the Story behind these Plant Love Letters
In 2012, a beloved teacher of mine, whom I never got to meet in person, Thích Nhât Hahn, wrote a book titled Love Letter to the Earth. Every part of this beautiful book spoke to me. To the Beloved Mother of All Things, he wrote,
“I bow my head before you as I look deeply and recognize that you are present in me and that I’m a part of you. I was born from you and you are always present, offering me everything I need for my nourishment and growth. My mother, my father, and all my ancestors are also your children. We breathe your fresh air. We drink your clean water. We eat your nourishing food. Your herbs heal us when we are sick.”
Mary Morgaine reading the Story behind these Plant Love Letters
I didn’t actually put it together until a couple days ago that the plant love letters I have been writing were most likely birthed from reading this book. (Oh the many, many ways Hahn continues to guide me.) I have always cherished writing and receiving letters and I love giving praise. I also see plants as much more than objects to be ‘used’, so I suppose plant love letters would be a natural evolution of my writing path, being a plantwalker and all.
“The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects.” Thomas Berry
I notice that when someone is referred to in second person- as “you” - they become more relatable, more alive to the listener/reader. In all of my plant reading dives, I have found hundreds of books and online articles written about plants as objects, in third person, as the “it.” However, I rarely find plants written about as subjects or as the center of gratitude and praise.
Perhaps this was the impetus, having no conscious forethought, that led me to write my first plant love letter almost a year ago. I sat down to write about a plant friend but instead my hand wrote to this plant. Since then, I have been on a roll, writing intimately to our plant friends. I am curious how these letters are landing with you? And do you have any plants you would love to see highlighted?
Look. I am sharing this post with you not because I am a Taurus sun, Capricorn moon, Virgo rising gal (that’s Triple Earth, y’all) and can’t help myself with list making and explanations, but mostly because
I believe finding something we truy love doing and then creating a conscious, open-hearted rhythm and ritual around it is going to be our saving grace as a species, because it gives us meaning and joy which brings peace.
I ask you, what is your true love? Your true gift(s)?
With my love letters, it became a pleasant surprise how they birthed their own accompanying rituals that gave them a whole life of their own. They evolved as things often do, unintentionally and organically, and in effect they make this devotion a full circle—a living, gyrating craft, with each action feeding the next. This experience reminds me how I want to live my life.
So here are the steps to the dance of these plant love letters~
First, I stare at it. I smell it. I talk to it and praise it.
Then I find myself tending exquisitely to the plant I am writing, making sure the place where it lives is welcoming and spacious for it to thrive. For example, when I wrote a love letter to Holly, I spent an afternoon clearing out the bittersweet and honeysuckle vines, cutting back the multiflora rose and the other plants that were choking the tree and blocking its airflow and light. Whatever plant it is I am writing to, I am dedicated to also loving it with the TLC I am able to provide.
If the plant is edible, I eat it throughout the week, as that certainly brings us closer.
I put some of the plant material under my pillow and ask for it to come to me in my dreams.
I place a sprig of the plant next to the chair where I write. At some point, I gather up the pile of weeks of plants and I take it to my garden at dawn with a prayer for more and more people to become intimate with the plant world once again.
I ponder this plant with reverence all week long and cherish its essence.
I recall if I have any photos of it from the past to share, or maybe I take some new ones.
I look through the Herbcrafter’s Tarot deck by Joanna Powell Colbert and Latisha Guthrie to see if it contains the plant I have chosen. (Thank you Jessie for this deck, I love you!) If it does, I set that card next to my chair, beside my pile of plants, and look upon it many times that week.
I spend a morning perusing through all my fave plant books to get me inspired of ways to be with this herb that maybe I have forgotten about or didn’t even know until now.
I talk about this plant with friends. I talk to this plant. I listen.
I make a small harvest of the plant and if it is safe to imbibe, I make an infusion of it to drink.
Then, it is finally time to write the love letter! I take this opportunity so ecstatically serious. Here is my chance! It may be the only opportunity I ever have (or make) to write about this plant, and I am sincerely honored and want to do it justice! It reminds me of the times I have written letters to people I am fond of and want to convey my gratitude and admiration.
After I have written my letter and shared it with you, I print it and go sit with the plant to read it aloud to them. This is my favorite part of the whole thing! I feel a buzzing reciprocity going back and forth between us, and it is powerful! I feel the nature devas and the plant spirit’s joy and gladness, and we all have a little celebratory party together! It is super special, and I am sure if you had your fairy lenses on, you would see them present for the occasion.
Lately, I have been getting the download to write more letters from the plants themselves, giving them a direct voice, a first person platform. The “I.” You may have noticed that with the letter From (not To) Dandelion and Rose. I am listening quietly, deeply, and respectfully to what these green allies have to share with us human folk. There is alot more to come. May it feed your soul!
Mary Morgaine Squire
A Full Moon is just barely beginning to wane
May 24, 2024
Weaving Community~
-I had the pleasure of being interviewed this week about Ginkgo on the Herbs with Rosalee Show. Rosalee de la Forêt’s is a dear! She is so devoted to spreading the love of herbs! There are dozens of episodes to choose from: the Andrographis with Richo Cech and Prickly Pear with Mimi Hernandez are two of my fave. Stay tuned for my interview release in June or July!
-We are seeking someone to weed whack here one day a week during the growing season. Someone who knows an Allium from a Grass, a Yellow Dock from a Horseradish leaf. Pay is $25/hr. Contact mary@maryplantwalker.com if interested.
oh I hate to see May go. I love you May. Here are some plant shines from this month:
The unlabeled one above is native Goat’s Rue, Tephrosia virginiana. All of these plants are on the way or atop Onion Rock, the escarpment at 3600 feet elevation on our property.
~Whoever you are, you are welcome here.
So glad you are getting the nudge to write more love letters to the plants! What a blessing. Thank you.
I admire your dedication and enjoy reading your weekly messages. While I revel as I work in nature, it is my food for my nourishment I must continue to study and meditate as I cook my meals. Thank you