What Does Your Spirituality Mean To You? An Herbalist & Animist Perspective
Introduction by Cole Goodwin
Welcome to The Spiritual Roundtable, an interfaith roundtable featuring a diverse range of spiritual belief systems in the Gorge Community.
Each week, spiritual leaders and learners will share their take on some of humanity's biggest questions, starting with: What does your spirituality mean to you? And ramping up into discussions about the nature of existence, the soul, the divine, and of course…a question as old as time itself: why are we here?
Roundtable writings will be published each Saturday and Sunday of the month. So look forward to new installments every Saturday and Sunday morning!
Take a deep breath… Meditate for a moment…And when you’re ready…keep reading to explore the diverse faiths, belief systems, and philosophies that exist in our communities.
This Month's Question: What does your spirituality mean to you?
Why this question was chosen: This question asks us to examine what purpose and function our (faith, practice, belief system, philosophy) can serve in our lives. As well as how spirituality can guide our actions and way of walking in the world.
About Keath Silva: (he/him) Keath Silva is a trans herbalist, bodyworker, medium, animist and poet of Germanic and Celtic descent. Keath offers private healing sessions, mentorships, poetry and community workshops for personal healing and collective change. Keath brings his 30 years of experience and training along with a deep intuition to his work in supporting people to awaken and step into their authentic expression and thriving.
Learn more about Keath: Keath Silva Website Herbal Instagram Poetic Instagram Poetry Book Keath Transcribed
An Herbalist & Animist Perspective
by Keath Silva
Have you ever taken a sip of Chamomile tea and then suddenly felt flooded with a sense of calm and a memory of your grandmother's smile?
This embodied connection with plants and the physical, spiritual and emotional healing it offers, in essence, is my spirituality. My relationship with spirit comes through the plants; their aroma, their flavor, their colorful blooms, the way they sway in the wind, how they drop their seeds, send their energy into their roots and die back in the winter, arising anew each spring. This is what inspires me and guides my actions in the world.
Just as I bring full awareness to the practice of preparing soil, planting seeds, tending, pruning, thinning, harvesting, seed gathering and composting, I bring presence and careful thought to preparing the soil of my life; with clearing, introspection, meditation, time in nature, fallow time and nourishment. I pause and reflect when choosing which "seeds" such as, projects, relationships and ventures I will push into the fertile ground, what aspects of my life need pruning and when the time comes to harvest the fruits of my labor and pass them around the community table.
When I walk out into my herbal garden and when I step into a forest on a dewy morn, I pause and breathe in deeply. With my in-breath, I accept that I am breathing in and receiving the plants and that I depend on them for my life. As I exhale I send my love, my gratitude and my life energy back to the plants, knowing they are breathing me in, as we intertwine our energies and honor our interdependence on one another.
Each morning, I pause and feel into my body, mind and spirit. I ask myself how I am feeling and what needs may be arising. I then call upon the plants to support me for the day. Drawing on my 3 decades of plant study, the wisdom of my plant loving ancestors and my own intuition, I choose herbs to blend into my infusion. One day it may be Hawthorn for healing my heart, Yarrow for protection, Fennel to support my digestion, violet leaves to help me move through grief and Rose hips for love and an immune boost. Another day it may be Rosemary to help me focus, Dandelion to support my liver, Linden to calm and soothe my nerves and Nettle for nourishment. No two blends are alike because they arise in the moment based on what is needed right now and on which plants I have available. I thank the plants, my own ancestors and the Indigenous ancestors and their living descendants of the lands where these plants grew. I carry my brew around with me all day and each sip reminds me that I am just one small person, in a vast and mysterious universe which is full of love and support, just waiting to be tapped.
Another spiritual practice I engage in with plants is to spend time with a particular tree or plant in a precise location. I notice how it grows, what rocks, waterways and animals are sharing its environment. I notice the plant's color, aroma and growth patterns. I peek under its leaves and deep inside the blossoms. I sit next to the plant or lean up against the trunk of the tree, sensing into it's being-ness and how it's essence touches me, moves me. I then return to this location during all the seasons of the year. I watch how the plant grows, blossoms, sets seeds, lets go and dies back. As I observe the plant's life cycle, I consider how my soul and my life are mirrored in the seasonal changes that the plant so beautifully mirrors for me.
Consciously engaging with plants and the living environment around them, respecting the water, the mountains, the sky, the wind, the rocks as my living teachers is my way of life. I come by this naturally as some of my recent and ancient ancestors were plant tenders, arborists, herbalists and natural healers. I also honor the Indigenous people over the years who have helped me remember who I am and have assured me that my way of being is not insane and that many many people for countless generations have felt the way I do about plants as my loving family and dearest friends. I thank in Particular Miss Beatrice Torres Waight for supporting me in deepening my spiritual relationship with plants and I thank and honor the Yakama people whose land I am living on, for they have known and tended these local plants for countless generations and hold the wisdom for how to truly connect with and honor them.
Want to contribute to the Spiritual Roundtable? Read this first.
The Roundtable Mission and Vision
The goal of these roundtable writings is to:
Bring the spiritual community together.
Share ideas that elevate the human spirit.
Elevate the conversation around the spirit.
Embrace what is universal to all, while honoring what is special about each spirituality.
Center inclusivity and equity.
Promote our collective enlightenment.
Nurture civility and friendship between those with diverse belief systems in the Gorge.
Engage readers and spiritual seekers.
The Spiritual Roundtable IS NOT…
This is not a place for arguing about dogma.
This is not a place for ‘hating on’ or putting other belief systems down.
This is not a place for excluding, discriminating, or promoting fear or violence towards other people based on their race, color, ethnicity, beliefs, faith, gender, sexuality, ability.
This is not a place for hatred.
This is not a place for fear.
The Spiritual Roundtable IS..
This IS a place for hope.
This IS a place for joy.
This IS a place for comfort.
This IS a place for big questions.
This IS a place for learning.
This IS a place for sharing.
This IS a place for caring.
This IS a place for sharing what is special about your beliefs.
CCC News reserves the right to not publish any content that breaks with our mission, vision and values.
If you are interested in being included in the roundtable please email cole@columbiacommunityconnection.com
