How Damiana Rekindled My Fire
An Audio Journal
The story I am about to share is a personal account of my journey over the last year. In my herbal apprenticeship, we were directed to walk with a plant for the duration of the semester. Damiana chose me. This is my final project. The best way to experience this journey is to press play and to listen to the audio journal that is provided. You can still choose to read along with the provided transcript below. For a special treat, make sure you listen & read to the end!
I didn’t know much about Damiana when the flower’s name came to my dreaming mind in bold letters as I slept on a September evening in 2023. I haven’t seen Damiana in the wild or in any gardens because her habitat is usually in the Southwest so I had no clue how the plant looked. Prior to my plant walk, I did not engage with Damiana, whatsoever, nor did I have any inclination on her energetics or properties. In fact, when it was time for a plant ally and I to mutually choose each other, I was convinced that I was guided to walk with Cinnamon, an ally who has supported me & brought warmth & comfort to my life over many years. However, Spirit had other plans for me.
Damiana was a glad surprise. This surprise, emphasis on glad, is articulated in mystic, preacher, theologian & ancestor Howard Thurman’s book, Meditations of the Heart. He wrote, “There are surprises that are shocking, startling, frightening and bewildering. But the glad surprise is something different from all of these. It carries with it the element of elation, of life, of something over and beyond the surprise itself.” Later he wrote, “There is a deeper meaning in the concept of the glad surprise. This meaning has to do with the very ground and foundation of hope about the nature of life itself. The manifestation of this quality in the world about us can best be witnessed in the coming of the Spring. It is ever a new thing, a glad surprise, the stirring of life at the end of Winter.”
Tuesday, September 26th 2023 4:11 AM: Damiana - why have you chosen me for this plant walk? What will you reveal to me over the next seven months? Admittedly, I do not know much about you. Damiana - will you help me focus? Because that is what I need. Fire comes to mind when I think of you. That is what I need too. A spark. Or multiple sparks. New energy.
The first month of my plant walk was complete meditation. I learned that Damiana was called to me in this season to help stir my pot and to continue to ignite my passion. To trust my instincts and to make the bold steps that I need to take.
From my plant journal, Saturday October 14 2023 3:45AM: “Damiana will help me get more into my body. Perhaps not to make safe, grounded choices as I always do. I am a woman who is contained. And perhaps it is time for me to step out of that container.”
During the second month of the plant walk I got my hands on dried damiana leaves and began to make daily infusions. The first sip and my body immediately responded with an “ooohhh, this feels nice.” The taste is lovely and fragrant. Flowery but with a peppery note. I made daily infusions at the start of the day of solely damiana and then ventured into blends such as damiana and lemon balm and damiana and tulsi. Blends that would help me spring into action, calm my nervous system, and that will help my body adapt to whatever I need in the environment at the moment.
When we studied the Medicine Wheel in Native American Herbalism, I realized that the imbalances that I was experiencing that season in my mind and body were in the East & West of the wheel. Mentally, my mind was all over the place. All good things. While I did not lack inspiration and new ideas, I did not have the groundedness and structure that I needed to spring forward these ideas and manifest my goals. Why? I did not have the fuel, that fire in my body – the South direction on the medicine wheel, to sustain all of the mental energy.
This is supported by what I’ve learned about the elements in Chinese Medicine. Wood aka the liver feeds fire and fire aka the heart produces organic matter which creates earth aka the spleen and stomach. During my assessment, it was interesting to note that these organs in the body align with the heart, solar plexus, and sacral chakras. In Ayurveda - my dosha and constitution is Pitta. Even though I have a fire dominant constitution, in this season, I have been experiencing an excess of Vata, which is not surprising. The overbalance of cold and air in my body, environment, and activities make it difficult to ignite the inner flame and maintain my vitality. And so, I created my protocol to decrease the over imbalance of East, air, coldness, and Vata and to fuel my vitality, build my Qi, and protect my inner flame.
Month Four – The messages that I received from Damiana often came in my dreams and quiet moments. I learned to lean on Damiana as a sleep ritual and dream support. I actually made a dream pillow- a small dream pillow where I put damiana leaves in a small pouch and put her underneath my pillow to help support me at night, to recall my dreams, and have an easeful sleep.
From plant journal December 24, 2023 9:49 AM: “Damiana brings energy forward. Reignite the flames. Quiet nerves. Call to adventure. Mars is the planetary influence and is all about action. Doing something new. Channel this.”
In The Yoga of Herbs, Dr. Lad and Dr. Frawley wrote about the role of agni aka fire in Ayurveda. “Agni is not simply a symbol for the power of digestion…it is the creative flame that works behind all life, building up the entire universe as a stage by stage unfoldment of itself, which, thereby, contains within itself the key to all transformations.” They continued with, “The agni of plants can feed our agni. Through this interconnection, we join ourselves with the cosmic agni, the creative force of life and healing.”
The herbs that I turned to– to partner with so that their agni can feed into my agni & their fire can feed into my fire in my Vitality protocol were adaptogens, nervines, nutritives, and supported the immune system, nervous system, and digestive system. It was important for me to have a protocol to slow down a bit, to ground myself, to find focus. In order for the flame to take its time and to steadily build.
Infusions were my favorite form of medicine during this season, particularly because I like the ritual aspect of warming up water, taking my time and letting the tea steep. I incorporated my herbs into food often. I would ground astragalus into powder and include that in my oatmeal and pancakes. There were times when I included lemon balm in my pancakes as well.
I also incorporated weekly or biweekly head washes. I had two steady head washes I would make. One was more cooling and that consisted of lavender, mint, and chamomile. And while that consisted of mostly herbs that were cooling, they were also aromatic, pungent, and stimulant. They helped bring clarity, wonderful nervines, sweet, aromatic, and brought a sense of peace, cooled me down, and quieted my mind. At times when I knew that I needed the fire and energy to go and do something, I would rinse my head with an infusion of damiana that also included bay leaf and rosemary. These are pungent, aromatic, spicy herbs that bring that fire.
Part of my protocol was also making sure I had daily time to pray, sit at my altar, light my candle and give thanks to God, my Spirit team – guardian Angels and my ancestors. When I needed to move stagnant energy in my body, I used the emotional freedom technique where I tapped the different meridians of my – my face, top of my head, my brow area, my collarbone, my heart area to move the energy throughout my body so I can once again get out of my mind and be present.
Month 7 - Wednesday March 6, 2024 6:15pm: “We were asked this question by our mentors: after everything that we’ve been through on this journey through levels 1 & 2, who are you right now and how have you changed?” My answer – I am not tip toeing anymore. My feet are firmly on the ground as I take my deliberate and bold steps.
“It is your own lush self you hunger for.”
This Lucille Clifton quote was written on the first page of my plant walk journal that I began in September 2023 prior to meeting my plant ally Damiana. How fitting. It is my own lush self that I hunger for. Hungered for. And perhaps I am still hungry for. Lavishly productive, thriving, abundance, plentiful, prosperous, savory, delicious, opulent. These are the words that come to mind and are written alongside the word lush. This is the energy that I am learning to embody alongside Damiana.
Sunday, February 25th 2024 at 11:06pm, A written ancestral message I channeled: “The flame is an open road. Embrace the fire, the warmth, the heat, the initiation. Embrace the spark and ignition. You are an initiation of change. It is part of your alchemy.”
Thank you Damiana for supporting me in this creative alchemy.
Thank you all for listening and reading this issue of A Cup of Tea & Jams. The songs included in my audio journal are featured in my Turnera Diffusa Playlist. I am very grateful for each of you who chose to subscribe to my newsletter! Since the launch of A Cup of Tea & Jams 2 weeks ago, I have more than 30 subscribers!! Thank you for your support and love. I am also deeply thankful for my new paid subscribers: Karen, Maraisa, Garry, Ebony, and Mersedes! Your monetary support helps me cover the tuition of my advanced herbalism apprenticeship.
If you made it this far, let me know if there are any plants that you have journeyed with or interested in taking a journey with. You can reply in email or send a comment on substack.
Until next time,
Khayla
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