Breaking free: Discovering more of myself through plant medicine
From anxiety to clarity: How a Rose Dieta changed me
I’m enrolled in a yearlong spirituality school online in which we “diet” with different plants as a way to deepen our relationships with the plants and with ourselves.
I’ve dabbled in herbs before, such as using red clover, chickweed and nettle instead of HRT to manage my menopause symptoms (I still use these).
But until this school, I’ve never “dieted” with plants in a way that was this focused, intentional or spiritual. (“Diet” in this context doesn’t have anything to do with losing weight. It simply means focusing on the specific plants.)
Recently, our school completed a 40-day Rose Dieta during which we attuned to red rose, then white rose, then weaved them together. “Rose Dieta” refers to a spiritual practice using the actual physical properties of roses as well as the flowers’ more subtle energies and their symbolism as focal points for growth, self-reflection and purification.
The experience included regular rituals and ceremonies with roses and rose petals, drinking homemade rose tea, taking baths with rose petals, and following guidelines meant to clear out space to allow the rose energy to reach us.
When I was preparing for this Dieta, including buying red and white rose bushes so I’d always have fresh blooms, I had little idea of what to expect from the experience.
To my surprise, the rose showed me so much about myself and my lifelong patterns. It was amazing to experience how plants can offer so much insight and guidance.
This Dieta was eye-opening and heart-opening -- overwhelmingly so at times. It was like years of therapy condensed into 40 days, except my therapist was simply my higher self, gifting me insights through the rose. I am so grateful for the clarity.
The Rose Dieta changed me for good. There’s much to explore here, but one aspect I’d like to bring forward is …