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"The fragrance, color, and form of the whole spiritual expression of Goldenrod are hopeful and strength-giving beyond any others I know. A single spike is sufficient to heal unbelief and melancholy."
John Muir
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Hello lovely humans,
I'm still riding the waves of expansive joy from the experience of co-facilitating HARVEST with my dear friend Amy this past weekend.
The feelings of gratitude are overflowing for how HARVEST took shape. Amy and I gathered with a group of wild women and together, we celebrated the power of communal connection to the land.
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Working with Goldenrod was the perfect plant spirit to commune with at this time of year. There was so much joy, expansion, and ease felt throughout our beings. As I led movement, it was as if the land was speaking through me. I had the movement sequences planned, but what flowed from my lips was the expression of pure, grounded connection to the land. Guiding an epic dance party to seal in the experience was so incredibly special. We were dancing not just for ourselves, but dancing our prayers to the land, and how potent that danced prayer was; we could feel the land smiling beneath our feet.
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One of the movement explorations I guided was a practice I learned while studying dance at NYU. I've used this practice with other human beings, but never with other non-human beings. Back in the Spring, when Amy and I were dreaming up HARVEST, it occurred to me that we should try applying this practice to the plants. I received a lot of positive feedback from the women after they engaged in this practice - it allowed them to drop into their bodies while studying the plant in such a detailed way.
I've decided to call this reinvented movement practice body botany because one is quite literally studying the plants with their body. It seems fitting, plus I love alliterations!
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Goldenrod // body botany
The practice: I wander until I feel called to commune with a specific plant. Sitting in front of the plant with a blank page and pen, I put my pen to paper, keep my eyes on the plant, and engage in a continuous line drawing. There’s no looking down at what I’m drawing. Once I feel complete in my visual study of the plant, I look down and see what I’ve drawn - it’s always beautifully strange in nature. I set the drawing down at the base of the plant, and begin to trace the lines of the drawing with my body. I am now studying the plant with my body. My movements, this dance, are a direct translation of the plant. It feels so incredibly special to dance the plant, and better yet, dance the plant as I have the plant medicine pulsing through my body.
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I’ve never felt so connected to the spirit of a plant. That may sound a little out there to you, but when you choose to view the world through an animistic lens as I do, this all makes perfect sense. Engaging in this body botany by dancing the plants may just be my new favorite pastime
These videos serve as my moving, breathing botany journal - I hope you enjoy what I’m studying and discovering.
Click on the link below to view my post and watch the video.
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This movement study was surreal, and I will continue to explore and develop this practice with the plants I work with medicinally. Perhaps you will give this body botany practice a try yourself? All you need is paper, a pen, your body, a plant, and an openness to explore. If you do try out this creative movement practice, please respond to this email and share your experience with me - I'd love to hear about your findings!
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May you overflow with gratitude for all that you have, & all that you are.
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P.S. please share this email with someone who would appreciate my musings & offerings.
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