Sitting with Rosemary: Scented Memory, Lived Wisdom

In the stillness of sitting with Rosemary, I’m reminded that wisdom doesn’t come from reading or teaching—it comes from living.

Some of my plant sits are easier than others, in terms of actually being able to physically sit next to them. Luckily, Rosemary grows in my chair-height herb planter on the patio. But other than a baby growing in one of the raised beds, that’s it. The first thing I thought of when Rosemary came forward is how many times over the years I’ve tried to grow this herb…and failed. I maybe get a couple of years in with it as a small plant, then it dies on me. First thoughts on this are that it probably keeps dying due to not having the drainage it needs – wet and cold winters with that are just too much for it.

As I progressed into the time with Rosemary, I picked up that theme of ‘lack of drainage’, and the message I got was that of letting the thinking/thoughts/ideas stay stuck in the mind stagnating, rather than letting the flow of them filter down into the wisdom of the heart.

I guess I need some more grit.

Anyway, what else did Rosemary have to share?

• Wisdom coming from and through age, coming from lived experience that simply wasn’t available to use and integrate earlier on in our younger lives. From this, I feel that when regrets come up about things I should of done differently in the past, I’m going to be turning to Rosemary to help me remember that I did the best I could do at the time with the wisdom and tools I had available to me then.
• The power of your own unique ‘scent’, or rather, authenticity. Remembering that as you truly are, gifts, flaws…is enough. This is becoming a core part of my work and so maybe I should also start a Rosemary field!!
• The leaves of Rosemary show an interesting mix of soft, vulnerable underbelly with the top of the leaves having the protective waxy coating. This reminds us of the balance of having boundaries and protection from the things life throws at us; but also at the same time having the capacity to soften and to be vulnerable. Maybe we can minimise the risk of getting hurt with boundaries, but never truly prevent it. Getting hurt, in a way, can fuel new growth.
• Rosemary is associated with both Mercury and the Sun. Although I primarily associate it with memory/thinking/the Air element and overall a sense of inter-connectedness, Rosemary also has a very sharp definition of self. It reminds us of the balance between the two, and that both are needed. To me, Rosemary seems an energy that is sure of itself, it stands firm in its conviction.
• It is a plant of contradictions (and the wonderful thing about nature is that many beings are!) – sharp and soft. Practical, real, yet ethereal. Reflecting the paradox of existence on Earth.

Sitting with Rosemary has reminded me that wholeness doesn’t come from choosing one side of the paradox over the other, but from learning to hold both—soft and sharp, spirit and soil, knowing and not knowing. It’s a teacher of embodiment as much as clarity, helping us root our ideas into action, and accept that some things will only bloom with time, grit, and the right conditions. I may not have cracked the code for keeping it alive in my garden just yet—but in the space we shared, something else has taken root.