Potent Plant Magic for Protection in Uncertain Times: Tapping into your personal power with some hel
- rebel herbalist
- Jan 1, 2017
- 4 min read
Updated: May 31, 2022
With so much change occurring in these past weeks, I have been noticing this increasing sense of disorientation and despair, in myself and people around me as well.
For my empathic friends, healers and other energetically sensitive people I know, it has been difficult to stay focused and motivated in the face of increasing angst and anger around us. Healthy boundaries are crucial to maintaining energy, motivation and longevity.
It is during times like these that I reach for help from my favorite allies are in the plant world. These amazing beings contain powerful medicine for all kinds of physical ailments, but we can also call on them for their energetic assistance as well.
Here are some of my go-to plants to maintain a sense of support, sustained energy, motivation and calm focus within the added stress of increased instability in the world at large.
1. Red Cedar (Thuja plicata fronds)- This plant has helped me stay anchored in practical reality and resistant to outside influences when things get a little hairy in the world. Like a wise elder, this powerful protector connects us in our place with strong roots and embraces us with its trunk and fronds. This plant aligns us with Saturn and helps us embody the fire element. This encourages strong boundaries and enhances self-confidence, a sense of purpose, stability and security. Burning the dried fronds as incense purifies the area and brings our prayers to the spirit world, but this plant can also be taken as a tea or tincture, to help us internalize this energy.
2. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium flowers)- As a plant medicine this plant is most known for its ability to stop bleeding of wounds and it has this power energetically as well. This plant is ruled by Venus and embodies the elemental energy of Fire, helping us keep vital fluids within and circulating healing nutrients in our field. Her energy helps us identify and heal our energetic wounds as well, so we can better offer our medicine to the world. By increasing the strength of our own energy field and preventing external energies from affecting us (by reflecting them out of our field), we are more able to stay true to ourselves.
3. Devils Club (Oplopanax horridus root bark) – The name of this bad-ass plant says it all. Ruled by Mars, and expressing the Earth element, it grounds us and give us warrior-like energy. This plant is especially good when you are feeling flighty or disconnected and bombarded by energy from others. It can you help you discriminate between what is your energy and what is another’s energy in your space. This plant is used to support the adrenal gland and endocrine system, and can increase strength and endurance.
4. Hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha leaf,flower,berry)- This plant embodies the heart energy which connects the upper and lower energy centers of the body. This plant can help keep our high
est intention connected to our creative ability. It synergizes our highest aspirations with practical tangible reality. It encourages a calm courageous sensibility. This plant is ruled by the Sun and expresses the earth element. Energetically, it brings more joy and increases our ability to stay heart centered in the face of challenges throughout our day. It has been used historically to nourish and tonify the heart and support circulation.
5. St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perfoliatum flower)- This plant is ruled by the Sun and embodies the Air element. It has an uplifting and light bringing effect. Strengthens the energetic boundary and shines light into the dark places within our being, sealing up the weakened areas that let others energy to get in. I find this plant just brings sunshine to my day to day routine. This plant has an affinity for our nervous system and can support balanced mood, as well as supporting the immune system to fight viruses.
6. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)- This is especially helpful if you tend to feel bogged down or heavy in response to increasing demands in the world. This plant is ruled by Jupiter and corresponds to the Air element, so it supports expansion and growth. This sweet plant lifts the spirit, adds sunshine to any day, and stimulates our inner light. It helps us feel peaceful and contented, as well as notice possibilities that you may have overlooked before. This plant has an affinity for the digestive tract as well as the nervous system and is especially helpful when your guts tend to respond to your emotions.
7. Angelica (Angelica archangelica)- This beautiful ally helps one embody the balance between expansion and grounded strength, it supports connection to higher realms while keeping us safely connected to earth. It helps connect us to our angels and guides in the spirit realm. This plant is ruled by the Sun and Moon, and expresses the Fire element, stimulating insight and intuition, to help with confident decision making.
Historically, the ancient healers of the Western alchemical tradition, concentrated the energy of the plant and amplified its energetic qualities by the spagyric process. This process increased the healing power of the plant to include the mental emotional and spiritual qualities. You can find extracts of these plants and experiment with them or make your own medicine to tap into this power.
A simple tea, sitting with the plant in meditation, burning dried leaves or adding to your bath water can help you tap into the energetic properties of the plant and benefit from its wisdom. I encourage you to experiment with incense, oils or meditation with plants and see what how they affect your being. I have included some links at the end of the article to recipes for using these plants, or you
If you are taking pharmaceutical medications or have a medical condition, are pregnant or breast-feeding, please consult a healthcare practitioner who has been trained in herbal medicine before using these herbs internally.
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