By Peggy River Singer
Sweetgrass is the hair of our Mother; separately, each strand is not as strong
as the strands are when braided together.
~ Mary Ritchie
I’ve been going to Pow Wows [Native American tribal festivals] since the 1970’s, and that is where I first met Sweetgrass.The sweet, vanilla-ish aroma of this native grass is instantly soothing. It’s most commonly used as a “smudge” or incense but has many other applications as well. I have Sweetgrass at home, and it inspired this interview.
Peggy: May I speak to the representative for Sweetgrass?
Sweetgrass: I am glad to hear from you, River Singer! Yes, let us talk.
Peggy: Thank you! Are you a Deva, or a goddess, or Nature Spirit?
Sweetgrass: Let us use the term Deva, since I am the one Creator has put in charge of my sacred grasses.
Peggy: I’m sure many of those reading these words are familiar with you. For those who are not, will you please describe yourself?
Sweetgrass: I am the sacred herb, the healing potion, the expression of oneness in the form of a Green Being. My energy attracts positive beings and energies, calms fears and pains, eases isolation by reminding humans they are never alone. I am the foundation of beneficial beliefs and folkways.
Peggy: Did your people originally travel here from another world, or were you developed here?
Sweetgrass: Representatives did travel here at Creator’s request, in the earliness of the appropriate ecological environments on this world.
Peggy: After what we call the Ice Ages, then?
Sweetgrass: Yes, I flourished in the lands that blossomed with new life as the great ice beings withdrew, and spread rapidly in that situation along with thousands of other forms of grasses.
Peggy: Am I correct in assuming that you are one of those plants – like Bamboo and Cannabis – which were intended specifically to assist humankind?
Sweetgrass: Yes.
Peggy: Do animals and Nature Spirits also benefit from Sweetgrass’s qualities, perhaps for healing?
Sweetgrass: [pleased] Certainly! And when prairie fires sweep across the land, the aroma of the burning grasses blesses countless beings of all kinds, both seen and unseen. My plants have strong roots and are designed to regrow after fires, so their capacity for providing blessings of all kinds continues for a very long time.
Peggy: Sweetgrass is considered sacred by cultures in the Americas and in Europe. Are there other native plants that have the same properties in other parts of the world?
Sweetgrass: Not exactly the same, of course. But yes, each part of the world where green beings grow has plants with similar properties, used in similar ways by humans, but not related to Sweetgrass. And those many, many plants bestow blessings and healings each in their own ways.
Peggy: I’ve read that Sweetgrass is considered to have feminine energy, while sage is usually considered to have masculine energy.
Sweetgrass: That is a simplification, but basically true. We grow in similar habitats, and help to balance Mother Gaia’s energies. Please bear in mind that all living things, and all “non-living” things such as rocks and mountains, play a role in the sacred balancing of the physical and energetic planet.
Peggy: There’s quite a bit of controversy in this country right now about non-Native people who like to use Sweetgrass and other traditional sacred plants like White Sage in non-traditional ways. This is seen by many as an act of disrespect, and even cultural theft.
Sweetgrass: Sacred plants of all species were not created solely for the use of aboriginal peoples, but for all who can benefit from them. Even the faerie folk and animal-kind, as has already been stated. Let each person make their own decision about this matter.
Peggy: I have some braided Sweetgrass at home, and I’ve seen so many beautiful baskets, weavings and other kinds of creative uses for the grass. I understand that Sweetgrass used in this manner can represent mind, body, spirit, peace, and harmony. Is that due to the inherent makeup of the grass and its energies, or to the intentions of the maker?
Sweetgrass: A mixture of both, as you are thinking. A basket for food made from (or decorated with) Sweetgrass will emanate its natural energies, even if it is not intentionally blessed by the basket weaver.
Peggy: I found this quote on the Wandering Bull website: “She (Sweetgrass) is very social, a very comforting and motherly sort of plant. She has many gifts for her children if we use her wisely and respectfully.”
Sweetgrass: That is a very perceptive and pleasing description! Let us allow these words to conclude this talking.
Peggy River Singer is a Lightworker, all-beings communicator, faerie ally, Reiki practitioner, and lifelong writer who combines her gifts to help create harmonious relationships among all who share the Earth. Connect by email at newbluecanoe@aol.com. Previous columns, interviews, and articles about her experiences and insights are posted on angelsfairiesandlife.wordpress.com.
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