The Sacred Ordinary: Are Dandelions Here to Save the World?
The Sacred Ordinary is a blog series originating from a writing course led by Ellie Roscher for the Collegeville Institute, centering on the sacred ordinary. The authors read and wrote essays designed to make ordinary moments shine, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share these essays with the Church Anew audience.
If there was a book titled Weeds, you’d likely find it accompanied with a picture of dandelions front and center.
Noxious weeds, scientists often call them. Noxious… such a violent word if you ask me. Especially when speaking about nature.
Dandelions and humans have a long-standing relationship. In fact, I read somewhere once that humans recognize dandelions as easily as dogs.
Actually, there was a point in human history where dandelions were loved. Before we started a war against them. Right now, (most) humans hate them.
BUT for this tiny moment… what if we explored the opposite and swirled in possibility? What if we pretended dandelions weren’t meant to be nuances to humans at all? In fact, what if we giggled that they were instead a sacred gift from nature? Not only for humans, but for all of Earth’s inhabitants as well.
What if… dandelions are trying to save the world???
I know, I know. What a silly thing to say. But what if a silly little plant was here to teach us how?
Before we jump right in - it’s important for you to know that I’m an Herbalist and a Plant Whisperer, so yes, I’m a bit biased. But don’t be fooled - I too grew up hating dandelions… even though I’m not sure how…
So let us imagine for this magical moment together that dandelions are actually gifts for us.
What if Mother Earth has been watching all along?
Seeing the distress of our planet. People moving further from nature and closer to screens. Connection fading and disconnection growing. Spirits dimming. The rise of illness, unhappiness and violence rampant.
What if she’s been watching? And responding by sprinkling dandelions all across the globe. To see if we will awaken to the healing right in front of us.
What healing could a noxious weed possibly have to offer? Let’s explore a few, shall we?
Detoxifying a Toxic World:
You know it well. The long, deep (never-ending) tap root. The one that you can never fully pull. What if I told you that instead of that root being here to interrupt our perfectly manicured lawns… it’s actually one of the best medicines of nature?
Specifically for your liver.
Our livers may be one of the most overworked organs, especially today. We’re bombarded with more toxins than ever - putting our livers to work overtime… could nature be responding in abundance to help?
Nutrients in a Malnourished World:
It’s no secret, the American diet consists of food-like products that are slowly killing us. Resulting in malnourishment and leading to higher rates of disease and chronic illness than ever before.
And guess what? The dandelion leaves right outside your door are one of the most nutrient dense vegetables on the planet. The leaves help reduce cell damage, cholesterol and inflammation. They regulate blood pressure and slow fat absorption and many types of cancer. They boost your immune system and fight disease.
Is it a coincidence that no matter what we do to eradicate this weed, it seems to just be growing stronger and stronger?
Restoring Our Soil:
Some of us have probably heard that the health of our planet’s soil is the biggest threat to our existence. Without a thriving soil system, life on this planet will cease to exist.
Could the divine Earth be listening? Dandelions are soil supporters too. Their root systems help to aerate the dense, unlivable soil to make room for more vegetation to thrive. The long tap roots pull up essential nutrients such as calcium to help feed more shallow root systems that may not be able to reach them.
Could the blanket of dandelions be a healing balm nursing our soils back to harmony?
Food for Our Wildlife:
As humans continue to swallow up more and more wild land, the loss of native habitats continues. Native plants that are the foundation to wild ecosystems are threatened now more than ever before. While animals desperately seek food after a long winter - the resilient dandelions offer food for so many of our fellow Homemates - deer, rabbits, bees, moths, birds, butterflies, chipmunks, wild turkeys, bears, squirrels, porcupines, prairie dogs and so many more.
Are dandelions here to help the remaining struggling wildlife?
Medicine for Our Spirits:
What about the seriousness of being an adult human? The sadness, the division, the worry of what’s yet to come. It seems that now more than ever we need the medicine of hope. Returning back to our dreams of what life could be.
What if the fairy puffs of dandelion seeds are intentional gifts from the divine to invite us back to our hopes and dreams?
May we pause to take a moment to soak it all in. That magical little journey we embarked on together to let our silly minds ponder the sacred in the ordinary. Could dandelions truly be here to save the world?
This is the amazing moment you get to choose. The next time you notice those familiar toothed leaves nestled in the middle of the lawn you’ve worked so hard to purify… what will you see?
A sacred gift or a weed to be destroyed?
