Plant Spirit Medicine, Part 3: Shamanic Journeying and Meditation

Welcome to Part 3 of a four-part series on plant spirit medicine! In Part 1, we came to understand plant spirit medicine as a shamanic approach to working with plants as sentient beings who can become our teachers and allies. In Part 2, we explored what it means to cultivate relationships with plants in an intentional, reciprocal way for healing, personal growth, and self-care. Now that we’ve grounded ourselves with a basic understanding of plant spirit medicine, let’s dive into specific meditative practices that can help you commune—and communicate—with plants.

Shamanic Journeying

As we discovered in Part 1 of this series, one of the defining characteristics uniting the myriad traditions and expressions of shamanism is the practice of entering into altered states of consciousness. This allows the shaman to travel to other realms that normally remain hidden or invisible. Some shamanic traditions refer to these realms as non-ordinary reality; in the Celtic tradition, they are known as the Otherworld.

As shamanic teacher Sandra Ingerman explains, “In these hidden realities there are helping spirits, compassionate spirits who offer their guidance and also their healing help on behalf of all life on earth” (para 7). These helping spirits come in many forms and include our beloved plant allies.

The methods of altering consciousness to visit these invisible realms vary widely among traditions, but one of the most common, tired-and-true techniques is the shamanic journey. This method uses percussion, such as a drum or rattle, to help you enter into an altered state. One benefit of this method is that it is less risky and involved than ingesting psychoactive plants, for example; you can literally take a shamanic journey on your lunch break! It’s a safe way to connect with plant spirits, and it can be done in the comfort of your own home.

If you don’t own a drum or rattle (or are unfamiliar with the rapid rhythm of shamanic drumming), there are numerous recordings of shamanic drumming available that you can work with. Even though I do own a shamanic drum, I often still choose to listen to a recorded drumbeat in headphones so that I can relax my body and journey more deeply. I use Michael Harner’s Solo and Double Drumming, but you can find plenty of other options out there with a quick Internet search.

How to Journey

Shamanic journeying is a practice that people often spend years studying and practicing, so a full set of instructions is beyond the scope of this article. But we will cover the basics here and leave you with some resources for diving deeper into this practice if you’d like to explore it more fully.

Many people practice shamanic journeying in a reclined position; sitting can be hard on the back and difficult to maintain for longer than a few minutes. I prefer to lie in bed, the most comfortable place for me, and use a cover to help myself get fully relaxed. Of course, you do run the risk of falling asleep; if that becomes a problem, you might try journeying at different times during the day or sitting up. I recommend using a blindfold to cover your eyes. They will be closed anyway during your journey, but covering your eyes with a cloth or mask can really help you tune out distractions and go within.

Shamanic traditions from around the world tend to characterize three realms of non-ordinary reality: the upper world, middle world, and lower world:

The upper world is often experienced as an ethereal realm inhabited by a variety of spiritual beings. Sandra Ingerman (n.d.) describes “crystal cities and cities of clouds” (para. 13) in this realm.
The middle world is seen as the hidden reality of our world; here, we can travel to past and future events in our lives or divine the location of lost objects. This is also considered to be the realm of the faeries (Ingerman, n.d.).
The lower world is experienced as a tangible, earthy realm that is home to most nature spirits, including those of animals, rocks, and plants. This is where we often journey to meet with plant spirits (Ingerman, n.d.).

To enter the lower world, you travel through a tunnel that leads into the earth; this is done through intention and visualization. To be clear, when you come through the tunnel and enter the lower world, it is not some dank underground lair, but a light-filled world that feels and looks a lot like the ordinary world. Once there, you can call upon various guides and allies, including plant spirits, using the power of your intention and focus. As with most things, it becomes easier with practice.

Infinite Possibilities

Of course, the experiences of shamanic journeys can be infinite, varying a great deal from person to person. As Ingerman (n.d.) says, “Shamanism is a system of direct revelation. All shamans might describe experiences differently” (para. 11). As we’ll explore in Part 5 of this series, the same can be said of how people experience plant spirits.

While I think it’s good to have an understanding of the general framework of non-ordinary reality (although admittedly, even calling it a “framework” feels like a bit of a misnomer for describing an unlimited universe), I’ve also had experiences that seemed to transcend the delineation of the three worlds. While I normally journey to the lower world to meet with plant spirits, I’ve also had the experience of meeting them in other realms.

Once, I journeyed to the lower world with the intention of meeting Mugwort, only to suddenly find myself lifted up into an ethereal realm that felt more like the upper world. There, I met with the spirit of Mugwort as we sat upon the clouds. I can’t say whether this means that Mugwort inhabits the upper world—perhaps it was simply an experience that I needed at the time, so Mugwort guided me there.

If you’re looking for more guidance on how to practice shamanic journeying, Sandra Ingerman is a great source of information presented in a way that is accessible and easy to understand. Here are a few of her resources that can help you get started:

The Beginner’s Guide to Shamanic Journeying (an audio program that includes drumming).
Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner’s Guide (an inexpensive, introductory book).
Check out her website, which has lots of free resources and links to online classes and trainings.

Other Types of Meditation

While shamanic journeying is a powerful meditative technique that has worked well for me and many others on the plant spirit path, it is only one method of connecting with plant spirits. There are many other forms of meditation that can be practiced—and adapted—to fit your own preferences and needs.

Sitting With Plants

One of the simplest methods is to physically sit with a plant in meditation. It’s wonderful to do this out in nature when possible; take a hike a find a special tree, mushroom, or herb and sit nearby. (You can sit with indoor plants, too.) Get into a relaxed state and intend to connect with the plant. You may want to introduce yourself to the plant and state your intentions for the meditation; for example, if you’ve come to learn more about the plant’s medicine or uses, if you have a personal issue you’d like help with, or if you’re simply there to spend time and connect with the plant.

At the same time, it’s easy to get stuck in the mind during meditation and grasp for answers while forgetting about the heart. But the heart is where true connection lies, so try to place your awareness at your heart center and connect with the plant directly from the heart. The green world holds the color of the heart chakra, which to me seems like a big clue. My first conscious connection with a plant spirit happened to be with Hawthorn, a medicine for the heart on many levels. Looking back, I see that this was a gateway experience to the world of the plant spirits, and I had to have my heart cracked open to get there.

I’ve heard some dramatic stories about people who’ve had healing experiences sitting with plants. One man told me that he had been mysteriously ill for years, with a conglomeration of symptoms that no doctor could figure out, let alone address. One night, he felt compelled to sit with a sycamore tree, feeling such a deep healing connection that he ended up sleeping next to the tree that night. When he awoke, he already felt better, and said that his healing process began in earnest after that night.

Another man once told me that, after dealing with a very serious spinal cord infection that nearly took his life, he began meditating with his house plants during the recovery process. He would sit next to them and feel their energy helping him to straighten and heal his spine, one day at a time. Both of these people were, by many standards, just regular folks like you and me. They weren’t trained as shamans, but were spiritual seekers who liked meditating and spontaneously felt compelled to sit with plants. This tells me that anyone can do this—we can all benefit from connecting with plants in an intentional way.

Green Breath

Pam Montgomery (1997) developed a wonderful exercise she calls the green breath, which involves sitting with plants and consciously exchanging breath with them. The breath is part of our symbiotic relationship with plants; we inhale their gift of oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, which the plants inhale in turn. Acknowledging this reciprocity of breath can help us tune in to the green world and feel our interconnectedness with nature and the plants.

The breath is also a powerful tool for mindfulness, relaxation, meditation, and transformative experiences. The breath is the only function of the body that happens automatically, yet can be consciously controlled at will. Thus, it represents the link between our conscious and subconscious minds. Breathing is the key that unlocks a yoga practice; it is a way to practice mindfulness in our daily lives. Breathwork can help us release emotional blocks and even reach altered states of consciousness.

To begin the green breath practice, sit in a peaceful place outdoors and focus on your breath, breathing slowly and deeply, feeling the oxygen nourish your cells. Then bring your awareness to breath of the plants around you. As Pam Montgomery (1997) describes, “Cycle your breath with your green relatives. In your mind’s eye, see the circle of breath with the green world. Feel how this green breath nourishes you at the core of your being” (pp. 133-134). This practice can be also become more focused so that you consciously exchange breath with a single plant (Montgomery, 2008).

The green breath can also help us cultivate an awareness of our breath exchange with plants on a daily basis: “Each day as you walk out the door, greet the green beings with a conscious exchange of breath, and be grateful for them in your life” (Montgomery, 1997, p. 134).

I’ve found that combining the green breath with herbs that open up the respiratory system can enhance the experience. My favorite for this purpose is coltsfoot, a common name that can either refer to Tussilago farfara or Petasites spp., which are used in similar ways. Years ago when I was studying herbalism in Oregon, I was introduced to the native coltsfoot species, Petasites frigidus. Nibbling on a small section of the freshly dug root produced a euphoric experience for me; it had a slight numbing effect in the mouth, and I felt my lungs opening in such exquisite detail that I became highly present in my body and aware of the present moment in a way that felt expansive and healing.

You can try this by imbibing coltsfoot or other herbs that are supportive to the lungs (whether as a tea or tincture, or by nibbling a bit of the plant), such as angelica (Angelica archangelica), butterfly weed (Aesclepias tuberosa), lobelia (Lobelia inflata) (use in small doses—higher doses can cause nausea and other deleterious effects), or herbs with a high volatile oil content, like peppermint (Mentha x piperita).

The Spirit Dose

Another method for connecting with plant allies involves taking a very small amount of the plant before meditation. This is often done with a drop dose—also called a spirit dose—of a tincture, where you let only one drop fall onto your tongue. This establishes a physical connection with the plant, which allows your very DNA to experience the plant.

This practice is sometimes done as a blind exercise in herbalism classes—an unmarked bottle of an unknown medicine is passed around, and everyone takes a drop and closes their eyes to see what they might experience. Then, everyone comes back together and discusses their impressions before the identity of the plant is revealed.

It’s a very fun exercise, and I’ve been amazed at what people can tune into just by tasting a single drop of medicine. I’ve taught classes to folks with little to no prior experience with herbs, yet many can still get accurate impressions about a plant’s energetics and uses for various body systems. I believe this knowledge comes in part from our DNA; we have been co-evolving with plants for millennia, so it only makes sense that we know them on an unconscious level that is coded into our genetic makeup.

Why a Spirit Dose?

You might be wondering why we would choose to take a single drop of medicine instead of a normal dose—what is called a material dose in herbalism. Although a material dose can be helpful and is sometimes needed to bring the body back into balance, remember that plant spirit medicine works more on the realms of relationship and connection. You actually don’t need any physical contact with a plant in order to connect with it on the level of spirit. That being said, I’ve found that making some kind of physical connection, even on a vibrational level, is helpful for awakening our inner senses and awareness of a plant.

The basic idea behind the spirit dose is that less is more—the less you actually imbibe, the more powerful the energetic effect of that plant. This is the idea behind flower essences and homeopathy; both traditions dilute a remedy repeatedly so that sometimes, virtually none of the actual plant material is left in the medicine. These are vibrational medicines, and the vibration is made stronger through the process of dilution.

Somatic herbalists work in a similar way, using very small doses (1-5 drops) of a tincture, even for physical ailments. Matthew Wood is a well known and respected herbalist who comes to mind; because his books were the first I read, for a long time I believed that 1-5 drops was a normal dose. Yet Wood is a master at matching plants with people using very specific indications, finding remedies so exact that only a few drops are needed to effect profound change.

Actually, the spirit dose is a similar concept to microdosing with psychedelics, a practice which is becoming more and more popular. Microdosing refers to taking a sub-threshold dose of a psychedelic substance—not enough to “trip,” but just enough to have a slight effect while maintaining a fairly normal level of consciousness. People commonly do this with LSD to ease depression, improve mental focus, and boost creativity—it’s used by professionals in Silicon Valley to enhance productivity in the corporate world. Personally, I’m more favor of microdosing with natural psychedelics rather than synthetics, but to each their own. There are even vibrational essences of psychoactive plants available online now, and they can be legally sold because they don’t contain enough of the plant material to be detectable.

One of the benefits of the spirit dose is that it’s safe for beginners to work with plants in this way. We may have deep connections with herbs that we don’t necessarily need on the physical level. For instance, just because you draw the Red Root card in The Herbal Healing Deck doesn’t necessarily mean that you should start taking material doses of that plant. Some plants are gentle enough to be taken daily, but others are powerful enough to be harmful under some circumstances. So, especially for folks who may not be as familiar with herbs, using the spirit dose technique is a great way to safely connect with new plants; you can still get to know the plant using your senses, but without any potential side effects.

Spirit Dose Meditation

After all of the explanation about spirit dose theory, this may seem like a complicated practice. But really, it’s quite simple. Here, we’ll break it down into a few easy steps:

Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit.
Take a single drop of an herbal tincture on your tongue and fully taste the medicine. (A tincture is standard, but you can do this with other herbal preparations like a glycerite, or by nibbling a single leaf of a plant or taking a small sip of tea.)
Sit quietly with your eyes closed, slowing your breath and relaxing, and when you’re ready, start asking yourself these questions:
Where does the medicine travel within your body? Does it move upward or downward? Does it go deep within the body or travel out to your extremities? Does it concentrate in a certain area of the body?
Does it feel warming or cooling? Does it make you feel dried out or hydrated? Do you feel any other changes in your physical body?
How do you feel emotionally? Do any thoughts or feeling arise? How about memories or images?
Does the plant have any messages for you at this time?
Just sit with it all and observe what happens without judging your impressions (judgment and doubt can shut down liminal experiences like these rather quickly). Just allow what comes, and take as much time as you need before opening your eyes.
It’s always a good idea to write down your spirit dose experiences, both to help you remember them later and because additional insights often arise during the journaling process.

The Right Way to Meditate

In this post, we’ve outlined a few core meditation practices that have helped many people connect with plants. It can be helpful to have guidelines and instructions to get started, but it’s also important to understand that there is no right or wrong way to meditate with plants. Even teachers who share specific protocols for shamanic journeying, like Sandra Ingerman, will tell you that the possibilities for individual experiences are limitless. That’s the beauty of this type of inner work; it helps you have direct experiences of your own, rather than relying solely on what others might say about a particular plant.

So, if sitting with a plant out in nature isn’t possible, feel free to improvise. Try sitting with a house plant, or doing the spirit dose meditation. You can also meditate with a photo or illustration of the plant, such as a card from The Herbal Healing Deck, to represent the plant and help you call upon the energy and spirit of that plant. You can also call upon a plant without a photo or any physical plant material just by using your intention (we talk about intention in the next post of this series!).

If want to get started but don’t have immediate access to shamanic drumming (or if you find that shamanic journeying just isn’t your thing), you can also listen to some nice, relaxing music during your plant spirit meditations. I’m partial to music that uses binaural beats that help you reach a state of theta brainwaves—as I explain in this post, theta brainwaves encourage intuitive, insightful thinking, deep relaxation, and mental imagery, which are all ideal states for meditation.

Sometimes, it can be easier to follow along with a structured, guided meditation. I like to practice guided meditations alongside shamanic journeying and other forms of meditation. Following along with a narrative is a great way to stay focused while still feeling relaxed and open to insights. You don’t have to remember any instructions, and you run less risk of letting your mind drift off toward something else. That’s why I’ve started creating plant spirit meditations, which you can read more about here or browse here.

In Part 4, we will turn our attention to the roles of intention and ritual in our relationships with plant allies. We’ll also explore how plant spirit medicine can be practiced as a healing modality for ourselves and others, ultimately leading to collective and planetary healing.

References

Ingerman, S. (n.d.). Shamanism: Healing of individuals and the planet. https://www.sandraingerman.com/abstractonshamanism.html

Montgomery, P. (1997). Partner earth: A spiritual ecology. Destiny Books.

Montgomery, P. (2008). Plant spirit healing. Bear & Company.