I felt somewhat conflicted whlie pulling weeds in my garden yesterday. It had been a while since I played in the dirt and and hardy weeds had grown high and everywhere, making it clear that mother nature was tending my garden, not me.
In my survival course just a few weeks ago, we learned about weeds like these and their medicine. We identified several, talked about how they could be used for tea, poultices and food. Weeds are powerful medicine. In fact, not once did I even hear the term "weeds". We were exploring and learning about medicinal herbs and edible plants.
Yet as I crouched in the garden, I was overwhelmed. I did not recognize a single one of them. Could this tall green plant with pink on the leaves be a powerful remedy of sorts? In my ignorance, I did not know. So I pulled them up by the roots, feeling twinges of guilt. Waste. What we call weeds tend to be the hardiest, toughest and richest sources of energy. How could a true child of the earth do such a thing....But then again, on the surface, I was finally making the garden more beautiful, so I could impress my friends who will arrive for a Memorial Day BBQ, right?
In my inbox this morning I found a Daily Om article entitled: Messengers from the Wilderness: Weeds At the end of the article I received some advice on weeds that I'd like to pass along:
The next time you see a weed, you might want to look deeply into its roots, discover its name, its habits, and its possible uses. Instead of seeing an unwanted intruder, you might see a healer offering its leaves for a medicinal tea or its flowers for a colorful salad. At the very least, if you look long enough, you will see a messenger from the wilderness of Mother Earth, reminding you that, even in the most carefully controlled garden, she cannot be completely ruled out.
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