Using Juniper for Creating Clear Boundaries

As a life-long student of plants, algae, bacteria, coral and fungi, among other life forms, I like to apply the way in which these things energetically interface in nature and apply that wisdom to my own life.

I’ve found many of the ways in which plants survive, thrive or die in nature is directly linked to how they are in relationship with the environment that surrounds them.

During my early days of working with plant spirit medicine, I was learning about “boundary” plants from my teacher Jim Hall. We were working with Yarrow and experiencing its “cloaking ability”, meaning that when we were holding the plant in our hands and connecting with its energy, others could not sense our personal energy fields. (I’ll go deeper into this at another time).

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Given my extreme sensitivity being clairsentient, or one who perceives information within the whole body, without any stimuli related to the feeling or information; I was on a personal journey to discover plant allies that could assist me with operating in the everyday world without getting too overwhelmed by the information I was perceiving and receiving until I learned how to innately control that sensitivity (which I’ve since found with internal martial arts).

A few months after my initial experience with Yarrow, I came across an article about Allelopathic Plants. These are certain trees and shrubs — including junipers – that secrete a toxin into the soil called allelopathy that kills nearby plants. This prevents the plant/tree/shrub from having to compete for water, nutrients and sunlight, and may damage future vegetation planted in the area.

When I read about this ability in nature, I immediately wondered if this mechanism translated energetically in the same way that Yarrow worked for making one’s energy field invisible. To my delight, after several weeks of meditating with the plant, drinking it in tea form, and even having a bit of gin, I realized it certainly did.

If you observe Juniper from a distance, you may notice that it stands alone. In most instances, there is unlikely to be any sort of plant growing underneath it or near it, this is because of allelopathy. We can learn from Juniper in terms of the way it creates healthy boundaries for itself in order to survive and thrive in its environment.

Boundaries aren’t always a way to keep people out, but they are a way to make life as enjoyable as possible for you and your loved ones. Self-awareness, self-care, reduced stress, better communication, trust, reduced anger, and pleasure in the things you actually want to be doing are all benefits of creating clear boundaries. Juniper can support you in creating these boundaries for yourself and with loved ones.

Developing a relationship with Juniper for this purpose is as easy as placing a branch on your alter, or next to your nightstand, and remembering what the plant is capable of in terms of boundary setting. Drinking a tea of the needles or using the essential oil as a perfume when surrounded by people whom you have a difficult time setting clear boundaries with are other ways in which you can work with this plant. It really all comes down to setting your intention for clear boundaries, connecting with Juniper in whichever way feels most natural to you, and knowing that you are now enjoying the space and freedom you need to enjoy your life.