I’m sitting just yards away from the ocean in the gulf coast of Mississippi. Dawn is just breaking through the mist that hangs in the air and rays of light splay through the branches of the massive and majestic live oak trees surrounding me.
How long have these trees stood here? What do they know? One can only imagine… they hear the whispers of the wind from the Ocean, carrying who knows what wisdom from the depths, from across the world. Perhaps they hear the whale songs.
What else have these trees seen? We can’t forget where we are… the deep south. And these ancient Oak trees have no doubt seen war and trauma, received those energies, and have stories to tell about it. Even though those stories may be hard to hear, this will carry wisdom for those brave enough to listen and not turn away.
Their crowns are huge, with branches both reaching upwards for the cosmos and also growing down so low they almost touch the ground, receiving wisdom from the Star Nations and their earthly environment as well.
These oaks have a whole host of plants that grow around them, beside them, up their trunks and along their enormous branches. There’s a feeling that they are almost motherly towards the guild of beings congregated around their greatness, receiving their wisdom and their protection.
One wonders how a human might get an invitation to such a guild.
There is a timeless recipe for seeking such an invitation. In Mestizo Curanderismo, the recipe is known as a Shamanic Plant Dieta– the ancient practice of making space to listen to the wisdom of the plants.
For these great Oaks we make a space of quiet solitude with no distractions save what arises in our own minds.
No work.
No screens.
No one to talk to, no one to touch.
No mirrors.
No cosmetics, toiletries or chemicals to potentially barrier the spiritual connection with chemical smells and humanly concerns like vanity and “body odor.”
We fast or eat sparsely of bland food with no salt, sugar or oil,
Keeping our attentions and intentions solely directed towards raising our vibrations to the subtle, rarified place of plant consciousness–
So that we may hear them speak,
Perhaps even hear them sing.
If we can reach a certain quiet place of reverence and connection, maybe they will even gift us a song.
One we can sing to call them into a circle of healing for ourselves and those we serve.
An icaro.
The life of the Mestizo shaman and those who apprentice that path is much dedicated to this practice. It’s one of the many reasons people claim the path is so difficult. It’s not unlike “taking the robes” of monkhood. Shamanic Dieta is the practice that is actually most central to gaining the capacity to serve the Medicine. Most would think you learn to serve Medicine by participating in ceremony, but it is not so.
How is that? Why is that? How does that make any sense?
Stay tuned, and I’ll tell you…
