The third activity in the Plant Spirit Ally Challenge is to make an offering. On a glorious spring morning I wander my yard, nibbling the leaves of dandelions and wild cress, watching the birds, enjoying a rare hour of quiet in a usually noisy suburb. After my wander, I settle beside the beloved western red cedar and open my hands to offer them some energy. I sing them one of my favorite songs. And then I lean back against their broad trunk and ask them … is there anything you want or need from me?

After all, what can I offer this majestic tree, who thrived here for decades before I came along, and really needs nothing from me. Their roots reach so deep, they don’t need water from me. They’re not especially talkative, either: not only today, but most days. Some plants and trees around me have a lot to say, but this red cedar mostly just  … vibes, I guess. Leaning against them, I feel friendliness and a deep, restful stillness. And, watching spotted towhees, dark eyed juncos, yellow crowned sparrows, and bushtits flutter around the surrounding shrubs and trees, a quiet joy unfolds in my chest. As so often happens, I came to make my offering, and received far more gifts than I’ve given. 

But in time, as I sit quietly and listen, I feel an understanding surfacing in my thoughts, that tells me my offering to this tree is my ongoing effort to protect this tiny space I’m privileged to tend. While songs and energy don’t seem to be unwelcome, what my tree friend wants from me is what this place has wanted from me since I arrived: to work together to heal and feed the soil, to create safe space for wildlife, to increase the biodiversity of plant life for the sake of my non-human neighbors as much as for myself. 

One time offerings are lovely and worthwhile, especially when meeting a plant who lives away from our homes and generously shares their gifts with us. But here at home, where I spend most of my time, ongoing reciprocity is the way to go.

Since I came here, I’ve been bringing in more of cedar’s natural neighbors, the companions they would have enjoyed if this land wasn’t so altered by human intervention. From where I sit with red cedar, I see snowberry, osoberry, wild ginger, Oregon grape, wild roses, Douglas hawthorn, vine maple, beaked hazelnut, and red twig dogwood, all of whom I’ve brought in over the years since I moved in. I didn’t think of them as a kind of offering to the plant beings who already reside here, until this moment with the tree. What a wonderful thought, that our actions can be a benefit to our habitat – that we aren’t only parasites. That we belong among these green beings, and can be good friends to them.

Of course, this is an offering specific to me and my living situation, and it’s not an option for everyone who loves plants. As you approach your plant friend, there are so many ways you can give back to them for their kindness. Maybe the first offering is to learn enough about them to know what other offerings they might truly appreciate.

Not sure what the Plant Spirit Ally Challenge is? You can learn more about it here.

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