The Plant Spirit Oracle Meanings, Recipes & Journeys

ByDanaO’Driscoll

Copyright©2020byDruid’sGarden/DanaO’Driscoll

Allrightsreserved.Thisbookoranyportionthereofmaynotbereproducedorusedinanymannerwhatsoeverwithouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofthepublisherexceptfortheuseofbriefquotationsinabookrevieworscholarlyjournal.

FirstPrinting:2020

ISBN978-1-7341759-1-2

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Dedication Idedicatethisworktothreeimportantpeoplewhotaughtme

aboutplants:twoinmychildhoodandoneinmyadultlife.Thefirstwasmygrandfather,GeorgeCuster,whotaughtmeplantlorewhenIwasachild.Wejourneyedintothewoodsbehindthehouseonaweeklybasisandhetaughtmethenamesandusesofplants.Thus,IalsodedicatethisbooktothatforestandthemanyplantteachersIhave had, particularly Reishi, Eastern Hemlock, Stinging Nettle,Jewelweed,andHawthorn.Finally,Idedicatethisworktomyherbalteacherandfriend,MichiganfolkherbalistJimMcDonald.Throughhiswisdom,Ifirstlearnedaboutmanyofthetypesofouterandinnerhealingthatplantsinthisoracleprovide.

Acknowledgments Iwould liketoacknowledgeseveralpeoplewhohelpedmake

thisprojectareality.ThefirstisJohnMichaelGreer,whointroducedmetotheconceptofpathworkingthroughhisbookTheCelticGoldenDawn.Myoriginalpathworkingsandspiritjourneystomeetplantswere done through that system. The second is Karen Fisher, thecopyeditorforthisbook.Finally,Ihonorandthanktheplantspiritsthemselvesforworkingwithmesocloselyonthisproject.

Disclaimer Herbalinformationandrecipesareincludedinthisbookarefor

educational and informational purposes, and are not intended asmedical advice. Please consult a qualified health professional formedicaladvice.

Contents

Chapter1:ThePlantSpiritOracle.......................................................2MedicineoftheBody............................................................................3MedicineoftheSpirit...........................................................................4MethodsandTraditionsusedinthisBook...........................................5ANoteonInvasiveSpecies...................................................................6ANoteonPlantIdentification..............................................................8ANoteonPlantNamingConventions..................................................8OverviewofthePlantSpiritOracle......................................................8

Chapter2:UsingthePlantSpiritOracleforDivination.....................10IntroductionCeremonyandFindingYourPlantSpiritAlly................10HandlingYourPSOCards...................................................................12DivinationSpreads.............................................................................13

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Chapter1:ThePlantSpiritOraclePlant-humanrelationshipsareasoldashumanityitself.Wehave

evidence that the Neanderthals, predating modern humans, usedherbsandmushroomsaspartoftheirregulardiets—theyhavebeenfoundpreservedwithsachetsofherbsandstringsofBirchPolyporeandothermushrooms.Thefirstrecordsofherbsandtheiruseswereinscribed on clay tablets over 5,000 years ago in ancientMesopotamia.Wehave records of herbal practices fromallmajorcivilizations and, in some cases, rich traditions of herbalism thatspan hundreds, if not thousands, of years, including TraditionalChinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and Traditional Western Herbalism.Working and healing with plants is one of our most importantancestraltraditions.

Today, people are seeking to strengthen and rekindle ancientbonds with healing plants through working with herbs on manylevels,includingthephysicalandmetaphysical.Therustleofleavesoutsideyourwindow,thebeautyofanunfoldingflower,orthesongaplantsingstoyouareallsimplemessagesthatplantsmayoffer.Thesemessagesweavelandscapesbeyondwhatwecanexperiencewithourfivesenses,andthesemessagesinviteusdeeperintothemysteriesoftheearthandalllivingbeings.Thespiritsofplantstakeanumberofformsandcanappeartoeachofusuniquely.Themorethatweopenourselvesuptounderstandingthem,honoringthem,andworkingwiththem,thestrongerourconnectionwiththelivingearthinhermanyforms.

Whilemanyplantsaremedicinalforourphysicalbodies,otherplantsofferteachingstotheheart,mind,andspirit.ThePlantSpiritOracle (PSO) serves as a gateway to some of this physical andmetaphysical work, starting with the understanding that healinghappens at all levels, and that the medicine of plants can beaccessibletoall.PlantsfromthePSOareallcommonlyfoundintheNorthEasternandMidwesternpartsoftheUnitedStates,althoughmanyplantsinthisdeckcanbefoundglobally.

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ThePlantSpiritOracle is a49card, full colororacledeck.AnOracledeckcanbeusedforawidevarietyofdifferentpurposes.Themostcommonpurposeisfordivination;thatis,youcanusethisdecktoaskquestionsorhelpguideyourpathbyconnectingwithnature’sdeeperwisdom.Inadditiontobeingadivinationtool,thePSOiscanalsobeusedasamagicaltool,alearningtool,ameditativetool,anda journeying tool.Thisbookwill covereachof thosepossibilities.The PSO weaves together spirit communication with plants andexploration of the herbal medicines that plants provide. Thus, Ispend this opening chapter offering groundwork for theinterweavingofplantspiritworkandherbalism:thatis,medicineofthebodyandmedicineofthespiritaswellasofferingsomeinsightsandinspirationsforthiswork.

MedicineoftheBodyHerbalismisthetermweuseforworkingwithplantsforhealing

purposes.Herbalismismucholderthanmodernmedicine;itoffersusancestralwisdomandconnections.Plantshavephysicalbodiesand various kinds of chemical constituents that make up thosephysicalbodies.Overmillennia,humanshave come todependonthose chemical constituents, using them for a variety of healingpractices.Andso,onabasiclevel,plantshavephysicalbodiesthatcanaidinhealingandsupportinghumans’physicalbodies.

As a specific example: the chemical compounds in the Reishimushroom,whichisincludedinthePSO,havebeenwellstudied.Weknowthatthisfungusfightscancerandfreeradicalsandbooststheimmunesystemduetospecificcompoundsthatscientistshavebeenabletoisolateandobserve.IfwetakeaReishimushroomextract,everyday,wecangainthephysicalbenefitsofReishi.Thechemicalscontainedwithinthephysicalbodiesoftheplantsarepredictable;Reishi’schemicalcompositiondoesn’t changemuch, ifatall, fromonefruitingtoanother.Forsomepeople,itisenoughtoknowthatReishi can support the immune system, and so, giving Reishi tosomeonewithacompromisedimmunesystemislikelytohelp.

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Further, a rich body of folkwisdom about the use of healingplants exists inmany parts of theworld. Today,materiamedicasoftencontain thisknowledge(suchasMatthewWood’sEarthwiseHerbal books). Herbal knowledge can also be passed down infamilies,communities,andcultures.Thus,formedicineofthebody,wecanlookatwhatsciencesays,orwhatcommonfolkknowledgeover centuries tellsus.Butphysicalmedicine isonlyonepieceofwhattheplantscanofferus.

MedicineoftheSpiritInthespiritualpracticesofmanyculturesandpeoples,humans

recognize that all living beings have an essence or consciousnessbeyondthephysical,aconsciousnessrootedinspirit.HealingplantspecieslikethoseinthePlantSpiritOraclehavebeenworkinghandin hand with humans for ceremonial or spiritual purposes sincebefore recorded time. These are the plants that people carefullycultivatedandcherished.Traditionally,whenpeoplemovedtonewregionsoftheworld,theyoftentooktheirsacredplantswiththembecausetheirhealingpowerwassogreattheycouldnotleavethembehind. To understand a plant from the perspective of spirit, wemustdomorethanjustidentifyitsfeaturesandhealingproperties,and understandwhere it grows.We can deeply connectwith thespiritoftheplantforlessons,wisdom,andhealing.Toreturntotheexample of Reishi, by connecting with the spirit of Reishi andobserving what Reishi does in a typical ecosystem, we can learnmoreaboutthemedicine—ofallkinds—thatReishiprovides.Reishihelpsourspiritsovercometraumaandsuffering;itbreaksdowntheoldsothatthenewcanbekindled.This iswhatReishidoesinanecosystem,andwhatitalsocandoforthehumanspirit.

Workingwithplantspiritsrequiresanacknowledgmentofthespirit in all things, also known as animism. This perspectiveunderstandsthatplants,animals,places(rivers,forests),andmanyobjects(stones)haveaspirit,andwecaninteractwiththatspirit.Ananimistic perspective acknowledges that all spirits have agency;they are not just passive recipients of the world around us.

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Interactingwithspiritscan lead topositive impacts forbothyournonphysical and physical being. Most animistic worldviews alsorecognizethattheworldofspiritisquiteclosetothephysicalworldand that each affects the other. There is close interconnectionbetween themind, body, and spirit (for more on this, see LandWithinandWithoutcardentryinChapter3).

This oracle helps connect youwith themedicine of the spiritthrough both divination meanings and spirit journeying. It alsohelpsyouconnectwith themedicineof thebody throughvariousherbalpreparationsandrecipes.

MethodsandTraditionsusedinthisBookThe PSO derives its approach from several different sources,

eachofthemnotedhere.Fromanherbalperspective,thePSOandmaterial,particularly

on herbal healing, is derived from the approaches advocated intraditionalwesternherbalism.Thisherbalismtraditionfocusesnotonlyonuseofspecificplantsforhealing(particularlyinEuropeandNorth American) but the relationship between plants energeticdimensions and those of the humanbody. Formorework in thistradition, please see Matthew Wood’s Foundations of TraditionalWesternHerbalism,EarthwiseHerbalVol.I&2oranyteachingsbyJimMcDonald.

The PSO also uses basic frameworks found within the druidrevivaltraditionasitsbasisforalloftheadvancedmeditative,ritual,elemental,andjourneyingwork.Forexample,openingandclosingasacredgroveispartofthistradition,andonemethodforopeningand closinga SacredGroveusing thePSO ispresent in thisbook.Workingwith the elements (earth, air, fire, water) and the threedimensions of spirit: above, below, andwithin are specific to thetradition of the Ancient Order of Druids in America. This is atradition towhich Ibelongandregularly teach. Formoreon thistradition,pleaseseewww.aoda.orgortheDruidryHandbookbyJohnMichaelGreer.

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Finally, the PSO is also influenced by the practice ofpermaculture design. Permaculture asks us to recognize theinterconnectivityofalllivingthings,andoffershumansthetoolsandresponsibility of being agents of good in our land. Regeneratinglandscapes,bringinghealthanddiversityback toecosystems,andworking with nature are parts of this practice. The term “guild”comesfromPermaculturedesign;itreferstoagroupofinterrelatedandinterdependentplantsintentionallyornaturallyoccurring.

ThePSOwasdevelopedthroughafive-yearprocessofworkingwithplantsthroughherbalpractice,throughmeditationandspiritjourneying,andthroughtheflowofAwen(divineinspiration).Someplants appeared as female, others as male, and others asandrogynous—inthatcase,I’veusedtheappropriatepronounsfortheplantsinthecarddescriptionthemselves.I’vealsodidmybesttoofferracialdiversityinthisdeck.TherestofthePSOjourneynowrestswithyou,dearreader,andtheinspirationthatyoumaybringfromtheseplants.

ANoteonInvasiveSpeciesBecauseawiderangeofplantsareincludedinthePlantSpirit

Oracle,andsomeoftheseplantshavebeenlabeled“invasive,”itisimportant todiscuss the term.Modernsocietyoftenputshumansandnatureinanadversarialrelationship,bothintherealmofwordsandintherealmofactions.Manyoftheplantsinthisbookareonvarious“invasivespecies”and“noxiousweed”lists.Theprincipleofinvasivespeciesandinvasionbiologyhasbeenheavilypromotedbychemicalcompaniesasawaytosellmoreplant-killingproducts.Ourecologicalrealityisthis:wehaveinfluencedandchanged,muchofournativeecology.Wehavebroughtnewplantsin(wantedornot),andnowthoseplantsthriveinecosystemswheretheytraditionallydidnot.

Lookingatthesituationfromalong-termviewof100yearsormoreofferssomeperspective.IlivedinMichiganforsixyearsonathree-acrehomestead;whenIfirstmovedin,IhadhugefieldsfullofOx-Eye Daisy, listed as an invasive species on the Michigan

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Department of Agriculture’s list. I let the field grow and chose tomowonlysmallwalkingpaths.Overafive-yearperiod,IobservedthattheOx-EyeDaisydidn’tgrowinthefieldanylonger(andwasreplaced by Boneset, Blue Vervain, St. John’s Wort, and WildStrawberry,someofwhichIplantedandsomeofwhichsimplygrewnaturally). Instead, thedaisiesonlygrewwhere Ihadmowedmypaths. Insixyears,after thesoilhadhealedandmowingstopped,hardlyanydaisiesremainedatall.Inthemeantime,ImadeOx-EyeDaisysaladsandOx-EyeDaisycapers,astheyareadeliciouswildedible.

This story illustrates an important principle: invasive speciesalmostallthriveondisruption,andsincehumansarecausingagreatdeal of disruption to the living earth, invasives thrive more andmore.Healthy,diverse,andwholeecosystemsaremuchlesslikelyto be invaded (certain species still do invade and harm healthyecosystems,butmanyareabletoco-existpeacefully).

In other words, rather than looking to these plants as theproblem,wemightlooktothehumandisturbancesastherootoftheissue: Dandelion and Burdock crop up quickly in lawns anddisturbed areas because they are nature’s first responder plants:they break up compacted soil with their deep taproots and helpbeginecologicalsuccession.Theyarenotinvadersbutratherplantsbest adapted and suited to beginning to heal a wound upon theearth. They are abundant because disturbance is abundant, andmanynativespeciescannottakeupthatfirstresponderrole.Thismakesthesefirstrespondersexcellentplantstoworkwithmagicallyandmedicinallybecausetheyareeasytofindandbecausewecanreadilyharvestthemwithoutconcernfordepletingtheirnumbers.

Thus, inthePlantSpiritOracle,youwill findsomeplantsthatarenative,somethatarenaturalized,andsomethatfindthemselvesat the top of the list of the world’s most invasive species (likeKnotweed). These plants ask that you put aside preconceivednotionsofwhat theyare,whichhavebeendeterminedbyothers,andinsteadworkwiththemaslivingbeings,asspirits,andasplantswithmedicineandmagictoteach.Theyarehereinourecosystems

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now.Theycan likelyneverbeeradicatedwithoutgreatecologicalandfinancialcost(includingmillionsoftonsofpesticides),andso,we work with them like we work with any others—as honoredfriends,spiritcompanions,andallies.

ANoteonPlantIdentificationThePSObookprovidesbasicinformationonidentificationand

ecologyforplants.Ifyouwanttoengageinanyoftheharvestingandmedicinalpracticesfoundinthisbook,Iwouldalsostronglysuggestthat you obtain a plant identification guide. In addition to anypicture-based guide, I recommend reading Botany in a Day byThomasJ.Elpel.

ANoteonPlantNamingConventionsThePSOusesbothcommon(folk)namesforplantsaswellas

the genus and species system for plant naming using Latin. Thisnaming system was developed by Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedishbotanist.Thisnamingsystemallowspeopleworldwide,regardlessoflanguageorfolkname,tocorrectlytalkaboutandidentifyaplant.Inthisnamingsystem,thefirstnameisthespeciesoftheplantandthesecondnameisthespecificplant.SoforCommonYarrow,thename is Achillea millefolium. Achillea referes to the species ofplants,whichischaracterizedbyplantsthathavehairyandaromaticleaves with flat clusters of small flowers. There are about 1000plants in the Achillea species—Millefolium is Common Yarrow,depictedonthecard. Sometimes,youwillsee“Spp”ratherthanacommonname,suchasinthecaseofApple(MalusSpp.).Sppreferstoallspeciesinthatgenus.Inthiscase,MalusSppreferstoallappletrees.f

OverviewofthePlantSpiritOracleTherestofthisbookisorganizedasfollows:

Chapter 2, “Using the Plant Spirit Oracle for Divination,”providesanoverviewofhowtointroduceyourselftothePSO,how

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to use the oracle for daily or regular divination, and a variety ofdifferentreadingstrategiesfortheoracle.

Chapter 3, “OracleMeanings,” offersmeanings for all 49 PSOcardsaswellasthebroaderguildorganizationofthedeck.Thedeckcontains seven groupings of seven plants and/or primal energiesconnectedtoplants,foratotalof49totalcards.Eachoftheoraclemeaningsincludeskeywordsforquickdivination(alsofoundonthecardsthemselves),adescriptionoftheplant’secologyandfeatures,threekeymeanings,herbalisminformation,andarecipeorcraftyoucanmakewitheachplant.

Chapter4,“MedicineoftheSpirit:JourneysandRituals,”offersyou additionalways toworkwith the PSO, in particular throughspirit journeying with each of the cards, healing rituals, andprotectiverituals.

Chapter 5, “Medicine of the Body: Plant Medicine,” offersinformation on how to create different kinds of physicalpreparations of plants, to be used in conjunction with specificrecipesandherbalinformationinChapter3.Itincludesinformationontincturing,plantessences,teas,infusedoils,salves,andinfusedvinegars.

At the end of this book, youwill find a list of references andresources.Theherbalinformationinchapters3and5isdrawnfromtheseresources.

Notethatallplantnamesarecapitalizedasasignofrespectforthespiritsoftheseplantsasautonomousbeingswithagency.

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Chapter2:UsingthePlantSpiritOracleforDivination

ThePSOcanbeusedinamultitudeofwaysincludingdivination,meditation,andplantspirit journeying.Inthischapter, Iofferthedeck’sbasicuses, includinghowtointroduceyourselftotheplantspiritsandhowtousethePSOfordivinationandforfindingyourplantspiritally.

TousethePSOasadivinationtool,youmaywanttostartwiththe“findingyourplantspiritally”atthebeginningofthischapter.ThesetwoactivitiescanhelpattuneyoudeeplywiththeenergiesoftheplantspiritsinthisdeckandsetyouupforsomeofthedeeperworkinChapter4.These attuningpractices canhelp introduce you to thePSO cards.Anothersimplewayofattuningtothedeckistocarryitonyourpersonforseveraldays,andlookatandconnectwitheachofthecardseachday.

YoumayfinditveryhelpfultokeepajournalofyourworkwiththePSO.Thisjournalcanbeusedtorecordyourregulardivinationsaswellasanydeeperworkwiththeoracle,such as working with plant spirit allies, inner journeying, or making herbal remedies.Keepingajournalhastremendousbenefits—itallowsyoutorecordandremember,togobackandtraceissuesovertime,anditallowsforyourownspiritualdevelopment.Youcanalsokeepnotesonyourowninsightsonthemeaningsofthecards—overtime,youwilllikelybegindevelopingyourownmeaningsandrelationshipswitheachoftheplantsinthisdeck,andyouwillwantaplacetorecordthoseunderstandings.

Youwilllikelywanttogetawraporprotectivebagforyouroracle.Inesotericcircles,linenorsilkbagsareknownnotonlytoofferphysicalprotectionbutalsotoblockoutsideenergies.Woodenboxescanalsobeanicechoice.Somepeoplealsoprefertouseacastingcloth,whichisacloththatyoucanputdowntolayyourcardsonasyouread.Castingclothscan be anything from a simple cotton towel or piece of fabric to much more elaborateembroideredorsewnitems.

IntroductionCeremonyandFindingYourPlantSpiritAlly

Agreatwaytobeginattuningyourenergiestothisoracledeckistofindyourplantspiritally.Thisisaplantwhoismosteagertoworkwithyouasyoulearntheoracle.Youmightchoosetodothisonlyonceandkeepthisallyasalifelongfriend.Oryoumaychoosetodothisonaregularbasis(atthestartofeachyear,forexample)tofindyourallyforthecomingyear.Youcouldevenchooseanewallyforeachnewseason.Tofindyourplantspiritally,followthesesteps.

SetupaSacredGrovewhereyouwillbeworkingwiththePlantSpiritOracle.Settingupanaltar,lightingcandles,playingsoftmusic,ordoinganythingelsethatcreatesSacredGrovewillbehelpfulhere.Aspartofyourpreparation,createaplacewhereyoucanlayoutallofthePSOcardsandshufflethem,layingacleanclothoutonthealtar,table,orground.Preparerepresentations of the five elements: air, fire, water, earth, and spirit. For example, use

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incenseorasmudgestickforair,abowlofsoilorsaltforearth,acandleforfire,andabowlofwater.Forspirit,manyoptionsareavailable:alivingplant,afeather,acrystal,andsoon.

TheCeremony

Optional:OpenupasacredgroveusingthePSO(seeChapter4).Whileyoudonothavetodothis,itisagreatwaytostartattuningtotheoracleandtheenergiesofthedeck.IfyouhaveamethodforopeningSacredGroveinyourowntradition,feelfreetousethatinstead.Orsimplyproceed.

Settingupthespace:Onanaltarortheground,placeacleanclothbeforeyou.PlacethePSOontopofthecloth.Youcanalsolightcandlesorincense,soundasingingbowl,oranythingelseyou’dliketodotopreparethespace.

Clearthedeck.SitcomfortablyandbeginbyknockingonthePSOdeckthreetimes.Thisclearsthedeckofunwantedenergies.

Blessthedeck.Now,usingeachoftheelements,offerablessingtothedeck.Youcansimplygotoeachelement,movetheelementaroundthecarddeckinaclockwisefashion,andspeakwordsthatflowfromyou.Orusethefollowinglanguage:

• Air:Powersoftheair,pleaseoffermeclarityandinsightasIusethisoracle.Blessthisoracleandourjourneytogether!

• Fire:Powersoffire,pleaseoffermeenergyandpassionasIusethisoracle.Blessthisoracleandourjourneytogether!

• Water:Powersofwater,pleaseoffermeinspirationandintuitionasIusethisoracle.Blessthisoracleandourjourneytogether!

• Earth:Powersofearth,pleaseoffermegroundingandstabilityasIusethisoracle.Blessthisoracleandourjourneytogether!

• Spirit: Three great powers of spirit—above, below, and within—please offer meconnectionandcommunicationasIusethisoracle.Blessthisoracleandourjourneytogether!

Attunewitheachcard.Now,spendtimelookingateachcard.Exploretheartwork,butalso,sitwiththecardinyourhand,simplyfeelingtheenergiesoftheplantitsymbolizes.Afteryoulookateachcard,setitfacedownonthecloth.

Chooseyourplantspiritally.Placeacleanclothonyouraltarorontheearthinfrontofyou.Spreadout,facedown,allofyourPSOcards.

Closeyoureyesandfocusonyourbreath.Breathedeeply,takinginthreedeepbreaths.Thencontinuebreathingquietlyandnormallyuntilyoufeelasenseofquietude.

Asktheplantspiritsforguidance,andasktofindyourfirstplantspiritally.Youcanuseyourownwordsorsay, “Ohsacredplantspirits,youwhohaveworkedwithhumans formillennia!Iseekmyfirstplantspiritteacherandally,toguidemeandofferwisdom,healing,andinsight.”

Now,reachdownand,withyoureyesstillclosed, feel thecards.Mix themwithyourhands,stirringyourenergiesintothecards.Keepfeelingeachcardasyoumixthemuntiltheonethatfeelsrightcomesforth.

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Drawthatcardandlookattheimage.Spendsometimestudyingthecard,lookingattheplantandtheplant’sfeatures.Listenforanymessagethattheplantspiritoffers.ThenreadtheentryinChapter3.Thinkabouthowthisparticularenergymightbewelcomeorneededinyourlifeatthispoint.

Closethespace.Thanktheplantspiritand,ifyouopenedaSacredGrove,closeitout(usingmethodsinChapter4,ifyouchoose).Writeaboutyourexperienceinyourjournal.

Connectwithyourally.Yourplantspiritallyisaspecialplantspirit,onethathascomeforthtoguideyouandbefriendyouonthisstageofyourjourney.Assuch,youmightwanttodosomeadditionalworkwithyourallytoworktodeepenyourrelationshipwiththisplant.Onethingyoucandoislearnabouttheplant—studyherinhernativehabitat.Seektheplantoutifyoucan,orgrowherifyoucannot.Learnabouttheplant’shistory,ecology,anduses.Ifyoucan,growsomeofthisplantyourself,orfindawaytotendandhonorherinthewild.Learnabouttheplantasmedicineand,ifappropriate,takesomeofitandlearnhowtomakeit.Inotherwords,makethisplantaregularpartofyourlife.

HandlingYourPSOCardsYoucandosimpledailyreadingsinonlyafewminuteswiththePSO,oryoucandomuchmore elaborate ritual readings that take time and offer deep insights about a situation.Beforewegetintospecificspreads,herearesomebasicinstructionsforhowtousethePlantSpiritOracle.

Shufflinganddrawing.ThemostbasicwaytouseyourPSOisbyshufflingyourdeckandthendrawingcardsusingoneofthespreadsbelow(orotherspreadsthatyoucreateorfindelsewhere).Therearemanywaystoshuffleanddrawcards,andyouwilllikelydevelopyourownpreferences intime.Onewayistoshufflethecardsthreetimesandthendrawcardsfromthetopofthedeck.Anotherwayistoshufflethecardsandthenspreadthemoutinaline,anddrawonesyoufeelconnectedto.Youcanalsotakethewholedeckandshuffleitbystirringituponatable,thendrawcardsfromthepile.Ineachcase,theimportantthingis thatyouphysicallyshuffleyourdeck insomewayandthenuseyour intuitiontodrawcards.Sometimeswhenyouareshuffling,cardsmayjumpoutofthedeck—ifthishappens,always use these cards in your reading, as they have a very importantmessage for you.Sometimes,morethanonecardwillcomeoutofthedeckatonce—again,usethesecardsinyourreading.Whileshufflinganddrawing,keepanintentfocusonthequestionorissueathand. You can ask the question aloud before shuffling if you choose. Focusing on yourquestionasyoushuffleputstheenergyofthequestionintothecards.Usingyourintuitiontodrawthecards.

Askingforclarificationforunclearreadings.Sometimes,areadingisunclear. It isappropriateinthiscasetoaskthePSOforclarification.Todothis,youcandrawanadditionalcard from thedeck (choosing to shuffle or not).Often, this additional cardwill help youclarifythemeaningandmessageinthereadingorwillreinforcetheearliermessage.

Interpretingcardsandmeanings.Chapter3providesdetailsabouteachofthecardsinthePSO,includingdivinationkeywordsandmoredetailedmeanings.Usethisasabasisfor starting to interpret the cards. Chapter 3’s individual entries cover both divination

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meaningsandherbalmeanings.Inmostcases,thedivinationmeaningswillprovideyouwiththe clearest message, although you may also look at the plant itself and how it actsmedicinally as an additional interpretative tool. Additionally, youmay choose to use thelargerplantguildsystemtogetoverallmeanings.Theplantguilds,whichareexplainedatthebeginningofChapter3,offeralargerstructuretotheoraclebygroupingthecardsintosevendistinctguilds—eachwithitsownoverallmeaning.

InadditiontothemeaningsinChapter3,youarestronglyencouragedtoseekyourownmeaningsfromtheseplants.Whatisyourpreviousexperiencewiththeseplants?Howdothesecardsspeaktoyou?Whatdoestheimageandsymbolismconvey?Ifyoukeepajournal,overtime,youwilldevelopyourownnuancedreadingsfortheoracledeck.

Clearingyouroraclebetweenreadings.Eachquestionyouaskputsenergyintotheoracle so that a response can be given. If other people touch or hold your deck, for thepurposesofreadings(orjusttolookatthecards),theirenergyisalsopresentintheoracle.Theeasiestwaytoaddressoldenergyistoclearthedeckbyknockingonitthreetimeswithyourknucklesbeforeperforminganewreading.Thisknocksouttheenergyofapreviouspersonorreadingandclearsthedeckforwhateverdivination,magic,orjourneyingyouarereadytodo.Alternatively,youcandoasmokeclearingbyburningSage,Mugwort,Rosemary,Lavender,orotherclearingherbs(seeMugwortentryforinstructionsonmakingasmokecleansingorsmudgestick)andusethattocleanseyourdeck.

ReversedcardsinthePSO.MeaningsforreversedcardsarenotgiveninChapter3.Some people prefer to read without a different meaning for reversed cards, and that’sperfectlyfineinthePSO.Includingreversedmeaningscangivedeeperinsights.Thewaytoreadanyreversedcardisthatitsignalstheoppositeofanuprightcard,thattheenergiesofthat upright card areblockedorprevented from flowing in someway, or that a difficultsituationisnearingitsend.Reversedcardsmaybepositiveornegative,dependingontheoriginalmeaningofthecard.

Forexample,ifyoudrewBlackberry,whichhasameaningofbeingentangled,trapped,and/orpowerless,areversalofthatcardwouldbeaverygoodthing,indicatingthatwhileentangling energy may be present now, you may be coming out of this situation soon.Likewise,ifyoudrewNewEnglandAster,whichindicatesthatthestarsarealigninginyourfavor,areversalwouldindicatethatthetimeisnotyetright,orthatthestarsarenotinyourfavoratthatmoment,soitisbesttowaitandnotmoveforward.Reversalsaddanentirelydifferentlevelofdepthtoyourreading.

DivinationSpreadsYoucanusethePSOwithanynumberofspreads.Thissectionofferssomespreadsthat

areparticularlyusefulforthisoracle,butothersthatyoumayalreadybefamiliarwithorcreateyourselfwillalsowork.

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Single-CardDraw

Forquickquestionsordailydivination,useasingle-carddrawwithasinglequestion.Focusyourattentiononasingleclearquestion.Shufflethedeckinwhatevermanneryouprefer,anddrawacard.Thecardwillofferyouinsightintohowtoproceedwiththesituationathand.

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Above-Below-WithinSpread(3carddraw)

Another simple spread thatyou canusequickly tohelpunderstanda situation I callabove-below-within.Youcanusethisspreadanytimeyouarelookingforaquickreadingthathelpsyouunderstandaproblemandpossibleactions.

Below.Theissueathandandthenatureofthatissue.

Above.Thecourseofactionthatisrecommended.Within.Theoutcomeifthecourseofactionisfollowed.

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PlantSpiritGuildSpread

This spreadoffers guidance for readinga specific situation indepth, focusingon theguildsrepresentedinthePSO.Theguildsindicatenotonlywhereplantslivebutalsohowtheyfunction.PleaserefertoChapter3foranin-depthdiscussionoftheguilds.

TheField.Thefieldisthatwhichisintheopen—thefieldisthenatureoftheissueathand,theissueasitisvisiblyseenandunderstood.Rememberthatmanyissuesorsituationsarealotlikeicebergsfloatingintheocean—thereiswhatwecansee(thefield)andthereisalsowhatwecannotsee(thelawn).

TheLawn.Lawnsarethingswewalkonbutrarelypayattentionto.Thus,thispositionindicatesthingsunnoticedorleftunseenaboutthepresentsituation,thatwhichisunderthesurface.

TheForest.Mostissueshavedeeprootsinthepast.Theforestpositionindicatesthingsthathavehappenedinthepastorhistoricallythatdirectlyinfluencethesituationatpresent.Considerherealsoourownpatterns,familypatterns,generationalpatterns,orevenculturalpatterns.

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AttheWater’sEdge.Water focusesonemotionsandemotionalenergy.Thewater’sedgepositionIndicatestheemotionalissuesinasituationorotheremotionalforcesatplay.

TheGarden.Indicatesthatwhichwemustdoorcarefullytend—thisisthePSO’sadviceforwhattodonoworhowtoact,giventhissituation.

TheWarriors.Indicateforcesthatmaybeopposingusorinoppositiontothesituationathand.Paycloseattentiontothem,astheycaninfluenceandinterfere.

TheBroaderLandscape.Indicatestheoutcome,givenalloftheabove.

RootsandShootsSpread

This spread helps us choose between two or more possible paths. You can draw astandardspreadwith twopaths,but if you feel theremightbea thirdpotentialpath (ormore),feelfreetodrawasmanypathsasyoumayneed.

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Card1:CurrentSituationCard2:Whatisinfluencingorunderlyingthesituation

Path1:Card3.suggestedactivity

Card4.suggestedoutcome

Path2: Card3:alternativesuggestedactivity

Card4:alternativesuggestedoutcome

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FlowerSpread:YourSoul’sExpression

This spreadhelpsusunderstandhowour soulwants to express itself aspartof ourspiritualpath.Thissimplespreadallowsus tounderstandwhichenergiesareresonatingwithusinmultipleways.

Card1.Whatenergymyspiritresonatesinthismoment.

Card2.Whatenergymyheartresonatesinthismoment.Card3.Whatmybodyresonatesinthismoment.

Card4.Whatenergymymindresonatesinthismoment.

Card5:WhatenergyIamputtingintotheworldinthismoment.Center.Mymessagefromspirit.

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CreativitySpread

Thisspreadhelpsinspireusandencouragesourcreativepractices.ItisintheshapeoftheAwen(pronounced“ah-wen,”whichisasymbolinthedruidtraditionthatfocusesoncreativity).

LeftrayoftheAwen.Barrierstomycreativework

RightrayoftheAwen.Thingsthatfacilitatemycreativework

CenterrayoftheAwen.WhereIshouldbefocusingmycreativeenergy