I was struggling with inflammation and pain, so before sleep I asked Dreammaker for some advice.
Then, I had a dream.
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.
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In the dream I’m at the riverside with this really chill sandy haired lady. She says her name is ‘Sally’. She’s got this whole surfer beachbabe windblown kinda vibe.
Her and I are just chillin’. Not much to report, just hangin’ out.
With Sally’s essence in my mind, I awaken.
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I decide to head over to Sauvie Island in waking life so I can hang out naked in the sun by the river and chill.
I wade slowly out into the mighty Columbia till the water is knee high, and I close my eyes.
I feel the massive tons of water coursing along the Earth, and also all the pollution that’s carried with it.
I feel all the people that live along it’s banks. All the animals, all the lifeforms in the water, all the energy of the water.
I feel the spirit of Mama Columbia. Her name is Whimal to the Upper Chinook people, or Nch’i-Wàna or Nchi wana; in the Sinixt dialect.
She needs remediation, prayer, and apology before being safe to swim in or harvest from again.
It’s overwhelming. I want to fall over from the weight of it all. I lose my balance slightly and reach to grab a long plant that’s swaying in the water.
It’s Willow, or Salix sessilifolia, that catches me.
I sigh in relief and keep holding onto the sturdy branches of the Willow. And in that moment of contact, I remember my dream of ‘Sally’ and it clicks.
Sally! Willow! Salix Sessilifolia. Omg. ‘Salix=Sally’ Ha!
Sally Willow!
I know Willow Bark contains salicin, or salicylic acid, which is an amazing anti-inflammatory and pain reliever;
In fact, willow bark is what aspirin is synthesised from!
Sally Willow, the Grandmother of Tylenol. Haha.
Anyways, I realize that the Willow and Sally’s spirit are the same, so I close my eyes and ask Dreammaker to help me revisit my dream in waking as I feel my feet grip into the sand beneath the water. I listen to the waves lap up onto the shore and slowly go into a trance.
Now, in dreamtime, Sally Willow the surfer gurl and I are wading in the river together again. We’re in between the worlds. I feel the water of the river remaining the same in both waking and in vision. But now where she was a green plant, she’s a blonde woman.
I ask her, ‘Sally Willow, how do you stay so calm amongst the massive current of this river? It’s so big and there are so many toxins and big boats and factories all alongside of it. How are you able to grow and even thrive here?’
And I hear Sally Willow answer, ‘I know where my root is, so I stay there. Then, I remain flexible. I just go with it. If the water goes this way, I go this way. If it goes that way, I go that. But I always keep my root firmly in the Earth below me. I know where I stand. Then I just chill. There’s only so much I can do.’
It’s got me thinking about my own stress levels amongst the massive forces of life seemingly full of environmental toxins that keep hurling themselves towards me in what feels like millions of gallons of life pressure.
I realize in that moment that when I stay tense and resist the current, I snap. The more I flex, the more likely I’ll break. If I don’t know what I’m rooted in, I may just get swept away by the next wave.
I need to be focused and dedicated to what keeps me grounded so I can be both strong and flexible.
I also need to start drinking that White Willow tincture that’s in the back of my medicine cupboard immediately.
Dreammaker prescribes it.
Anyways, I’m so grateful to Sally Willow for reminding me of her wonderful medicine. She’s a totally
rad person.
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If you feel called to work with her:
I recommend purchasing some White Willow Bark tincture or supplements from a trusted herbal apothecary.
If you do wildharvest make sure it’s from a clean source and ethically done. Do your own research on the history of the land!
If you have the ethical green light, just peel the inner cambium of bark and chew it. Nom nom. It’s wonderful pain relief on the spot.
If you purchase the dry bark, I suggest you make a tincture or glycerin extract. If you’re going to extract it’s medicine with water, make a decoction.
In fact I recommend you decoct all barks and roots if you really wanna explore the full potentiality of their medicine with water.
Simply add the bark and water to your favorite cauldron, bring to a small boil, turn down to low and simmer for 30 minutesish and
then strain.
Even better, crush dry herbs in a mortar and pestle, grind in a spice grinder and then eat the whole powder whole in honey or water for best effects!
In fact Willow is amazing topically. You can infuse the bark into a salve or muscle rub and mmmm. Pain free bliss.
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In my magickal opinion, we don’t even need to ingest plants to share medicine.
Sally Willow and I hold hands sometimes. I weave her branches and wrap her all around my arms and ankles with bangles of her beauty. I listen to her sing when her leaves catch the wind.
I’ll close my eyes and there she appears as a blonde surfer chick reminding me to stay balanced in the stressful currents of life.
And then, sometimes, I’ll drink her tincture when I have muscle pain or feel inflamed, which I totally did that day and it totally helped.
Cuz that’s how Sally WIllow and I roll.
We’re homies like that.
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Oh, and If you’r
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Give thanks for her spirit.
And thanks Dreammaker for showing the way!
—
EmRa
Digital Art by Moi #midjourneyai#procreate#filtertune
Photo by Macroshift Media
