Self-care is a lifestyle. It’s not just an afternoon nap or a good glass of wine and a dip in the bathtub. While these are all examples of how to “treat yourself!”
Instead, self-care is about pursuing wholeness by building trust in yourself. Embrace who you are now – and integrate who you have been in the past – with compassion and gentleness. Forgive yourself for your past doubts and step out of the victim role. It’s about the ambition to be more, while unapologetically showing who you are. When you learn to love yourself deeply, you embrace your shadow. You empower yourself by honing the ability to shine light on your trauma, turning mistakes and hardships into fuel to manifest your dreams.
Self-care is about saying yes to your well-being and health. It is a commitment to life and a path of integrity. It involves saying ‘no’ to everything that is not true for you. Being honest with yourself results in waves of influence. These waves destroy illusions and shape our connections with each other and the world around us. Self-care is a practice of becoming. It’s messy, it can be hard and it’s beautiful! To know yourself. To stand solid and unique, imperfect and radiant. To live with a greater ability to move with the tides because you take care of yourself.
When we embrace self-care, we come from a place of empowerment. We become authentic dancers and dream weavers who take responsibility in all our relationships and engagements in the world. Self-care cultivates liberation and creative expression, because when we know, truly know, that we are worthy of an extraordinary life, we look for ways to create beauty. Beauty and freedom for themselves and for others. We become beacons of understanding and kindness. Pillars of determination and impact.
Plant allies for embodying self-care
Empowerment is built on the foundations of ambition, tolerance, transparency, positive impact and boundaries. When we embody these pillars, we are truly self-empowered. It takes courage to live in authenticity and self-love. But we don’t have to walk the path alone. We have many plant-based allies who can help us learn to love ourselves enough to care for our tender hearts and the world around us.
Aspiration: Lily
Lilies thrive on rocky outcrops at high altitudes, fully exposed to sudden weather changes. Unhindered by the strong wind, they dance in the updraft. They bloom courageously during the frequent storms and temperature drops. We can look to lilies to rise above the self-imposed limitations that hold us back. They remind us that self-care requires our innate ability to breathe and center. Ground and power. Like the lily, we are flexible and adapt our path to joy even in the face of sadness, pain and stress. Ask the lily for the strength to give yourself the care you have not received elsewhere, knowing that when we are whole within ourselves, we can give the world our uniqueness. We too can overcome adversity and achieve our soul’s purpose and thrive wherever we are.
Glacier Lilies – Gothic, Colorado. Photo by Dawn Amber Miller
Tolerance: pine
Pine trees are sacred to the evolution of humanity. We even named our pineal gland after their cones, demonstrating our deep and sacred connection to the wisdom they offer us. Pine offers the power of tolerance. What other teacher has shown us so much? Pine teaches us to bend instead of break, to remain steadfast in our roots, and to persevere in the face of time, chaos, and destruction. A pine tree does not waver in its care for itself, even when it is sick or cut down. Instead, it sends signals to its allies in the fungal and root system of the self, and together they redistribute resources so that what it has is not wasted. When faced with the consequences of ignorance – whether yours or someone else’s – try to show ways you can get through the experience, lean on your own strength, and seek support from the community.
Transparency: violet
Violets grow on every continent on earth. Violets look graceful, soft and vulnerable. They help us with the empowerment pillar of transparency. They rise through hard layers of ice and snow. They are some of the first flowers to bloom in clearings in damaged forests. They offer their first flowers as art and healing. Their seed-forming flowers appear in the fall and are barely noticed. Self-care is an internal process, and like the violet, the seeds we sow are not always the first to be noticed. But they carry within them the creative promise of spring. The leaves of violets support our lymphatic system and move past what no longer serves the body. They help us acknowledge and address the traumas we have endured. Call on Violet if you need help being honest with yourself about the kind of support you need to move forward from a hurting situation.
Positive impact and boundaries: hawthorn
Hawthorn forests are above and below ground in one whole. They provide protection, shelter and food to many forest dwellers and passers-by. In Hawthorn we see how empowerment creates a source of positive impact. Hawthorn berries have long been used to support circulation and overall heart health. Their thorns have also been used for protection. Self-care teaches us to honor the word “no” and allow our own thorns of boundary to grow. Work with Hawthorn if you need help forming proper boundaries and taking care of your heart. Look to Hawthorn to guide you in growing positive change in your community, seeking ways to uplift others and provide a heart-centered alliance. Steep and share a cup of hawthorn tea while listening to the stories of the people in your community. Resonance will be found.
Dawn Amber Miller has apprenticed and studied in the United States of America and has received certifications in traditional and medical herbalism from the Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism, the Commonwealth Center for Holistic Herbalism, and the Hawthorn Institute. A passionate steward of nature’s sacred realm, she moves with the wildflowers, tending the rituals of wildcrafting with heart and hand. She is currently a Customer Journey Representative at WishGarden Herbs.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to sell any product.
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