Tending A Sacred Garden by Ingrid Petres

​Norman looked like a round egg. In my memory he wore lederhosen, although I’m pretty sure that part is my imagination. This kindly old childhood neighbor exuded a warm sunshine like his garden. His mysterious and sacred garden was equipped with a coy pond, Buddha statue and sun dial. It was a magical place that I would sneak into and pretend to pray to the Buddha. My family was not religious in any way but I was always pursuing the sacred. My mom tells stories of hearing me sing to the Red Bud tree in my yard. I remember climbing its branches and loved its heart shaped leaves that seemed to whisper a soothing that nourished me. There is something so healing in a garden.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the manner we are brought up in Western society is not sustainable for the future of our planet. Our Earth is sick. We cannot run from the destruction we are causing. It is and will continue to affect our species health if we do not change our habits.  ​

The Pandemic and the mass extinction across all species point undeniably to the truth that we are in fact not separate. It points to our unity as a species, our unity with the creatures of Earth, and our unity with the Earth itself. We have reached a pivotal point in our evolution where a shift in consciousness and a change of our way of life is inevitable if we want to develop further, or even survive. Before the industrial revolution, our species cross culturally had a different epistemology. They believed everything: Earth, the plants, the animals, all had spirits or souls. We need to regain this epistemology. 
 
I believe that our hope for balance lies in rekindling a connection with the Earth and Her Creatures. I believe a shift in consciousness back to a more shamanistic way of interacting with the world around us is how to recalibrate to a healthy balanced world. 
 
One way to deepen our connect with nature is to tend a garden and foster a relationship with a few plant allies. As an herbalist and facilitator of shamanic consciousness my goal is to encourage you to open to the possibility of healing by developing true relationship with plant allies. Nature is as invested in the precarious state of our planet as we are. I believe our plant brothers and sisters have so much healing potential and want to help us. 
 
​Anthropologists teach us that primitive people enjoyed the same kinds of instincts about plants as wild animals do to this day. These instincts are hard wired into our heredity. Regaining our ability to communicate with nature seems like fairy tale talk but the science of its reality is being empirically proven.  “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created the problems,” according to Einstein. Enculturation has us cut off from our own senses. Modern psychology has proven that the more we envision a positive outcome the more likely it will happen. Suspend your disbelief and plant a few seeds of a brighter future. I encourage you to grow a plant or two and get to know it yourself. Smell its flowers. Read about how it was used historically. Dry its leaves, steep them and drink their medicine. Foster a relationship with these spirits and learn first-hand the medicine they have to offer.
 
Below I’ll talk about a few of the plants I’ve gotten to know. I have chosen these herbal allies for their calming and anti-depressant properties so needed during these turbulent times. I urge you to create your own garden full of plant allies and get to know them yourself. My relationship with these plants has grown more intimate in the many years I’ve been tending a garden and yours will too. 
 
Let’s open the gate to a Sacred Garden...

Valerian  
Valerian officinalis
I can smell the blooms of my valerian plant houses away from mine. She stands easily eight feet tall. Her motherly presence is so calming. I can barely resist putting my nose in her blossoming. Her roots are used in herbal medicine for their sedative effect. 
 
I have worked in herb shops my entire adult life. I distinctly remember being a newbie and weighing up Valerian for a customer. Everyone snickered and said “EEEWW”. Although Valerian’s flowers smell heavenly, the dried roots of this plant live up to their reputation as smelling like dirty feet. This year was the second year I’ve had her in my garden and the first year she flowered. The heavenly aroma of her blooms is intensely soothing. Simply enjoying her floral aromatherapy in my garden has quickly become my favorite way of "taking" her medicine. I am not a fan of Valerian Root tea, but I often use Valerian Herbal Extract. I am an anxious person and her and sedating action is powerful for me. Her effect is found to be stimulating for some.

Passion Flower
Passiflora incarnata
This vining plant is native to Missouri and has mesmerizing purple flowers that often lull pollen seeking bees to sleep. My eight-year-old daughter returned to co-sleeping recently with the pandemic and the anxiety of the world this past year. We got her a new loft bed to encourage her to sleep on her own. She was excited but when the big night came, she didn’t want to. After an hour of crying and resistance I gave her a dropper of Passion Flower Extract I had made from my plant last year and I didn’t hear another word. She fell right to sleep. Now every night she takes her “sleepy” extract. I harvest the first 12- 16 inches of the vine when its flowering for drying as a tea, or I use it fresh to make extract. Knowing that I grew, tended and made medicine from my garden is one of the most satisfying things. I add loving intention into the medicine making process and I know the medicine carries potent healing energy.

Lemon Balm 
Melissa officinalis
This sunny lemon scented herb is in the mint family. It grows like a weed once its established. Her leaves make a delicious infusion that is one of the best herbal remedies for depression and anxiety. She was even said to “heal a broken heart”. In the summer I make sun tea with fresh lemon balm for a solar infused ambrosia. Just cut the top 6 inches of several plants, give them a rinse and pack them into a glass jar. Fill the jar with water and leave in a sunny spot to infuse for several hours. Strain and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Lemon Balm infusion is often used for stress during pregnancy and for postpartum depression as it is a gentle, safe herb.  This lovely herb has anti viral properties and can be used internally as a Tea or Herbal Extract for viruses and colds. It is also famous for topical application specific to the herpes virus. ​

Tulsi 
Ocimum basilicum
Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil, opens the heart, promotes devotion, clarity and provokes a meditative state of mind. Also known as Holy Basil, the herb has antiviral properties and can help break a low-grade fever. The infusion of her dried or fresh leaves is a favorite of my daughter who likes to add a dollop of honey to the brew. I grow a temperate variety of Tulsi which is extremely easy to grow in our area and may be a bit weedy in a garden like mint. She is a cousin of sweet basil and grows well in a pot. I often take the Herbal Extract before yoga and meditation to facilitate a calm, sattvic state. In India Holy Basil is revered as a representation of the Goddess and is tended as such. 

There is a certain connection to our Mother Earth that needs reintegrating. All pre industrial cultures interacted with the natural world in a more intimate way. I believe we have lost our way. These times are a call to action. You are the heroine of this journey. We each need to become the care takers of our mother Earth and find friends in her creatures. Journey back to the garden with me. 
 
~  Ingrid

Maria and I have potted up several of these herbal allies to share with you. They are available at the shop for a limited time. 

​all photos and artwork are my own.