Finding Wisdom in Weeds

I learned from my grandmothers that chamomile tea promotes restful sleep, nettle soup is easy to make and helps reduce inflammation, and young dandelion leaves make a delicious nutrient-rich salad (I am not talking about the soil grinding between my teeth!). 

Earlier in the summer, I joined a Medicinal Herb Walk around the Valley Pond in Newhaven. To my astonishment I discovered that what we often reject may hold what is truly needed, as we were surrounded by healing allies that most of us have learned to dismiss as weeds. As Karine, the knowledgeable Herbal Medicine practitioner leading the walk so beautifully put it:

“There is no such thing as a weed, it is just a plant growing in the wrong place.”

I certainly felt daft when I realised that the so-called "weeds” I had pulled from my garden just a couple of days earlier, absolutely convinced it was an unwanted intruder, turned out to be cleavers; an ancient ally used as a spring tonic, known for its gentle detoxifying properties that support the body to let go of what no longer serves it.

Nature moves in cycles: growth, harvest, rest, renewal.

Women's bodies do too.

From monthly rhythms to the all-mighty transition of menopause, we are naturally connected to these patterns. Yet, our fast paced, attention grabbing ‘modern life’ often demands that we ignore them. Insisting we hurry up and we push through rather than pause and listen.

There is something to learn from the unassuming cleaver. Its stickiness, its subtle strength and its ability to thrive despite being so badly ‘misunderstood’.

Just as we might overlook the humble cleavers in the garden, we may overlook the quiet wisdom of our bodies. To me, menopause, far from being an ending is an invitation to listen, slow down, shed what no longer serve and realign with nature’s timing. The clue is in the name: meno-pause.

• • • • •

This month I invite you to:

1. Join a medicinal herbal walk
   Open your senses to the healing world right outside your door. To check the next one taking place in Newhaven or anywhere else in East Sussex, look at Karine the Medical Herbalist’s event page.

2. Create an Herbarium of the “Overlooked”
   Choose a plant you've pulled up or passed by. Research its properties, draw it, dry it, reflect on what it might teach you. It is a gentle practice to bring our attention to what has been forgotten, both in nature and within ourselves.

• • • • •

On that Sunday morning walk, not only did I gather knowledge on how to recognise plants and their properties. I met lovely people, immersed myself in this humble landscape and walked away with a new perspective.

Perhaps the wisdom we thought was lost is not gone after all, but simply and patiently waiting, growing quietly right here on the path beneath our feet.

This month, may you walk the path with fresh eyes and dare to be the change you want to see in your organisation, family, community and life!

Image Credit: Photo by Kaboompics.com from Pexels