The shift into spring is subtle where I live, but the more tuned in I become, the more drastic it really feels. It's difficult because I crave seeing the emergence of the green world, but it is still months away. It comforts me to know that the emergence is beginning, in the deep nourishing dark soil, where the plants truly reside.

In the Celtic wheel of the year, this transition into spring is called Imbolg/Imbolc. It is celebrated on the 1st and 2nd days of February.  

Being of Irish immigrant descent, I have longed to connect with my ancestors and the land from which they came.  I am most interested in connecting with ancestors that date back, before the conquests, colonization, and the burning of the wise women.  

How can I connect to my ancestors and the land that they were a part of?

I can do it through the traditions relating to the wheel of the year.  The sun and the moon have not changed.  The awakening of spring and connections to the subtleties of the natural world have not changed.  Connecting with traditions that I know my ancestors, long before me, took part in.  Learning, listening to stories, and as I work with my own rituals inspired by theirs, I connect with them.  The rituals allow me to reach beyond time and space, linking me with my ancestors.

I can also connect with my ancestors and their heritage through plants.  This is my favorite way to feel connected with those who came long before me.  I am able to connect with the same plants that my ancestors did, even though I am on a different continent on the other side of a large ocean.  

Many of the common weeds that grow in the US, are not native to north america.  These plants like to grow where people live, also known as "disturbed areas".  Areas that have been dug and altered by humans, whether it be a farm, place that has been built on, traveled on, or where forests have been cut down.

Many of the common weeds were purposely brought with the colonizers.  They were important food and medicine of the time.  Their seeds were carried on the voyages as one of the few precious items people carried with them.

Many of these weeds can build and support health in a myriad of ways.  They grow abundantly, are easy to access and thereby form relationships with.  They are friendly with humans, preferring to cohabitate the same micro-ecosystems .  Many of them can be harvested from the wild without decimating populations.  In fact, many people pour poison on the earth in foiled attempts of decimating the populations of these tenacious, yet helpful plants.

As I ally myself with the plants that my ancestors were allied with, I ally myself with my ancestors.  As I ingest the plants that my ancestors ingested, I become one with the plants and with my ancestors.  

I am creating shared experiences with my ancestors, as I work with these plants, tending to them, harvesting them, preparing them, and ingesting them.  As I heal my wounds and ills with the common weeds, I know that my ancestors from hundreds and thousands of years before did the same.

The plants have not changed through history.  They are the same plants that my ancient ancestors co-evolved with.  They are the plants that click with my DNA and genetic make-up better than others that may ancestors had no relations to.  

In other words, working with plants that my ancestors worked with to heal their ills and to build health, will be more beneficial to me, than working with plants from other regions of the world.  

One of the plants connected with imbolc and spring, is native and abundant in Ireland, and also lives in my back yard, is Dandelion.  

Dandelion is an excellent plant to work with, to connect with my ancestors.  It is native to Eurasia, which is a huge landmass containing a vast array of countries, cultures, heritages, and ancestry.  In this way, it is an herb that many people can connect with their ancestors through.

A Bit About Dandelion

Dandelion grows abundantly, from seed and root pieces.  It is a human loving herb and an herb loved by humans.  Although large cultures of humans have forgotten about the importance of the humble dandelion.  Many have lost appreciation for this plant.  They would rather spread poison on the ground to kill it, instead of harvesting and consuming it. 

As with many weeds and first succession plants, dandelion is a dynamic accumulator, which means it brings minerals to the surface soil, by mining them from the depths with their roots, bringing them up into their leaves and then releasing them as their leaves return to the soil.  This improves the health of disturbed and compacted soil, enhancing the growth of other species that come after. 

We can benefit from these same minerals that the plant carries in its roots and leaves, when we eat them and make remedies with them.

Dandelion leaves are lovely edible spring wild greens and their roots make nice bitter teas and bitter digestive tonics.

In the spring, the bitter flavor in our food and drinks, help us to transition away from heavy winter foods and move toward fresh spring greens.  They support the liver and kidney functions, after a long winter of eating starchy storage crop foods.

Dandelion supports many important functions in the body including those of the digestive system, liver, and kidneys, all while providing nutrition for the blood.

It has well known anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-diabetic properties.

It supports the body in apoptosis (self destruction) of cancer cells, while not damaging healthy cells.

A few ways to work with dandelion include roasted dandelion root, digestive bitter tincture, infused mineral rich vinegar, and sautéed greens.

Maybe the dandelions are peaking up through the ground where you live, or they will be in the next few months.  If you are so inclined, ally yourself with this wonderful plant this spring.