Poplar. What a beautiful and lovely friend. I have had a relationship with poplar for several years now. I love to make oils, salves and tinctures during the Poplar bud wild harvesting season in the early Spring time. Much like the honey bees I find the balsamy fragrance of Poplars to be intoxicating! Reminding me of hot river days in the sun when I am most relaxed, refueled & cleansed by sun & water with the smell of poplars wafting through the air.
My meditation consisted of rubbing poplar essence (essential oil) all over my neck, temples, third eye and a little under my nose. I also had a jar of buds I continually inhaled throughout my meditation.
Poplar had a lot to share with me. I did my meditation before I did my research. I have always heard that poplar is a protective plant. So I asked Poplar how it got spiritually recognized as that. Poplar showed me how it can collect water and transmute it through itself, nullifying the toxins. (This I had no idea of and was very excited to find it in my research thereafter that it does such a thing and is being studied greatly for this purpose!) It showed me how bee’s use its resin from the sticky buds to protect their homes from invaders and disease. I started to tie the idea together how plants and trees get coined as protective because ecologically they are doing protective jobs! Poplar can negate negativity, toxic people and situations, and can also restore harmony to a toxic mind.
Poplar shared with me (I get these in visual pictures along with the voice of the poplar) how being near the stream bed allows it to be of service to other trees and plants by dispersing its “rooting” chemical hormone called auxins down stream. (Poplar is a water dwelling tree) Because of this hormone that it shares freely, Poplar can assist others to thrive and grow, by keeping the river beds shaded and cool with all the lush vegetation it supports with its rooting hormones, amphibian and fish can have spawning grounds. In this aspect, I would say Poplar would be useful for facilitating community building. Also, for inspiring someone to tap into their nurturer side.
As I kept smelling the Poplar buds and oil essence I noticed how it calmed me in such a gentle way. Poplars contain salicin which is an analgesic that helps by soothing pain. Poplar told me that it can also aid with mental pain as well, that it can melt away sadness and grief. I know that in Chinese medicine grief resides in the lungs. So that makes sense being it is used for upper respiratory ailments.
Some other things that poplar shared with me are:
To use the oil on the temples, forehead and around the ears and down the neck for earaches and headaches. I just used it in this method on my wife who is suffering from a nasty flu based headache and she said it did give her much relief! You can also rub the oil on your chest for deep congestion that needs to move on out! Also, try the poplar oil on the soles of your babies feet for restlessness/ colds.
Poplars:
~Are Deeply Grounding and Spiritual.
~They like to be sung to and love to share joy.
~Encourage openness and compassion.
~Teaches us kindness to resolve. Letting go.
~Can help us root when one has a hard time finding home.
~Protects us in the sense that toxic things cannot thrive around us.
~Teaches us humility.
~Be strong in Stature.
And lastly,
~Willingness to open new doors and dance in the wind!
What an amazing tree spirit. I am grateful and honored to commune with Poplar and share my learnings with you.
Blessed be!
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