When I first started working with plant medicine, I was a purist.

Plant medicine was for healing, end of story.

It was only acceptable to work with it in extremely specific circumstances and it had to be in the presence of a qualified shaman.

Plant medicines weren’t for recreational use. They weren’t for having fun.

They were for healing. They were for accessing things that I struggled to access through modalities like therapy.

It was, in my early opinion, serious work.

Serious, I tell you!

Then, while following my own rules – working with the plant medicines in very specific settings, guided by highly qualified shamans – I learned something interesting: healing can be fun.

Not only CAN it be fun, but I WANT it to be fun.

I love playful. I love light.

I don’t insist on it. That would be foolish - I want to have the full human experience and, for my Scorpio-heavy chart, that means being willing to go to the dark places, to plunge the depths of my psyche, to grant shadows just as much space as I grant the light.

But, all else equal…I’ll take the fun, please.

I’ve been doing this “garbage post challenge” for a few days and it’s put me back in the playful place that I’ve been missing.

I’ve written in the past about how I start my writing session: I sit down in front of my computer and ask to be of service to the whole. “I show up today as I hope to show up all days: as an act of devotion.”

But today, my opening prayer changed. Now I say, “I show up today as I hope to show up all days: ready to play.”

Then I tap into an image I have from an early plant medicine retreat of a group of people doing DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP healing work…while following a woman doused in glitter as she played the flute, leading us parade-style through the forest…while most of the group was mildly tripping on a psychedelic substance.

Not “either or.” “Both and” for me, please.

Wishing you a Sunday full of whatever fun looks like to you,

Keely