Note: This article is from the Brigid's Way October 2015 Newsletter.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to write this newsletter. The reason being that as everything is speeding up, the information keeps flooding in and I could write about 8 newsletters a month, on very different topics. I thought that I knew what I was to share this month and was getting clarity while I was working outside. But then, I saw her and everything changed. Suddenly I knew that I needed to write about Hope, write about Beauty.
Who did I see? Goldenrod (see the above photo)! You may be saying, “Big deal! She’s everywhere this time of year.” This is mostly true, but she hasn’t been in my yard.
I did not know Goldenrod until I lived on a Farm. When Autumn came around, our fields were suddenly full of these Golden flowers that made my Heart sing. Every year, the farm filled with more and more. After several years of living there, she started becoming more popular with herbalists, especially as a remedy for fall allergies. Of course, bee lovers love Goldenrod for she is great food, when many of the other Plants are winding down.
For me, I loved being around Goldenrod. I would trample through her on my daily walks. Suddenly, all my cares would be lifted and soon, I would again find myself mesmerized by her beauty. No matter how I felt when I started those walks, I always returned feeling light and joyful, for Goldenrod certainly did fill me with Light.
After years of having a secret love affair with Goldenrod, I discovered Mary Oliver’s poem (see below). Ah, yes, someone else sees her beauty! I would repeat to myself over and over again, “they bend as though it was natural and godly to bend, they rise in a stiff sweetness, in the pure peace of giving one’s gold away.”
Once you know Goldenrod, you see her everywhere, well nearly. She, like most Plant emissaries, likes to grow in rocky, abused areas; of course, she is helping to reclaim them and adding her beauty. As I would drive or walk, I would see her from the roadside. My Heart would fill with Love and Gratitude at each sighting. And I would remember the message from Goldenrod to add Beauty to this world.
As you may know, I sold my farm last year and moved to town. This has been a challenging transition for me. It was so very hard to leave my Plant friends and allies, along with the other Nature Spirits. Of course, when we have a relationship with the Nature Spirits, we never truly leave them or lose them, they can go anywhere, their physical form does not need to be in front of us. I know this and yet, I miss my daily romps with Goldenrod. I see her from the road, I see her when I’m hiking, I see her in my friend’s pictures, but I miss looking out my window and seeing her. I miss being able to step outside and be surrounded by her healing energy.
Therefore, seeing her growing in my backyard, next to the train tracks, overwhelmed me with gratitude. I don’t really know how she got there, for I had just recently mowed and did not see her growing or I would have mowed around her. It doesn’t really matter, for here she is!
Why do I share this with you? Because Goldenrod is reminding us to look around, be observant and to remember that we are surrounded by gifts. For even in this new place, I am quite fortunate and overwhelmed with abundance. The Plants appear again and again. They are our teachers, they are our guides. Plants are excellent adaptors. They have always evolved before Humans and therefore, can help us through these changing, and sometimes challenging, times. A good rule of thumb is that when a Plant crosses your path 3 times, pay attention, she is trying to tell you something.
Another gift of Goldenrod is that she reminds us of the importance of perspective. Our perspective creates our reality. We can look out on our Dandelion filled yard and think, “Oh, I am so Loved! Look at this food and medicine. I can’t wait to blow the seed heads and make a wish. Oh, how beautiful to see all those Sun heads. I wonder if Dandelion has a lesson to share with me?” Or we can think, “Ugh, another weed! Time to get the weed killer out. She just keeps returning, what am I doing wrong?”
We live in a world of duality: good and bad, light and dark, black and white, male and female. We often are so focused on this (as well as our differences) that we forget that they/we are cut from the same cloth. This duality does not really exist, it is a creation of our minds and culture. Among many spiritual and consciousness expanding groups, there is much focus on shifting to the 5th dimension. There are meditations, breathing exercises, journeys, and classes to help you move into this higher consciousness. Which all sounds wonderful; except that too often, I see people use this work as a way of escaping their pains and problems in this world. This shift in consciousness cannot be about escaping (we’ve had too much of that already), but about embracing. If we want to really experience the lessons of the 5th dimension, then we need to start by realizing that the duality that we live in is a farce. Our biggest challenges and disappointments are our greatest teachers. What we consider to be bad or evil is really an invitation for us to shine our light brighter.
If you need proof of this, then look to our “disasters”. During these times, people come together, we help one another, we suddenly start being our best selves acting with Love and compassion. Also during these times, it doesn’t really matter how much you earn or what you do or what your level of education is, for at the base we are all Humans and we all want Love and Safety. These trying times, teach us a lot about what is really important and about who we are and what we truly want. Sometimes, we don’t shine so well during these events and that is okay too, for that is a symptom of a wound that is wanting attention.
Whether your goal is to broaden your consciousness and shift to the 5th dimension or to simply live a happier life, we all benefit from shifting our perspective towards looking for the lessons and realizing that good and bad are really two facets of the same crystal, what you see depends on which lens you are using. When working on soul work, this usually becomes so clear. My clients are often amazed during a soul contract that the person who has been so “horribly abusive” to them their whole life, actually loves them and is a friend/teacher who is fulfilling a role so that they may learn a lesson. So I invite you to look to see where your challenges are actually your gifts. Who are your biggest teachers? Are you learning the lessons?
Of course, please remember that the Plants are always there to guide you and assist you. The best helpers are those that are calling out to you or those who are your particular allies. Here are a few that have stepped forward. I have found Mugwort to be a particular emissary of the fifth dimension. If you are wanting to experience this or would like to see a particular issue from this vantage point, ask Mugwort for assistance. (I would then suggest going on a journey or dreaming with her.) Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) is helpful for shifting perspectives. If you are stuck with a certain issue, it is helpful to look at it from a different angle, Rudbeckia can help with this. Rose is well, Rose! Rose is a major guide for us at this time, for more reasons than I can include in this newsletter. Mostly, Rose helps us to connect with our Heart and live Heart-centered lives, this is very important for our changing times and evolution. And of course, Goldenrod helps us to find the Gold in our daily lives. When you are able to find the jewels in the mundane and especially among the challenges, you truly are rich. That is alchemy at its best.
Whatever your daily circumstances are, may you find the blessings that surround you. May you look at this world with gratitude and may you receive the Love that is being showered on you.
