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Ep.93 Growth in Disruption: What Forests and Fire Teach
12 Plays34 minutes ago
In this episode, we dive deep into the natural wisdom of disruption and transformation. We often view upheaval as something to fear, but what if we approached it the way nature does?
Nature teaches us that adaptation is the key to resilience. By aligning with nature’s cycles, we gain clarity on our personal rhythms, release what no longer serves us, and step forward into a more aligned, sustainable future.
Topics Covered about Growth & Disruption
➡️ Why societal expectations often clash with our natural cycles—and how to shift into a more organic flow
➡️ Learning to navigate change with resilience, clarity, and alignment with our true purpose.
➡️ Using upheaval as a tool for self-discovery and co-creating with nature’s wisdom.
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Transcript
Understanding the Overwhelming Energy of the Year
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, hello, hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Reconnect with Plant Wisdom. It's me, Tigrilla Gardenia. How are you? How are you? It is a strange day here today. um Like, it's kind of sunny. The sun is peeking through and at the same... So you'll see the light be weird because sometimes the sun peeks through, then there's gray clouds, then there's beautiful blue sky and like really wispy white. It's a very strange day.
00:00:27
Speaker
But that's okay because ah we're here. We're here to talk about a bunch of stuff. um Let's also say that it's a strange time period. This year has been... The only word I can think of is thick. Thick is the word that comes to mind. um Everybody that I speak to from my clients, my friends, my fellow community members, we all feel like we're in this thick molasses of energy that for some is extremely overwhelming.
00:00:58
Speaker
It's like almost everything is being brought to the surface in this really thick energy. And with everything happening in the world, ah politically ah political unrest, climate challenges, personal struggles, it's so easy to feel overwhelmed. and and that's the And that's the word I keep using. For me personally, it makes me just want to sleep. I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, a fellow colleague who and community member who who is telling me that basically she sleeps She takes super long showers and that's about all she does right now. Like she reads and she just rests. She's like, for me, January is a month normally with the apaglamental days where I just, you know, kick off certain things and then just sit in that energy and.
00:01:42
Speaker
it's It feels sometimes incongruent with the timelines that we've been taught to follow. you know the The pressure to act fast or to to resist change, to to move in the new year.
Embracing Change Through Nature's Wisdom
00:01:53
Speaker
And all of it can feel super stifling. like You just feel like there's this contrast where it's still a winter for people who are in the northern hemisphere. So you want to actually just kind of rest and curl up in a ball. And at the same time, it's the new year. You want to get things started. But when we zoom out and observe,
00:02:11
Speaker
kind of how natural ecosystem yeah ecosystems, how mature ecosystems handle things like disruption and change. We start to see a different story emerge, one that that talks about different cycles and adaptation and balance. And so in times of upheaval, it's really natural to crave stability and certainty. You know, again, right now, depending on where you live, I mean, you are probably experiencing firsthand extreme amounts of and upheaval. um And also from from different fronts, my values are being kind of affronted, my my belief systems are being challenged, my physical well-being in some cases is being threatened. There's just all kinds of different aspects on it.
00:03:02
Speaker
But, well and and and I'm going to tread lightly in this episode and I want you to understand kind of the overall concepts. And of course, in the naturally conscious community, you're welcome to come in and we can have a good discussion about this because none of what I'm about to say is a quick bit type of thing that you can just say in 10 seconds and then you've got the whole thing. This is about zooming out and really looking at a bigger picture and putting aside our societal norms and trying to understand things the way nature does.
00:03:30
Speaker
Because sometimes for nature, disruption isn't something to fear. It's something we can embrace. Nature shows us that disruption is often the birthplace for something new, some growth, some clarity, and honestly, even some peace.
00:03:47
Speaker
disruption and the ability to break down things sometimes gives way for space and a sense of calm and tranquility. So this is such an important topic for me, one that is, like I said, very delicate, and I really can't wait to get into it with you.
Growth in Disruption: Episode Introduction
00:04:03
Speaker
And so this is going to be episode 93, growth in disruption, what forests and fire teach.
00:04:13
Speaker
Welcome to Reconnect with Plant Wisdom. I'm your host, Tigria Gardenia, nature-inspired mentor, certified life coach, and the founder of the Naturally Conscious share their practical wisdom to help you consciously embody the
00:04:39
Speaker
about the wondrous ways of plants. Together, we'll explore how ecosystem thinking helps you overcome limiting beliefs, understand the true nature of relationships and live an authentic, impactful life.
00:04:54
Speaker
Okay, so in today's episode, we're gonna dive into three major areas.
Lessons from Mature Ecosystems on Adaptation
00:04:58
Speaker
I wanna talk about how mature ecosystems use disruption. So we get a kind of different picture, a way to look at it that is not through the lens of loss that we often experience it through. So we are gonna be talking about some delicate subjects such as fires, for example, and falling trees. I'm gonna pull it into the world of the ecosystem, but obviously for some of us, it's going to be raw based on some of the things that are happening.
00:05:23
Speaker
And I thought carefully about whether or not I wanted to include this topic, but it just seems like sometimes in the heat of the moment, oh, that was a bad pun. I did not mean for that. In the moment, let's just say in the moment, in the moment, um looking at a side-by-side comparison of how a natural ecosystem would deal with something versus how we're feeling about it sometimes is good. It helps bring perspective. So I want you to look at this as an opportunity for regeneration and balance or restructuring, let's just say.
00:05:53
Speaker
The other one I want to talk about is why are societal timelines often clashing with nature's rhythms and exploring a little bit why this happens and how we can kind of shift our way into a much more essence-based or nature-based approach.
00:06:12
Speaker
And then the last thing I'm going to go into is how tuning into nature cycles can actually help you discover your own personal role in all of this because there is a lot of transformation happening, not just on your personal level, although we're feeling it all on the personal level, but also at a global level and understanding your role in it. What is it that you're supposed to do? When is it that you're supposed to step into something bigger and instead when is it exactly perfect for you to just work on yourself and allow that that bigger piece to be tackled by someone else is a hard concept. You don't want to feel like you're running away from situations and at the same time you want to feel like you're putting yourself in the place that works best for you. What is your soul's journey? What is it that you're here to accomplish? How does this fit into your life purpose in your soul mission?
00:06:56
Speaker
So this isn't really about glossing over challenges that we face or pretending everything is going to be okay. I kind of personally hate it when everybody's like, don't worry about it. Everything's going to be okay. For some people, that works really great. For me, that's not what I need. What I need to do is step into it. I need to get into it on all aspects. I need to feel it. I need to think about it. I need to explore it. I need to be able to conceptualize it, I need to look at it, zoomed in into the micro, and I need to be able to zoom right out of it into the and and look at that whole macro thing. So this is really about learning how to navigate the uncertainty with clarity and with wisdom that comes from living in alignment with nature. And by the end of this episode, I want you to feel a deep sense of clarity and space.
00:07:38
Speaker
And maybe I've been a little hope, right, inspired by these natural cycles of growth and renewal and what the possibilities may bring. And I also want you to feel empowered to work with any kind of disruption that might come your way as a catalyst for meaningful change, again, at the individual as well as at the collective level.
00:07:56
Speaker
So let's start by looking at how mature ecosystems turn disruption into a tool for growth. And one of the most powerful examples that comes from the way forests respond to fire. And I understand that this again could be a raw topic so you take the space that you need and if this isn't the episode for you i totally understand this but i hope that you see that approaching this and looking at this is a mature ecosystem and looking at how they deal with fires could help us better understand what is it about our own societal ecosystems that are not yet mature enough
00:08:29
Speaker
to be able to use this or what areas are mature enough and that if we just shift the way we approach um situations like fire we can actually you know end up in a completely different more transformative or evolutive space. But before we get into any of this let's take a very quick break to share with you one of my eco-conscious business partners.
00:08:52
Speaker
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00:09:35
Speaker
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00:09:59
Speaker
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00:10:13
Speaker
Alright, in nature, disruption is not just ah an unfortunate event that we must endure, okay? We tend to think of as humans that anything that happens that is disruptive, whether or not we're talking about in personal life or in our cities or all the way around us,
00:10:30
Speaker
It must be something that's negative, something that's bad. But when you're looking at it from nature, it's actually part of an integrated process that leads to regeneration and balance. In other words, knowing that these kinds of cyclical changes are going to happen, that as you build something up, it's going to overflow at some point and have to be let out somewhere, or that as certain kinds of conditions stabilize and grow, that growth, kind of like your hair, you need a haircut sometimes, is going to need to go somewhere. And so nature has, in all of these billions of years of existence, found ways to use this to their advantage, can work with this type of disruption. So let's think about a fire in a forest. At first glance, it might seem like total disruption, right? We're seeing that at a societal level right now when you look at what's happening in California.
00:11:26
Speaker
And it's happened multiple places, right? And oh every year we have forest fires from Australia to Canada to a many different locations that are running rampant. And at first glance, as again, it might look like destruction. And it is from the way that we as human beings have integrated ourselves into these ecosystems.
Personal Growth Through Nature's Cycles
00:11:47
Speaker
But if you were to take a step back for a second and look at fires from a forest level, so we're talking about a forest, a mature forest has grown and has continued to find its balance, its equilibrium, and it's now in a place and a fire comes three comes three comes through. excuse me
00:12:04
Speaker
um You see that of course trees are burned, animals scatter, and everything in sight appears to be consumed by the flames. But here's the thing. In many ecosystems, fire is not only natural, it's actually essential. It clears away the old and it makes way for the new. So consider a forest where older, dead plant material has accumulated over time. You have a super thick underbrush, right? If the forest were left undisturbed, this organic matter would remain. It becomes a barrier for new growth. Sure, it slowly decomposes,
00:12:42
Speaker
But the rate of decomposition and the rate of growth means that there's always this sort of thick patch at the bottom. And that thick patch covers everything else. So sunlight doesn't arrive down to the forest floor. The soil is always moist because it's been covered in and held in. The tops of the trees then are not able to get some of the nutrients that normally come from the lower levels because the lower level is not decomposing in time.
00:13:09
Speaker
and the photosynthesis is causing these trees to continue to grow at a rapid pace. Without the fire, the forest itself would be a risk of stagnating, of no longer being able to grow, and even to be able to hold spaces for any kinds of diseases and parasites and other parasites is not always a disease. So I'm going to backtrack that word for a second. Human vocabulary is stuck in there. Diseases or any kind of wear some kinds of wounds, maybe just don't get the aeration that they need to heal, where you have clusters of certain kinds of either animals or plants or materials or any other kinds of beings that don't have the flow in order for move. In other words, there's not enough
00:13:54
Speaker
air circulation coming through, there's not enough decomposition happening, there's not enough sunlight, a whole series of things happen. And this is something that in a mature forest for a long period of time can be held. It's held and it opens in that space. But then there comes a point where it becomes too much. And then that crescent, that growth and that um being able to move becomes a stagnation and it holds itself in place.
00:14:19
Speaker
And so fire, as disruptive as it seems, is actually a clearing mechanism in this way. It burns away what has outlived its purpose, leaving space for new to new life to emerge. What grows after the fire is fresh. It's vibrant. It's aligned with the new conditions of the forest. The forest floor has now been opened.
00:14:42
Speaker
There is ash that ends up nurturing different aspects because there's different chemical properties to it. There's sunlight that can touch certain places. In fact, some plants have evolved to rely on this purse on this process. Certain species of pine trees, for example, have cones that only open to release their seeds if there's an intense amount of heat, like a fire. So these cirroshinous cones ensure that the new generation of trees can take root in the nutrient rich ash. In other words, it's not just that the cones themselves, the seeds require, the cones require that fire in order to open and allow the seeds to emerge, but the seeds themselves have grown
00:15:27
Speaker
to look for elements for different chemical properties that are in different nutrients that are in that ash-rich soil that's left behind. And so they thrive in this newfound sunlight that reaches the forest floor. They thrive in what this environment gives to them. It's an incredible example of adaptation and resilience.
00:15:48
Speaker
showcasing nature's ability to turn a seemingly catastrophic event into an opportunity for renewal. And so when we think about the creation of a city, this is where practices like biomimicry are trying to take us.
00:16:04
Speaker
They're trying to help us think like an ecosystem. And if I live in certain areas of the country, whatever country I might live in, I might be prone to fires because intense sunlight, droughts that happens, all of these things. So therefore, if I was to think and build like an ecosystem, I can build an environment that grows over time. And then when that fire comes through, I can end up using that fire for renewal. Or honestly, Sometimes the fire comes even when something is not ready for it, burns it away, but...
00:16:40
Speaker
It's an opportunity for you to grow in a different direction to start something new. Look, I get it. It's a hard concept. It's a hard pill to swallow, especially if you've lost your house or if you or a loved one has experienced a raging forest fire. But again, the question becomes, how do I become part of the ecosystem? What is it that I could do as I rebuild to create my life as part of that ecosystem of which fire is one of the beings that lives with it?
00:17:09
Speaker
It's one of the elements of the area. And even if it wasn't in the past, it is now, right? Part of dealing with things like climate change is, yes, sure, I am trying to prevent certain types of climate change, of accelerated climate change. But really, we use the term accelerated climate change because the climate is always changing. And so what's happening right now is this acceleration.
00:17:34
Speaker
It's not the fact that things are changing. This might have taken a thousand years to happen, but it was still going to happen eventually because climate moves, climate changes. And so therefore, we have to learn this adaption. So the question is more of how do we learn how to adapt with our ever-changing conditions?
00:17:52
Speaker
Just as the forest uses fire to clear away the old and make room for the new, we too can embrace disruption in our lives as a catalyst for growth. Whether we're talking about a physical fire or whether we're talking about a metaphorical so fire, something that happens to me, something that clears away or burns away some kind of situation or some kind of activity that I'm part of,
00:18:16
Speaker
We can use the same principles to think about our lives, and we can work very closely with our tree partners and allies to better understand how do I use this to my advantage. By tuning into nature's rhythms, we can learn to see these challenges not as insurmountable obstacles, but as essential phases in our personal evolution.
00:18:39
Speaker
When we face periods of upheaval, we can remind ourselves that this is a natural part of life, a necessary step towards achieving balance and renewal. So as as you're navigating through personal disruptions, be it a career change or the end of a relationship or any significant life event,
00:19:02
Speaker
Take a page from nature's playbook, right? Or sometimes if you don't can't see the page yet, which happens, ask the plant, you know, your plant partner, hopefully that you're developing this relationship with, ask, how can I use this to my advantage? How could this be something that propels me towards an evolutive shift, something that augments the complexity? Notice I didn't say complication, complexity, my ability to be, to hold, a more dense experiences for me to be able to work better inside an environment that is saturated in any kind of energy that it might be. How can I use this to my advantage? How can this become a part of my growth cycle? So rather than rushing to
00:19:48
Speaker
patch things up to return to the status quo, which is probably the biggest mistake you can ever do after a forest fire. Nothing is going to be like to store a status quo. Whether we're talking about a career change or again, the end of a relationship, nothing is going to go backwards. This is about learning how to pause and how to reflect and to allow ourselves to let go of what doesn't serve us anymore and create space for new opportunities to take root. And in doing so, we align ourselves to the natural world's wisdom, right? To this wisdom that comes from inside as well as outside.
00:20:28
Speaker
We awaken and step into our inner plantness with that pure presence. And we tune into even our animalness to be able to understand which direction to find and feel that instinctive nature, finding peace in the understanding that often comes from the ashes of disruption.
00:20:49
Speaker
So these are those types of concepts that again, especially if you're experiencing them firsthand, takes a second. But if you do reflect, you can see the path forward. You can understand why synchronicity, the law of synchronicity is taking you into this direction. And again,
00:21:07
Speaker
Tuning in, really tuning in. And and again, I invite you to to ask a plant friend to help you through this because sometimes it's hard to get there by yourself. Or of course, you can always reach out to me and I'm totally excited and happy to be able to work with you on this. But it's about tuning in to that stillness and that presence that comes from our inner plantness.
00:21:27
Speaker
and catching that relationship with your intuition, with your animalness, with your more instinctual to see the direction forward. Those parts of you will never guide you wrong. They will take you where you need to go. I had this um amazing conversation with my students yesterday.
00:21:46
Speaker
I had a, one of my classes is doing advanced research and we had a, um in the call we ended up having a sharing, it was a moment for each one of the different groups, the different research groups to share where they are on their research and where they're going and how it is that they're experiencing. And it was, it was absolutely amazing because each group was working on slightly different things. you know One was working on how to create a super individual and another is is working on how to understand synchronicity. And what I loved about it was that last year, um when we started these projects, actually more than a year ago now, when we started these research projects, it was terrible. like It was really hard. It was disruptive because this is a group that had been studying you know certain topics and working in a certain way. And all of a sudden, I threw a wrench in the whole thing.
00:22:34
Speaker
and change the entire protocol and disrupted everything that they were doing. And at first they were like, this isn't working. This isn't working because they were trying to do things the old way, almost as if you know they were setting up their own lessons like the ones that we used to give them. And it was like, no, you got to shift personality. You got to completely change the trajectory of what you're doing. You need to look at this as an opportunity for growth. And so everybody kind of took a minute and I created some abilities and activities for them to be able to see it. And now these groups are thriving. And it's really beautiful to see how each one of the groups is finding their own footing in this new landscape that these created. So it's it's a really beautiful opportunity to see things in a different way. I'll give you a different example from a natural example that maybe is a little bit easier to conceptualize. I want to talk to you about light gaps. Now, you've heard me talk about light gaps before.
00:23:25
Speaker
So in a light gap is a concept that hostile happens in a mature forest, right? And in this mature forest, again, you have this type of stagnation. and So maybe you have a large mature tree that reaches the end of Key's life, and this tree then falls in the forest.
00:23:42
Speaker
as it's falling, it rips all of the connections that that tree has. Because remember, as tree has been growing, you have this beautiful dense forest, now all of a sudden this tree like slams down a huge gash in the earth. so I use that word on purpose and I'll explain why. It gets created, you pull,
00:24:00
Speaker
you know, branches and leaves and and other connections. Maybe you even have animals that have lost their homes that were living in that tree. I mean, it is a big, big, big disruption. So for some species, it can look like a huge loss.
00:24:17
Speaker
But in reality, that tree's fall creates an amazing opportunity for growth. You see, when a tree falls, especially this type of mature tree, it doesn't just leave a mess. It actually opens up this massive gap in the canopy, allowing the light to now reach the forest floor. Remember when I was talking about this with the fire, right? Fire comes and it burns all of the ground.
00:24:45
Speaker
which allows the actual soil to finally get sunlight again, which it probably hasn't gotten it for years. The same thing happens with a light cap. You have this gap of light that ends up happening, and now the light, rather than filtering through different leaves in order for the plants at the bottom,
00:25:03
Speaker
to get low levels of light now you have this big chunk of light that's coming through now honestly some of the plants are not gonna be able to survive through this you know they're gonna burn up they're not used to this type of light.
00:25:16
Speaker
But there are also seeds that have been waiting in the soil for this very moment. Sometimes they've been dormant for years, years, and now they have a chance to get the nourishment, the light nourishment they need in order to grow.
00:25:34
Speaker
So they've been getting their fill of what keeps them alive, but they haven't been able to really shine because there's been no light to allow them to shine. This isn't a random occurrence that happens. This is part of, again, a larger ecosystem cycle. Trees live, they grow, they mature, they get large, and then at some point they reach the end of their lives and they fall. And if you don't take them away, which you shouldn't,
00:26:02
Speaker
Right? These trees have a whole myriad of new, it's like a new purpose of life, a whole new phase of their life because they probably don't die immediately. They fall over and they begin their death process. And in doing this, they bring light to the bottom of the floor so that dormant seeds that have been sitting underground waiting can now start to emerge.
00:26:28
Speaker
They create habitat for a whole different set of species that maybe couldn't get up into this tall tree, but is now instead enjoying what the tree has to offer from the ground, which is more I'm able to to reach that level.
00:26:45
Speaker
Also, as the tree starts to decompose, that tree leeches out in a positive way a whole series of nourishment that has been part of the tree's existence. It's almost like the heritage that that tree gives. The tree starts to decompose, and there's all kinds of de decomposers and detrivores that end up working on this tree,
00:27:05
Speaker
And all of these nourishments, all of these different aspects, little holes get created for critters to be able to live in, there are just so many ding things that happen. But specifically those seeds, they've been sitting in this soil.
00:27:21
Speaker
They've been quietly growing small little roots below the surface, preparing for this specific moment. Disruption, whether we're talking about fire or a fallen tree, doesn't wipe everything out. It creates the perfect for conditions for new life to im emerge. What we see in these mature ecosystems, in these ecosystems that have been growing together for so many years, is a constant cycle where you have disruption,
00:27:51
Speaker
Decomposition, renewal, and stabilization. Disruption, decomposition, renewal, and stabilization. It's a rhythm that ensures a balance and a resilience and also a growth because every time I come through these, something shifts. I i ah have the opportunity now to adapt to the conditions of today rather than growing and continuing to grow in the conditions of yesterday. So now I am simultaneously as a being in this forest creating the ecosystem and adapting to the ecosystem so that everyone has a chance to grow because all of us are having to adapt together and stabilize and work together
00:28:40
Speaker
to be able to create to this environment and to evolve to another
Nature's Metaphors for Personal Renewal
00:28:44
Speaker
level. So leg gaps create these amazing opportunities for new plants to grow, but also they foster a greater biodiversity within the ecosystem. They move the pieces around. They give you the opportunity to re-ask yourself, am I in the right place? And should I move from this place or change from this place or evolve out of this place?
00:29:07
Speaker
When sunlight reaches that forest floor, it encourages all these different plant species to germinate to see, am I the right species for this area in this moment, each with its own unique characteristics and roles within the forest? This diversity strengthens the ecosystem, making it more resilient even for future disturbances, because again, it's now adapted to the current conditions.
00:29:33
Speaker
You all know that I'm that i'm a Kabbalist, that in addition to all of my spiritual physics here at Domitur and to my specialization with plants, one of my biggest loves, the the thing that bridges everything together that really talks to my soul is the Kabbalah. and um um And one of the things that I really love about the whole idea of the Kabbalah is this whole perspective of understanding that Kabbalah was an oral tradition. It was something that was passed on orally and it wasn't passed on orally for many years because unlike some other, let's call them philosophies and religions. We'll just use the words very, and where it was like, Oh, I'm not going to write things down because I don't want others to know about it. Or I'm going to write things down in a way to be able to hide it from those that don't know how to read and write. Kabbalah was passed on orally for a very specific reason.
00:30:25
Speaker
It was about making sure that it all of the philosophy always stayed in a modern context. Every time I tell the story, I have to use a reference that you can understand today. I can't use it a reference of yesterday if you don't understand that, right? I can't talk to you Like I'm at the end of being able to talk to people about cassette tapes, right? And being able to use metaphors connected to cassette tapes. There's a whole generation that doesn't even know the benefit of a Walkman with a cassette tape, right? So I have to adapt to a CD if I want to talk about a musical reference, or I have to adapt to an MP3. And so by continuing to share musical knowledge, through new mediums, I keep it fresh, alive, and accurate. And this is exactly the way Kabbalah was. It's the idea of every time I tell you about the sephiras or about the the different paths, I have to put it into context, into modern interpretation so that you can understand it without ever losing its ins its its essence.
00:31:30
Speaker
And this is exactly what happens in these types of ecosystems. When we have these massive disruptions, we have to be able to renew without losing that essence, asking ourselves, what is the core that is important to pass on in this moment and everything else I can allow it to burn? What are the best parts of me? What are the most important developments? Where do I need to go?
00:31:53
Speaker
And so when we use any kind of disruption, again, career change or end of a relationship in this purpose, what ends up on the other side is much stronger to go there. So tapping into that inner plantness, to the wisdom that you have inside.
00:32:10
Speaker
in for our personal lives, these moments of disruption can pave the way for diverse growth opportunities. They give you the opportunity to embrace all of these different aspects of yourself. So when you embrace a light gap, you cultivate new skills, you you open yourself to new relationships, you see things with a new perspective, and all of this enhances our overall resilience. So just as the forest thrives,
00:32:37
Speaker
On a balance of old and new, we too benefit from integrating past experiences with fresh insights. The fallen tree that's now decomposing, right my old story that has fallen down and is now breaking out into its composite parts,
00:32:53
Speaker
contributes to the nurturing and to the nutrients that are in the soil physically as well as my own personal soil right what I route myself into this nourishes an entire new generation of plants which for me is a whole new generation of activities as well as what I pass on to the next generation.
Patience and Natural Cycles in Personal Growth
00:33:12
Speaker
Our past experiences, whether successes or failures, provide valuable lessons that enrich our future endeavors. And this natural cycle of renewal and growth underscores the importance of patience and trust in the process. It's about listening It's about tapping in to that inner guidance. It's about connecting to my plantness, my stillness, my presence, my awareness, and to my animalness too, right? The fact that I am an animal and therefore I have instincts and I have a divine parts of myself and I have all this subtle body. There's so many elements that I can tap into that are all the natural parts of who I am. And this requires time and space to unfold.
00:33:56
Speaker
aligning to our personal rhythms with a nature slower, more deliberate, let's just say place, a place of pace. hates We allow ourselves to grow in a more grounded and sustainable manner. So this is a really important piece of this overall understanding, the power of disruptions. But beyond that, one of the biggest challenges that we face as individual in today's society is the pressure to act quickly, to make decisions fast, to always be moving, evolving and producing, but almost in a forced way.
00:34:34
Speaker
The pressure to meet deadlines to keep up with societal expectations and to respond immediately to every crisis? Man, that can be so overwhelming. We're often told the clock is ticking, we don't have time to waste, that you need to always be on the move, that things need to resolve fast. It's a timeline that doesn't always align with the rhythms of nature, which means it doesn't align to my own internal rhythm.
00:35:01
Speaker
My own term rhythm works at its own pace, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but always in harmony with my environment. And so it's important for us to also remember that in a forest, there's no inherent rush.
00:35:17
Speaker
Sure, there might be a rush in a given situation, but that's because the situation calls for the rush, not because it's just a rush. When this tree falls or a fire disrupts the landscape, the system doesn't immediately fix things. It takes time for those dormant seeds laying in wait for the right conditions. They've been waiting patiently.
00:35:39
Speaker
And it's the careful patient work of the ecosystem, those unseen processes that are happening below the surface that in ensures a renewal. Growth happens beneath the soil, right? Where the roots slowly start to spread and water starts to come in and get taken up and things start to align in order for me to break through and show myself.
00:36:03
Speaker
So with that way, when the conditions are right, these shoots can emerge. And so we have to remember that in nature, timelines aren't rushed to some arbitrary external deadline. It's a slow, thoughtful, and deliberate process. I love that the other day I was scrolling through my Facebook on my page,
00:36:21
Speaker
And I came across um one of the organizations in California that works with trees. I can't remember. There's like two or three of them that are really, really great. And this particular one had a beautiful chart because at saying to try to explain to people, please don't try to replant right away. Of course, it's in our human nature to see this charred earth and to think I'm supposed to scrape off all of that char.
00:36:44
Speaker
I'm supposed to take up all of that ash. I need to clean right the way I i brush out or I so i am go with the broom and I broom out all of my house. I need to do that very quick for the earth in order for it not to sit in that ash. And then I need to start planting seeds. And they were saying very carefully, they're like, please just leave the earth alone. Give the earth anywhere up to eight months to over a year to see what comes on their own, because nature is amazing at renewal. And so therefore, you have to give space for that renewal to happen. Sure, some things we need to do as humans, right, to clear up and make space for it. But just the same as we won't know tomorrow how to rebuild the house, you also, nature takes time to see what does this environment tell me about where I should emerge? Where should my shoot emerge?
00:37:33
Speaker
Going forward so we need to kind of give itself that's but actually, you know, here's the question for you What would happen if you allowed yourself if you allowed yourself to adopt this mindset in your own life? Can you imagine how different it would be if every time some disruption happens rather than?
00:37:50
Speaker
having to deal with things quickly. I often tell people that if I'm in a relationship when I break up from that relationship, if it happens, then I am a slow healer. Like I have been known to spend six months crying, not because I'm crying that I want that old relationship back, but six months of allowing my body to purge everything that was and be able to find a new space for it, to allow it to evolve into its own new story. How do I remember the beauty that happened while letting go of all of what didn't work? how What are the lessons that I need to learn for myself? How do I need to evolve from what I experienced in this relationship? How do I make peace and allow my heart to heal, to trust again, to all these different things?
00:38:38
Speaker
I am a slow burn on that. Like I am just somebody who just needs my time. But the good thing is that every time I allow myself to do that on the other side, the person I meet is so fantastic. Like I feel like I can have these beautiful experiences and I can see my past with such beauty because I have given myself time. So moving beyond societal timelines, we can draw inspiration from these natural cycles.
00:39:07
Speaker
Instead of succumbing to the pressure of immediate results, we learn to pause to appreciate the value of slow, thoughtful progress. And this then comes to when we're trying to build something new, right? In biomimicry, we use the example, ah quiet your cleverness. Don't try to solve the problem too fast. Don't try to be a human that's clever and comes up with an answer.
00:39:30
Speaker
Give yourself space to pause allow ourselves to assess the situation observe how it wants to unfold take a step back before rushing in being able to wait and look at it this doesn't mean we're avoiding action on the contrary.
00:39:46
Speaker
Holding presence is a massive action. Anybody who's ever been in a space where something is happening and you have been asked to hold space for it, you know that at the end you're exhausted. There is a big action happening in there. And so therefore it means not avoidance, but allowing yourself to act with clarity, not from a place of fear or haste. nature Nature's patience teaches us that it's okay to wait.
00:40:16
Speaker
It's okay to let things unfold. It's okay to follow that flow. It's okay to sit in the unknown without immediately having to force a solution. There is deep wisdom in allowing the soil of our lives to rest, allowing ourselves the space to root, to grow those roots in quiet moments before reaching the light. Remember that episode I did on scototropism, right? Growing towards the darkness, going through the darkness, and then when I'm ready, emerging into the light. The pressure to do things quickly comes from societal conditioning, not from what nature teaches us. Nature shows us a different rhythm, the wisdom of taking the long view,
00:41:12
Speaker
The unseen preparation happening beneath the surface is one of the most powerful things we can learn from mature ecosystems. There's a piece that comes from that understanding that we don't have to force things to happen. We can be protagonists of their unfolding. We can be co-creators.
00:41:32
Speaker
of their unfolding. I listen to what you need and then I feed that and you listen to what I need and then you feed that and we slowly co-create this new reality in harmony with ourselves, with the environment, with all of the beings that live in that environment. Like nature, we can allow things to unfold at their own pace.
00:41:58
Speaker
And now that we've seen how these ecosystems use this disruption as an opportunity for growth and renewal, My question is then how do we take these lessons into our personal lives? You know, the key lies in all of this in aligning our personal cycles to nature's rhythms. Each of us has, how do I say this? Each of us has this role in the larger cycle of life, right? And just like a forest, our personal growth doesn't need to follow a rigid linear path.
00:42:32
Speaker
And the contrary, if you're a multi-potentialed or a multi-passionate person, you've probably been meandering and running and going from one direction to the other. And so the big question and one powerful way you can connect with your own cycle and how that cycle interacts with ah with a greater cycle is to ask yourself, what roots have I been growing?
00:42:55
Speaker
Think of it like planting a seed in fertile soil. At first, you don't have anything that's above the ground, right? So you you just have this kind of what looks like barren earth. But you know that inside of there, there is a seed. Underneath, there's a whole system of roots that's quietly establishing it the um themselves. And these roots are actually taking hold and when they feel anchored, nurtured, and ready, they're going to break through the soil. Similarly, things like this may be happening in your own life. So taking that time to reflect, especially after a disruption, to say, first of all, what is the nourishment that I need in this disruption? Also, from that nourishment,
00:43:39
Speaker
well How am I supposed to use that nourishment and which way am I supposed to emerge? What is necessary for my emergence to become? I'm not saying what I'm going to emerge into or when I should emerge, but what do I need in order to emerge, right? Things may be happening in your life that you can't yet see.
00:44:01
Speaker
coming at you, especially after disturbance in many different ways that you're not able to see because you're still processing the disturbance itself. And so nature, this is where you're, to a certain extent, preparing for something that hasn't fully manifested yet.
00:44:20
Speaker
But that doesn't mean you're not growing. Just because you haven't reached whatever that emergence endpoint you think might be, doesn't mean that there's not continual growth that's happening. The growth is in the process. I was just telling a friend of mine today as we were talking about, she was telling me about a situation she's going through and I was saying,
00:44:40
Speaker
that we put too much emphasis on the idea that she needs to figure out and fix that situation. I said, maybe it has nothing to do with figuring out or fixing that situation. Maybe the most important piece of all of this is what's happening right now as you're in the situation, especially with other people around you. That's where the true growth is. That's where the action is. That's where the manifestation really is.
00:45:08
Speaker
it's in what's happening right now it's in those roots that are still hidden from everybody else this is a big part of it this is where nature's wisdom we're really thinking like a plant em embracing your inner plantness comes into play you don't need to have everything figured out right away you just like a tree doesn't grow overnight you're The path unfolds in various different stages, right? I start to grow towards the light. I might even start growing towards the darkness first. I grow towards the light. Then there's another impedance that might come, something that might try to hinder my path. So then I grow in another direction.
00:45:47
Speaker
maybe then something else. So maybe with that one instead I partner and I grow intertwined and then I move into a different way. Sometimes it's about honoring that slow steady growth that starts from beneath the surface and breaks through and then starts growing in both directions because remember the roots never stop growing. So everything that you're seeing above is happening below as well. Everything that you're seeing happening outside of your life is happening inside of your life. So one of the best ways to find your particular role in this overall disruption that is happening is to ask nature for guidance, to look to your plant partners
00:46:28
Speaker
to look at the beings of the area, if it's a physical thing, or to ask those that are closest to you, which to me would be the houseplants that live with me or my plant business partner, Noelle, like these are all the beings that I would ask for and say, help me see the path and allow those answers to come in different way.
Community and Natural Guidance for Personal Disruption
00:46:48
Speaker
It might be like Noname Drosenia that gives me those answers through movement. It might be like Spider-plan who gives it to me through healing. It might be like Noelle who's giving it to me through silent presence. It might be like Jaina who's blooming through the winter. Like each one gives me a different opportunity to see different aspects of myself, different parts of my personality, different parts of my experiences, and to pull it up there. You don't need to have all the answers now.
00:47:18
Speaker
But you can tune into the natural world around you. You can reflect on how ecosystems operate to understand things from a bigger concept, from um a larger, more divine impact. You can take a step back and observe how the seasons move through this, considering what am I being called to to grow in this period in my life.
00:47:43
Speaker
What seeds am I nurturing that might need more time to develop, or I might be planting for a future? This is where tools like, for example, biomimicry come in, where you can ask, how would nature handle the challenge and look for answers in the world around you? How would nature move water, which is a way of moving emotions,
00:48:03
Speaker
How does nature instead, us you know, take up low levels of sunlight, which maybe I'm in a period in my life where I don't have a lot of nourishment coming in. What happens? How would nature deal with a huge disruption, like we've talked about with the fires or with, you know, other kinds or a light gap that have a mature tree falling down? Look to the world around you for the answers.
00:48:29
Speaker
but Even once you have that direction, it's important to remember adapting, constantly adapting to changing conditions is key. It's just so important. Just as ecosystems continuously evolve, we too have the freedom to adjust and refine our path as we go. If a disruption occurs or conditions change, we can trust that we have the wisdom and the flexibility, if we built it into our systems, in order to adapt to them. we Resilience is through adaptation, and that's the way that nature does it, and that's the way we should do it as beings of nature.
00:49:09
Speaker
The power of this approach is all in its flexibility. So as we navigate the disruption in our personal lives and, dare I say, in the world around us, let's just remember that growth and disruption is not only possible, it's inevitable. We don't have to fear the changes. We can lean into them, trust into the cycles of life, and know that like a forest, we too can emerge stronger after a period of renewal.
00:49:37
Speaker
But we need to take that period. The wisdom of the ecosystem, what the ecosystem has to offer, the thinking like an ecosystem, tells us that even in times of massive destruction, there is balance, there is growth, there is evolution, and there's a deeper rhythm to align with.
00:49:57
Speaker
And doing this changes everything. I hope this resonates with you. If it does, I would love to hear how you've seen growth emerge from disruption in your own life. Share your thoughts with me, share your experiences with me, actually share them in the naturally conscious community.
00:50:15
Speaker
And if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe for more, like subscribe, hit the like button, comment, wherever it is that you're experiencing this so that you can also share this nature inspired with wisdom with yourself and also with others. You know, let's talk about the ways to live in alignment with the rhythm of lives. Let's talk about the idea of how to connect to our inner plantness and to our inner animalness.
00:50:40
Speaker
How do we go and tap into that intuition and how do we sit in that stillness? oh Yeah. If this episode sparks something in you, I want to invite you to join us in the Naturally Conscious community. This is a space designed specifically for multi-passionate, neurodivergent creatives that are ready to embrace the rhythms of nature in their personal and professional lives. It's really a place, and every time I go in there, it's just so special to me. It's a place to explore.
00:51:13
Speaker
your unique gifts, no matter how weird or woo they might seem to find clarity in this you know evolving purpose of yours and to deepen your connection with the plant world, to co-create with the plant world. We truly believe in there that growing at your own pace and honoring your own cycles is the most important piece, just the same as nature does, just the same as we as nature do.
00:51:39
Speaker
So if you've been searching for community, if you are looking for community that nurtures your creative evolution and helps you thrive without rushing through the process, the naturally conscious community is exactly where you're meant to be. And if you're feeling like there's so much more you want to do, but it's hard to find your place in the midst of it all,
00:51:59
Speaker
I'd love to work with you one on one. I was looking through a, um I joined a new Facebook groups for multi-passionates just today. And as I was reading the comments and the, you know, the different posts, it was heartbreaking. It was heartbreaking because basically when people were asking for advice of like, how do you do so and so when you have so much, so many ideas? And the answers for most people were, I don't, I try, but I fail. ah I haven't found a system that works for me.
00:52:29
Speaker
And it was heartbreaking. It was heartbreaking because I know that it works. I know it. And that's why, if you are experiencing that, if you have all these different ideas, if your mind is running in different directions, if you feel like you're not seeing the world the way anybody else sees it, I'd love to work with you one-on-one. Together, I am positive. We can tune into near natural flow so that you can align all of these really disparate passions with your true, true purpose and start seeing the vision take root. I specialize in working with creative multi-potentialites or as, like I said, neurodivergence, which somebody like some some like to use because
00:53:10
Speaker
The mind is this unique piece that is about helping it find its flow. And I love that. I love holding that space for you to be able to explore through the process of embracing your full potential without forcing yourself into any kind of societal mold.
00:53:29
Speaker
I want you to create a plan that respects your timing, your unique way of seeing things, the wisdom you draw from nature, but more importantly, the way that your mind puts these all together to weave that tapestry. I want you to be able to make a lasting, meaningful, evolutive change in your life.
00:53:48
Speaker
the way that works best for you. So if you're ready to stop feeling overwhelmed so by everything that you are and start flowing with your true essence, I'm here to support you. So let's connect. It's all in the show notes and find a way that feels as natural as the cycles of life itself.
00:54:05
Speaker
Find everything you need right here below in the sa show notes. So thank you for being here together. I know that we're going to be able to navigate all of these cycles of growth and change just as nature teaches us to do. So that's it for this episode. Remember, resist the urge to hold back your emerging green brilliance. I can't wait to see how you continue to bloom.
00:54:28
Speaker
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Reconnect with Plant Wisdom. To continue these conversations, join us in the Naturally Conscious Community, your premier online ecosystem for plant reawakening and accelerated evolution and co-creation with other kin. Here, you'll find expansive discussions, interactive courses, live events, and supportive group programs like the Plant Wisdom Book Club and the Sprouts Writing and Creativity Group.
00:54:53
Speaker
Connect with like-minded individuals collaborating with plants to integrate these insights into life. Intro and Outro Music by Steve Schulie and Poinsettia from the Singing Life of Plants. That's it for me, Tigraya Gardenia, and my plant collaborators. Until next time, remember, resist the urge to hold back your emerging green brilliance. I'm out. Bye!