Plant Initiation and Stepping into the Sacred

During this time of great awakening, many of us are looking for a deeper understanding of ourselves and our world. We sense that there is more to life than the daily grind and want to tap into the Unseen to receive guidance, experience oneness, or simply remember who we truly are. We turn to the wisdom of Nature to help us find a sane way forward. The Plants in particular have agreed to be our ambassadors, helping us to remember our connection to all and guiding us through this next evolution, inviting us into a deeper relationship with ourselves, one another, and Earth. There are many ways in which we can work with the Plants to receive guidance, healing, or gain a new perspective; a Plant Initiation is one of the most profound and transformative experiences. Through the shamanic ceremony of a Plant Initiation we step out of ordinary life and into the Sacred. We are forever changed as the Plant Initiation becomes a defining moment in our life.

What Is a Plant Initiation

There are many names for a Plant Initiation: Plant diet(ing), Plant ceremony, Plant dieta, Sacred Plant Initiation, or similar variations. These experiences can range from day long to a weekend to months to a lifetime. Often the initiation requires a shift in diet or activities to facilitate your connection with the Plant and to prepare you for your experiences. Regardless of the name or method used, they all have the same intention: engage with a Plant (or combination of Plants) in ceremony to experience transformation. Usually this transformation includes a deepening relationship with the Plant initiator, personal insight, receiving of healing energy, releasing old beliefs or patterns, and seeing the world with a new perspective.

Humans have engaged in ceremony with Plants for eons. The most known ceremonies are with psychotropic Plants or entheogens, like Ayahuasca or Peyote. However, ALL Plants are conscious and able to help us tap into Source, Universal Energy, or the Divine. Therefore, we can engage in Plant Initiations with the common Plants who surround us. In other words, there is no need to engage in psychedelics to experience oneness or transformation.

The Plant Initiations that we facilitate at Brigid’s Way are with the incredible Plant allies who support us every day, such as: Elder, Tulsi, Cedar, and Plantain. We gather in ceremony for three days (though occasionally we meet for two days). Throughout this time we engage in numerous ceremonies and shamanic experiences to help us connect deeply with and receive healing and guidance from our Plant initiator.

Why Engage in a Plant Initiation

Our Ancestors recognized the importance of ceremony and ritual to honor special events as well as to help us grow and heal into our potential. It was through ritual that sacred wisdom was shared. When there were challenges, wether personal or communal, we turned to ceremony to help us find a solution. As we approached thresholds of life, it was understood that we needed preparation and guidance to help us navigate the changes and to step into our next evolution. 

Yes, we can see remnants of some of these rituals and yes, there are cultures who have maintained their traditions; however, as a whole most of these initiations and ceremonies have been lost. Additionally, we are living in a new time of Earth with very different challenges and opportunities than those our Ancestors faced. The guidance for the ceremonies always came from Nature and the Unseen. And so, the Plants have agreed to initiate us, bringing us back into connection with Nature, our more-than-human kin, giving us the tools and wisdom to navigate our shifting world, and remember the sacred wisdom.

While Plant Initiations are very personal and the experiences can greatly vary, it is quite common for participants to experience the interconnectedness of all (otherwise known as oneness), as well as, to feel a deep, unconditional Love. 

Thanks to the generosity of the Plants, we too can receive the healing, preparation, and guidance we need most at this time to help us find sane solutions for a thriving future. As we engage in Plant Initiations, we also receive the personal insights and support that we need most to navigate our lives with grace and to step into our potential.

Some experiences of previously held Plant Initiations include: strengthening intuition, finding solutions to a conflict, reduction of pain, awakening and strengthening connection to Spiritual Guides, releasing of ancestral burdens, visions of future relationships, increasing confidence and self-acceptance, memories of past lives surfacing including healing wounds or beliefs or accessing skills and wisdom from that life, learning how to set healthy boundaries, release of grief, learning how to simply be and experience stillness, overcoming fears and blockages, receiving inspiration, greater understanding of the sacredness of anger, experiencing playfulness and joy, discovering root causes of an issue, and so much more. While Plant Initiations are very personal and the experiences can greatly vary, it is quite common for participants to experience the interconnectedness of all (otherwise known as oneness), as well as, to feel a deep, unconditional Love. 

The Plant Initiation Experience

There are many ways in which to engage in a Plant Initiation. Generally you ingest a form of the Plant Initiator and engage in some form of a ceremony. The Plant Initiations at Brigid’s Way are inspired by the work and process of Carole Guyett, author of Sacred Plant Initiations. Though the exact process varies depending on the guidance of our Plant initiator and other Guides.

Like all initiations, the process starts long before the actual ceremony. I work with the Plant initiator to co-create different preparations of ki*. For instance, I may co-create a tincture of the leaves, roots, flowers, and/or fruit of the Plant. I may also harvest components to dry, which will later be made into a tea. A syrup, oxymel, or infused honey may also be made. I always co-create a Spirit Essence with our Plant. The making of these medicines is all done ceremonially and with guidance by our Plant initiator. Sometimes they are made a year or more in advance. As our initiation gets closer, I make tea with fresh and dried components of the Plant, if possible.

The participants or initiates are also asked to prepare themselves. These preparations often include setting an intention for their initiation, as well as, making dietary shifts to facilitate their process. It is generally suggested that you fast during a Plant Initiation. Fasting reduces interference and enables us to connect more clearly with our Plant initiator. However, supportive foods (usually nuts, nut butter, and fruit) as well as herbal tea are provided for anyone who needs them. And for those who fasting is not recommended for, they are welcome to eat as needed. The decision to eat or not eat is a personal one and can vary depending on the Plant you are connecting with.

To facilitate transformation and reduce interference, the Plant Initiation is held within a sacred container. This container is created long before our gathering or even the medicine making. On the morning of our gathering, we formalize our container by setting sacred space and stating our intentions. We then co-create our sacred elixir utilizing the various Plant preparations mentioned above. Often there is another supportive Plant and we may include their juice or an alcohol preparation of them. (Being sensitive to alcohol, I tend to use less alcohol in my preparations than those that Carole mentions in her book.) We add our blessings, songs, and prayers to this elixir. 

We ingest this sacred elixir throughout the weekend. For those who choose, whether for health or personal reasons, to abstain from the elixir (which does contain alcohol), accommodations can be made. Sometimes people will simply hold the glass, other times they may spritz themselves with the elixir, or work with another preparation of the Plant (such as a Flower Essence or tea).

Our three days together are rather spacious and provide ample opportunity to simply be and connect with our Plant Initiator. We commune with our Plant and receive information through our various senses. We also engage in numerous ceremonies, which again can vary depending on the Plant (see below for more information). Each ceremony builds on previous experiences and aids in our understanding of the gifts of the Plant we are working with, while also providing an opportunity for personal healing and guidance.

We complete our time together by engaging in the most important ceremony of all, reciprocity. We each give an offering to our Plant initiator to thank them for the amazing ways in which they support us. At the conclusion of our ceremony, we break our fast together with a nourishing and delicious meal before returning to our homes. While this is the end of our time together, it is not the end of the initiation. Each participant is given an Essence of our Plant ally and encouraged to continue to work with them, for at least the next 6 weeks, Through the initiation, we have become one with our Plant ally, forever carrying them with us. We can continue to receive guidance, support, and healing energy from them for the remainder of our lives.

The Ceremonies of a Plant Initiation

Common ceremonies included in a Plant Initiation are shamanic sound journey, labyrinth meditation, dreamwork, Greenbreath journey, modified Council of All Beings, and a dismemberment journey.

• Shamanic Sound Journey Through the shamanic sound journey, we meet with the Plant Spirit of our Initiator. Shamanic sound journeys enable us to move outside of time and space and receive information that is beyond our periphery. This ceremony provides an opportunity to ask questions, receive guidance or healing, or simply spend time with our Plant ally.
  
• Labyrinth Meditation The labyrinth is an ancient magical tool which can be utilized for healing, inspiration, divination, and receiving personal revelations. We engage in walking meditation within the sacred temple of the labyrinth to help us discern our Truth and understand ourselves more. As we walk, we send blessings of Love to the world and our more-than-human kin.
  
• Dream Journey Dreaming with our Plant ally provides another method for receiving information and healing energy. Dreamwork bypasses our conscious mind and opens us to the wisdom of the universe. We are no longer held by the restrictions we put on ourselves during our waking life. Within this infinite possibility, new Truths may reveal themselves to us. Even if we do not remember our dream, we can still be transformed by the experience. Sometimes, the sharing of someone else’s dream will spark something within us or reveal the message we were needing.
  
• Greenbreath Journey Breathing gifts us life and when engaged with consciously can encourage transformation. This is particularly true with a Greenbreath journey, a 72-minute, guided journey using activated breathing and set to music. Throughout this journey we are breathing with our Plant Initiator as ki guides us through various healing experiences. The breath that we utilize creates a high-frequency which can shatter limiting beliefs, old patterns, and stagnation. As we breathe with our Plant ally, we can experience spontaneous healing, other dimensions, new ways of being, and a deep, intimate connection with our Plant, where there is no separation. We release traumas and stuck emotions and re-member who we are, experience unconditional Love, and move into the bliss of oneness.
  
• Modified Council of All Beings After multiple experiences and ceremonies with our Plant initiator, we prepare for our modified Council of All Beings. A Council of All Beings is a powerful ceremony where we embody and speak as our Plant ally. This experience helps us to understand the gifts our Plant Initiator is sharing with us, while also providing an opportunity to see and experience the world with a different perspective.
  
• Dismemberment Journey While the name may sound off-putting or scary, a dismemberment journey is actually a beautiful experience. Through this ceremony, we have the opportunity to die to the old while our Plant Initiator helps to put us back together and be reborn, more fully aligned with our Soul and Nature. This again can be an incredibly powerful, healing experience.

We can experience each of these ceremonies on our own. However, engaging in them within a community of wonderful humans enables us to go even deeper. They become a synergistic, alchemical experience.  It’s almost as if we need each other for our healing and transformation. (I think we do.)

Integration

The experiences of a Plant Initiation are so deep, profound, and often multi-layered that it takes time to integrate the messages and shifts into our lives. This period of integration can last for several days or even years, as your body and psyche adjust to the new information, perspectives, and experiences. During this time, your understanding of the messages grow and you begin to make decisions and changes from this wiser, informed perspective.

Sometimes the shifts from a Plant Initiation may seem minor (maybe you have a greater sense of self) and other times, we chose a completely different trajectory for our life. I have had so many magical and powerful experiences during Plant Initiations both with those that I participated in and those that I facilitated. And yet, after each experience, I continue to be amazed at the profound depth of a Plant Initiation. The experiences I have had through these initiations have truly transformed my life and often guided my next phase.

If you would like to learn more about Plant Initiations, I highly recommend Carole Guyett’s book Sacred Plant Initiations: Communicating with Plants for Healing and Higher Consciousness. Or the best way is to experience a Plant Initiation for yourself.

Getting to spend a weekend in deep ceremony with Plants and amazing people is an enormous gift. Plant initiations help us to feel more aligned, alive, nourished, supported, and hopeful for our future. We owe the Plants so very much. Often all that we need to do is show up and receive. With their guidance we can create a better life for ourselves and a more loving world for all.

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*Ki is an animistic, genderless third person pronoun which recognizes the aliveness of our more-than-human kin. To the best of my knowledge, in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer was the first to suggest using ki.

Since 2003, Earth advocate and author, Jen Frey, has supported courageous, conscious groups and individuals return to a deep connection with Nature. She founded Brigid’s Way in 2010 offering classes in Plant communication, personal healing consultations, and apprenticeships for those who are ready to transform through remembering Sacred connection. Jen continues to support other practitioners and seekers through her keynotes and workshops while also traveling the world providing land consultations and making Plant Spirit essences for our awakening to wholeness.