The Melissa

For nearly a year, I've been a student at Wise Woman University, studying under the illustrious Susun Weed. My primary focus in my studies in herbalism is women's health; but that's not what this post is about. There's a point. I swear.

Rewind to about 5 years ago. I was out in my yard, making a flower bed along the side of my house. Ripping away at the "weeds," I suddenly got a whiff of lemons. I looked at my hand, and realized I had a fistful of this lemon-scented plant. I thought to myself, "What the hell?" I later discovered that what had suddenly popped up in my yard was Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis).

Fast forward to Summer 2011. I receive my first set of assignments from Wise Woman University. One of Susun's assignments is called "Herbal Ally." It instructs me to go outside and find a plant that's already growing near my house. So, I walk out into my garden, and the first thing I see is Lemon Balm. Voila! The assignment further instructs me to sit down and breathe with this plant for 10 minutes per day, for one year. "OK....?"

I began, and as instructed, I've been breathing with my Lemon Balm every single day since. I breathe in oxygen produced by the Lemon Balm, and the Lemon Balm breaths in my exhaled carbon dioxide. It's a gentle give and take - a balanced reciprocation.

I've plenty of experience with meditation. So this exercise was simple enough. But well into the second breathing session, something broke my concentration. I heard a bee buzzing in my ear. I had always been afraid of bees. It's one of those irrational fears, I suppose. Anyway, I opened my eyes to see where this bee was, and to see if I was in any danger of being stung. There was no bee in sight. I closed my eyes again, and resumed my focused breathing.

"Bzzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzz!" This time, I heard tons of bees flying around me; but again, when I opened my eyes, there were no bees. "Alright Ben...Fuck it. Just shut your eyes and breathe. Stop worrying about the bees" I said to myself. Back to breathing I went. This time, I let the sound of the bees become part of the experience. I could hear them flying from flower to flower, stopping to collect nectar. I could feel the Sun's warmth on my face, and the scent of the Lemon Balm began to intensify. When the session was over, I came inside and wrote down my experience.

I've continued this practice for many months now. The fascinating part is that the experiences and impressions I'm getting from this exercise are actually teaching me things about the very nature of the Lemon Balm, and all of the services this wonderful plant has to offer us. For example, my first noticeable experience while doing this exercise was the incident with the buzzing of bees. Once I relaxed into the experience, the bees' buzzing sounded more relaxed too. They stopped buzzing in my ears, and went about their business. When I began comparing my impressions and experiences with Lemon Balm to the actual herbal lore of this plant, I was astonished. The botanical name for Lemon Balm is Melissa Officinalis. Melissa means "honey bee" in Greek. Greek apiarists would rub the inside of their hives with Lemon Balm leaves. This apparently calms the bees down, and makes them feel more at home.

There were actually a multitude of lessons tucked inside my encounter with the bees. I learned that Lemon Balm is calming to the nerves. But I also learned that bees, along with the rest of the universe, responds to calming thoughts. When I'm calm, the world is calm. When I'm up buzzing in the ears of the world, they're up buzzing in mine.

So, I began to truly understand the healing power of plants. Over the last few months, I've received so much information from my breathing exercise. I'm convinced that Lemon Balm, as well as all other plants, are intelligent creatures. They're completely capable of communicating with us. We just have to learn how to hear them, and learn how to speak their language. The language of plants is that of sensory impressions. They communicate to us through visual displays, taste, smell, touch, and sound.

Here are a few things that I've recorded in my Lemon Balm journal that I feel are important to share with the world. The following are impressions received from my experience with this plant - These statements have not been reviewed by any medical association, and are not to be considered medical advice:

- Kills bacteria in the lungs
- Antiviral
- Stress relief
- Peaceful Sleep
- Purge sorrow
- Resilience
- Longevity
- Combats Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Can bring about a state of euphoria
- Strengthens the Thyroid / Improves balance in the throat chakra
- Brings happiness to a worried heart
- Good for relieving postpartum depression
- Eases acid reflux
- Assists in digestion
- Spiritually uplifting
- Overall mood enhancer
- Makes you feel more comfortable in unfamiliar places

There are many, many more impressions which I have received from this plant - too many to list here. Some of them are in accord with modern research into the benefits of Lemon Balm as a medicine. Some of them have yet to be researched (which is something I plan on doing down the road).

Susun also encourages her students to use our herbal ally in as many ways possible. So far, I've made herbal infusions, teas, compresses, tinctures, salads, and soaps from Lemon Balm. All of them have been amazingly useful in treating all sorts of ailments (physical, emotional, and spiritual).

I'm telling you about all of this as a preface to a my next post, in which I'll be taking you through the steps of me making a beautiful Lemon Balm soap. In a previous post, I mentioned how much thought I put into making soap. I hope you're getting a clearer picture of what I meant. All of the above information, plus a year's worth of meditation with this plant, is soon going to become something you can rub all over your naked body. Excited yet? I am!