WHITE DEAD NETTLE | PART FOUR - HOLISTIC
EMBRACING CHANGE
Here are a few basic facts:
Plant family - lamiaceae aka mint family
Botanical name - lamium album
Best time to plant/sow - December/January...hint: gather the seeds from herb to save for sowing
Best time to pick - March - December with April and May being the peak time it flowers
Heya Queen, thanks for being here!
I hope you're getting as much from these posts as I do writing them-my love and commitment to holistic healing is unwavering, as I hope is your commitment to your self-love and growth journey!
So let's get into it!
In part two of this - read here if you haven't already - I wrote about the things I was letting go of. The thing with this is, as great as it is, it's important to have something replace it lest we fall back into old, learned habits.
When I first started doing this work, I was doing it alone - I wasn't part of a sister circle or women's support group. Just me. And that's all I needed because everything we need is already within us. And Yoni steaming is an incredibly powerful way to reconnect us with our inner power. It relaxes our central nervous system, activates out parasympathetic system and creates a sense of inner safety; it's in this state that we can dream, create, delve deep into our thoughts and inner wisdom. THIS is feminine power. This is what is destroyed within many of us from a young age through misogynist teachings. Gosh, I look back and as soo mad at those who cut me off from my authentic, wild, creative, healing self! Pardon my language but how fucking dare they?! I'll be writing about safe ways to deal with rage and the herbs that help with that in due time so keep an eye out.
Back to the wonderful white dead nettle.
As much as we're not to blame for the systematic, misogynist practices that cut us off from our feminine power, it's our responsiblity to reconnect ourselves to it. "But that's not fair" I hear you think. No, it isn't but what are you gonna do? Continue to give your power away by waiting for others to do right by you? To save you? Hun, this isn't a fairytale where you're some damsel in distress or sleeping, waiting for some man out of nowhere to come and save or wake you up! In the words of the great writer and activist, Audrey Lorde: "the masters tools will never dismantle the masters house". In this context we can think of it as 'the same thing/people that harmed cannot be the same thing/people that heal me'.
My harsh tone is not meant to offend but to be a wake-up call to reality and catalyst to reignite your inner fire. It's a call be to be an active participant in your own life. Now let's reclaim our power.
HOW I WORK WITH THE ENERGY OF WHITE DEAD NETTLE HOLISTICALLY FOR TRANSFORMATION
Yoni steaming is a great way to embrace change as it soothes the nervous system; this body system doesn't like change very much. It recognises anything that isn't the same or a pattern as a threat which can manifest as anxiety and fear. Often, for example in toxic relationship, we see people returning to the toxicity and think "but why?". Or the woman who constantly goes for the bad boy 🙋🏾♀️ A large part of this is that it's safe, it's what is known. We see generational patterns of terrible behaviour which becomes normalised by families, communities and whole societies because people within those structure don't know any different, and if they see a difference, they approach it with fear which will often show up as shaming, derogatory comments, hatred, bashing and so on.
After using white dead nettle to cut energetic cords, I got to work with planting new seeds for my transformation to take root in my life. First, I took control of my thoughts by thinking up new ones that were rooted in self-love. It'll be helpful if you have part two side-by-side as you read this because for everything I listed in that post, I did the opposite in the list below. So let's go!
I no longer told myself it's my fault for being harmed. Instead, I realised I was locked in dynamics of power created to make me the weaker one where using my voice would cause someone to abuse their power. My intuition had always been there waving red flags when I was put these positions, to let me know something was wrong. I learned to listen, trust and ask how to get out of or avoid them.
I had to redefine love for me, myself and I. There's a yummy and nourishing workshop on this coming soon, keep reading for more! Doing this in particular was powerful because it gave me control and sovereignity over my own life and body again. Love now meant being respected as a human and all the rights that come with that. It meant I was reclaiming my right to live life on MY own terms and not anyone else's. It also made it easier for me to call our those who projected their ideas and desires of me, on to me.
I found a community in places that allow everyone to have a voice and rely on goodness, kindness, instead of a hierarchical structure.
I started looking up women's domestic violence organisations on social media and slowly started becoming part of a tribe of like-minded women. It really helped with my thought process and again, recognising the pattern of abuse and the role I played within it. The main thing I got from this was ACCOUNTABILITY! It's not the same as blame and helped me to see where and why I gave away my power. Also got a workshop on this so keep reading.
I centered myself and other women. I mean, can you say main-character energy because I can! More as more as I rediscovered and reclaimed my authentic mind, in every situation I thought "where am I in this, what am I doing, how can I stand rooted and grounded in my power?". As a lover of history and mythology, I research women in these areas along with religion and was mindblown! Stories that were suppressed and hidden flowed to me and gave me so much inspiration. I became even more dedicated to rewriting my own narrative and advocating for other women to do the same.
This one relates back to me redefining love and I subscribed to soft, gentle, respectful love. I started thinking "I deserve it because its inherit to my being" instead of " I have to work hard, suffer, prove myself and have multiple breakdowns for it".
Don't blame a clown for being a clown, question why you keep going to the circus. I always knew the justice system is all things but just, I was just coming from a place of brokenness at the time of being attacked and grasping, hoping. All this work I was doing didn't protect me from male-entitlement but it did mean I knew what I was experiencing was wrong, have the words to articulate it and some sort of idea as to where to seek help. I mainly turned to a group of trusted friends and sought advice from Women's Aid.
Oh belieeeeeve me when I say I got to rediscovering my period and body. PERIOD POWER 🩸workshop will be back soon so keep an eye out. I already experienced pain relief and lighter bleeding and wasn't going to let anyone tell me anything about MY experience. As for my body, I started having fun with it! I started capoeira and yoga classes and begun dancing again. Hello samba and afrobeats!
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN
If you haven't done so already, go back to part two and make a list of things you'd like to let go of. When you're done, for each thing you listed, write down what the replacement is. Start simple by writing the opposite if you're struggling to get going. You'll find it easier over time as you rediscover, reconnect to and reclaim your authentic self.
Remember to create a safe space for yourself as you do this work. You can use low-lighting, burn incense/oils, put on relaxing music or....
JOIN A WORKSHOP!
Yes, they're back and I can't wait to connect with and create a safe, nurturing space for you on your healing journey.
The first three are pay-what-you-can and online.
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!! Get your ticket - with your discount - to recclaim YOUR period! I have another space in Sunderland too and you know the drill...keep an eye out 😉
I'm really excited to hold space and gather a community of women who are dedicated to healing and transformation. I'll be sharing some creative tools that I used in my healing journey which are easy, accessible and fun!
Please share these events with anyone you think might benefit from it - it's really important we know we're not alone and have a safe space to be vulnerable so we can grow.
PRODUCTS THIS HEALING HERB IS IN
If you do the exercise in this blog, let me know how you get on with it and leave a comment down below. I'd love to hear what you think! I truly, from the depths of my heart and soul hope that reading and learning about this herb will empower and inspire you. However, I don't know unless you comment or communicate in some way so get to posting, commenting, emailing...something! Just dont leave me alone out here, sis 👯♀️If you have any questions, let's talk at one of my workshops above or book a 👇🏾
The next herb is....
🌿 MUGWORT 🌿
Until then, remember you have everything you need within you and
Queen, it's time to reclaim your throne!
