AWAKEN YOUR SENSES WITH LIVING PLANTS

A feature based on material from 'Mood Enhancing Plants' by Chrissie Wildwood

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Imagine the joy of being able to grow and gather your own aromatic plants for distillation in a kitchen table alembic. All the tilling, sowing, nurturing and reaping, culminating in a steamy venture with ethereal rewards!

Of the thousands of aromatherapists practising around the world, very few are in such a fortunate position - for home distillation is illegal in many countries, including the UK. So the majority must rely on commercially produced essential oils captured by sophisticated distillation technology. Our aromatic materials, then, are effectively owned by modern science – long since severed from its roots in mystical alchemy. This hands-off situation could be remedied overnight if qualified aromatherapists were granted the freedom to distil. Then aromatherapy would assuredly take its rightful place in history as the alchemical branch of herbalism!

Instead, most of us are distanced from the plants that produce the essential oils we use. This separation from the source can hinder the development of deep ecological awareness, which encompasses emotional engagement with the way plants are grown and gathered, and respect for the subtle interactions of fragile ecosystems. Without this depth of awareness, it becomes harder to see the incongruity of using oils distilled from wild plants and trees that have become threatened due to excessive commercial harvesting. To the ecologically aware, the capturing of oils from the roots and heartwood of wild forest trees such as rosewood and sandalwood is felt to be nothing less than a plundering of Earth’s finite bounty.

Think of it this way: what gardener of sound mind would destroy a beloved tree, one that had sweetened the air of a hundred summers, solely to capture its scent in a bottle for the pleasure of moments?

So it’s vital that aromatherapists remain connected with Earth and the roots of their healing work, just as traditional herbalists remain connected. We can do this by nurturing our sensory relationship with living plants and trees. Of course, with the demands of family life and/or work commitments many of us feel unable to spare enough time to commune with plants, or to stroll among trees, lest it should be seen as a diversion from doing something more productive. In truth, whatever your position, any amount of time spent with Nature in any of her myriad forms will enhance your life in more ways than can be told.

For plant lovers everywhere (not just aromatherapists), the following enjoyable activities will help awaken your senses to the hidden expressions of flowers, herbs and trees. Do try to make time in your busy life to experience this for yourself. A realisation born of direct experience is much more meaningful than anything you might attempt to learn from others.

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The hidden expression of flowers revealed

On a beautiful bright morning before the dew has evaporated, go into the garden, park or countryside and find some flowers. Begin by breathing in their fragrance, if thus endowed, focusing on how this makes you feel. Run your fingertips over the cool, silken petals and over the stems and leaves. Become fully aware of every nuance of sensation. Then look at a flower through a large magnifying glass in full sunlight. The translucence of a bloom revealed in close-up is captivating: delicately veined petals, mysterious crevices glistening with moisture, hues within hues, perfection of form. From this perspective, familiar garden or wildflowers take on a whole new meaning, transporting the senses to other dimensions!

Expand your sense impressions

The stepwise instruction given below will enable you to develop the ability to sense the fluidity of plant growth and other hidden qualities. The process begins with mundane observation, which eventually gives way spontaneously to deeper experience. This is not an intellectual knowing, albeit the process begins with astute observation; rather it occurs on the sensory and intuitive levels.

You might begin this life-long exploration by choosing to commune with an aromatic plant that also produces an essential oil used in aromatherapy (e.g. clary sage, sweet marjoram, Roman chamomile), or perhaps a medicinal plant or tree with fragrant blooms (e.g. evening primrose, sweet violet, linden). Alternatively, you might prefer to explore a medicinal plant you know very little about. Whatever your choice, it’s important to commune with plants growing in the garden (cultivated without the use of agrochemicals) or in their natural habitats. One plant is studied at a time.

• On meeting your plant in full bloom, observe in minute detail it shape, colour, size, texture, scent, taste (if a non-poisonous plant) and anatomical structure. When you feel you have explored every aspect, contrast its hues with the light and shade of its surroundings. This means seeing your plant in harmony with the other plants growing nearby, and with the trees, the slope of a hill, the expanse of sky. In other words, see your plant in context with everything else – an aspect of the whole. This mode of observation is the same as that of the artist who is able to see many dimensions simultaneously and, therefore, paints with holistic insight.

• It’s also important to observe the plant through its full growth cycle throughout the seasons, and to meet with the same species in different locations. Observation of characteristics is considered from the seed, stem, leaf and flower, the root system, fruit and back to the seed again. This fosters awareness of differences in growth patterns between plants (of the same species) in different growing conditions.

• With this vivid picture of the plant as it stands in the world, you will begin to perceive its energetic nature. You will sense the plant becoming through time – rather like watching time-lapse photography of plant growth. For example, you may discover that some plants are possessed of a bombastic energy as they burgeon their way through life, their roots or tendrils searching and gripping at breakneck speed (relatively speaking!), whilst others express an altogether more subdued energy and grace, and many other qualities that you will discover yourself.

• Having connected with the plant in this way, and become acutely aware of its growth from seed to flower, you may even become ‘as one’ with the plant: moving from perceiving it as a separate, solid entity, to experiencing within your own being its healing virtues, essential dynamism and spiritual essence. When you come to work with the essential oil of the same plant (if available), you may become aware of differing qualities hitherto beyond your awareness. Indeed, be prepared for a few surprises!

As well as gaining insight into the growth patterns and subtle healing qualities of plants in an intuitive and non-invasive way, other rewards emerge from this practice. You will also develop the capacity to see things that were once invisible. This means that whenever you happen upon the same plant in some other setting, it will magically ‘leap out’ of the background. So a stroll through the woods in springtime, for instance, becomes even more enthralling, imparting untold richness, colour and meaning to your experience of the natural world.

Moods and Qualities of Plants

Here follows an indulgent foray into the mood-enhancing and subtle qualities of a selection of aromatic plants and fragrant flowers used medicinally. Remember, though, your own sense impressions of healing plants may be more revealing.

Evening Primrose - Oenothera biennis

In bright sunlight the evening primrose is a bedraggled sight, with its spent, wrinkly blooms hanging limply from the stems. Come dusk, though, and the yellow cups of awakening blooms emit a phosphorescent light, from a distance appearing like glimmering stars. Close-up their subtly odorous breath (unpleasant to some people who are able to detect a ‘fishy’ nuance) attracts moths and other insects of the night. These vibrant flowers - the enchantment of a single night or one cloudy day – embody the call to enjoy life to the full, especially in the grace of our twilight years.

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Sweet Marjoram - Origanum marjorana

The tiny flower buds of this sweet herb first appear like pale-brown knots of string, and are almost hidden beneath the bracts. As soon as the diminutive white flowers open, the plant takes on a whole new persona of sunlit jubilance. Within sweet marjoram’s form is the signature of its healing essence – the ability to release knots of muscular tension, banish feelings of oppression and awaken the soul to joyousness! Its taste is sweet, slightly camphoraceous with warming spicy nuances.

Red Poppy – Papaver rhoeas

To happen upon a golden cornfield bejewelled with scarlet poppies engenders a sense of abundance; sown by the hand of Nature to enthral the human heart! Although a rare treat nowadays, such fields are still to be found in certain regions of France, for instance, where organic farming is still the norm. Yet even a single poppy found growing by the wayside brings cheer – and something more. Although not classified as a fragrant flower, undoubtedly a newly opened bloom inhaled close-up emanates a softly bitter-sweet scent, rather like chocolate but without its sweetness (opium poppy flowers smell much the same). The longer you gaze into the red blooms with their smudge of soft black, the more dreamlike the experience becomes. There’s a softening of the edges of reality, a calling to explore the depths of the soul.

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Clary Sage –Salvia sclarea

If you are able meet the living plant, you will find it a robust and comely herb with its tall, triple-toned lilac, blue and white flower spikes and crinkled downy leaves so inviting to the touch. Run your fingertips over the leaves and enjoy the sensation of crushed velvet, then brush the flowers with your fingers to release the powerful, bitter-balsamic and musky fragrance – not to everyone’s appreciation due to its pungency! As you might expect from its aroma, the taste of the leaves is warm, aromatic and slightly bitter – awakening the senses at first, giving way to a feeling of relaxation.

Linden (small-leaved lime tree) - Tilia cordata

In springtime the majestic lime forms a canopy of the palest green, emanating a gentle florescence in the sunlight and providing a dreamy space beneath. During midsummer when the abundant creamy yellow flowers open the air becomes laden with a honey-like perfume, irresistible to bees. And yet, if a single bloom is inhaled close-up, it emits barely any scent at all. A reminder, perhaps, that whenever we experience painful feelings of separateness, linden may be the catalyst needed – enabling an opening of the heart to others, and the fostering of harmonious relationships.

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Lemon Balm – Melissa officinalis

As well as providing abundant nectar for bees, this cordial herb with its bright leaves and sweet lemony taste and scent nurtures the soul through its delightful exhalations. Clusters of tiny flowers appear in high summer, yellowish at first, changing to pale pink and later white. Caressing the heart, lemon balm transmutes anguish, fear and melancholy into clarity, serenity and gladness. It feels to be especially beneficial for ‘highly strung’ individuals who find it extremely difficult to unwind.

Dog Rose/Wild Rose – Rosa canina

During the enchanted season of midsummer, the straggling dog rose awakens in a cascade of delicate blooms. The flowers open completely, facing upwards to the sun in blushing abandonment, exhaling their subtle rosy fragrance. Come winter, the rosehips impart welcome splashes of fiery red in a landscape of browns, greys and olive greens, or of dazzling white. Embodied within this oftentimes drab and thorny shrub is the essence of revitalisation, and joyfulness in anticipation of life’s adventures!

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Valerian – Valeriana officinalis

Although often mocked for its unwholesome odour, valerian is a handsome plant with its bright green leaves and lofty flower stems swaying in the breeze. The newly opened flowers emanate a softer creamier scent than that of the bruised leaves and roots. Indeed, the gentle fragrance comes as a welcome surprise to those who are familiar with the pungent odour of the dried herb – particularly the ‘stale sweat’ notes of the essential oil. The delicate form of the flower clusters, their mellow exhalation and shell-pink hue engenders contentment.

Sweet Violet – Viola odorata

The ethereal breath of the flowers is sweet and cooling with mossy nuances. It’s a tantalisingly elusive scent, mysteriously dulling the sense of smell within moments. Like a mischievous wood nymph, it plays hide-and-seek with the senses – first you smell it, then you don’t. At the same time, sweet violet’s delicate form expresses sobriety. Embodied in the bowing blooms and heart-shaped leaves is the expression of humility and empathy: cloaking the soul in purple velvet to comfort and console in the days of our grief.

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