In My Blog about the worth of a daily ritual I talked about how connecting with nature daily can instil great peace and harmony. Spending a day last weekend at the Weleda Gardens in Ilkeston, Derbyshire gave me a deeper insight into the principles behind the healing properties of plants and why connecting with them is such a joy. I am sharing some of these ideas with you.
Weleda has over 13 acres of gardens, all of which have been planted with the biodynamic principles of using both moon and star calendar as a point of reference. Steiner, the joint founder of Weleda said that “flowers have the whole of heaven within them” and if we think about Chamomila as an example of this, then the seeds are like stardust, needing light to germinate. Plants are microcosmic, representing the macrocosm. A plant such as Chamomila, Calendula or Daisy is actually a composite of hundreds of tiny flowers that work as a community to create what looks like one larger flower. If we consider that theme in the law of signatures then the Compositeae family all pull together to heal wounds, rebuild skin tissue and promote a healthy restructuring of our barrier to the outside world.
Planting flowers in tune with lunar cycles, without pesticides and harvested in the same manner creates healthy, harmonious plants. Plants that then thrive and that heal in a more dynamic and considered manner.
Calendula, one of Weleda’s most popular plants is used in Baby skincare, skin food, massage oils and as a homeopathic remedy. Its roots have an affinity with our nervous system and skin and the flower is a digestive relief. Interestingly, all skin problems start in the gut (as many of you have heard me say before!) so what we feed our skin actually feeds our gut too. So using skin products that have been grown with planetary love is so healing!
Did you know that the leaves of a plant represent a plants relationship to both etheric and astral energies? Steiner and Goethean plant study allows us to look deeply at the plant itself and we can gain clues as to how this plant will heal us.
If you look at a groundsel plant (Senecio Vulgaris) you can notice how the shape of the lower leaves are smoother, rounder and more open as it has a closer relationship to etheric forces. As the plant grows, it’s relationship to the astral sphere changes and leaves become more jagged and pointed. This is due to the flower of the plant being influenced by astral energy so those leaves closer will have different healing energies. Culpeper stated that groundsel was a cure for epilepsy and in anthroposophic terms epilepsy is the astral body beating too fast.
There’s always lots to learn from nature itself. We just have to look and listen to the plants and hear what they are saying. Improving our relationship with nature through daily practice like a long walk is an excellent place to start!