April 26, 2025 • 48 mins
In this special earth day episode, Lindsay and Ilyse speak with the incredible Andres Sanchez, an Intuitive Plant Healer about the healing powers of nature. Through his gift, Andres connects his clients with "plant allies" to aid in their hilling. He speaks to them about utilizing plants for inner child work, his path to becoming a healer, and why others with healing gifts are particularly drawn to his work. The hosts speak about their own experiences working with Andres, including connecting with some forrest faeries to manage an office flea infestation.
To learn more about Andres' work, you can find him on socials @TheFeistyHealer and subscribe to his beautiful Substack where he shares musings on the healing powers of plants.
To learn more about The Hilling Journey, find us on socials @thehillingjourney and on our website. If you love what you're hearing subscribe and leave a review!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
We are licensed therapists, but we
probably aren't your therapists.
While we may share helpful
information about mental health,
it is best to form your individual
(00:20):
care plan with your own
mental health professional.
If we are your therapists, Hi!
While this podcast shares nuggets
of wisdom about mental health,
we are sharing many pieces of
who we are outside of the therapy
room and doing a lot of yapping
about nonsense, our own healing
work, and some about sex and
dating.
If you feel listening to this podcast may interfere
with your work in therapy,
(00:41):
please refrain from doing so.
While we're on the subject,
any notes from our dating
lives have been changed
to protect the privacy of our
partners and ourselves.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome to the Hilling Journey,
I'm Lindsay Camp.
And I'm Ilyse Kennedy.
This is the podcast where
two therapist besties interview
those on their hilling
journeys and hillers who have
(01:01):
helped along the way.
Hi, Lindsay.
Hi, Ilyse.
How are you today?
I'm pretty good.
So we're talking
about plants today.
We are plant hilling.
Plant hilling.
What have you experienced
in hilling through plants?
I do partake in plant
medicine, but I don't think
that's what you're asking.
That was not. So, our guest today,
(01:25):
You know him personally
and a little professionally.
I know him strictly
professionally speaking.
And he had me going across
the street to a neighbor's
house and cutting...
Do you know this?
Yeah, cutting some white roses
that I put into a water bath.
And then I'm walking around my
(01:45):
property, sprinkling the water
and the roses for protection.
So I've been getting into it
a little bit here and there,
and plants are just like, so
connective to family members
and experiences like that.
So I've been dabbling.
What about you?
So he had me exit.
(02:06):
Well, break my lease early.
There was a flea infestation that was brought upon by forest fairies at our old office.
And then in our new office,
we cleared some energy,
found some spirits.
They were lingering from a battle
of yesteryear and it's fine.
(02:27):
This all sounds a little nutty when
we're saying it in this sense,
but in all seriousness, because I
met our guest first as a friend.
I didn't know because as
therapists we usually
can't mix and mingle.
You cannot mix and mingle.
So we're more boundaried around
dual relationships.
(02:48):
However, I needed somebody
with this exact skill
set to figure out what
was happening at the offices
to clear some energies.
And I was blown away
by my experience.
I knew that he was
a very talented healer.
But to have experienced
it personally.
(03:09):
We've all heard me talk about
my anxious attachment shit.
And in one of our sessions, we
were doing some cards, but it was
focused around clearing the energy
in our new office space.
And I was like, oh, well,
I'll put this to the side,
because this is coming from
my anxious attachment shit.
And he was like, no, no.
Your guides are actually saying,
(03:30):
like, put it on the table.
Because this is all connected
with how your anxious
attachment comes up in work
and in your personal life.
Big wake up call.
Big wake up call.
That you were trying
to separate it all out.
I sure was.
I sure was.
(03:51):
So.
So our hilling happens.
Cracking up right now, by the way.
We're constantly hilling.
Constantly hilling.
We can't put anything to the side.
It's all connecting.
But on a second note, I do think
nature and plants has been
so essential for both of us.
The trees, the song of the trees.
(04:14):
I agree.
Yeah, we've talked about that
a little bit with my
birding and nature in general.
And you've found yourself
appreciating nature more.
And really, you're really up
to stuff with the trees.
One thing that I started
doing as sort of a ritual
for myself, in all seriousness was
this is serious.
This is serious.
It's all serious.
(04:36):
Was sitting outside
to have my coffee in the mornings.
Like, unless it's frigidly cold,
I will sit outside and have my
coffee and just, like, listen to
the wind blow through the trees.
And I think we don't
do that often enough.
Yeah.
We're so disconnected
from nature in general.
Yeah.
And I'm so excited
(04:57):
to have our guest today.
Who I call him an intuitive
plant healer, but he can tell us
more about what he's up to.
Welcome to the show.
Andres Sanchez.
Welcome.
Hi.
Thanks for having me.
Thanks for being here.
I'm excited to be here.
And I was cracking up.
I told Ilyse before beforehand that
(05:19):
I asked her to tell me what you
guys were going to talk about.
Because when I do sessions,
I'm channeling most of the time.
And so I don't remember
most of what happens
in a session just because.
Sure, you know, my client's
guides will come through or
my guides will come through,
and then someone will
mention something later.
I'm like, oh, did that happen?
Did I have them go
to the neighbor's
(05:39):
house and cut roses?
You did.
Interesting.
You did.
You did.
I love it.
But yeah.
No to.
To your point.
Yeah.
Intuitive plant healer is accurate.
I think that's a good description.
I am a Plant Spirit Intuitive.
Earth Intuitive.
(06:02):
I'm also medium.
But when I use my gifts
is really to connect
to plant spirit energies.
So that's why Plant Spirit
Intuitive feels more
at home in general.
But my practice is more based in
granderismo and, like, animism,
and so I don't really focus too
(06:23):
much on the titles, but it's
more of just, hey, like, let's
get intuitively connected with
nature.
Yeah.
And like you guys mentioned
earlier, it's like,
we're all connected.
We're all part of nature.
And so a lot of what I do is really
just helping people reconnect
and recognize, oh, I am nature.
(06:43):
And I can heal by connecting more
to nature, which also
helps me connect more to myself.
Boom.
Mic drop.
Beautiful.
Mic drop one, too.
Beautiful.
These gifts that you have, can you
tell us a little bit about how
you first learned you had them?
Like, how did you.
How did you realize that
you had this piece to you?
Yeah.
(07:04):
How much time do we have?
All the time in the time
in the world for you.
Thank you.
So when I was really little,
it was basically
just an inherent part of me.
So it was this intrinsic thing
where I didn't think about it.
Like, I was just intimately
connected with nature.
So y'all were talking about,
like tree medicine.
(07:25):
So when I was five, we lived in
Colorado, and so my parents would
take my brother and I skiing.
And I vividly remember, as I
would be skiing down the mountain,
like, a tree nearby would
just grab my attention, say,
hey, come play with me.
I'm like, oh, that's a great idea.
And then I would circle the tree
full speed
and, like, play with this tree.
(07:46):
My parents were horrified
because they were
like, what are you doing?
Why are we.
Why are we skiing towards a tree?
You know?
But as a little kid, it was
just like, oh, this
being wants to play with me.
I'm going to go play
with this tree.
Like, I didn't think anything was.
No.
And it was only until I grew up
(08:06):
a little bit, and then I realized,
oh, other people don't have
this connection to plants.
Maybe I shouldn't talk
about it as much because people
think, you know, it might
be a little bit odd.
And then, thankfully, I grew out
of that phase, as we all do.
And then we pick up, you know, who
we really are, what brings us joy.
(08:27):
So, of course, I came
back to plants.
But, yeah, it was just one of those
things where in my life, when I've
been in an intense situation,
like, I always go back to plants.
I always go back to trees when
things have been hectic in my
life, I can tell you, oh, this
plant was blooming, or I found
a bouquet of this flower just
(08:48):
because they gave me so much
energy.
So I think, to answer your
question, Lindsay, little by
little, it was one of those
things where I recognized more
like, the depth of the gifts,
where it was more recognizing
that I could connect to plant
spirits themselves through
(09:10):
plants and then also bridge the
gap between other people and
then plants in their lives.
So it's almost like I don't
necessarily see it this way,
but I'm going to explain it
because it makes more sense.
But it's almost like if I can see
the plant spirits
around me that are friends and are
connecting, I recognize that
(09:30):
I could also see the plant
spirits around other people.
And so then I could help
make those introductions.
So interesting that you said
that about, like, knowing
as a child and then kind
of being conditioned out of it.
That's been the experience when
we've talked to so many, like,
we've asked that question,
and the answer is the same.
Like, I knew.
I knew this to be true when I was
(09:51):
little and then got messaging
that it was weird or whatever.
Yes.
And we've even talked about that.
Not so much with gifts, but just
how healing it is to return.
To return to your core.
Yeah.
One of my favorite activities
to do with clients, and I
think I've done it with both
of y'all, actually, is when
we're looking at the plants
that are coming forward for
(10:12):
healing,
I will ask you, what plants do
you remember when you were five?
Is there a plant that comes
forward that you would,
you know, connect with?
Because it's always those plants.
Because, like, intuitively.
No.
When we're little, we
know what's true.
We know what gives joy.
We know what makes us feel good.
And there have, strangely, been
a few different moments where
(10:33):
I've happened to be with you.
And we come upon wisteria
when I was deep in my grief,
which was very strange.
And you shared that that was really
a plant for moving through grief.
Yes.
Wisteria is when you think about.
For those of you listening,
if you're not.
If you don't have a picture
of wisteria in your mind,
(10:55):
it has these gorgeous blooms that
kind of cascade downward,
and it almost looks like tears.
But if tears were, like,
beautiful and effervescent and
gorge, and so you can see,
like, doctrine of signatures,
like, oh, this plant could
probably help with grief, and
it really does.
And I also remember that wisteria,
(11:16):
for me, is this plant
that helps Soothe anxiety.
So being in spaces with a lot
of people, I will often find
wisteria or honeysuckle.
And it just gives me a little bit
of energy that I can be social.
We've literally stopped and smelled
the wisteria, and I love that.
(11:38):
Yes.
So you told me that you have
a really interesting story
about curses and plants.
Oh, yes.
So I've been on this, you
know, spiritual path for
about 10 years, and in one of my
iterations, I managed
(11:59):
a metaphysical crystal store.
And that was a two
year journey is wild.
And you name it, I have seen it.
Came through the doors.
And probably my favorite
thing that people would come in
asking about was curses.
So they would come in
convinced that they were
cursed, that somebody had
(12:19):
done something to them.
And nine times out of 10, it was
just, they were going through
their, you know, healing journey.
They had trauma, maybe they
didn't want to face it.
Maybe there was a shadow
that was coming up.
Nothing crazy.
Like, it was all just standard
healing growth, human messiness.
But there was one time this guy
came in and he said, hey, I'm
(12:40):
dealing with this weird curse.
I don't know what's going on.
And I'm.
I should mention that I'm
clairsentient, so I'll
feel energy in my body.
And as soon as he said, oh, I'm
cursed, like, I felt this, like,
pin prick sensation, like, all
over my body, which for me is a
sign that yes, like, that is a
yes.
And I was like, oh,
(13:01):
this is a surprise.
Yeah, you are kind of cursed.
Okay, let's figure that out.
And so I just closed my eyes and I
just mentally asked, okay, show me
what's going on with this person.
Obviously, he's not doing well.
And what I saw in my head
was a ranch house surrounded by,
(13:21):
like, a really gorgeous property.
But I knew it was in Mexico.
And the image I kept seeing was of
a house that had roses initially.
And then there were no roses.
So it was like all
of the plants had been pulled out.
And so I came back
and I asked him, hey, okay, what's
going on with the roses?
(13:42):
What's.
What's up with the roses?
What's up with the roses?
Tell me about these roses.
And he turned white.
Like, I mean, the color
drained from his face.
And he was like, how do
you know about the roses?
I was like, listen,
I'm seeing this house.
It looks like it's in Mexico.
I was seeing these gorgeous
roses, and now there's not.
So what's going on so then he
(14:03):
told me that, basically, long
story short, his grandmother
had a property in Mexico.
She passed away.
All the family came to just
organize the house, clean it
up, get it ready to sell.
And one of his sisters decided to
remove all the rose bushes because
they were a little bit unruly.
They were kind of crazy.
So they tore them all out.
(14:25):
Well, what they didn't realize is
that she had planted those roses
to protect the house, because
roses are very protective.
They're very loving.
And they had neighbors that
were really jealous of this
family's success who had
put together some really nasty
little packages and then buried
them underneath their porch.
(14:45):
So when they dug up the rose
bushes, all of a sudden, all
these terrible things started
happening to the family,
to the land, their animals.
And so I just told him,
you are correct there.
This is a curse that someone did do
some really nasty, magical things
to the family, to the property.
All you need to do is you need
to put the roses back.
(15:06):
So, you know, if she had 12 rose
bushes, get 12 more roses, put
them back, thank them for your.
For.
For helping your family,
and then move on.
And I don't know, it was kind of
funny because on one hand, I
think he seemed relieved that he
had an answer, but on the other
hand, he was really upset that I
had confirmed his fear, which
kind of comes with the job of
(15:27):
being intuitive.
Like, sorry, sorry.
But here's the answer,
and you can fix it.
So that was in a crystal shop.
A man coming up to you,
and you were offering your gifts.
Yes.
How do you offer your gifts now?
What does that look like?
Your work with clients?
That's a really good question.
(15:47):
Thanks.
Ilyse wrote it.
It's amazing.
10 out of 10.
So right now, basically
what I do is I write a lot
about plant magic via my substack.
I have a presence online.
Typically, what ends up happening
is people will send me an email.
They'll let me know what
they're working on, what
they'd like to heal.
(16:09):
A good portion of my clients are
people who are just waking up
to their intuitive abilities.
And so they will email me, contact
me directly, and then I will set
expectations like, okay, this is
what a session would look like.
This is how we collaborate.
This is how I think we can help
you, and then we'll move forward.
Thankfully, I don't have people
coming up to me telling me
(16:29):
that they think they're cursed.
We move past that iteration.
That was a great journey
for me, but also very stressful.
Too wide open.
It's too.
Yeah, actually it was.
Yeah, it was wide open.
And also, not entirely.
It wasn't a safe container for
those individuals either.
They were just sending them
back out into the world.
(16:49):
Yeah.
Throwing their rocks in a bag
and sending them on their way.
Yeah.
Like, I don't know
what you're gonna do.
It's like, do you even
know what to do?
That.
It's kind of the same
thing as when we have.
There's, you know, all these
stores and there's different
botanicas, and they have.
They offer these things
and these magic and these
medicine, but sometimes people
don't know how to use
them, and they can cause.
(17:10):
I mean, they can cause
some serious harm.
So I'd like to have a safe
container for my clients.
So typically, it's.
We set expectations how long
the session is going to be, what's
going to happen, and then
there's aftercare involved.
So, you know, if we do a session
and there's really deep
healing that comes through, or
(17:30):
it's like, maybe sometimes
it's like inner child healing
or like past life healing.
Those are really
intense, deep things.
So if those things come up,
then typically I'll take
extra care and, you know,
make sure that that person is
in a safe container and that
they're good at the end of
our session.
The funniest thing is that anytime
I've sent you people, like, I'm
(17:51):
just like, oh, there's this guy
you should see.
He's an intuitive plant healer.
No questions asked.
They reach out.
Like, they don't ask
me, what do you.
What does he do?
Like, what does that entail?
They're just like, okay.
And they reach out.
Session, booked session.
But, you know, and I
really appreciate that.
Thank you.
(18:11):
Word of mouth is a big part
of my business, but what's
funny is it's really just
about that frequency vibration.
So it's almost like people
intuitively know, oh, this is
the kind of thing I need to heal.
And so then when they reach out,
they'll feel that resonance.
And so then we book.
We've had that experience a couple
times where I've reached
(18:32):
out but then not followed up.
And you've said, I
don't think you're
I don't think you're
in the place right now.
Yes.
And it's like, no shade.
It's like.
It's like I don't
feel the resonance.
I've heard him tell somebody to wait till two more full moons to reach out again.
Yeah.
And they haven't, which.
(18:52):
No shade.
But sometimes people are not
necessarily ready to do the work
that we do, that we do in session.
Going back
to your original question.
One thing I did notice early on was
that I really can only work with
people who really want to heal.
I don't do well with folks that are
(19:12):
just looking for something fun
to do or just because, oh, I want
to work with an intuitive.
I really work best with people who
genuinely want to heal.
So I think sometimes the case
is people think, oh, I'm
ready to do this healing
work, but maybe they're not.
Maybe they just need more
time, which is totally fine.
It seems like in your work, and
you mentioned this too, that a
(19:34):
lot of other people who are
healers in different ways enjoy
working with you and get a lot
out of the work that they do
with you.
Why do you think healers
specifically are so drawn
to working with you?
You know, I think it's a little
bit of, like, recognizes like.
So healers are often,
you know, we have to do the work.
(19:55):
We have to do our internal work.
We have to walk the walk
and talk the talk.
So I think it's a mutual
admiration and respect that
happens in those situations
where I recognize, oh, this
person's coming to me for
healing, and, oh, my gosh,
they've done so much work.
And that's actually a big part
of my work is just
(20:17):
recognizing and reflecting back
to the person how much work
they've already done or the work
that they continue to do.
So I think it goes both ways, where
we just have a mutual
admiration and respect
for the work that we're doing.
And I think the other thing, too,
is that because one of my goals
is to create as safe a container
(20:39):
as possible, that resonates
really well with other healers
because they do the same thing in
their work.
Yeah.
You are so naturally
trauma informed.
It just exudes from you.
It's not something that you
had to learn, which I
think is what offers such
a safe space for healing.
Thank you.
(20:59):
I really appreciate that.
Yeah, I think part of it, too, is
it comes from being in these
healing spaces, which I'm sure
y'all are familiar with as well.
Just because someone says they
are a therapist or a healer
does not make them safe.
And so I've had my share
of experiences with other
(21:21):
practitioners, let's say,
that weren't able to
provide that safe space.
So then it was just a more
recognition of, okay,
why is this important?
How can I make sure that I
do that in every single session?
Just so that everyone is
good and safe?
Absolutely.
So tell us A little bit about your
(21:42):
work with plants specifically,
and how do you utilize plants as,
like, a companion for healing?
How do you weave all that
together for folks?
So healing with plants is this.
I mean, we could
write so many books.
We want to write books
together waiting for yours.
I know it's happening, but I
(22:03):
think if we just look at it
from a magical, healing
perspective, the reason we're
all here on Earth is because
plants have this magical
ability to alchemize sunlight
and water into sugar.
So if we take everything
else out, the only reason we're
all here is because of plants.
(22:25):
So, you know, they are this
archetype of growth and evolution
and nourishment and strength.
So wherever you are
in your journey, a plant can
help you because it will
reflect back to you.
It's like, oh, you're healing,
you're growing, you're evolving.
You can do this.
(22:46):
It's like looking at a dandelion in
the concrete just growing.
I don't know about y'all,
but anytime I see one, I'm just
like, yeah, you can do it.
Just because it's like,
I don't know.
I mean, obviously, we're all human,
so we need roads, we need cars.
We know all of those things.
But it's also kind
of nice to see, Mother Nature,
(23:06):
she's gonna win.
She's gonna do the things.
So I think what I do in my practice
is really just trying to help.
Help people see how plants
are reflecting their goodness
back to themselves.
So it could really just be a bunch
of different things.
Like, in some cases, it's,
oh, hey, we're gonna work with
(23:27):
botanical offerings like
you did, Lindsay, and.
Or in other cases, we might create,
like, a botanical mandala as
an offering or just notice plants.
You know, I think one of my main
goals in doing this work is to
create reciprocal healing
relationships so where as
(23:49):
people connect to their plant
spirit allies, they're healing
themselves.
But as they heal themselves,
they also heal nature.
So really, I'm not
picky how that's done.
As long as that happens, I'm good.
Love that.
Oh, thank you.
As we're talking about this,
there is this plant in my office.
(24:12):
You've seen it, and you've said,
like, hey, we need to do something
about this, because you're not
taking good enough care of it.
I'm not kidding you.
This morning, the cleaning
crew accidentally
knocked it over, and
the pot shattered, but they
saved the plant.
(24:32):
Do we think that
this is a metaphor?
Do we think that it had anything
to do with our episode today?
I'm feeling, oh, my God, I have so
there's so much that comes up.
I know the plant
you're talking about.
And like, the energy that
I'm getting is just like,
like gleeful, mischievous.
Like, this plant is
(24:52):
like, yeah, I fell.
Yeah, I did that.
Yeah, it's fun.
Happened to my dad as well.
Where basically I was
I remember I was walking through
their patio and I was looking
at this plant, and it was
this little spider plant.
And as I'm walking past it,
I could just hear my head.
Oh, I fell, I fell, I fell, I fell.
(25:14):
But like a little kid who's excited
about something they
did that they shouldn't have.
I was like, dad, what
happened to this plant?
And he was like, how
did you know that?
I was like, I know
what, what happened?
He's like, you know what?
Yeah, I don't know.
He's like, two days ago,
this plant, I knocked it
over, the pot shattered,
and then I had to repot it.
(25:34):
The funny thing though is
about this plant is I had been
telling my dad for months,
hey, you need to repot this plant.
It's like root bound.
It's not doing great.
And not that he was willfully
ignoring the plant, he just.
Things were he hadn't gotten
to it well, then the plant took it
upon himself to knock over
and then force my dad to do that.
(25:55):
So from your plant, Ilyse, I feel
like basically she's just saying,
I just need more soil and I
need more air in my roots.
So sometimes plants especially
we have houseplants, the soil gets
compacted, and then they can't get
as much air around the roots.
So I think she was just
like, you know what?
I'm going to fix this
problem myself.
(26:17):
And so that she did.
But in terms of the energy
of that actually is kind
of what we're doing.
It's like we're nourishing
ourselves, we're celebrating
our role as healers.
We're getting air, we're
creating community.
Like, it's, we're, it's
we're basically doing all
the things we need to do so
we can grow in community.
(26:37):
And that's what your
plant was doing.
Your plant is saying, you know
what, I just need a little bit
more, like, attention to my roots.
I just want to partner.
And so your plant not only
partnered with you, but partnered
with the cleaning crew,
partnered with, like, the energy
in your space so that she
could get what she needed.
And it's funny because when
we, when you had said that about,
like, plants need
(26:57):
water and sunlight to alchemize.
I thought about how that was
exactly what I was doing all
summer, was getting myself into
the water and sunlight at
Barton Springs and being with
the trees there and everything
like that.
And now I'm in a much more
extreme, expansive space.
(27:18):
So it's neat when we think about,
like, oh, the same things that
are necessary for plants are
so necessary to feed us, too.
Yes.
And going back to those trees at
Barton Springs, they're the
reason I moved to Austin, because
I was at Barton Springs with my
friend, and I was laying on the
grass, and I was looking up the
(27:39):
trees and the pecan trees, and I
looked up, and I was like, what
tree are you?
Like, who are you?
And the tree was like, I'm
Afghan, and you belong here.
And I moved to Austin,
so I understand that completely,
deeply, deeply, deep
into that relationship.
Yes.
Yeah.
Oh, absolutely.
(28:00):
We could talk so much
about tree medicine.
It's so powerful and potent.
So I love that.
But, yeah, we're basically plants
for listeners who are
curious about what the hell
you're talking about.
Totally.
They've maybe got some
plants in their house.
Where are some, like, what are
some steps that people can take
(28:21):
to integrate kind
of a more intentional relationship
with plants in their lives?
Such a good question.
Okay, so first of all, really, it's
about just your attention.
So if you want to cultivate
relationship with
plants, just start paying
attention to them more.
You know, if you don't have plants
in your home, no worries.
(28:42):
Start paying attention
to what's growing, what's
blossoming near you.
A lot of people like
to look at, like, big plants.
So, like, let's focus on trees.
Let's focus on the plants
that are well known.
There's a lot of medicine in
the plants that we consider weeds.
It's like, no, like,
dandelions are great.
Cleavers are great.
Like, what's popping
up in your driveway?
(29:03):
And then start to notice
if there are any parallels.
So, for example, I have a friend
who struggles with boundaries,
and she kept running into
agave plants, like, literally
running into them, cutting
herself, things like that.
She's like, I don't
understand what I'm doing.
Like, I keep running
(29:24):
to these plants.
And this is before I knew
her very well, but I said,
seems like you might be
struggling with boundaries.
And she was like, no,
number one, how dare you?
And number two, like,
how did you know that?
I was like, well, agaves
are all about boundaries.
Like, when you look
at them, they're these
massive, gorgeous plants.
But, like, very masculine and very
(29:45):
sharp, and they hold their energy.
So if they keep trying
to grab your attention naturally,
I might think maybe you
struggle with boundaries.
So just notice which
plants are around you.
The other thing that I do want to
talk about is that it doesn't mean
anything if you can't grow plants.
(30:07):
When I
A million lifetimes ago, when
I was in corporate America,
I could not keep any plants alive
to save my life.
Could not.
I thought, oh, I have
this brown thumb.
Plants die.
It was only when I left
corporate America and started
focusing on my spiritual
journey, all of a sudden, all
my plants were thriving.
(30:28):
And then I realized,
oh, wait a minute.
Those plants were just telling
me, hey, buddy, you're dying
in this environment.
You're not meant for
corporate America.
And so as soon as I left, they
stopped telling me that message.
So I just want to, you know,
encourage everyone out there.
Even if you don't have plants
or you can't grow plants,
that doesn't mean you can't have
a relationship with plants.
(30:49):
You can just notice them.
Another way to connect with them.
What I love to do is just
invite them in meditation.
And I know we're going to do some
meditation at the end, but.
But just, you know, if you find
yourself in a quiet moment,
just say, hey, I just want
to think about, you know, a daisy.
And then just picture Daisy in your
mind and see what that energy does
(31:09):
to your heart space.
Working in the way that you work,
it takes us to a new depth that
sometimes therapy can't get to.
I'm curious about
why you think that is.
And just more dialogue around
(31:32):
utilizing alternative forms
of healing in tandem with therapy?
Yeah.
So what I found is that plants,
spirit medicine, plant energies
can be very sneaky in a good way.
So they recognize, oh,
there's this wall up.
(31:52):
You know what?
I can just, like, send a little
root and just, like, move through.
I can find this keyhole, and then
I'm going to start growing.
I'll be on the other
side, no problem.
Where.
So plant spirit medicine can
basically seem really innocuous.
It can seem like, oh,
that's just a dandelion growing
in some concrete.
(32:12):
When really it's, oh,
okay, I see your walls.
I see this blockage, or I see
this obstacle that you have of
I'm just gonna scoot around
it while you're not looking,
and I'm just gonna grow.
And then as I grow, I'm
gonna help you knock.
Knock out that wall.
I'm gonna help you
(32:34):
pass this obstacle.
So I think it's It's a little bit
like naturopathic medicine,
where you have, like, flower
essences, where the idea is you
have medicine that is so small
that can reach those hard to
reach places.
So not saying that therapy
isn't able to do that as well,
(32:55):
but it's just if someone has
an aversion or if someone has
a noticeable block about
working on, let's say, inner
child healing.
I don't necessarily call
it inner child healing.
I might just say, hey, do
you remember a plant that you
liked when you were five?
Let's talk about it.
And so we might spend a session
(33:15):
talking about the plant, looking
at ways to work with that
plant's energy the entire time
they're working on healing their
inner child, but they don't
consciously realize it, so they
keep going.
So I think they work
really well together.
Very cool.
Is it a good time to move toward
your meditative offering?
Yeah.
(33:36):
Before we do that, I want
to tell you a quick story.
Oh, please.
I love stories.
So last night I was
talking to my dad.
I grew up on this ranch, and this
Christmas, my dad chopped
down a cedar tree from the ranch
and brought it to the different
house that he's in now.
And I was telling about
how I took some of the.
Like, I was cleaning off some of
(33:56):
the needles and the cedar needles
from a chair, and instead
of throwing them away, I put them
in a candle that I had burning.
I was like, dad, I just was, like,
transported right back to
the Buckle house when I was a kid.
Like, I just, like,
I could feel it.
I could smell it.
I was there.
And he told me that he's
been working on a house
on that property.
And he said, the first thing
(34:16):
I'm going to do, he's like,
I've been telling everybody this.
The first thing I'm going to do
in that house, whether it's
summer, winter, spring, or fall,
is I'm going to burn just cedar
to get that smell in the house.
And it was so special.
I was like, oh, I felt
so connected to that.
My dad clearly feels
so connected to it.
And that just happened last night.
(34:37):
And I was thinking about
today and recording with you,
and I was like, I can't wait
to tell him about this.
So that's a really good
example of plant allies
and generational healing.
So as you're talking to me about
that, what I'm thinking is, okay,
so cedar has been an ally
of your families for a long time.
(34:59):
It's been a personal enemy
at times, though.
Totally fair.
Totally fair.
So this is, you know, like
ashe juniper, also known
as Texas mountain cedar.
But what's interesting is
the medicine of the land that we
live in is especially potent.
So because your family has been
(35:20):
here and you grew up on that
ranch, that land, and those trees
are going to be extra potent.
So it just seems like a really
nice way of where you
recognized the power in this,
you know, in the cedar, and
then instead of throwing it
away, you honored it by putting
it in the candle.
So then it amplified your
(35:40):
healing connection to.
To that cedar tree.
I felt that.
Yeah.
And then the tree was
like, oh, my gosh.
Thank you so much, Lindsay.
Thanks for honoring me.
You know, putting me
in this candle.
I'm going to send you
a blast of positive energy
just as a thank you.
And so you're literally
creating this reciprocal healing
relationship with cedar.
That's what it felt like.
And that exchange with my dad
(36:01):
felt so magical and healing and.
Yeah, yeah, it's amazing.
So then what I would tell you
to take that one step further
is when you are feeling
overwhelmed, sad, despondent,
anything, you know, anxious,
lean on cedar so you can burn
cedar.
You can just hang out
with the trees.
(36:21):
It's interesting that cedar
at times also hasn't been super
fun, because the thing is,
what causes cedar fever is
the pollen from male trees.
So if you are having.
If you're struggling
with men or a specific man.
Never once in my life.
I know.
I mean, it's hard.
(36:42):
Try to picture it, imagine it.
Then in those times, you might have
more of a reaction to cedar pollen
because it's only the male trees.
When I was dying the most from
cedar fever, it was when I was
in a job that was so terrible
and my boss was a man that was
like, really like those that,
like, that memory is just so
(37:03):
woven together.
Yeah.
Plant magic doesn't
mess around, y'all.
Okay, thank you for that.
Yeah, no problem.
On that note, we should
definitely move toward
our meditative offerings.
Let's meditate.
Also curious what you think
of these plants, you know?
Okay.
So I love that we are surrounded
by these fake fiddle
(37:24):
leaf fern plants, but it's
funny because the real ones
are a little bit divas.
Like, they know what they
want, and if you don't give it
exactly what they want,
you know, they don't do well.
That's actually.
This one has a struggling
one in her own home.
(37:44):
I have struggling
ones in my office.
And what's interesting.
So going back to, like, plant
allies, because people will also
talk about, oh, well, I don't
like this one plant or I like
these plants, and I say, great,
great focus on the plants that
you like.
For me, personally, one of
the things that I'm working on is
moving away from perfectionism.
(38:05):
The idea of perfectionism,
all of that.
Anything about it?
Yeah.
I mean, for real, just, you know,
imagine it's just me, it's fine.
And fiddle leaf ferns, like,
they remind me of perfectionism
because they have such
specific requirements.
And so at least that's what I am
(38:27):
recognizing right now is, like,
they might be in my life later,
but for right now, with what I'm
working on, we don't super jive.
Just because I'm trying
to move away from perfectionism,
I'm more leaning into, like,
dandelion growing in concrete.
Yes.
You know, hearing that.
Trying to survive
the next four years.
Yes, exactly.
Just also, like, lean on
(38:48):
Dandelion medicine
right now, y'all.
Yeah.
Are we ready to do
a little meditation?
I think we are.
Okay, cool.
So what we'll do is this is
just like a quick meditation.
You can do it at any point.
When I take my clients through
meditations or when I do them
(39:09):
in workshops, I always
preface it by saying, like, I want
you to do this if you're
comfortable, if you feel safe.
So if you feel in good spot,
if you feel comfortable,
like, go ahead and do it.
Obviously, if you're driving,
don't do that right now,
but come back to it later.
Okay.
So we're just going to take
a couple grounding breaths.
So if you're comfortable, you can
(39:29):
close your eyes, go ahead and put
your feet just flat on the ground
if that's comfortable to you.
If you want to sit with your
legs crossed, that's fine, too.
Choose your own adventure.
And we are just going
to inhale through our nose.
(39:50):
We're gonna hold it.
Exhale through your mouth.
Hold it.
We're gonna inhale here.
Hold and exhale through your mouth.
(40:12):
Do that one more time.
Inhale through your nose.
Hold it, and exhale
through your mouth.
Continue breathing normally.
Be aware of any sensations
in your body, and we just
(40:37):
want to acknowledge them.
So if there's any area of your body
that could use more attention,
just send your next
exhale to that part of your body.
And I'm going to invite the spirit
(40:58):
of rose into this meditation.
So I want you to imagine
that there's a beautiful rose bush
in front of you.
It could be any color
that you resonate with.
I'm thinking about my
grandmother right now.
(41:19):
So the rose bush that
I'm picturing is Yellow.
And I just want you to be aware of
how that rose bush looks to you.
How does it smell?
Does it have a lot of thorns?
Does it have a lot of new growth?
(41:42):
There's no right or wrong answers.
Just use your imagination
and really look at the rose
that is appearing for
you in this meditation.
(42:04):
So now that you have that rose
bush in your mind, I want you
to imagine that every flower,
every leaf is starting to glow
with brilliant gold light.
And every breath you take,
that gold light is getting bigger
(42:27):
and bigger and brighter.
So soon that light
is covering everything
that you can see and you can
visualize in your mind.
I want you to imagine that that
gold light is now coming into
your body through the top of your
(42:47):
head, flowing down and just
sparkling throughout your body.
So as that gold light travels down
into your heart chakra, into your
stomach, into your arms and legs,
(43:08):
just imagine that that vivid,
bright gold light is offering you
everything that you need in this
moment.
It's offering you love,
it's offering you kindness,
it's offering you compassion,
it's offering you safety.
(43:31):
And know beyond a shadow of a doubt
that as you go about your day,
you're going to be protected,
you're going to be loved, and
you're going to be exactly where
you need to be.
So, moving forward, anytime
(43:52):
you feel anxious or worried
or fearful, just imagine that
rose bush being inside
of your heart space, sending out
that gold energy, that.
That gold light making a shield
of protection and safety
(44:14):
and love around your entire body.
You can come to this
space whenever you want.
You can come back to the rose
whenever you want, and she
will give you healing energy
whenever you need it.
(44:35):
I'm going to invite you
to come back to your body now.
You can wiggle your fingers,
you can put your feet back
on the floor, and then when you're
ready, you can open your eyes
and come back into your body.
(44:58):
That was beautiful.
Beautiful.
I looked over and you
were, like, horizontal.
Yeah, well, I was.
I was in it.
I was in it.
Andres, thank you so much
for being with us today.
So I want to share a few
of the places that people can
find you, but I definitely
want you to plug your
beautiful offering on Substack.
(45:20):
Before we hear all the other
places, can you tell
us a bit more about what
you're up to on Substack?
Yes, absolutely.
My substack is Plant
Magic and Other Musings.
So you can find me @TheFeistyHealer
on Substack or on Instagram.
But basically, I write weekly or
(45:43):
maybe every other week,
stories about healing that
connect back into plant medicine.
So it might be something
funny that happened to me
that connects into plants.
It might be a story about,
like connecting to my ancestors
because that's the other
thing about plant magic.
Like we talked about, Lindsay,
(46:04):
plants help us connect to
ourselves, but also our ancestors.
So a lot of what I write is
stories that help people recognize
that plants can help us connect to
our families or, you know, beyond
our normal day to day lives.
I'm also writing an oracle card
(46:26):
deck with plant spirit medicine.
And so the way I'm writing
it is basically I'm taking
these articles and I'm going
to turn them into cards.
So basically, as I'm writing,
it's a way to keep me
honest and keep me writing.
So I'll put an article out
and it might be about
(46:46):
cedar, it might be about,
you know, eastern cottonwoods.
But ultimately those will
become cards in the oracle
deck that I'm making.
So cool.
I can't wait to buy it.
Thank you.
Well, thank you so much
for being on the show and for
hilling with us today.
Oh, my gosh.
Thank y'all.
This is a blast.
(47:07):
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you so much for joining us.
If you liked what you
heard, please subscribe.
Consider leaving a review
if you haven't already.
Thank you.
You can find us on all socials
at @TheHillingJourney.
You can find us online
at www.thehillingjourney.com
and you can shoot us an email
thehillingjourney@gmail.com
(47:27):
Talk soon.
We are licensed therapists, but we
probably aren't your therapists.
While we may share helpful
information about mental health,
it is best to form your individual
(00:20):
care plan with your own
mental health professional.
If we are your therapists, Hi!
While this podcast shares nuggets
of wisdom about mental health,
we are sharing many pieces of
who we are outside of the therapy
room and doing a lot of yapping
about nonsense, our own healing
work, and some about sex and
dating.
If you feel listening to this podcast may interfere
with your work in therapy,
(00:41):
please refrain from doing so.
While we're on the subject,
any notes from our dating
lives have been changed
to protect the privacy of our
partners and ourselves.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome to the Hilling Journey,
I'm Lindsay Camp.
And I'm Ilyse Kennedy.
This is the podcast where
two therapist besties interview
those on their hilling
journeys and hillers who have
(01:01):
helped along the way.
Hi, Lindsay.
Hi, Ilyse.
How are you today?
I'm pretty good.
So we're talking
about plants today.
We are plant hilling.
Plant hilling.
What have you experienced
in hilling through plants?
I do partake in plant
medicine, but I don't think
that's what you're asking.
That was not. So, our guest today,
(01:25):
You know him personally
and a little professionally.
I know him strictly
professionally speaking.
And he had me going across
the street to a neighbor's
house and cutting...
Do you know this?
Yeah, cutting some white roses
that I put into a water bath.
And then I'm walking around my
(01:45):
property, sprinkling the water
and the roses for protection.
So I've been getting into it
a little bit here and there,
and plants are just like, so
connective to family members
and experiences like that.
So I've been dabbling.
What about you?
So he had me exit.
(02:06):
Well, break my lease early.
There was a flea infestation that was brought upon by forest fairies at our old office.
And then in our new office,
we cleared some energy,
found some spirits.
They were lingering from a battle
of yesteryear and it's fine.
(02:27):
This all sounds a little nutty when
we're saying it in this sense,
but in all seriousness, because I
met our guest first as a friend.
I didn't know because as
therapists we usually
can't mix and mingle.
You cannot mix and mingle.
So we're more boundaried around
dual relationships.
(02:48):
However, I needed somebody
with this exact skill
set to figure out what
was happening at the offices
to clear some energies.
And I was blown away
by my experience.
I knew that he was
a very talented healer.
But to have experienced
it personally.
(03:09):
We've all heard me talk about
my anxious attachment shit.
And in one of our sessions, we
were doing some cards, but it was
focused around clearing the energy
in our new office space.
And I was like, oh, well,
I'll put this to the side,
because this is coming from
my anxious attachment shit.
And he was like, no, no.
Your guides are actually saying,
(03:30):
like, put it on the table.
Because this is all connected
with how your anxious
attachment comes up in work
and in your personal life.
Big wake up call.
Big wake up call.
That you were trying
to separate it all out.
I sure was.
I sure was.
(03:51):
So.
So our hilling happens.
Cracking up right now, by the way.
We're constantly hilling.
Constantly hilling.
We can't put anything to the side.
It's all connecting.
But on a second note, I do think
nature and plants has been
so essential for both of us.
The trees, the song of the trees.
(04:14):
I agree.
Yeah, we've talked about that
a little bit with my
birding and nature in general.
And you've found yourself
appreciating nature more.
And really, you're really up
to stuff with the trees.
One thing that I started
doing as sort of a ritual
for myself, in all seriousness was
this is serious.
This is serious.
It's all serious.
(04:36):
Was sitting outside
to have my coffee in the mornings.
Like, unless it's frigidly cold,
I will sit outside and have my
coffee and just, like, listen to
the wind blow through the trees.
And I think we don't
do that often enough.
Yeah.
We're so disconnected
from nature in general.
Yeah.
And I'm so excited
(04:57):
to have our guest today.
Who I call him an intuitive
plant healer, but he can tell us
more about what he's up to.
Welcome to the show.
Andres Sanchez.
Welcome.
Hi.
Thanks for having me.
Thanks for being here.
I'm excited to be here.
And I was cracking up.
I told Ilyse before beforehand that
(05:19):
I asked her to tell me what you
guys were going to talk about.
Because when I do sessions,
I'm channeling most of the time.
And so I don't remember
most of what happens
in a session just because.
Sure, you know, my client's
guides will come through or
my guides will come through,
and then someone will
mention something later.
I'm like, oh, did that happen?
Did I have them go
to the neighbor's
(05:39):
house and cut roses?
You did.
Interesting.
You did.
You did.
I love it.
But yeah.
No to.
To your point.
Yeah.
Intuitive plant healer is accurate.
I think that's a good description.
I am a Plant Spirit Intuitive.
Earth Intuitive.
(06:02):
I'm also medium.
But when I use my gifts
is really to connect
to plant spirit energies.
So that's why Plant Spirit
Intuitive feels more
at home in general.
But my practice is more based in
granderismo and, like, animism,
and so I don't really focus too
(06:23):
much on the titles, but it's
more of just, hey, like, let's
get intuitively connected with
nature.
Yeah.
And like you guys mentioned
earlier, it's like,
we're all connected.
We're all part of nature.
And so a lot of what I do is really
just helping people reconnect
and recognize, oh, I am nature.
(06:43):
And I can heal by connecting more
to nature, which also
helps me connect more to myself.
Boom.
Mic drop.
Beautiful.
Mic drop one, too.
Beautiful.
These gifts that you have, can you
tell us a little bit about how
you first learned you had them?
Like, how did you.
How did you realize that
you had this piece to you?
Yeah.
(07:04):
How much time do we have?
All the time in the time
in the world for you.
Thank you.
So when I was really little,
it was basically
just an inherent part of me.
So it was this intrinsic thing
where I didn't think about it.
Like, I was just intimately
connected with nature.
So y'all were talking about,
like tree medicine.
(07:25):
So when I was five, we lived in
Colorado, and so my parents would
take my brother and I skiing.
And I vividly remember, as I
would be skiing down the mountain,
like, a tree nearby would
just grab my attention, say,
hey, come play with me.
I'm like, oh, that's a great idea.
And then I would circle the tree
full speed
and, like, play with this tree.
(07:46):
My parents were horrified
because they were
like, what are you doing?
Why are we.
Why are we skiing towards a tree?
You know?
But as a little kid, it was
just like, oh, this
being wants to play with me.
I'm going to go play
with this tree.
Like, I didn't think anything was.
No.
And it was only until I grew up
(08:06):
a little bit, and then I realized,
oh, other people don't have
this connection to plants.
Maybe I shouldn't talk
about it as much because people
think, you know, it might
be a little bit odd.
And then, thankfully, I grew out
of that phase, as we all do.
And then we pick up, you know, who
we really are, what brings us joy.
(08:27):
So, of course, I came
back to plants.
But, yeah, it was just one of those
things where in my life, when I've
been in an intense situation,
like, I always go back to plants.
I always go back to trees when
things have been hectic in my
life, I can tell you, oh, this
plant was blooming, or I found
a bouquet of this flower just
(08:48):
because they gave me so much
energy.
So I think, to answer your
question, Lindsay, little by
little, it was one of those
things where I recognized more
like, the depth of the gifts,
where it was more recognizing
that I could connect to plant
spirits themselves through
(09:10):
plants and then also bridge the
gap between other people and
then plants in their lives.
So it's almost like I don't
necessarily see it this way,
but I'm going to explain it
because it makes more sense.
But it's almost like if I can see
the plant spirits
around me that are friends and are
connecting, I recognize that
(09:30):
I could also see the plant
spirits around other people.
And so then I could help
make those introductions.
So interesting that you said
that about, like, knowing
as a child and then kind
of being conditioned out of it.
That's been the experience when
we've talked to so many, like,
we've asked that question,
and the answer is the same.
Like, I knew.
I knew this to be true when I was
(09:51):
little and then got messaging
that it was weird or whatever.
Yes.
And we've even talked about that.
Not so much with gifts, but just
how healing it is to return.
To return to your core.
Yeah.
One of my favorite activities
to do with clients, and I
think I've done it with both
of y'all, actually, is when
we're looking at the plants
that are coming forward for
(10:12):
healing,
I will ask you, what plants do
you remember when you were five?
Is there a plant that comes
forward that you would,
you know, connect with?
Because it's always those plants.
Because, like, intuitively.
No.
When we're little, we
know what's true.
We know what gives joy.
We know what makes us feel good.
And there have, strangely, been
a few different moments where
(10:33):
I've happened to be with you.
And we come upon wisteria
when I was deep in my grief,
which was very strange.
And you shared that that was really
a plant for moving through grief.
Yes.
Wisteria is when you think about.
For those of you listening,
if you're not.
If you don't have a picture
of wisteria in your mind,
(10:55):
it has these gorgeous blooms that
kind of cascade downward,
and it almost looks like tears.
But if tears were, like,
beautiful and effervescent and
gorge, and so you can see,
like, doctrine of signatures,
like, oh, this plant could
probably help with grief, and
it really does.
And I also remember that wisteria,
(11:16):
for me, is this plant
that helps Soothe anxiety.
So being in spaces with a lot
of people, I will often find
wisteria or honeysuckle.
And it just gives me a little bit
of energy that I can be social.
We've literally stopped and smelled
the wisteria, and I love that.
(11:38):
Yes.
So you told me that you have
a really interesting story
about curses and plants.
Oh, yes.
So I've been on this, you
know, spiritual path for
about 10 years, and in one of my
iterations, I managed
(11:59):
a metaphysical crystal store.
And that was a two
year journey is wild.
And you name it, I have seen it.
Came through the doors.
And probably my favorite
thing that people would come in
asking about was curses.
So they would come in
convinced that they were
cursed, that somebody had
(12:19):
done something to them.
And nine times out of 10, it was
just, they were going through
their, you know, healing journey.
They had trauma, maybe they
didn't want to face it.
Maybe there was a shadow
that was coming up.
Nothing crazy.
Like, it was all just standard
healing growth, human messiness.
But there was one time this guy
came in and he said, hey, I'm
(12:40):
dealing with this weird curse.
I don't know what's going on.
And I'm.
I should mention that I'm
clairsentient, so I'll
feel energy in my body.
And as soon as he said, oh, I'm
cursed, like, I felt this, like,
pin prick sensation, like, all
over my body, which for me is a
sign that yes, like, that is a
yes.
And I was like, oh,
(13:01):
this is a surprise.
Yeah, you are kind of cursed.
Okay, let's figure that out.
And so I just closed my eyes and I
just mentally asked, okay, show me
what's going on with this person.
Obviously, he's not doing well.
And what I saw in my head
was a ranch house surrounded by,
(13:21):
like, a really gorgeous property.
But I knew it was in Mexico.
And the image I kept seeing was of
a house that had roses initially.
And then there were no roses.
So it was like all
of the plants had been pulled out.
And so I came back
and I asked him, hey, okay, what's
going on with the roses?
(13:42):
What's.
What's up with the roses?
What's up with the roses?
Tell me about these roses.
And he turned white.
Like, I mean, the color
drained from his face.
And he was like, how do
you know about the roses?
I was like, listen,
I'm seeing this house.
It looks like it's in Mexico.
I was seeing these gorgeous
roses, and now there's not.
So what's going on so then he
(14:03):
told me that, basically, long
story short, his grandmother
had a property in Mexico.
She passed away.
All the family came to just
organize the house, clean it
up, get it ready to sell.
And one of his sisters decided to
remove all the rose bushes because
they were a little bit unruly.
They were kind of crazy.
So they tore them all out.
(14:25):
Well, what they didn't realize is
that she had planted those roses
to protect the house, because
roses are very protective.
They're very loving.
And they had neighbors that
were really jealous of this
family's success who had
put together some really nasty
little packages and then buried
them underneath their porch.
(14:45):
So when they dug up the rose
bushes, all of a sudden, all
these terrible things started
happening to the family,
to the land, their animals.
And so I just told him,
you are correct there.
This is a curse that someone did do
some really nasty, magical things
to the family, to the property.
All you need to do is you need
to put the roses back.
(15:06):
So, you know, if she had 12 rose
bushes, get 12 more roses, put
them back, thank them for your.
For.
For helping your family,
and then move on.
And I don't know, it was kind of
funny because on one hand, I
think he seemed relieved that he
had an answer, but on the other
hand, he was really upset that I
had confirmed his fear, which
kind of comes with the job of
(15:27):
being intuitive.
Like, sorry, sorry.
But here's the answer,
and you can fix it.
So that was in a crystal shop.
A man coming up to you,
and you were offering your gifts.
Yes.
How do you offer your gifts now?
What does that look like?
Your work with clients?
That's a really good question.
(15:47):
Thanks.
Ilyse wrote it.
It's amazing.
10 out of 10.
So right now, basically
what I do is I write a lot
about plant magic via my substack.
I have a presence online.
Typically, what ends up happening
is people will send me an email.
They'll let me know what
they're working on, what
they'd like to heal.
(16:09):
A good portion of my clients are
people who are just waking up
to their intuitive abilities.
And so they will email me, contact
me directly, and then I will set
expectations like, okay, this is
what a session would look like.
This is how we collaborate.
This is how I think we can help
you, and then we'll move forward.
Thankfully, I don't have people
coming up to me telling me
(16:29):
that they think they're cursed.
We move past that iteration.
That was a great journey
for me, but also very stressful.
Too wide open.
It's too.
Yeah, actually it was.
Yeah, it was wide open.
And also, not entirely.
It wasn't a safe container for
those individuals either.
They were just sending them
back out into the world.
(16:49):
Yeah.
Throwing their rocks in a bag
and sending them on their way.
Yeah.
Like, I don't know
what you're gonna do.
It's like, do you even
know what to do?
That.
It's kind of the same
thing as when we have.
There's, you know, all these
stores and there's different
botanicas, and they have.
They offer these things
and these magic and these
medicine, but sometimes people
don't know how to use
them, and they can cause.
(17:10):
I mean, they can cause
some serious harm.
So I'd like to have a safe
container for my clients.
So typically, it's.
We set expectations how long
the session is going to be, what's
going to happen, and then
there's aftercare involved.
So, you know, if we do a session
and there's really deep
healing that comes through, or
(17:30):
it's like, maybe sometimes
it's like inner child healing
or like past life healing.
Those are really
intense, deep things.
So if those things come up,
then typically I'll take
extra care and, you know,
make sure that that person is
in a safe container and that
they're good at the end of
our session.
The funniest thing is that anytime
I've sent you people, like, I'm
(17:51):
just like, oh, there's this guy
you should see.
He's an intuitive plant healer.
No questions asked.
They reach out.
Like, they don't ask
me, what do you.
What does he do?
Like, what does that entail?
They're just like, okay.
And they reach out.
Session, booked session.
But, you know, and I
really appreciate that.
Thank you.
(18:11):
Word of mouth is a big part
of my business, but what's
funny is it's really just
about that frequency vibration.
So it's almost like people
intuitively know, oh, this is
the kind of thing I need to heal.
And so then when they reach out,
they'll feel that resonance.
And so then we book.
We've had that experience a couple
times where I've reached
(18:32):
out but then not followed up.
And you've said, I
don't think you're
I don't think you're
in the place right now.
Yes.
And it's like, no shade.
It's like.
It's like I don't
feel the resonance.
I've heard him tell somebody to wait till two more full moons to reach out again.
Yeah.
And they haven't, which.
(18:52):
No shade.
But sometimes people are not
necessarily ready to do the work
that we do, that we do in session.
Going back
to your original question.
One thing I did notice early on was
that I really can only work with
people who really want to heal.
I don't do well with folks that are
(19:12):
just looking for something fun
to do or just because, oh, I want
to work with an intuitive.
I really work best with people who
genuinely want to heal.
So I think sometimes the case
is people think, oh, I'm
ready to do this healing
work, but maybe they're not.
Maybe they just need more
time, which is totally fine.
It seems like in your work, and
you mentioned this too, that a
(19:34):
lot of other people who are
healers in different ways enjoy
working with you and get a lot
out of the work that they do
with you.
Why do you think healers
specifically are so drawn
to working with you?
You know, I think it's a little
bit of, like, recognizes like.
So healers are often,
you know, we have to do the work.
(19:55):
We have to do our internal work.
We have to walk the walk
and talk the talk.
So I think it's a mutual
admiration and respect that
happens in those situations
where I recognize, oh, this
person's coming to me for
healing, and, oh, my gosh,
they've done so much work.
And that's actually a big part
of my work is just
(20:17):
recognizing and reflecting back
to the person how much work
they've already done or the work
that they continue to do.
So I think it goes both ways, where
we just have a mutual
admiration and respect
for the work that we're doing.
And I think the other thing, too,
is that because one of my goals
is to create as safe a container
(20:39):
as possible, that resonates
really well with other healers
because they do the same thing in
their work.
Yeah.
You are so naturally
trauma informed.
It just exudes from you.
It's not something that you
had to learn, which I
think is what offers such
a safe space for healing.
Thank you.
(20:59):
I really appreciate that.
Yeah, I think part of it, too, is
it comes from being in these
healing spaces, which I'm sure
y'all are familiar with as well.
Just because someone says they
are a therapist or a healer
does not make them safe.
And so I've had my share
of experiences with other
(21:21):
practitioners, let's say,
that weren't able to
provide that safe space.
So then it was just a more
recognition of, okay,
why is this important?
How can I make sure that I
do that in every single session?
Just so that everyone is
good and safe?
Absolutely.
So tell us A little bit about your
(21:42):
work with plants specifically,
and how do you utilize plants as,
like, a companion for healing?
How do you weave all that
together for folks?
So healing with plants is this.
I mean, we could
write so many books.
We want to write books
together waiting for yours.
I know it's happening, but I
(22:03):
think if we just look at it
from a magical, healing
perspective, the reason we're
all here on Earth is because
plants have this magical
ability to alchemize sunlight
and water into sugar.
So if we take everything
else out, the only reason we're
all here is because of plants.
(22:25):
So, you know, they are this
archetype of growth and evolution
and nourishment and strength.
So wherever you are
in your journey, a plant can
help you because it will
reflect back to you.
It's like, oh, you're healing,
you're growing, you're evolving.
You can do this.
(22:46):
It's like looking at a dandelion in
the concrete just growing.
I don't know about y'all,
but anytime I see one, I'm just
like, yeah, you can do it.
Just because it's like,
I don't know.
I mean, obviously, we're all human,
so we need roads, we need cars.
We know all of those things.
But it's also kind
of nice to see, Mother Nature,
(23:06):
she's gonna win.
She's gonna do the things.
So I think what I do in my practice
is really just trying to help.
Help people see how plants
are reflecting their goodness
back to themselves.
So it could really just be a bunch
of different things.
Like, in some cases, it's,
oh, hey, we're gonna work with
(23:27):
botanical offerings like
you did, Lindsay, and.
Or in other cases, we might create,
like, a botanical mandala as
an offering or just notice plants.
You know, I think one of my main
goals in doing this work is to
create reciprocal healing
relationships so where as
(23:49):
people connect to their plant
spirit allies, they're healing
themselves.
But as they heal themselves,
they also heal nature.
So really, I'm not
picky how that's done.
As long as that happens, I'm good.
Love that.
Oh, thank you.
As we're talking about this,
there is this plant in my office.
(24:12):
You've seen it, and you've said,
like, hey, we need to do something
about this, because you're not
taking good enough care of it.
I'm not kidding you.
This morning, the cleaning
crew accidentally
knocked it over, and
the pot shattered, but they
saved the plant.
(24:32):
Do we think that
this is a metaphor?
Do we think that it had anything
to do with our episode today?
I'm feeling, oh, my God, I have so
there's so much that comes up.
I know the plant
you're talking about.
And like, the energy that
I'm getting is just like,
like gleeful, mischievous.
Like, this plant is
(24:52):
like, yeah, I fell.
Yeah, I did that.
Yeah, it's fun.
Happened to my dad as well.
Where basically I was
I remember I was walking through
their patio and I was looking
at this plant, and it was
this little spider plant.
And as I'm walking past it,
I could just hear my head.
Oh, I fell, I fell, I fell, I fell.
(25:14):
But like a little kid who's excited
about something they
did that they shouldn't have.
I was like, dad, what
happened to this plant?
And he was like, how
did you know that?
I was like, I know
what, what happened?
He's like, you know what?
Yeah, I don't know.
He's like, two days ago,
this plant, I knocked it
over, the pot shattered,
and then I had to repot it.
(25:34):
The funny thing though is
about this plant is I had been
telling my dad for months,
hey, you need to repot this plant.
It's like root bound.
It's not doing great.
And not that he was willfully
ignoring the plant, he just.
Things were he hadn't gotten
to it well, then the plant took it
upon himself to knock over
and then force my dad to do that.
(25:55):
So from your plant, Ilyse, I feel
like basically she's just saying,
I just need more soil and I
need more air in my roots.
So sometimes plants especially
we have houseplants, the soil gets
compacted, and then they can't get
as much air around the roots.
So I think she was just
like, you know what?
I'm going to fix this
problem myself.
(26:17):
And so that she did.
But in terms of the energy
of that actually is kind
of what we're doing.
It's like we're nourishing
ourselves, we're celebrating
our role as healers.
We're getting air, we're
creating community.
Like, it's, we're, it's
we're basically doing all
the things we need to do so
we can grow in community.
(26:37):
And that's what your
plant was doing.
Your plant is saying, you know
what, I just need a little bit
more, like, attention to my roots.
I just want to partner.
And so your plant not only
partnered with you, but partnered
with the cleaning crew,
partnered with, like, the energy
in your space so that she
could get what she needed.
And it's funny because when
we, when you had said that about,
like, plants need
(26:57):
water and sunlight to alchemize.
I thought about how that was
exactly what I was doing all
summer, was getting myself into
the water and sunlight at
Barton Springs and being with
the trees there and everything
like that.
And now I'm in a much more
extreme, expansive space.
(27:18):
So it's neat when we think about,
like, oh, the same things that
are necessary for plants are
so necessary to feed us, too.
Yes.
And going back to those trees at
Barton Springs, they're the
reason I moved to Austin, because
I was at Barton Springs with my
friend, and I was laying on the
grass, and I was looking up the
(27:39):
trees and the pecan trees, and I
looked up, and I was like, what
tree are you?
Like, who are you?
And the tree was like, I'm
Afghan, and you belong here.
And I moved to Austin,
so I understand that completely,
deeply, deeply, deep
into that relationship.
Yes.
Yeah.
Oh, absolutely.
(28:00):
We could talk so much
about tree medicine.
It's so powerful and potent.
So I love that.
But, yeah, we're basically plants
for listeners who are
curious about what the hell
you're talking about.
Totally.
They've maybe got some
plants in their house.
Where are some, like, what are
some steps that people can take
(28:21):
to integrate kind
of a more intentional relationship
with plants in their lives?
Such a good question.
Okay, so first of all, really, it's
about just your attention.
So if you want to cultivate
relationship with
plants, just start paying
attention to them more.
You know, if you don't have plants
in your home, no worries.
(28:42):
Start paying attention
to what's growing, what's
blossoming near you.
A lot of people like
to look at, like, big plants.
So, like, let's focus on trees.
Let's focus on the plants
that are well known.
There's a lot of medicine in
the plants that we consider weeds.
It's like, no, like,
dandelions are great.
Cleavers are great.
Like, what's popping
up in your driveway?
(29:03):
And then start to notice
if there are any parallels.
So, for example, I have a friend
who struggles with boundaries,
and she kept running into
agave plants, like, literally
running into them, cutting
herself, things like that.
She's like, I don't
understand what I'm doing.
Like, I keep running
(29:24):
to these plants.
And this is before I knew
her very well, but I said,
seems like you might be
struggling with boundaries.
And she was like, no,
number one, how dare you?
And number two, like,
how did you know that?
I was like, well, agaves
are all about boundaries.
Like, when you look
at them, they're these
massive, gorgeous plants.
But, like, very masculine and very
(29:45):
sharp, and they hold their energy.
So if they keep trying
to grab your attention naturally,
I might think maybe you
struggle with boundaries.
So just notice which
plants are around you.
The other thing that I do want to
talk about is that it doesn't mean
anything if you can't grow plants.
(30:07):
When I
A million lifetimes ago, when
I was in corporate America,
I could not keep any plants alive
to save my life.
Could not.
I thought, oh, I have
this brown thumb.
Plants die.
It was only when I left
corporate America and started
focusing on my spiritual
journey, all of a sudden, all
my plants were thriving.
(30:28):
And then I realized,
oh, wait a minute.
Those plants were just telling
me, hey, buddy, you're dying
in this environment.
You're not meant for
corporate America.
And so as soon as I left, they
stopped telling me that message.
So I just want to, you know,
encourage everyone out there.
Even if you don't have plants
or you can't grow plants,
that doesn't mean you can't have
a relationship with plants.
(30:49):
You can just notice them.
Another way to connect with them.
What I love to do is just
invite them in meditation.
And I know we're going to do some
meditation at the end, but.
But just, you know, if you find
yourself in a quiet moment,
just say, hey, I just want
to think about, you know, a daisy.
And then just picture Daisy in your
mind and see what that energy does
(31:09):
to your heart space.
Working in the way that you work,
it takes us to a new depth that
sometimes therapy can't get to.
I'm curious about
why you think that is.
And just more dialogue around
(31:32):
utilizing alternative forms
of healing in tandem with therapy?
Yeah.
So what I found is that plants,
spirit medicine, plant energies
can be very sneaky in a good way.
So they recognize, oh,
there's this wall up.
(31:52):
You know what?
I can just, like, send a little
root and just, like, move through.
I can find this keyhole, and then
I'm going to start growing.
I'll be on the other
side, no problem.
Where.
So plant spirit medicine can
basically seem really innocuous.
It can seem like, oh,
that's just a dandelion growing
in some concrete.
(32:12):
When really it's, oh,
okay, I see your walls.
I see this blockage, or I see
this obstacle that you have of
I'm just gonna scoot around
it while you're not looking,
and I'm just gonna grow.
And then as I grow, I'm
gonna help you knock.
Knock out that wall.
I'm gonna help you
(32:34):
pass this obstacle.
So I think it's It's a little bit
like naturopathic medicine,
where you have, like, flower
essences, where the idea is you
have medicine that is so small
that can reach those hard to
reach places.
So not saying that therapy
isn't able to do that as well,
(32:55):
but it's just if someone has
an aversion or if someone has
a noticeable block about
working on, let's say, inner
child healing.
I don't necessarily call
it inner child healing.
I might just say, hey, do
you remember a plant that you
liked when you were five?
Let's talk about it.
And so we might spend a session
(33:15):
talking about the plant, looking
at ways to work with that
plant's energy the entire time
they're working on healing their
inner child, but they don't
consciously realize it, so they
keep going.
So I think they work
really well together.
Very cool.
Is it a good time to move toward
your meditative offering?
Yeah.
(33:36):
Before we do that, I want
to tell you a quick story.
Oh, please.
I love stories.
So last night I was
talking to my dad.
I grew up on this ranch, and this
Christmas, my dad chopped
down a cedar tree from the ranch
and brought it to the different
house that he's in now.
And I was telling about
how I took some of the.
Like, I was cleaning off some of
(33:56):
the needles and the cedar needles
from a chair, and instead
of throwing them away, I put them
in a candle that I had burning.
I was like, dad, I just was, like,
transported right back to
the Buckle house when I was a kid.
Like, I just, like,
I could feel it.
I could smell it.
I was there.
And he told me that he's
been working on a house
on that property.
And he said, the first thing
(34:16):
I'm going to do, he's like,
I've been telling everybody this.
The first thing I'm going to do
in that house, whether it's
summer, winter, spring, or fall,
is I'm going to burn just cedar
to get that smell in the house.
And it was so special.
I was like, oh, I felt
so connected to that.
My dad clearly feels
so connected to it.
And that just happened last night.
(34:37):
And I was thinking about
today and recording with you,
and I was like, I can't wait
to tell him about this.
So that's a really good
example of plant allies
and generational healing.
So as you're talking to me about
that, what I'm thinking is, okay,
so cedar has been an ally
of your families for a long time.
(34:59):
It's been a personal enemy
at times, though.
Totally fair.
Totally fair.
So this is, you know, like
ashe juniper, also known
as Texas mountain cedar.
But what's interesting is
the medicine of the land that we
live in is especially potent.
So because your family has been
(35:20):
here and you grew up on that
ranch, that land, and those trees
are going to be extra potent.
So it just seems like a really
nice way of where you
recognized the power in this,
you know, in the cedar, and
then instead of throwing it
away, you honored it by putting
it in the candle.
So then it amplified your
(35:40):
healing connection to.
To that cedar tree.
I felt that.
Yeah.
And then the tree was
like, oh, my gosh.
Thank you so much, Lindsay.
Thanks for honoring me.
You know, putting me
in this candle.
I'm going to send you
a blast of positive energy
just as a thank you.
And so you're literally
creating this reciprocal healing
relationship with cedar.
That's what it felt like.
And that exchange with my dad
(36:01):
felt so magical and healing and.
Yeah, yeah, it's amazing.
So then what I would tell you
to take that one step further
is when you are feeling
overwhelmed, sad, despondent,
anything, you know, anxious,
lean on cedar so you can burn
cedar.
You can just hang out
with the trees.
(36:21):
It's interesting that cedar
at times also hasn't been super
fun, because the thing is,
what causes cedar fever is
the pollen from male trees.
So if you are having.
If you're struggling
with men or a specific man.
Never once in my life.
I know.
I mean, it's hard.
(36:42):
Try to picture it, imagine it.
Then in those times, you might have
more of a reaction to cedar pollen
because it's only the male trees.
When I was dying the most from
cedar fever, it was when I was
in a job that was so terrible
and my boss was a man that was
like, really like those that,
like, that memory is just so
(37:03):
woven together.
Yeah.
Plant magic doesn't
mess around, y'all.
Okay, thank you for that.
Yeah, no problem.
On that note, we should
definitely move toward
our meditative offerings.
Let's meditate.
Also curious what you think
of these plants, you know?
Okay.
So I love that we are surrounded
by these fake fiddle
(37:24):
leaf fern plants, but it's
funny because the real ones
are a little bit divas.
Like, they know what they
want, and if you don't give it
exactly what they want,
you know, they don't do well.
That's actually.
This one has a struggling
one in her own home.
(37:44):
I have struggling
ones in my office.
And what's interesting.
So going back to, like, plant
allies, because people will also
talk about, oh, well, I don't
like this one plant or I like
these plants, and I say, great,
great focus on the plants that
you like.
For me, personally, one of
the things that I'm working on is
moving away from perfectionism.
(38:05):
The idea of perfectionism,
all of that.
Anything about it?
Yeah.
I mean, for real, just, you know,
imagine it's just me, it's fine.
And fiddle leaf ferns, like,
they remind me of perfectionism
because they have such
specific requirements.
And so at least that's what I am
(38:27):
recognizing right now is, like,
they might be in my life later,
but for right now, with what I'm
working on, we don't super jive.
Just because I'm trying
to move away from perfectionism,
I'm more leaning into, like,
dandelion growing in concrete.
Yes.
You know, hearing that.
Trying to survive
the next four years.
Yes, exactly.
Just also, like, lean on
(38:48):
Dandelion medicine
right now, y'all.
Yeah.
Are we ready to do
a little meditation?
I think we are.
Okay, cool.
So what we'll do is this is
just like a quick meditation.
You can do it at any point.
When I take my clients through
meditations or when I do them
(39:09):
in workshops, I always
preface it by saying, like, I want
you to do this if you're
comfortable, if you feel safe.
So if you feel in good spot,
if you feel comfortable,
like, go ahead and do it.
Obviously, if you're driving,
don't do that right now,
but come back to it later.
Okay.
So we're just going to take
a couple grounding breaths.
So if you're comfortable, you can
(39:29):
close your eyes, go ahead and put
your feet just flat on the ground
if that's comfortable to you.
If you want to sit with your
legs crossed, that's fine, too.
Choose your own adventure.
And we are just going
to inhale through our nose.
(39:50):
We're gonna hold it.
Exhale through your mouth.
Hold it.
We're gonna inhale here.
Hold and exhale through your mouth.
(40:12):
Do that one more time.
Inhale through your nose.
Hold it, and exhale
through your mouth.
Continue breathing normally.
Be aware of any sensations
in your body, and we just
(40:37):
want to acknowledge them.
So if there's any area of your body
that could use more attention,
just send your next
exhale to that part of your body.
And I'm going to invite the spirit
(40:58):
of rose into this meditation.
So I want you to imagine
that there's a beautiful rose bush
in front of you.
It could be any color
that you resonate with.
I'm thinking about my
grandmother right now.
(41:19):
So the rose bush that
I'm picturing is Yellow.
And I just want you to be aware of
how that rose bush looks to you.
How does it smell?
Does it have a lot of thorns?
Does it have a lot of new growth?
(41:42):
There's no right or wrong answers.
Just use your imagination
and really look at the rose
that is appearing for
you in this meditation.
(42:04):
So now that you have that rose
bush in your mind, I want you
to imagine that every flower,
every leaf is starting to glow
with brilliant gold light.
And every breath you take,
that gold light is getting bigger
(42:27):
and bigger and brighter.
So soon that light
is covering everything
that you can see and you can
visualize in your mind.
I want you to imagine that that
gold light is now coming into
your body through the top of your
(42:47):
head, flowing down and just
sparkling throughout your body.
So as that gold light travels down
into your heart chakra, into your
stomach, into your arms and legs,
(43:08):
just imagine that that vivid,
bright gold light is offering you
everything that you need in this
moment.
It's offering you love,
it's offering you kindness,
it's offering you compassion,
it's offering you safety.
(43:31):
And know beyond a shadow of a doubt
that as you go about your day,
you're going to be protected,
you're going to be loved, and
you're going to be exactly where
you need to be.
So, moving forward, anytime
(43:52):
you feel anxious or worried
or fearful, just imagine that
rose bush being inside
of your heart space, sending out
that gold energy, that.
That gold light making a shield
of protection and safety
(44:14):
and love around your entire body.
You can come to this
space whenever you want.
You can come back to the rose
whenever you want, and she
will give you healing energy
whenever you need it.
(44:35):
I'm going to invite you
to come back to your body now.
You can wiggle your fingers,
you can put your feet back
on the floor, and then when you're
ready, you can open your eyes
and come back into your body.
(44:58):
That was beautiful.
Beautiful.
I looked over and you
were, like, horizontal.
Yeah, well, I was.
I was in it.
I was in it.
Andres, thank you so much
for being with us today.
So I want to share a few
of the places that people can
find you, but I definitely
want you to plug your
beautiful offering on Substack.
(45:20):
Before we hear all the other
places, can you tell
us a bit more about what
you're up to on Substack?
Yes, absolutely.
My substack is Plant
Magic and Other Musings.
So you can find me @TheFeistyHealer
on Substack or on Instagram.
But basically, I write weekly or
(45:43):
maybe every other week,
stories about healing that
connect back into plant medicine.
So it might be something
funny that happened to me
that connects into plants.
It might be a story about,
like connecting to my ancestors
because that's the other
thing about plant magic.
Like we talked about, Lindsay,
(46:04):
plants help us connect to
ourselves, but also our ancestors.
So a lot of what I write is
stories that help people recognize
that plants can help us connect to
our families or, you know, beyond
our normal day to day lives.
I'm also writing an oracle card
(46:26):
deck with plant spirit medicine.
And so the way I'm writing
it is basically I'm taking
these articles and I'm going
to turn them into cards.
So basically, as I'm writing,
it's a way to keep me
honest and keep me writing.
So I'll put an article out
and it might be about
(46:46):
cedar, it might be about,
you know, eastern cottonwoods.
But ultimately those will
become cards in the oracle
deck that I'm making.
So cool.
I can't wait to buy it.
Thank you.
Well, thank you so much
for being on the show and for
hilling with us today.
Oh, my gosh.
Thank y'all.
This is a blast.
(47:07):
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you so much for joining us.
If you liked what you
heard, please subscribe.
Consider leaving a review
if you haven't already.
Thank you.
You can find us on all socials
at @TheHillingJourney.
You can find us online
at www.thehillingjourney.com
and you can shoot us an email
thehillingjourney@gmail.com
(47:27):
Talk soon.
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