Respecting plants

[KylalaKitty]

I have recently have learned to respect plants and I'm very intune with them, I ask before I take any part of the plant and leave an offering and have even mediated with some of my flowers and my rosemary plant but I have ran into a problem...I now cant even bring myself to pull the weeds! What do I do and have anyone else had this problem?

[Shanti]

I have that prob too.
But, I know that by allowing some weeds to grow, herbs and weeds I do want will get choked off and die.

I apologize when I have to pull a weed that's being to invasive.
I know that it knows I don't want too but have too do it.

I also have areas where I let anything grows that wants too.
So the invasive weeds do have areas they can grow, they just have to be pulled when they become greedy and move into my groomed areas.

I also don't throw the pulled weeds away. I mulch them, burn them or compost them. I make sure they are still used and not just discarded for waste.

[ap Dafydd]

A weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place. And the Earth wastes nothing. Pull the weeds and compost them. Compost heaps are deeply Pagan things and have a whole ecology all of their own!

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[jcldragon]

I'm sure you are all familiar with the researches of Dr. Emoto of Japan with water. He exposes various sources of water to thought, freezes the water, and then examines the pattern displayed in the ice crystals. What he has found, is that polluted water produces distorted ice crystals, and that water exposed to negative thought also produces distorted ice crystals.

On the other hand, pure water displays beautifully organized crystals, as does water exposed to positive thought. This means that water is very sensitive to thought, and reflects the qualities of thought it is exposed to.

Now consider that fruit has a lot of water in it. That water in the fruit will naturally be embued with the vibes of the tree who grew it. I Love my Garden. The trees who grow there are personal friends, and I hold them in the same esteem that I hold for friends of my own species. They know this, because they have less difficulty reading my thoughts than any human psychic, besides which, we usually talk every day for a little while...

I'm certain that this is reflected in the qualities of the fruit these trees produce. When I pick one from the tree, I get this wave of energy rippling through me & out into the world, that says, *Thank you*, and *I love you* When I eat the fruit, I can feel the tree enjoying the delight I find in it.

Now there is one Plum tree in my yard, and there is another Plum tree who leans over from my neighbor's place into mine. Naturally, I gather from both trees. Yesterday I was eating some of this fruit which I had picked a few days ago. Both are simply fabulous. The first plum carried the vibe of the tree who grows in my yard, and the other plum carried the vibe of the other tree.

I've always enjoyed eating organic fruit, but what is growing here, is on a whole other order altogether. This is not merely good fruit. These are Jewels of Energy. Seriously, it is more like eating a most Spiritual Spell, than it is like eating some excellent food...

[Fatherman]

I want to echo what ap Dafydd said and recommend that you see yourself as a part of the cycles of Nature rather than outside. This has helped me on this issue. Destroying and wasting is outside the cycle and not organizing your dwelling to your needs and liking is outside the cycle as well. So pull 'em and use 'em! I also suspect that plants of this size have more of a collective consciousness, so your efforts to give them a patch to thrive might be a sufficient welcome.

[MoonDragn]

I like ranch dressing.

[MankyCat]

How about making a weed garden somewhere. That way, you aren't killing the plant, but simply moving it to a better location. :)

[Semjaza]

My garden isn't orderly, or well kept, and everything in it is loved (and everything that grows outside of it is loved too) but I won't hesitate to uproot something that's choking out the lives of other plants in the garden. After all, there's a lot of death in witchcraft too, isn't there? :) Things die, and sometimes it's because I've killed them....

Cheers,

Semjaza
FFFF

[Cain]

I respect the fact that plants taste nice. Especially stir fried and in black bean sauce.

[Astara Seague]

I used to have a garden of weeds I called it a garden of weeden
the ones I have a bit of trouble with is the choking vines, they are so pretty but, deadly to my other plants, I am constanly unwinding them from my roses and giving them a good talking too, once more showing them the trellis they are supposed to be climbing on

[MankyCat]

After all, there's a lot of death in witchcraft too, isn't there? :) Things die, and sometimes it's because I've killed them....

Nature is a cruel mistress.

One thing dies, another lives.

[KylalaKitty]

How about making a weed garden somewhere. That way, you aren't killing the plant, but simply moving it to a better location. :)

A weed garden? Thats an awesome idea :idea:

Thanks everyone.

[Cornflake_Girl8]

I have recently have learned to respect plants and I'm very intune with them, I ask before I take any part of the plant and leave an offering and have even mediated with some of my flowers and my rosemary plant but I have ran into a problem...I now cant even bring myself to pull the weeds! What do I do and have anyone else had this problem?

As an avid gardener I can't say that I have. Afterall, most of the Other Folk are associated with the herbs and flowers not the weeds. Sometimes Clover is used in spells, but I've found that other herbs work better, so the Clovers get pulled as well.

If you're so intent on allowing the weeds to grow (and in fact some of them have beautiful flowers), create a weed garden. Seriously. I did. I use clovers as an edge because they have such a nice yellow flower (not the white kind), and I allow a bunch of others to grow of which I don't even know the names. It's a small patch, but not very many people know that they're weeds.

That way whoever looks after the weeds is happy and my herb garden is free to grow wherever it wants to.

[StephanieAine]

I used to have a garden of weeds I called it a garden of weeden
the ones I have a bit of trouble with is the choking vines, they are so pretty but, deadly to my other plants, I am constanly unwinding them from my roses and giving them a good talking too, once more showing them the trellis they are supposed to be climbing on


That is too hilarious - I love it!

[jcldragon]

I've had the experience of pulling weeds from my garden to recycle as compost, and then seen the garden plants get depressed about it, and even die. The garden community is far more complex than we imagine.

The Factory Farms plant only one kind of crop in any area. Then insects who like that one kind of plant swarm in, so the Factory Farms use pesticides. The result is food that has poison in it. Moreover, the Factory Farms use chemical fertilizers, which make plants grow big real fast, but they lack the nutrients you find in organic produce. The result is cheap food that doesn't nourish. Kinda defeats the purpose, don't it?

[Cornflake_Girl8]

I've had the experience of pulling weeds from my garden to recycle as compost, and then seen the garden plants get depressed about it, and even die. The garden community is far more complex than we imagine.

The Factory Farms plant only one kind of crop in any area. Then insects who like that one kind of plant swarm in, so the Factory Farms use pesticides. The result is food that has poison in it. Moreover, the Factory Farms use chemical fertilizers, which make plants grow big real fast, but they lack the nutrients you find in organic produce. The result is cheap food that doesn't nourish. Kinda defeats the purpose, don't it?

Be careful when tossing those weeds into the compost bin. When you use that dirt, you'll have to battle a ton of weeds. I made that mistake at my old house.

[jcldragon]

I get a lot of Volunteers in my Garden... tomatoes & squashes, and other plants I can eat, that I know I never planted. I like the surprizes, and the volunteers are generally the most hearty of plants. I view my Garden as a cooperative venture between species. I give them water, love, and referee between them. Often the Garden will tend to needs that I have, that I wasn't aware of. There are Volunteers out there right now, that I never planted, and were never in my compost, but just happen to fill niches in my diet that I wasn't getting.

I should also point out that plants are so sensitive to vibrations of all kinds, that they can read all of our thoughts. The phrase, "In the privacy of one's own mind", is a huge joke to the Plant World. Sit by a tree reading a book, and that tree will know the whole story. I've read Metaphysical literature, while sitting by a Tree, & had the Tree making comments about it...

[MankyCat]

I should also point out that plants are so sensitive to vibrations of all kinds, that they can read all of our thoughts. The phrase, "In the privacy of one's own mind", is a huge joke to the Plant World. Sit by a tree reading a book, and that tree will know the whole story. I've read Metaphysical literature, while sitting by a Tree, & had the Tree making comments about it...


What an interesting thought... I love it.

[KylalaKitty]

I wonder if why some people dont "have a green thumb" because they dont bother to do anything with the plant but feed and water it. Just a thought.

[acrow]

1) try to identify the weeds, find out if they are edible or medicinal. A suprising number are both.

2) for those weeds you do have to eliminate, try "multching in place". Remove the roots and the seedheads and then chop the rest up and put it back on the garden in the same spot as a multch. It's a little more work, but I feel much better about weeding when I do this. Weeds (with roots and seedheads removed) make an excellent multch.

[AvalonsGypsy]

We leave our grass clippings on the grass to fertlize it, so when I weed the gardens I generally put them in a pile and run them over with the lawnmower on mowing day. They help their fellow plants on the lawn and the dried grass is used by birds to make nests.

I agree about trees being great company. When we moved to our current home when I was seven years old, I immediatly fell in love with the big maple tree at the back property line of our yard (it's less then a quarter of an acre, not some huge compound, lol) and I've had a friendship with it long before I discovered Paganism. And when we lost our two 30' plus pine trees at the corner of our lot in a small tornado five years ago, I actually cried. Two weeks ago my favorite tree, the maple, lost a large branch in a storm and I feel like it has personally told me to make a wand from it, which I've never done before, but after the heat cools down I'll go out to the brush pile and take a good piece. That way, if I ever move I can take my favorite tree with me. What could make a more special wand? :)

[MysticWitch]

Thats why I dont understand how vegetarians can say omg i cant eat meat. they killed that poor little animal.. trees and plants breathe too and are living.. yet they eat salads and buy veggies that were plucked from the ground. I think its so strange for one to be living but not the other? Also I think respecting plants is great but i wouldnt cry over plucking a weed :whatgives

[jcldragon]

We leave our grass clippings on the grass to fertlize it, so when I weed the gardens I generally put them in a pile and run them over with the lawnmower on mowing day. They help their fellow plants on the lawn and the dried grass is used by birds to make nests.

I agree about trees being great company. When we moved to our current home when I was seven years old, I immediatly fell in love with the big maple tree at the back property line of our yard (it's less then a quarter of an acre, not some huge compound, lol) and I've had a friendship with it long before I discovered Paganism. And when we lost our two 30' plus pine trees at the corner of our lot in a small tornado five years ago, I actually cried. Two weeks ago my favorite tree, the maple, lost a large branch in a storm and I feel like it has personally told me to make a wand from it, which I've never done before, but after the heat cools down I'll go out to the brush pile and take a good piece. That way, if I ever move I can take my favorite tree with me. What could make a more special wand? :) There's an Olive Tree in my front yard, and I have a seat underneath it for reading. It enjoys reading my mind to *hear* the stories, and sometimes *comments* on the Metaphysical literature. When I was setting up an Altar to go through the Operation described in the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage by Abraham the Jew, (translated by SL MacGregor-Mathers), the Olive Tree suggested that I snip off a small branch to use as a Wand... kind of appropriate for an old Hippie from 1967 San Francisco, don't you think?

[amunakht]

Every plant I had died on me. I only keep aquatic plants since they are the only ones I have the skills to take care off.

[MankyCat]

Thats why I dont understand how vegetarians can say omg i cant eat meat. they killed that poor little animal.. trees and plants breathe too and are living.. yet they eat salads and buy veggies that were plucked from the ground. I think its so strange for one to be living but not the other? Also I think respecting plants is great but i wouldnt cry over plucking a weed :whatgives


Key difference is that edible plants never typically had a fighting chance.

[MysticWitch]

Key difference is that edible plants never typically had a fighting chance.


Neither do the chicken's, pigs and cows who are grown to be food.
And plants and trees and grass are living breathing also. :wave:

[MysticWitch]

A weed garden? Thats an awesome idea :idea:

Thanks everyone.


Well I'll tell ya.. weeds are so tough and so fast growing and so stubbron and come back every year.. other than pruning.. thats going to be one easy garden LOL :lol: You probably wont even have to water the thing. :hahugh:

[MankyCat]

Neither do the chicken's, pigs and cows who are grown to be food.
And plants and trees and grass are living breathing also. :wave:


When I say never, I mean never. Never, as in historically and as a generalization of such. Animals in pens are an exception I was debating commenting on in my original comment, but thought I was clear in my meaning.

Also, I do believe that plants are as you say. Never meant to give any impression I felt otherwise.

Sorry fo any confusion.


Editted to add this note: Sorry if my answer seems short of sorts. At work but wanted to reply. ;)

[KylalaKitty]

We have a tree right next to the driveway out front (I dont know what kind though) that gave me my staff that now I use in rituals. A while back my boyfriend got a staff at the mall and that made me want one :sniffsnif . Well like a week after that I found this perfect little branch that fell off the tree and strangely enough was lended up perfectly against the fense to the back yard :) .

Lately I been reading up on dowsing and decided that I was going to give that another try. Today on the way to the mailbox I found the perfect stick to use as a dowsing rod on the driveway by the same tree. It must really like me or something.

(btw, thats not the only tree we have so I believe that all the gifts wasnt by chance)

[jcldragon]

We have a tree right next to the driveway out front (I dont know what kind though) that gave me my staff that now I use in rituals. A while back my boyfriend got a staff at the mall and that made me want one :sniffsnif . Well like a week after that I found this perfect little branch that fell off the tree and strangely enough was lended up perfectly against the fense to the back yard :) .

Lately I been reading up on dowsing and decided that I was going to give that another try. Today on the way to the mailbox I found the perfect stick to use as a dowsing rod on the driveway by the same tree. It must really like me or something.

(btw, thats not the only tree we have so I believe that all the gifts wasnt by chance)
There are a lot of reasons why Trees would want us to become Adept with Magick. So giving your human neighbor a few tools to aid in the Practice, makes a lot of sense...