Cultivating Harmony on the Plant Spirit Path
If I had to choose one reason that the plant spirit path calls to most people, it would be harmony. This word, so thrown around in modern new age circles, is actually rooted in ancient language and contains many secrets about how our ancient forebears may have experienced the cosmos- and what they thought their own job as citizens of the universe may have been.
Linguistic scholars and etymologists believe that our modern word harmony comes from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European suffix *-ar which can be defined as things fitting together in a pleasing way. From -ar we move on to Xartus, another reconstructed word, which is connected to the Sanskrit Rta; the order of the cosmos, the way things should be.
So, harmony evolves from this ancient term and reminds us that whenever possible we should strive to create beauty, have things fit together nicely, and have order. This we can do by following various codes of ethics and virtues, honoring the deities and ancestors, being good stewards of the land, and holding good space in the world- and we can also do this by working with the plants. In fact, I often say that our plant allies are the best teachers of not just what harmony is, but what it looks like when it becomes something we embody and do rather than just an ethic we contemplate.
In this article, I’d like to look at just a few of the ways plants teach us about what harmony is, how it works, why it’s important, and how we can engage with it intentionally while creating more of it in our own lives.
BEING IN FLOW
One of the easiest ways to get in the way of both personal and global harmony is to go against the flow of things. My clinical herbal practice centers folks who deal with anxiety, stress, and panic- and one thing that always comes up is that the more anxious we are, the more we’re trying to control the flow of things. Plants will show us how we can sit, stable in the place we are now, gathering sky and earth, and allowing things to be. This isn’t a passive ‘anything goes’ kind of showing up in the world, but an active participation in acknowledging the way things are and working with that kind of reality. Trees, for example, will grow in some very inhospitable places- they’re aware of the situation they’re in but don’t let it prevent them from being trees. While fully embracing the reality of things they will also work to bring more harmony, beauty, and healing to any space they occupy.
PARTICIPATING IN CYCLES
Plants don’t just watch the seasons and cycles of life happen- they are often times the beings who exemplify these shifts the most clearly. While weather patterns can change ever so slightly and the days shorten or lengthen by just minutes here and there, the sudden blossoming of a Forsythia bush or the last leaf falling from a Maple tree make it clear where we are on the wheel of the year. Plants are aware of the seasonal rhythms and step into those cycles to add their own beauty and harmony. They show us that harmony isn’t something observed, but something done- and they remind us that we humans have roles to play in all the ways nature ebbs and flows.
BEING BEAUTIFUL
I’ve often wondered how many of the world’s great works of art were inspired by plants. They show up in all their varied glory and display to us in no uncertain terms how beautiful it is to be radically one’s self. While not all plants are what we might call ‘traditionally beautiful’, they all get our attention because of who they are. Just like plants and animals, we human folk also possess our own innate beauty that shines forth and adds to the harmony of the world best when we stand as we are and grow where we’re planted.
ADDING IN
No matter where or how plants show up, they are always working to add more beauty and harmony to every situation. Their mere presence means that air is being purified, oxygen is being created, shade is being given, shelter is being offered, and the vast tapestry of colors and textures that every plant carries are being shared with all who gaze upon them. We humans can do the same- always trying to find intentional ways to add to the harmony of the world by what we do, say, think, and create.
References:
Etymonline.com. Entry on Harmony. Accessed March 26, 2025.
Serith, Ceisiwr. What Was The Proto-Indo-European Religion Like?
https://www.ceisiwrserith.com/pier/whatwasreligion.htm
Accessed March 26, 2025.
Serith, Ceisiwr. Deep Ancestors. ADF Publishing, 2014.
