Welcome to the Plant Spirit Podcast on connecting with plant consciousness, and the healing wisdom of Nature. I'm your host Sara Artemesia and I am absolutely delighted to welcome our next guest to the show today. Roxana Marroquin is a spiritual herbalist, also an artist, art therapist, organizer, gardener and founder of Agua de Jade apothecary. Roxana is also a perpetual student of the self of plants, and all her relations and she's in a lifelong journey of remembrance and reconnection. So Roxana, thank you so much for joining us today.
Roxana Marroquin:Thank you for having me here. It's an honor, a pleasure and I'm very excited to share and explore what all this means to me.
Sara Artemisia:It's so great, I just feel so strongly even tuning into your work before this interview and then in speaking to you that you have such this connection of sweetness with the plants, it is just so in the heart, it's like just radiating out of you all with time. It's absolutely amazing and I know that so much of your work is really connected to, to the ancestors to the ancestral lineage. And as someone who is so connected to this journey of remembrance and reconnection, I'm curious, where are your ancestors from? And why is it so important to be connected to the ancestral medicines at this time?
Roxana Marroquin:Mm hmm. Yes, yes, yes to everything. So my ancestors are from El Salvador, specifically a town called Chalchuapa, which it is a translation of a Mayan-Nahuat word, that means the Water of Jade stones. So that's where the title, I want to have a look at what that Jade comes from. I feel like I was specifically born in this place for a reason and my ancestors made it so. So yes, my ancestors are from a lineage of Mayan people all make up people, Lanka people, as well as Spaniards and Africa. That's where all my ancestors come from our ancestors. So can you hear the tear, it's so cute. That's a shame. And it is so important for me to reconnect to my ancestors and to, to hear their teachings and what they have in store for me because I feel that they have placed me on this path for a reason and my that reason is for me to heal, what they couldn't heal, to heal back as well as to heal forward.
Sara Artemisia:What does it mean to you to really honor your ancestors in the plant and working with plant medicine?
Roxana Marroquin:Mm hmm. Yeah. And working with plant medicine, I'm able to work and live the way that they did heal and treat Right? All the things that we experienced through ailments physical and spiritual, the way that they did, as opposed to the way that we're taught that we should be colonization, through industrialization, imperialism, treating ourselves now through Western medicine, but I'm able to reconnect and listen to those messages that they have so that I could implement them in the here and now and share that with there's still a lot of grief, a lot of pain that our lineage other people. And that way, they could also remember or begin to reconnect and think, Okay, well, how did my ancestors treat fever, a headache, a stomach ache, right? We all have carries from that. And through the plant medicine and through ancestors who worked with plant medicine. And so all we need to do is remember that and carry that tradition before it gets lost. connection with them, I am able to ease that a little bit so
Sara Artemisia:So important. Yeah, I feel that particularly as we are fully in this time of transition on the planet, it's so important to be connected in that grounded way to the plants that my son and our generations moving forward, we don't have to and their medicines on all levels. And I know that that is such a big part of your work with with Agua de Jade Agua de Jade apothecary of really helping people connect in directly with their relationship with the plants. And so I'm carry that so heavily anymore. curious, what tips or practices would you recommend for folks who are really just wanting to dive in and connect with the plants directly?
Roxana Marroquin:Let me see, I'm specifically thinking of the practice of touching, holding them and feeling them physically with their hands. And with all of our senses, getting to know them as we get to know a person, right? When we meet somebody that we want to be in relationship with, with, we want to know everything about them. We want to know what are your likes, what takes you off? What do you feel like? What does your hair feel like what are like the rough parts of us. So one practice that I like, recommend to everyone is to like hold them in your fingertips, we literally have like, millions of like nerve endings on our fingers. They're so sensitive. That's like how we, through the feel like through our fingers, we begin to like, feel their essence and connect with that. So that's one tip and practice. Even getting in touch with the Earth touching soil and holding soil in your hands feel so important to me right now, as we're in this time, like you said, like shifting and like learning and becoming? How about we touch the Earth, hold soil and listen to what that has to tell us, you know, there are messages and holding it not just in words, the words might come, we may get a feeling right, like we may hold soil, and we might get a feeling of like worms and like, home, or we might get a feeling of like, oh, germs, and they this is dirty. But then I ask people to sit with that. And what does that mean to you? Like, why is? Yeah, why are you so afraid of holding earth? What right? What is it about you that you feel might not be as clean? And yeah, just to hold those feelings hold what comes to you. And if there are any words or emotions that come up through touching through holding that I feel like that's one practice that we can use to like, connect to plants and the earth and the spirit world.
Sara Artemisia:Yeah, I love that. And specifically that you just brought up this aspect of how the plants are communicating in so many ways. And if we would, I feel is like, you know, if we open up our senses with what I call a spherical listening, it's like if we really open up all the senses is we're engaging with the plants, we can hear these messages from the plants coming to us through all the senses, which is so cool. It's like matches verbal, it's not just audio, you know, it's really cool. And, yeah, and I know that so much of your journey really has been, you know, you've been on this lifelong journey of remembrance and reconnection. And I'm curious, if you would be open to sharing a little bit about that. And then also, who are some specific plant allies that have really been with you on this journey, maybe some allies that were with you at the beginning of the journey that really, like helped kick that off. And then also, of course, with everything going on this past year, who were some of the main plant allies that you felt really connected to this past year either for yourself and or for the collective that you're really feeling coming through right now?
Roxana Marroquin:Yes, thank you for asking and honoring that journey that I have been on since I was born. Since I came into this world. I was born and Chalchuapa by El Salvador, a place of you know, bounty and beauty and Nature and plants everywhere. So I was born into this like life of being connected to the herbs and the plants and you know, everything that that we had at home was related to plants. And then at the age of eight, my family and I migrated from that. And we came to the United States to New Jersey, very urban industrial place where I feel that I lost that connection that I was born into. And then growing up here there was no like drinking tea to treat a stomach ache it was more like going to the pharmacy than what they got. So my journey of coming back and being reconnected to the plants to the spirit of the plants and the herbs really began in my early 20s in college as I began to study iron and specifically photography, I became obsessed with going into the dark room and photographing and it began with photographing myself my body in connection to the spaces that I inhabited. So like you know, my apartment, my city, but then I began to go into nature and I bring my big like heavy at the time I was using the four by five camera which is like, you know, you go under user share Uh, I was I was bringing this big box and tripod and lugging it into out into the woods. And that's really when I began to, like, connect with Nature and find myself my place and photograph myself in their neck, specifically my body and like my essence, and looking back and realized that I was like literally making, creating rituals with Nature and like picking plants that at the time were speaking to me. Like one example is Violet, which at the time, I had no idea what Violet was, but when I found the leaves that were heartshaped, I was like, Oh, wow! This is like speaking to me, this is like, I have like a whole series of work with Violet leaves, which I didn't realize what the healing aspects of it were until now or later on when I began to study Herbalism. So that's where my healing of reconnecting to plants and Nature really began. And then like it really established itself when, at the time when I was pregnant, and I wanted to have this whole, like holistic, natural birth and like, give my son the best entrance into this world possible, which at the time, I didn't know what that meant. But I was guided to a specific place in Brooklyn called sacred vibes apothecary, where my teacher Karen M, Rose, was the first one to like, point out the different herbs that would like, help me with different different aspects of birth and of like, nourishing my body to prepare myself. Yeah and then from there, I realized she has an apprenticeship program. And I was like, yeah, I need to be a part of this. It speaks to me, it's calling me and that's where my journey of like really working with the plants, learning to sit with them, learning to listen to them and work with them. And like, yeah, and they became a part of everything in my life now. So yeah, it was actually in my apprenticeship that I began to walk with a very specific plans, which at the time, our teacher was like, okay, just meditate and see what plant comes to you and it was Lemon Balm. Lemon Balm was the first plant that I like, chose to work with not knowing why, just, you know, I knew a little bit about it. I knew it was for like nerves and digestion. But that's as far as my knowledge, but then through journaling, or making art with it through like, drinking it and sitting with it and making lunar teas. That's when like, it began to speak to me and it was in one meditation. I remember this was like, I was out in, in, in a farm Soulfire farm, and we were doing a meditation and I was like, alright, I'm gonna hold Lemon Balm. That's the plant that I'm working with. I held it in my hands and the message that came through me was, I was always there. So it was in this very particular meditation that I heard Lemon Balm clearly say it, I was always there and that's when the memories came back of like, yes, I've had this tea before. I know this flavor. I know this sense and I know this plant, because it's a plant that I was drinking when I was a child in El Salvador. So it's no surprise that I chose that as the first plant to connect with and to really, like hear, speak. So yeah, that's a plant that has carried me through so much. I mean, it's joyful. It's, it's heart lifting, it calms the nerves, right and digestion to which I, at the time, I was experiencing a lot of digestion stuff when I was when I first started working with plants, and, you know, through study through meditation, and realized that it was all connected to that disconnect that I had as a child that was still like mending itself. So it was manifesting as like digestive issues for me and it was Lemon Balm, who was such an ally, who would like soothe me and I feel that that's its job right now. For us, it's soothing us as we're like, healing that those parts that are broken, but that needs to come into wholeness right now. Lemon balm is holding us with Love is holding us with affection, with warmth, with joy. And that's the plan that I feel the collective really could benefit from working with right now. So as it has helped me I know it could help everyone and Earth.
Sara Artemisia:Love that. Thank you so much for sharing.
Roxana Marroquin:Thank you.
Sara Artemisia:So wonderful. And how would you say that plant spirits really support you in your life's work?
Roxana Marroquin:Plant spirits support everything in my life work at the moment. I mean, spiritually, just sitting with them and connecting with them and knowing that they are there that they are allies holding me that there's always going to be a plant there for no matter what I'm experiencing. All I have to do is listen and the plant that I need to work with will come to me, so I feel, I feel held by them and supported by them in a way that no matter what happens, plants got my back there. And then physically, I mean, this past year, I thank the plant world for holding me and supporting me my immune system. I've specifically been working with plans that support me physically in my health, so that I can be of service out in my community and with my family members, without the fear of becoming ill because I know, I have trust that the plans have supported my health right now. Yeah, and they support me of course, emotionally. There's a plan, yeah, like I said, there's a plan for everything. So if I'm sad, I know which plans to call on right Lemon Balm, Rose. If I'm feeling tired, what plans are going to give me that energy to continue doing the work that I need to do at the moment.
Sara Artemisia:Love that. Yeah. And so tell us how can people find out more about you and your work?
Roxana Marroquin:Mm hmm. People can find my work at on my website aguadejade or aguadejade.com. It's interchangeable, which is one of the things that I love. Like me, my mind switches from Spanish to English, just like that. So one day, I'll say Agua de Jade one day I'll say I want to Jade aguadejade.com. Also on Instagram, aguadejade and yeah, that's where you'll find me.
Sara Artemisia:Alright Roxana, thank you so much for joining us today. It's just such an absolute delight. My heart is so happy talking with you. The plants are so happy. They're just so so happy for this incredible work that you're doing in the world, in collaboration with them like you are in such true deep relationship with the plants that you work with. And it just shines through in what you do and how you talk about them. So thank you.
Roxana Marroquin:Thank you. Thank you for bringing us all together and like reminding us to be in connection with these plant spirits because that's that's what they want from us.
Sara Artemisia:Totally awesome. Well, thank you so much. And thank you all for tuning in.
Roxana Marroquin:Thank you have a great rest of the day.
Sara Artemisia:And thanks so much for listening and joining us today on the Plant Spirit Podcast. I hope you enjoyed it and please follow to subscribe, leave a review and look forward to seeing you on the next episode.