Working with Plantain + Healing Through Strength
Oh sweet and humble plantain, how I love you. There are several reasons I work with plantain, as found in my First Aid poultice powder - one being its tremendous healing capacity on small cuts and abrasions, and another being its nature as a dear North African native plantcestor. Nestled close to the forest floor and favoring the paths and common tromping grounds, plantain seems to want to be known, reaching up to us and offering its mending medicine. Plantains astrological correspondence is - no surprise here - earthy Taurus. As the moon goes dark in this strong and grounded sign, it feels like the ideal time to spend contemplating on and sitting with plantain which has a lot in common with this particular lunation.
The New Moon is all about fresh starts, new cycles, and reflection on what has been. It's a moment to go inwards, and take inventory. Where are you thriving and what are you wishing to lean into? What have you been slacking off around and why? This isn't a time to beat yourself up or to be harshly self-critical, but to enable compassion, strength, and understanding. After all, we can't really know where we're headed unless we have some semblance of our inner road map. Plantain is a gentle guide. As you step slowly down the inner path of being, remember that you have a kindly weed on your side the entire way.
This is THE time to identify what cannot stay in your precious suitcase of the soul. Plantain leaves each come with a strong fibrous spine, reminding you to stand tall and take up the space you so deserve. And it means it. Taurus amplifies this message with a stomp and horn shake - a warning to those who try to stifle or block. Plantain is also famous for its healing capacity, specifically as a drawer-outer. This includes heat, venom, phlegm, and your everyday splinter. What needs extracting? What simply cannot go on any longer? Here's the tricky part: this means first looking inwards. This can't be just about what's happening around you. Before all else you must sincerely and honestly witness and admit to what's happening inside. Scrutinize! Praise! Laugh! Cry! Then and only then can you begin to move forward. This path is not about denial, but about growth. Plantain nods. Taurus, with a heavy grunt, agrees as well. They both know that there is work needed to grow, and they both enjoy it because in this work, there is purpose. This dichotomy is a bit of a good-cop bad-cop dance, with Taurus actively pushing and butting away what internally does harm (toxic truths, fears that leave us frozen, self-cruelty, harsh judgement of self and others), and plantain stepping in to support and heal. Embody this energy as the dark moon shines from within.
A healer of the throat and the bowels, plantain gently but effectively helps clear the way for speaking our truth, and letting go of the *ahem* old shit. Taurus happily supports these exact energies, fearless when it comes to self-expression and boundaries.
Plantain cools the hot headed hunter, and soothes the heart of the soul-sick seeker. This plant reminds us why we took to this path to begin with. Sometimes we get all too caught up in doing battle with the bushes and shrubs that we forget the miracle of existing at all. Pause. Watch the slender flower stalks of the plantain gently waving in the breeze. Let yourself be mesmerized by the moment, and see what thoughts and impulses suddenly have space to unfurl. Most of us spend a lot of time in our busy busy heads, making little room for the heart-mind-body connection to bloom. This earthy Taurus moon reminds us that we are here. That we were brought here to exist. Plantain teaches us that we deserve to exist, and to do so with healthy humility makes us less "invasive," and more of a welcome addition to a vibrant story of life.
SUGGESTED WORKING PROMPT:
Some inquiries to let sink in and draw out are:
What have I allowed to continue, and why?
What needs drawing out? What needs healing?
What are my strengths that I am not paying attention to?
Why have I neglected them?
Envision yourself free from these things. Write about them and then write out the free self it in real time, bringing your dream into reality. I highly recommend taking a walk outside and considering these questions. See if you can spot some plantain on the way. If you can’t get outside, make a point to get into your body. Feel and enliven the element of earth within you. Dance, stretch, stomp.