Houseplants, essentially.
Some Druids I've met avoid bringing plants into their home because they feel as though they're mocking the natural order of things, others I know have rooms filled wall to wall with various potted plants and herbs. I feel it's a matter of personal taste and with the handful of disheartened posts about winter blues I think it would be worth having a look at what bringing a plant into your home can mean for you if you've never thought about it.
If you hadn't seen it before, linked here is the NASA clean air study, detailing some of the strongest air filtering plants you can have in your home to keep the air fresh and clean. While a single plant won't keep your house CO2 free by any means, it might give you a strong spiritual and psychological boost. They do have the benefit of filtering benzene and formaldehyde among other pollutants though, so they're not solely for psychological benefit.
Many people live in apartments or rental homes meaning a garden outdoors isn't an option and while parks are lovely you can't spend all your time there reasonably. If you are in that sort of situation or have never had indoor plants, I would encourage people to try raising one from as young an age as you can. Watching a plant grow in your own home being nurtured by your hands is very satisfying. If you want a closer 'relationship' with your plants you can make fertilizer for it yourself out of food scraps and egg shells from the kitchen.
If you have a local freshwater lake, river or pond you could take a jug and make a habit of walking to the water source, collecting water from it and bringing it back to your plant rather than giving it tap water. I doubt the plant would mind either way but the walk will give you time to think and forget technology for a moment. No pipes, no knobs or faucets. How easy it is to forget nature when the whirr of computer fans and refrigerators provide the background noise in so many homes. You, a container and your own two legs against the ground. It becomes a cathartic ritual, you look forward to running out of water so you have a reason to go for a walk with a purpose.
I know from experience that several of the plants on NASA's list are extremely hardy, the ficus and spider plants are quite capable of surviving without you for a week or two at a time. One I would suggest for even the least green-thumbed among us are snake plants. They can go ages without water should you forget, clean the air like it's going out of style and have a delightful deep green color with lovely highlights.
Many new Druids who hunger in their spirit for a connection to nature with no forest near by would benefit greatly from raising their own plants indoors, I think. They encourage you to slow down as well, something we forget too often. You can't dump a whole pitcher of water into a plant at once, you have to let it trickle, stop, wait for the water to sink into the soil and then trickle again.
I'm curious, what house plants might everyone have in /r/druidism?
Stay warm and cozy through this frigid winter, everyone. :)
Submitted January 24, 2015 at 07:46AM by Dudeicca http://ift.tt/1CLTAGj druidism
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