Image by Dale Forbes 

Narrated by Marie T. Russell

I believe my journey with Plant communication began with Mulberry—although it may have started before I could even imagine. Do we ever really know when a journey begins?

I wake with the sun, listening to the birds sing. I quickly grab my basket and sneak outside while the house is quiet. This is my private time of the day, a prized treasure when no one requires my attention. I prefer to spend this time with the Plants. Today, I gather Mulberries for breakfast. While I harvest, I process whatever is weighing on my Heart and any decisions that I need to make.

Sometimes, when I come out here, I am quite weary, exhausted though the day has just begun. Within moments of picking, my inner child comes out to play. I feel lighter and have more energy. Soon, I’m starting to see the solutions for my problems, or maybe that they aren’t problems at all but opportunities. I head back to the house with a full basket and calm Heart, ready to start my day.

There is something about Mulberry that speaks to our innate Wild Self and allows our inner child to radiate. Perhaps it is the innocence and sweetness of harvesting and eating a wild food rarely found in stores. It is as if this tiny purple berry contains the secrets of the universe. (I think perhaps ki does.)

Mulberry helps us remember the pleasure that this world so abundantly offers. As we nibble on a berry, perhaps our own love affair with Nature begins. I delight in introducing people to Mulberry and witnessing their faces transform with joy and ecstasy, amazed that they can eat a berry off a Tree. Perhaps this is the greatest gift that Mulberry offers, to help us fall in Love with Nature.

Opening to Plant Communication

It is not surprising that the Plant* who opened me to Plant communication is a Tree. Trees capture our imagination and our Hearts, perhaps because they can tower over us and take many different forms or perhaps because they can outlive several generations.

*Author's Note: One of my goals in life is to elevate Plants and other aspects of Nature in our awareness... Therefore I choose to capitalize their names as if they are human... to create an easier reading experience, I am limiting the capitalization of some aspects of Nature, mostly focusing on those connected to Plants and a few other words that I believe could use more emphasis and awareness in our culture, such as Heart, Love, and Soul.

Trees play a pivotal role in art, history, and mythology. Many cultures have a special Tree that they consider to be the Tree of Life. For the Maya, this is the Ceiba Tree. The World Tree for the Norse was the Yggdrasil, an Ash. The Druids’ Tree of Life is the Oak. These Trees connect the Earth and the cosmos or heavens. They also connect the present with the past, including the Ancestors.

Trees help to hold the memory of a Landscape. When we connect with them, we have access to the events that occurred in a specific area. Walking into a Redwood Forest feels like walking back in time; these Trees contain the memory of life before colonization. They hold the imprint of a time when humans lived in harmony with Nature. We can sense this and are awakened to the magical possibility.

Finding Safety with a Tree Friend

In my practice, I have noticed that people who experienced a traumatic childhood, including living in an unloving home, and yet managed to become relatively healthy and intact adults often had a special Tree friend. They were able to find safety with their Tree friend and would visit ki** or hide among ki’s branches whenever the situation was overwhelming. It appears as if their Tree friend helped them to survive and even thrive, providing the Love and nurturing relationship they needed.

Bessel van der Kolk says, “. . . it’s possible to survive just about anything, as long as you have—the people who are important to you are on your side.” I suggest that a Tree friend can fulfill this important role, acting as a loved one who is on your side.

**Author's Note: Plants, animals, and the other Beings are alive, I choose (as best I can) to use animistic language. Therefore I refer to them as “ki” instead of “it.”

I regularly suggest that my clients spend time with Trees. Sometimes this is to help them with anxiety or grief or to simply ease the transition from work to home. Simply being with a Tree helps to strengthen our etheric forces, calming our nervous system, bringing us into the present moment, and shifting us into Heart coherence.

When someone experiences a sudden shock or trauma, I encourage them to spend as much time with Trees as possible. The Trees help them to come back into their body and lessen the energetic effects of the trauma. Trees are able to absorb and transmute the energies that are too large for us to carry.

This is an incredible gift that the Trees offer us and yet, if a large trauma like a massacre or fire continues to energetically affect an area long after the event, the Trees might be anchoring the energy of the trauma in the Land. In this case, we may need to help the Trees to heal and release the traumatic energies that they hold, so that the Land and the Beings who live there are no longer affected by these energies.

Connected to Earth and Sky

If we look at a Tree, we can see that they connect the Earth and the sky, helping us to do the same and to remember our own connection to the Earth and the cosmos. Kahlil Gibran writes, “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”

Trees act like antennae anchoring the energy of the cosmos into the Earth and sharing the energy and messages of the Earth with the cosmos. They are our sentinels, guiding us through life.

There is an eco-society in Italy called Damanhur. This intentional community recognizes the intelligence of Nature. Trees play a vital role in the community. There are two practices from Damanhur that I share with my students.

The first is that every nucleo (their co-housing units) has a welcoming Tree. Before entering the home, whether as a resident or visitor, you greet this Tree, generally placing your forehead on the trunk. This is a beautiful way of preparing to enter the house, helping to move into Heart coherence while also recognizing the protection that this Tree provides for the inhabitants.

The second is that everyone has their special Tree. They are asked to choose a Tree with whom to enter into relationship. They meet with this Tree regularly and are responsible for ki’s health and well-being.

Given what I know about the connection between Trees and healing from trauma, I think everyone should have a special Tree. More than helping us to be healthy, this would encourage us to consider the well-being of our more-than-human kin.

When my children were young, we planted a Tree for each of them. We moved away several years later, but they found other Trees to connect with. We measured their growth with baby Poplar Trees who were soon beyond our reach. Some Trees were treasured for being great climbers, while others were great hiders.

I love so many Trees. I have favorites around the world. And yet, I always keep an eye out for Mulberry Trees whenever I wander. If I see a Mulberry Tree somewhere, I know that there is magic and the Land wants to play and connect with humans. Mulberry welcomes me Home.

Exercise: Meeting with a Plant

You are about to start a relationship with a Plant. Whether this is your first time or the hundredth, it is exciting!

Sometimes our traumas, or beliefs that we are unworthy or unlovable, can resurface. If that is the case, then know that this is an opportunity to heal for I guarantee that there is a Plant who wants to be in relationship with you. If you are willing, this Plant will show you that you are Love(d).

Take a walk. Who is calling you? Who has been trying to get your attention? Allow yourself to be called by a Plant.

There may be a Plant who keeps showing up in your life or maybe one that seems to be stunning. The Light might be shining on a certain Plant or perhaps it looks as if one is waving to you. You may think that a Plant is too obvious, that ki is so gorgeous and everyone is noticing ki. I assure you this is not true; the Plant is trying to get your attention.

You may also find many Plants calling to you. Plants are always communicating with us. When they discover that someone wants to communicate, they get excited, which can overwhelm the human. If this is your experience, thank them and remind them that you can only work with one Plant at a time. And then ask, who is the Plant for you to connect with today?

If you have any doubt, close your eyes, take several deep breaths, start listing what you are grateful for until you feel the shift into your Heart. With your eyes closed, feel the direction your Heart wants to move toward. Follow your Heart.

It is possible that when you go to where you were called you do not feel a strong connection with the Plant, particularly if you were called by a Tree. If this is the case, look around the area, there may be a smaller Plant who wants to work with you.

Don’t worry, you can’t do this wrong!

Now that you’ve been called to a Plant, introduce yourself.

Begin to breathe with the Plant. Become conscious of the fact that you are breathing in the Plant’s exhale and ki is breathing in your exhale. Feel this exchange. Recognize that you are receiving a gift and offering a gift to the Plant. Now breathe in the Love from the Plant and exhale your Love to the Plant.

Feel the innate connection and Love between you. This Plant wants a relationship with you. How does that feel?

When you are finished, thank the Plant.

Congratulations, you met and communicated with a Plant ally! Enjoy this moment.

Stay in the Not-Knowing and Trust

There is a tendency to want to research the Plant or identify ki if you do not know who they are. I encourage you to stay in the not-knowing and trust the development of your relationship. There will be a time for researching the information that others share about this Plant. Let’s first discover what the Plant wants to share with you.

If you do not know who this Plant is, you can ask them what they would like to be called. Many of the names, particularly the scientific names, have been created by dead White men. While it is helpful to have a common language to discuss Plants, we can let the Plants tell us what they prefer to be called.

Copyright ©2023. All Rights Reserved.
Adapted with permission of the publisher,
Bear & Co., an imprint of Inner Traditions Intl.

Article Source: Communicating with Plants

Communicating with Plants: Heart-Based Practices for Connecting with Plant Spirits
by Jen Frey.

Everyone has the ability to consciously communicate with Plants. Jen Frey shows that if we are willing to listen, we can hear the Plants speak to our Hearts and teach us how to heal. With the support of our Plant allies, we can be our truest selves and remember our intrinsic wholeness.

In this step-by-step guide, Jen shows how to awaken your ability to directly receive the unique wisdom and healing gifts of Plants. She describes how communicating with Plants is more like a communion than an exchange of words. The primary language we share with Plants is through the Heart, and Plant communication brings an expansion of Heart intelligence and emotional growth. The Plants help us overcome anxiety, grief, fears, and limiting beliefs and teach us to trust, forgive, embrace self-Love, and enjoy the sweetness of life.

Click here for more info and/or to order this paperback book. Also available as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

Jen Frey is a healer and mentor with more than 20 years of experience with Plant Essences, energy work, and herbal practices. The founder of Brigid’s Way and co-steward of Heart Springs Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, she has dedicated her life to the spiritual path of Plant work. 

Visit her website at BrigidsWay.com/