Worry isn’t work. Outrage isn’t action. How do we harness our emotions to build a better world?
The world that is fed to us from the news, either side brings us concerning situations. Grief, worry, loss, outrage. It seems opinions are now currency in the ever-connected cycle of information overload we live in. Who has the scoop first? Who posts about their opinion first? What if they were wrong? Is there accountability? Talking heads talking about other talking heads…. Sends our heads spinning… We are exhausted… trying to find “truth” in a sea of opinion.
Don’t get me wrong…. I like to know things. It gives me comfort, even if it is not what I want or what I would like to happen. Awareness helps me feel safe, in a strange way. It can help inform my decisions. But what happens when our sincere desire to care about the world and community around us starts draining us. Draining us to the point of depletion and apathy. Unplugging from it helps, yes. However, we have still seen and heard what we have seen and heard, and it is rolling around in our brain, emotions, and body. Even if its not conscious.
Stress, takes a huge toll on the body, mind and spirit. Especially if we are witnessing injustice and despair, in our own lives and the lives of others. Depression, grief, anger; inflammation, and disease follow. How do we harness these emotions, or at least get out of the loop of triggering, so we can take pro active steps to actually deal with the world we live in.
I am not talking about grand gestures or a run for senate. (Although if that calls to you, I wish you the best, good for you.) I am talking about shifting the energy of our emotions, into a more productive space. lets talk about some plants for doom loops, and getting our emotions unstuck.
Agrimony Flower Essence-Externally Happy, and “I am Fine” when, internally, not fine. This is for suppressed anger, which can turn into inflammation, and sudden outbursts of rage. (I also use Agrimony to let people deal with their own emotions, and outbursts. Think customer service here…)
White chestnut Flower Essence - When your mind is left to its own devices, does it automatically go to the worst-case scenario? This helps ease tension and create a calm mind.
Holy Basil- I enjoy this as a tea. It helps clear the mind and calm the spirit. It can also help with study and mindful thought processes.
Chamomile-Tea is also good here. When we fall into the fussy toddler archetype, and even the most trivial thing sets us off. (You didn’t cut the crust off my sandwich right! You didn’t put the plate away in the right cupboard! You didn’t …. !!!) Sometimes, small things can seem very big. Sometimes it is about other BIG things we don’t have the power to change…. And nothing anyone can do,( or not do,) helps our restless toddler. Listen intently to that inner toddler though… the simplicity of frustration, is informing you of something.
Poke Flower Essence- “For Lazy Teenagers of any age” Matthew Wood. Do we not notice our bedroom is piled with dirty clothes, dirty dishes, and old pizza boxes? How about our internal room? Our mind, and our sacred space…. Is it time to tidy up our environments so they can support us? Instead of bringing us to a state of ho hum…… I just need to lie here and ignore the steady stream of debris that is slowly engulfing me….. Poke helps us SEE the mess, and helps us get motivated to tidy up.
*Rue- here what comes to mind is “You will rue the day!” or “you’ll be sorry…” anger and thoughts of revenge. A flower essence or an infused oil used externally would be good choices. It combines well with *Yarrow, *Angelica, or *Rosemary, to keep your energy clear after using Rue to clean out the icky bits. *These probably shouldn’t be used during pregnancy as they effect blood flow.
I also have a couple go to Essential oil sprays I like to make.
Lavender and Cedar Wood- This is calming and grounding. I mostly use this as a Linen spray, when I can’t sleep. It helps turn the mind off, and relax the body.
Sweet Orange and Rose-This combination is from Margi Flint, to spray in the delivery room during child birth. It helps clear out lingering energies from a setting. It works really well. It also resets the energy in a space when it is need.
Lemongrass- This scent is very clearing and uplifting. I find it really effective, especially in commercial setting. One of my favorites.
Well, we cleared out and comforted our minds, and a bit of our physical spaces energetically. Now What?
Rue- Ruta graveolens
I would like to introduce a ideas from Curanderismo A Medicine Path from the South West borderlands of USA and Mexico. This is not a Path that I am formally trained in. (forgive me if I am not presenting this accurately) It does combine my European and Native cultures though, and the plants and the practices that I have studied from this tradition I find very helpful.
When going to a healer, A Curandero you generally have a two-part session. First, you talk about what is going on, what you want help with, what is bothering you. This is called Plactica. In Spanish this means a conversation, chat or talk.
The healer then, may do a healing session with you, give you plants to take, say prayers etc. This is not the end of your Healing session however. This session has another very important part. Practica.
Practica involves the person seeking the healing, to DO something on their own after the session with the healer is over. It may be saying a prayer and taking certain herbs for 3 days. It may be writing a letter to a person who they are angry at and burn it, so that the emotions can leave this person in a manifest way. The healer guides the seeker into a conversation about an appropriate practice, or action, to help move past the “TALKING”. We move from expressing our emotions, and even helplessness, into action. A prayer, planting a seed, volunteering at the local soup kitchen. We feel AND we do. Even if there is nothing we can do to fix a situation, we can move past the stagnant emotion of it, and do good in the world. This is big Medicine.
So, we have talked about many emotions today, and many plants that can help us process them. In the spirit of Practica, here is your homework. (My Kumu was all about homework)
For the next 30 days, each time you feel your heart drop when you hear “News of the World” Choose an action.
Drink a cup of Tea
Go look at the Sky
Use a spray
Take a flower essence
Stand Barefoot on the Ground
Write your thoughts on a piece of paper and burn it
Repeat an uplifting phrase (May I Be A Blessing- is a nice easy one to remember)
Or choose an action or prayer of your own.
Let me know how this works for you. I would love to hear your thoughts. I added some books to the reference section for you to further explore the Curandero healing tradition.
If you have questions, comments or personal experiences please leave them below.
The information shared in these writings are for enrichment and educational purposes only.
As always seek your personal health care provider in implementing any such information. Any application of this material made by the readers discretion is the readers sole responsibility.
References
Antonio Zavaleta, Alberto Salinas Jr. Curandero Conversations El Nino Fidencio, Shamanism and Healing Traditions of the Borderlands. Bloomington IN: AuthorHouse, 2009.
Elena Avila, Joy Parker. Woman Who Glows In The Dark. New Yaork NY: Penguin Group, 1999.
Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, Timothy L. Sawyer, JR. Curandero A life in Mexican Folk Healing. Albuquerque NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2005.
Flint, Margi. The Practicing Herbalist Meeting With Clients- Reading The Body. Marblehead MA: EarthSong Press, 2010.
Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. Berkeley California: North Atlantic Books, 2008.