --> 00:33:33.019 experiences, you can... sense, right, these themes 00:33:33.019 --> 00:33:37.680 that arise with this, this being when she comes 00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:41.079 and offers herself to us. And, you know, there's 00:33:41.079 --> 00:33:44.160 always a sense of interconnection, of interrelationship. 00:33:45.039 --> 00:33:49.119 There's always a shaking, a quaking, a physical 00:33:49.119 --> 00:33:54.710 movement of some sort. We always find themes 00:33:54.710 --> 00:33:58.769 of self -expression, a voice of sound and song. 00:33:59.069 --> 00:34:01.970 There have been so many songs that have come 00:34:01.970 --> 00:34:04.990 through Aspen in the community over the years. 00:34:05.930 --> 00:34:10.389 There's often this connection to the womb, to 00:34:10.389 --> 00:34:15.750 sensuality, and... often a connection to stillness 00:34:15.750 --> 00:34:19.570 and peacefulness and also to the joy and playfulness 00:34:19.570 --> 00:34:22.829 of the inner child. So as you can see, all of 00:34:22.829 --> 00:34:25.869 these themes represented in the experiences that 00:34:25.869 --> 00:34:30.849 we had in our circle and just the invitation 00:34:30.849 --> 00:34:41.320 to both dance and play and be light and Having 00:34:41.320 --> 00:34:43.960 that come from the sense of being so deeply held 00:34:43.960 --> 00:34:49.119 and inner interconnected So I will leave you 00:34:49.119 --> 00:34:52.159 with some words that she wanted to share with 00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:56.199 you when I asked her In the circle this time 00:34:56.199 --> 00:34:58.860 said what what would you like to share with the 00:34:58.860 --> 00:35:04.599 people and she said Listen to the wind all of 00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:08.619 life is always expressing itself and in communication 00:35:08.619 --> 00:35:13.730 with everything else through this dynamic balance 00:35:13.730 --> 00:35:16.929 that only works when we listen and respond in 00:35:16.929 --> 00:35:20.550 this ever -evolving dance of sorts. And she was 00:35:20.550 --> 00:35:24.889 showing me this interaction where everything 00:35:24.889 --> 00:35:27.769 is just responding to everything else in this 00:35:27.769 --> 00:35:30.389 beautiful, intricate dance, but only able to 00:35:30.389 --> 00:35:33.750 respond because it's in this deep relationship 00:35:33.750 --> 00:35:37.710 of listening and interconnection. And she said, 00:35:37.750 --> 00:35:41.940 we miss humans. in the sacred dance. You've been 00:35:41.940 --> 00:35:45.940 operating in a solo dance that leaves the rest 00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:50.519 of us out and not listening to life. So listen 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:59.139 again and dance with us. So taking a breath to 00:35:59.139 --> 00:36:07.320 let that all in. To thank Aspen for all of these 00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:10.789 beautiful teachings. and the medicine that she 00:36:10.789 --> 00:36:15.050 shares with us, the love that she has for us, 00:36:15.230 --> 00:36:22.110 and the deep wisdom that we can root into when 00:36:22.110 --> 00:36:27.070 we welcome her medicine in. So if you want to 00:36:27.070 --> 00:36:30.769 connect with the plants in this way, all you 00:36:30.769 --> 00:36:35.110 have to do is go outside, find a plant or a tree, 00:36:35.869 --> 00:36:40.579 and open yourself up to listen. It's so simple. 00:36:41.159 --> 00:36:44.340 It's so in your bones. You know how to do this. 00:36:45.260 --> 00:36:49.320 But if you want to learn from me, I have a few 00:36:49.320 --> 00:36:55.199 ways in. The first is a prerecorded one hour 00:36:55.199 --> 00:36:57.980 masterclass called How to Connect with Plant 00:36:57.980 --> 00:37:01.300 Consciousness Without Psychedelics. And you can 00:37:01.300 --> 00:37:05.739 dive into that experience today. The other one 00:37:05.739 --> 00:37:10.730 is for folks listening before November 9th, 2025. 00:37:11.670 --> 00:37:15.710 It's my live cohort course called Call Into Darkness, 00:37:15.909 --> 00:37:18.369 Deepening Plant Allyship that always runs every 00:37:18.369 --> 00:37:21.630 year from around Samhain to Solstice during the 00:37:21.630 --> 00:37:25.670 darkest six weeks of the year. And in that course, 00:37:25.849 --> 00:37:29.349 we work with one plant medicine per week. Aspen 00:37:29.349 --> 00:37:31.869 joins us for week four. So she is one of the 00:37:31.869 --> 00:37:36.750 guides. And each plant brings you through a powerful 00:37:36.750 --> 00:37:40.429 healing experience to help you come back into 00:37:40.429 --> 00:37:44.570 resonance with your deep self, to feel held by 00:37:44.570 --> 00:37:47.610 and connected to the forces of life, including 00:37:47.610 --> 00:37:52.289 your ancestors, and feel empowered to show up 00:37:52.289 --> 00:37:56.409 in the world aligned with your soul's purpose. 00:37:56.530 --> 00:38:00.130 So you can find links to both of those experiences 00:38:00.130 --> 00:38:03.900 in the show notes below. But I trust that any 00:38:03.900 --> 00:38:07.019 way you choose to move forward with your relationship 00:38:07.019 --> 00:38:09.340 with the plants is going to be so meaningful 00:38:09.340 --> 00:38:13.619 to both you and them. So until next time, take 00:38:13.619 --> 00:38:17.599 good care and listen to the wind. Thank you for 00:38:17.599 --> 00:38:20.659 joining the Plant Wisdom Circle. May the teachings 00:38:20.659 --> 00:38:22.780 of the plants continue to ripple through your 00:38:22.780 --> 00:38:25.599 life, guiding you and nourishing you in the days 00:38:25.599 --> 00:38:28.480 to come. If you'd like to keep weaving with the 00:38:28.480 --> 00:38:30.840 plants, you can subscribe to the show. leave 00:38:30.840 --> 00:38:33.039 us a review and share it with others who would 00:38:33.039 --> 00:38:35.820 love to listen. This would mean so much to me 00:38:35.820 --> 00:38:38.980 and to the plants. Make sure to check out the 00:38:38.980 --> 00:38:41.980 show notes below to learn about any links, events, 00:38:42.119 --> 00:38:45.019 or classes I shared with you today. You can find 00:38:45.019 --> 00:38:47.440 the next Plant Wisdom Circle and other classes 00:38:47.440 --> 00:38:51.280 and resources at groundwaterhealing .com. Until 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:54.139 next time, may you walk gently with the earth 00:38:54.139 --> 00:38:55.840 with the plants by your side.