Mother Earth, Reciprocity & Healing
From gardening and grief, to Indigenous wisdom and the Great Mother, this blog explores how nature holds us—and how we can give back.
As well as being a psychotherapist and healer, I’m also a qualified and passionate gardener. I love working outside, tending to the land, and creating peaceful, nurturing spaces. Gardening is where I feel most connected—to nature, to myself, and to something greater.
Lately, I’ve been inspired by the Why Women Grow podcast by Alice Vincent, which builds on her book of the same name. The series shares powerful, often unspoken stories of why women turn to the earth—stories of soil, sisterhood, and survival. It reminds us that working with the land is so often about healing—not just for the garden, but for ourselves.
A Garden That Witnesses a Life
One episode features an interview with one of my favourite authors, Salley Vickers. Alongside her reflections on gardening, she shares how Kew Gardens in London has been a constant companion throughout the different stages of her life. She walked its paths as a child, during pregnancies, with her children, after bereavements, and now as a grandmother.
To Salley, Kew has become more than a garden—it has been a witness to her life. A place of comfort, reflection, and stability. Its enduring presence reminds her of a grandmother or mother figure: grounded, loving, and always there.
Reclaiming Our Relationship with the Earth
Later in the series, Alice interviews Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, and member of the Potawatomi Nation. Robin’s work beautifully integrates scientific knowledge with Indigenous wisdom, offering a new (and ancient) way to relate to the natural world.
At the heart of her teachings is the concept of reciprocity—the idea that as we receive from the Earth, we must also give back. We are in relationship with the Earth, not above or separate from it. This approach encourages respect, responsibility, and a deep sense of care for the world around us.
While this perspective has always been present in Indigenous cultures, it feels relatively new in many Western societies, where nature has often been viewed as something to dominate or control. The popularity of Braiding Sweetgrass perhaps reflects a growing hunger to reconnect with the Earth—not just as environment, but as kin.
Pachamama and the Power of Earth-Based Healing
In the Andean tradition, in which I have trained as a Shamanic Practitioner, the Earth is honoured as Pachamama—a sacred, life-giving force. She is not just soil and stone, but a divine being who sustains us. Pachamama represents the balance and harmony we are meant to live in—both with nature and within ourselves.
In healing work, this connection with the Earth can be profoundly transformational. A Despacho Ceremony—a traditional offering to Pachamama—invites us to release what no longer serves us, ask for guidance, and honour the cycles of life. It’s a moment of reciprocity and reverence.
In therapy, too, we can draw on the feminine, nurturing energy of the Earth. For many, this can offer a new experience of support—particularly if one’s early relationships with caregivers were marked by absence or pain. Reconnecting with the Great Mother through nature can offer comfort, belonging, and emotional renewal.
The Earth as Healer, Guide, and Companion
Nature is always in relationship with us. It holds us through our changes, teaches us to let go and begin again, and reminds us of our place in the great web of life. Whether through gardening, walking, or ritual, connecting with the Earth can bring deep healing—not only for ourselves, but for the planet we share.
If you’d like to explore how nature-based practices can support your healing or therapeutic journey, I’d be honoured to work with you.
