Plant Correspondences
as Mindful Focus
In this section of the book, we work with specific plants and garden attributes as focal points of awareness throughout the day. The idea that plants have attributes or correspondences is part of Western herbal traditions and many earth-based spiritual practices. These attributes are energetic and transcendent, and they may or may not be related to any physical healing properties of the plant. Each correspondence is a facet of the world. Some are universal truths, like duality, while others are aspects of engaging with the world, like wisdom.
Choosing a correspondence to focus on for a certain period of time is a powerful awareness technique. We know that at any moment, there are millions of stimuli heading our way. Our nervous system sorts out what is important and what is not. If we give some direction to this process, then we will have more awareness of these truths and concepts in our life.
The image of a specific plant will hold your attention more easily than a concept alone. Tuning in to one plant and concept eliminates a lot of background noise during the day; it is like shining a beam of light on one aspect of our world. Allow the experience of this correspondence to provide a focal point for the swirling energies around you.
As we hold the concept in our awareness, we step back to watch what bubbles up. What connections and discoveries do we make when allowing our lives and the world to present themselves through this correspondence?
Each entry in this part of the book provides information and a correspondence for a specific plant. There are fifty-two entries, one for each week of the year. I suggest working with one plant concept a week. The weekly timeframe provides a good balance, allowing enough time to explore a concept while remembering the mind’s tendency to want to move on to something new. However, one could easily take any of the concepts and commit to a month- or yearlong exploration of just that correspondence. Begin to train your brain by adopting the weekly practice and, if it feels appropriate, extend it to two weeks, a month, or more.
Although I list one correspondence for each plant, keep in mind that the world is much more complex than that. Many plants share attributes. If another plant, especially one that grows in your own garden, suggests itself for an attribute, go with that one. Having a visual symbol of the correspondence is the point.
You can work with the plants and attributes in the order they are presented, or you can choose a plant and attribute that calls to you each week. This is your journey.
Insights and awareness can be fleeting, and the world is a busy place. Using a journal to record your experiences can help you remember and make sense of them. A journal is part of your personal space. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. You can draw pictures, write random words, or write complete sentences—there are no hard rules for capturing your insights. Just remember that this is not primarily an intellectual exercise. You are not simply thinking about a certain plant and attribute, although that can be a part of it; the focus is on your energetic experience. After each entry, there are suggested questions and ideas for shaping your experience. Hold the questions in your awareness and see where they take you.
Working with plants and their correspondences to deepen awareness involves three phases:
1. Attunement
2. Integration
3. Reflection
Generally, attunement is practiced in the morning before you start your day. Integration is practiced throughout the day, and reflection takes place in the evening.
Attunement
Attunement is about establishing a relationship with the plant and correspondence. Once you’ve chosen a plant and attribute—but before reading the entry—capture in your journal the experience you already have with this plant and attribute. Don’t overthink it. Just capture your impressions, but allow enough time to tune in.
If possible, attune outside or with a view of the natural world. Even if this specific plant is not visible in your green space, other plants will vibrate with the same concept. If you can’t be outdoors, consider bringing a sprig of the plant indoors or use a picture of the plant to attune with. Questions to consider while attuning:
• What connections do I have with this plant and attribute?
• Where else in the green world do I find this correspondence?
• Describe this attribute in words or draw it energetically. What color is it? What does it feel like? What is the texture? (These may seem like odd questions, but shifting our awareness from words to senses and feelings opens the door to more subtle experiences with the green world and these correspondences. Pose the questions aloud and give space for answers to arise.)
• Is there a place in or around my body or in my life that more strongly resonates with this attribute? (As with the previous question, allow time and space for answers to percolate.) If you do not feel the attribute, imagine what it would feel like and where you would notice it. Describe that in your journal.
Next, read over that week’s entry about the plant and attribute. Each entry will highlight stories or information about a plant and its correspondence. Think of this as opening a doorway to seeing, feeling, and experiencing the connections between the plant, the attribute, and the natural world.
• What resonates for you with the reading?
• How does it influence your awareness of this plant and its
correspondence?
Consciously move your awareness to your heart area. What feelings, intuitions, or senses arise as you bring this plant and the concept into your heart awareness?
Sit, stand, or walk in your garden or green space. Hold the concept in your awareness as you breathe. Feel the resonance with the correspondence increasing with each inhale. What do you notice? What are you aware of ?
Each morning, reread the information on the plant’s correspondence to help realign and attune. All the correspondences are part of the natural world, so we all have connections of one kind or another with each correspondence and plant.
Attunement through Meditation
A morning meditation, holding the plant correspondence in our awareness, will help anchor the mindful focus for the day.
Sitting comfortably, state an intention to connect with this plant and attribute as you begin to meditate. Let the image of the plant and the correspondence wash over you. Think of it as planting an energetic seed in your consciousness and nurturing it each morning. Feel or imagine it resonating with your whole being. Ask yourself if there is a place you feel this attribute in or around your body.
You can also work with an affirmation for each seed concept using the plant and/or attribute to fill in the blanks below.
I am experiencing ____________ .
I am aligning with ____________ .
I am incorporating ____________ into my daily awareness.
Integration
Integration is about gently holding the correspondence and plant in your awareness as you go about your day. One way to practice is by using the breath, repeating the correspondence to yourself with each inhale. Ask yourself periodically during the day where you are noticing this plant or attribute.
Like putting on a pair of tinted glasses, filter the day through this concept. Be attentive to when the plant, attribute, or situations involving them arise. This is not meant to be a mental exploration as much as an experiential. Be aware of the connections and note them. You may be surprised at how often experiences related to the plant or attribute arise.
Our days get busy, so finding ways to remind yourself of the attribute throughout the day is important. Sticky notes are a great tool. You can also use reminders on your phone or tablet, or send scheduled emails to yourself. Bring clippings of the plant indoors or post a photo of the plant in places you’ll see it (such as the bathroom mirror). These strategies work well and help us move beyond words.
Another fun way to practice integration for plants that are edible is to include them in meals during the week. Planning recipes around a particular plant, when possible, will keep them at the forefront of your awareness. The idea is to immerse yourself in the plant and its correspondence for a week and observe what happens. Questions to consider for integration:
• In what way is the world reflecting this plant and attribute back to me?
• Where is this plant and/or attribute manifesting in my life?
• What nuances and shades of meaning do I notice with this attribute and plant?
Reflection
Reflection is a powerful method of mindfully reviewing the day. It also helps anchor the energetic attribute in your awareness. Ideally, make time at the end of the day for reflection. This can be as short as one minute, although more time allows for more introspection. When you take time to reflect, it is another way to focus your attention. You stop what you are doing, bring the concept into your awareness, and write or draw your insights.
Identify and try to capture in pictures or words your unique experience with this plant and attribute. Questions to consider when reflecting at the end of the day:
• Where and how did I experience this plant and attribute today?
• How did I embrace this attribute today?
• What insights do I have about this plant or attribute?
• What wisdom does this plant and attribute bring to my life?
• What rings true about this plant’s entry and how might I expand it or make it my own?
• What challenges did I have when focusing on this plant and attribute?
• What insights do I have about this plant or attribute?