Keeping of a Sacred Garden III: Plants and Weird Experiences

The smell of mint will always carry a significant memory for me: The moment I decided I needed to re-route my path, unlearn a lot of things and learn on my own many others, much of this I'm still doing.

Peppermint plant

Mint smells like knowledge, visions, uncertainty, excitement and new begginings. Mint smells like Witchcraft, to me, even more than her witchier, shinier, gothier mates, like datura, belladona and floxgloves. She was the first plant I approached in a ritual setting, with clear intentions of learning from them as an actual spirit and not as a tool for crafting.

Mint taught me courage, clear speach and clear mind. She instructed me in how to sever links that weren't healthy anymore (or maybe never were). She loaned me her coolness to act swiflty and cleanly as needed, as has always showed up in my garden whenever I needed to review relationships and situations.

Once I started learning the languaje of plants, I realized they communicate in a variety of suprising ways. Even recently, reading a great book about the poison path, I realized this is not something unique to my experience, as the author explained this conversation with the plans spirits in an incredibly similar way to mine. Because I am a transplant myself, I had to re-learn all this languaje, once I emmigrated from my native homeland to the strange landmark of some of my ancestors.

The land is different, the air is strange and the Ocean is not the Caribbean Sea that saw me being born. It is a strange disconnection, and you have to grow new roots. - This, the new land taught me.

This communication often manifests in strange ways, the more the connection grows to a specific plant spirit. For example. this is an experience I had with Lady Datura:

As the interest in Veneficium and plant spirit work grew, I started learning about the native herbs in this Island. I was of course, enamoured with Foxgloves, with Daffodils, Mandrakes, Black Nightshades... which do not naturally grows in the Canaries. I spent some time in trance and meditation work, learning about the properties, personalities and care.... but a particular spirit must have decided I needed to get my hands dirty, literally.

I started noticing a weird herb all over, first in a scuba diving trip.

A lanky, small leaved, velvet like plant, with a huge, beautifully fresh and perfumed white flower. Mind you, dear reader, it might not seem strange to you. But this was around 11 am, in a wild Sothern beach, no other plants around her and Datura flowers tend to bloom in the evening, they also do not last long. We just so happened to park the van right next to it. I noticed it, but went about my day.

The next thing I know, Datura starts showing up, closer and closer to my apartment. This is also strange, because southern weather is hotter and arid in this Island, which would be her preference. Lady Datura started showing up in my walks to the store, in the corners of the asphalt. A HUGE one just popped up in a park very close to home and I was shocked and bewildered.

I finally surrendered when I had a dream about a woman standing in my balcony. She was completely white, white hair, white glowing skin, all. Green cloaked and just standing there, staring. Spooked the beejeesus out of me, so next day I scooped the damned thing out of the ground where she was growing in the park and I brought her home.

It was as if she had been waiting for me, I did not even have to dig much.

Datura Inoxia, Canaries.

Ever since then she has guarded my temple garden, I set the Queen up in a pot right were she appeared in my dream. I have learned her languaje and dedicated my Veneficium work to her Spirit. She often shows up in dreams, and recently during a hard break-up of one of my friends, Lady Datura advised me to prepare some pain relief from her flowers, to heal my friend. Of course, this is a strong and unusual relationship to have with a plant, but it is there and it is the goal to have with your Allies.

This is the way they can learn to communicate with us. Many other experiences are waiting to be written and also to be lived.

I hope you get the chance to learn this amazing languaje too.

Gio