The Plant Spirit Podcast with Sara Artemisia

The Practical Magic of Green Witch Wisdom with Robin Rose Bennett

• Sara Artemisia / Robin Rose Bennett • Episode 51

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#51 - Join us for a wonderful conversation with Herbalist, Story-teller, and Writer Robin Rose Bennett on the magic and presence we can find with our allies in the green world.

In this episode, Robin Rose shares deep Earth-based wisdom on practices and teachings from the plants that can help us connect with a sense of joyful presence and belonging in the world. She also offers insight from her book, A Green Witch's Pocket Book of Wisdom - Big Little Life Tips, on experiencing magic in the mundane, the importance of heeding your dreams, and how we are birthing a new way of being in the world.

Robin Rose Bennett is a story-teller, writer, and herbalist. She has been offering classes in WiseWoman Healing Ways: Herbal Medicine and EarthSpirit Teachings since 1986 - at herb conferences, festivals, clinics, medical and nursing schools, and most joyously, outside with the plants. She shares herbal medicine with gratitude for the loving generosity of the plants and the magic, mystery, and beauty of the web of life.

Robin Rose is on the faculty of the New York Open Center and the Arbor-Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism. She is also the author of two meditation MP3’s and the amazing books: Healing Magic - A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living, The Gift of Healing Herbs - Plant Medicines and Home Remedies for a Vibrantly Healthy Life, and A Green Witch's Pocket Book of Wisdom - Big Little Life Tips.

You can pre-order Robin Rose’s A Green Witch’s Pocket Book of Wisdom at: http://www.robinrosebennettbooks.com/ and receive the beautiful bonus booklet Herbal Recipes for Deepening Meditation, Dreams, and Intuition.

 A Green Witch’s Pocket Book of Wisdom- Big Little Life Tips is filled with golden nuggets of green witch magic and silver strands of spiritual wisdom. It offers inspiring guidance to help you live authentically and vibrantly, and provides practices that will support you as you grow and evolve. It draws upon teachings that the author has practiced for decades.

You can also find Robin Rose at: https://RobinRoseBennett.com
On instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinrosebennett/
On facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wisewomanhealingways
On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RobinRoseBennett


For more info visit Sara's website at: https://www.multidimensionalnature.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/multidimensional.nature/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saraartemisia.ms/
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/plantspiritherbalism
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saraartemisia
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@multidimensional.nature
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/multidimensionalnature/

Learn how to communicate with plant consciousness in the free workshop on How to Learn Plant Language: https://www.learnplantlanguage.com/

Sara Artemisia:

Welcome to the Plant Spirit Podcast on connecting with plant consciousness, and the healing wisdom of Nature. If you'd like to learn more on how to communicate directly with plants, visit www.learnplantlanguage.com. To register for the free workshop, that's www.learnplantlanguage.com. I'm your host, Sara Artemisia and I'm excited to introduce our next guest to the show today. Robin Rose Bennett is an incredible herbalist storyteller, and writer. She has been offering classes in WiseWoman Healing Ways since 1986. And she's on the faculty of the New York Open Center, and the Arbor-Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism. Robin Rose shares herbal medicine with gratitude for the loving generosity of the plants, and the magic, mystery and beauty of the web of life. Robin Rose is also the author of two meditations and the amazing books, Healing magic-The Gift of Healing Herbs, and most recently A Green Witch's Pocket Book of Wisdom-Big Little Life Tips. So Robin Rose, so great to see you. So great to have you join us today.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Thank you, Sara Artemisia, I am delighted to be talking with you.

Sara Artemisia:

It's just so great to see you again. And one of the things you're just chatting about is how there's a song or a chant that you are feeling inspired by in this moment, I was curious if you'd be open to sharing that with us.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Yeah, absolutely. Let's set our sacred space over the magic of the technological portal that allows us not only for you and I to be together, but to spread our wings wide and embrace such a large large audience of listeners. So setting our space calling to that which is ourselves writ large, and to that which is always present. But I like to call to the elements because it reminds us of these eternal and eternally present relationships that we are part of. So very simply a little chant I wrote. Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Were your sons and daughter. Below, above and the center, Mother Nature you're our mentor. From below and from above, infuse us through and through with love. Help us walk enjoy the whole day through in sacred harmony with you. Last it be.

Sara Artemisia:

That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing that.

Robin Rose Bennett:

My pleasure. I say some version of that every single morning, a little bit after I wake up, almost always outdoors. Yeah.

Sara Artemisia:

Amazing. Yeah. And it really brings to mind for me the power of connecting in with these nuggets of presence nuggets of wisdom. And certainly that can come through song it can come through writing. And I love when you shared that you are going to be writing this book, this pocket book of Wisdom. And I was curious to hear a bit more about that. Really, what inspired you to write a pocket sized book of Wisdom for Green Witches?

Robin Rose Bennett:

Well first of all, it is not just for Green Witches that is a big part of the inspiration, just simply that it's written by one. But my hope with this book is that it is really cross kind of cultural and different belief systems that can speak to anyone it's like basically it's written for humans. It's written for humans of any age and any who ascribe to any whatever their philosophy is, this has something for everyone. And my hope, is that what I did, essentially, and I it took me a number of years to write I think I started maybe it was six, seven years ago. I'm not a fast writer. I'm a good writer, but I'm not a fast writer. And what I did was a essentially wrote out, the teachings that have most profoundly helped me. And that continue to most profoundly helped me. And it's really not a book just to read, although it can be it can be whatever anyone wants it to be, right. But it really is a book of questions and things to practice. So these are practices like when my 19 year old niece said, Oh, I would carry that around with me. Everywhere I went, I was like, okay, because she is not a witch, she is not spiritually oriented, you know, particularly at this point in her life, right. But, of course, she loves her wacky auntie. So that's part of it. But the idea of a pocket book is that I love to have a different pocket of near my bed, that I open every day and just ask for a message, which it was only last year that I learned there was a word for that the word of bibliomancy, I had no idea I love that. I love carefully chosen words. Almost as much as I love silence, I really do love both. And you have to be able to kind of draw upon silence to be able to write, in my opinion, right to be able to hear and listen, what wants to come through. So really, I wanted to share the practices that have helped me come to live in rich and juicy joy, because I want this for everyone. So those were some of my inspirations. And I share teachings from such a variety of teachers and places some who I had personal interactions with some who I read, you know, all of it. So it's an amalgamation a little bit Green Witch, a little bit Zen, a little bit this and that right. But, but all Earth, Earth wisdom. Yeah.

Sara Artemisia:

Well, that is incredibly powerful, what you were just sharing there specifically, that you have to be able to draw upon silence to write, to be able to listen to what really wants to come through that is so powerful and incredibly inspiring. And it feels really connected to one of the wisdoms, one of the practices that you shared, which I was curious if we could explore together. Love to just hear a bit more about it.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Sure.

Sara Artemisia:

So this one seems super connected to what you were just saying. So this wisdom in the book you shared is called practice presence. Entering fully into any moment, as it is, will set you free. Paradoxically, it takes time and practice to learn how to be here now, witness how entangled you feel, when you wish the moment were different than it is. And when you say, I'm getting there, try this instead. I'm getting here.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Yeah, thanks. I'm glad you love that one, and that it spoke to you. And knowing you as I do, it doesn't surprise me because you are really devoted to being present to hear the plants and, you know, and the stones and the mountains and the rivers and so forth and the people, right. But yeah, isn't it It's so wild that we need to practice learning how to become here. And, you know, it's not I mean, in the time we're in, it's out, it's almost like, you can't even do stand up comedy about it. It's it's so exaggerated in our culture is the distraction, the you know, the seduction of distraction. It's so exaggerated, you almost can't even you know, do comedy about it. It's just comedic. If you're if you're feeling in a light hearted mood, but that's the challenge is how do we, you have to have an intention to be present. Otherwise, you're going to be pulled by everything. You're going to be pulled by this communication and this ding and that buzz and that notification and that it's, it's wild, and you can't really be fully alive. In a sense if you don't know how to be where you are, when you're there, like like, so I want to actually share something from someone else's book about this that's been very moving to me lately. There's an artist named Frederick Franck, who 50 years ago. It's literally just the 50th anniversary of a seminal book he wrote called The Zen of Seeing. The Zen of Seeing, seeing drawing as meditation. And one of the things he wrote, I'm rereading this book right now, or actually, to be honest, I feel like I'm reading it for the first time. Frederick writes, and he hand wrote this book as well and sketched in it. He's talking about the first time he taught his workshop on The Zen of Seeing. And he says, one of the students says, I am a widow, and live alone. And I often feel lonely. Today, I learned that if you really see the things around you, you're not lonely anymore. I may never be any good at it. But I will go on drawing. And because what he had them do was not try to make art and not try to be creative. And he had prepared all his notes because he had never taught a class before. And then he threw them out. And he said, let's go outside. And I want you to look at the first thing that catches your eye. And don't look away from it, let your hand move on the page. So then what he says I just wanted to have that lead in to this, which ties directly to what we're talking about. He wrote, in this 20th century, to stop rushing around, just sit quietly on the grass, to switch off the world and come back to the Earth to allow the eye to see a willow, a bush, a cloud, a leaf is an unforgettable experience. Right and so what to me this is saying that the mundane is so full of magic. If we can stop and see not look at but see, and if we can stop and hear not just listen, but hear. Right? So we want to wake up our senses because we humans are meant to be like the other animals, sensate beings, right? So, yeah, so we want to wake up because it's more fun. It's richer. And when we have it gives us that juice, we can then help transform society, which is absolutely where we're at. It's a now or never moment, right?

Sara Artemisia:

Absolutely. Yeah. And I love what you're just sharing there about how the mundane is so full of magic if we stop and see. And this actually reminds me of another one of the wisdoms in your book called Opening to Magic, which is, as you open yourself to seek and discover the magic of life, you'll find it is everywhere. You'll become a magnet for helpful synchronicity. Magic will find you.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Yeah, yeah, that's a good one. Right?

Sara Artemisia:

I love that.

Robin Rose Bennett:

I will believe but you checking with you, that you have experienced this time and time and time again. Absolutely. And I have experienced it. There's nothing in the pocket book of Wisdom that I haven't experienced. Right. That's, that's why they're in there because they have withstood the test of time and proven themselves to me to be truths that have made my life more expensive, right and made my heart open more. So yes. So yeah, magic. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, reality is the most magical thing there is.

Sara Artemisia:

Absolutely, and I love you know, there's the camera for the quote or a teaching from the Buddha that I heard once, how he said, if you look deeply something to speak of if you look deeply into one flower long enough, you'll understand the whole Nature of reality. And to me, that is magic. That's to me, that is the plant path, it really really is.

Robin Rose Bennett:

That is the plant path and then we can observe more the quote unquote, everyday magic of how does this plant have the energy to grow down and up at the same time, right? To put down roots and to rise up and then, and then to take nourishment from the sun and flower and bear fruit and set seeds. Again to see that the transformation of energy into matter at at birth and matter back to energy at death is a mind altering you know, mind boggling mind altering mirror for us of the true magic of reality. And the import of this as well is again for us to become co-creators, right? Co-creators and that we can shift how things are, what's prioritized in our communities, in our local governments in our big picture, everybody's got their own part to play, right, but we can't, we can't just sit back and let all of this beauty and living sentient world of ours be taken, be destroyed, it's not an option. It's not an option. And so when we tune in, we get given the, the juice to become who we really fully are. And then what's ours to do grows out of that. It's like the exhale that follows the inhale. Some people and not everybody's meant to do the same things. You know, some people are meant to take their plant magic and go into local governments, some people are meant to paint and some people are meant to teach children or have a family, and that's their offering into the world. But until we each have a sense of our heart to play, in this evolutionary moment, we will feel incomplete. And we will feel frustrated, because it's just part of the essence of who we are, is that we need to feel our belonging to the world. And that's the other great gift that plants have given you and me and so many others, is a sense. And for me, it really was the first time a sense of belonging here.

Sara Artemisia:

Absolutely, that has been such a huge I mean, that is, well, there's so many reasons I love the plants. But that is such a huge one, this experience of helping us come back to a sense of belonging in this world, the plants have been monumentally huge for me in that journey, and what you were just sharing there, it reminds me of the feels so linked to a couple of, a couple other wisdoms that I'd love to explore here together. The first is called plants know who they are, which this to me speaks so directly to exactly what you were talking about, about this the value and the need and the gigantic invitation for us to accept love embrace who are we fully answer recognize that this is unique. And so this passage, the plants know who they are, it goes, I've never met a Daisy, who wished she smelled like Lavender, or an Oak tree who felt inferior for not being as flexible as Willow. When you ingest, imbibe, inhale, or sit in meditation with any plant with respect, and gratitude, that plant will help you center in the truth of your own being. Plants will help you know who you are, too.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I know you could, you could talk about that every bit as well as I can, right? And it isn't until you experience it. It's kind of hard to explain. But what I'd really love for anyone listening to this, for whom perhaps this is like, newer, is to realize this is not just me and Sara, this is something that happens to our students over and over and over again. Sometimes even the ones whose minds are not open to this idea, right? Who just want to know what to take for their headache. Sometimes they're the ones who get the most magical kind of revelations about plant sentients. People still I know mainstream, right? Think it's a little nutty, right? I've had people laugh at me. You listen to plants? Like what kind of really? Like okay, I don't buy that. And I think we've lost something so valuable there right. Because our kin, there are elders. I'm sure you've talked about this on on your podcast, right? There are elders, they have teachings for us and healings for us. But yeah, that one about to know their Shakespeare right? Note to thine own self be true. Well, how do you be true to yourself if you don't know who you are. And again, in compassion, we can see that we most of us have not been encouraged to be who we are. We've been encouraged to fit in. We've been not to belong but to fit in. Different, very, very different. Right to fit in is to mold yourself to be acceptable. And this turns us inside out and upside down and when makes us unable to even know the truth for ourselves. So, yeah, to become who you are is, is the ultimate liberation. It really is. We definitely have to be compassionate to ourselves and one another, that it's a journey, just like learning how to be present. It's a journey, these things that in a saner society would not be so hard to access, they would be things we'd been learning since we were, since we were born. But we have been most of us again, you know, there's not one truth for everyone. But most of us have had been taught, you know, the important thing is to find what will have you be secure, the important thing, what will have you be safe, and so on, and so forth. And these are not the same as, find out who you are, as you can walk in the world in authenticity and integrity, right? It's a rare family, or community that is putting that message out. However, it's also important, I think, Sara, that we don't keep affirming that. And we acknowledge that things are shifting, that every little thing we do, and every big thing we do, is shifting the culture. i It truly is. And it's hard to see that we're birthing a new way of being in the world when we're in this incredibly difficult, despair inducing time of so much crumbling, and so much destruction, which one of my dears said to me destruction is de-structuring. And there isn't a way to build the world of compassion and connection and power with without the de-structuring of the systems we have set up which are the total opposite of that, right? If I have power, it means you don't, if I have abundance and prosperity, it means you don't. It's all of these lies, that put us in the place of comparison, going back to that wisdom that you shared. One of the ways we suffer so much is by sitting in comparison. And I should be more like so and so or I'm not good enough because I bla bla bla. And for me, it's been a journey, you know, I'm moving into my eldering years, right. And I've been on my path now for a few decades. And it's really been a beautiful journey of learning to go from being intimidated by others who I admire, to being inspired by. And I'm not standing on any pedestal there's nothing in the Green Witch Pocket Book of Wisdom that I'm not still practicing and still learning always, always, always just a different places on the spiral. And it really is lovely to be able to see as you can even though you're not, what are you like 25 years younger than me, righ? That the places that you have have transformed through kindness and compassion and Earth connection, right? I do self loving practices. Because the self berating practices don't help us transform. They just make us shrink more and more. And they're drag, their drag, you know, it's like that's just not, it's not helpful.

Sara Artemisia:

Yeah, it really feel so connected to what you were sharing earlier about the difference between fitting in and belonging, and also what you were sharing even way earlier than that, about how there is this invitation we're really being called to become co-creators and that everyone has their own part to play. To thine own self be true. It's so true. It's so important. And this reminds me of another one of the wisdoms that you shared the heed your dreams. So important. So this one the heed your dream says, learn the uniquely personal symbolic language of your dreams. The same symbols and metaphors will likely show up in your meditations, too. Listen to your inner guidance. It will help you create a more deeply satisfying life.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Ha, I really appreciate hearing you share them and knowing that they've touched you and thought provoking for you. That's that means a lot to me. And I opened my copy of the book just to see which illustration goes with that one. And it's a beautiful kind of Buddha est were Tara-est face with the spray of Rosemary or Lavender, oh, Lavender, right around when curved around one cheek, right? So that calming, kind of that turning inward. And I also just opened my book to something as you're reading just to see if what matched up. And I open to all creation begins in the imagination. We're all dreaming this world into being consciously and unconsciously, let's imagine the most beautiful, possible present, and work together to make it sell. And this ties so into the heed your dreams, because there is yes, the personal level of your dreams, your meditations, how does your inner wisdom speak to you? That's a really helpful thing everyone to learn? How does your inner wisdom speak to you or reveal itself to you? Or is it a feeling for you? Or is it right? Everybody's different? Not everyone meditates and sees things. But if we can envision the transformations we want to have happen in ourselves and in the world, then they are possible, if we cannot imagine them, or if we fall into a place. And we can fall into any places. thing is we don't want to stay there. But if you are stuck in a place of cynicism, not skepticism, but cynicism and jadedness where it's too late, we've messed it all up, we can't, you know, we can't possibly turn things around or whatever, you know, if you're there, then you can't, then you're right, then we can't. So the people, those of us listening, us speaking and those of us listening who can hold the vision of the possible it is a responsibility. At this point. It is a true deep responsibility to hold your vision, share your vision, put it out in the world in whatever way you do have the possibility of healing because it is as long as we are breathing. We are co-creating with every thought, right. And just as a really practical example of something going on right here in my town. We have been working to stop those of us who care about the health of life and water and animals, birds and people. We have been working very hard for a few years now to stop a super destructive fossil fuel plant project right here in my town. A second away from a water supply for millions of people literally the whole nine yards. Anyway, it's just been disappointment upon disappointment upon disappointment. I'm just you know, going no, no, we're going to do this. We think it's a great idea and town council. Yeah, no, we think it's a great idea and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And a lot of work, a lot of marches a lot of town council and county council meetings. And then they went ahead and started construction. At that point. Many people said, Alright, it's over. I said, no, it isn't. No, it isn't. It's not over. Not on our watch. Not on our watch. Well, it's the habit. It's already under construction. It's it's not over till it's over, right? Well, this week, that oh, and my magic around it right was that I shared with the people who I knew could do visualization and would be comfortable not just holding up a protest sign but also doing inner work and magic. But to net it down. It was a stamp pad coming done image of a stamp pad coming down by the governor going permit denied project cancelled, permit denied, project canceled, permit denied, project cancelled. Well, just this week, Sara, just this week, they're well into construction. The permit was declared illegal. The permit was declared illegal. They are required to halt. It's not over yet. We haven't stopped them for good yet. But many, many believed it was too late for this to happen. Right? They passed all the hurdles, they got all the approvals, they get all the environmental exemptions. And I don't know about how everybody else does their work, but for me, it's calling on the land itself, the water the animals that it's calling on the land itself, to help us be a voice for protecting this is everything that supports us and everything that we love. So I'm really, really, really happy about this. And there's also going to be a huge march, I know this will be airing after. But there's also a huge march in New York City in a few days, with people coming from all over, just to stand up and say, it's the end of fossil fuel extraction, we can't keep taking. So it all comes back to Earth connection to being who you are, like the Willows, the Willow and the Oak, the Oak. And that is empowering. And we need empowered people of all stripes in all walks of life, we need people who believe that in themselves and each other, and that we can make a difference. And that we can do it with joy. See, that's one of my big things is, is that if we're just so angry all the time, and miserable all the time, about all the things that it's really easy to be angry and miserable about. It's not a very magnetic energy to attract to write. I mean, it is magnetic. It's contagious, right? But it's not magnetic in the way we want it to be. Whereas joy is magnetic in the way we want it to be gives people energy to stand up and do things outside of your immediate, immediate sphere, right? Because if you feel terrible, it's hard to think beyond your own immediate need. So I want people to feel wonderful. And these are practices that have helped me learn how to feel wonderful.

Sara Artemisia:

Well, congratulations on that project. That's incredible. That's absolutely amazing.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Yes, yes, it is. And I'm so grateful. I am just so so so grateful.

Sara Artemisia:

Yeah, and when you were talking about it, the birds were really vocal behind you. It felt like this message of yeah, be co-creator, work with us, work with the Earth. This we're all here together, you know.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Everything in Nature is is conspiring to be of help to us. It's totally true. It's totally true. You know, I did open to one wisdom right before the show right before the podcast just to see what's the message for Sara's audience what you know, and it's it's like 150 pages or so this little 4x6 book. So I think it's fun would it open to is a picture of a woman who's like a Parsnip root. She's really beautiful. My artist for this book is exceptional Gail Stoughton. And, and I feel very lucky that she agreed to do this book with me. And the wisdom that I open to to share with you because I didn't know you were going to read all your own, which is so thrilling for me. But when I open to to share with everyone is it's kind of where you started. The best way to get where you want to go is to practice being present where you are. The plants are our best teachers have this deep rooted plants offer a clear mirror of routing to rise of growing ourselves from a place of presence. So we can eat a Parsnip and enjoy we can eat a Parsnip and now we're taking in rooting energy, right?

Sara Artemisia:

Yeah, beautiful. And so full circle to come back to the presence piece. Thank you, Robin Rose. So wonderful. Yeah, so, so tell us how can people find out about you? Your work? Your book?

Robin Rose Bennett:

Okay, so, I have my website is RobinRoseBennett.com. And I also have a brand new website, robinroseennettbooks.com. And I would love for people to both sign up for my newsletter is the best way to kind of find out what's going on. But right now, the most important thing I have to share is that I created a beautiful, beautiful booklet that I want to give away to anyone who pre-orders the book, the new pocket book, because it's so helpful when people preorder. And there's only one month in which to do this the month of October, from the first to the official launch date of 31, October 31. And the the gift, the giveaway is a booklet entitled Herbal Recipes for Meditation, Dreams, and Deepening Intuitive Wisdom. And I created it just for this and really it's pretty lovely. So I hope people will take advantage of that. And then just go to the site. And you'll see there's some other things about like if you write a review for me, which would be so appreciated. Have a review of the new book. I mean, I'd appreciate reviews of any of the books but if you read a review of the new book and tag me on Instagram, you will automatically get entered into a contest to win a Tarot reading with me that I will be choosing the winner on my birthday which is November 26. So you have a little more time about the reviews, but the booklet will be available for the month of October.

Sara Artemisia:

So wonderful and tell us what's your Instagram handle so people know where to tag you?

Robin Rose Bennett:

Okay, it's@RobinRoseBennett. And will you have this written out in the show notes? Yeah, but I'll say it once R-O-B-I-N R-O-S-E B-E-N-N-E-T-T. Come play, come learn, come visit, come grow.

Sara Artemisia:

So great. Yes, and all this will of course be in the show notes as well. So you can just click on any of the links there. And such a joy to connect. Thank you so much for joining us today sharing your wisdom your love your connection with the plants it is such a joy as always and I appreciate you and your work in the world. Thanks, Robin Rose.

Robin Rose Bennett:

Thank you I appreciate you so much, too and just in feeling like that Rose heart connection with you right now and let's just take a moment together and just share it with everyone who is listening live or later. You know Rose magic your way. Heart opening and also protective thorns when and if you need them, Green Plants.

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.