I asked my practitioner how she works with plant spirits. She told me that her relationship with plant spirits developed through shamanic journeying. She conveys the plant spirit to me through the use of homeopathic liquids that she sprays in my mouth. It is not the SUBSTANCE of the homeopathic remedy that she is working with; she uses the homeopathic remedy as a vehicle to carry the energy of the plant spirit from her to me. From reading Eliot Cowan's book Plant Spirit Medicine, he no longer uses a material vehicle to convey the plant spirit to his clients; instead he does direct transmission of the plant spirit energy from himself to the client. I asked her why she uses the homeopathy instead of direct energy transmission; she responded she does this because most of her clients need a material vehicle for reassurance that they are indeed "getting something".

 

We who are raised in the Western mind-set are used to putting substances in our mouths for healing, whether it be pharmaceuticals or herbal remedies; my practitioner finds that the minds of many of her clients balk at the idea that a plant spirit "energy" can be imparted to them from the practitioner directly in the form of energy transmission rather than through a material vehicle, and so she uses the homeopathic liquid to convey the plant spirit energies to her clients. She added that shamans in the Amazon region laugh at botanists that go there to find “healing plants” for specific ailments. Although certain plants do have medicinal value as herbs, the most profound energetic power of plants to facilitate healing comes not through their material substance but through their plant spirit, and no form of ingested plant material will impart the plant spirit to the client without the skills of the shaman to convey it.   

 

I asked Spirit the following questions: Can anyone practice plant spirit medicine that has positive intent or does Spirit have to call one to it or is there a “selection process” of some kind? How does Spirit “select” a person to do this kind of healing work? Spirit’s response came through me:

 

 

When a decision is made as to who will be a “plant medicine” shaman or practitioner, it is a joint decision between the human and the plant spirits. If a human has intention and integrity to work with the plant spirits, the plant spirits must “trust”, “feel comfortable with”, the human in order for such an alliance to occur. Both must be receptive to each other. Yes, there are times when the plant spirits do not want to work with a particular human but this is not a “rejection” of the human as such; it simply means the energetics of the human and of the plant spirits are not compatible in some way. Conversely, there may be a human the plant spirits wish to work with and the human is not receptive to this alliance---perhaps the human has a love of and affinity for plants, nature, growing things but is “closed” mentally to the idea of plants having a “spirit” and therefore the alliance would not take place. When there is a mutual attraction between the human and the plant spirits, and both “sides” of the “equation” are “open” and “aware” of each other, than an alliance can take place.

 

It is no different, really, than humans having an alliance with animal spirits. This is somewhat more acceptable to Western mind because physiologically animals have minds, brains, thoughts, emotions so humans are more open to acknowledging animals having “spirit” as well. Plants, physiologically, do not have these same nervous systems and therefore are not seen to possess “spirit” but as you well know plants are “living beings” and since all life on the planet sprang from the same Source everything living is endowed with Spirit, be it human, plant or animal. And of course as you know things that humans classify as “nonliving” have spirits as well—water, earth, fire, wind—Earth elementals—and all that they are a part of—streams, mountains, deserts, rocks, minerals, gemstones—the very foundations of the geophysical structures of the earth, for Gaia herself is a living Being.  

 

 

 

Not all recipients of plant spirit medicine benefit from it on the same level—this has to do with the receptivity of the client, and not always on a conscious level.  How open is the client spiritually to allow for this healing alliance?  For that is what it is. Just as a plant spirit medicine practitioner forms a mutual alliance with plant spirit, so too does a client of the practitioner form an alliance with the plant spirit to engage in a healing process. Plant spirits are by their nature very generous; they wish to share their healing abilities and generally do so with all who seek their help; however, not every person who seeks their help benefits from the plant spirit on the same level.

 

Healing, no matter what modality is used, depends primarily on the human seeking the healing.  The practitioner does NOT heal; the practitioner facilitates the healing that the client does for herself. The practitioner acts as an ally and a guide to healing. In the case of plant spirit medicine the plant spirits are the guides and allies to the client; they assist the “ill” or “out of balance” human to heal/re-balance themselves. So, you really have a “3-way” alliance with plant spirit medicine: the practitioner and plant spirits have formed an alliance to work together to facilitate the healing of the one seeking help; the client has formed an alliance with the practitioner and the plant spirits to work together to assist the client to heal herself. In other words, the practitioner of plant spirit medicine, by nature of her special alliance with the plant spirits, acts as a “middleman” of sorts, allowing the plant spirits with which she is allied to work through her in order to be transmitted to the client to facilitate that client's healing of herself.