Plant Witchery: Discover the Sacred Language, Wisdom, and Magic of 200 Plants - Juliet Diaz 2020

The Exchange
What is Plant Witchery?

Let’s explore further and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Plant Witch and how to walk this path you have already begun to follow. The first step is to become conscious of how every single being in this world speaks to and interacts with each other, as their spirits intertwine.

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

— LAO TZU

There is an exchange happening in the world all around us every day. Flowers provide bees with nectar and pollen, and bees provide flowers with the means to reproduce. This exchange is beneficial, even vital, for both.

The same is true with people, as every connection is an exchange.

In my culture, we believe that everything has a spirit and everything is alive just as humans are. Our expansion, our evolution, and our healing happens through exchanges, for when we’re giving, we are also receiving. The exchanges are unique to each experience, however there is always an exchange that needs to take place—we can’t just take and not give back. To do so would be rude and disconnected with the natural exchange of life. You wouldn’t just walk into someone’s home, open their fridge, eat their food, and walk out without ever saying, “may I come in?” or “thank you,” would you?

An exchange can come in many forms, like saying simple “thank you” after you receive a message from a plant, hugging a tree who gifted you shade from the hot sun, praying to the river who welcomed you with her embrace, or tending to the land by cleaning up garbage that has been left on it. When you create an exchange with nature you are creating a relationship. This relationship becomes stronger and more intimate with each exchange, a beautiful bond and understanding as you pass energy back and forth.

When I grow anything in my garden, I have a small ritual to thank the dirt, the sun, the rain, and the seeds for all their efforts as they create and manifest an abundant garden. I also thank the crops once I am ready to pick them, for the nourishment they will provide me and my family. I never take from the Earth—not even a branch—without asking for her permission first and then thanking her. That is the exchange.

This sacred exchange with Mother Earth is the way life is meant to be felt and experienced—it’s as natural as the flowers and the bees. Walking the path of the Plant Witch will help you to live your life in tune with this exchange and reconnect with the very essence of who you truly are as you balance reality with spirituality.