Welcome to week eight of Deepen with the Plants, you can register to join this free program at any time https://getafreshstart.lpages.co/deepenwithplants/
Listen to this weeks podcast here
History of Black Pepper
This week we get to go into the darkness, into the shadows, into the truth and realness of the full spectrum of the human experience with Black Pepper.
Black Pepper is native to Kerala, in Southern India, I lived in Kerala for six months as a child in a village called Nandi Bazar, where my parents were working in a community with people with a disability, we ate off banana leaves sitting cross legged on the floor, made flower chains for ceremonies, the women drew my eyebrows on a deep, dark black, and I was part of the bollywood dance troupe and would perform at events with the other little Indian girls. So I love that this magnificent spice with a very long history comes from this region.
Black Pepper comes from a flowering vine and is cultivated for it’s tiny fruit, which are boiled and then dried in the sun in the traditional sense or in this case steam distilled to give us Black Pepper essential oil.
Black Pepper has a long trade history and is one of the world’s oldest-used spices, commonly used to flavour food all over the world, but also for it’s health benefit. It was particularly famous in Greece and Rome and was even used as a means of exchange.
Uses for Black Pepper
Black Pepper is very warming and good for circulation, in winter when things are feeling cold and stiff, use Black Pepper diluted in a carrier oil to massage and bring warmth back to your body.
Black Pepper is excellent to calm the nerves and release tightly bound feelings, breathe in direct from the bottle or diffuse to help ease feeling anxious.
Of course you can also use Black Pepper to flavour food, try it in soups, entrees, meat dishes or use it in chocolate or cacao.
I LOVE Black Pepper and Rose chocolate or Cacao, this is honestly the most outrageously delicious, heart opening, combo.
I like to make my cacao on coconut milk so it is rich and creamy and less bitter and add two drops of the 5ml rose essential oil available from the US warehouse with a drop of Black Pepper, remember when using essential oils in drinks or food, they are extremely potent, less is more, a drop will suffice or sometimes even a toothpick dipped in the oil and swirled in.
Black Pepper essential oil contains many natural chemicals that are important in supporting natural functions of the body. Some of these chemicals include monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, which are known for their antioxidant activity when ingested.
If you wake up feeling groggy, try putting a drop or two of Black Pepper on the soles of your feet to help with the transition from sleepy to awake and present.
Emotional and Energetic Properties of Black Pepper
Black Pepper and Juniper Berry are the two fruit oils that resonate with the darkness, all other citrus or fruit oils are known for their light bringing/joyful properties.
Darkness in this case is not to be seen as evil or to be afraid of and avoided.
We all have our shadow aspects, and instead of avoiding or suppressing them, what if we were able to see, feel, acknowledge, and healthily release and express these parts of ourselves.
It’s so interesting that Black Pepper is the oil we are journeying with this week, as I have been journeying with the shady parts of myself, the things I struggle with the most and feel the most shame for, I have felt like a failure as a mother this week, and been dipping deep into negativity, I have felt my little shit coming up and out, I have been testing the relationships in my life, and feeling like I am just going to be rejected and abandoned again by those close to me, as they find out all the worst parts of me.
Black Pepper supports us in the unmasking, in revealing the truth in who we are, and to feel accepted and loved in the allness of you rather than a deep fear that you will be rejected if someone gets to know the TRUE you, underneath it all.
As described in Gifts of the Essential Oils by Vanessa Jean and Adam Barralet-
“In the end, Black Pepper is an essential oil of empowerment. As you begin to release resistance towards allowing your authentic self to show up, you free up creative energy to manifest the life and relationships you desire. There is a volcanic energy within Black Pepper that brings inner strength to the forefront. Black Pepper releases habits and addictions, showing you that these are not who you truly are. You are neither addict nor addicted. You are simply relying on the material to fulfil a need. Black Pepper shows you that you have within you all you need; there is no longer any reason to rely on anything beyond yourself.”
When I tune into Black Pepper
I believe what terrifies humans more than anything is the depth of their feelings.
That’s why humans are so caught up in every distraction and escapism method under the sun.
From drinking and substance abuse, shopping, emotional eating, sex, porn, binge watching tv, scrolling and just numbing themselves out.
Black Pepper can also support you in recognising and releasing addiction.
It is the way these things are used that makes the difference.
When they’re used to escape, numb or stuff feelings down it becomes a real problem.
I spent so long running from my feelings.
Trying to escape the pain.
Trying NOT to feel.
I was terrified of the dark.
I thought if I let myself feel, the pain would swallow me whole.
That I wouldn’t be able to come back out of it.
Part of this epidemic of the not feeling comes from societal conditioning that some feelings are unacceptable to express.
Stop crying.
Harden up.
Drink a cup of cement.
Boys/men don’t cry.
Stop being a girl.
Anger/rage is unacceptable.
Stop being a baby.
She must be on her period.
Stop being so hysterical.
Be quiet you’re making people uncomfortable.
ETC.
At some point you’ve been shamed for expressing your emotions.
At some point you’ve felt unsafe to do so.
So you learnt it’s better to bottle it.
To plaster a smile on your face and act like you’re fine for the comfort of others.
Well I’m done with that.
I don’t give a fuck about people’s comfort levels.
I’m here to feel it all.
And guess what when you allow yourself to be fully present with whatever emotion rises in your body.
Breathing into it.
Letting the tears flow. Or screaming and punching a pillow.
Or putting Rage Against the Machine on and letting rip.
The emotion can actually move and be released.
Nothing lasts forever.. unless you keep it stuffed down and trapped in your body. Eventually it will leak out in far uglier ways.
Far better to express and release it in healthy safe ways, than to stuff it down and completely lose it later.
I honestly think this is a HUGE key to our violence and alcohol problem.
Until it is safe to feel and express.
Until humans can get really comfortable with their feelings and also others and be really present for it.
True healing cannot begin.
What if we were just able to be completely ourselves. 100% of the time.
What if we sobbed when we felt like sobbing?
What if we broke when we felt like breaking?
What if we laughed until we pissed our pants when we felt like laughing?
What if we danced our asses off when we felt like dancing instead of standing on the edge or moving a little in the shadows.
What if we spoke our words and our truth, loud and proud.
What if instead of feeling like we are too much for people and too much for the world we just knew instinctively that in fact we were entirely enough.
That we didn’t need to change. That the real change would come in the complete allowing and expression of our 100% authentic selves.
What if every time someone asked us to be quieter or less full on or less embarrassing or to pull it together, stop crying, lower our voice and “calm down”. We actually just gave that the finger and stepped into ourselves even more and expressed exactly how we were feeling and what we were thinking.
What if people were ok with that.
Could hold that.
Could see it.
And love it.
And not feel uncomfortable about it.
Not shy away from it.
Or try to change it.
Just accept it. As humanness in all its glory.
What if we were just able to be.
And society didn’t want us to be these well spoken, orderly, follow the rules, never offend, do what your told, 100% calm and zen at all times, sensible, be a good girl, boring as dishwater, perfect, non threatening, mild and meek.
What if people didn’t actually get triggered and threatened when people shared their raw, real truth with them.
And also what if we just decided right now to make it so. And to just live like that. And let ourselves love ourselves, and be so in our skin, that we repel anyone that can’t handle it, and attract only those that can. That want to handle us. That see, get and love us.
Wouldn’t that be a better way to live?
Wouldn’t you be able to breathe? Like really breathe oxygen deep into your belly and let it flop out and hang over your pants instead of clenching and sucking it in. Try it now. Why are we clenching? Whenever you catch yourself doing that clenching just BREATHE. Right in and let everything hang out.
And smile, laugh so hard tears run down your face, your ribs and cheeks hurt, you get a bellyache. Dance and play like a child.
But also feel the intensity of your rage, despair, frustration, loss, grief and sorrow. Let yourself cry so hard you feel you might drown in your own tears. And it actually be ok. Stop holding. Burying that shit deep. Suppressing. Locking it in and deep down. Release!!
Let’s make our worlds that way.
Who’s with me? We will make it the norm by practicing it daily.
Just do you. No more making people comfortable and making it ok for everyone and their delicate sensibilities.
No more constantly adjusting our personalities and how we show up in the world and suppressing ourselves.
No more slowly suffocating on the mundane of people pleasing and letting our dreams slip from our fingers.
No more slowly forgetting who we really are and losing ourselves in favour of the comfort of others.
Your shade deserves love just as much as your light. And the world is much brighter with the total FULLNESS of you in it.
We get to be ALL of it. So much of history and society has tried to box us in.
Tell us what’s “acceptable, likeable, attractive, pleasant, endearing”.
To be mild mannered. Softly spoken. Gentle. Well kept.
Burnt us at the stake if we rebelled against that. Literally.
I’ve had so many experiences where people have tried to change me, tell me what’s attractive, wanted me to be different, less intense, more palatable.
And I’m just done.
I get to be fierce AND soft.
I get to be completely WILD and gentle.
I get to pray and meditate AND have Eminem rap battles.
I get to be fast moving, powerful, loud, intense, expressive AND I get to surrender and move into slowness, stillness.
I get to rage like a fire and curl into a ball and weep like a baby.
I get to dress like a technicolor party girl, a badass businesswoman, a country kid, a comfy mum, a sensual, sexually empowered goddess and everything in between.
I get to cut my hair short, shave the sides, or grow it long and wear it in braids.
I get to speak my truth. Loud and proud.
I get to play my crystal bowls and chant mantras AND listen to filthy R&B and all the 90s pop.
I get to claim every inch of my body, my essence, my power, my soul, my sex and express it however the fuck I want, when I want. As long as I am not causing harm to anyone (harm doesn’t include you being offended or feeling uncomfortable).
I get to be me. All of her. All shades. All states. All colours. ALL of her.
I would love to hear your journey
Keep a journal of your experiences with each oil or blend, this is about you deepening your relationship and connection with the spirit of each plant, spend time with it, tune into it and I would love to hear your experiences, feel free to tag me on socials, my instagram is jessie_reimers or write in to me at jessrems@gmail.com
Upcoming Oils and Blends
Next week we are deepening with Black Spruce.
If you are placing your order now in time for March the oils we will be deepening with are Blue Tansy, Cardamom, Cassia and Cedarwood, order these now so they arrive in time for March.
Don’t have a doTERRA account yet?
Email me at jessrems@gmail.com or contact the person who introduced you to doTERRA to get set up or head to https://www.getafreshstart.com.au/shop-doterra/ you can set up from just about anywhere in the world, and you can get one of the starter kits or pay the $35 for a wholesale account so you get 25% off all our products + loads of other benefits and loyalty discounts.
Enjoy deepening with Black Pepper this week.
Jessie xx
