The Plant Spirit Path
This week I’m starting a 3-part series on The Plant Spirit Path over on The Green Are YouTube channel. I’ve been wanting to get these classes out there for a while now and am so happy the first one will launch this Friday! I’ll be doing some supplemental blog posts to provide extra information, guidance, and resources that I think you’ll find really helpful as we explore this topic- starting here with our overview of what the path looks like!
WHAT IS THE PLANT SPIRIT PATH?
This is a term I’ve been using for many years now to loosely define the spiritual path I follow, how I walk it, and where it takes me. While there are other totally appropriate terms like Wortcunning that I also use interchangeably, I like the umbrella-nature of this particular term and find that it’s a bit more inclusive when it comes to folks working with plant spirits in other traditions and from other perspectives.
The Plant Spirit Path has those three words- and I think when we understand why each word shows up in the name of this journey we can get a more holistic understanding of what it is and how we can work with it.
First is the word Plant- this tells us that the path is focused on plants and that the plants are the primary allies, goals, and focus of whatever it is we do. In my own tradition of The Green Arte, the plants play a central role in how we learn, practice, ritualize, and grow as individuals.
The second word is Spirit- and this affirms that we both experience and approach the plants as spiritual beings. Like us, they are fully sovereign persons who are capable of communication, kinship, wisdom, co-creation, and perspective. Plants are not human people, but they are people indeed! If we don’t approach and work with them as persons, then all the other aspects of the Plant Spirit Path fall apart.
The final word is Path- letting us know that this is a journey based on things done, things experienced, and things embodied. While there is plenty of contemplation, meditation, and study to go around, this tradition is ultimately focused on how we show up in the world and what we do. Our ancient forbears would say that what we think and believe is far less important that what actions we take.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PLANT SPIRIT PATH
As outlined in the class below, our work on a spirit-to-spirit level with the plants is so ancient that I prefer to call it timeless. We have co-evolved with the plants since we all crawled out of the primordial ocean, and we have been witness to one another’s participation in the drama of being since that time.
Plant spirit work in all its forms is rooted in our collective ancestral herbwise ways- every place, time, and culture has had some process of interacting with the plants on a spiritual level and then passing down the hard-won wisdom they gained from those plants to their own people.
Over time, as information begins to be documented in memorized story and the written word, we find these ancient streams of green wisdom being preserved- but what is written is clearly much older than the time in which it was written down. One example of this which is close to my heart and my own practice is that of one of many Plant Spirit Path iterations from the British Isles, specifically England and Wales where we have herbals written down over 1,000 years ago that share information which is much, much older. We can tell by the words used, deities referenced, place names cited, persons mentioned, and so on that what was eventually written was based in truly ancient plant spirit wisdom handed down over the ages.
So, what we do now is ultimately rooted in perspectives and practices that are truly ancient!
MODERN PLANT SPIRIT WORK
As the old ways faded under the pressure of controlling new ways which sought to capitalize on health and wellness and preserve healing arts for the elite, we find that a renaissance of herbal wisdom started to emerge throughout the 1800s and 1900s. Folks begin to crave for the holistic, whole-person approaches to wellness that were held by their recent ancestors and so they sought to revive the herbal wisdom lost to the industrial medicine complexes of the time.
This herbal renaissance began with herbal medicine- people looking for gentle, effective, and accessible remedies for wellness, but it definitely didn’t stop there. We see that as streams of witchcraft and druidry emerge in the mid-1900s, herbal wisdom is brought out alongside the other occult wisdom of those paths. This has been really great to witness as it shows just how important plants are to our overall spirituality- but there are some unfortunate negative consequences in that many modern practitioners of the magical arts approach plants as things, resources, and tools that are simply here to aid in human magic and exceptionalism. When you see people using language in spiritual texts about plants such as ‘this plant is good for’ or ‘this plant can be used for’, proceed with caution! Our ancient herbwise ancestors would have been very hesitant to treat the plant spirits in this reductionist, transactional way for fear of offending the very beings who ensure their livelihood day after day.
As mentioned above, my own practice of the green mysteries expresses in The Green Arte, a name the plants gifted me to represent the particular way I walk and teach the plant spirit path- and I am not alone! There are many amazing folks out there finding ways to share the wild wisdom of the plants in their own unique ways- each of them adding to the rich texture of modern plant spirit work.
WHY WALK THE PLANT SPIRIT PATH?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a survey of what doing this kind of work can do for you. It is, after all, a lot of work- much time, energy, and resources are invested in nourishing relationships with the plant spirits- so is it really worth it?
Here are five reasons why I personally walk this path and find so much joy in it…
Adjunct to other animistic and nature-centered paths
No matter what your spiritual practice is, if you walk a nature-reverencing path, there is room for the plants. They will bring their powerful perspectives, wisdom, connection, magic, and medicine to wherever they’re invited in. Chances are, if you follow a Pagan or other nature-centered path, you already see many places where trees, plants, and botanical blends are referenced and brought in. Why wouldn’t we want the added benefit of the plant’s unique perspective of roots and canopy to aid in our spiritual growth?
Stand-alone spiritual path
If you’re like me, the plants might make up the core of your spiritual path. For me, they are both focus and kin for my own spiritual development and anything else I call into my work is there to support how the plants and I work together.
Personal work
Where the plants are connected to with intention and love, they will always call forth the best parts of us. Plants will help us heal as we learn about their healing virtues, they will help us embody magic as we explore their magic, and they will flow their verdant wisdom to and through us as we nourish kinship with them.
Community service
As the plants teach us, we can take what we learn and turn it into service and mutual aid for our communities. Even the smallest bit of green wisdom can show up as valuable!
The bonfire
Each of us carries a hearth fire within- and the light from that hearth shines out in every direction. This campfire light represents the areas in life where we have the most influence- and the places where we can best apply our plant spirit connections in service of harmony. The plants teach that if we see it, or if it happens near us, we are invited to do something good about it.
HOW TO LEARN PLANT SPIRIR WORK
There are many ways to learn the plant spirit path- here are a few of my favorites…
Books & Videos
There are no shortage of good books and free videos online that can take you from the beginning steps of plant spirit work all the way into advanced practices and applications. I think these are a great place to start as they can be more affordable (or even free) so that as you begin your exploration of this work you can focus your energy on study and experience and not worry too much about financial investments. I post a free class on my YouTube channel every week, and both of my books Spiritual Herbalism and The Green Arte can be found at many public libraries and local bookstores.
Formal Classes & Courses
When you’re ready to get into the rich soil of plant spirit work, it’s time to invest in a formal course, program, or class. These can vary in length, depth, and cost- but this is often the next step after doing self-study. Courses give you the benefit of having a structured syllabus that will take you from one place to another with the help of an experienced teacher. You may choose to study spiritual herbalism, do a course on herb magic or green sorcery, or even take classes on botany- all of them will add to y connections to the plants.
Check out the immersive, on-demand courses I offer here.
Community Learning
Whether in person or online, connecting with other folks as you learn is a great way to get many perspectives and relish in the pluralism that happens in the plant spirit world. You might join a local foraging club, find a great discord server, or join my own group on Patreon where folks are working through shared materials each month and growing together. Check that out here.
Mentorship
The traditional way to learn the green artes is by studying under the auspices of an experienced practitioner and teacher whose style and presentation works for you. While mentors are few and far between, if you have the fortune of working with someone locally or online, go for it!
Personal Green Gnosis
As we deepen our relationships with the plants, we learn how to learn directly from them. They are the greatest authority on their own mysteries, so as we open up the ways between the human heart and the green realm, we are enriched with wisdom that is shared directly from that realm. Learning from the plants is a lifelong pursuit and a skillset that we are constantly refining and deepening- and it is worth every bit of effort we put into it!
