Since the world was creating enormous amounts of life, plants were documenting earths green evolution in their DNA, while they were evolving themselves in more complex organisms. Through the first manifestation of nitrogen cycle, plants not only found the way to continue their life after death by seeding, but also started to bring more lifeforms diversity around them. Billions of years of existence made plants be the deepest fountain of information available in nature.
At one point we use plants for our health, and now we are also getting conscious about the sacredness of plants, we are getting back to a better way to respect and use them, not like a pill but from the ground to our heart. That is why healing retreats are important, to show us respect and grateful about the healing power of plants.
Sacred plants history
The history of sacred plants begun with the first steps of the first humans, this is one of the longest relationships we have had as cognitive beings. In conjunction with our intrinsic wondering about nature and the fact that we are built to consume plants, our history is marked by different herbal medicines around the world.
Different animals, at some point, begun to find out that there is something in each plant that produces a different reaction in their bodies and mood. That sensitivity of a non-egocentric being that made possible an intuitive interaction between plants and animals was the ignition for the evolution of different species, and not only animals, other living things did the same; fungi for example live in symbiosis with 90% of the plants we know.
That flowy communication with plants gave the opportunity to read natures dynamics, its behavior; and observing what and how was happening got us closer to plants with entheogenic properties. In our constant try to mimic nature’s patterns, we have found abundant discoveries, not only in science but in our frequent insight path.
So, it has been in our nature. The constant search to explore the sutil energies in everything that exists, and sacred plants have been giving us the tools for this quest. They lovingly show us trails in ourselves that possibly we couldn’t even imagine, paths to presence, to understanding, to eternity. In this context, plants become guides, teachers and the center for many ceremonies and healing retreats.
You can visualize how humble ayahuasca vine looks in the Amazonian jungle, growing in a serpent like pattern, silently, patient hanging from trees, being just another piece of the abundant collective of vibrational colorful living beings; there, no bright colors, without trippy branches, just an earthy colored old vine that when is mixed with a coffee-cousin plant in a brew, has the most potent hallucinogenic and spiritual effect in humans. Safety for every age and prepared by medicine peoples hands. Ayahuasca brew is known as the “abuelita”, the grandmother, and as one she carries your soul to the clear truth of your personal and collective existence, one with the cosmos, one with nature. This “remedio” (remedy) has beneficial property’s not only in our sutil layers, but also for treating and curing different diseases, from digestive cleansing to eradicate cancer in the lymphatic system. Sacred plants heal our beings integrally, we are not only one with creation, we are one, period.
Sacred plants benefits.
Plants not only give us medicine for physical disbalances, but they are the bridge that connects us to the infinite web that connects everything. These kind of plants, the entheogenic plants, are the ones we call sacred and are one of the most important bond in healing retreats. They dissolve each pattern learned from our structured society turning it into a parameter to measure how perfect and beautiful life is. Just the same way you appreciate the light after a long seasonal darkness. Imagine that for a moment, some plants have the power to reconfigure the vibration of your whole being, while some plants can kick bad bacteria out of your system some of them can take your spirit back to the source on a peaceful road of light while cosmic birds sing “Icaros” for your healing.
This obvious trigger of human consciousness has been the spiritual treasure for many cultures since the beginning of time. For the first humans who knew that a plant that heals the body is as valuable as the plants that heal the spirit, a sacred plant is the one that brings balance when it’s needed. Along with the study of the stars, plants and their interaction with humans became a topic of science and spirituality a long time ago, and it continues even on to today.
There are thousands of documented cultures that use plants as a key to open themselves to the greatest reality, where there is no border between them and God, letting their mind synchronize with the largest library of cosmic information in plants DNA. In these groups of people, the practice of herbal alchemy and medicine crafting was the labor of the “Sukias” (costarrican name for medicine man) and it’s a deep and profound study of healing and exploring. This mystic practice grew side by side with people’s devotion, ritual and offerings. This led humans to nurtured familiarity with the whole existence. Nature is the divinity and plants are the sacrament.
Sacret plants in Costa Rica
Yes, in Healing Retreats sacred plants are involved, most of the time people is waiting for visions to manifest, however, Mother plants aren’t just hallucinogenic plants, here in Costa Rica we have a plant that, according to some of our indigenous groups, it’s fruit is so precious and powerful that when “Sibu” (the creator God) brought it to life he fell so in love with it that he decided to marry it, its name was “Tzuru” better known as Cacao. As same as Corn, “We are daughters and sons of Corn”, some groups of our elders believe that we come from corn seeds, in the Popol Vu the Mayan Holy Book it is said that humans are created from corn, which is not only a beautiful metaphor knowing that there is a vast number of colors and shapes in corn seeds but because corn plants share an interesting very similar DNA with humans.
Plants and humans are bonded as co-creators, teachers and students, we take care of plants that will take care of us, we breath their oxygen, they breath our carbon dioxide, they give us fruits, we plant their seeds.
Every time you step on grass in a sunny day or place your hand on a tree bark while walking on a foggy trail, stop for a moment to take a deep and conscious breath, absorb that oxygen in, the vibration of that benevolent being, absorb that sacredness and know that our connection with that plant or tree comes beyond time, beyond our Grandmothers, since the first Song singed, since Earth gave birth to humans.
If you would like to have a better understanding of a healing retreats and sacred plants, if you would like to have this sacred experience, the Jungle Healing Retreat at Finca exotica Ecolodge is a great option, it is an intentional practice of 3 sacred plant ceremonies surrounded by unspoiled beach, tropical forest, loving people, great food and amazing activities.
* Written by Carlos Avendaño. Enthusiast of plants., with great knowlodge of herbalism, permaculture, Yoga, Massage and healing therapies. https://www.facebook.com/junglemoonherbalist/
