The Intuitive Healing Path with Plants and the Akashic Records with Venessa Rodriguez

#54 – With everything going on in the world right now, it's important now more than ever that our actions of healing in the world are connected to the space of inner being. And plants are so supportive for helping with this!

How do plants support the path of intuitive healing? Join us for an amazing conversation with Intuitive Nourishment Guide Venessa Rodriguez on how working with plants helps us connect with ancestral medicine and integrate spiritual awakenings into the lived experience.

In this episode, Venessa shares deep wisdom on Wild Rose medicine, the Akashic Records, and how plants can help usher us on our soul path. She also offers key insights into energetic hygiene practices and the importance of listening to the wisdom of the body so you can be a vessel for your medicine.

Venessa Rodriguez, CNS is a mama, herbalist, intuitive nourishment guide, Akashic Soul Record channeler, and clinical nutritionist. Through her holistic healing & wellness education collective, Wildly Rooted, and her podcast Feed Your Wild, Venessa gets to the root of collective dis-ease & re-membering the soul back into medicine through radical nourishment of body, mind, & spirit. Venessa is also the founder of the Wildly Intuitive Practitioner Pathway and has worked in private practice since 2011 combining the science + spirituality of food & herbs.

Wildly Intuitive Practitioner Pathway (WIPP) is a 9-month intuitive healing mentorship and practitioner mastermind. It’s for wild-hearted practitioners & healers looking to develop a truly wholistic intuitive healing practice, step out of the “spiritual closet” and bridge the spiritual and mystical with the scientific and practical in client healing work.

Learn more about the Wildly Intuitive Practitioner Pathway at: https://www.wildlyrooted.com/wipp-apply

Listeners of the Plant Spirit Podcast also have a special invite to Venessa’s workshop, Dare to Shine, Healer: Breakthrough Imposter Syndrome & Amplify Your Intuitive Gifts

A Powerful Workshop for Practitioner & Healer’s For Overcoming One of
the Biggest Blocks Holding You Back From Your Soul Path & Medicine. If you've been struggling with imposter syndrome, fear of being seen, and/or procrastinating on utilizing your intuitive gifts in your healing work, this workshop is for you!

Workshop Link: https://www.wildlyrooted.com/impostersyndrome 
100% off coupon code: PLANTSPIRIT

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

Transcript

Sara Artemisia: 0:05

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 delighted to introduce our next guest to the show today. Venessa Rodriguez, CNS is a mama, herbalist, intuitive nourishment guide, Akashic Soul Record channeler and clinical nutritionist. Through her holistic healing and wellness education, Wildly Rooted, and her podcast, Feed Your Wild, Vanessa gets to the root of collective dis-ease, and re-membering the soul back into medicine through radical nourishment of body, mind and spirit. Vanessa is also the founder of the Wildly Intuitive Practitioner Pathway. And she's worked in private practice since 2011 combining the science and spirituality of food, and herbs. So, Venessa, thank you so much for being here today. I'm so excited for our conversation.

Venessa Rodriguez: 1:33

I feel like it's been years coming. How did I not know you before? I'm so honored to be here. Thank you for having me.

Sara Artemisia: 1:42

Oh, so great. And likewise agree with that. And you know, after our chat just right before this, I'm like, let's just dive right in. So, you know, recognizing, just getting right to the core of what's happening right now on the planet, we're in a time of huge collective spiritual awakening on the planet. Certainly, a huge part of what this entire podcast is about is about bringing forward this experience of how plants can really support us in this. And so as a person who is an intuitive healer, and also works with plants and helps people to open up to their intuitive gifts as well. I'm curious, in your experience, how does working with plants really helped integrate spiritual awakenings into the embodied lived experience?

Venessa Rodriguez: 2:26

Oh, that is such a beautiful and big question. And I feel like it's beyond words. What is coming through, it's like, coming through emotions and feelings and sensations in my body and visions. And it just feels so big and so expansive that is beyond the conscious mind. So that's a disclaimer, because I feel like my words are not going to do justice to this. But the first thing that's coming through and I tune into that was actually Hildegard von Bingen. If you're familiar, the Christian, Christian mystic, I mean, she was everything, she like literally polymath did everything, and absolutely a plant person, and intuitive and Oracle, and she said, God is living being spirit, all verdant being all creativity, and that the greenness of the natural world is reflected in the greenness of the human soul. And, and it is our, our purpose to be here in a materialized body in this embodiment, right, so in sold in a physical body, and to have this beautiful gift of the allies of the green world, you know, like our plant allies in this we are in this together, and that we can access God Source Creator consciousness through the living world through the green world. And what I have seen, I mean, there's my own personal experience. And then you know, there's what I have also experienced in others and guiding them but either because I've done some teaching with herbalism, I've also done teaching on the intuitive healing side of things and there's a lot of plant people that come through that channel as well. So seeing it kind of indifferent, we were talking about different channels, right, so seeing the different channels that people can plug into and how it expresses. It's so multidimensional. But what I would say, I can only speak really from my, my lived experience and how I have experienced the plants and supporting me and my embodiment and connecting to my sole purpose and living not in a material vessel, is well, the first thing that I'm getting is a remembrance that I am Nature, a remembrance, on a cellular level on I'd like a genetic, deep genetic and cellular level. Also a remembrance through ancestry and relationship. So the relationship that my ancestors, our collective ancestors have always had with the living world, and the more than human world, but also the spiritual relationships. So there's the Earthly material relationship of working with them of hands in the dirt, and like food as medicine, and just all the ways that we work with plants here in the material world, but then the spiritual connections and relationships that we have, which you could say might be primary, right? Because without that, there wouldn't be the knowledge that we have, how do we know which plants to you know, work with? All the pharmaceuticals that we have, most of the pharmaceuticals are initially developed from a plant origin of some sort, right, and like going into the Amazon and finding these incredible healing plants, which I would say that all plants are healing, but you know, so it's an interesting world that we live in currently, because I feel like there has been sort of this cognitive disconnection between that like with an fragmentation of that relationship, on that spiritual plane, but yet, like, we're still working with it, on some level, it's just almost like we're denying the depths of the relationship in the modern Western world. So I feel like when we can do simple acts, such as a plant set, speaking to the weeds in your front yard, growing, you know, spinach, or cilantro, in a little pot on your windowsill, that is a revolutionary act of reclamation, because it's coming back into simple relationship. Because we are relational beings, like, that's who we are, that's how we live, we would not be able to exist without relationship to others, not just humans. And so coming back into that very real, tangible and simple way of connecting to plants is I feel profound, it awakened something within us, that was my initiation into working with plants is with my abuela. So my family's from Puerto Rico. And when they came my grandmother's, so my grandparents were immigrants, and came to Chicago, with my parents, and they brought with them, the plants and seeds from Puerto Rico. Now, they had to create specific conditions in order for a lot of them to be able to survive. But I think it spoke to that, that deep, deep relationship to place to land, to home, right? And also, that it was part it was like an ancestral relationship that they continued to cultivate, even as they moved across the sea and across land, into an unknown world, land. And then being able to grow food from that and to teach their kids and to teach their grandkids kids and so I remember my grandmother so one, she was very much a cook loved, love to cook and that was sort of her love, right? She was that just like so many grandmas. And she would always say, is this medicina? This is medicine. You know, and I was like, I didn't quite get it as a kid like you just don't quite get it. Well, I think maybe the kids nowadays do because they're born knowing everything. It seems like, yeah, but like 40 years ago, I came in and I was like, I don't surely understand but I trust you. I trust you and I feel the love through that food. Boy do I feel the healing and the love through that food. So it's not just the plants but it's also like the love and the care that's enveloped and worked with and into that medicine that the plants have for us through our food. And so that was my first introduction of food as medicine and then an herbalism because we would pick you know Spearmint leaves from the garden and Chamomile and and Manzanilla like de de Manzanilla, Manz- Chamomile tea was like medicine or house ginger was like the pret like though those are the first two places that you went if you were feeling sick was Ginger tea and or Chamomile tea. Panacea right there. So that was my first foray. And then my other grandmother, she had some more of the cultural plant medicine practices that I feel like have been lost, I definitely she was not able to bring them in a way where she totally she continued the lineage, she just practiced it right. So there was sort of a, it wasn't like she was teaching it, she was just doing it and living it. So I remember taking baths with herbs when we were sick, or her putting healing salves on us that were made, like a concoction that she brewed together with, with plants, I don't unfortunately, have those original recipes, you know, my mom couldn't really remember. So that's one of the unfortunate things that we see across the globe now, especially with in terms of immigrants, is that we have that disconnection from this wisdom. So I had grieved that for a while, because when I came into the understanding, when I got into this work of holistic healing, and herbalism, and plant medicine, I feel like I'm disconnected from this beautiful lineage, and knowledge of my ancestors. But then I started to connect with the plants myself on a personal level. And that's where you're like, Oh, that's right, you can actually connect with them yourself and begin to communicate with them yourself. And when you begin to open yourself up to that world, it's not only actively establishing a relationship, and then communication, again, through whatever intuitive faculties that you might have, right? We're all different in our design, but also in the cellular remembrance, in the knowing that's already embedded in your genes in your body. And so there's a somatic experience that we have to when we start, especially when you start to work with plants that are connected in some way to your ancestry. And you don't some people don't have don't know what their ancestry is. And I would say, You know what, I work with plants that are speaking to you, they're calling your attention that are in your vision in your awareness right now, because that's the place to start. They're literally speaking to you, right? That's what happened to me with Wild Rose is when I moved, I was born in Chicago. And then I moved to Southern Oregon, and I already had this relationship with Rose, but more like kind of on a spiritual level, in Chicago, and through my ancestry, and my mom and my grandmother's. But then I came to Southern Oregon, and Wild Rose was like, "Hey, girl". Love at first sight. It was like tunnel vision, such a powerful, potent energy, and demanded my attention. And so I began a relationship with Wild Rose, that cracked me open that opened up a bunch of different things when I was living in Southern Oregon and was part of the plan of ushering me even more deeply onto my path, onto my soul path. But what does that actually look like as an embodied being right? Practically, walking the Earth, communicating with people doing my deep healing, supporting others in their healing as someone who's here to be in service, and teaching me so many lessons about all of that. So I know that you have mentioned you feel Rose is such a powerful teacher of these times, I absolutely feel that and I have had that lived experience for myself. And I know, I just went around and all these really, really different ways and trying to answer this, this huge question, but I hope that there's some thread in there that that lands for you.

Sara Artemisia: 13:50

Oh, absolutely. I mean, it's funny to just even as you're talking, these other questions are coming up and and then you immediately answered them, like how connecting directly with the plants can help us reconnect with our ancestors, if we've lost that direct lineage, and then you just answered it right away. So that's so great. Yeah. Anything else that you feel called to share about Wild Rose?

Venessa Rodriguez: 14:10

Oh, man.

Sara Artemisia: 14:10

At this time?

Venessa Rodriguez: 14:11

Yeah, this time, right? Because I'm like, I could do three hours on Wild Rose. Let me just connect in which by the way, I do Akashic channelings. And Rose spoke to me and had me do a channeling. So I have this whole Akashic channeling and could pull it up if you're curious about it. So maybe we could save that for later. Because that was a direct message to me from Rose, but right now, I'm just going to tap in and see what wants to be said. Okay, I think it speaks to a little bit of what we touched on earlier in our pre talk. But Venusian energies is what's really coming through right now big time. So Venus, it's interesting because at the time of this recording, Venus is in Leo. My natal Venus is in Leo also. So I feel like I'm feeling this doubly like there's a lot I like, live gotta look at this stuff, right? In this way that's heart centered, but also loud and proud, and unapologetic, and through beauty. And this almost like, radical, divine feminine energy that is coming through, and the spectrum of that, from the softness, and the gentleness and that those petals to the Power House Energy, the like, can't F with those type of energy, the like, Mama will cut you even with my Thorens energy. So like, we have this spectrum that is really alive and coming through right now. And I feel like Venus, herself as a planet and as a consciousness. If we were to think about our collective evolutionary path, and like Gaia and Mother Earth and her of evolution, I feel like Venus is a part of that it's like this higher level of consciousness in terms of that divine, feminine equality and aspect that we are really being not invited, like, ushered into right now in this time, you know, it's kind of like, nudging and pushing us rather than, hey, here's an invitation. Gotta like, no, we don't have time, we're doing this thing, you know, push you on stage, kind of feeling. And so I'm feeling that very much alive right now through Wild Rose through Rose medicine in general. And an ability to when we work with Rose, to allow those codes to be awakened within us too, as an process of remembrance of who we are, where we came from. And you know, it doesn't matter your gender, or sexual orientation, like that doesn't matter, right, because we all have these elements within us. And we're all plugged into the collective field. So I feel that it's really time for that to come back online in a really big way. And I feel like Rose is doing that in her own way with each individual right, like as each individual has their unique path, their specific channel and blueprint and, and the way that they could express it. And I see this in my, our group, we have a mentorship group that I lead, I see it being activated in all these beautiful, different ways through the people that are inside of this container. And that's just a small group of people. So I can only imagine, you know, what's happening on a global level right now, because it's so palpable. And yeah, so anyway, I'm curious how you feel it's coming alive for you, is there on like, you know, whatever level you're willing to speak to?

Sara Artemisia: 17:58

Yeah, I definitely everything you just shared for sure, big time. Also, that aspect of just witnessing how Rose unfolds, how she unfolds from the inside out, how she's not one of the huge things that I feel that we're being called to, step into in this time is to shift from a linear way of orienting into a more spherical and multi dimensional way of orienting. And that Rose directly shows us this with how she blooms that when her first petal is blooming, she's not having any kind of judgment or wish or desire, like, Oh, I'm not already on my fifth petal open. It's like, well, no, we're here right now in this moment. So one of the things that I feel that Rose is so supportive in is to help us come back into a state of presence that when we do this kind of this mirror gazing with Rose of looking at okay, how can Rose be a mirror for me understanding my own self, my own processes, as well as just the beauty of who Rose inherently is. I really feel that invitation to come into presence is so big, and particularly presence in the heart to come into the presence of the heart that that is such a huge invitation that Rose offers and so grateful. And also something that we were speaking to a little bit earlier, as well as that aspect of how Rose she's not just a super soft, like she's got thorns, she's got a woody stem, just these many, many faces of the Divine Feminine that were speaking to earlier how it's so important to connect with that as well. The strength. The rootedness. Oh is so important, so vitally important as we move forward as we move through this big transition right now that we're going through globally. And, you know, something that you touched on in what you're sharing is how you feel that Rose is helping usher you along on your soul path. And I'm curious in your experience, and just what you've witnessed with folks that you work with as well. How can the plants really help usher us on this whole path?

Venessa Rodriguez: 19:53

Hmm. Oh, well. You touched on this just before, but I feel like the plants have advantage point that we don't necessarily have access to. And you could say that about other things as well in the unseen realms, but I feel like where the plants are unique is that they converge the unseen in the seen, you know, and they are communicators, they are messengers, they are harbingers of messages and of transition, and they hold their channels, they hold so much power to transmit medicine through their unique channels. And when you work with them, you realize, oh, it's not it, this is well, first of all, it's a living being that has this soul. And there's this whole unseen realm and aspect to plants. But they're also portals. And their portals, where there are mirrors, we get to see reflections of ourselves and of the collective and of our experience and our history and our future. So, with the Akashic records, for example, I feel like the plants are kind of an aspect of the records because they hold so much information, they are themselves kind of a record keeper. In that same way, we can divine with them, they speak to us, they're able to see things that we can't, and so there's so much available as support. It's not just a one way thing where they're here to support us, we are also here to support them. It's a reciprocal, this sacred reciprocity, within the relationship that we're meant to have, that is what ultimately feeds and nourishes all of us, that's what supports our evolutionary growth, is to not just receive, but to also give, and to have that kind of dynamic relationship with these really multidimensional beings, and honoring them. So honoring them acknowledging as multidimensional beings, just like we are, you know, you could say just as like the stone people are, there's so many, of course, depending on we are plant people, and we're like focusing on plants, but there are so many ways to commune you could say with the divine or with the multidimensional realms and world. And multiverse, right? You access these different levels of consciousness, there are different portals, and it really is beneficial to kind of tune in and see what is really speaking to you what is really calling you, what are you attracted to, you know, what are just like, naturally, like you don't have to try. But I would say that all people are, there's a connection to plants, whether you identify as a plant person or not, just by the sheer fact that you are human, you have a relationship, there are kin, right? They're family. So any way that you can build a relationship, it doesn't have to look like this deep dive into herbalism, or, you know, becoming like a plant spirit practitioner or whatever it could, it could be super simple as you just you know, maybe you start to have a tea practice every day. Or you just take a walk, and you could be in the middle of the city. This is what I'm doing now, because I'm back in Chicago, in the middle of the city. And I'm walking and I'm saying hello to the trees and like Gingko and you know, Oak and like, and just remembering that they're everywhere they're here. And when you start to attune and bring your awareness in that way, then that's when start things to open up. Because where you place your attention and focus is like where things really start to open up, right. And then you will start to see that in relationship and the communication starts to expand and you might start to receive messages. And that could be you know, become through your body, your if be coming through an image or a dream or you can hear voices. And so like whatever way I really invite everybody to trust how that comes to you. One of the first ways that that showed up for me, I remember walking down Chicago, it was like at the time my mom was really sick with breast cancer, which is what initiated me sort of into the healing path. And my spiritual awakening and I was walking down the street and there was like a row of trees. And I heard "pay attention. pay attention". And I swear like that's the only thing that I heard for like a month and I was like, "Pay attention to what? What are you talking about?" And now I understand I was like, Whoa, there's like a Like to be attended to, right? There's a lot that's wanting our attention. But it starts there, it really just starts with a willingness to see, to open up, and to start to build a relationship just like you would with another human. And I'm really excited because I feel like there are more and more people that are doing it right now, you know, and I see it like, I don't think it's just because I'm in my little bubble of you know, holistic healing and intuitive healing and plant medicine. But I feel like it really is a lot more people are getting interested in herbalism. And food is medicine and, and working with the plants and develop and gardening and all of that, you know, and becoming like, self sustainable. So especially with COVID, and all the things I hadn't like some of the scarce around food, and just scarce in general around scarcity with having to do with food. I see a lot of people getting curious about well, how do I reclaim that you know, that my grandparents or great grandparents knew how to grow food. We had this relationship we like knew how to grow herbs, we knew how to work with them, to support our health, and how can I start that process again, and bring it back for myself and future generations. So that's something I'm really excited about to.

Sara Artemisia: 26:19

Love it. So good, that is amazing. And it feels so connected to what you were just sharing about earlier about this revolutionary act of reclamation of coming back into relationships, that it's a revolutionary act to come into relationship with the plants, and just how incredible that is when we really dive in fully. So great. So yeah, just so much good stuff in what you're sharing there, the sacred reciprocity piece, absolutely essential, how we are all plant people, I mean, by the very act of breathing, we're in really, the point we're in that reciprocity. So if you're breathing, if you're listening to this, and you're breathing, you're in relationship with the plants. That's great. Yeah, just think of like your tongue, you know, if it fits for everyone to find their own way, right, that we don't all have the same way, how beautiful nature certainly has multitudes of ways that it expresses itself fully. And it just reminds me of that Rumi quote of you know, let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pole of what you really love. It will not lead you astray. And I think there are a lot of people out there who are waiting for permission on some level to actually just embrace that of what is the thing that you feel silently drawn to? And if you are one of those people just know you have permission to do just do it. Just do it. What do you feel drawn to? Is it and particularly in the plant path, you know, is it through connecting with plants through art, through cooking, through meditating, you know, through tinctures, essences, clinical herbalism, like, whatever with working with animals, whatever the way might be. explore it, because we all have, there are as many ways to connect with plants as there are people in the world period. That's just how it is. And so just for us each to honor and acknowledge what is our own way and to fully embrace that because the plants love it, they love it. When we show up fully as ourselves, the plants love that. And in my own experience, the plants have definitely helped me feel home here helped me feel a sense of belonging that if I can fully express myself with the plants, then hey, it's a little bit easier to fully express myself with the humans, too. And so I just love how they allow that how they really invite us to fully be ourselves because that's certainly what they are doing. They are certainly not trying to be anything other than who and what they actually are. So, yeah, just love that you that you shared all of that. And then you also touched on the Akashic records. So I'd love to dive in there a little bit and I'm curious to hear about how the Akashic records have supported your evolution, both as a healer and then also on your plant path as well.

Venessa Rodriguez: 28:53

Hmm. Yeah, well, Akashic it wasn't like I was looking for the Akashic records. And my teachers, like Akashic records, find you. That was very true for me. So, this feels like it's an important part of the story, where we came together, and how I was initiated. My mom had been seeing this therapist, she was at the end of her life. So my mom passed, have breast cancer. And that was in 2010. And she was seeing the psychotherapist at the end of her life. And this woman was incredible in that. I credit my mom's doctors, she was like, this is a very special woman, this is just for your mom, you know, like, this is gonna be really supportive. No, like, oh, well, maybe I could see her too. She's like, No, no, no, it's just for your mom. And I was like, who is this mysterious woman, you know, like that, like, she's so special, but she's only for my mom. And so I, you know, got into stalker mode alone. Like I was this woman signed up for her newsletter and stuff, and she really seemed to help support my mom and her healing. So this was like after my mom had passed, and I was on this path of remembering who I was and spiritual awakening and this and that and I. So I started to see this one intuitive for. I mean, really, that was like my therapy because it just like, was supporting me in the processing of my grief and connecting with my mom at that spiritual level. And so he's like, You know what, let's do an Akashic reading because we would always do Tarot. And I was like, Okay, I don't know what that is. But sure. So he started to read my records. And it was so profound in his, the insightfulness, the resonance, the frequency that I felt when he opened them up. And, and so just the messages he was giving me, and then at the end, he's like, oh, and you're meant to work with the Akashic records and know them in the way that I know them. And I was like, this guy tells everybody about, right. Okay, yeah, way to make me feel good. So I can come back again and again, right. And so I was like, yeah, yeah okay, put that aside. Kid you not the next day, I get an email from my mom's therapist, because she's sending out a newsletter saying, I decided, after many years, I'm opening backup training for the Akashic records. She's been a trainer and a channeler, and record reader for 15 years, 20 years prior. And she's like, I'm opening up training again, and I'm taking a cohort, this, you know, the, we're opening up doors this week, and I was like, I have to do this. It's like, the convergence of these two worlds. And so that's how I got into that path, she has become a dear friend and mentor of mine. And that blew things up for me. So it was really slow at first. So you know, I tell people, like, don't get discouraged when you start to do intuitive work, or, you know, working with the Akashic records, and you feel like it's, quote, slow, don't get discouraged. You know, it's really about, again, building relationship. It's about building the bridge and building relationship with it. And then learning, learning about yourself in the process, and opening up yourself in the process. And we all have a different pace, and it's all perfect. So anyway, it was pretty slow for me. But then, when it started to come online, it was like, where is this information? I've, I was receiving messages about alchemy, about Aura Boris, about all these things that I had no background, my parents were not like, quote, woowoo at all, like I had no studies or background or reference point for any of this. And I was receiving these messages. And I was like, where is this coming from? And it was when I was connecting with the Akashic records. So I would just keep my journal and and it was, as it's happening, and as you know, as a reader, or anybody who's like tapping into these realms, what starts to happen is beyond the conscious level, on all levels of your consciousness, things begin to unlock and open up, and you start to quote, no things on deep, deep levels of resonance, that are beyond your conscious capacity to fully understand. So it's like an awakening process, it's this opening up. And that started to happen for me very quickly. And so much so that when we would practice so this was even before I brought it in, I had no intention of bringing it into my actual professional work. So this is only my personal life. And we were doing practicums I would be channeling in information for people on there were like, how did you know this? Or oh, my god, that was so helpful. And then when I was working on the clinical side, with clients, I would start even without opening up the records, because you know, of course, they do so with permission, but because your field just starts to open up in general. So you're like walking around, opening up your intuition, even if you don't have the records open, I started receiving information about clients, and I was like, What do I do with this? You know, how do I begin to weave this in, and now realizing that is true medicine. That's how it always was. When we look back at our indigenous ancestors and cultures and traditional, like esoteric forms of medicine. It was always about opening up and connecting with the divine with intuitive messages with Mama Earth with the plants. So it was this multidimensional multilevel of consciousness work that we did with medicine. And that's really what true medicine that's all true holistic medicine. So it started to open up my connection with plants, which was so exciting. Because I felt like I, okay, I was before the records, I would, you know, do my plant sets and I would connect and I like had my practice and and it felt deep and beautiful. But working with the Akashic Records brought it to another level where I actually felt like I was speaking and communicating with beings, with powerful beings that had so much wisdom and information to share with me and they were so excited to share, they were like, so stoked that here's this person who's open and willing and wants to receive, because then they can go forth and share that. And that's one message that I continue to get over and over again, for anybody who's interested in working with plants is like, they are so excited to have people come into their fold, and really work and develop that relationship in that way. So there's so much available for you. And then I started, I really started to get into more channeling work. So aside from just the Akashic Record reading, I would just open up and channel and do like inspirational writing. And I would just start to get different voices. I'm intentionally right, I was always held in like divine light and protection. And I would just get a lot of different voices come in, and the plants started to come in, especially about flowers in particular, I think, because I was just connecting a lot with flowers at that time. And so of course, Rose came in was one of the first ones, but a lot of tree can have come in before and like Hearty like Dandelion, and Rue and just like these different, these different herbs that I have utilized in my own experience, and I think because I had their codes within me, right, because I've communed with them. I've eaten them before I've like drunk the tea. And so they lived in me. And I was able to receive messages in a different way, like through these activations that were happening within me, which was really fascinating. And it and I see that in other people too, like I see that awakening within them. And then I love working with flower essences with the Akashic records as well, which I feel like that's probably something that that's like, primarily what you work with. And do and it's so powerful, speajerichs as well. And so in connection, like one of my teachers, when I first moved to Southern Oregon was sage of Papa with the School of evolutionary herbalism. And so learning to work with spea jerix, and how profound that was, and kind of also really bringing in that holistic way of not just working with the plants, but working with the humans, as well. And so of course, I had to take the Wild Rose spea jerich, and navigated that. Sometimes you're like, oh, yeah, it's gonna be fun and like, and then you're like, oh, wait, no, no, I don't want to go down that I don't want to go down that portal. But it's like, this is what you got to do. If you want to heal that part. If you want to get to that next level, if you want to show up as an awakened, full self, all colors all online, you have to go through the muck. And the plants are phenomenal allies for us to do that deep work that can be really scary. And contractive.

Sara Artemisia: 38:01

Yeah, really feel like they're so supportive for helping to bring those shadows forward and work with them in a really safe and gentle way. Particularly the essences, of course. Yeah, totally spot on that since those were the main, my main my main ones, I love them. I love working with them in conjunction with the Akashic records. And yeah, particularly for folks who are really sensitive and psychically open I think, can be so supportive, because it's such a gentle, subtle medicine and in what you're saying, and also recognizing that there are many people listening this podcast, who are very spiritually tuned, psychically open, I'm curious if you could speak to a bit about the value of having energetic boundaries, and how this really supports being a clear channel? And if you have any suggestions for folks who are already really psychically open, and so first, I'll share a little bit about you know, why, why is this question coming up for me, which is recognizing that we're living in a time where there are so many different energetic experiences happening all the time, a lot of times when folks particularly when they're first having some kind of spiritual awakening, it's like all the channels can sometimes get blown open at once really quickly. And so we can be hearing like multiple different things all at once. And that can be really chaotic. It can be really ungrounding, it can take a person out of their center out of their experience of rootedness. And, in my experience, have found that having that very clear channel is very clear boundary of experience allows for the quality of the information that comes through for the quality of the light that comes through to be really strong, pure, full of integrity, and love to hear about, you know, what's your experience been with that? And are there any practices or anything that you'd suggest for folks who are maybe interested in bringing that more into their practice?

Venessa Rodriguez: 39:49

It's so important it's one of the foundational things like spiritual hygiene, right? And even if we look at it from a human perspective of interrelatedness with other humans, which you just go up to a stranger and allow them to give you messages and directives, and then you just follow it without any questioning. Or you're just opening yourself up sharing so much about your personal life, your bank account, like, right, like, are you willing to do that with strangers? Or people like that? You don't really know, no, of course not. So when we start to work in these realms, and the unseen realms, we have to understand there is so much we don't see there's so much we don't understand, especially when you're first starting out. And yet, you could be so open, you're quite literally open to all of these voices and channels and energies, courses, most of the people that come into my folder are highly sensitive or empathic, have open hearts, really heart centered people, I would say those are the most vulnerable populations. And that's where I actually see. And because I started off as a clinician, right, I see, I had so many people that fit that bill, who had chronic disease and illness. And so we see because those worlds are overlapping, like there was so much they were taking in that was not theirs, whether it was thought forms other people's energy, anger, like emotions of others that they were taking in, because they were empaths, or actual entities and attachments that were their voices that were coming out because they're like wanting to connect with this light being in this like open channel, right? And there weren't the boundaries there. So there's a lot that then can proliferate on the physical realm that is contractive, that does not feel good. But also like on all realms, like emotional and mental, so we have to be really careful. And I don't say that you bring it up, because I think it's really important. And I don't want to scare people, because we can come into it in an empowered place. And the first place that and also like, you can feel like you're going crazy, like I've had some students come into my program, and they're so open and intuitive and psychic, and a lot of them are practitioners, like therapists or doctors, and they're taking on so much of their patients or their clients, or their family members. And they're also like hearing voices, and they quite literally feel like they're going crazy. And we have to be like, okay, okay, first of all, you are not crazy. And we need to implement some boundaries and practices for you. So that you can still tune in, but do so in a way that's supportive for everybody involved. So the first place that I start is, you have to nourish and support yourself and know thyself, like know who you are, because it's very similar to your immune system. It's like your immune system develops. And there's kind of like this as it develops. It's understanding who you are, and what isn't you right? So that's part of how the immune system works is when something comes in, and it realizes, oh, that's not me, is it safe? Let's tag it. Let's do some research here. Let's assure this and create like a protective order, like there's so much that your immune system does to protect you. But it's really based off of self versus not self. And having that deep understanding. So we have to apply that in the spiritual realms as well like energetic realms. So that means cultivating time and space to know yourself to know your body to know your energy to communicate with your body is the bridge between the energeticly unseen realms, and your consciousness. In your waking consciousness. Your body holds so much. So there's a lot of cleanup work that we have to do usually. Because when we start to tune in, then body's like, oh, great, you know, they're listening. And so this is what I've been holding on to that you need to look at. And our consciousness is like, oh, no, no, no, I don't want to look at that. I don't want to look at that, right. But the thing is, if we're holding on to those things, then it's keeping us at a certain vibrational frequency. And that frequency, like everything is based off a frequency, right? So that frequency will also be mirrored and reflected and magnetize other frequencies. Some could be supportive, and some not so much, right? And so we want to work through those things so that we can get clear as channels, so that we can distinguish, oh, no, that actually wasn't mine. Like that anger that I was holding in my belly that was causing an ulcer, that wasn't mine. Where did that come from? Or maybe it was mine. But it was from childhood, it's something I never processed and it needs to come through. And it needs to be alkalized. And that's going to open up my solar plexus center, that's going to open up my ability to step into my empowerment and, and my will right to show up on this Earth as an embodied being that's like strong and has these boundaries. So that's the first place to start. And I would say like, that's not an easy task, right? And there's, there's no, oh, I'm done. Like, there's no like destination. It's an ongoing process. Of course, it could feel like Oh, my God, there's this giant mountain that I have to climb at the very beginning, right. But once you start going up that mountain, like the good Capricorn, like a good goat, there's just like, determined, and you know what, yeah, there's going to be storms that pass, there's going to be like famine, at certain times, there's gonna be like, no water, maybe in certain portions. But there are there's the plants along the way that we can nibble. There's the fresh air, there's the sunshine, right? There are the things that are there, they're going to keep nourishing us and to open yourself up to that, to keep going through those shadow periods, I guess, when we're doing the shadow work. So shadow work, getting to know yourself, getting to know your body and your energy field versus somebody else's. And that's one thing, especially for empaths, like, that is a game changer, when you know what you actually feel like. And so one really great practice for that is an energy fast, which requires you to not take in any other energies that are not yours as much as possible. So the best way to do this is like forest bathing, or like if you get out in Nature, or your garden, or even if you're not, if you're in the middle of the city, and there's no need to go in the bathroom by yourself for 30 minutes. Okay, no phone, no listening to an audio book or music. No other people around, I say pets can be okay, they're a little bit different. But I would say try without any other energies, and feel into yourself, a lot of people are very uncomfortable to do this, if it feels uncomfortable, because that's when things start to come up to the surface, we have to be brave enough to do that. We have to be willing and brave enough to do that. So your why has to be strong enough to do it. And maybe it's like you start off two minutes a day, then you increase it to five, then you increase it to fifteen, incrementally, like be kind and gentle with yourself. But set an alarm, like make it a daily practice. So that because what happens when you energy fast is then all of those other energies get a chance to clear out for a moment, and you can feel what it feels like to be in your energy only. So that when you are introduced to somebody else's energy, you're like, oh, that thing that I was feeling like that anxiety, that was actually my sister's all along all these years. Or maybe it was a spirit like an Earthbound spirit that was here and that like, you know, I'm not the only one it's affecting, I'm seeing how it's affecting other people in my family or you know, in my my community that like walks into my door. So anyway, the point is that, you start to gain a lot of clarity. And with that clarity comes discernment and empowerment. And that just continues to grow. Discernment is one of the, that's the golden keys when it comes to intuitive work is like building discernment. And the only way you can do that is by knowing thyself really, really well. And like, of course, it's an ongoing process. So to be kind with yourself with you in this process, right? Which that is also a spiritual process, practice itself. To me, that's holy work, to commune with yourself in that deep way. You know, you learned so much about yourself. So those were some I think the foundational things, there's a lot of other like, you know, practices you can bring in, but I feel like those are really periphery, like when you start to do work, and you get into spaces and you're doing work, there's a lot of protection work that you could do, but nothing is going to protect you knowing yourself and making this really strong connection to your higher self and to source divine creator. Like whatever your orientation is to God, to the divine. That is gonna be the most protective and support discernment as you do this work.

Sara Artemisia: 49:34

Love it. Yeah. So much of what you just shared there. That phrase with clarity comes discernment and empowerment. Like, yes, that is so true. It's so true. Other things you just shared that I absolutely loved how it's not about the destination. It's an ongoing process. This is so important to remember, especially because so many of us have been brought up in a linear kind of conditioning as if there's an end destination to get to certainly the plants are showing us continuously. We're in an in an ever unfolding cycle. It's, we're in a cycle, we're in a cycle, what does it mean to actually be living in a cycle rather than trying to aim for some unknown destination? And that other thing you were sharing about how the body is a bridge? The wisdom of the body? You know, I'm curious for everyone listening right now, what is the wisdom of your body telling you right now? What is it telling you? And how can you honor that? Is it possible to honor that in this moment? And then gently clearing out the energies that aren't used, this is so important. So so important, and I am curious if there are any, is there's anything coming to mind for you about how the plants particularly can help with another. So another thing, and the reason this is coming up for me is that, because a lot of people there, it's also kind of trendy right now to to just go to the most extreme possible edges of our consciousness that we can possibly go and get there as quickly as possible kind of a thing and how that can be really destabilizing. And one of the things that I love about working with plants, flower essences, in particular is how can really help with this very gentle integration, that yes, it's helping to clear out and help us to really come back to and connect with, okay, who and what is this being? That is me really, who and what is this, really, that the plants can really support with that? And I'm curious if, in your experience, how do the plants really help with energy, hygiene, spiritual hygiene, and really helping us come back to this core aspect of who we really are?

Venessa Rodriguez: 51:33

God, there's so much there, there's so many different ways, right? So okay, well, I will say that, I really do think that there is something to even abstaining from communing with plants, like when you're first getting to know you're like, if you've never done an energy fast, something like that you don't feel like you know, yourself, it's important to just know your energy. But once you do, you could start to bring in and I love Flower Essences for this, because of their gentleness, start to work with a single flower essence in this way. That's the way that I like to get into this to really get to know them, especially when we look at protector plants. So the two that have been, I think the most protective for me, have been Yarrow and Wild Rose. So you know, all of us have sort of this archetypal flower that is that we're meant to have a relationship with maybe multiple, maybe some people have multiple, I feel like in my current life path in the past decade, it's Wild Rose has been mine. But like you said, like Wild Rose, really teaching me the protective aspects of like that thorn, the groundedness the rootedness, like being able to shine and share your perfume and your essence in your beauty, but from a place of integrity and like having boundaries and like, you can't touch all of this, right, like, and so there was a lot of that that I had to learn because a former people pleaser, as a former, this doctor that I love, he wrote several books that I feel like are really profound for people, especially with chronic pain, chronic illness, John Sarno, looking at the mind body connection. So looking at how Wild Rose with the thorns, is sharing with me that I can be who I am, and show up with that heart centeredness of like a healer, so many healers have right without sacrificing myself. Without that people pleasing and being a goodest like he calls it the goodest. So being a good girl, right? That's what I was raised with. And conditioned with. And I see this for a lot of highly empathic people are sensitive people. Because you feel so much you don't want confrontation. That's how that was my experience. So I would want people to feel good. If somebody felt bad or sad or like felt like there was some kind of confrontation, I would do whatever that I needed to do to make them feel better so that I could feel better. And so that became a pattern. I see that so often with people of similar proclivities. And so Wild Rose really taught me how to protect myself in that way Yarrow is just feels like on a next level of protection on so many different levels in the different colors of Yarrow as well like attuning to different parts and aspects of myself and then beginning to mix the flowers and like combos and combinations. But then you get to what's really beautiful is like with that energy fast you you start to feel the energy of the being that you're communing with like the plant that you're communing with the flower essence. And you get to feel what that feels like to be in their orbit and their consciousness. And that's really empowering as well because As, then you have that like cellular knowledge, you can understand in a deep way you're learning in this like very visceral yet spiritual way, the teachings that they have in the medicine that they have available to us. So, I feel like there's so many so many protector plants out there. And I think everybody might have their own depending on like, what's going on in your life, and how are you oriented and your design and all of those things. And I feel like they will show up for you. Maybe somebody makes a suggestion for you, or maybe you stumble across them on your path, or you just like, read about it, and it's like, ping, you know, and so follow those, follow those little breadcrumbs and, and start to work with them and see what shifts within you. And that's how I've worked with them primarily as protection, of course, then we can bring in like, in ceremony, like when I'm holding space, especially when I'm doing intuitive readings, or in live person, like so I do mostly zoom now. But when I'm in person I bring Rosemary is a is a huge ally for me. So bringing live Rosemary around having Rose bushes, like Rosemary bushes around just very protective energy with that as well, and making like smoke bundles with Rosemary. So there's lots of different ways right to work with these plants. But I would say, don't go into a book reading like, what are the protector plants, right? Like I ask, ask yourself and ask, like, give it up to the plant consciousness, which they're always listening. They're everywhere. And ask, "Can you meet me? Can you teach me? Can you guide me? I'm ready, and I want to do this work. And I need your support." And they will show up at least that's been my experience.

Sara Artemisia: 56:54

Love it. Yes, that has definitely been mine as well. So thanks for sharing all that. So good. So good. Yeah, I just what you were sharing about, you know, follow the pings and see what shifts how there's just when we do that, that just magic unfolds that we could have never have possibly predicted. So great, great advice for everyone listening today. And I would love to hear your thoughts on how the plants have really supported you in your life's work?

Venessa Rodriguez: 57:27

They're, like reminding me that like, hey, remember how you were and like, your tendency because I'm a very airy being lots of air in my chart, tons of Gemini. Vata, you know, like, I'm just, because of a lot of experiences as a high like an empathic child, it was more comfortable to be outside of my body. And it was almost more natural for me to do so to just like, up and leave, like, even having experiences at night where I'm like, leaving my body, right, like, I see my body. And so I feel the plants and my entire business, my business is called wildly rooted, it's like the medicine that I need. Right? And they teach me that they bring me back home to my, like, I'm gonna cry, you know, like, I've just, it's, it's helping me to feel safe in my body, it's helping me to remember that this is where the work is. This is where the work is. It's in and with my body. And I know, like, I'm just feeling it, I'm thinking about so many of my clients and students, like, there's so much trauma that happens in this Earth realm, on the material realm with our bodies, especially as like female bodies. And it can be really hard to be embodied. And the plants have supported me in so many others in, like, helping me to understand that there is a way to be safe, and to be alive and awake, and do this work in a truly embodied and wildly rooted way. And, and still be myself and still have that divine connection. Like it's not out there. It's right here. It's right here. Our bodies are always part of the conversation. And so I think that's probably the number one thing they like reminded me of that right now. And I don't have much Earth in my chart, you know, like, I don't have any planets in any Earth science. So it's a, a lifelong lesson. I continuously have to remember over and over and over and over again, and you know, new level, like new challenge, right? So I feel like the plants continue to allow me to be in this embodiment in this, like fully materially expressed way so that I can be a vessel for my medicine. And they support everybody in doing that, because we all have medicine to share. You don't have to think of yourself or be a professional, so called healer, to have medicine and to share it. But I feel like that's probably the most the primary and the most profound way that plants have supported me in my my own personal healing journey and my journey as an intuitive healer.

Sara Artemisia: 1:00:46

Beautiful, thank you so much for sharing that just right from the heart right from the core. That thing you just shared about being embodied. So you can be a vessel for your medicine, how powerful is that? How different? How different would this world be? If we all did that, if we all did that, that is the invitation for this time. That is it. That is what we are being called to do. And so Venessa, thank you so much for for joining us today. And so tell us how can people find out more about you and your work?

Venessa Rodriguez: 1:01:21

Yeah. Well, I'm a real human, and I love conversation and relationships. You can always reach out to me, my website is wildlyrouted.com. I'm on Instagram, that's the primary social media spot that I hang out. I'm @wildlyrouted, I have a podcast called Feed Your Wild. And it's available anywhere all any podcast is available in all the apps. And I have a practitioner and mentorship mastermind program called the Wildy Intuitive Practitioner Pathway. And doors are open for that. If this felt resonant, if you feel the call, and you just want to explore, you can go to wildyrouted.com/apply. And then you can learn a little bit more there if you want to, if that's the primary way to work with me if you felt aligned and called to go deeper with this work, too.

Sara Artemisia: 1:02:15

Excellent. And then do you have a free gift for listeners as well?

Venessa Rodriguez: 1:02:18

I do. Yes. So one of the biggest things as I was thinking about what to provide and to gift with this audience and one of the biggest things that I feel for so many of us, especially when we're coming into like an expanded relationship with plant medicine coming out of the so called like spiritual closet or plant spirit closet, or you know, whatever closet you're coming out of, we can have these feelings of imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon. Like, who are we to do this? I'm not enough. I don't know enough. I don't have enough training. I'm not intuitive enough. Like, whatever. They're not enoughness is. And I know that I struggled with that. So I have a workshop. It's called Dare to Shine Healer. It's all about overcoming impostor syndrome, and amplifying your intuitive gifts. So it's a three hour workshop. And I'm going to give that to everybody for free complimentary. And let's see, let's make a coupon code on the spot I'll give you, I'll share the link and then the coupon code and how about we just make it "Plant Spirit".

Sara Artemisia: 1:03:22

Love it, easy to remember. Thank you. That's great. It's fantastic. And we'll link that in the show notes. So well. So great. So wonderful to connect definitely does feel like it's been a long time coming. And thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today.

Venessa Rodriguez: 1:03:38

This was so much fun. Thank you so much. So great to be here. Thank you for everybody for listening, too and staying till the end.

Sara Artemisia: 1:03:48

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.