Let the sun kiss your skin, and the wind caress your hair.

Let the rain wash away your pain and sorrow and

the warmth of the fire steep into your bones.

 

Surround yourself with birdsong. Their songs mend the soul.

 

Your chosen family can be the splendor of Apple blossoms,

or ancient Elder Oak trees laden with acorns.

Blue vervain can illuminate your heart as it thrives in the swamp.

Skunk Cabbage transmutes your grief while Grandmother Cedar protects you.

Peach trees bring sweetness that softens heat.

 

When you feel insignificant or hopeless remember the growth

of the tiny Grandfather Tobacco seed.

Pray with tobacco in your left hand. This is the old way that this land remembers.

 

Place your bare feet on the ground often.

Feel your roots grow deep around the crystals, mycelium, and the chipmunk homes.

 

Wash your face with wild waters. You skin will glow with its knowing.

​

The whole world is your garden, when you know this you are free.

 

You are needed here.

You are the medicine your Ancestors prayed for.

 

Julie Gaia

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