Stinging nettle
The keeper of watchful clarity
Nature of the plant
The stinging nettle grows where people live: along hedges, paths, stream banks and house walls. Its leaves and stems carry fine stinging hairs that burn at the slightest touch. It is the nursery of many butterflies, such as the peacock and the small tortoiseshell. In earlier times its fibres were woven into nettle cloth.
Inner attitude
The nettle is honest. It shows at once where its boundary is. Those who touch it mindfully discover how much life it carries.
The essential qualities
- defensive
- honest
- alive
- nourishing
- awake
It does not sting out of malice, but to protect what grows within it.
Meaning
The nettle calls when you have adapted for too long and your strength has been lost. It teaches you to become clear and awake – and to show yourself, even when it burns.
Voice of the plant
"I sting so that you wake up. Then I show you my kindness."
Encounter & working together
You meet it by the wayside and wherever the earth is rich. Look at its stinging hairs against the light and watch who lives on its leaves.
Pay attention to
- where you have forgotten how to stand up for yourself
- where something wants to shake you awake
- where nourishment lies behind the sting
The nettle works when you are ready to be honest with yourself.
Essence
I am awake, honest, and I protect what grows within me.
