Most people in modern society did not grow up in an animistic culture. We did not grow up with the understanding that everything has a soul or a spirit, or that non-human beings can be elders in our lives. I did not grow up that way either.
But here is what I have learned since 2007, when grief cracked me open and introduced me to the other-than-human spirits: plant spirits are one of the oldest and most accessible families of helping spirits available to us. They have been waiting for us to remember how to relate to them the way our ancestors did thousands of years ago.
In a world that is missing many of the human elders we used to have, plant spirits can act as ancestors. After building a relationship over time, it is possible to seek guidance, healing, and comfort from the plant spirit world the way you would from a trusted elder. There is no risk of cultural appropriation in this, especially if you are respectful and mindful in maintaining the relationship.
Plant spirits help us reconnect to something ancient in ourselves, the kind of consciousness our ancestors used when they lived in daily relationship with the natural world. That reconnection is not just spiritual. It is physical, emotional, and deeply practical.
One day I needed to take a small piece of rosemary for spiritual work. I was in a hurry and just grabbed it. Simultaneously, I heard "ow!" I looked at the plant and apologized for not asking permission first. Ever since then, I try to ask. When I take a piece of fresh basil, I ask which small branch I should take. Plants are conscious. They respond. They notice.
My grandmother used to say that whenever she got frustrated with her kids, she would go outside and dig a hole in her garden. I think that story demonstrates something we all carry: a deep human need to reconnect with the earth when we are overwhelmed. Plant spirit relationship is what happens when you follow that instinct all the way through.
Some people come to plant spirit work naturally. They have gardened all their lives, or they talk to their house plants without thinking twice about it. Others seek emotional and spiritual solace among trees, plants, and flowers, and have felt the emotions of a living tree. Some are drawn to herbal medicine and sense that the healing goes deeper than the chemistry. Some identify with a plant or tree clan totem through their ancestry or through direct spiritual experience.
If any of that sounds like you, you may already be a plant spirit person. You do not need to have a tradition or a teacher to begin. Trees are a good place to start, since they are found nearly everywhere and they tend to be patient with us.
The process of building trust with a plant spirit takes time, offerings, listening, and showing up. It is ongoing. But even a small beginning matters.
I discuss plant spirit relationship on the Now Moment Journey podcast, available everywhere you listen to podcasts. I also teach a full course on building your own practice with animal, plant, and stone spirit families through the Getting to Know Your Animal, Plant and Stone Spirit Families course
Deeper teachings about plant spirits, including sacred tobacco as a maestro teaching plant spirit, are available through the Patreon.
If you are new to my work, the best place to start is with your animal, plant, and stone spirit families. Take the free quiz to discover which spirit archetype is coming to you, and receive a free 15-minute guided shamanic journey.