by Alyssa Pittera
Editor’s note: The first-year final assignment is an opportunity for students to reflect upon the year and integrate their herbal knowledge with another facet of their life. This post is Alyssa’s final project from the 2022-2023 school year.
I have found that through re-communing with plants, new and old, I uncovered how deeply starved I am for spiritual health. My meditation looks much like gardening—and intentional time spent in nature—but also yoga, and painting, and the newly discovered, channeling poems. This is a work in progress, but here are three favorite plant allies matched with different chakras where I have found support, each with a poem to match. I have made so much more art this year than I have in years, and I am so thankful that my creative block has been lifted; things are flowing out of me like never before.
Nettle
Your sweet sting
Blood flows
Builds
And bursts forth
A river of red
Iron rich
Metallic with minerals
Renewing
Recycling
Returning
Rich with rest
Salty sweet
You give to me
I receive
I receive
I receive
Reishi
Enticed by your lacquered red skin
Childlike
I run to you
Through the trees
To discover your bounty
Heart radiating
Blood circulating
My cheeks go red with joy
Welcoming us to summer sun
Ancient and annual
Wise yet brand new
The honorable harvest
Of a blood red fountain of youth
Yarrow
Your ethereal umbels
Sheltering me
Shading me
With dappled light
Cradled in your silver feathers
Wrapped in your spicy scent
I am safe
I am emboldened
I am moved
You fight for my balance
The delicate dance
Between strong and soft
Holding boundaries
Yet remaining receptive
Thank you for your bounty,
Your powerful leadership
Humbly, you guide me to the light.
Alyssa Pittera is the owner of the Salty Rose, an herbal company based in Maine. Before the plant path chose her, she pursued a future in art and fashion design. She cycled through many different mediums over the years, starting with finger paints, to pencil and charcoal, to oils and acrylics, and now works mainly in water color and black ink. Subject matter from where she finds inspiration is a direct crossover from plant and mushroom musings, as well as faces, the human form, and animals. She loves to have a project to work on and enjoys taking on commissions to bring others’ visions to life! You can find her on Instagram at @the.saltyrose.