Composting Your Emotions with Damiana | An Herbal Ritual
What does it even mean to be holistic?
I don’t view the body as a machine composed of disparate parts. As my teacher Nicole says, our body is an altar, we have all the elements within us.
In my holistic assessment process with clients I study the language of the body, the way the elements are moving and expressing through us--are they stuck, deficient, excessive?
The vast majority of the time, we uncover that the elemental imbalance in the client's system has its origins in the subtle realm of spirit. Even modern medicine acknowledges the major role of “stress” in disease, though they miss the mark on the extent of its involvement and it shows in their abysmal outcomes with chronic health issues.
But once the emotional disturbance becomes physical, it must be treated physically as well. We can’t evolve if we’re walking around with a thorn in our foot. The deeper the issue roots into the body, the harder it is to dig it out. So catching it while it’s still floating around in the aura is ideal.
With Chiron (Sacred Wound) in Taurus (Earth + Body) on my ascendant, and almost every inner planet in Scorpio (Waters + Emotional Depths) in the 6th House (Health + Service), my initiations have always come in the form of unprocessed emotions manifesting as physical challenges with my health and body.
I have had to. become my own healer, and have developed an intimate understanding of this healing process. My medicine is the ability to see into the deep truth of a challenging situation and find the meaning or bring awareness to it while simultaneously addressing the physical manifestations for real, sustainable healing.
Our emotions make the unconscious conscious through their very real physical impact. Perhaps you’ve noticed:
the resentments you're carrying are messing with your digestion
your fears of success, failure, being too much, not enough, etc are depleting your energy
skin issues flare up when your sense of belonging is threatened
headaches start creeping in when you’re overly critical of yourself
We don't always have access to this mind-body wisdom, but the Scorpio-Taurus eclipse portal we just moved through brought a lot to the surface.
With the revelations you've received over the past few weeks you now have an opportunity feel into and listen to these parts of you so they can be composted into the fertile soil of self-love that you will rise from in the Spring (Taurus SZN). Let’s seize these Scorpio vibes!
If it feels safe, place your hands on the part of your body needing support and ask what needs to be felt.
***And if you want to get real witchy with it, try the full ritual is below***
You may be thinking, “Ok great, I don’t have any physical symptoms at the moment, so none of this applies to me, peace out!” But wait. The Neijing, the highest authority on Chinese Medicine, states: “The superior physician makes it his prerogative to treat disease when it has not yet structurally manifested, and prevents being in the position of having to treat disorders that have already progressed to the realm of the physical.”
Such methods of healing go way back, even before concepts of Eastern or Western medicine to the time when all of our ancestors were indigenous. Through a practice called depth diagnosis, the practitioner becomes aware of the primary emotional and feeling tones that emerge as they come into coherence with the client’s electromagnetic field, opening themselves up to direct communication from the intelligence of the body.
These ancient wisdom traditions, which have clearly stood the test of time, tell us that by transmuting your emotions now, you are actually preventing health issues that would have manifested down the road.
A fantastic herb for this work is Damiana. This plant nourishes your nervous system and lifts your spirit so you can embody safety, while bringing you into your depths with heightened sensation and beauty. As a digestive aid as well, Damiana will support us in metabolizing and releasing what no longer serves, creating more space for all that juiciness to flow in. Think of it as an aphrodisiac but for all aspects of life.
So here’s the ritual! If you don’t have access to the plant, you can just call in the spirit or purchase the tincture from my virtual dispensary —>
DAMIANA EMOTIONAL TRANSMUTATION RITUAL
Make a cup of Damiana tea or add some tincture to a glass of water. As your tea steeps, set up a comfy, cozy and safe spot for yourself to ground into for your journey.
Settle in. Light a candle, burn some clearing herbs, and settle into your seat with your tea. Take a few deep nourishing breaths all the way down into your pelvis, the part of the body governed by Scorpio, exhaling slowly through your mouth, governed by Taurus.
Start sippin’. Bring the cup to your heart center and call in the spirit of this plant with gratitude for its medicine. Sip the tea slowly and mindfully, observing the smell, the way it feels in your mouth, the warmth of the mug on your hands. Feel the tea flowing through your body and being absorbed into all of your tissues, organs, cells, the places needing the most support. Notice how your body responds to receiving this medicine.
Talk to your body. Scan for any areas of lingering tension and place your hands on the part of the body with the most charge. Send love to this part and let it know you are listening. Ask what needs to be felt and tune in deeply to the quality of the sensation: Is it hot/cold, flowing/rigid, heavy/light, tingling/numb, open/contracted? Is there a texture, color, or shape to this sensation? Be with the sensations and follow any impulse that arises to move, vocalize, shake, cry, etc.
Compost it. As the sensations shift and lessen in intensity, see their energy leaving your body as a dark grey cloud of smoke with each exhale and being recycled into the core of the Earth.
Bless up. Now it’s time to bring in some good vibrations to fill the cleared out space. Visualize the light of the setting Sun and feel its warmth on your skin. Let the light bring a gentle smile to your face as your body fills up with this light. Seeing it flow down into all your cells and organs, bringing this smiling energy with it. What would it feel like if you already had what you’re dreaming of? Feel that now.
Once you’re ritual is complete, you can journal your experience or just bask in the beauty you’ve created.
For a more personalized healing journey utilizing supplements, nutrition, herbal formulation, detoxification techniques, lifestyle practices, somatic coaching, and emotional navigation, reach out for a free consult below.
About Diana Leahy Wellness
I’m a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach trained at Duke Integrative Medicine, Clinical Herbalist, and Shamanic Reiki Master. Having been a corporate attorney for a decade, my holistic practice is informed by an intimate understanding of modern-day health conditions faced by highly driven professionals such as digestive dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, anxiety, and burnout, and the opportunity for transformation sparked by these issues.
I design bespoke wellness programs to tap into your most heartfelt desires and restore your vitality so you can rise up to your true purpose, weaving modalities from the cutting edge of behavioral science like Somatic and Cognitive Behavioral Coaching, with the ancient healing wisdom of mindfulness, nature-based ritual, and a truly holistic lifestyle.