What I feel when I read this message is hard to put into words. I feel inspiration but also sadness since we are now living in a time where there are so many people who have a profound disconnection to nature and plants and who have ultimately lost much of their sense of wonder in life. I know that nature holds cures for the ills of our time with its inherent power to heal our mind, body, and spirit. The Mary Jo Arboretum is definitely a place of healing as it nurtures our relationship with plants which can also be perceived as "teachers" since there is so much we can learn from the plant kingdom.
Little did I know after leaving the arboretum this day that the archetype (a universal pattern) of the Teacher would arise so strongly and that I was in for a surprise visit with a human teacher who would share her recent experience with a plant teacher...
Shortly after leaving the arboretum I had a surprise encounter with a woman I know, who I hadn't seen for many months. This woman, Karen, just so happens to be a retired middle school teacher who is a Master Gardener with a very strongly nurtured relationship with plants. I knew that Karen had recently returned from a trip to Peru so I asked her to share some of the adventures from her trip. To my total surprise, she shared that she had gone to see a Peruvian medicine man/ healer who works with plant medicine; specifically, the plant medicine called Ayahuasca which is considered to be a powerful Plant Teacher. Though I have never ingested ayahuasca I still feel I can learn a lot from this plant teacher by simply listening to and reading other's stories about their experience with "her." I say "her" as I refer to this plant teacher because many people who come into relationship with ayahuasca say that they experience or feel a presence of energy that is feminine in nature. Because of this, ayahuasca is also referred to as Lady Ayahuasca or Grandmother Ayahuasca. I asked Karen if she had felt a feminine energy during her experience and she exclaimed that she definitely felt she was in touch with with the Divine Feminine force. I loved hearing about her experience! I yearned to hear as much as she wanted to share with me but I understand that what one experiences with plant medicine is deeply personal and hard to put into words. Karen shared that she experienced a lot of wild visions and ultimately, had asked Grandmother Ayahuasca for a vision of what she should be doing for the next 20 years of her life. What a beautiful vision to receive. From what I had previously learned about this plant medicine is that it is also known to induce purging (vomiting and/or diarrhea), not just visionary experiences, so I asked Karen if she experienced purging. She shared that she did puke a few hours later, after the healing ceremony had ended. I was in complete awe listening to Karen's story and her courage to embark on such an adventure. I see Lady or Grandmother Ayahuasca as a powerful plant teacher with a lot of potential to promote healing of mind, body, and spirit, and that this plant teacher's inherent power deserves respect from those who choose to engage with and learn from "her." I plan to continue to learn more about ayahuasca and who knows, maybe someday I will travel to the Amazon or Peru to experience a healing ceremony with this plant medicine through the guidance of a trained healer. For now though, I will just read or listen to others' wisdom that they have gained from listening to Grandmother Ayahuasca.
If you are interested in learning more about ayahuasca, here is an awesome book to check out by Rachel Harris, PhD. I know I desire to listen...
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