Winter Lessons from These Plants
As I get my hour walk in this morning I can’t help but reflect on these plants I use in my truffles. I was thinking about how well Mandrake, Belladonna and Datura grow in this climate and how currently their strong roots are tucked into the earth, deep under this snow and ice and they are growing stronger and more beautiful for doing it. I think of them spending these months underground and think of Persephone spending her months in the underworld and re emerging in spring like most of these plants will & all of the life metaphors that brings to mind. Reflecting on this cycle makes me feel so much more balanced, so much more alive, and so much more connected to everything. Rather than judge my down times where I don’t feel like I grow as much, reflecting in this way helps me see how valid those times are and how in fact that completeness of experiences makes me healthier as a whole. It's not always about how beautiful a plant looks above soil, for during dormancy, their beauty is below as they seep up ancient wisdom through the earth uninterrupted. I used to not force my indoor nightshades into dormancy and they did quite well, but once I started forcing them into seasonal dormancy I could tell they were even stronger. We can’t just chase the highs and the good days, for they do not represent a full cycle. We must embrace the completeness of our experiences. Today as I feel that spring like high of coming out of a personal dormancy, I walk with these plants and am grateful for the wisdom and insight they continue to nurture me with. I am grateful for how much they help me navigate my life.
